A/N

Hey everyone! Glad you're enjoying this so far! Just a warning, the beginning of the chapter contains themes and mentions of DOMESTIC/FAMILY ABUSE. If this is triggering please skip ahead to further in the chapter. Ok, enjoy the story! And see you next weekend!

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CHAPTER 2

"INSOLENT WRETCH!"

Mara flinched as her mother's hand flew, connecting with her cheek.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

She hit her again, the crystal on her ring scratching her face, but not drawing blood. Not yet anyways.

"HOW DARE YOU SNEAK OUT OF THIS HOUSE AND, AND, AND RUN OFF TO GO GALLIVANTING WITH DAYDREAMS!"

"Dear, please…" Her father reached out a hand, placing on his wife's shoulder.

She shrugged him off with a glare, "Get out. Out of this room."

"Dear…"

"I SAID OUT!"

He flinched, edging away from her. He sent one last despairing glance at his daughter before ducking out the door.

The woman took a shaky breath, then growled at Mara, "For too long, I have put up with your insolence and insubordination, all because your father begged me, saying he would watch over you and see that you would become a fine and proper young woman."

She looked her daughter up and down in disgust, "I see now that was a mistake. You're as much a disgrace as your sister."

Mara flinched, pain sharper than any hit her mother could land on her coursing through her veins.

She started pacing back and forth, "I should have put my foot down years ago. He's been coddling you, filling your head with daydreams and illusions. Your head is up in the clouds when you need to be rooted in this earth!"

Mara shuffled, muttering under her breath, "They're not daydreams or illusions."

Her mother snapped her attention on her daughter, scowling, "What did you just say?"

Mara kept her eyes on her mother's shoulders, "They're not daydreams or illusions. Not anymore."

There was a moment of silence before the woman snarled, raising her hand. Mara flinched before it could connect. She felt as if through a dream, the skin of her cheek ripping, blood dripping down her face as her mother panted, eyes wide in fury.

"You DAREYOU DARE. WHO WOULD ACCEPT YOU INTO THEIR RANKS?! YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A LAZY, SELFISH BRAT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU IF YOU GO DOWN THIS PATH? DO YOU?!"

Her mother was pacing around the room, gesturing wildly with her hands, venom dripping from every word, "YOU WILL FAIL. AND NO-ONE WILL BE THERE TO HELP YOU! YOU'LL HAVE TO SELL YOUR BODY SO THAT YOU CAN AFFORD TO EAT! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?"

She got up close, spittle flying from her mouth, "You will end up a dead whore on the streets. Just another lost cause. Another rotting body to be carried to the dump. Do you want to end up like your sister? A failure?!"

She smacked her daughter again before stalking away, "Two years ago, all you had to do was sit still and look pretty and you would have lived a pleasant life as a noble's wife. BUT NO. You went through and pulled out some arbitrary law nobody remembers just so you could avoid your duty"

"I will not marry! How is being a whore to a noble better than being a whore on the streets?!"

The hand flew again, cutting the other cheek.

"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME."

She sighed, running a hand through her hair, watching her daughter, disappointment filling her eyes, "You had so much potential. And you wasted it."

She turned, staring out the window at the fields. Mara could see the forms of her brothers milling around.

Her mother turned back to her, "It's of no matter. You're of age now. Your little law you found can't protect you anymore. When a proposal comes in, you will be taking it, understand?"

Mara stayed silent, looking at the floor.

"I said, do you understand me?"

"I understand."

"Good." Her mother moved to walk out, then turned back, "But don't think you won't get punished. You will be doing all the house chores for a month after this. Maybe that will teach you some work ethic and humility."

She stalked out of the room, leaving Mara standing alone in the kitchen, blood dripping onto her shirt. She waited there for a full minute before dashing out and up the stairs, slamming the door to her room behind her.

