Free Web NovelChapter 45: Chapter 45
Just like Penelope had guessed, Hera was out of the castle before anyone else.
Iris cracked the door open and sighed when she saw Penelope. "It’s too early for this."
Penelope broke into a smile. "I told you so, didn’t I?"
Iris tried to close the door in her face, but Penelope held it firmly, then she turned and walked back to her bed and lay down.
"Don’t act so salty now, Iris. We both knew this would happen." freewёbnoνel.com
Iris rolled her eyes and shifted slightly. "I really don’t understand when and how I gave you the idea that we were close."
Penelope entered the room and closed the door behind her. "Enough with the whining. We’ve gotten closer, and you know it, so deal with it."
Iris plopped herself on her elbow to face her. "What do you want, princess? Why have you come? "
"Did you forget our conversation yesterday? The games? Tournament? Colosseum?"
"I didn’t forget. I just didn’t think we’d need to go early."
"We do."
"Alright. But it’s still very early in the day. I’m sure the games don’t start this early. Do they?"
"Well, no, but if we go early, we get to see a lot. The men, muscles, just pure animal instincts."
"You really looked at me and thought I’d enjoy any of that? Plus, didn’t we already see all of that when we went to the Arena? We already saw them practice."
"That isn’t the same Iris," Penelope went to her side and dragged her from the bed, "you really need to experience it for yourself."
Iris groaned. "For heaven’s sake," she muttered under her breath.
"Get dressed, quickly."
"Fine, fine. Let go of my hand."
Iris changed her gown and donned a magenta-coloured outfit.
"Wow," Penelope said. "You look amazing."
"Let’s just go," Iris groaned.
They took Penelope’s carriage, the bustling roads of Erindros passing beside them as they rode. They finally reached the Colosseum and went in.
They passed through the prisons, the men’s resting area, where they could see so many naked figures.
"Are they serious?" Iris hissed. "Is that how they always are?"
"You haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait till you see them fight. They turn to animals."
"You really enjoy this," Iris said and turned to study her face.
"I do." Penelope laughed. "Now, let’s go upstairs and scowl at them from above."
"Stop being so dramatic," Iris scoffed.
Penelope dragged her to her side and linked arms. They reached the gallery, and Iris took in the vastness of the structure. How imposing it looked.
"It’s huge, isn’t it?"
"It is."
Warm-up for the game soon began. The men trooped out in droves, all naked.
Iris’s eyes widened, and she immediately whipped her head to the side. "What the hell is happening?"
"I told you, Iris, things are just warming up," Penelope laughed.
Iris refused to look at the men until she saw Hera walk into the colosseum hand in hand with Niko.
"You’ve got to be kidding," Iris muttered under her breath.
Iris blew a whistle and laughed. "Well, I’ll be damned."
"I don’t think she understands the implications of her actions," Penelope said. "Even if she’d wanted to support Niko, this was totally inappropriate."
"I’ve tried; I’ve really tried. But it’s like the more I speak, the more she refuses to listen."
"She’ll just have to learn through the most heart-wrenching way possible. "
Iris went quiet, and she focused intently on the men. She did not want to be saddled with Hera’s impending doom. A bit dramatic, but that was what it currently looked like.
The warm-up ended shortly after, then the drums began to sound. They boomed with anticipation. Filling the audience that trooped in with excitement.
Iris watched as people shoved each other aside for seats or when they tried to enter through the Colosseum through the tiny doors around it.
"Is it ever that serious?" Iris asked.
Penelope smirked. "It is my dear friend."
Iris slightly shook her head.
"I’ll tell you a secret. This empire of ours has run on nothing but bloodshed and brutality. The people despise this fact, but at the same time, relish moments like this.
When men kill one another, when wickedness is at its peak. Because the sons of nobles participate in these games as well, the stakes are higher. What better things to watch than when the son of a noble gets killed?"
Iris slowly turned to look at her with furrowed brows.
"There’s a lot you don’t know about me yet, Iris. And... I’m also not my sister."
Iris smiled.
The king arrived, and everyone got up immediately. The Colosseum, which had early been filled with a piercing noise, turned quiet as a mouse.
He raised a hand over the people, and a loud cheer erupted.
"Today, we will be celebrating the rites of passage for both normal and noble-borns. Today, you will receive a show like no other..." He thundered.
Another loud cheer erupted.
"And with that, I say, may the games begin."
Another cheer, much louder than the previous one, exploded from the crowd.
The first group of people that emerged were the prisoners. Their moves were unrefined and impulsive, that it a fall had let to someone’s death.
For the last group of servants, they had to fight not only against themselves but also against a few lions
Iris could smell their fear all the way from where she sat. The quivering in their legs and hands. They didn’t need to worry about their opponent, Iris thought; the lions would kill them long before they tried.
Iris shook her head. It was indeed a brutal game.
Penelope chuckled when she looked over and saw the frown on Iris’s face. "You don’t need to worry too much; even the sons of senators and the prime minister face this. Dare I say even much worse than this?"
"Really? What could be much worse than this?"
"You’ll see."
The trumpets sounded, then the heralds began their adulations.
"From the western shores of Hesperia to the southern lands of Helionis, no one had defeated this champion. Please welcome the octagon."
The crowd went berserk.
Penelope bent over and whispered to Iris. "The show has just begun."
