Rated T for Violence read at your own discretion


Chapter 4

There was no pause before this fight. The boy instantly swung at her, and Leona gasped. It had caught her off guard, but not so much that she didn't have the sense to dodge.

She jumped back. Her jaw nervously tightened and she gulped. She could feel her body start shaking.

Leona's mind raced, her heart jetted but her body stayed still, panicked and unsure what to do. This was the first time she had ever had to fight in front of an audience, and it made her nervous. Fear anchored her feet down; she didn't want to be punched.

More importantly, she didn't want to be punched in front of all these people. She had never had a bloody nose from a fight before and she had been deemed lucky by her parents, but everything about this fight seemed to assure her that if she walked away there would be blood. The image of the woman in the ring with blood pouring down her face anchored her in place.

He lunged at her and this time she tried to move off to the side, but was too slow. His fist connected with her gut and she doubled over, groaning as she fell to the floor. She could see the other children watching her; this had to be the shortest fight yet, one punch and she was already down.

"Are we done already?" She heard Captain Jagen sneer.

"Breathe!" Astraia shouted behind her. Her teeth were gritted. "Panic is not your friend, Leona. Come on!"

Panic was not her friend, Leona repeated over and over again in her mind but it didn't internalize. Breathe, she told herself next but as he kicked her gut she found it harder and harder to draw any kind of breath.

She winced, and as the boy reeled back to give her another kick she prepared herself the best she could. When his foot connected with her gut, hard, she groaned but grabbed his foot. Her mind reeled for what she could possibly do. She twisted and pulled him off balance and he quickly fell.

Leona took her chance and got up, wheezing for air. When the boy recovered she impulsively charged towards him. She ducked low and launched herself at his waist. Her body shook with adrenaline as she sloppily hooked her arm around his leg.

Leona felt him stagger back and it gave her just enough time to take a few awkward steps forward to topple him over. She crawled away from him, with shaky breaths, ready to straddle him and throw down a few punches, but he was faster.

His leg shot out onto her waist and propelled her out of the ring. Her shaky legs gave way and she tumbled. She saw him walking towards her and Leona commanded her body to move. With a few seconds of delay she sluggishly stood, only to have the boy knock into her.

His hands locked around her waist and he threw her to the ground. Leona felt all the air in her lungs escape at once. He pushed her heavily into the ground in an attempt to get up. She slammed her elbow into his head and he grunted.

"Hold!" Astraia screamed at her. "Hold, get him into a hold!"

Leona's lifted her arms clumsily and just as he was about to stand she hooked her arm around his face and twisted her arm back. His reaction was instant. She felt him thrash like she had when Astraia's wrist pressed onto her cheeks. Leona grunted as he gripped her arm, trying to pry her off.

She wouldn't be able to hold him for long. He was already able to free himself if he could think this one through. It wouldn't be very hard.

Her mind raced, glancing at her instructor whose face was scrunched with worry. How was she to ready herself?

The blow came sooner than she anticipated. One elbow to her gut and Leona released instantly. She groaned, her hands flying to aid her side but when she saw he intended to keep her down on the ground she rolled to the side and got up.

He growled and she steadied herself. How could she win? How did the others win? Punching, they won from punching but she didn't have the strength. Sure, she could land one, but she was sure it wouldn't even hurt him.

"Come on!" Astraia's voice was coloured with frustration. "Leona!"

Leona gripped her hands into tight fists. "Can't hit me?" She taunted rather weakly. Her voice shook. And even she had to admit to herself it was the weakest she had ever sounded in any fight.

"Once I land one on your head you'll be finished." He narrowed his eyes. Leona didn't doubt his words but she needed him to throw a punch. It was a new technique Astraia had taught her but she'd never gotten the hang of.

When he threw the punch she ducked under him and kicked down, under his knee. He went down very quickly and she quickly joined him. When he turned she grabbed his leg, shoved it near her armpit and fumbled for his Achilles tendon. She pushed his leg forward and kept grabbing at his ankle.

