Playing the Game

Chapter 39: The Rings

I was sitting in my room alone. But the thrill of solitude only lasted a moment before Evander was sent in.

Now that the other men were trained, Arlo relaxed a fraction. Three nights prior, he finally took a quick shower and had his clothes washed and dried. He was gone for no more than an hour, but he still found that excessive. I'd be lucky to convince him to take part in the routine in the future. He was also a bit more trusting once Arrian finally decided to divulge his name and give an edited history; he claimed to be a disgraced palace servant on the run. In a way this explanation was true, but it was far from the whole truth. He said nothing about his deeper connection to the Empress, nor did he explain why Maximus wanted to find him, but it was enough to create concern for his safety. Only our inner circle was made aware- my guards and companions- and they all promised to keep his secret. Even Evander seemed to trust his former Doctore a bit more, though he still didn't like the guy for obvious reasons.

But despite Arrian's new policy for honesty, I still hadn't forgiven him. I had every right to feel mad and betrayed. I just needed more time and space.

The men had recently implemented a sleep schedule. One remained awake in my room, two stood guard at the door, and one went back to their quarters to sleep. Needless to say, Arlo preferred to sleep in the hall outside my room in case of an attack. They rotated every two hours, sometimes providing a brief moment where no one was directly by my side as they changed.

It was almost midnight, and this brief moment was interrupted when Evander came strolling into my room after conversing with Brutus, who had just finished his shift within my room. Evander gently closed the door and stood rigid by it, waiting for me to speak.

I was sitting at my desk, trying to write something intelligent to say for the morning's address to the people. I should have been in bed two hours ago, but I spent too many nights tossing and turning that I felt I could find a better use for my time.

Evander cleared his throat. I rolled my eyes and the blatant cry for attention.

"You can sit."

He smiled gleefully before nearly skipping to the chair closest to mine.

"Can I help?"

"No, thank you. I'm basically done. I've just been fretting over nothing because I can't seem to sleep."

"Still having nightmares?" Evander knew about the nightmares I used to have; the ones that were memories from my past. He didn't know how strange and dark they had progressed since we left Tiberius' for the tournament. I didn't want to explain the nature of my new nightmares, so I let him continue to believe in the memories.

"Not as frequently, and they don't seem to bother me so much anymore."

He smiled. "You've conquered your fears?"

I think of all the conversations I had with the figment of my father ever since the day I started talking to him in my cell. "No, but I've embraced them."

"Then what's keeping you awake?"

"Reality. That's the new nightmare."

He nodded fervently, annoyed with himself for not deducing the obvious. "Of course. Your current situation is far from ideal."

"That's putting it delicately."

"So what are we going to do about it? What happens after the Romallian men find Marcus?"

I mentioned Reegan's plan to Evander earlier that day. I still needed to build up the courage to talk to Decimus about it, but I had faith that everything would work out in my favour.