As the impatient crowd roared to its feet, the steady beat of the drums was joined by the final blow of trumpets, echoing over the arena as the noble families made their way to their respective stands. Gillen, accompanied by members of his most important clientele, mounted the viewing box and greeted the assembled masses. His arrival was met with a rousing ovation, which was reasonable considering that what followed would be the start of the main event of the evening.
Taking a step up to the cement wall, the Master Presenter spoke words to excite the equally drunk and overly excited crowd even more.
His hands reached up to signal a pause, and he talked with a touch of intensity. "Good citizens of Velaris, honorable guests!" he said, "Master Gillen extends a warm welcome to you all! Without further ado, have a look at what the House of Champions has to offer this evening!"
The crowd cheered for Gillen, who was being fanned by his recently purchased slave. The crowd's chanting of his name now echoed through the coliseum's corridors and out into the streets. The glories of the arena were his, and his alone, to bask in the glow of.
The gates opened, and Alex and Lucas walked through them, their collars, which kept them from shifting, still securely fastened around their necks. As Lucas emerged from the shadows and into the light of the stadium, he took a look around before saluting the screaming spectators above. Alex followed suit, albeit his expression was a little befuddled in comparison to Lucas' determined demeanor.
Two guards quickly took off the collars of the two champions and fled behind the gates.
Screams rang out over the arena. Voices of ecstasy, impatience, and frantic glee meshed together. The majority of those cheers were from nobles of high and mid-ranking, who had only recently arrived to witness the fight between Gillen's rising star champions.
"Let the beasts roar, and let this match begin!" The Master Presenter's words boomed throughout the arena.
Lucas immediately pulled a short sword from behind him, which he had kept hidden. The distance between the two men began to narrow ever so slowly.
"Are they allowed to use weapons now?" asked someone loudly behind Gillen in the viewing box.
The thick air was soon filled with more questions and loud murmurs.
"Shouldn't they be fighting in their wolf forms?"
"*Why aren't they shifting*?"
"*Are they going to fight in their human forms*?"
"*What the hell is going on?!*"
Lucas jumped off the hard ground that was covered in sand, bending his knees just enough to support his entire body weight. The amount of height he gained appeared to defy the laws of gravity. And with his swords lifted in the air, he began descending towards Alex.
He hit the ground with a resounding thump. A cloud of dust engulfed him and a shock wave reverberated throughout the entire arena. The spectators, enthralled by this performance, awaited the image of Alex being crushed. But, Alex had anticipated the onslaught and had dodged away. Rolling away three times, he gained some distance.
"Lucas! What in the world are you doing?! We should have shifted before we entered the arena! Don't be a show-off now, and let's go!"
"No, we're not going anywhere, you asshole!" Lucas spat.
"What the fuck are you talking about? What are you doing?"
"It's time for retribution!" Lucas kicked one leg on the ground before charging forward, sword in hand.
Alex moved quickly to avoid the blade.
Not wasting time, Lucas swung his left leg forward, aiming for Alex's head.
Dodging the kick and slipping underneath Lucas' feet, Alex appeared at Lucas' back and pushed him away. Quickly, he circled around Lucas, staying out of reach of the sword. He was determined not to fight back and was confident that he could stave off Lucas' attack while trying to figure out what had triggered Lucas' sudden outburst of hostility toward him.
In an incredible exhibition, Lucas moved quickly and swung the sword once more. Alex, who had positioned himself to his right, was able to avoid the incoming swipe of his sword.
The onslaught, however, did not stop. Lucas quickly raised the sword again, intending to slam it down on Alex's stomach, but the hesitant fighter intercepted the sword, mid-strike, and managed to knock it out of the angrier fighter's hand. They sought to grapple with each other right away.
It was a struggle for domination in the sand, with elbows and punches flying and hands attempting to choke the other's neck. The clouds of dust were everywhere, and both champions had to struggle hard to keep their eyes open in order to see and react to the other's every move. Lucas appeared to be the angrier and more desperate of the two, attempting to bite and even scratch Alex.
Lucas had had enough and managed to land a powerful kick in Alex's gut, sending him flying off.
The crowd roared in delight.
Alex winced in pain. "Lucas, I'm sorry for whatever happened to you-"
"Shut up! I've been nothing but a faithful friend to you!" Lucas screamed out loud, picking up the sword on the ground. He moved in swiftly and began to lash out with forceful blows.
Alex hissed as he felt the blade rip through his left thigh and across his chest. Though the cuts were not fatal, he was nonetheless taken aback by the fact that Lucas was out for the kill.
"Lucas, stop this now!"
"I picked up after you, mess after mess. And this is how you pay me back! By robbing me of my mate, you have taken away my life!" Lucas lunged and successfully landed a devastating punch on Alex. His rage was escalating at a staggering rate, and he was losing control. "I put my life and Harper's life on the line for you, and you screwed me over. You will pay with your life for that!"