Mara sat with a huff on her bed, looking around the sparse room. A few sets of clothes and some books. Aside from the pictures on the nightstand, there was nothing in the room. Mara knelt on the floor, grabbing something from under the bed and pulling.

A duffel bag.

She reached inside and pulled out a communicator, switching it on and sending a message as fast as her fingers could type. She set the device on the bed, then started grabbing clothes and books and throwing them haphazardly into the bag.

A ding sounded behind her. Mara twirled, kneeling on the bed and pulling up the screen.

Arkan: Hey dude, what's up?

Mara typed fast.

Mara: Something went wrong. Is your offer still available?

Arkan: M, what happened? Did you not get to tryouts?

Mara: I did, but they found me. My timetable got moved up.

Arkan: Ah Norns.

He didn't type for a few seconds as Mara stared at the little glowing screen in worry.

Arkan: Don't worry. I and my couch are still open. Meet you tonight at you gate?

Mara: I'm leaving as soon as I finish packing. I'm almost done. I'll be heading to the forest as soon as I can.

Arkan: dude.

Mara: gtg, see you soon.

She turned off the device, shoving it in her bag. Once everything was inside, she looked around. The room was completely emptied out. If not for the lack of dust, you could say no-one had ever lived in this bare, white room with no windows.

Mara shook her head, shouldering the bag. But as she turned to leave, the door opened. Her father stood in the doorway and took the whole scene in in an instant.

"Oh honey. I'm so sorry. For everything."

Mara smiled sadly, "It's ok dad. I don't blame you for anything. But I can't stay here anymore."

"I know." He ran a hand through his hair, then pulled a pouch from his pocket, setting it in her hand with a jingle.

"Dad?"

"Your dowry." He took a deep breath, "I know you never really cared for love all that much. I hope this will be enough to get you started. It may not be much, but I'm guessing it's more than what you planned for."

She opened the little drawstring. The bag was chock full of red gold. She looked up at her father with tears in her eyes. He opened his arms slightly and she dashed into them, holding him tight.

He rubbed her back, chin on her head, "I wish you all the best my sweetling. I know you'll be the best anyone ever saw, no matter what you do."

"I love you dad."

"I love you more my little Mara."

He kissed her hair, then stepped to the bed and sat down, watching as Mara smiled one last time at him before dashing out. She took the same path she had before, but she didn't bother to be quiet.

What was the point now?

They all knew her plans.

And they wouldn't be able to stop her.

Not now.

Not ever.

She ran past the fields where her brothers stopped, staring after her in shock. She heard a couple call her name, but she kept running. She did a flying leap over the closed gate, landing lightly on her toes. She ran, not bothering to look back.

There was only looking forward now.

She could see something flitting in the shadows as she neared the forest. Mara grinned as she got closer. She skidded to a stop in front of the brunet. He was her age, if not older, and a little taller.

Arkan smiled, "Ready to go?"

Mara smirked, "Ready as I'll ever be."

They ran into the forest side by side.

One week later

Mara laid on the couch and groaned as Arkan paced back and forth.

"Arkan, please. We've been over this for, what? Three months? Four? We've trained, we've studied all our opponents, and planned to our strengths. Everything's is going to be fine."

"Yeah, but still. The competition is tomorrow. We have to be ready."

"We are ready" she sat up, "Dude, just chill already. If you wear yourself out from pacing and can't compete tomorrow, I will be royally pissed."

"We need to plan for every little contingency!"

"We have."

"But what if there's a storm?"

"Then they'll cancel and move it to the next day, like they always do if there's a storm. You're overthinking it."

"I'M NOT OVERTHINKING IT."

"Arkan…"

"Mara, I'm serious, we need to be ready."

Mara stood, putting her hands on his shoulders, "Arkan. Listen. We are ready. But the one plan we don't have is if you wear yourself out and don't sleep because of nerves. They only take partners in the Freyja Games. If you're not able to compete, what then? Say you're my partner and just have you cheer from the sidelines while I do everything?"

