Chapter 2: Jealousy
Chandler sat in his cell; all of his other fellow prisoners were sleeping the night away. Chandler felt slightly worried of what to horrors he faces the next day. He was excited about seeing Monica again. She probably didn't even know he existed. A princess and a farmer, it would never happen, but still Chandler felt she was something to fight for, something to look forward to see everyday.
"Chandler." Mumbled a scared voice from the cell across from him.
"What is it Gunther?" he replied, quite alerted at the voice, he was thinking he was the only man awake.
"Thank you." Gunther said bluntly.
"For what?" Chandler replied puzzled.
"Taking charge, you are the one thing we gladiators have now, a leader, you will give us hope." Gunther said getting excited.
"Sorry Gunther, I', no leader, I'm a farmer, and that's what I will be to you all and everyone else." Chandler said thinking of Monica again.
"No Chandler, you were a farmer, you're a warrior." Gunther replied ending the conversation there.
Chandler took that to heart, he thought of Joseph, and how brave he would be if he were here. It was time to throw aside the title that put him down; he had cages full of people now who thought he would lead them to safety. He knew how Joseph felt as the leader of the Twelve Horsemen, and he understood what to do.
Down a dirt road, the sun burns the gravel. No water in sight, no shelter either. Joseph walks down this road. Sadly his horse abandoned him, and he knew another day of running, another day, would kill him. He looked upward, nobody was looking for him, they know not to wander out this far without water, and he belonged to desert now.
No, he couldn't give up that easily, he continued forward. At the fork in the road, many yards ahead of him he spotted a small hut, with smoke rising from a hole in the roof. Another illusion he thought. It was worth it to wobble to it though; anything was a better hope than nothing.
"Hello!" he yelled getting closer to it. He stumbled to the curtain which leads to the inside, he could feel it, and it was real.
"Who is there?" a woman yelled.
"My name is Joseph Tribioni, leader from the Twelve Horsemen. My people were attacked, please I need help." He replied.
"Oh, well ok, hang on I'm coming." The woman replied.
Blonde women whipped open the curtain. She was wearing a small tight shirt that she wore over a small portion of her chest and tight green pants. It all had blue netting, but her stomach was showing, many piercings in it.
"How you doing." He blurted out. "I mean, yeah I'm Joseph." He quickly corrected.
"Hi I'm Phoebe." She said.
Joey chuckles.
"Phoebe, what kind of name is that?" Joey said.
"I think it is the name of your savior. Now please sit, before they come." She said.
"Who? No guards, I wasn't followed by anyone this far out." He said.
"Oh right yeah, never mind then." She replies.
"No, no, no. You saw something and now you got me all scared." He said.
"Fine, the dark forces." She replies. "They will get our souls." She continued.
"Really." Joseph gulped.
"Yes, I know, because I am a gypsee." She discreetly said.
"Wait a minute, isn't that illegal around here?" Joseph asked.
"Yeah, but only because the Gellar's, they make all the rules, you can't have any freedom with them. That's why my mother well, killed herself."
Joseph's eyes widened, as both of them told there stories into the night.
Soon, the night faded into the morning and Chandler cracked his eyes open. Still sitting in filth, in a cramped cell. Not even enough room to fully lie down. Guards entered the corridor. They unlocked Gunther's cell, a few others. Chandler was nervous, he wasn't sure if he was nervous about being picked or not being picked.
"This one as well." One croaked to the other.
They unlocked Chandler's cell and grabbed him by the arms. Instead of spiraling up the long and dreadful stairs they went a different way, through a small side door, that nobody before now had noticed.
"Your swords are over there, and one of you can have shoulder pads and a helmet, talk amongst yourselves to decide." The hooded guard hissed.
"I want Chandler to have them." Gunther blurted out.
"Anyone care to disagree?" the guard said.
The room remained silent.
"It's your lucky day then Chandler here." The guard said throwing the rusty and old armor at him.
"Ok, now here is the way that this shall work. Half of you will stand on that platform and the rest on that one. You will all be raised into the same arena, but on different sides. You are fighting a man named Peter, but shortened to Pete. He is good in fist to fist but carries a short sword, no shield, but excellent armor. Now get going!" the guard yelled.
Everybody split into two groups and went to the platform. Some people even were trying to determine where they would spawn and chose a different one, Chandler knew it wouldn't matter.
"Peter, Monica's old lover, I do see now that is quite odd." Gunther said to another gladiator.
