Chapter24: A Duel Between Two Warriors

Being a Mandalorian, Sabine Wren had almost no weaknesses. However, there was only one thing she could think of that made her cave in: Art. She loved art. Her paint canisters said as much. So one could imagine how sour she felt when she was forced to
say goodbye to Rivendell. The city was so...beautiful. Every craft, every building, screamed art. Sabine had only wished she could've seen more. But then her mind came back to reality and she accepted the fact that they had a mission. And should
she ever get the chance to set eyes on Rivendell again, she didn't want to see it all up in flames.

But she hated to leave.

As the Fellowship slowly climbed out of the hidden valley, Sabine looked back at Rivendell one last time. The city looked almost like a shimmeringcrown sitting on a hilltop from where she was standing. She understood why old Bilbo would want to
live there. If she had a choice, she'd stay there forever. There was something about that city that got her attention. It wasn't just the art. Sabine wished she could stay longer to find out what that was. But her companions were already almost out
of the valley, so for now, she had to bid her farewell to Rivendell and catch up.

The rest of the Ghost crew didn't wish to leave Rivendell either, but the destruction of the ring was their number one priority. A couple eyes kept on looking back at the city until it was finally out of view. When that happened, they looked ahead
to find a great plain before them. Even bigger than the ones they had seen in the Shire. Sabine could even see great mountains all about them. She heard a couple members of the Fellowship say that they were called the Misty Mountains. She had no idea
why it was called that, though.

Eventually, Gandalf took the lead of the company, considering that he knew these lands better than the lot of them. Sabine was actually kind of relieved that the old man was actually coming with them for once. They sure could've used his help with the
whole Ringwraith incident. And she still was a bit ticked that he hadn't met them in Bree, even though that had been months ago.

Legolas and Aragorn followed right behind the wizard, being the second best to know the land. Sabine wasn't surprised about that, though. Aragorn was a king after all. Unfortunately, she and the crew had to deal with Gimli and Boromir since they were
at the end of the group. No surprise, the Gondorian kept on shooting glares back at them and the dwarf strangely seemed to tighten his grip on his axe every time Hera and Zeb got close to him.

What was it with those two anyways?! Sabine could see a lot of pride in both their eyes, but that didn't give them the right to be so judgemental over the crew, especially her. Oh, she had not forgotten Boromir's comment about how women shouldn't
be allowed to fight. That was the greatest insult someone could give to a Mandalorian. Sabinehad no idea what kind of sick world that man had grown up in, but if he continued to give her trouble, she'd show him what it was like to be a Mandalorian.
That was a promise!

Should she do it with her fists...or her blasters,she wondered?

Ezra interrupted her train of thoughts, "Is it just me, or does this land seem to get bigger and bigger the farther we go?"

Zeb huffed, "Could be just you." The Jedi glared at him, but he ignored it as he continued, "The real question is: Doesn't it feel like we're alwayshaving to travel ever since we got here?"

Ezra shrugged, "Well, we do have a job to do."

Zeb rolled his eyes and let out a low groan, "We alwayshave a job to do."

Sabine had to agree with him on that one. Even before they arrived in Middle Earth, they had a job to do. There had never seemed to be any rest back at Chopper Base. It was always battling against the Empire.

Ezra smirked and pointed at himself, "We're rebels, remember?"

Zeb didn't respond. He just rolled his eyes again and keapt walking, his hand clutching one of the bags over his shoulder. Sabine and Ezra were carrying similar bags, containing some of their supplies. Hera and Kanan had walked up ahead to quietly talk
with Gandalf and Aragorn. Sabine rose a brow. They always seemed to be having secret conversations without their knowing. For a time, that had been an issue with the young Mandalorian. Before they had joined Phoenix Squadron, she had a hard time trusting
Hera and Kanan, for they had been working for a secret agent codenamed Fulcrum, and they never reveled much about it. However, they eventually learned that Fulcrum was former Jedi survivor, Ahsoka Tano, one of the leaders of Phoenix Squadron.

But ever since then, Sabine had found herself trusting her friends more and more each day.

Ezra looked at her and frowned, "I'm surprised that you were okay about having to leave Rivendell."

