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Week 38 (April 5th-12th ) Stories---Topic: Gladiators
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Esther
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Apr 05, 2010 07:22AM
ooooo thats a good one!
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Title: A True GladiatorBy Esther MOO!
Word Count: 1001
A/N First, this is a little confusing, Second, the names are real Greek names, other than Andor
I was coughing blood.
"Is that all you got, Helot?"
I glared up at him. "Not quite." I hit him in the side with my wooden sword with full force. The sword split.
He laughed, "Just a scratch." He leaned down at me, "You were a fool to make this deal, now everyone's going to know what you are." he whispered in my ear.
No, I worked to hard to get here, I wasn't going to let some, some, boy stop me. I live in Sparta with my mother, my father was a Helot slave, at least I did until I decided that I wasn't going to just stay home and make babies while all the men were at war. I've had training as a women, all the women did. I ran away from home and became a boy, no, a man.
"No..." I was trying to yell but it came out in a whisper.
"Yes..." He whispered back, "Why don't we make this more interesting?"
I glared at him, "How?"
"You win, I don't tell a soul, that's the same. But, if I win, I won't tell, but when this wars over, you have to be my wife."
I shuddered, I'm going to lose anyway, is him not telling worth marrying him in a few years? He could die in war... or I could. I can't stand the humiliation of everyone knowing I tried to be a boy, well, before the war is over.
"Fine, you've got a new deal."
He smiled, "Why don't we get married in the spring? It's so lovely then."
Or the fall, when everything dies. I glared at him, "How do you know you're going to win?"
"How do you know I'm not?"
I hated him, but I had to admit, he was good. No wonder all the girls swooned at him except me. And that brought me to something else. "Why are you stuck on marrying me? All the girls want you."
"That's exactly it, you don't. You want what you can't have."
I glared at him again then looked at my broken sword. It was splintered at the end. I gripped it more firmly then I hit his head.
He yelled and fell to the floor. His head was bleeding where I hit it. Everyone gasped. He screamed. "Fine! I give!"
"Then you can't tell anyone!"
"I may not be able to have you as a wife, but I'm still getting satisfaction out of this!" He looked around at all the men watching, "This boy, no I can't even say that! This person, is no man!" He screamed before collapsing.
After everyone stared, more at him than me, before Andor, our, what you can call, trainer, stepped forward. "Man or not, you have defeated our greatest man, Alcander! Come Apollo! Fight for us!"
I smiled, "Though I won't have a lot of discouragement, I still get to fight. That is all I need. And do not call me Apollo anymore, it is not my birth given name. My true name is Apolline!"
People were cheering, "Apolline! Apolline!"
I smiled, but there was one person not cheering. As the day grew old the attention died and everything was going back to normal. I snook away to a barrack that I knew he was in.
"Peder?" I said quietly opening the door.
"You never told me."
"I'm sorry I couldn't-"
"You couldn't tell me? But how come Alcander had to be the one to tell me, you know how it feels?"
"I'm sorry Peder, I'm so sorry."
He looked at me with a pained expression then laughed, the squeezed out one, "I can't stay mad at you, Apollo- I mean Apolline. But you know me, whether I want to or not, I keep a grudge. There's no exception, for anyone."
I sighed, "I understand."
"I will pretend though, that you were never Apollo, always Apolline, ok? It should help."
I knew it wouldn't but I nodded to reassure him.
"Yea, I can't loose you, you're the only one other than my parents that doesn't call me Delilah."
I smiled, Delilah was the worst name you could get in Sparta, especially if you're a guy. It means weak. "It's fine Peder, Delilah isn't a name worthy of you."
He smiled back, "Thanks Apolline."
"You know what? Just call me Apollo, I'm more used to it."
He nodded, "Ok, Apollo."
I smiled and walked out of the room...
I kept coughing as the memory faded. Yea, that's right, it was all a memory.
"Common! Get up! You Spartans think you're so strong huh?"
I glared up at him.
"You never should have gotten into this war, then maybe you could have survived as a slave. Spartans aren't gladiators, they're cowards, just like you." He spat in my face.