She wasn't sure how this worked but Astraia had used something similar to it.

The boy tried to yank back his leg but Leona securely placed it at her side, squeezing his leg. Her eyes flashed back and forth between his face and her hands until he finally groaned through his gritted teeth.

At his reaction she squeezed and pushed his leg further, a more frantic motion than a logical one. She barely heard Jagen telling her to stop until he pulled her off.

"He's done." He told her and motioned for her to stand as he helped the boy stand back up. Her opponent bit down and hissed as he leaned over onto his leg. When he was steady on his feet Captain Jagen walked to her and pushed her towards Astraia.

"Surprisingly, the Rebel wins," He said and turned to her instructor who had a smile on her face. "Be proud, Astraia, I don't think anyone expected that."

Astraia ruffled her hair. As Jagen picked the next pair, Leona tried to calm her body but she couldn't stop herself from shaking.

"I'm rather impressed you tried that foot hold on him." Astraia proudly looked at her and patted her shoulders. "You did really well. I'm proud of you."

Leona looked up at her instructor's wide smile and returned it. She had done well, though she didn't quite feel like she had done well. She had fumbled through everything and was even given a beating at the very beginning.

She could already see the bruises forming.

"See that?" Astraia pointed at the ring at the smaller fighter. She started giving Leona advice, but Leona couldn't hear much over the slight ringing in her ears.

Astraia looked at her and ruffled her hair. "Hey, don't be scared," she said and gave her shoulder a tight squeeze. "You did great, used his bodyweight as a weapon against him."

Leona nodded, panting. Her body was still shaking, adrenaline still pulsing through her veins. Astraia didn't look back at her, instead continued to watch as the other fighters got into the ring.

She vaguely heard her instructor say something that this was a good opportunity to see how other children fought. So Leona watched. As one match after another passed her, Leona managed to notice one thing about most if not all the matches.

They all ended brutally, either with bloody punches or knockdowns. And compared to the other fights, her fight could be classified only as gentle.

Leona didn't know the boy she'd fought, but she still didn't want to smash his teeth in and make him bleed. But by the looks of it the other children didn't seem to share the same sentiment and it made her a little scared. Next week she wouldn't be fighting the boy she had defeated today; it would be another person and who knew what would happen then?

Her mind had no trouble producing the images of her losing with a broken hand or broken nose. She could only gulp.

And the rest of the matches proved to be only a reassurance of her bloody nose next week. Match after match passed her and she stood there, watching and cringing. She had been sure she would have been used to this by now, but apparently not. Different children left the ring, either bloodied or unconscious. Leona felt lucky that she hadn't left like those children and had gotten out in one piece.

When the last match was called she found herself looking at Theron and a girl, a little taller than he was. She saw him press his lips together as she grinned at him. Leona's jaw instantly tightened, watching, hoping that her friend wouldn't be hurt.

As Captain Jagen motioned for the two to begin the fight she saw Theron throw the first punch. It was easily caught and twisted. Her friend hissed and groaned as his opponent gripped his fist and slammed her own into his face.

Leona instantly tensed, her eyes trained on her friend as he slowly got up. It wasn't a fight, it was a beat down. Theron had no way back up when he was on the ground. The taller girl would shove him back down immediately.

Frustration simmered in her stomach. She wanted to do something. She needed to do something but she remembered what the trainer had said to her that morning.

"If you help her now, she will never learn."

Her brows knitted down together as she saw Theron finally collapse, but instead of stopping the fight, the girl kept kicking him. Leona gritted her teeth and moved but instantly felt Astraia's hand gripping her shoulder, hard.

Leona looked up and saw Astraia's eyes looking at her coldly. And like the snow outside it made her want to hide. She had never seen her use those eyes on anybody. But still, Theron needed her help and so she looked forward and tried to shrug her instructor's hand away. Astraia's grip hardened to the point where Leona was flinching.

No. She mouthed.

But no one was going to help! He was going to die! She stared ahead at her friend whose eyes fluttered and then finally closed. Jagen pulled the tall girl away and proclaimed her the winner as Theron's instructor hauled him up over his shoulder like a goat and took him away.

