*I am going to continue this story in third person because it's easier that way. Okay? Okay! :)

"So you are all forced to fight each other for scraps?" Arnold asked hardly believing it possible

"Yup." Helga said sharpening her swprd as they sat by a blazing fire keeping them warm amidst the cold night air. "Just barely enough to live on."

"Usually we don't kill." Gerald said taking in Arnold's horrified look. He gave him a weary glance and it was only then ARnold noticed that he felt like he was going to faint. "We have a deal with the other camp. WE fight until the Emperor gets bored and then calls off the fight. That way both of us live."

"Wouldn't he just kill you both?" Arnold asked

Curly laughed throwing his head back with scornful humor "Not unless he wants to scower the whole country side for a man strong enough to fight in these games."

"Or woman." Helga growled

"Or woman." he agreed with a little smile "The point is that his subjects are scrawny and weak. He can barely scrape up one or two fighters every three months. Soon he will have killed them all off."

"So you lot fight until he gets tired?" Arnold confirmed

"You got it cap." Brainy said jabbing his spear experimentally in the air. His mild temperment replaced by a sudden burst of rage "And no one cared to inform our little friend this afternoon. He's a new fella. Came in the day before you, Arnold."

"They told him." Helga whispered turnin her gaze to the fire.

"What?" Gerald said "They told him? BUt he...he came after you."

"He was scared." Helga said blinking rapidly "He must have thoiught what Arnold did. That if he didn't kill me then the Emporer would kill us both. He kept saying he was sorry."

The group was silent and remained so until the gate creaked open. In stepped a timid looking girl. She carried a small tray with food scattered around it. Gerald smiled at her and stood helping taking the tray from her.

"Hey Phoebe." he said winking at her causing her to blush prettily.

"Hello Pheebs." The rest chimed

"Good evening you guys?" she said polietly, her voice nearly as fragile as she seemed to be. "How are you all today?"

She asked to the group in general but her eyes were fixed on Helga who looked up with a small smile "I'm fine Phoebe."

She gave her a look but nodded her head and turned to me. "You must be Arnold."

"Yeah, I am." he said shocked grabbing her outstretched hand "HOw did you know?"

"My lady has connections." Gerald said smiling scooting over so that she could sit besides him.

"I am the Queen's lady in waiting so to speak." she said blushing sitting besides Gerald.

"How is the Queen." Curly asked

Phoebe smiled and gave him a sympathetic look "She's as miserable as ever Thaddeus. She's just trying to survive."

Curly nodded and looked away back at the fire. I looked at Gerald and he gave me a look that suggested that he would tell me later.

"Did you see the match today or hear it?" Helga asked breaking the tension that hung in the air like a poisonus cloud.

"I saw bits of it but I admit I had to turn away. The sight was far to gruesome for me."

Helga smiled and nodded "GOod I didn't want you seeing something like that."

"Visiting Time is OVER!" the gaurd shouted waving over to Phoebe bidding her forward. Phoebe sighed and looked them all over giving them a smile.

"Well, until next time you guys." she got up and Gerald got up with her walking her to the gate.

"Well we all better hit the hay! I nearly got slaughtered out there we will have to go over some drills tomorrow and train up Football Head here." she said jabbing a thumb at Arnold.

ARnold frowned and mulled over the new nickname he had just recieved. However he didn't plan on fighting her on it. He had seen what she could do and he never fought a day in his life before.

"Football head?" Gerald asked coming back over to them. His nose wrinkled and he shook his head "I don't like it."

The boys murmered their agreement and looked to Helga who just smiled at them "Good you morons 'cause only I'm allowed to call him that." she said looking at Arnold and winking. "Get some sleep losers we are in for a big day of blood and pain tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," the echoed. They all made way to their cots and Gerald took Arnold and laid a spare one down besides his own.

"So, " he said in a light and airy tone. "What do you think of our little family here?"

"It's umm...interesting." he said looking around to make sure that no one was listening in to their conversations.

