Bran has a lot to sort out with his life.

I got in the shower, for once satisfied with the way my body looked. Would I have liked to have more muscle mass? Sure, but the bruises that covered a good portion of me were just awesome.

Those marks on my skin made me feel alive.

I scrubbed them, relishing in the ache. No scents, no perfumes, nothing in my soaps and shampoo. I didn't want to smell girly.

I scrubbed myself dry. It let me rough up my skin again, even if it did feel like sand paper.

Mom was waiting for me downstairs, but I wasn't in any rush. I dressed in a pair of pants. I looked at my chest in the mirror.

I'd liked how I looked in the tunic, so I went back into the bathroom and grabbed an athletic bandage. I tied my small buds down and went back to my room. I had a unisex tee-shirt in my closet and put it on.

There was enough trepidation in me to go to the top of the stairs and stop. I took a deep breath, and tromped downstairs.

"So, Bran…a boy?"

"Yes, Mom."

"How do you know?"

"How do you know you're a girl?"

"I am a girl," mom said with a smile.

"How do you know?"

"I have breasts and a…"

"And if you didn't, how would you know?"

"You're too young to make this sort of decision. I've seen the sort of changes those hormones will do to your body."

"Huh?"

"I looked it up, Raven."

"Bran."

"Your name is Raven."

"Mom, if we visit a therapist, together, and he agrees with me, will you start calling me Bran? Will you listen to me on this one?"

"If you do this, you'll never have children."

I couldn't help it. I shuddered and dry heaved. I tried to sit up…and I dry heaved again.

"Having a period is bad enough, and you want me to do…that? There are only two ways I know of to get pregnant, mom, and one of them means allowing some other guy to stick his d…penis inside me. Not going to happen."

"Sure, artificial insemination is an option for that…but still. No. It is wrong on so many levels."

"It's normal, Raven."

"Not for me. Can't you get that?"

"Fine, I'll find you a therapist, but I'm going to find you a female one."

"I don't want to talk to a woman about being a guy."

"Well, we don't always get what we want, Raven. That's part of being an adult, and it's about time you realized it. Some day you'll thank me for this."

"Not likely," I muttered as I went out to the garage.

I stood in front of my training dummy, thinking about the Grande Melee yesterday. That last guy…

I imagined how he came at me, and tried to form a response that didn't leave me with a yellow mark on my armor over my heart. To say it was hard was an understatement.

---
Technical jargon time.
Ok, so it's not really technical. It just delves into areas that are more history weapons geek than most people want to see in a nice pseudo fantasy drama story. I get that. Skip to the end. I use the same markings as last time.

There has been an argument among sword wielders for centuries over which a sword is meant for: thrusting or slashing.

There have been some wonderful examples of each. Some swords, like the katana and all its variants, which were not meant for stabbing, but could be used so in a pinch. Some, like cavalry sabers, were meant to only slash at an opponent. The epee, foil, and other such early renaissance weapons were crafted without an edge. Fencing, the sport that grew out of those swords, is a point only sport. Watch it sometime if you don't believe me.

Now, the bastard sword I was using has a point. The problem is that you really use all its power when you thrust with it, even if you use both hands. That's the reason that I've always favored an edge style over a point style: more power.

Yesterday, I lost because I always imagined my opponents doing the same. All my blocks, parries, riposte and otherwise were practiced with that in mind. My failure to adapt was what got me killed.

Sure, I'd lasted right to the very end of the Grande Melee, and my soaking up opponents probably helped Eolmir and Adrondel to win. Adrondel is really good, and while Sam seemed to be struggling with a single opponent, he was a lot better against two or three. I guess it really depends on what you've spent your time practicing on.

If I'd thought about an opponent thrusting at me, I might have some way to protect against it, but that wasn't the real problem. Like most talented beginners, I fell into the trap of assuming I was better than I actually was. In a duel situation, I'd likely win every time, as I was the aggressor, and I set the pace of the fight. If they're not able to set up their moves, then they don't happen.