Sabine half laughed, "You think I was okay? Believe me, the farther we get on this journey, the more I'm gonna miss it."

Ezra laughed and shook his head, "You know, even after everything we've been through these past couple months, you still seem to be the same."

Her smile some odd reason, that suddenly made Sabine feel down. Why?What was so wrong about what he just said? It just...got her for some reason.

"Eh, mostly," she finally commented, "but there are some parts of me that've changed."

Ezra and Zeb looked at each other and then asked at the same time, "Like what?"

"A whole lot of things, thank you very much!" Sabine retorted.

Zeb rose a brow and then gave a small grin, "Well...you do look a bit dirtier."

As soon as the Lasat said that, both he and Ezra burst out laughing. Sabine just gave them a dirty look and punched them hard in the shoulder.

"Why do you guys think I'm not different?!" she asked defensively.

Ezra scratched his head, trying to think of a good explanation. Sabine just gave him an impatient look, waiting for an answer. She knew he was wanting to open his big mouth.

"Well..." Ezra answered slowly, "you're a Mandalorian. And for as long as we've known you, you've seemed to be distant and alone a lot. And I've not really seen anything from that that's changed."

Sabine looked at him in disbelief, "How, after all we've been through since we got here, have I been distant?! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! I even rode you all the way to Rivendell because of your injury! Is that not different?"

Ezra looked down and shrugged, "I guess."

Sabine had no idea why this was bugging her so much. This seemed silly to be bugged about. She was a warrior. Why did something so little have an effect on her? She felt like she had to prove to Ezra that she was different. But...why? Why did she
care so much about that? After a few seconds, she just decided to let it go. She needed to keep her head in the game.

But then all of a sudden, she noticed Gimli giving her a strange look. The dwarf had a frown and kept on looking at her up and down as if confused.

"Um...is there a problem?" Sabine asked, crossing her arms.

Gimli pointed at her hair and attire, "Why are you dressed like that?"

Sabine bit her lip and replied, "Like what?"

"With all those colors," the dwarf answered, looking at her weirdly, "They don't look threatening or warrior-like in the slightest. Thosehave to be the most preposterous colors for hair and armor!"

Zeb placed his hands on his hips and scowled at him, "Who invited you into this conversation?"

"She did," Gimli replied bluntly, pointing at the Mandalorian. "You should pay more attention, lad. It might do ya some good."

When the dwarf looked back up ahead, Zeb made a fist and was about ready to punch him, but Ezra stopped him and shook his head not too. The Lasat at first ignored the kid, but when he saw Kanan shoot him a warning look, he relaxed his hand. Rex just rolled
his eyes and pretended to be thinking about something else.

Sabine walked up beside Gimli, and looked at him with a raised brow, "You don't seem to have an appreciation forart, do you, dwarf?"

Gimli looked at her in shock, as if offended by what she said, "Don't appreciate art?! My lady, all dwarves have a deep regard for art! Why, we even make it!"

Ezra looked confused, "You make paint?"

"Paint?!" Gimli huffed, glaring at the young Jedi, "Paint?! Are you mad, boy?! Paint is a wasteof time!" Before Ezra could ask howhe appreciated art, he answered immediately with a prideful smile on his face, "The real art...is stone."

Zeb made a gagging sound, "Stone? Are you joking me?"

Sabine held up a hand for the Lasat to shut up and looked back at the dwarf, "Stone? That's very interesting. Please tell me more."

She wasn't joking, it did sound very interesting. Don't get her wrong, she had seen stone sculptures on Mandalore, but had never really paid much attention to them. However, she was very interested to hear what the dwarves thought of them.

Gimli looked up to the sky in thought as he answered, "To a dwarf, stone is home. Stone is our life. Every day, we live in it, mine it, carve it. We discover so many remarkable objects and create thousands of amazingstatues. Some are dedicated to
our fathers and their fathers before them." He then chuckled to himself, "It is true a dwarf can live far over 200 years, but that is still too short a life in our eyes. And there is never a guarantee that we'll all live to be that old."

Sabine gave him a look of sympathy, "That's sad."

