A/N: This was the first thing that could arguably called fannish that I wrote (probably). Dragonlinks is one of my alltime favourite books ever. I got a copy at a secondhand shop when I was about eight, and it's probably not unlikely that I've read it a thousand times. I have another short that I also wrote in a similar situation (English task for school), but many years later. This has no connection to that, but check it out anyway.
It had been three years since Jelindel was admitted to the Temple. Three long years, filled with learning and teaching. Her time was almost up at the Great Temple of Verity in Arcadia.
The start had been rocky, after proving she could use Vec-takine - her binding word of ensnarement, many of the girls in her dormitory were scared of her. Afraid that she would bind them, or kill them. In the beginning her Siluvian kick-fist lessons were only attended because they were mandatory. But slowly, the neophytes and priestesses grew accustomed to her rough-around-the-edges style.
The Siluvian lessons in the temple were something to behold, rows and rows girls repeating form after form. And then the small sparring matches at the end of each class. No magic of any kind was allowed in these matches, any style of fighting was viable though, Siluvian, pike or staff fighting, daggers or swords were also allowed provided they had a blunted edge. In the matches the pairs and groups were allotted randomly, an Adept 1 might be paired up with an Adept 9, magic ability didn't matter there.
The group Jelindel was in for this training session consisted of an Adept 4, an Adept 8 and two Adept 5's along with her and her guide from her first day, Metriele. It would be a nice challenge, the group fights almost always were. Finding someone or someones to team up with and then executing a plan with them, often with no time for preparation was something she loved.
Taking Metriele by the arm she flashed behind the other girls in their group, whispering her plan along the way. "Come on Metriele, hold on tight. I'm going to drop you behind our opponents and I want you to incapacitate the girl with the long red hair. I'll try to take out the Adept 5's, then we'll take the Adept 8 together, alright?"
"Yes, Jelindel," came the faint murmured reply. Setting Metriele on the ground, Jelindel launched herself sideways and swept the legs out from underneath one of the Adept 5's, punching the other in the solar plexus. Following that up with a smooth tap to the backs of their skulls to make sure they wouldn't get. She turned to see Metriele dispatching the Adept 4 with a spin kick followed by a knee to the solar plexus. Then the they headed in unison toward the rather stunned Adept 8 in a traditional pincer attack, Metriele coming from the left and Jelindel coming from the right; after they had taken down their last opponent, looked around to see that they were the first group to have finished their bout.
"Metriele, come help me with the others." Jelindel said, picking up two of their downed opponents and heading toward the edge of the training courtyard. Metriele gathered up the other two and took them over to Jelindel.
"Jelindel?"
"Yes, Metriele?"
"Why do you always check over your opponents after the bout?"
"Because they are not my enemies, Metriele, they are fellow neophytes and people of this temple, I do not want them permanently harmed or injured." Jelindel answered, never stopping her motions. "It would be a different matter if we were out in the world and someone had attacked us. For one I would be aiming mainly to kill rather than incapacitate and I would have used magic and other techniques as well."
The bell sounded marking the end of their practice session, and Jelindel and Metriele took their opponent and joined the lines.
"Congratulations to those who have won their bouts, commiserations to those who lost. If you need medical attention, please proceed to the infirmary after this." The High Priestess announced. "In three months time we will be having a tournament open to the public. It will be a chance to show your skills to the rest of Q'zar. There will be three divisions: Magic, No Magic and Open. The Magic division is based solely on your magical abilities, the No Magic is the opposite and the Open category has no restrictions. In all the divisions you may enter as an individual, a pair or a team of up to 5 people. There are no restrictions on who can enter, but if you are entering the Magic division it's recommended you are an Adept 9 or higher."
As they left the training courtyard, Metriele asked, "What do you think, Jelindel, should we enter?"
"But of course, Metriele, a chance to prove that girls can fight! That we are not weak things always in need of protection! Of course I am joining."
"Can we pair up then? Please Jelindel?"
"Fine…" Jelindel said, with mock reluctance. "But we are entering all the categories."
"Figures." Metriele muttered darkly. "You just want to prove to them that you are the best."
"Well that's part of it too." Jelindel said sheepishly.
That night they went to sleep dreaming of the upcoming tournament, and the victories they hoped they would receive.