Chapter 2
The familiarity was so strong. Relena felt a sigh of pure exhaustion rise up. She knew from past experience to keep it down. Without a sound, the remaining slaves were pushed and shoved into a prison cell. It was then that Relena looked around at the survivors. The ones she had known that still breathed were Hilde, Lucrezia, Natria, and Cathy. The rest were mere acquaintances. Then she noticed that one of her friends had not returned. Mitsuya had not come back from the arena. Just to make sure she wasn't mistaken, she let her eyes run over the slaves once again. Like she had done in the past, she suppressed the agony and stared on.
Lucrezia had found a slave that was not supposed to be involved in the display before the arena. She slowly made her way over, followed by Natria. What people found so uncomfortable about Natria was the amber shade of her eyes. Sometimes, it seemed as if they would become brighter in the dark. The slave did not seem disturbed at all by their approach. For a moment, Lucrezia and Natria stared down at him. His hair was caked in mud, but it was evident that his hair was light blond and his eyes were a sky blue.
"I do not know you," said Lucrezia. They had expected all the weaker slaves to die first as the battle progressed and their own people would continue on, but this was not one of their fighters.
"Did you cower behind the fallen bodies?" said Natria coldly. A coward was not meant to live in her eyes. The young slave noticed this in a deep calm.
Lucrezia believed him when he answered, "No, I fought along side the rest."
"You were not one of our…" Natria was elbowed and she blushed as if she had been caught revealing a secret.
"How did you manage to survive?" asked Lucrezia with a tinge of steel in her voice. The young slave looking to be the same age as Natria hid his face in the shadows, as if in shame.
"I fought."
"We gathered that, but how did you save yourself?" He shrugged.
"I was a warrior who refused to fight anymore." Lucrezia felt her eyes grow larger, and her mouth drop open.
"You're Quatre Rabarba Winner!" she cried. All the others in the cell turned to stare in amazement. Quatre Winner was the youngest known warrior to ever come as close to Patron. He had lost evidently to foul play. Afterward he stopped attending the games and all together disappeared. No one would have dreamed he would end up in a slave's position. Suddenly, Hilde came forward and stared down at Quatre Winner.
"You got out?" she asked. Quatre seemed confused.
"What?"
"Netsu… our hometown you got out before the raid?" Quatre's eyes grew wide in realization.
"You were a native of Netsu?" he cried. Hilde nodded.
"What happened to you? The survivors never found your body."
"I… I was hiding in a sack and the general found me."
"He didn't kill you?" Quatre shook his head.
"No, he just grabbed my arm and dragged me up onto his horse and I blacked out after that." Hilde seemed amazed and then grim.
"At least someone escaped enslavement. They found the survivors a month later and we were sent to the markets, like cattle," she spat.BR.
"I wish I had been taken as well," he said quietly, looking away. Hilde's gaze softened.
"No, it was probably for the best." Quatre laughed cynically.
"Really, then tell me how it's good that I was forced to reenter the arena as a slave." Hilde shrugged.
"The gods have a sick sense of humor."
"The gods are dead," he said vehemently. Hilde didn't seem shaken by this.
"That may be true, but you are here, gods or not."
Before Quatre could respond the clanging of keys ran through their confinements. A dark cloaked figure stood outside, watching. The only thing a person could see of his facial features was his stern mouth. He raised a hand and pointed to Hilde. The guards rushed in and grabbed her as the other guards kept their eyes on the other prisoners. Hilde shoved the hands away from her and yanked her arm out of the guard's hand. She glared at him as he prepared to slap her. The cloaked figure raised his arm to signal a halt to the action. With a disapproving grunt he shoved Hilde out of the cell. The door slammed shut and Hilde was escorted away. Relena watched in grim acceptance. Silence followed. Finally, Lucrezia moved to sit in a dark corner and others began to move around as well.
Relena let her eyes scan the cell and she found Cathy lying next to the wall, unmoving. Relena made her way towards Cathy and knelt down next to her friend, pushing away some stray bangs.
Cathy's arm had a deep cut, and evidently, she had been knocked out. Relena reached over and examined Cathy's arm, seeing it was still bleeding, she lifted it to a vertical position and pressed her hand to the open wound. Cathy groaned in her deep abyss. After a few moments, Cathy's eyes fluttered than opened. The first thing she noticed was that there were two Relenas. Then they merged into one person. Cathy then felt the deep aching in her arm and she turned to look at her raised limb. Relena's hand was bloodied at this point. She turned to Relena again.
"We dead?" she croaked hoarsely. Relena's face was grim.
"Far from it. You're very lucky Hilde saved you." Cathy looked around for the mentioned person and found she was absent.
"She's gone," said Natria as she walked up to them. "The guards came for her."
"Why?"
"We don't know." Cathy's eyes floated shut for a moment.
"I guess they must have broken up the battle."
"Yes."
"So what's to happen to us?"
"I wish we could tell you. I do know that we will return to the arena. We just don't know when."
"We'll probably be questioned," said Relena. Cathy closed her eyes again. She knew the interrogators had mastered techniques of making a prisoner talk, especially if he is wounded. Then the door opened once again. Everyone was ordered to file out. Natria and Relena helped Cathy up. As they made their way towards the door of the cell, Cathy was roughly yanked away and thrown up against the wall along with several other wounded slaves. Relena reached for her friend, but Natria pulled her back in with the others. Relena looked over her shoulder at her friend. Cathy's face was pale in the torchlight, but Cathy tried to give Relena a comforting smile. She failed miserably. Then she was out of sight. It was then that Relena began to feel the sharp nagging teeth of despair begin its work on her.
