Freia felt like screaming and shouting at the top of her lungs to the crowd. Alas, she didn't. Her brows furrowed deeply and she let out a grunt just as someone stabbed her with a stick. She ignored the pain and continued her dodging game while others were caught in the intense sparring sessions. Soon, there were only five of them left standing. One of them was Celia, her step sister who glanced at her and then shifted her gaze away icily.
No worries there, Freia thought. Suits her just about right, as well.
Freia's infallible pride wasn't about to be broken just like that. She was someone who could manage being snubbed by someone else.
"I have a plan, let's tackle the strongest one together, shall we?" Freia suggested and sure enough, one of them nodded. Freia noticed that it was the smallest of them all. She was younger than Freia and she had multiple wounds on her arms, cheeks and legs.
"I'm Lola, how can I help?" Lola asked without hesitation. Freia took an instant liking to this girl. She had always liked girls who were willing to put aside everything and see how they could contribute to the bigger picture. No matter how bleak it could be. Their opponent was a head taller than them. She was much stronger and she had a whip that could yank chunks of flesh off the opponents. Freia glanced at her stance and noticed that she was weaker on her right side.
"She's weaker on her right side. If you notice, every time she
swings her whip, she'll have to put all her force on her left. There's an opening there that we could strike, you'll take the bottom and I'll take the left," Freia uttered under her breath. Lola's eyes widened in realisation, "You're really sharp," she noted and Freia smiled faintly. Freia quickly observed that Celia was busy fending away the other opponent.
They were somewhat similar in their strengths and weaknesses. As such, their core focus were not on the rest. "Stay alive, kiddo," she patted Lola.
Lola nodded her head and gave Freia a wide smile.
On the count of three, Lola dodged the whip and slid towards their opponent while Freia quickly darted to the other side. She took out her blade and slid it carefully across her opponent. She wasn't about to end her opponent's life, it was merely a threat when someone pulled her hand, enabling the kill.
"Watch out!" Lola yelled just as she jumped and shielded Freia while pushing Celia out of the arena.
Freia's mind whirled as she eyed the blood on her hands in stunned silence.
Her eyes shifted to Celia who had callously tossed her bladed fan onto the ground as she glared icily at her dead opponent who had shifted the entire odds against her.
Lola was lying on the ground, her frightened eyes were pinned on Freia just as blood splurted out from her throat and she struggled to say something. Freia had never felt any strong emotions ever since she had gotten here. However, tears welled up in her eyes and she felt a lump forming in her throat. Digging her nails into her palms, she tried and she tried to control her anger. Failing to do so, she knelt beside Lola and shouted at Celia, "She's just a kid!"
Celia looked at her curtly. Her eyes roamed across the tournament field just as the crowd burst into cheers.
Freia was sickened by the entire process. Sure, she should have expected this outcome. The people in this timezone didn't seem to value human lives the way she had been brought up to understand. It was almost as though only those in the upper echelon mattered while those in the bottom, the weak and the poor, didn't mean a thing to these people. Celia was one of them, yet, she was also merely a part of the system. Freia's eyes surveyed the entire crowd as they cheered and whistled for her - the new winner.
"Unmask, unmask, unmask!" the crowd chanted and Freia stood and stared at the crowd in open anger.
Her eyes roamed across everyone as she looked at the podium where Uncle Thom, the King, the Queen and everyone who's anyone stood. Kneeling down, she picked up a spear that was at the side and she lifted it up. The crowd grew silent just as she raised it and angled it at the podium, ready to launch.