Gimli made a passive wave with his hand, "That may be the case for most...but it'll take more than an army of Orcs to take this dwarf down!"

Ezra leaned over to Zeb and whispered, "Should we try a Star Destroyer?"

They both quietly chuckled to themselves, to which the dwarf took no notice of. Sabine just glared at them and then smiled.

"Your honor is admirable, Gimli," she said, "If we were in my...country, you would be held in high honor."

Gimli looked at her and frowned again, "Where do you come from, if I may ask?"

Sabine grinned nervously, "Far far away."

Boromir then looked over at them and replied, "Apparently so, sinceyou are surprisinglyallowed to fight."

Sabine bither lip again, and this time her teeth drew blood. This guy was really asking for it, and she was finding it more and more difficult to restrain herself.

"And I'm surprised they allowed someone with your stupidity to be considered a captain," she replied back.

Ezra and Zeb's eyes went wide and they slappedtheir hands over their mouths, having a laughing fit.

Boromir just chuckled sarcasticallyand shook his head, "Your insults do not intimidate me, woman."

Sabine clutched her fists and sighed, pretending to give up, "That's a pity," she then gave him a threatening look, "because theyshould."

That got the Gondorian. Sabine could see a look of discomfort in his eyes, but he immediately blocked it bad attempted to act unbothered. He tightened his grip on his shield and walked up ahead. And Sabinewas very glad to see him go.

Gimli chuckled pleasingly and patted the Mandalorian on the shoulder, "Well played, my lady. Well played."

She smiled at him. Okay, so maybe the dwarf wasn't so bad after all. Sabine could see herself getting along with him quite well. Boromir, on the other hand, would be an issue. It'd take a miracle for her to get along with that man. She had no idea why
he seemed to be so against women. Obviously this guy had never had any encounters with Mandalorians. If that had been the case, he'd be a dead man right now. So why didn't she put him in his place? Well of course there was an obvious answer to that.
Honor. Even the most despised beings could not take away a Mandalorian's honor. But if it did get to them, there was a civilized way to settle it. Well, civilized to her, at least. Sabine wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet, though. She'd just
have to wait and see.

The Fellowship walked on for a good couple hours, some admiring the scenery around them, specifically the hobbits and the crew of the Ghost. These lands were far more bigger than the Shire and the land surrounding the village of Bree. Sabine could
see why it'd be considered dangerous. She could almost imagine things lurking withinthe shadows of the mountains. She wondered if any of these 'Orcs' actually lived in the mountains. Probably. Being a Mandalorian, she had seen creatures across
the galaxy that did similar things like that.

How far has the darkness of Mordor spread, she wondered? Yes, the black riders had infiltrated the Shire, but they were only few. Would Sauron also dispatch a force that he deemed necessary to crush these lands? What was she thinking?! Of course he would!
Sauron and the Empire had differences, but they most definitely had similarities too. They both seeked to crush anything that is good. Although, Sabine doubted Sauron could do what the Empire made her to do. She could still remember how she had followed
their orders blindly when she had been a cadet. What she had done, basically enslaved all of Mandalore. It made Sabine feel better knowing that nightmare wasn't here, though. And she hoped it'd never come here.

Gandalf glancedat all of them and finally spoke aloud so they couldhear him, "We must hold this course West of the Misty Mountains for 40 days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns East,
to Mordor."

"40 days?!" Zeb whispered quietly in frustration, "Karabast!"

The company had been traveling for a good couple days. By that time, they had been traveling closer and closer to the mountains. Every time Sabine looked up, she could see their tall peeksnext to the bright blue sky. It was a rather extraordinary
view. Part of her wished she could climb up to the top of one of the mountains and have a look around. Too bad she didn't have a jet pack. That'd really come in handy.

There was one group of mountains that really got her attention though. Gandalf called it the Pass of Caradhras. Sabine could see mounds of snow on top of these mountains. Snow! How weirder could this world get?! And from the look of it, Caradhras
didn't look like the most pleasant place to travel through. Gandalf, however, assured the Fellowship that there would be no need to go through thesnowy mountains, unless it was absolutely necessary. Fortunately, they hadn't run into any trouble,
so the probability of something unexpected happening was very slim.