"Do you think that could actually work?"

"Do you want to test that theory, fail, and still be stuck in your dad's shadow?"

"No."

"Exactly. Now sit down and chill. I have a lot more to worry about than you. But somehow, I'm the mentally stable one."

Arkan sat with a huff next to Mara on the couch. She leaned her head back, closing her eyes. The earliest she would hear from the academies was tomorrow. Chances were, she didn't get into anything. But as long as tomorrow went to plan, there was a backup plan.

Worry filled her heart. Even if she did make it, would the letters make it?

And counting all that out, what if her family showed up tomorrow?

What if her mother or her brothers tried to sabotage her?

What would she do if she failed horrendously in front of father and grandfather?

What if? ...

She drifted into the blackness of sleep, thoughts swirling in her mind.

…..

The next day

"Arkan. Arkan wake up!"

Mara shook him under the covers. He groaned and rolled away from her.

"Arkan!"

"Go away…"

"It's the day of the Games, Arkan! We have to be there before dawn to make sure our names are on the list. Remember? The games start at dawn?"

He growled softly, gathering the blankets around himself as he curled into fetal position.

"Arkan, for the love of Gaia, GET UP!"

He growled again, snuggling into his nest of blankets.

"Well then. You give me no choice. I hope you know that I planned on this, and looked forward to it."

Mara stalked out of the dark room. She came back with a bucket full of a sloshing, clinking substance, flicking on the light. Arkan groaned, pulling the blanket over his head. Mara lifted the bucket, dumping it over his head.

Ice water.

He shrieked, bolting from the bed, smacking at the streams of water cascading off him. Mara chuckled. The fool was only wearing thin trousers.

"Now that you're awake, out of bed, and at attention, go shower real quick. I have clothes set out for you in the bathroom, and breakfast is ready."

She walked out the room, hearing a wet plop hit the door as she closed it. He threw his pillow at her. She chuckled to herself as she sat at the little table, sipping from a mug. A couple minutes late, Arkan walked out, tugging on his vest.

He glared at her, "You are a major league jerk, you know that, right?"

"And I take pride in that fact. Sit. Eat. We have to hurry."

He looked at the table, then her, "You're joking, right?"

She looked at the fruit on the table, then at him, "No. these can substitute as an entire meal, are healthier, and give a huge boost in energy and stamina. PLUS, the rules say nothing about eating them before the Games, so, win-win."

"Why can't I have eggs? Or meat? I like meat."

"They may fill you up, but they won't keep you running all day long. These will. Not hurry up and eat."

He sighed, grabbing a fruit and gnawing at it as he pulled on his boots.

When he finished, they stood and walked out the tiny little hut they had been sharing, running through the woods to the grounds.

Luckily, they were close by the clearing. People were already gathering up. The pair stood in line behind dozens of others. Luckily, most everyone had applied previously, so the line went quickly. The gate keeper scanned the list, then waved them through.

They sat on one of the unoccupied benches in the contestant area and looked around. Most of the people there were much larger and more muscular than the two of them combined. There were elves, dwarves, men, frost giants, men with long, wild hair that could only be part of the Wolf King's populace, and the occasional hobbit.

Almost all of Vanaheim was represented. With one major caveat. Aside from a singular elven woman with long, auburn hair, chatting with a tall dwarf without a beard, Mara was the only woman present. She could feel a lot of eyes on her.

Maybe not among the elves, dwarves, or shifters, but men leered at her openly. She even caught a few Jotnar eyeing her smugly.

Meinfreiters, the lot of them. Vanaheim may have claimed to be more inclusive than Asgard, but when it came down to it, they were just as bad. Sure, they let dwarves, elves, Jotuns and shifters walk freely and undisturbed in public, but they still harbored prejudice.

She could always see the hate lurking behind some people's eyes when she would visit the cities. And that was just for the male population. When it came to women, Vanaheim was just as bad, if not worse, than Asgard.