Peder turned and saw me on the ground and him hovering over me. He screamed and lifted his sword over his head. The man laughed and they fought. I felt so helpless watching them fight. I didn't think that Peder could hold up much longer, he was blocking each swing but I could see his pained expression. The man smiled wickedly and drove the sword into his chest. He gasped and fell over.
"Noo!!"
Peder smiled at me, "See you in the sky..." And he died.
I screamed and got back up.
"Ooo, you're up, I'm so scared!"
I grabbed some dead mans sword and drove it in his chest.
He stumbled over, he wasn't dead, but he would be in a few minutes.
"A real gladiator could handle the pain." I spat. I walked away from him.
I've been through a lot. I handled being half Helot. I went through the training, for a women and men. And I've seen my best friend, the man I loved, die in front of me. I thought I was one before, but now, I truly am a gladiator.
Heehee. Sorry no one has commented for a while. Thought I should break DA ice.
GRRRRRRRRR. Al got on my account and posted the aforementioned posts... I didn't. I wouldn't make a fool of myself like that... :P
hahha... my sis in college... is anyone else gonna write a story?
I can't write stories... :( Only poems. Maybe Al will. I hope she does.
AL YOU BETTER WRITE A STORY!! id rather lose than win my defalt... i say that because i know als going to win ;)
well, i shall post a story, but i know it wont win cause al in an amazing writer, so here goes....
A little swearing in this one. Hope that's ok.Saevus - http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/2...
Saevus spit out the dirt and blood. Put one knee under himself and stood up.
His opponent grinned a broken toothed smile. “Come on you pussy. I’m not done with you yet.”
Red spots floated in front of his eyes. He felt dizzy and sick. He swallowed back the bile and readied the short sword. It felt heavy and he feared it would slip out of his sweaty hand. He tightened the grip.
Opponent stood there mocking him “You finished already? We’ve hardly even started.” He stood there like some hairless neanderthal-like brute. His heavy brow jutting above his pointed nose, the left nostril cut off in some previous fight, and an ugly red scar lay across the left side of his face. He kept smiling his shit-eating grin with eyes like dead beads staring at the already worn out body of his inexperienced victim. He started swinging his morningstar flail, readying himself to finish the fight.
Saevus had been given up as an easy offering for the crowds. A quick kill. But he was damned if he was going down without a fight. Saevus wasn’t exactly weak considering he had been working the farm most of his life but he was no fighter. Awkwardly he posed himself to take on his opponent.
Opponent swung the flail and barely missed Saevus’s head. Saevus dodged and stabbed at opponents left side. Opponent gracefully glided past Saevus’s blade and brought his elbow down on the back of his neck.
Blood and sweat flew off their bodies like rubies and diamonds, glinting in the air like the precious treasures these men would never know.
Saevus again felt the dirt press against his face as he smashed his head to the ground. Silence, then thunder. The crowds were applauding and shouting. He knew what would happen next. Saevus turned over to see opponent standing over him, his sword lay just out of his reach. “I’ll make this quick” opponent said with a surprising softness in his voice.
Opponent raised his flail and brought it down towards Saevus’s face. Saevus felt time slow down and death approach like an inevitable weight crushing his hope before the flail came down to crush his head. And then he felt fire in his veins and in his muscles propelling him aside, he heard a wet crunching sound but gave it no mind. He kicked opponents feet from under him while still on the ground. Reached for the sword on his right and swung it in one movement with both arms to stab opponent right in the center of his chest. He looked at opponent and wondered why the screaming hadn’t stopped but realised that it was his own voice.
There was silence.
Saevus felt warmness on the left side of his face and shoulders and realised dimly that it was blood pouring from his crushed cheek.
He heard his name being called. As he came back to his senses he became aware of the crowds chant – Saevus, Saevus, Saevus... he felt the heavy thrum of the coliseum and he knew he would never be free.
I thought yours was interesting. I would recommend using paragraphs though because it is much easier to read :)
It was a fun challenge :) look forward to seeing your story.
im sorry i didn't get finished in time
I think it would still be nice to see your stories :)