When it was getting close to noon, the wizard allowed everybody to eat and rest for a bit. Sam prepared a fire and began to cook up some meat and stew for the hungry travelers. Hera and Sabine volunteered to help him out while the rest of the Fellowship
scattered, some keeping quiet to themselves. Merry and Pippin were surprisingly nowhere near tired, so Boromir thought he should teach the two halflings how to fight with a sword. Aragorn, Ezra, Zeb, and Frodo sat around the three and watched. Legolas
was the farthest away from the group, moving from one rock to another. Sabine eyed the Elf curiously. He appeared to be scouting around. Honestly, the Mandalorian preferred to keep her eyes on him instead of Boromir.

Gandalf, Kanan, and Gimli, were sitting a little ways away behind the company, discussing their route. The wizard had taken out his pipe and listened as Gimli paced back and forth rambling on and on about stuff that Sabine couldn't hear very well.

When Sam had finished preparing the food, he first offered some to the two women, to which the eagerly accepted. They were famished, especially after all the traveling. Sam then ran a tray to Frodo and the others. He frowned and shook his head as Merry
and Pippin were almost dancing around and blocking Bormoir's soft blows.

The Gondorian swung his sword up, "Two," then right, "One," then left, "Five." He then smiled and nodded atthe hobbits, pleasingly, "Good! Very good!"

"Remember to move your feet," Aragorn advised both halflings as he smoked his own pipe.

Boromir swung again, a bit harder this time, but Merry and Pippin seemed to be getting the hang of it. They were feeling proud of themselves. Sabine, however, was not pleased. Boromir's fighting skills seemed a bit sloppy in her opinion. As a Mandalorian,
she had been trained in the most violent fighting arts ever known in the galaxy. But as she watched the training, she didn't see any of those stances. And it was bugging her.

"Sabine," Hera said, interrupting her thoughts, "You realize that you're just playing with your stew, right?"

Sabine looked down and realized that she had indeed been fidgetingwith her bowl. She had not even realized that she kept jabbing her spoon down to the bottom of the bowl.

"Oops," she exclaimed embarrassingly, "sorry, Hera."

The Twi'lek smirked and rose a brow at her friend, "Alright, spill it."

Sabine looked up, trying to act like nothing was wrong, "Pardon?"

Hera just smiled and shook her head, "You've been giving Boromir the death stare ever since we left Rivendell. What is it this time?"

Nothing ever seemed to slip by the Twi'lek captain. She could read everybody without giving a second glance. That's what it seemed like to Sabine. She sighed and glanced over at the 'training'.

"There are just some non-Mandalorian teachers that bug me sometimes," she simply replied, setting her bowl down.

Hera nodded and smirked again, "And Boromir is one of them, I take it?"

Sabine nodded and watched disappointedly, "Oh yeah."

Hera placed a hand on her forehead, knowing exactly what the Mandalorian was thinking, "Don't do it, Sabine. We've already squabbled enough with that man, I don't want to cause any more trouble."

Sabine simply nodded. She'd try her best to leave it alone, but she couldn'tkeep any promises. She then decided to return to her stew. Maybe that could keep her distracted.

Meanwhile, Gimli was beginning to question the road they were taking. Gandalf and Kanan simply listened and remained unresponsive.

"If anyone was asking for my opinion, which I know they're not," Gimli said grudgingly, "I'd say we were taking the long way round."

Kanan frowned and crossed his arms, "With all due respect, isn't this the only way to get to Mordor?"

Gimli shook his head, "Lad, there are plenty more paths to get to that fell place than just this one. And honestly, I don't think it wise to go to the Gap of Rohan. Isn't Isengard not that far from there?"

Gandalf's expression seemed to darken at the mention of that place, but he nodded yes to the dwarf's question. Kanan remembered the wizard telling him of Saruman the White betraying them, and that Isengard was his stronghold. He was actually beginning
to agree with Gimli on this one. If this 'Gap of Rohan' was right next to Isengard, was it really a wise decision to take the ring there?However, if they didn't go through that land to get to Mordor, then where would they go?

