I was a young boy when the world went to war. So I was still able to recall the way it was before the cahos and terror washed over our land like a plauge. There was freedom, happiness, and love. Now there is only destruction. As I sit in the back of this cart I am reminded of these times. I hold the bars of my prison and stare out at the bearly empty roads longing for the time where I would have been able to live out my days happily. Able to be whatever I wanted to make myself into.

Now I sit here in this cart. My hands bound together with a thick leather rope that scratched against my skin rubbing it raw. The life I once led destroyed and forged in this crucible of terror and power into the life of a slave. A slave to the very man who threw my once prosperous future back into the dark ages. I sighed and looked up at the high noon sun trying to figure out how I got myself into this mess in the first place. Oh yes I remember now.

My village had been untouched and unscathed in the war. As a prosperous town of farming and fishing it was left unscathed and it's people unharmed. And for a while it remained so. I was just a lad of nine when the troops came storming in taking over every man's business and taking all it's wealth. They left us alive and our town standing but they reaped all they could from the people. Eventually as time wore on our towns riches ran dry and we were forced into slavery. The rich controling the poor and selling them off to remain in a good position. At eighteen, being resonably poor, I was sold to the Emperor himself. For what purpose I had yet to learn.

I sighed and the driver looked over his shoulder at me a pitying look on his face. "You all right back there boy. Can't have you dying before we reach the city."

A dry smile twisted my cracked lips and I shimmied over to stand behind him. "And just how much longer until we do reach the city sir?" I asked polietly. I had always been a polite boy. My grandfather said I was too nice for my own good. That one of these days my good nature was what was going to get me killed.

The man chuckled "Not much farther. See that hill there?" he asked stretching out a bony finger to point at the horizon. "Just past that hill and the city gates are buy a stone throw away. You shall be put to work in no time."

"Oh how you tease me." I joked throwing myself back to the ground.

We continued our journey in silence and when we had reached the city he turned to look at me as he drove the cart to it's final destination, the palace of the emporer. "I'm sorry for this." he said in a low somber voice "I wish it were different. That I could just let you be free. The God's bless you boy."

"The same to you sir." I said my eyebrows raising. No man before had shown the least bit of sympathy to people like me. Then I had never met many people who weren't warriors for the Emporer. As he opened the cage and let me out he caight my arm and pulled me in close. I bowed my head and he put his lips to my ear and muttered "Natus die Libero."

I frowned. What a strange saying. "Born free...Die free..." I whispered. He pulled away and put a finger to his lips.

"This be the only boy?" a gaurd asked coming down the steps to greet us.

"This is the only boy they gave me." the man said bowing low and kneeling. I bedated on weither to do the same but chose to stand. There was nothing more that they could do to me now.

"You're fee!" the gaurd snarled throwing a small leather pouch at his feet "I will inform the Emperor of your delivery, Bartlett, you may make your way to the arena. Your family is waiting there to welcome you home."

A look of relief washed over the man's face and he nodded. I looked at him and gave him a small smile. The man's eyes blazed like blue fire and he gave me a soft nod as well before jumping in his cart and taking off.

The gaurd watched him go before he turned his attention to me looking me over carefully as if I was a peice of meat. He poked and prodded me like cattle and gave appreciative noises for everything he found acceptable and clucks of his tongue for things he disproved of.

"Yes," he said finally "you will do nicely."

"DO?" I thought "Do what exactly?"

"You have a name boy?" he asked acknowledging me as a person for the first time since my arrival.

I nodded but didn't speak until I say the expectant look in his eyes. "Arnold...my name is Arnold.