Leona could only watch.

"Well, today's matches were… interesting to say the least." Jagen said, dusting his hands. "Some of you did well, some of you, not so much. Good news is that you have time to train up, so get to it." He said and nodded at the instructors.

When Leona turned she found Astraia already kneeling in front of her. She gripped her arm and shook her gently. "You never interrupt a match, Leona. Understand me?" Leona had never heard such a cold voice come from Astraia and she could only nod.

Why? Leona wanted to ask. Theron was going to die, and nobody was going to help him. She couldn't just let that happen.

"Good." She said curtly and then gently pushed her towards the pit. "Well I suppose that was a real eye opener for me. We have some ways to go." Astraia's tone changed back to what it was before, and she stood.

"What are we going to learn today?" Leona asked, feeling tense from what she had just seen and what she had just heard. She was confused and didn't understand why no one shared her sentiment on protecting each other instead of just fighting to the death.

"Punches." Astraia told her and ruffled her hair. "I'm not going to sit by and watch as some stupid boy knocks you down because you don't know how to throw a punch or how to dodge one."

Leona looked at Astraia. Why was Astraia allowed to protect her, but she was not supposed to protect Theron? It made no sense to her, but by then Astraia was already looking back at her intently.

"Are you listening to me?"

Leona chewed on her lip and smiled sheepishly. "No."

Astraia arched a brow and chuckled. "I asked you: did you learn anything from watching those fights?" she asked.

"I'm going to have to get stronger, if I want to keep winning."

Astraia smiled, "Well it's good you have that mindset. Once some trainees win their first fight they think they don't need to improve much."

"Did you learn anything?" Leona asked, referencing her earlier expression that was unexplainable.

"I learned a lot, but we'll talk about that in a few minutes. I need to go get something." Astraia pointed behind her, motioning for her to stay put. Leona knew she was hiding something but she thought it best if she just left it alone for now. It wasn't like Leona could force her instructor to say anything anyway.

Astraia quickly strode off leaving Leona blinking, realizing that she hadn't quite specified on what she was going to get. Maybe it was a weapon, were they starting weapons training? A slow smile slid on her face; she was going to learn weapons!

But Leona's excitement was short lived when she heard someone come up behind her. When she turned she saw the boy, with a slightly split lip, standing behind her.

Leona's hands shot up. Her heart quickened its pace as she took a few steps back. He was out for revenge, he wanted to beat her up for winning and make her pay. He was going to knock her out right now and leave her unconscious.

The boy stared at her with disinterest, and she realized that his hands were hanging lazily by his side. "I don't think we're allowed to do that outside of the ring," he said flatly.

"Wh-what do you want?" Her hands were kept up just in case he wanted to punch her out when she was off guard. Her left side was already bruised; she didn't need the rest of face swelling up as well.

He shrugged and turned towards the fire. "My instructor told me to stand here." He said curtly, crossing his arms. That was when a man walked out from behind with a small pout over his face.

"I told you he's not fun. He's a real stiff." He sighed and motioned to a person behind her and when Leona turned she saw that it was Astraia.

"Well, we tried."

"Tried what?" Leona narrowed down her eyes at her instructor and then at the other. He stood at least a head taller than Astraia and had dark skin. What was most evident, however, was the certain warmth Leona could feel when he smiled at her. It made Astraia's smiles seem more hollow and cold.

"Nothing. So, you must be Leona!" He smiled at her and ruffled her hair. Leona noted the change in subject but decided it was probably not worth knowing. But curiosity gnawed at her. "My name is Kharon."

"Tried what?" Leona asked again. Astraia laughed.

"Astraia talks a lot about you." Kharon smiled, and after that Leona's curiosity about the matter before was trumped.

"She does?"

Astraia answered after with a victorious smile. "Of course. I knew you'd beat up his trainee, or any trainee." It was more to tease Kharon, but the boy in front of her didn't see it that way. He growled, a glare forming on his face.