At least Asgard had the Valkyries to their name.

An elf with long, platinum blond hair, and a dwarf covered in red hair walked up to the pair.

The elf smiled, "Nice to see you two could make it."

Arkan grinned, sitting up, "Yeah, we wouldn't miss it for the world."

Mara snorted, "Says the boy who had to get doused with ice water to be bothered to get out of bed."

Arkan glared at her as the other pair laughed.

The dwarf smiled, "I look forward to beating you both today!"

She smiled back, "And I look forward to wiping the floor with you both Gimli. No hard feelings, of course."

He laughed, "Of course. And we have no hard feelings toward the two of you either, right Legolas?"

Legolas smiled, "Why would we? It's just a friendly sparring match after all."

The two smiled and walked away, greeting more people.

Arkan smirked at Mara, "No mercy?"

"No mercy."

They giggled as the sky above them lightened. She could see the crowd start to filter into the stands surrounding the clearing. The high box was glittering with lights. She could see the forms of the kings in the forest milling around inside.

Then, a horn sounded. All the contestants stood, walking in lines to the field, where the stood in rows, partners standing by each other. A booming voice filled the clearing.

"WELCOME TO THE 1,269TH ANNUAL FREYJA GAMES!"

The crowd cheered, the sound reverberating through the woods. Mara watched as birds flew off into the distance. She couldn't hear their startled cries over the people.

"BELOW YOU ARE TODAY'S CONTESTANTS! EACH DUO WILL FACE EACH OTHER OFF IN A SERIES OFF CHALLENGES DESIGNED TO PUSH THEM TO THE LIMIT!"

The crowd was cheering wildly. Mara sighed, almost spacing off as the voice kept on, explaining the rules and challenges. It was usually very simple stuff, wrestling, sword fighting, boxing, archery, track races. The rules were even simpler. No killing, no maiming. And above all, no magic. If you had stamina and strength because of your race, that was fine. But like in the case of dwarves, you were not allowed to use your magic to say, make a little pillar of rock to trip an opponent and win a fight.

That also counted to shifters. Even the 'normal' ones. You weren't allowed to shift, even partially, in the Games. It would lead to disqualification. And for those born stronger… most weren't even allowed to participate for fear they would lose control and destroy everything. They had to hide what they were, conceal their magic, and pray nobody looked too closely.

Mara prayed that people would look closely at her today.

She needed them too.

Arkan may have been desperate to get out of his father's shadow and make a name for himself, but Mara was more desperate.

Because Arkan was male.

He was still looked more highly upon than her in the general populace.

And he hadn't lived the life she had for eighteen years.

She was desperate to prove herself. To the people. To her family. To herself.

She didn't just want people to notice her, and see she was just as good as any of them, even the best, and possibly better. She needed it with a white hot ferocity she had rarely ever felt.

The last time she needed something this bad was when…

She shook herself as the horn to move to their positions started. This was no time to get lost in the past. Not only was it too painful, she needed to concentrate.

The first round of the Games.

Archery.

Everyone who signed up grabbed a bow and their single arrow. Each pair got one bow, but two arrows. Mara watched as Arkan zeroed in on the target, focusing. Most of the elves had already taken their one shot, passing it to their partners.

Elves were crazy good at archery.

They each got a bullseye.

Luckily, very few pairs were just elves. Most of the men got close, but no one else made it to the bullseye except that tall dwarf with the auburn haired elf.

Mara took the bow and arrow from Arkan's hands, eyeing the target. He had made a perfect bullseye. She was the last one to fire. She took a breath, aimed, then let the string go. She felt the air zip across her cheek as the arrow flew across the course.

Time seemed to slow as she watched the arrow zoom for the target. Her breath caught in her chest as she prayed silently.

The arrow hit the target with a splinter.

Right on top of Arkan's arrow.