In a battle, like the one we experience, I was at a disadvantage when we were outnumbered. I had to let my opponents come to me, so while I picked the ground of our battle, they got the first strike…

But my practice only let me be the aggressor since a dummy can't fight back.
---
I affixed a small locking weight to the end of the rod I normally used for practice with some duck tape to change the balance to be closer to what I'd experienced yesterday and I began imagining how I would deflect a thrust away from my body.

   >8D   >8D   >8D
Mom had signed the waiver, so I could participate in the first weekend event for EHA. They'd let me keep the clothing I'd worn, including the armor.

Well, let me keep is a little misleading. I'd purchased the clothing I wore. The sword was a bit outside the range of what I'd brought with me, and I'd apparently have to purchase two, so I grabbed my cash and other essentials and put them into my belt pouch.

My other new purchase was sitting on my dresser. I applied the glue to the inside edge and then pressed it into place. When I was sure of the fit, I took the other one and repeated the process.

They felt weird, gently swinging there. I turned my head left and right a little to get a better view: I now had elf ears.

And you, my audience, need to get your minds out of the gutter.

Mom was letting me drive. No, not the SUV, mores the pity, but the small sub-compact that generally hid in the garage so the bigger, better looking, cars couldn't see it.

It was rusting in a couple of spots, but at least it worked.

I tossed my backpack into the back seat and pulled out of the driveway. I did my best not to piss the other drivers off. For some reason, call it fear of being driven over, I drove differently behind the wheel of this car than I did when I drove the SUV. I was confident and capable driving the SUV. I was timid and careful in this little rust bucket.

I got onto the freeway and drove up into the mountains. The directions I'd gotten from Google maps were pretty specific, and they were easy to follow.

The trees were green. Not like your normal green color, but a serious, in your face, I am Life sort of green. I'm sure that they'd been this green before, but I don't think I ever really looked at them before.

You know how it is; something happens to you, and suddenly you're looking at the world through entirely new eyes.

This was the sort of thing that I was going through now.

Mom was a girly girl. Before you consider it, this wasn't just me pushing against mom and deciding I was a boy out of an act of rebellion. I know I could just be a tomboy. That's just not enough for me.

So, I'd wanted to go camping in the past, and the closest I ever got was a tent in the living room made out of bed sheets.

I'd tried girl scouts...but I never really fit in with them for some reason. Go figure.

So, here I would be actually camping in the woods for the weekend. That made the forest around me look so different, and so much more inviting. My smile just refused to go away.

The entry area was a mess of people greeting each other. I only actually knew five people. I recognized more than that. Some of them were King's men I'd faced off against. Some of them were my fellow People of the Greenwood.

That's when a fireball erupted off to the right. It wasn't big, maybe a foot or two, but it was a fireball. The person who threw it was wearing some of the most elaborate makeup I'd ever seen.

It had a stage quality to it, mostly in silvers and blues, but it was a guy who was wearing it. As I watched, he made a throwing gesture and another fireball flew from his hand.

"Impressive, isn't it, Bran?"

"Hey, Eolmir. Who or what is that?"

"Faerie. They use magic in combat."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"Not really. Been singed a couple of times, but they're professionals. Stunt men and women, most of them, who want to have a little fun. One guy only uses a burning hands 'spell'. Scares the crap out of you the first time he does it, let me tell you. It was at night my first time, and all I saw were these disembodied flaming hands coming for me."

"Really?" I was smiling. This was more than I'd ever expected coming out here.

---
Yes, a side talk for a moment, this time about LARP.

I'd done some research before I went out the first weekend to the EHA event. No, I wasn't able to find anything about EHA, which reason becomes evident later in the story. I was able to find a lot about LARP including a number of videos. In general, LARP uses foam weapons and balls of birdseed to simulate attacks.

You can't physically touch anyone. You can't punch. The bags of birdseed are 'magic'. Mostly, it's a lot of calling out what your attacks are.

Don't get me wrong. If that had been what it would be, I had no problems with it. I was never a person to lack imagination.
---

Eolmir and I went through the check in desk. I paid my fee by check. My mom had agreed to pay for the entire session. That means that I wouldn't have to worry about paying my fee for the next six months.

