by Mario Routi
“You will answer their questions to the best of your ability. Occasionally, you will help them in their training and guide them along for their first season here. Bull did it for me all those years ago, so it’s our turn to return the kindness that was shown to me - the same kindness you’ve had since birth.”
“So... I become their mentor for the next few months?”
“No, you become their friend. Bull still gets asked questions by young people even to this day, including me. We’re here to help them whenever they need it. I think you should let Felicia know you would like to do it.”
“I’ll be happy to do it, Mum,” she said, pecking her mother on the cheek before leaving her to make her way to Felicia.
Felicia was even more radiant up close than she had seemed on stage, her face glowing with an unmatched beauty. Just as Leylah was about to reach her, someone crashed into her from behind, sending her sprawling on the ground and knocking the breath out of her lungs.
Through the confusion she heard a calm voice that reminded her of the sound of waterfalls in the mountains. “Are you okay, Leylah?”
A hand appeared in front of her face moving up and down, checking that she was conscious. She shook her head clear and looked up. Her heart seemed to stop beating, as if it had been melted away to nothing by some invisible heat source when she saw Alexander’s concerned eyes staring down at her. She struggled to regain her breath and find sensible words, but neither came for what seemed like an agonizingly long time.
“Leylah?”
“Um, yeah... uh... I mean, sure, I’m fine.”
As she looked around she saw Felicia smiling at her in a way she had never seen before and she suddenly felt self-conscious, as if she had given away an innermost secret.
“I was trying to get out of the crowd,” Alexander was explaining apologetically, “and I wasn’t looking where I was going. I’m so sorry.”
Leylah struggled back up to her feet, avoiding his eyes and trying to suppress the blush that had turned her face crimson while dusting herself down. “No,” she said, “it’s absolutely fine. Getting out of the theatre is probably more difficult than a War Game.”
“So, what are you up to?” he asked.
“I was actually just going to your mother to volunteer to greet a couple of trainees.”
“Oh, really? Your mother tells me Gregory and Anna are coming this year. I was hoping to greet them myself.”
Leylah darted a look at her mother, who smiled back at her innocently. “Yeah, my mum told me about them. Do you know them?”
“Yeah, they are about your age but I met them when I visited Earth last year and they showed me around. It was a lot of fun and they are good kids, so I wanted to return the favor.”
“Nice,” Leylah said, with a hint of suspicion in her voice.
“Well then, shall we go talk to my mum together?”
“Okay,” she said, following him up to Felicia.
“Hey Mum, Leylah and I would like to volunteer to greet Gregory and Anna. Is it possible for both of us to look after the same trainees?”
“Of course,” Leylah was sure she could see a mischievous twinkle in Felicia’s eyes. “That won’t be a problem at all.”
Alexander patted Leylah on the back. “Good! Now we’re all set. We’d better get into the arena before the crowd starts to grow impatient for us.”
Seeing Leylah’s glower, Alexander realised what he had let slip.
“Yeah,” she said, deliberately loudly. “We’d better pick some really good seats this year, Alex.”
He nodded. “Agreed. Let’s try to get as far front as we can.”
Leylah cut the conversation off before he said anything else and ran back to Rebecca. “I cannot believe you, Mum,” she hissed angrily.
“You can’t believe what?” Rebecca pretended to have no idea what she was talking about.
“You and Lady Felicia planned that, didn’t you?”
“I don’t know what you mean, little one.”
“You know what I’m like around him and you did that on purpose, Mum. Stop trying to shove Alex on me.”
“A mother can only try.”
Infuriated by her mother’s complete lack of contrition, Leylah mounted her horse and galloped to the arena towards the excitement that she knew lay ahead.
6
The War Games arena was even bigger than the amphitheatre. The entire building was made out of stone in the style of the Coliseum of Ancient Rome. The dense crowd surrounding the wide open space at the centre was growing restless with excitement.
As Leylah entered with her grandparents, Julius and Adriana, her heart began to beat faster. She could feel the electricity in the air and the rumble of the crowd which made the very ground beneath her feet tremble with anticipation.
They found reserved seats relatively close to the front. It was an unspoken rule that the Cyclopes and the Porth always sat in the back because of their size. The Centaurs also had their own special area, just as they always did in the amphitheatre.
As Leylah sat beside her grandmother, silent and nervous, she saw her mother riding into the arena and her palms began to sweat. She felt waves of nausea passing through her as the moment of open defiance drew closer.
Rebecca dismounted from her horse and patted off a few specks of dirt from her white silk dress as she walked across the arena, taking her seat next to her father, Julius. Leylah was careful not to look in her direction, knowing that if she caught her mother’s gaze she would give herself away.
Rebecca glanced at Leylah and could see that her daughter was deliberately avoiding her eyes, looking all around the arena instead. She put her daughter’s air of agitation down to excitement. It seemed like yesterday that she was just a little baby in her arms with dimpled cheeks and barely a hair on her head. Now Rebecca was looking at a strong young blonde woman, taller than her, with her husband’s grey eyes. A beautiful woman who had a well-trained and toned body ready for battle and a brilliant mind to boot.
