*
The Arena
Chapter 16: The Gray PrinceAgronak explained, the Gray was the wrong color on purpose, it was a joke on himself being the wrong color. The Prince part was accurate, he was the son of a Lord. It surprised me to find out that he was of mixed race.
Something about that really struck home with me. My face shows none of the standard Khajiit features, and my fur is fine and sleek, almost like a skin. Most Khajiit have coarse thick fur. It wasn't the first time I had wondered whether I was the product of a mixed union.
For Agronak it had helped him to know there was a reason behind his odd appearance, and within myself I knew that it would be so much easier to accept it if I knew my appearance was due to a racial mixture rather than just a deformity of nature or a freak accident of genetics.
***Agronak and I spent every minute together if we weren't in a bout or training. We usually ate together and sat and talked till 'lights out' when he would head across to his bed in the Yellow team Bloodworks. We knew gossip buzzed around both Bloodworks about us, but we were just friends, the thought never crossed either of our minds for anything other than that.
He mostly ignored the gossip unless he thought someone had cast a slur against me. I think how the gossip started in earnest was the fact that we held hands a lot. It was just an affection between friends and meant nothing to us, but obviously meant quite a bit to others. That and Agronak appeared to like my singing. Anyone who has ever heard a cat sing; well no explanation would be necessary.
***"What the hell is that horrible noise? Is someone injured?" Owyn came flying out of the back room.
I stopped singing and dancing and looked around. "I didn't hear anything Owyn."
Was that the first time I realized my singing was not a pleasant experience for the listener? No. I could fill a book with the clues before that.
Adamus Phillida thought someone was torturing the prisoners. Irlav Jarol went into an apoplectic fit and had to be healed. Fathis would laugh himself into stitches. Alix said he loved my singing, but mysteriously always had something to do outside when I started. Arch Mage Traven said he was sure it could be used in battle as a form of psychological warfare, I could infiltrate and bring them to their knees with my voice and aim.
It never bothered nor stopped me from enjoying singing. I won't even begin to mention my dancing, but suffice it to say that on more than one occasion someone called for healers thinking I was having some form of walking seizure.
***Owyn came charging up. "The Black Horse Courier is here. Agronak, you go talk to them while I prep Maxical."
Agronak squeezed my hand before getting up. I watched his carriage and facial expressions change from Agronak to The Gray Prince. Owyn's training is very strict on representing our public persona, how we answer questions and handle the public when we go out. It is especially important with reporters, because they know how to ask questions that can trip you up and get you to reveal something you shouldn't. The Bloodworks was closed to outsiders, especially the press. All interviews were held in the garden area outside.
"You remember everything I told you? They will probably ask..." Owyn began going over the drill. Before I went outside for the interview Owyn gave me a gate pass to give Hassiri and reminded me to tell him my fights were moved to the weekends now.
Hassiri from The Black Horse Courier always watches the promotion in rank matches and interviews the victor. A lot of odd things are pulled for rank matches, like how the Yellow team sent three men out to fight just me. They are the most interesting to watch other than the Championship fights. That last fight had been a rank match, I was promoted to Warrior at the end of it but was too injured to stand in the ring for my belt or be interviewed, Owyn was busy working on my injuries and so had sent Agronak up to the Arena to get the belt and talk to the press.
Owyn had always been with me for the interviews before, I was surprised and a little nervous to be handling it on my own. He had pegged exactly what most of the questions would be, though. Hassiri started off asking about my injuries. I gave the scripted answers Owyn had briefed me with, smiling and looking in his eyes as we are trained to. Then he started asking questions I had not been briefed for.
"Can you show me some of those fancy tail moves you made in the Arena?"
"I can do better than that, why don't you use this gate pass and come see me fight when I get off injured status. They've been moved to the weekends from now on. You may see me do something with my tail I haven't thought of yet." (smile)
"Moved to the weekend already? That is pretty good for a Warrior rank. Did you think it was a dirty way to do business when they pitted you against three that outranked you?"