The good thing about the fee was it covered meals and other sundry items. The bad thing was that it cost a pretty penny. If I wanted to keep doing this, I'd have to find a job just to pay for my fee, not to mention the other items I'd need to participate like costumes and so on.

I was through the tables with various cards I would need clipped to my belt. Eolmir soon joined me with a similar clip of cards.

I followed him into the woods, and everything seemed to change for me. Eolmir was no longer just walking through the forest. He had a hand on his sword to keep it out of the brush and he was stalking. I did my best to emulate his movements, but I felt like a bull in a china shop. I'm sure I sounded like one.

Eolmir, on the other hand, had practice with this. I couldn't hear a single one of his steps.

A couple of female elves stepped out from behind a tree and pointed arrows at us. My breath caught in my chest. The one on the right was hot. Sure, her hair was dyed red, but it was still red hair. She had curves that would have been visible from space, and the outfit she was wearing hugged them like a lover's caress.

I think my mouth hung open.

"Bran, it's rude to stare." Eolmir said.

"Sorry, it's just that never have I seen a maiden as fair as that. I felt it necessary to worship as she must needs be a goddess."

The girl blushed and her bow dropped 'til it pointed at the ground. Her companion glared at me.

"Would you mind not hitting on my girlfriend," said the brunette, who now had her arrow pointed at my crotch."

"Your...I'm so sorry. I guess all the really pretty ones are taken," I said looking her right in the eye. Then I winked.

I had no idea what had come over me. I was never this forward anywhere else. I felt empowered, and it was really something for me. I knew these two women were in a relationship, but that didn't change anything. I loved to flirt, apparently.

"Better be careful with this one, Eolmir, it would seem he could get a river to change its bed just by applying his silver tongue."

"Talking is not the only action to which my tongue is adapted."

The redhead giggled a bit and the brunette blushed again.

"Girls, before we let this get too much further, Bran is seventeen."

"Damn," said the redhead. "He almost made me consider..." then she looked embarrassed and looked at her girlfriend.

"I thought I was the only one. Wow. You're dangerous little man."

"I'm in transition, actually."

"Do you really want..."Eolmir began

"Better than someone finding out later and getting bend out of shape. I was born female. I'm becoming male."

The redhead began to laugh a bit and her girlfriend joined in with her a moment or two later.

"My real name is Kevin," said the redhead in a deeper male voice and I just stared at her. "I just play a woman at these events."

"No way..." I said, unable to match what my eyes saw with what she...he...whatever was telling me.

"You make a very convincing male elf, though, Bran. I would never have guessed," she said, going back into her higher and much more feminine voice.

"Yes, we have some genetic males here who have a very similar look."

I smiled at the two, realizing that they accepted me for who I was. Of course, could I really expect any less from a beautiful transvestite and her girlfriend?

They went back into character at that point, bringing their arrows to bear upon us.

"Who have you brought with you today, Eolmir?"

"Just a new recruit, Alundra. I found him wandering lost in the woods and figured, as he was an elf and not a man, that he would be a great supporter to our cause."

"If he'd been a man, we'd have had to kill him," Red said.

"I'd already have taken care of that, Gwendara."

"Pass. Lord Adrondel has been asking for you." Alundra said.

We walked past the two elven maidens. I kept expecting the camp to come into view. It never did. The problem was I was looking at the ground, and not up into the trees.

Forty or fifty feet may not seem like a lot when laid out on the ground. Straight up, it means something.

We got to the rope ladder and I looked up. I'd expected to be camping, but this was something else entirely. There were walkways and platforms suspended from the trees. None of them were redwoods, so it never got above about twenty feet above the ground, well at least the bases of the platforms didn't, but it was something to see. It was a tree city, and it was awesome.

The ropes and chains were well oiled, so there was only a slight creaking noise as I moved across the entry bridge. I'd mistaken it for the sound of the trees of the forest while we'd been walking.

It was strange, but the other elves didn't talk much. We greeted each other with gestures. Some of what they were doing reminded me of ASL. It seemed I had a lot to learn before I was truly ready to take my place among them.