The familiarity was so strong. Relena felt a sigh of pure exhaustion rise up. She knew from past experience to keep it down. Without a sound, the remaining slaves were pushed and shoved into a prison cell. It was then that Relena looked around at the survivors. The ones she had known that still breathed were Hilde, Lucrezia, Natria, and Cathy. The rest were mere acquaintances. Then she noticed that one of her friends had not returned. Mitsuya had not come back from the arena. Just to make sure she wasn't mistaken, she let her eyes run over the slaves once again. Like she had done in the past, she suppressed the agony and stared on.
Lucrezia had found a slave that was not supposed to be involved in the display before the arena. She slowly made her way over, followed by Natria. What people found so uncomfortable about Natria was the amber shade of her eyes. Sometimes, it seemed as if they would become brighter in the dark. The slave did not seem disturbed at all by their approach. For a moment, Lucrezia and Natria stared down at him. His hair was caked in mud, but it was evident that his hair was light blond and his eyes were a sky blue.
"I do not know you," said Lucrezia. They had expected all the weaker slaves to die first as the battle progressed and their own people would continue on, but this was not one of their fighters.
"Did you cower behind the fallen bodies?" said Natria coldly. A coward was not meant to live in her eyes. The young slave noticed this in a deep calm.
Lucrezia believed him when he answered, "No, I fought along side the rest."
"You were not one of our…" Natria was elbowed and she blushed as if she had been caught revealing a secret.
"How did you manage to survive?" asked Lucrezia with a tinge of steel in her voice. The young slave looking to be the same age as Natria hid his face in the shadows, as if in shame.
"I fought."
"We gathered that, but how did you save yourself?" He shrugged.
"I was a warrior who refused to fight anymore." Lucrezia felt her eyes grow larger, and her mouth drop open.
"You're Quatre Rabarba Winner!" she cried. All the others in the cell turned to stare in amazement. Quatre Winner was the youngest known warrior to ever come as close to Patron. He had lost evidently to foul play. Afterward he stopped attending the games and all together disappeared. No one would have dreamed he would end up in a slave's position. Suddenly, Hilde came forward and stared down at Quatre Winner.
"You got out?" she asked. Quatre seemed confused.
"What?"
"Netsu… our hometown you got out before the raid?" Quatre's eyes grew wide in realization.
"You were a native of Netsu?" he cried. Hilde nodded.
"What happened to you? The survivors never found your body."
"I… I was hiding in a sack and the general found me."
"He didn't kill you?" Quatre shook his head.
"No, he just grabbed my arm and dragged me up onto his horse and I blacked out after that." Hilde seemed amazed and then grim.
"At least someone escaped enslavement. They found the survivors a month later and we were sent to the markets, like cattle," she spat.BR.
"I wish I had been taken as well," he said quietly, looking away. Hilde's gaze softened.
"No, it was probably for the best." Quatre laughed cynically.
"Really, then tell me how it's good that I was forced to reenter the arena as a slave." Hilde shrugged.
"The gods have a sick sense of humor."
"The gods are dead," he said vehemently. Hilde didn't seem shaken by this.
"That may be true, but you are here, gods or not."
Before Quatre could respond the clanging of keys ran through their confinements. A dark cloaked figure stood outside, watching. The only thing a person could see of his facial features was his stern mouth. He raised a hand and pointed to Hilde. The guards rushed in and grabbed her as the other guards kept their eyes on the other prisoners. Hilde shoved the hands away from her and yanked her arm out of the guard's hand. She glared at him as he prepared to slap her. The cloaked figure raised his arm to signal a halt to the action. With a disapproving grunt he shoved Hilde out of the cell. The door slammed shut and Hilde was escorted away. Relena watched in grim acceptance. Silence followed. Finally, Lucrezia moved to sit in a dark corner and others began to move around as well.
Relena let her eyes scan the cell and she found Cathy lying next to the wall, unmoving. Relena made her way towards Cathy and knelt down next to her friend, pushing away some stray bangs.
Cathy's arm had a deep cut, and evidently, she had been knocked out. Relena reached over and examined Cathy's arm, seeing it was still bleeding, she lifted it to a vertical position and pressed her hand to the open wound. Cathy groaned in her deep abyss. After a few moments, Cathy's eyes fluttered than opened. The first thing she noticed was that there were two Relenas. Then they merged into one person. Cathy then felt the deep aching in her arm and she turned to look at her raised limb. Relena's hand was bloodied at this point. She turned to Relena again.
"We dead?" she croaked hoarsely. Relena's face was grim.
"Far from it. You're very lucky Hilde saved you." Cathy looked around for the mentioned person and found she was absent.
"She's gone," said Natria as she walked up to them. "The guards came for her."
"Why?"
"We don't know." Cathy's eyes floated shut for a moment.
"I guess they must have broken up the battle."
"Yes."
"So what's to happen to us?"
"I wish we could tell you. I do know that we will return to the arena. We just don't know when."
"We'll probably be questioned," said Relena. Cathy closed her eyes again. She knew the interrogators had mastered techniques of making a prisoner talk, especially if he is wounded. Then the door opened once again. Everyone was ordered to file out. Natria and Relena helped Cathy up. As they made their way towards the door of the cell, Cathy was roughly yanked away and thrown up against the wall along with several other wounded slaves. Relena reached for her friend, but Natria pulled her back in with the others. Relena looked over her shoulder at her friend. Cathy's face was pale in the torchlight, but Cathy tried to give Relena a comforting smile. She failed miserably. Then she was out of sight. It was then that Relena began to feel the sharp nagging teeth of despair begin its work on her.
