From the Pit

Merchandise of The Crown

I walk to the center of the arena beside Fenlan as Clario beats Mandrade into the dust. Mandrade is carried off and Clario goes to the area where the winners so far are gathered on the far right. Jossen watches me from the left, close to where we entered the arena. I rub my wrists, where the scars from my chains will forever lay, and it alleviates some of the pain. I slow my breathing and lock eyes with the cloaked man, a smirk growing on my face. I allow the energy of the crowd to finally wash over me and fill me with excitement. This. This is what makes it worth fighting. The people who cheer you on. I close my eyes and sense someone coming from my right. My smile grows as I roundhouse kick the person in the head and hear the satisfying thud of his body on the ground. Another person comes from behind me and I duck. His tackle misses me and I open my eyes, locking onto his. Yun smiles at me as he launches from his position on the ground.

I duck again and let my leg fly upwards, hitting him in his eagle's nest as hard as I could. His body stiffens and he falls behind me as I stand up. Kienas comes at me again, finally recovered from my roundhouse. I roll my eyes and get into a defensive stance as he stumbles towards me. I threw off his balance, and with his stiff shoulder being the one that hit the ground first, I can see the pain in every step. He keeps coming at me and throws a punch, letting out a roar as he does. I grab his fist and pull it with me as I turn, throwing him onto the ground a few feet away from me. A body jumps onto my back and I jump up before slamming my back onto the ground. I hear a crack and know that at least one of his ribs is broken. "Sorry Yun." He groans in response and I get up, helping him stand. A nurse comes and takes him from me and I'm suddenly tackled from the side. I sigh as I land on the ground and quickly use my hips to throw Kienas off of me. I hurriedly straddle him and stab my fingers into his eyes. He screams as blood escapes from between my fingers. I quickly pull my fingers away and stand up. He blindly grabs at me and I help him stand.

Once an opponent is injured, there's no point in having more savagery, so I always help them to get up and give them to the nurses. Fenlan sighs into the bullhorn and announces the fight between Gengral, Mandrade, and Jossen. The crowd roars again, happy that their bets have been right so far. I sit on the sand in the shade, sweat dripping from my forehead. I feel like I'll never get used to the desert heat. I close my eyes, ignoring the stares from the crowd. I feel someone stand beside me and sigh. "Nurse, I don't need any attention." My voice has naturally gotten deeper since I began masquerading as a boy. A deep scoff makes me open my eyes. I follow the person's body from their dark leather boots up to their silver armor. "My commander wanted me to warn you. He's requesting to have you fight more men than what the ringleader wants you to. Prepare yourself, slave." I nod and the soldier stalks away, towards the cloaked man. Commander? I guess that make sense. I notice Jossen tear into Gengral, hitting him repeatedly in the stomach as hard as he could. Mandrade lays on the ground, blood gushing down his forehead. I sigh at Jossen and stand up, ready to finish this tournament.

Fenlan announces Jossen the winner of the fight and the crowd surges with energy. They know who he's fighting next. I step towards him and he races at me, his fists at the ready to knock me out. I crouch and jump up, kicking him to the ground and landing on top of him. He grabs my ankle and drags me off of him, launching himself up with the momentum. I stopped feeling pain long ago. I ignore the bleeding scrapes on my legs and stand, ready to pounce on him. He leans over, catching his breath from his landing on the ground. I rush forward and pull his head into my knee, then thrust my knee into his crotch, and push him backwards. He falls to the ground and I lift my leg, delivering a final blow to his stomach with my heel. He rolls over and retches into the sand. "You son of a-" Fenlan kicks him in the side. "Let's watch our profanity, women are in the audience, Jossen."

Fenlan makes a sweeping gesture at the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Our Champion has won again! Looks like you all get your money back!" Fenlan grabs my hand and raises it into the air. "We will return in twenty minutes with more entertainment! Place your bets accordingly! The Champion will fight ten more men, numbers 11-21!" The crowd roars and I notice the cloaked man speaking to the taller of his two soldiers. The soldier nods and jumps the fence, walking towards Fenlan. I nudge Fen and he nods. He knows the soldier is coming towards us. He drops my hand and I back away, allowing him to tend to his business. My handler returns and slams the chain's cuffs onto my wrists, causing a bristle of pain t shoot through my body. I follow him back to my cell and he reattaches me to the wall. I glance at the room and notice that most of the men are awake.