I felt mute as we walked in silence to the largest of the platforms I could see. Eolmir pulled open a door with a rubberized seal and I entered. He closed the door behind us.

"Finally you arrive, Eolmir, and I see you've brought our new recruit."

"I have, Lord Adrondel."

"Her majesty is waiting for us." Eolmir took his place at Adrondel's left, and they gestured for me to stand at his right. When we were arranged properly, we walked into the next room.

An older woman sat in a throne of wood that was a work of art only surpassed in beauty by her clothing. Her diaphanous gown seemed to float in the slightest breeze.

"Who have you brought before me today, Adrondel?"

"Your majesty, I bring Eolmir and Bran, comrades in arms who assisted us in the battle recently passed."

"I hear tell that Bran fell in that battle."

"He did, your majesty, but not before he assured our victory."

"He is truly so skilled?"

"More he is talented than skilled, your majesty. He is rough around the edges, but nothing a little polish won't help."

The woman on the throne smirked a little bit.

"Step forward, Bran, so I can take a look at you."

I stepped forward, making sure not to get my sword tangled in my legs.

"I'll take a moment to step out of character and welcome you to EHA. I take it you want to be an elf?"

"I sort of fell into being an elf accidentally."

"Would you prefer to be a man?"

"I don't know. I like the idea of elves, and I seem to fit the aesthetic a bit better here than I would there. I'm...fine featured."

"Yes, I can see that." she said with a smile. "Where are my manners? My name is Laura, but here I am Talliandrenna, Queen of the elves."

"Your names all seem to be...long and flowing. Will Bran really fit in here?"

"It does seem a little short."

"I picked it because it is a masculine form of my name."

"You're a girl?" Laura said a little surprised.

"No, but I was born one."

"Oh. Just here or..."

"Trying to be everywhere."

"Well, that's good to know. I'll have to bunk you with some other girls, if you don't mind."

I made a face, "I'd be uncomfortable with that. I'm sort of attracted to women."

"You really do make things difficult." She tapped her lower lip for a moment, and then sighed.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to bunk with Gregor."

"That doesn't sound like an elvish name," I said with a smile.

"Gregor is...Gregor. You'll see when you actually see him."

"I met him at the Faire."

"You've never met him in costume, then. The faire doesn't allow ogres."

"Ogres? I thought...."

"No, there are a couple of other races wandering about here. The three factions are human, elf and faerie."

"So, is he far?"

"No. He's in the forge at the other end of Kelethin...the city we're in."

"Forge...he's a blacksmith?"

"Yes. He's the elven blacksmith. No better blacksmith than an Ogre in my opinion. The humans swear by their dwarf, but, well, he's not Gregor."

"Ok, we're going back in character now, so step back?"

"Yes, my Queen," I said with a smile.

She gave some direction to the two with me and then dismissed us from her presence.

We walked across the town and then climbed down into a palisaded area on the ground that had been invisible from the place we entered.

The smell of smoke filled the little depression where the forge was located. As we neared the entrance, the heat washed over us.

"Hail, Bran, and well met." He was green. I don't mean he looked sick, I mean he was green, as in painted. His nose was large a bulbous. He looked, well, like an ogre.

"Hi, Gregor. Apparently I'll be rooming with you."

"Um..." he began.

"Look, I doubt my naked body would do anything for you, and her majesty wanted to put me with the women."

"What's wrong with that?" he asked.

"Would you be comfortable rooming with the men?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then said, "Good point."

Eolmir laughed from the doorway, "Well, I'll let you get settled in, Bran. I'll be back later so we can go on patrol."

"Patrol?"

"We have to protect our lands somehow. It'll only last a few hours. Maybe we'll even see some action. We did last time. They thought we'd still be settling in on the first night."

I waved as Eolmir left, and then turned back to Gregor.

"Gregor the ogre, huh?"

"My human captors gave me this name. I don't remember my real one. I keep this name to remind me of my hatred."

"Okay..."

"My character's story, Bran. You need to think of one for yourself. This is more than just fun and games," he said with a smile. "Most of the people here do this stuff for a living, and they want to have this place to unwind."

"Um...do what for their job?"