Gimli answered his thoughts instantly.

He looked to the wizard, with a gleam in his eye, "Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome."

Kanan suddenly saw Gandalf slightly grow pale in the face and immediately shake his head.

"No, Gimli," the old man replied sternly, "I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

Gimli looked down and sighed disappointedly. Kanan looked at Gandalf confusedly, wondering why he didn't approve of the idea to go through these mines that the dwarf spoke of. However, before he could ask the wizard why, there was a loud shout from the
camp. The three looked over to see Boromir standing in front of Sabine and looking down at her. Hera had buried her face in her hands and kept on shaking her head repeatedly.

"I take it you have something to say?" the Gondorian rudelyaskedSabine.

The Mandalorian pretended to take no notice of him and just ate her stew. Unfortunately, the more she did so, the more irritated Boromir became. Ezra and Zeb watched them wide eyed, wondering what was going to happen. They could see the man getting red
in the face.

"Do you, woman?!" Boromir demanded.

Sabine finally looked up at him and shrugged, "Who? Me?"

Boromir had no patience for her games, "If you got something to say, then just say it!"

Sabine nodded and stood up, "Okay. I think your fighting techniques are sloppy. What are you trying to do? Get those hobbits killed?"

Merry and Pippin looked at each other, and walked over behindEzra and Zeb, having a hunch that trouble was about to occur.

Boromir put his face close to hers and answered, "This is how all Gondorians fight, woman. And we have survived with these 'techniques' for thousands of years."

"Hmm," Sabine mused sarcastically, "It's a wonder you're still alive."

She too, had no desire to deal with the man, so she picked up her empty stew bowl and carried it over next to the fireplace. Boromir, though, wasn't done with the Mandalorian, so he marched after her. Everybody watched from a good distance. Hera eventually
got up from where she was sitting to join them. It was as if she knew what was gonna happen. Even Chopper covered his mechanical eyes as he watched the scene.

Boromir suddenly grabbed Sabine by the arm and turned her around to face him, "Who are you to judge me?! I am a captain, the son of Gondor's Stewart! And what are you?" He looked down at her attire and scoffed, "A woman with no sense of respect."

Sabine's eyes flamed and she slapped his arm away, "What do you mean by 'respect'?! Is this still about that bunch of poodoo about how woman shouldn't fight?!" She jabbed a finger right in his face, "Let me tell you something, captain: I have plenty
of sense! I have respect! Why? Because I'm a Mandalorian!"

Boromir just rose a brow and shrugged, "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Yes, it does," Sabine answered through gritted teeth, "In my experience, Mandalorians are the better warriors. We know what it takes to actually win a war."

Boromir crossed his arms, "And are you saying that Gondor doesn't?"

Sabine just huffed and replied, "Well you definitely don't."

"I got a bad feeling about this," Zeb muttered.

Ezra glanced at him and whispered back, "Just a bad feeling?"

Now, it was Boromir's turn to jab his finger at the Mandalorian. And he was nowhere near gentle, but it didn't bother Sabine in the slightest. She just stared at him and gave him the dirtiest look ever.

"You don't know anything about me, woman," Boromir muttered angrily, "You've never seen what I can do. You've never seen what I've done for my people. And I don't know anything about you. You claim that your people are the better warriors, yet I find
that very hard to believe."

Oh that did it. He finally asked for it. Sabine wasn't holding back anymore.

"Then why don't we see who's better?" she suggested.

"Sabine," Hera said in a warning tone of voice.

Boromir stepped back and let out a little laugh, "Is that a challenge?!"

Sabine clenched her fists and stepped forward, "Oh it is. I challenge you to a duel, captain. Here. Right now. Single combat. All of our attire. Let's prove who's the better warrior."

Everybody staredat them wide eyed in surprise. However, the hobbits' surprised expressions turned into wide grins. The rest of the group didn't know what to think. This was either going to turn out really good or really bad.

Aragorn stepped in between the two, "Whoa whoa. My friends, is this really necessary? I'm sure that you two are very skilled in your own way. But do you really need to prove yourselves?"

