You are a highly skilled swordsman from one of the great houses. Your father is one of the greatest lords in the country. You were knighted at 16 after proving your skill in battle and winning many lethal duels against much older opponents. Since, you have won many jousts and dueling tournaments and have become known as the greatest swordsman in the realm.
The kingdom breaks down into civil war and you participate in the war. In the battle you cut down large number of opponents but your luck runs out when your sword gets stuck in a corpse between some armor plates and you get dog-piled and captured.
As a high value prisoner, there’s a lot of complicated politics about whether you should be traded, kept, or executed.
In the end, one faction gets hold of you and sneaks you off to be traded to another hostile faction. The one person escorting you is a mysterious, female warrior clad in armor (some nobleman’s daughter who is a dedicated fighter). She marched you off in chains for weeks and you are tired, malnourished, and demoralized. When you get stopped by bandits, you see her singlehandedly slaughter 3 of them in one-sided combat.
Eventually, you are marched over a bridge. There’s a river under the bridge and you don’t know where it leads. You are still deep in enemy territory.
You pretend to be tired and sit down, complaining loudly. When she tries to restrain you, you make a quick grab and steal one of her two swords... you cut off the chain link to her as she backs off.
She takes out her other sword.
You have no armor and your two hands are still manacled together. Furthermore, you are in poor physical shape from the captivity.
You really have two choices:
Option 1: Fight and try to kill her. You think you can win despite the disadvantage.
Option 2: You drop the sword, leap into the river, and try to run away. You’ll get a head start due to the surprise factor; also, her armor would prevent her from jumping in. However, you don’t know where the river leads to.
If you go with Option 2, your reputation as a skilled swordsman may take a hit since you technically ran from a duel.
What do you say? Please justify your decision.