She stood in shock for a moment, looking at the arrow. Then, the other contestants started cheering and clapping, prompting the crowd to follow suit.

They walked to the side again as the next round of archers went up.

But none could match what she had did. Some managed to get two bullseyes, but they were never perfect.

The judges rounded up the tallies and announced the winners.

"AND THE WINNER OF THE ARCHERY COMPETITION, THE FIRST COMPETITION OF THE DAY, GOES TO… MARA GARDNER AND ARKAN SMITH!"

The two hugged each other, jumping up and down as the crowd cheered.

But it wasn't time to celebrate just yet.

This was only the first competition.

There were several other to go. Seven others to be exact. Wrestling, boxing, racing, duels, jumps, discus throwing, and the obstacle course. If Mara and Arkan wanted to at least win the entire games, they had to win four more competitions.

She knew they were secure for the races and obstacle course. They had practiced for ages. They might have been set for jumps. Arkan had the strongest legs she had ever seen in Vanaheim. They had been dueling for years, so the chances of winning that were decent.

But they didn't come here to win the Games.

They came here to obliterate them.

They planned to win all eight of the tests. A feat never accomplished before. Most only ever got half. Few got the majority. One year, eight different teams each got one competition, so a deciding match was set.

It was similar to the Valkyrie competition held every five years. With a few caveats. Yes they would swim a while, but then they had to take a two wheeled metal frame over the mountain of Erebor and down. Then, another race.

Mara doubted they could get the judges to let them do that, but if they could, she knew they could set a record time.

Time to concentrate again.

The second challenge.

Wrestling.

The first two teams went up. The winners came down one side and sat on a bench. The losers went to the other side of the court. This went on for a while as two teams would go up, and one would come down. Finally, it was the last two teams. Mara and Arkan against…

Legolas and Gimli.

The pairs looked at each other, then the opposing team. Mara and Arkan dropped into identical fighting poses. The four may have been friends, but this was war. And war would take no prisoners.

The two charged Mara and Arkan, who lept in unison with astounding grace up and over the two. When they were midair, upside down, they brought their legs down in unison to hit each in the middle of the shoulders, knocking them over.

They landed on their feet, jumping on the two to hold them down. Three seconds passed and Mara and Arkan were proclaimed the winners. It was the fastest win in history, especially without the use of magic.

The two fist bumped as they walked down to the benches. Then, it was another periods of waiting as the teams that were left fought again. Once again, the pair went last. This time, it was against two burly men.

Mara frowned. These two had leered at her the most. And they were still leering at her as they whispered to each other, smirking at her. They approached the two in their fighting positions, probably ready for the same trick.

But as they lunged, the two darted to the side, hooking their foot out to the side as they went. Because they were already in motion, and were then unbalanced, they fell heavily to the ground as the pair scrambled on top, holding them down for the required three seconds.

There were only eight teams left now.

The first pair went up. Then the second and third. Finally, it was Mara and Arkan's turn again. They were against two elves, who seemed braced to go up or to the side. They approached the two cautiously, trying to be aware of which way they would go, moving in unison, gracefully like dancers.

Mara and Arkan braced as they got closer. When they were close enough, the two tensed like they were going to jump up. As the elves made to catch them, the two rolled between their legs, grabbing the ankles and yanking them down, pinning them easily.

Four teams left.

The other teams went, and then it was them. A pair of dwarves, who glared at them, taking on a boxing position. Mara and Arkan tensed, working out a battle plan. The dwarves charged and the lept up, doing their first trick, knocking them over and pinning them. The two thrashed like fish, but Mara and Arkan help on.

Then, it was over. They had won. The crowd was cheering their names wildly. It was the final fight. They had to win this. It was a frost giant and an elf. They had been moving almost as fluidly as Mara and Arkan had.

But not as fluidly. You could see it even now as they readied to attack. They weren't exactly the best of friends. Or friends at all for that matter. They split up often, doing different strategies. And they often fought on who was going to take which opponent.