Gerald snickered and he nodded "Yeah these guys are a little on the funny side you can thank our pasts for that. We are all different shades of fucked up. All for differnet reasons."

Arnold looked him in the eyes silently begging him to let him know what he was dealing with and luckily for him Gerald obliged.

"Curly was taken from a village that was forty miles from here. The Emporer felt like they were a threat to him because it was famous for its weapons they produced. SO he had it destroyed and most of their people were killed. They all fought back and were killed. Curly is the only survivor...he and his...and his wife."

"The Queen." Arnold whispered remembering how Curly had looked when Phoebe had mentioned the Queen and his concern about her.

"Yeah Rhonda." Gerald said "She was going to be a warrior, like us, but then the Emporer took a fancy to her. Told her that if she chose to be his wife than she could escape her fate. She wasn't going to. She was going to stay with us but Curly wouldn't let her. Told her that she should go and be safe. THat if he was going to die he wanted to make sure that she was taken care of. So she did as he asked. She's not happy about it, but she's safe."

Arnold nodded and waited for Gerald to continue. Gerald pointed to Brainy who was tossing slightly on his cot "Brainy was a scholar in the same village where Helga grew up. He dabbled in anything and everything. Anyway he was on his way to the city to study with someone or another and before he reached the gates he was captured and thrown in here.

Stiny and Harold were much like Curly. Their whole village destroyed. Their friend Sid died on the way here. Tried to run from the gaurds and was speared through. "

"What about you?" Arnold asked looking shyly up at him "What's your story."

"My story?' Gerald laughed arching a brow "Well it's nothing fancy. I was travling. Stupid to do in these times I know. But my sister was sick and dying and I was travling from village to village to find someone who could cure her. I stumbled into a town about a hundred miles from here. Apparently I stumbled into the wrong town. They didn't take well to the color of my skin. Picked a fight with me. Tried to kill me, so I did the only thing that I could do. I fought back. Fended them off. Next thing I knew the Emporers recruiters were all over me telling me that if I came and worked for them my sister would get the help she needed. I never knew if they kept their promises or not. But I highly doubt it."

Arnold let it sink in feeling his gut wretch as he thought about Gerald's poor sick little sister. He looked away and his eyes immediently landed on the blonde girl who was tossing and turning. Her face illuminated by the still burning fire.

"What about her?" he asked "What's her story."

Gerald looked over at Helga and gave a sad sigh "Parents sold her. Her and her lady's maid. That's Pheebs. Her father was a preator, head honcho, of her town. He was owed a debt to one of the gaurds and in order to keep his status he had to pay up. So he offered her." he looked up at Arnold his eyes hard and cold "I know what your thinking. Why would he sell his daughter to fight in a place like this. Well that wasn't what he thought she would be doing, if you get what i'm saying."

Arnold felt something flare inside his chest. He may have just met her but he knew she couldn't have done anything to deserve that "He sold her to be a...to be a..." he gulped

Gerald nodded and rested back on his pallet trying to get comfortable. "The poor girl was so frightened. The first night she was here she ended up killing two gaurds who tried to have their way with her and Phoebe. Nearly made it out of the city when she was captured by the Emporer himself. He made a deal with her. She would return and he wouldn't kill them. She would be a warrior and Phoebe would be a servant. She made him swear that nobody would touch her. So he placed her with the Queen. She knew she was safe then."

Arnold's mind was reeling. These people had already been through so much. So much death and torture and yet here they were subjected to it once more.

"Well we better get to sleep." Gerald said yawning "We will have to have our wits about us tomorrow. You probably won't have to fight tomorrow but it's best to be as prepared as you can. Get some sleep my man."

"Yeah, sleep." Arnold said lying down

He stared up at the sky and thought about what tomorrow would hold for him.

"You're going to be alright pal," Gerald said his voice heavy with sleep "Don't worry we'll protect you."

Arnold nodded and drifted off into an uneasy sleep.