Cris ducked, through her cloak up, reversed the grip on the dagger, then pushed herself up, propelling the blade. To have the point catch in armour, or her arm painfully grabbed. Surely. The move was practised, but methodical, she'd never used it in a real battle, against a real opponent. Maybe she was faster than the guard, but he was stronger, taller, and more experienced. Speed alone would surely not be a match for that. This move could not work, and yet, the dagger was not stopped, it sunk in, almost to the hilt, its felt, effortless, wrong. And the guard...stopped moving. Cris had taken a life, she had killed, and a servant of the First no less. She would answer for that, but not today, not for a long time, she hoped.<br/><br/>The battle seemed to be going well across the stage, would be executionees fought with passion if nothing else, and they had the help of that young man from the crowd. Before any others could join in though the guard drove them back, the rattling chain sending a shiver down her spine. There were more guards, it was not over. If she rested, she would die, and as tempting as that sounded, she couldn't. Not after taking a life, not after fighting with these strangers who were now her companions. She could do the trick again, she remembered doing it moments ago, she could repeat that. Would it work? Probably not, but then she hadn't thought it would work the first time either. Dropping her stance, she readied the dagger-<br/><br/>The woman's booming proclamation caught her off-guard and she snapped her head, feeling dizzy as event took another turn. She hadn't known fully what was going on since the the beginning of the ceremony, but now she was even more lost. But one thing she did grasp was that her wish seemed to be granted. They were going to be saved, not her father but, therte was nothing to be done about that, and they would be spared death. Not just her, but the other two, and...four! Could it be? No, the man who helped them, foretold by the seers. No, it was just them, only the young where spared, her father's place was with the Lord.<br/><br/>Cris dropped the dagger in her hand, and turned towards the woman. Between metal and paper, she chose the contract, for swords could conquer a land in years, but ink could bind it in a day.