TRIG SH / SI — Chapter 3 & onwards have injury & healing scenes based on my knowledge of SH / SI.
This fight scene was originally one long chapter; it's been broken in two & some chapter heads altered.
That's the essence of what has changed.
Stendahl stares about with a stern face; as the girl thrusts their two swords, point-first, into the ground and a distance apart — ready for when they begin. When she's cast her cloak and hat aside and turned her slender, vulnerable, back to him — Stendahl can't hold himself in any further and his fierce facade fades into a grin. It's good that he's gulled her and got under her guard to hobble her. He isn't young anymore and has never looked impressive but he's always been more of swordsman than he's seemed; which she'll soon learn to her loss, he thinks. Besides that, if you aren't one of the wonders of the world, in a world of bladesharks and braggadocios, you learn to take your advantages where you find them. He twists her arm up high behind her back and ties it so tight that the cords bite into her skin. She makes no complaint, even if the excruciation of it isn't going to make her life any easier; whatever about her balance.
Harder still for her is being knocked to the ground by his brutal blow to her back. She goes reeling, sprawling; even then, though, she is already reaching for her sword — not caught as much off guard as he had hoped. Stendahl switches tack: slams his coaching boot hard against her crotch; sees her curl up in agony, even as he catches up his sword. Swinging about he's surprised to see her just-about on her feet; white-faced but willing to fight. Snaking his sword round; he seizes on his one, slight, chance to strike her down before she's entirely up ... only to have her sword sizzle out and stymie him. The blow that should have hit home in her heart goes glissading up and across her right shoulder instead. He's cut her and cut her deep but it isn't the end of her, as he'd hoped it would be, and now he has to leap back before she strikes back. The pause in the beat of the battle has let her get to her feet, which is as far as she seems to want to go. She stops there, at that point; stands to attention and salutes him with her sword ... as if there had been no crippling foul and now is the start of the fight. Stendahl can but return the gesture and make as if this is an ordinary fight.
Stendahl gives a grim stare as they start to spark blades, if only because he doesn't dare let her see how hopeful he is He's had the first blood and, even if it has come short of her sword-arm, the gash and the gore at her shoulder will tip the balance ever more his way; as the battle wears on and she wears out. Besides that, his boot between her legs is still having its effect; he can tell, by her breathing, by the heft of her breasts ... the ones that catch his eye more than they should do. It's time to strike out, before he strikes out. He fights left-handed; which muddles most opponents at first but rarely forever, and this girl is quicker to react than most ... best to make the best of his advantage while he has it.
Lifting his foil a little above the usual line of attack he smites down at her sword-arm, like a striking hawk. It's an unusual and an unexpected manoeuvre that has caught many people off guard ... but not her. She twists around to be outside of his blade and bears in at his shoulder. However, he's anticipated her having above-the-average alertness and isn't there to be hit. Stendahl is already settled into the second half of what has always been a double-edged offensive. The hawk-strike has got his body dipping to begin with and he brings his body down further yet: curving it around and under her only arm; then dropping his sword down into his left-hand. It is early in the game to give up the advantage he has; by being a sinister and a dexter fighter. Whatever about that, he surely isn't going to skip a chance to exploit the opening she's given him; by being brazen enough to cross blades with him, while being half-handed. With his blade in his outer hand: he slashes into the edge of her inner thigh and spirals on round; to slice across the front and the side of her leg too ... only coming out of the curve as he begins to cut into the back of her leg.
The arc of his movement has carried him down, around and under her shoulder so, as he rises, their positions have become reversed. He could never have done it if she'd had a second hand free to fend him off but she hasn't and now he is up against her entirely undefended back ... or would be if she was a lesser fighter. She simply carries through her failed thrust against himself and uses the impetus to carry her away from the danger zone. She suffers a slash aslant her strapped-up arm, the one supposedly set-off from the fight, but scapes further harm.