"I thought we were supposed to go train after sparring." He grunted, his jaw tightening.

Kharon sighed, "All work and no play. Don't worry, we'll get there." He reassured with a chuckle and then turned to Leona. "He's still being a sore loser about what happened earlier. I think you could teach him a move or two."

Leona began to beam when Astraia playfully pushed her. "Your trainee landed some good kicks on her. Don't sell him too short. What's the stiff's name anyway?"

"Pantheon." The boy's tone was acidic. "Don't call me a stiff."

Astraia replied, "This is Leona." Turning to Leona, Astraia motioned her forward. Leona slowly stretched out her hand cautiously.

He had better not twist her arm, Leona thought as he looked at it and then finally shook it with a curt nod. Kharon smiled and sighed with relief.

"Fast friends!" He exclaimed and then motioned to Astraia. "I think Captain Jagen wants some of the children to eat first. Want to come get the food with me?"

Lunch? Already? Leona looked at the two instructors hoping they weren't somehow plotting something else. But Leona wasn't given a lot of time before the two walked off. Astraia only quickly turned to tell her she would be back in a second before she was gone.

An awkward silence was quick to fill the space between Pantheon and Leona. He seemed preoccupied with staring at the fire and Leona didn't know where to look.

"You fought good today." She lamely attempted.

He glanced at her, shrugging again. "So did you."

Leona scratched her arm, not knowing how else to keep the conversation going. Normally, the other person would talk at her. Leona had never had to deal with somebody as quiet as Pantheon.

"I didn't mean what I said back there. I'm sure you could have hit me if you tried, I mean I didn't mean you weren't trying I'm just saying that if you wanted to-"

Pantheon's confused brow was enough to shut her up. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Back in the ring." Leona stuck her thumb in the direction of it and continued after a breath. Panic was not her friend. "I'm sure you could knock me out with a punch, especially if you aimed on my left." Leona pointed to the all-too-prominent bruise on her face.

"I know." He smirked, a grin that seemed uncharacteristic of any quiet boy but there it was, on his face. "You're fast, but you're not very strong. That's why your instructor started teaching you throws first."

A competitive spark instantly lit in Leona as she frowned. "What do you mean? I'm plenty strong!"

Pantheon's laugh was like a bark, but it was not meant to be totally unkind. "Your punch would probably tickle me."

"Would not!" Leona retorted, shouting.

"Would too!" Pantheon straightened himself and tried to tower over Leona. Leona stood unfazed and tried to meet his eyes by tip toeing, but he was still taller.

"Wanna bet?"

"I'll beat you up!"

"I'll beat you up! It already happened!"

"Let's go!" Pantheon growled as the two charged at each other, their hands connecting at each other's shoulders. The two pushed, trying to shove the other to the opposite walls.

Leona had to admit, she was having a lot of trouble pushing him back. He had an iron grip on her shoulders and he was pushing her, step by step, backward. She had to win this, prove she was strong as well.

That was when she remembered what Astraia had said about using another's weight as her weapon. Leona quickly bent her knees and used the momentum to throw Pantheon over her. He landed on his back with a hard thud.

"I win!" Leona exclaimed, hopping to her feet. Pantheon did the same and shook his head.

"No, I win, because you couldn't push me back!"

He had her there. She frowned and dusted herself off. "Fine." She grunted.

After a pause Pantheon crossed his arms, an uncomfortable expression crossed his face. "You're good. I could help you get stronger if you help me get faster." He quickly added, "It wouldn't be anything big or anything."

Leona looked at him for a moment and after some thought she nodded. It didn't sound too bad to find some help. "Fine, deal."


Author's Note (important again!)

I hope you like this chapter even though it might be a little longer than usual! Sorry for the delay! I tried to update yesterday, but apparently was down :(

I just wanted to tell you guys that I might delay the next chapters or so because... school is starting and I have to move in and stuff so I might not have time to work on new chapters. Please bear with me! I will get to work on it as fast as possible! Thank you!

Please review and let me know what you think about the chapter!

xxxSC