"A lot of the people you'll meet here are professionals of one sort or another: Actors, choreographers, swordsmen and women. We have a couple of Olympic archers and an archery coach or two. There are stage magicians and stuntmen amongst the Pixies. Professional horse trainers..."

"There are horses out here?"

"Mostly among the humans. After a serious injury we had last year, though, they don't allow anyone to ride into combat. Then, there are the people like me, who are here because this, out here, is our job."

"Your job?"

"I'm a blacksmith."

"I know..."

"No, I'm a real blacksmith." He let that sink in for a bit.

"So, the entry fee..."

"No, that just pays for the cooks and other management people. The cost of the armor and weapons and clothing is the pay for the other craftsmen like me."

"Can I be your apprentice?"

He looked at me strangely for a moment or two and then began laughing.

"You're serious, aren't you? You realize it's going to be hard work, right? There's nothing glamorous to being a blacksmith."

"I know. I just want to be a blacksmith."

"You know how strange this all sounds, and you here your first weekend as well?"

"Yeah, I know. I just love swords. I want to learn how to forge them."

"You do realize that most of my work is stuff like buckles and hinges and such?"

I nodded, but there was obvious disappointment on my face.

"It's not as bad as all that, Bran. Trust me. Sometimes I love forging the little things more than swords and shields."

"Why's that?" I said, obviously intrigued.

"Because they take more artistry. Sure, a sword looks good, and it's the peak of my art, but mostly it's just pounding and grinding."

"But it's a sword..."

"Which is only useful for killing people, really. A buckle or a hinge could save someone's life."

"So could a shield," I said, warming to the argument.

"True, but you get more use out of the buckle."

"Well, how do you create a buckle then?"

He laughed and put me to work.

Blacksmith work isn't glamorous. It's hot sweaty labor. Now that he had an apprentice, he used me for all the scut work. Carrying the wood, pumping the bellows, holding the pig while he pounded it, pumping the bellows, and so on.

By the time that Eolmir came back, I was ready for a break.

"So, he's got you helping in the forge, huh?"

"I volunteered. I've always wanted to learn how to become a blacksmith."

"Well, if he formalizes your arrangement, then you may want to talk to admin."

"Why?"

"They will give you a partial or full refund."

That left me with something to think about as we slipped off into the forest. I was still louder than Eolmir, but with continued effort, I decided I was getting a bit quieter.

"What are you in real life?"

He made a sign for me to be quiet and motioned for me to stay still. He slipped around the tree we were standing behind, and I looked cautiously around it.

I could hear the humans tramping through the forest. Where Eolmir creaked occasionally with his leather armor, this was a constant clank for metal plates and the stomping of shod feet.

I slipped out to follow Eolmir as quietly as I could. I dropped down beside him when he went to the ground. They slowly came into view. Even in the darkness, I was able to pick out the shine of their armor.

Well, that was definitely a down side to wearing plate armor. You can't be stealthy in it. I grinned over at Eolmir. These humans were about to learn the meaning of shock and awe.

He stood me behind the nearest tree and then slipped twenty yards to another tree and we waited. It was a bit nerve wracking when they began to pass by us. I barely breathed as I stood there in the shadow of the tree watching Eolmir for his signal. As soon as they'd passed us Eolmir looked quickly the way they came to make sure this wasn't just the vanguard and the gestured me forward.

I slipped my sword as quietly as I could from its sheath, which was quieter than the closest person to me was moving, and advanced.

"For the Queen and the Greenwood!" Eolmir called as he attacked. I just went to work.

With the numbers of them we were facing, I needed to take out as many as I could before they took me out. I attacked arms and legs. If they couldn't use their limbs, then even if they weren't dead, they wouldn't be pushing the attack.

There was confusion in the human ranks. They could barely see me, but I could see them as if they were lit up. It was a heady feeling, this power that Eolmir and I held. They began to attack, but most of their strikes took out their companions, and didn't even come close to me.

I began to laugh this deep throated laugh of triumph. "The Raven shall feast well tonight!" I crowed as I took out yet another of my foes.

"Bran? That means...Eolmir..." I heard a familiar voice call from the midst of the humans. "Yield, I yield."

