"Emlyn! Wake up!"

Ghada was shaken awake roughly.

"hmmm?"

"We're supposed to be in the arena in ten minutes to be sorted into our groups! I waited for you during breakfast but you never came."

Ghada looked into the blurried face of Cecil, her eyes not quite focused.

"Ok Give me a minute," she said rolling out the side of her bed and falling on the hard stone floor to wake herself up.

"Ok that hurt a little more than I thought it would," she proclaimed standing up rubbing her shoulder.

She grabbed her nearest tunic and threw it on herself with haste and ran out the door with Cecil. He himself was dressed in a yellow tunic and reminded her of an elf with his quick nimble steps. The procession was just beginning as they arrived and no one seemed to notice that they were late. As they progressed to the front of the line Ghada grew nervous as her and Cecil had only a 20 chance of getting on the same team, and she did not want to fight her friend.

Cecil was first in drawing his stone and the front of it was painted blue, he wandered off to join the team which also held blue stones, Ghada noticed that Damian was there, the knight who had briefly introduced himself before, and her eyes narrowed when she caught a glimps of Calix on the team also.

Ghada's hearbeat quickened when she reached into the barrel for her own fate.

Please let me be on Cecil's team even though that beast Calix is on that team

Ghada picked up a stone and turned it around slowly so the coloured part would face her.

It was blue.

Ghada almost yelled with joy but contained it thinking that it would seem odd. She also resisted the urge to run over to join Cecil, but casually walked over to be the last team member. Cecil smacked her back victoriously when she showed him the stone.

"Great," came a voice near the back, " This team was looking in good favour until this twerp joined us."

Ghada looked over to see who said that and saw Calix glaring over with crossed arms.

"You ruin my chances, and I ruin you."

"Hey it's the Gremlin!" said another voice.

Ghada didn't even have to look as she knew only one knight called her that. Ambrose walked over and hosited her into the air.

"Obviously not good for a heavy weight."

All but Cecil laughed.

Ghada was dropped back down to the ground and landed on her back. Painfully standing back up Ghada walked away from Ambrose. Mr.Appleby walked over to their group to record all of their team members names.

"Right I will read out the names I have recorded and please tell me if I have got them wrong."

As he went along all the names seemed in order and he left quite as quickly as he had come.

"Well," said Ambrose taking control, "I suppose we better introduce ourselves and name our strengths like we were told to do.Guess I'll start with myself. My name's Ambrose Finnigan and I am best with heavyweights and my main weapon is a mace."

An older looking boy of perhaps twenty one stepped forward, " My name is Telemachus, and I am best with a sword, and a chariot."

Several more introductions were made until Cecil's turn arrived. Ghada was curious about his specialties.

"My name is Cecil, and I am a fast sprinter, best equipped with a spear."

Damian stepped forward with a huge smile which unnerved some of the others.

"My name's Rumplestiltskin of Sunnybrook farm, and I love cookies."

With that he stepped back. The others began to mutter and Ghada heard words such as 'mental' and 'queer' being used.

"Well I hope you have something other then a lame sense of humor, because if you don't you have no strengths," said Calix raising an eyebrow.

Damian glowered at him and stepped forward again, this time more seriously.

"My name is Damian, and my best weapon is daggars, but I can settle for a sword, and I can ride really well or control a chariot."

A rush of air was let out from his other team mates, glad that they weren't stuck with a crazed person, but a seemingly half-crazed person instead.

Finally the introductions got to Ghada, and as she stepped forward this time more then Ambrose shouted 'Gremlin!' and Ghada was patiently waiting until someone else took to speak.

"Shut up! Let him speak, I'd like to hear his strengths," said Calix.

Ghada eyed Calix warily remembering the promise she had made to Landis and unknowingly broken already.

"My name is Emlyn, My strengths are I am agile and my weapon is the bow and arrow, sword is a close second."

Someone snorted from the crowd, " Emlyn seems girly to me, what knight uses the bow and arrow as their main weapon?"

It was true no one else yet, had had a strength in archery, Ghada felt herself glow red wondering why she had most of the knights picking on her.

Calix stepped forward being the last person, and taking the attention away from Ghada.

"My name is Calix, and I am good at everything," he stated simply stepping back.

Ghada thought of what the reaction would have been had she said that and found it awfully unfair that no one made a comment to Calix. A bell sounded, signalling lunch time and Ghada hurried away as fast as possible to get away from the knights. Cecil fell in step next to her.

"Don't let Calix get to you Emlyn," said Cecil, "He's not worth it."

"I'm good at everything," immitated Ghada, " Who would ever say that?"

One thing she was sure of, he had been uncomfortable before watching the body of her dead sister. Although seven years had passed she wondered if it still unnerved him.

"Well lunch time should cheer you up," said Cecil, " I'm starving, and nothing makes me happier then eating a good meal."

Ghada laughed at her friend and decidedly raced him into the hall, losing badly. They took their seats and the judges annouced to them that their sleeping arrangements and eating arrangements would be changed according to their teams. Ghada sighed, not wanting to have to sleep beside Calix but also having to eat with him. This had clearly passed his mind to for when he sat down he made to do so far away from Ghada.