They could use that to their advantage.

The field was pretty big. There was room to maneuver.

When the pair lept, Mara and Arkan split up, running in opposite directions. The other team split up after a couple seconds hesitation, the elf going after Arkan, the giant going after Mara.

The two lead them on a chase, just close enough to make the team think they were about to get them, but always just out of their reach. It was maddening. They ran in circles, weaving around each other, but never on the same path.

Until the two whirled around, running straight for the other, slower than they had been, to entice their opponents to get closer. Right at the last second they dodged away, letting the team crash into each other, leaping on them and holding them down.

It was over quickly.

The crowd sounded hoarse from all the cheering.

The sun hadn't even reached the tops of the trees around the clearing. It was going to be a long day for them.

The voice called out again, "AND THE WINNERS OF THE SECOND COMPETITION ARE… MARA GARDENER AND ARKAN SMITH!"

Then, it was the discus throw. Not many teams had signed up for that. Mara and Arkan picked up theirs, a set of bright green. They spun in circles for a bit, then released them. The discus flew far, farther than the other ones.

They flew past the stick marking the last realm record.

There was more cheering as the voice called out again excitedly, "THERE MUST BE NO STOPPING THESE TWO, AS THE WINNERS OF THE THIRD COMPETITION IN A ROW ARE MARA GARDENER AND ARKAN SMITH!"

Then it was the jumps. Even fewer teams did that. They did decently well, but never really made it far on the sand. One came within a couple feet of the last record. But none beat it.

Arkan grabbed his stick and lept with all the strength he had. He soared well over all the other players, and well over the record. He almost landed at the end of the course. He bowed to the crowd as Mara started her jump. She lept for all she was worth, then landed.

Just in front of Arkan, right on the edge of the course.

The crowd was chanting their names. The two grinned at each other as the voice announced their win. It was working. Now they just had to keep up their momentum. One more win and they were set to win regardless, but why use that as an excuse to get lazy?

They were here to make history. Not to sit around after something was guaranteed.

Mara smirked.

How's this for lazy, mother?

Then it was the races. All 32 groups lined up at the start. Their arms and legs were tied together. Either the team made it across as one, of they didn't at all. The two looked across the lines. Most were falling over already. This was going to be so easy.

The starting horn sounded and they took off. Like expected, half of the people fell over immediately and couldn't get up. Another half was gone a quarter way through. Only four were left by the third quarter. Mara and Arkan moved in tandem, only moving at a brisk walk, well ahead of everyone.

When they were a couple feet away, they broke into a flawless run, winning hands down. As staff untied everybody, the voice announced a lunch break. Most people left the stands, but many stayed.

The two sat side by side in the shade, munching on fruit. People kept walking by, not noticing them. That was fine. They like their peace and quiet. They may have been there to show off, but that didn't mean they wanted to talk to a thousand people.

The sun came out, washing over them. Mara tipped her head back, eyes closed, basking in the warmth as she smiled. She started when Arkan elbowed her. She looked up. A staff member was leading a group in their direction.

Mara recognized their faces and went stiff.

Lady Sif, the Warriors Three, and the Princes. Gunilla was also there, and that weird woman. What was her name?

It didn't matter. They were probably going to walk right on by. There was no reason to stop and talk. They were probably heading for the kings box. She sat stiff, praying that they would go somewhere else. But the employee kept right on walking to her.

Arkan started snickering as they got closer, nearly doubling over from suppressed laughter. They all stopped in front of the two.

The staff member held out some papers, "Letters for you Miss Gardener."

She took the envelopes and eyed the seal. The Royal Academy of Asgard. That was the one that stuck out. Before she could open it, Arkan snatched it from her hand, leaping up and away from her as she swatted at him.

He opened pulling out the paper and scanning. Then he grinned up at her.

"You want the bad news or the worse news?"

