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Aegwuin left the field, Baelinda forfeiting the match after a four point difference. It wasn't cowardice, it was wise. The two would meet again later in combat anyway, the melee battles were not much of Baelinda's personality, instead being much better at the dragon joust and the spear throw. Though the numbers of the Jotun only came to twelve, that still meant two more battles to be done before the next round began. Off in the distance, the targets for the next event slowly chugged their way to the fields, being carried by teams of animals.

"Good fight, Baelinda. I really didn't want to have to fight so early in the round," Aegwuin whispered to her friend. The redhead gave a slight shrug.

"Word has it you and Sir Halmat are considering union. I don't believe it for a moment. Anyone that has a set of eyes knows that you two are so different it would never work out. That's why his province is so small."

"Don't be so quick to put him down; Just because our ideals are different, doesn't make him less of a person."

"You do realize the longer that you stay in armor, the less you'll be seen in a dress," Baelinda mentioned, giving a slight chuckle. Aegwuin was less than interested in such a snide comment, giving no motion back. Her friend, however, seemed to be expecting more of a response anyways. "Please, You can not be seriously this enthusiastic about glory or honor to keep swinging a sword. Retire, be married, rest and continue your life of wondrous beauty-"

"Speak not of what you don't know. You can ruin a thousand more lives with the speaking of a single word, destroy an entire man's heart with a simple sentence, than you ever could with the swing of a sword. I have no interest in governing politic like the rest of the Jotun seem to be vying for. Much less becoming the puppet of a man who cares not for his people, seeking only my providence for his own militaristic gain," she said with stoic conviction.

"Keep talking like that, you're bound to make everyone willing to kill you."

"If they do, then they should do so with honor. I have no time for cowards who hide behind others until opportunity lowers her head, just enough for the axe to be brought upon her neck."

Round two began, this time facing a knight much more like herself, this time from the east of her own province. If there was anyone who actually could rival Aegwuin in terms of beauty, style, and fashion, it was her, the Lady Furibonda. She came from a larger land, and her gold plated gear was exactly the statement of wealth and display which only infuriated Aegwuin to the core as being gaudy, if not outright blatantly arrogant. What was worse was that she knew the woman was destined for show, not for skill, even though the two were mostly well matched.

"Well, how do you bode, fair maiden of the north?" Furibonda inquired, the feigned air of courtesy leaving the foulest taste in Aegwuin's mouth.

"Never as bright or as bountiful as where you come from, Lady Helen Furibonda. I see your precious metal mines are flowing as freely as ever," Aegwuin flatly remarked back.

... absolutely nothing at all. Enchantments that would be effective against a Jotun would require a massive engraving, and even more magic channeled into said inscriptions. As most Jotun were incapable of magic, it was extremely rare to find any being in possession of anything magical at all, as its significance would imply quite a lot. Not only do they have the smiths to forge weapons and armor, but also the magicians necessary to make an enchantment which could in fact, make a difference in combat. The scales were simply extraordinary.

The two were cautious as they encircled each other. Aegwuin was offended by Helen's arrogance; Helen saw Aegwuin as either worthless or over-the-top in terms of humility. The two didn't really hate each other. Such an assessment would be flawed in it's design. It was simply a clash of ideologies. With luck, the two often got to display their unspoken debates on the battlefield, as the clashes were nothing short of a good pub tale. Perhaps the clincher in the entire tale, however, was the fact that the two were in fact related by blood, and by tutelage. They were cousins, who had practiced the exact same style as children. Somewhere along the line, however, Helen became more engrossed with the zweihander, Aegwuin with the shield.

As metal on metal clanged out in fury, the second round had already begun.

To call the fight a catfight would have been a gross understatement. While seemingly respectable on the exterior, the two put all their emotions into the fight. The blade of Helen's was smashing down upon the shield of Aegwuin with the ferocity to make anyone quiver. The sheer impact sent gale force winds down across the fields. And each blow parried back made the knight ever more determined. The clash of metal on metal lasted for nearly two minutes, before the two stood glaring at each other.

Helen was panting, her energy expended, while Aegwuin stood with a relaxed state of mind. She was tired too, but stoicism gave her added edge to keep her cool. Helen tried to shrug it off, regaining her composure with a sly grin and pulling one of her bangs back. Jotun do not have magic in a sense; they cannot perform spells in the typical manner. But to be so large, so powerful, their blood was inherently magic in some manners. And in times in direct concentration, they could produce a kind of aura, a reflection of their inner self. Helen had begun to tap into all of this, as she gripped her sword. A trained magician would see her turn almost red.

"You recover so well, and each time I have tried to put you down, you come back again and again. Today, I will have your glory. I grip my sword with all my strength, as it tells me to defeat you with all my might. Now take all of my sorrow, my anger, my emotion and concede defeat!"

The zweihander swung furiously causing dents to appear on the kite shield. But with anger and hate comes problems. It was but a split second, when Aegwuin stepped back, tossing her sword up and exchanging her shield that gave advantage to calm and reason. As the massive sword buried into the ground, Aegwuin laid her personal weapon across the back of Helen's neck.

"Your sorrow, your anger, your emotion... I do not take them. But I do take your concession of defeat. I'm not here for glory, Helen. You can keep that."

With that as the final move, Aegwuin moved to the finals in the fighting competition.

Aegwuin sat down on the sidelines, readjusting her gauntlets and other parts of her armor which threatened to come loose if carelessly ignored.

"Gah, if my next opponent is Sir Drake, I swear I will not enjoy it at all," Aegwuin spoke to herself, rotating her sore shoulder and reattaching the pauldron.

Aegwuin gave a sigh, as she watched the fight draw close to her side of the ring. She didn't move though, as the pair moved back again. The fight ended within two minutes, as the top two were given an hour's break to do as they pleased. Business was business to Aegwuin, as she began to hand her weapon to her squire. She wouldn't eat, while most would take the time to ingest some food to keep their energy high.

Aegwuin, however, would go for a relaxing calf massage instead.