“Is she all right?” Rebecca asked her father.
“I think Leylah’s mind is elsewhere right now,” Julius replied.
Adriana smiled. “I doubt she can even hear us.”
“The crowd seems to grow more excited each season,” Rebecca said, looking around.
“They appreciate the fact that the Games grow harder and more intense every time,” Julius said.
Looking down into the arena, Leylah could see the specially made low walls that were constructed in four different spots. They resembled battlements. There they had placed various weapons to be used by the combatants. They also served as places to discard the weapons, just in case they broke and had to be replaced. The central area had been grass but was now mostly dirt after being trampled by thousands of feet. The organizers had recently added poles to the blades as part of the selection of weapons. If a participant wanted to use a shield, they took up a different side. At the end, the non-shield and shield combatants would go in for the final match. In recent years the finalists were usually Prince Alexander and Larisa the Amazon.
“Where’s Dad?” Leylah asked, as if waking up from her reverie.
“Oh,” Rebecca smiled, “didn’t your father tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
“He will be the head judge in the arena this year.”
“Oh, really?”
“Indeed. And trust me, I tried to convince him otherwise but you know your dad - he just wanted to enjoy himself so he wouldn’t listen.” She rubbed her aching temple with a finger.
If there was one thing she wished that Leylah hadn’t inherited from her father, it was his headstrong personality. Turgoth and Leylah were always doing things that Rebecca didn’t approve of, making it feel as though she had given birth to a rambunctious boy. Ley
lah was more concerned with fighting than pretty things, or even boys. However, Rebecca knew all too well that her little girl had a crush on Alexander, but she could also see that Larisa was using all her Amazonian charms to push in where she didn’t belong. Could her little girl match such practiced and determined feminine guiles?
The knot twisted tighter in Leylah’s stomach as the cheers of the crowd quietened expectantly. The screech of a bird resounded through the arena seats and everyone gasped as Pegasus swooped through the air, tipping his wing dangerously close to the ground as he sped through each of the low walls as if they were an obstacle course built just for him.
As he soared back up towards the sky, Turgoth and Nemesis, the Amazon General, jumped onto his back from behind one of the walls, clutching at his mane as he reared dramatically in the currents of air. They both stood up on the flying horse’s back and the crowd gasped and cheered in awe as they back-flipped off nearly two stories above the ground.
Rebecca smiled as she watched her husband’s dramatic entrance. Every year Nemesis meticulously planned a grand opening and each time it was more spectacular than before. Turgoth’s personal participation gave the whole event even more magnificence.
The two of them landed with absolute coordination. Turgoth lifted his hands up high, bellowing out above the cheers. “Welcome, people of the Land of the White Sun, to the first day of our War Games.”
The crowd rose to its feet, shouting its approval, no one louder than Leylah herself as she applauded her father and forgot for a moment her own sweaty palms, the knot in her stomach, and the blood-pumping presence of the crowd around her.
“I would like to present to you our host, General Nemesis, who hosts our Games every season with the permission of Princess Rebecca and Lady Felicia.”
Nemesis took a step forward, smiling and extending her arms to receive the adulation of the crowd.
“Our War Games are designed to create fierce warriors through the toughest conditions,” she said. “Also, to demonstrate to all just how well your hard work has paid off and how much more training you need to endure to go beyond your limits. We must always be ready for the Lomani and keep on our toes to ensure that Evil never prevails! To all of our new trainees, we first teach the rules of the Land of the White Sun. The Flame which we enjoy so much makes Earth weapons useless here. Gravity is much lighter and there is little to no air resistance. In a land where we can fly, Earth weapons simply become children’s toys because the Flame does not allow them to work here. Above everything else, fights must be honorable and fair. Just as love is boundless, so too is fairness.
“The War Games employ all of the weapons you will find on the field of a real Lomani but, though we prefer not to pull our punches with Evil, the weapons here have been coated in thick but lighter-than-air layers of special rubber. This rubber barely affects the balance of weight and, more importantly, it protects the users from the deadly damage that the weapons can cause without the coating.
“This season, we are honored to have King Turgoth as our head judge,” she said finally and Turgoth stepped forward once again to receive the applause.
“Thank you, General Nemesis,” he said. “As the first day begins, so too does the first match of our Games. When I call out your names, please come to the ground floor of the arena.”
The crowd held its breath and listened closely.
“Prince Alexander!”
A roar of cheers bellowed out from every tier as Alexander climbed down the rows to the arena floor. Everyone knew that he would put on a spectacular display, whoever his opponent might be.
“And his opponent - by the request of Alexander himself - Princess Leylah!”
Leylah shot a nervous smile towards her shocked mother, mouthing the word “sorry” as she got up from her seat and quickly made her way out of Rebecca’s reach.