She growled a warning, "Arkan… hand it over."

"Gotta say please."

"You little…"

"Bad news or worse?"

She threw her hands up, "Fine, worse."

He snickered, "You are going to be quite busy next month."

"What?" she snatched the paper form his hands and scanned over it.

She had sent an application months before. She had never expected to get a response. She had been accepted in.

Mara's head spun as she felt the paper being pulled gently from her hands. She snapped to, seeing the golden head of that weird girl bent over the paper.

She looked up smirking at Mara, "Ambitious little bugger, aren't you?"

"Who were you?"

She made a coughing sound in her throat as many in the group laughed.

"My name is Amora. Lady Amora."

"Great. Can I have that back?"

Mara grabbed it from her hands, walking back to her bench to grab her satchel and stuff all the papers in.

She turned to the group, crossing her arms, "Why are you here? Did me sneaking into the city really warrant your presence?"

Gunilla chuckled, "You definitely have the fire in your soul."

"Thank you? …"

"Can you really not guess why I would be here?"

She shrugged, "Enthusiastic for the Games?"

Arkan stomped on her foot and glared at her. She glared back and elbowed him hard in the stomach. He punched her in the arm. Mara smacked him. He tried to hit her again, but Mara brought her knee up with a jerk, hitting right in the groin. Arkan collapsed to the ground.

Mara turned back to Gunilla, "I'm really sorry ma'am, but can we skip the small talk and beating around the bush? We've got to head out in a couple minutes. And honestly, it's annoying."

"Very well." Gunilla straightened up, "I had already made up my mind, and it's just further made up after your performance today."

Mara took a shuddering breath. The tone, that face. She knew what was coming next.

"Congratulations."

"Wait, what?"

Gunilla smiled, patting her shoulder, "You impressed me that day. And you've impressed me even more today."

The horn to get back on the field sounded. The group started to walk away.

Gunilla patted her shoulder, "I look forward to what you do next."

Then Arkan was pushing her onto the field in a daze. She didn't listen as the voice announced the next challenge. The boxing challenge.

Only six teams had signed up. They all lined up and fought. Mara still wasn't paying attention, dodging and punching mindlessly. She couldn't wrap her mind around what Gunilla had said. The voice snapped her out of her reverie, announcing them as the winners.

Mara shook her head. This was not time to get distracted. It was time for the obstacle course. Arkan grabbed her hand and all 32 teams plunged into the course. Not many made it all the way out. But Mara and Arkan made it first.

The sun was starting to sink in the sky. It was time for the final test.

Two on two duels.

No weapons or moves were barred, save for maiming or killing.

No magic.

Only one other team had signed up. When the opposing team came forward, Mara realized why that was. This team was beyond massive. And they were her teachers.

Beorn and Bairn.

They were shifters, and on the large side of the spectrum. The very large side. They glinted with weapons.

No one in their right mind would think to take them on.

Yet here she and Arkan were.

Facing them off.

She figured that just because they knew her growing up, didn't mean they would go easy on either of them. Arkan pulled out his longsword as she unsheathed her twin daggers. The other team pulled out dual axes as large as her torso.

She gulped, fear coursing through her veins. This was a terrible idea. Then they lunged. The two shrieked, dodging. Mara didn't know what Arkan was doing.

She was a little too focused on not dying. Just because it was forbidden to kill in the Games didn't mean they couldn't kill her on accident. One hit to the head from the staff of an ax and she would go down hard.

Mara curled into a ball on the ground suddenly. Beorn tripped over her, not able to stop. She lept up and aimed a mighty kick for his groin. Her foot connected and he howled in pain. He hadn't been wearing armor.

She turned back to Arkan. He was holding his own, but it didn't matter now. The crowd was cheering so loudly her sight trembled. The announcer sounded ecstatic, trying to shout over everyone.

Mara and Arkan looked at each other, then grinned.

They had won.