"No," Boromir interrupted, looking at Sabine challengingly, "I accept your challenge, woman. And this might indeed be interesting to see."

Sabine nodded sternly, "Yes, it will."

With that being said, the fire was put out and everything that was at the center of the campsight was pushed away. The members of the Fellowship sat down far away against a column of rocks while the two warriors walked to the center. They were both dressed
in full armor with whatever weapons they had to their disposal.

Boromir had a sword and shield, as well as a small dagger attached to his belt. He had removed his cloak and threw it to the side. Sabine had a good view of his armor, which wasn't that impressive. The Gondorian paced around the center of the campsight,
unsheathing his sword and swinging it around, waiting for the duel to begin.

Sabine had all of her Mandalorian armor on, including her helmet. Honestly, she just had it on so nobody could see her grinning mockingly at the 'captain' before her. For weapons, she was mainly holding the sword that Aragorn had given to her on Weathertop.
Her twin blasters and bombs were clipped to her belt. She wasn't really thinking about using them. At least not right now.

As for the witnesses, the hobbits' and even Gimli seemed very eager to watch how this would turn out. Legolas eyed both Sabine and Boromir curiously, not sure how to react to this rather rash behavior. Gandalf simply frowned and shook his head, thinking
thisslightly madness. The crew of the Ghost looked the most troubled. They, unlike the others, knew Sabine, and they knew how she got when it came to proving herself. Ezra and Zeb were placing bets on how quickly Boromir was going to die.
Hera, Kanan, and Rex kept on giving each other uncomfortable glances. This was not how they had wanted this journey to start out. But unfortunately, they couldn't do anything about it.

Sabine studied her opponent. She had to admit, there was a good chance that he would survive this fight for a while. But for how long? She had no clue. And who knows, maybe Boromir would surprise her, but she doubted it. Dealing with all this kind of
reminded Sabine of her encounter with that sleemo,Bill Ferny, at the Prancing Pony. That guy had learned the hard way not to mess with a Mandalorian woman. Would Boromir be the same way? Probably not. Unlike that drunken lunatic, this
guy was an actual soldier. Who knew what surprises he had up his sleeve. Sabine was eager to find out, though.

She hasn't had a duel like this since the Imperial Academy. That was when she and been good friends with her fellow Mandalorian, Ketsu Onyo. They had always practiced in one of Mandalore's courtyards at night. Around that time, there weren't really as
many stormtroopers out and about. The two had several goals that they had wanted to achieve together. Specifically, they had wished to work for the Black Sun, and become the most feared bounty hunters across the galaxy. However, that was in the past.
When Sabine was abandoned by Ketsu, it changed her a great deal, especially when she became a rebel. She had realized that she had been selfish and blind. Being a part of Black Sun meant nothing to her anymore. But freeing the galaxy from the tyranny
of the Empire did.

It was time. Sabine was ready, and so was Boromir. The two began to walk along the edge of the rock upon which they stood. They stares each other in the eyes, tightening their grip on their swords.

Boromir tilted his head and gave her a fake smile, "Don't worry, woman, I'll take it easy on you."

Sabine returned said fake smile, "Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you." She then pointed her sword at him, "And just so you know, this woman's name is Sabine."

Boromir gave a mocking bow, "Well then, let's get started, Sabine."

Both opponents raised their swords in front of their faces. Everything turned abosultly still. None of those who were watching were breathing. To Sabine, they seemed to fade away from the corner of her eyes. All she could see was Boromir, staring at her,
waiting for her to make a move. But the Mandalorian didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her move first, so she just stood there, as still as a statue, giving him the same stare.

Then, before Sabine knew what was happening, Boromir charged at her and brought his sword up. Without a second thought, the Mandalorian leapt back and brought her own blade up just in time to block the first blow. There was a loud clanging sound when
the blades came together. Boromir then brought his sword up again and made a hard swing to the left. Sabine blocked again. He then swung to the right, to which she blocked, but then took that opportunity to kick him in the knee and leap behind him.
The Gondorian grunted inpain, but saw Sabine twirl around and attempt to strike him from behind. He was faster than she thought, however, and blocked her move.