7
Rebecca’s heart stopped and a terrible chill ran through her as she heard her daughter’s name called out. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out when she could have missed the few seconds during which Turgoth could have stopped this. Her husband knew that she wanted Leylah to have no part in the Games, but it was now obvious to her that he knew about this all along and that’s surely why he chose to be the head judge. When she looked across at him she saw he had his eyes on her. He gave a little shrug as if to say there was nothing he could do to stop Leylah from growing up. Rebecca looked away without responding. She would deal with him later.
She fixed her eyes on Leylah’s slight form as she made her way out into the mighty arena. She looked so tiny and vulnerable and Rebecca felt her fear turn to rage. She started to rise from her seat, determined to call a halt to the proceedings, when she felt strong hands grab her and pull her back down. She swung round angrily and found herself staring into her father’s kind, wise eyes. At that moment Rebecca did not feel like the Princess of Utopia but more like a small child, seconds away from throwing a tantrum.
“You knew this time would come, sooner or later,” Julius said to her softly.
“You all knew about this!” she spat at her parents. “You and Turgoth set me up!”
“Remember, you are a Princess,” her mother warned, “so act like one.”
“I’m not five anymore,” Rebecca muttered, her rage slowly subsiding as she realised she was outnumbered and had been out-maneuvered. She watched at her husband welcoming Leylah as she entered the arena, dreading what she might be about to witness.
“I will not be the referee for this fight,” Turgoth said. “It will be Nemesis.”
The crowd had fallen into a stunned silence as they took in the difference in size and weight between Leylah and Alexander. They were awed by the courage of the slip of a girl who was willing to face such a powerful and experienced champion. Some of them muttered to one another that this was not right - that their beloved princess was not ready to face such an ordeal - but no one was willing to make their voice heard by Turgoth.
Pegasus returned to pick Turgoth up and carry him into the air as Nemesis took over.
“Participants,” announced the Amazon General, “choose your weapons.”
Leylah sprinted to the nearest battlement and picked up a pole. She played with it in her hands for a few seconds, cutting through the air and spinning it as fast as it would go to judge the weight and speed before turning to face her foe. Alexander had chosen a simple broadsword and was already standing, ready for battle and smiling at her.
“Participants, prepare... GO!”
Alexander came at her with all the speed he was capable of but she dodged to the right just in time. His training showed as he made a low spin to swipe her side. Leylah slammed the pole into the ground, climbing into the air with a whirlwind of hair trailing behind her as she came back down, meaning to crack the pole on top of his head.
He swung his blade up into the air, swiping the pole to his side and nipping the knuckles of his hand painfully. As Leylah landed in a crouched position on the dirt, she brought the pole around to trip her opponent up. He fell heavily onto his back, letting the air violently out of his lungs. Not wasting a second as she saw his body falling towards the ground, she brought the pole up and over her head.
Alexander pushed off with his hands, releasing his weapon to wrap his strong ankles around her slender legs. Taken by surprise, Leylah found herself hurtling towards the ground too and she wrapped her arms around her face to brace herself for the impact. A second later she slammed the end of the pole into Alexander’s face as she struggled to break free.
They stood up together but now Alexander had a bloody nose and the shrill sound of a whistle cut through their concentration.
“Stop!” Nemesis ordered. “That was a great match. Congratulations to you both.”
Leylah took off her outer shirt and ran over to Alexander, who was waiting so they could walk out
of the arena together. She tossed the shirt to him.
“Use this to keep that blood from messing up your pretty face,” she teased.
His laugh made him cough and more blood gushed from his nostrils. “If that’s what mining does to you, then I need to get myself a pickaxe,” he said through the shirt, putting his free arm around her shoulders and steering her towards the exit. Leylah raised her arm and flexed to exaggerate her muscle.
“Those are mining arms indeed. Looking good, little princess.”
Now, Leylah thought, for the really frightening part: Confronting Mum’s wrath!
8
Rebecca was waiting for them at the end of the entrance tunnel. Without saying a word she wrapped her daughter in her arms and hugged her. Leylah could feel her mother shaking with suppressed emotion. Alexander stood politely by. Eventually, Rebecca released Leylah and walked towards him. Placing her hand under his chin she lifted his handsome face so that he was forced to look her in the eye. She took the shirt from him and gently wiped away the blood.
“Are you all right, Alexander?”
“Yes, Princess Rebecca, nothing a little time won’t heal.”
Turgoth had now joined them and he and Leylah waited for Rebecca to explode.
“These fights can get a little violent sometimes,” Rebecca said, talking to Alexander as if they were the only two there.
“Well, so can an actual Lomani,” a voice behind them interrupted, “but that’s why we have our training and the War Games, isn’t that right?”
They all turned to find Nemesis standing there. “Princess, do you mind if Leylah and I have a word?”
Rebecca smiled. “Not at all. Take your time.”
Nemesis steered Leylah out of earshot of the others, wordlessly, as if gathering her thoughts and preparing what she was going to say with infinite care. When they had reached a suitable distance away from the others she stopped and turned the young princess round so that they were face to face.