[I]A scar is the best one can hope for, when it means winning a fight that could have cost you your life. Just wish it wasn't such an ugly one on my neck...[/I]

In time the angry red scar on her neck would heal, a reminder of how close she was to death when fighting against a spellsword. If not for her own powers, the gem her opponent launched would have gone straight through her neck...

"Sorry" she said to her opponent as she shook her head of the previous fight she had before stepping once more into the arena. It was a cloudy day that day, one that held multiple spots of shade lazily moving across the sandy ground of their area. The crowd was excited, as they had apparently taken a liking to the young swordswoman and her skill. From what she had been told most of her fans were hoping for some other grizzly wound to befall her, like the gem getting lodged in the side of her neck at the last battle she participated in and still pull out a win.

Personally she would rather not have any kind of disturbing injury that requires careful surgery to remove and to heal her. Of course the gem itself made for a pretty trophy, one that stood in her quarters as a reminder of how close one could be to both victory and defeat. If only she had time to clean the blood still on the damn thing.

Her opponent stood fifteen feet away from her, and from what she could tell, he would be a difficult one to beat. On her next exhale, she would begin to go into her stance as preparation for when the signal was given. Right shoulder was parallel with her right elbow, the other bent down to protect her gut, the tip of her blade aimed directly at her opponent's face, her right foot in front of her left. This stance worked well for her last fight, maybe it'll work out well again for this one.

"I'm ready" she said as the call was given out to the arena participants. Annabelle now waited for the signal to be given, her confidence blooming as she felt ready for anything. With every battle she learned a little more, and hopefully she would one day become the legendary warrior she dreamed of being.