Alex, bewildered and dumbstruck, was unable to avoid Lucas' attacks this time. And with each hit, Lucas's suffering receded for the briefest of moments, only to resurface not long after. He was shattered, and his current anguish could be felt in every breath and swing of his merciless fists.
With each strike and blow, the crowd erupted in approval at the sight of Alex's blood being spilled.
"I'm not your enemy, Lucas! Please!" Though his body was now beaten and shaken, Alex managed to land a blow directly in Lucas' face. This provided him with a brief window of opportunity to put some distance between them. "I'm not going to fight you."
Somehow, he could feel Lucas' pain, but it angered him that they had just missed the opportunity to run away for whatever reason that was still not clear to him.
"Fight! You coward!" Lucas yelled, closing the distance between them. The incessant screams from the stands were audible, nearly ear-splitting. Instead of sitting, the crowd all stood, clearly sensing that the fight had just suddenly become personal, at least for him.
Alex, though he was losing, was adamant about not fighting back. That much had already become obvious. He ducked another punch from Lucas and returned by jumping higher, uppercutting Lucas with his elbow, startling the latter, before lifting his knee and side-kicking Lucas in the gut.
On the other hand, Lucas brought up his knee to deflect a second kick and caught Alex's foot, throwing him to the ground.
Alex flew across the ground. But he was back on his feet in no time, even though blood was seeping from the sides of his mouth.
"You brought this on yourself," Lucas growled.
"I'm sorry for any pain that I may have caused you, Lucas, but I'm not sorry for loving Harper, if this is what it's all about," Alex muttered, blood dripping from his open wound and slowly spilling into the sand beneath him.
"You had it all, you fucking did! A family, a good life. I had nothing!"
He swallowed, his breathing growing strained. "I'm sorry."
"I've made a lot of sacrifices for you!" Lucas exclaimed angrily.
"I'm sorry, but I really have no idea. In case you forgot, I still haven't regained my memories," Alex reminded him. "And I'm sorry if you've ever had to make sacrifices for me. If I had known better, I would not have asked you to do anything for me."
Lucas pursed his lips together and sniffed, tears welling up in his eyes. "Well, I had to do it. I had no choice! You're my brother!"
"Wait, what did you just say? I'm your…"
"...*brother*. I was a secret your father... *our* father couldn't keep or ignore, so he struck a deal with me. I could be in your life, but I couldn't call him dad, and I couldn't call you brother. I took on the role of your friend and assistant. I took a step back and let you have it all. But not this time, Alex. You can't have my mate."
"But if I had known, I'm sure I wouldn't have asked for any of those. I wouldn't have asked you to give up anything for me. And, Harper... I'm sorry, but I'm in love with her," Alex said, just above a whisper.
"You have a fucking mate!"
"I've already confessed to Francine what's really in my heart and asked for her forgiveness..."
"You really think it's that easy?" Lucas regarded him with cold eyes before shaking his head. Then he let out a quick, breathless, and bitter laugh. "I'm sorry that it's come to this. I'm not going to let you rip my mate away from me. I had made the mistake once... never again."
Screaming angrily, he came charging again, and Alex quickly lifted his right forearm to parry another heavy punch and pushed him back. And in one fluid motion, Alex swung his left hand forward. But Lucas took a step back, and when he rushed forward again, he plunged his blade deep into Alex's chest.
Alex gasped, shocked. His hand immediately came up to grasp Lucas for support, realizing too late that Lucas still had the short sword. His heart sank, for he had lost. His grip soon slipped with every second, until he stumbled backward, almost immediately spitting blood.
In the viewing box, Gillen gripped the arm of his chair. He quickly realized that the outcome of this match would be unlike any other. And he was enraged that he couldn't do anything but sit there and watch.
Back on the ground, Lucas looked, and the ground trembled as Alex fell hard to the ground.
The arena was deafeningly silent, and the spectators were stunned. The fight was intended to be bloody, but the defeated fighter was supposed to survive in order to fight again - not be slain.
"I'm sorry, brother..." Almost like a whisper, Alex's final words spilled out of his mouth. He took a deep breath and then slowly closed his teary eyes.
For a brief moment, Lucas looked at him with shock in his eyes. He raised his eyes to Gillen, and then he looked around. His terrible realization, that fighters were expected to kill fighters from other houses, but not fighters from their own house, soon dawned on him as the reluctant applause of the crowd grew louder. And he realized, with terrible clarity, that he would be subjected to severe punishment as soon as he returned to The Casa.
He returned his gaze to the stands. Gillen had already left.
*Harper*! He let out a gasp. They were waiting for them on the opposite side of the wall. That was what Alex was trying to tell him.
Suddenly, hot tears flowed down his face, and his eyes moved to Alex's unmoving body on the ground. He took a hesitant step forward, crossing the blood-stained arena, before his knees buckled for not realizing sooner that they would never get another chance to be free again.