Owyn had not schooled me for that one. "The Yellow team lost three good men in that match, Owyn thought they were just doing housecleaning." (smile)
"You did a couple moves out there I hadn't seen done in the Arena before, I'm referring to the beheading and goring, are these specialized moves, and where did you receive your training?"
I was getting in over my head, he was asking questions I hadn't been schooled to answer.
"You'd be surprised what moves you can think up when skewered on a man's longsword. My Arena training comes from Owyn and my Blade training from Alix Lencolia. The tail tricks come from Azura." (smile)
"Will you be making any of them your signature move?"
"Right now my signature is staying alive out there, but so far I haven't seen any other tails in the Arena." (smile)
Oh thank goodness, here comes Owyn. If the interviews last too long he knows they are asking questions he hasn't schooled us on.
"There has been a lot of talk about you and The Gray Prince, can you confirm for the readers what your relationship is?"
"Oh, we are not related. He is an Orc and I am a Khajiit. But we are friends, all of us Arena fighters are friends. There is no Blue or Yellow teams in those Bloodworks, but one family unit until we get into that Arena. Out in the Arena there are no friendships, no family. Any thoughts you have in that Arena other than the fight will get you killed." (smile)
Come on Owyn, hurry up!Owyn signaled me and I thanked Hassiri for the interview while Owyn slipped him two more gate passes and gave him a run down on my injuries and the upcoming fights for the article. I hurried back inside hoping I had answered correctly.
The debriefing with Owyn went well, surprisingly. I told him what had been asked and what I could recall of my responses.
"You did better than expected under the circumstances." Owyn was beaming because as he walked up he had heard me quoting his training in my last response. "That was quick thinking. You did well."
I heaved a sigh of relief. "Owyn, Hassiri said those three men outranked me. Is that true?"
"They were ringers, couldn't you tell?"
"I never thought about it." I really hadn't.
"You've got the Yellow team scrambling to find fighters to pit against you. They are trying to get rid of you. You're good with that sword Maxical."
I flushed, Owyn does not give out praise easily. Then again, he may be throwing me a bone hoping I won't give up. And being good with a sword almost didn't save me in that last match. I still needed to think about it.
***That there was gossip about Agronak and I within the Bloodworks I knew, but I thought it was odd to be questioned about it by Hassiri. That had stunned me a bit, how could silly gossip from our Bloodworks have reached the ears and imagination of the press?
It is true Agronak was protective of me, mostly without realizing it. When you are an enormous Orc with a reputation for merciless slaughter in the Arena it doesn't take much for someone to back off and feel threatened. With Agronak all it usually took was a glance.
***When the Black Horse Courier arrived the next day I was startled to hear the sound of some liquid being spewed and Owyn roaring. "MAXICAL! GET YOUR [CENSORED] IN HERE!"
I hurried in and was shocked to see Owyn's face a bright red color. My eyes fell to the coffee drenched edition of the Black Horse Courier in his hand. The floor was dotted with sprays of it. Had he called me in here to clean up his spill? My eye caught sight of a towel on the cabinet. Glancing up at his steaming face I snatched the towel and quickly started cleaning the coffee off the floor with it.
"DID YOU SAY THESE THINGS TO THE PRESS?" Owyn bellowed.
"But ... you said I did well in the debriefing; did I say something wrong?"
Owyn's hands were shaking as he pointed at a place in the paper. "Housecleaning?"
"But; I heard you say that..."
"That is not something you repeat to the press!"
I saw him scanning down the page and his eyes suddenly started from his head. Uh Oh. "I didn't know Owyn; er ... I think I may have received a head injury in the fight."
Owyn's hand was shaking and he was pointing at a place on the paper. His mouth kept opening and closing like a fish, but no sound came out ... at first. Then it was just a roar like a raging minotaur. I glanced at the page where his finger was.
"But; I was skewered on his longsword, I don't understand..."
Andronicus hurried over and pointed to my mat behind her chair. "Git, NOW!"
I was confined to my mat so Owyn could get over being mad at me. The worst part of it was, I would not have made him mad on purpose for anything.
***
******* Agronak:*
This post has been edited by mALX: Jul 29 2016, 08:01 AM