Unexpectedly, Boromir then swung his shield at her and it hit her hard in the arm,almost makingher lose her grip on her sword. But she still held on tight and made a few swings of her own at the Gondorian. They stood in one place for a couple
seconds, clashing their blades together blow after blow. As hard as it was for Sabine to admit, Boromir was defiantly holding his own right now. Did she underestimate him, however? Heck no!

When the Mandalorian swung her blade to the left, Boromir suddenly blocked the blow with his shield and hit her straight in the helmet with the blunt of his sword. Sabine immediately saw tons of dots before her eyes, but they didn't block her view of
her opponent. The Gondorian made a swing down to her legs, and her sword quickly met his. They then began to fight across the center of the rock. Boromir swung for her head, and she ducked. Sabine then swung her sword up to meet the tip of hisarm,
but he jumped to the side.

The Gondorian seemed a little alarmed by that move. She could've chopped a chunk of his arm off! He gritted his teeth and made five hard swings at the woman. Sabine blocked each, although the last one almost made her lose her balance. She then made seven
horizontal swings, which Boromir could not block, so he had no choice but to quickly jump back at every blow. He stumbled a bit after his last jump, and Sabine dived and rolled behind him, then swung her leg hard against his arm, making him lose his
grip on his shield. The round piece of metal went rolling off the rock and towards the watching members of the Fellowship.

Sabine grinned behind her helmet. Now her opponent was down one weapon for protection. This was starting to become interesting. Boromir grabbed his sword with both hands and then spun around and swung his sword hard to the right, then up, then down, and
then left. Sabine grabbed her sword with both her hands as well and blocked, but when he finished, she made a few more blows of her own, this time surprisingly swinging faster. That took the Gondorian by surprise. He had never seen anyone swing that
fast.

When their blades met, Sabine pushed them both to the right, and kicked the man right in the stomach. Boromir bent down, which allowed the Mandalorian to shove him face down onto the ground. He rolled onto his back, though, and held up his blade as Sabine
brought hers down several times. It was rather difficult to defend himself lying down. However, Sabine failed to see him suddenly move one leg and swipe it hard against hers, knocking her off her feet. She hit the ground with a thud.

Boromir hopped back onto his feet. He had the high ground now. He brought his sword down with one powerful blow. He pressed his blade hard against Sabine's and attempted to move it down towards her neck. For a couple seconds, it looked like he was succeeding.
Sabine's arms her starting to shake and she could feel sweat trickling down the sides of her face. She looked around to see if she could spot any way of escape. As it so happened, there was. Boromir's legs were slightly spread apart.

Good. That was exactly what she needed.

She brought her foot up and kicked the Gondorian in between the legs. That caused Boromir to gasp and his grip weakened. Sabine smirked and pushed her sword upward. As she did so, she got back on her feet. Boromir had not fully recovered from the blow,
which made him struggle to block Sabine's hard swings.

The Mandalorian then made a hard left blow, almost making Boromir lose his grip on his sword. He reached out with his other hand to grasp it, but indoing so, gave Sabine the chance to seize him by the arm, twist it,and flip him onto his back.
That smarted. The Gondorian let go of his sword and grabbed his other arm on extreme pain. He didn't cry out though, and instead gritted his teeth hard.

Sabine kicked his sword away. When he recovered from the pain, she then pressed her blade against his neck. He looked up at her and gasped forbreath, both exhausted and a bit shaken. Everybody who was watching just sat there, wide eyed. They knew
right then and there that the duel was over. Ezra suddenly groaned disappointedly and handed Zeb five credits. The Lasat grinned, shooting the kid a look saying "I told you so."

Sabine removed her helmet and welcomed the cool wind blowing against her face. Her eyes then went back down to Boromir and she frowned.

"You know," she finally said, "in Mandalorian custom, a single combat would result in one opponent's death." She then removed her blade from his neck, "But since I'm such a noble woman, I'll spare your life."

