Girlfight: Sword-and-Sorcery

She unsheathed her sword with a soft hissing noise that sent chills up the spines of the watching crowd. Involuntarily, they all took a step back. Her opponent didn't even flinch. The tall redhead facing her simply smiled a sweet smile that twisted savagely when it touched the scar that ran up from her lip. "Tara," she said, "still using theatrics, I see. When will you learn that real fighting is what matters?" The blonde, Tara, shook her head slightly but refused to answer her opponent's question. The redhead's sword was already in her hands, had been unsheathed from the time she stepped into the ring. "To second blood, then," she said. "So you insist," said Tara. She closed here eyes and brought the flat of her sword up to her forehead in salute. The redhead dove forward, her blade nearly piercing--

Inspiration: I don't write much high fantasy or sword-and-sorcery. Thought I'd try something different.
Story Potential: Medium.
Finished Length: Short story.
Notes: Yikes. Way too derivative-feeling. Guess this explains why I don't write high fantasy, eh?