First in ones and twos but quickly gaining momentum our opponents dropped to a knee and just like that our battle was over.

"Over here, Bran."

I walked over to where the voice was coming from. "Daniel?"

"That's Lord Captain Daniel, elf," growled a voice from next to us.

"Stow it, Craig. Looks like we were bested." Daniel said. Something about this didn't feel right. There were only twenty men in this group. I'd seen about a hundred elves, I think, while wandering about Kelethin.

"Eolmir..?"

"I know. Run."

We took off, leaving our downed foe behind us. Gone was any pretence at stealth. As we got closer to the city, the sounds of fighting could be plainly heard.

"For the Queen and the Greenwood!" yelled Eolmir.

"The Raven will be your deaths!" I called. We charged into the battle from behind.

The elves were firing arrows down from their walkways. The blunted tips would prevent serious injury, but they wouldn't be any fun to be hit with. There were a couple of other elves on the ground with us, keeping the humans from ascending the ladders, but we were outnumbered.

"Form Square on me!" I called when I reached the first ladder.

The call went out as people understood what I meant.
---
This really isn't necessary for the story, but I like to be accurate. Infantry tactics have changed a lot over the years. One of the things that has been lost, but still exists in most military organizations, is drill. Drill existed for the purpose of maneuvering soldiers into positions they could be used. The most common formations were Line and Square.

There were others that had their reasons as well, like Wheel Left and Wheel Right, but for now, we'll stick with the one I'm using.

Forming Square is taking a normal line and turning it into a hollow square, usually with someone, or something, you need to protect in the center. A square formation prevents the enemy from flanking you because you no longer have flanks. The flanks were either end of a line formation.

So, what I was calling for was for us to form ranks around the ladders, making it so we could support each other and make a defendable position out of bad terrain.
---

I soon found myself shoulder to shoulder with eight other elves. I could feel the ladder swaying into my back periodically. No one had explained to me the goals of the game, yet, but I figured that humans getting into Kelethin would be a 'bad thing'. Arrows still rained down all around us, but with all the elves now formed around the ladders, our compatriots in the trees had clearer fields of fire amongst our enemies.

"Healer! They have a healer!"

That was new, but then I noticed a blue glow occasionally shine from the back.

Arrows began to rain down into the location where the glow had been coming from, and the area remained dark.

I saw a glimpse of silver, this time not on armor, but on a face. I recognized that face.

"Faerie! There's a Faerie amongst the humans!"

A fireball flared around one of the ladders and all of our defenders collapsed to the ground.

"Kill the Fae!" I roared.

That's when the horses rolled up. Humans ran to the wagons and began grabbing tower shields.

This battle was going very poorly. I realized too late that what I'd assumed was a good defensive position had become a trap. The eight of us were ringed in by the humans and they stood just out of sword range.

A gap opened. Something in me told me exactly what was happening, so I charged. The Fae had a moment to look surprised before my blade took him in the side. He crumpled to the ground even as I began to block a flurry of attacks from the sides.

"Take to the trees," I called to the other elves who had been with me even as I was felled but six strikes at once.

That hurt. A lot.

I sat down, hard, breathing heavily and trying to catch my breath. I was covered in sweat, beginning to freeze in the cooling night air, and I simply couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

For a moment there, while in the heat of the battle, I'd been able to slip into the role. It had been a real battle for me.

"Hey newbie. Dead folks need to clear the battlefield."

Blushing I stumbled over to where the human, Fae, and elven dead were gathered. It was a silent, though smiling, group that I joined. A slightly singed Eolmir slapped me on the back and I gave him a thumbs up.

"This is intense," I said with a big grin.

He just nodded and went back to watching the battle. It wasn't quite as fun as it had been to participate, but it wasn't completely terrible either.

"So, worth the entrance fee?" Aragorn said from behind me.

"Totally," I said. There were general chuckles, and a couple giggles, from around me.

I watched the rest of the battle from the sidelines, but it was totally still worth it. There's nothing like a real battle, and it's the highest form of entertainment I know...as long as no one is getting killed, of course.