[Melisil]

If it comes to who is better, I don't know if I could say. I think you'd be fairly evenly matched.

1. Ferethor is the captain of the gaurd wich gives him skill.
2. Being a guard for so many years, could have also made him too used to those techniques.
3. Crystal was trained alot by her father, a very good swordsmen.
4. In the woods, Crystal would probably be better off, as she has been a wanderer, and learned to fight in many different terrains.
5. Ferethor is extremely cocky.
6. Crystal is cocky in a way too, but a different way..

So if you look those over, I'd say they are pretty matched. You must also remember, Eorl, that it won't matter much his or her skill in war if it comes to hand to hand combat. For war you need to worry about more then one person, therefor using different fighting techniques then if you are in 1 on 1, where you can focus on your opponent.

Anyway, that is my opinion. Personally I wouldn't mind seeing a brief clash of steel between Ferethor and Crystal, as long as you both respect that the other has fighting skills too.