Boromir just stared at her, a blank expression on his face. The Ghost crew watched him, wondering how he would react to all this. A couple of them suspected he'd become furious at getting beaten by a woman so easily. However, to their shock, Boromir
suddenly smiled and burst out laughing. Not the mocking laughter that they had heard before, but actual laughter. Sabine too began to laugh and just threw down her sword and reached out a hand to help the Gondorian up. He gladly accepted and gave
her a firm pat on the shoulder. As surprising as it was for him to react this way, it made the whole group silently sigh with relief.

Boromir then gave her a respectful bow, "My apologies, my lady. You are indeed a strong warrior."

Sabine smiled and nodded, "You're not so bad yourself, captain."

The man chuckled and nodded his thanks. He then placed a hand on her shoulder. "I am sure you would've made your people proud ifthey saw you today."

When he said that, Sabine had to force a smile. Don't get her wrong, she appreciated his compliment, but in her eyes, those words were a lie. Her people wouldn't have been proud of her because she was an outcast. In their eyes, she was no longer a true
Mandalorian, especially for fighting against the Empire. Boromir didn't know that, however, so she just brushed it off.

"As would yours," she replied, "They have indeed taught you well."

Hera leaned over to Kanan and whispered, "Well, I'm glad this little problem seems resolved."

Kanan smirked and nodded, "Agreed."

As the Fellowship began to place all their things back, Legolas suddenly looked to the South. His eyes narrowed and he rushed over to the edge of one of the large rocks. Sabine handed Boromir back his sword as that finished talking, but then her eyes
went to the Elf. What was he looking at this time? But when she followed his gaze, she actually did see something strange this time. Out in the distance, there was a large light brown color in the sky. Curious, she walked up beside Legolas to get
a closer look. She couldn't tell what it was, though. It was really far off.

For a second, it almost looked like a small cloud, but the more she stares at it, the more unsure she became.

Sam noticed it too and asked aloud, "What's that?"

Everyone else's eyes turned towards the sky, and they too saw the strange brown mass. Gandalf's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing!" Gimli said with a passive wave, "Its only a wisp of cloud!"

Boromir shook his head, uncertainly, "But it's moving fast...against the wind."

Sabine agreedwith him. The wind was moving at their back, and yet this thing seemed to be coming towards them. If it wasn't a cloud then what in the world was it?

Legolas's eyes widened and he shouted, "Crebain from Dunland!"

The crew of the Ghost looked at each other, confused. What did that mean? However, when Aragorn suddenly yelled, "Hide!", they got the hint that it was obviously something bad. Without another word, the whole Fellowship grabbed their things and
began running to a tall column of rocks. Aragorn, Boromir, and the four hobbits ducked under a mass of bushes while the rest of the group took shelter under the rocks.

For a few minutes, everything was silent. But then, Sabine thought she could hear the floppingof thousands of wings. Suddenly, she saw a whole swarm of black birds fly overhead, circling the whole entire campsight. The Mandalorianwas stunned
at how many there were. She had never seen birds fly in such a large group like this before. There was something strange about them. And judging by Legolas's reaction, these weren't any ordinary birds.

Kanan felt the same way, and frowned suspiciously as he watched the birds. The Jedi sensed something dark coming from these lifeforns. These were not friendlies, and he could only imagine what they'd do if they spotted them.

Finally, after circling for who knows how long, the Crebain flew off back the way they came. When they were a good ways away, the Fellowship emerged from their hiding spots and watched them until they were out of sight.

"Spies of Saruman!" Gandalf sulked, "The passage South is being watched."

Spies. Great. That was just what they needed. And just when things were seeming to be alright thus far. Sabine just looked South to where the birds flew and shook her head. Apparently, their original route was no longer safe, and she suspected the wizard
was going to find a new one. However, she then saw Gandalf lookup at the snowy mountains before him, and to her complete dread, she knew what he was thinking.

Gandalf sighed, "We must take the Pass of Caradhras."

Everybody looked up in dread after he said that. They had hoped that they wouldn't have had to go through these mountains, but now since it was their only choice, their day had just become a whole lot worse.

Hey, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. :) I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I've just been so busy with classes, and it's taking me a longer time to write these chapters. But I promise you that I'm not gonna stop writing this story anytime soon. lol. I enjoy writing it, and I hope you guys enjoy reading it. :) Till next time. :)