Chandler's head shot up once he heard this. He gripped his sword a little tighter. And flipped his helmet down over his eyes. All men heard a clank, and saw the guard twisting a lever, which was attached to the chain, pulling the platforms upward to the arena. Chandler was ready nothing would stop him from winning this one.
"Let's go out there and win. Do it for your old country, do it for your woman that you love, do it for pride." Chandler told the men. Most of them nodded.
Pete was standing in the middle of the arena, the guard left out vital details about him though. He was about Chandler's height, strong build. You would not recognize him, the man was doused in armor, chainmail, silver, mail, and every kind of armor and metal there was. He did have a short sword to his side. But his primary weapon seemed to be his gauntlets, big, heavy and spikes on the knuckles.
He roared. The crowd went crazy. And it was time again for Sir Jack to announce the fight to begin.
"Now, I bring you a new fight. The same gladiators from the day before. Well the ones that actually lived." He pauses as the crowd laughs; some even throw things at Chandler and his men. "Let the fight with, Peter the Fighter against ten hopeless runts. Let the match begin." He yelled.
Pete slowly moved toward one group, and the other group he chose to ignore at the time began to plot on how to beat him.
"He isn't coming here yet, how should we" Chandler began but was vigorously interrupted. Two lions came out of a gap in the ground. Chandler and his four other men dispersed.
Chandler ran toward the group that Pete was approaching. He stuck his sword high in the air and charge Pete head on. Pete turned preparing to spar. Once the other gladiators saw Chandler do this the stopped cowering in a corner and stood up, clutching there swords tight, running at him as well.
"Come on boy. I am Pete, the ultimate fighter of the land." Pete said to Chandler.
"Shut up!" Chandler said swinging a couple of times, all missed.
Pete could hear, the others running at him. He turned and punched one right in the face, the others halted once this happened. Instantly he man was presumed dead.
Chandler blind with rage, ran at Pete and nailed him with his word in the chest. The fight was not even close to over though. The sword didn't even break a layer of Pete's armor.
Pete was angered that he was even hit; the force of the blow knocked him back a bit but not enough. He punched Chandler in the head, Chandler whipped his head back in attempt to dodge, but all it did was lighten the blow, because Pete followed through on the punch and still scarped Chandler's head.
Gunther ran toward Chandler and dragged him back away from Pete. Pete ignored this to kill the other seven left alive. A lion approached Chandler, he was still weary from the blow.
"Time to show I am not useless." Gunther said. He lifted his spear and sprang toward the lion. He stabbed it in the head, but was bit in the chest, not a small scrape, big splitting cut.
Chandler got to his knees and screamed once he saw this. He took Gunther's spear.
"You didn't die for nothing. And you were not useless." Chandler whispered, walking toward Pete.
Chandler didn't care anymore; he let his rage consume him. The other lion ran at him. While walking Chandler stabbed it through the mouth and relinquished his sword. Pete had just killed the last of Chandler's men. Pete laughed at Chandler.
The wind gently blew and the two were starring at each other from one side of the arena to the other. All the bodies disgusted Chandler. He had to do this strategically. Pete gave him no time to think, he was sprinting at Chandler. Chandler did the same.
Once abut to collide with one another, Pete threw a punch and Chandler, knew he would. So Chandler ducked and skidded under Pete's legs. He rose up while Pete was still confused and swung rapidly at him. Sadly it did no good.
Pete hit Chandler as hard as he could with an open palm. Chandler was flying through the air, just what he wanted a clear shot. He threw Gunther's spear as hard as he could. Chandler did not see the result he hit the wall and turned. Immediately standing up, he was Pete's shadowy figure still standing in the middle of the arena. He then knew there was no hope.
He then saw the figure fall. He moves closer and saw the spear was lodged into Pete's head, going completely through. Chandler held his puke down, and was happy it worked.
"That was for Gunther." He said walking out.
Chandler looked up and saw a man by Monica, it was a familiar face. He was a leader of another empire. It was Sir Richard Burke, but why was he holding Monica like that, and why was she happy to see Richard. Then they kissed.
Chandler put his head down and walked into the gate. His body disappeared into the darkness. He was angry; he wanted it to be Richard in the ring instead of Pete. Jealousy spread inside Chandler so fast, he was in love with Monica and there was nothing he could do, he didn't understand, he doesn't even know her yet he feels so passionately about her.
Chandler now realized he would do anything to have her, to have Monica.