The meal was eaten in a rowdy uproar of team mates clapping one another on the back or cursing their luck, but Ghada nibbled some bread quietly. Her senses all but shut down until she heard the name 'Wycliff'.

"Yeah, I've heard of him," she heard Calix say.

She tried to lean in to hear better.

"Is it true that he actually put his daughter out on display to tempt in rich suitors?" asked a boy named Maxwell, " That;s what my cousin told me anyway, he went to go and see them."

"I think that's awful putting them on display," said another knight named Errol joining into their conversation.

"Hey Emlyn, what did it feel like to see all of your sisters up on display?" asked Calix, "You're Wycliffs son afterall."

Ghada sensed a trap in this but decided to answer anyway.

"My sister's enjoyed being looked at by potential husbands."

Calix frowned. "So including the sisters which ran away, died and was taken away by force they were happy were they?"

Ghada in that moment snapped at the casual tone in his voice, about the way he talked about her horrible past. She stood up and marched over to Calix and swiftly punched him in the face.

"Don't EVER talk about my family that way again," she yelled aiming to hit him again.

This time Calix was ready and caught her fist when she lunged.

" Hitting unsuspecting people does not solve anything," he mocked

Ghada struggled against his grip while he stood up. He reached about 6'4'' and despite the fact he was almost a foot taller than her Ghada was not scared. Calix let go of her fist and walked past her bumping into her as he went. She stared angrily at his back, knowing she couldn't fight him infront of the judges.

They were alert enough already and came over to check what was happening. When Cecil claimed all was well they left, but only after circling the table a couple of times.

As they left the room Cecil looked at her carefully. "Is what Calix said true? I mean about your sisters…." He trailed off thinking he better leave it alone but was surprised when she answered.

"Yes, it is," Ghada said quietly.

"Emlyn I'm sorry," said Cecil meaningfully, "The knights here aren't exactly treating you with respect and— "

He was cut off when a scream was heard. Both ran towards the direction of the sound and Ghada saw a wisp of curly blonde hair. Her stoamach lurching Ghada jumped onto the back of her apparent assailent which knocked him off balance. Pinning him down to the ground Ghada looked up into the face of the woman who was looking non-too-pleased at her actions.

"You boy, what are you doing to my husband?" she shrieked trying to pry Ghada off.

"Husband?" Ghada looked down onto the outraged man she was sitting on, " I'm sorry I thought he was attacking you! When I heard you scream--"

"That scream wasn't of terror you stupid boy."

When the man got to finally stand Ghada was cuffed over the head, hard. She fell to the ground temporarily stunned and Cecil stood infront of her as the man tried to kick her fallen body. Another surprising figure appeared to her rescue when Cecil was shoved out of the way by the apparently very strong man.

"Father stop, These men are on my team and I don't want to see them hurt. It could cost us the first round."

The man stopped and looked at his son, "Ah Calix, good to see you boy. You look as strong as ever."

"Indeed," said Calix without emotion.

"Well I guess, your mother and I will be on our way," and with that both of them quickly walked off not wanting to be caught in the scene.

"Well I see my parents aren't too fond of you either," said Calix almost jokingly as he held out his hand to help Ghada up.

Ghada mistrustingly took his hand ecpecting him to let go, but he pulled her up with ease.

"Why did you help us?" she asked still confused about what just happened.

"Like I said I don't want my team getting hurt," he said sincerely, "Especially if its by my own parents."

Ghada looked at him in a new way. He almost seemed human now.

"Of course this doesn't mean were best buddies or anything," he scowled and walked off.

Cecil looked at Ghada then at Calix with his mouth hanging open.

"W-What just happened? You just punched him in the face not twenty minutes ago and he helped us out."

Ghada was dwelling on the same thing just as hard.

"I guess he just wants the respect of his team mates, and we were both giving him a challenge. Afterall who wants to be on a team where the people themselves don't get along?"

A month passed by and another month was left and Cecil and Ghada now seemed to fit in with everyone else. Even Ambrose called Ghada 'Gremlin' more affectionately now and if she was ever hoisted up she was put down more gently rather then full out dropped. Calix had stopped the unwaning hostility, but still as he said they weren't comrades.The team was looking quite good together as everyone finally got along, and the other teams seemed to be noticing it and putting in extra work to keep up.

At dinnertime a page came bursting through the doors looking very anxious indeed and practically ran up towards the judges table, when Ghada finally noticed Mr.Wellington was absent from. He whispered something to Appleby who in turn passed it on to the others and all three judges exited the room. Everyone began talking aloud at once wondering what just happened.

Thirty minutes later the three judges came in with another man who looked disgustingly familiar to Ghada.

Redolpho silenced the knights and in turn begn to talk.

"Mr.Wellington has died, so we will now be appointing a new judge as there has always been four, may I present to you Mr. Slade Desdon."

Ghada gasped as she saw the man who had killed Delora for the first time since seven years ago. Calix smirked up at Slade while Slade acknowleged him and his eyes stopped onto Ghada. Ghada held her breath as he continued to stare.

Does he recognize me?

But moments later his eyes drifted away and Ghada let out her breath remembering that icy stare. Damian noticed the nervousness in Ghada's demeanor.

"Are you alright?" he asked causing others to look in her direction.

"Fine, I'm just fine,"she replied staring up at Slade.