Grim halted, panting. Ebony was working hard, she seemed motivated. The climate was also hotter here than where they had flown from.<br/><br/>“I am a Hercynian and all Hercynian men, and many women, are warriors. As soon as we learn to walk we begin combat training. And we get to use it in real combat because we are always attacked by orcs or neighbouring clans. Later as a mercenary I had the opportunity to fight different races and fighting styles. But the most I learned in the Gladiator Pits as a Price Fighter.” Grim replied, as Ebony probably had learned by now Grim was not the modest type.<br/><br/>“What about you? You are armed like a warrior but you are a Queen. Shouldn’t you play harp and weave dresses or something? And raise heirs to the king?” Grim said provocatively.<br/><br/>“Or are you a warrior in the Kings army?” He didn’t know why he spoke like that; he had always looked up to the elves but now when he was among them he was suddenly rude. The Hercynians had a saying:<em>Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.</em>But Grim didn’t live by that proverb.<br/>