Chapter Two: The Enchanted Arena

Geoff floated, drifting almost lazily up to the summit of his throne and stared down at his friends.

They had all attended to his summons, gathering first in the Town Square until he had led them into the forest, far from the villagers' prying eyes, to his custom-built arena. They had followed him under the mighty Iron Gate and stood gawping on the red carpet he had laid, trying to take in the spectacle of his enormous golden throne. Each of them had admired their names whittled above immaculate obsidian boulders, hand-crafted by the King himself. Only Gavin, who had assisted him with the last of his arrangements, had been prepared for the sight. Even so, Geoff watched his adopted son's eyes widen, no doubt imagining himself atop that glorious perch they had forged together, wearing Geoff's crown. Only Ray seemed truly unaffected by the arena's glory. Upon entering he'd immediately bent down and picked himself a fresh rose to carry with him, his talisman for the coming events.

"Hello, loyal subjects," Geoff called from the pinnacle of his creation. He settled back into the throne, laying his bare blade across his armoured lap so that the diamond sparkled in the bright sunlight.

"Happy birthday Geoff!" his adopted son was fervent with excitement, dressed in green to fully utilise the camouflage techniques of the malicious Creepers – hideous reptilian monsters that crawled out of crevices under the cover of night to obliterate the unaware. His whole body seemed electrified, especially his wayward hair. It stuck out in every direction, giving the illusion of golden tints in the otherwise copper-coloured explosion of hair. His handsome face had a half-smile of eagerness for the day's adventures and adoration for his King.

The others echoed his salutation well enough but there was anticipation in the air – what exactly where they doing here?

"We have a situation, my friends," Geoff's dark eyes scanned their faces with intense scrutiny. "You know what I'm talking about. My other subjects in Achievement City grow restless and have chosen each of you as possible replacements for me and my family on the throne. It's not your doing, I know that, but you have each grown popular and a threat to the House of Ramsey."

Uneasiness settled upon the group. They all knew what he was referring to and they didn't want to admit how much the idea had appealed to them. Jack hung his head a little in shame.

"My little girl is my heir and the next in line however, I do not want any bloodshed over her right to lead the kingdom," Geoff continued sternly. He was pleased to see Mogar frown at his statement, as though the idea of killing a kid repulsed him. "So I have come up with this. This arena is more remarkable than it looks." He pointed with one gauntlet-clad hand at the Gate. "From the moment you walked in you fell under its enchantment and the game can now begin. A battle for the right to hold the throne until my daughter is old enough to take it as her own. By walking underneath those arches you are bound by magic not to harm her or my family or the King who shall win his dominion today in combat. You will carry out my orders exactly in order to win this throne, whether they be to build, to find, to conquer or to slit a man's throat."

"You'd run out of people to play real quick," laughed Jack, a slight edge of nervousness entering his chuckle. The idea of murdering his best friends did not appeal to him at all.

"Ah, there's where the enchantment comes in," Geoff waved to gesture to an area behind the throne. "Back there, you'll find your quarters. Lay in one of those beds and the enchantment begins. While we compete you cannot die or be fatally injured, instead, any time you fall to another's hand you will be transported back to that bed to continue the competition. You will lose all items and materials you have gathered however, to the victor who vanquished you in the field. No one is dying today my friends, but the battle will be conducted with real steel and blood."

His companions walked the periphery of his enormous throne to find stairs which descended into the earth. Somehow they all felt more than a little nervous, even though their King had just told them plainly that not one of them would die. But they would still feel the pain of death. It would still feel real to them.

"After you," Michael offered, swinging an arm to let Gavin lead them down underground. His friend didn't hesitate and all of the others watched his flyaway hair disappear into the dark mystery of the ground. Ray followed, adjusting his rose as he walked. On his heels were Jack, Ryan and of course, the polite Mogar.

Downstairs the air felt thick with enchantment, a kind of electric static that clung to every mote of dust and almost crackled on the dirt walls. Jack held a hand briefly to his chest; he felt as though he were breathing the spell into his lungs. The beds were there as promised, all creepily identical in matching royal shades of gold and red. Gavin merely punched a white pillow into a better shape before he lay down on one, obediently shutting his eyes straight away. Clearly he had no reservations about trusting the King's assurances. Jack took the bed next to him, lying so close that anyone watching could have almost sworn that the two of them were cuddling. Ray had let his gaze wander around the room and found a small inlet, titled 'Dump Hole' in writing that could have only been Geoff's. He snorted laughter and then, more confident after reading the light-hearted joke, crept into another bed on the other side of the room that faced the Dump Hole.

Ryan was the last to take his place in an enchanted bed. The entire situation had a distinctly perturbed feel to it, as though he'd managed to walk off solid ground onto thin ice. Even this room, just a simple area under the ground for them to rest their heads, had Ryan on edge.

He blinked furiously and willed himself to calm down. As he moved towards a bed he could have almost sworn that he caught a glimpse of a ghostly body, sitting on the bed he was supposed to rest in. Ryan couldn't shake the feeling of trepidation and for a moment he just stood, immobile as any statue, trying to screw his courage to a place where he could begin the tournament. Everyone else was sound asleep. Why couldn't he just lie down and follow Geoff's directions?

When I am King, I will bear witness to worse deeds than enchanted rooms and frightening shadows, he thought to himself. Today begins my conquest. I should not falter at the very start of my reign. Then, with only the slightest hesitation, he copied his friends and obediently took his place in a bed.

Outside, Geoff knew that his friends had finally done as he had commanded and let out a sigh of relief. He'd expected someone, maybe Ryan or Ray, to protest against the measures he'd taken for the competition but no one had said a thing. He sagged into the bed he had prepared for himself, giving him the same magical protection as the others, just in case the worst was to happen and someone in the competition decided he would take it upon himself to make the King quit breathing.

They don't really understand this place yet, Geoff reminded himself. They don't know that by lying down in those beds they have ensured that when the season changes we will all be transported back here, to this place, to duel again for the crown. Their time as King is limited. I cannot afford to let my people suffer the wrath of a poor King for long but if they have the might to repeatedly earn the throne, they will reign for longer. Replaying the games every season will let me earn my throne back but also limit the damage of a new King who is not able to lead the kingdom well.

His preparations were not only to serve his House but the entire nation and satisfied that he'd done everything in his power to keep everyone safe from harm, Geoff closed his eyes and drifted off into a short and refreshing enchanted slumber.