The Arena

    

     The water slushed beneath my feet as I walked across the Imperial City to enter myself into the Arena as their newest combatant. The rain eased to a sprinkle as I pulled the gates to the area of the arena where freaks go to watch two people murder each other. Just beyond the gates sat a chest, unguarded, on top of a table. It would be a shame to leave that coin all by itself to go to some murdering jerk, I thought as I looked around for lurking eyes. After I was satisfied that no one was watching or was even close enough to see what I was doing, I kneeled down, pulled out my lock picks, and worked the lock loose. Inside the abandoned chest was 500 coin. That would help with buying some arrows and a new bow. I also needed to get a small dagger just in case someone decided they wanted to find out what my breath smelled like.

     After my bit of thievery I turned toward the entrance to the pit: the place I could be calling my last possible sanctuary. I squared my shoulders, pushed the door open, and walked down the steps into a dark, dank room. There were two men, one orc, one elf training as I entered the first room. To my left there was a room with two doors with a wall spaced between them. I took my chances and went into the second door. Inside that room I found a nord woman training on her hand to hand with a bag that hung from the ceiling. There was also a man, a redguard who had seen better days, standing off to the side. He had a gruff look about him that almost made me second guess my decision to become a combatant. Regardless of how I felt, I knew I had to push through this and get as much coin as I could muster up. I sauntered up to him, his glare that reached my eyes made my blood turn cold, and I took my stand three feet in front of him.

"I want to be a combatant" I softly said to him.

   All confidence had left my body from that glare that had been delivered into my soul. He stood there staring at me for what felt like forever, until he threw his head back and roared with laughter. I stood there trembling all over, just waiting for him to stop. I started to get angry. Who was this man to tell me that I could not do something that some puny human could? As he continued to laugh, I reached to my quiver of arrows, my fingers touching the ends of the arrows gingerly knowing how each one spoke to my blood. I counted to three before I pulled the arrow from its house, readied it, and pointed it directly at his left eye. My sudden movement and obvious threat stopped his laughing instantly.

"I think we can both agree that I deserve at least a bit of a chance. I may be small, but I am quick and highly skilled with a bow." I managed to muster up the confidence I had lost earlier.

    Gaining back his composure, he asked me to lower my weapon and calm down. He told me the rules, laid out the chances of survival, but made it clear that if I were to win that it would be a great feat. Once he was finished giving me the rundown, he handed me a heavy raiment to better protect myself. The armor was expensive, tight, and easily the nicest thing I would be wearing for some time. That is, if I could keep myself alive for long enough.

    After I was dressed and ready to go I went back to Owyn to see about my first fight. He told me my rank was a Pitdog, the lowest of ranks, and briefed me on my opponent: a female elf with a longsword. Owyn expressed his doubts in me surviving my first battle and my skills in a fight. I was determined to prove him wrong. I turned away from him, away from my fellow Blue Team, and headed up to the arena by way of the Red Room. The room that had been painted with blood of the Yellow Team from years of the Blues slaughtering them. My hands started to shake, my eyesight started to blur, and I thought I might throw up. I walked, numb, through the last door up the stairs to the gate, and listened to the spectator give his speech. Before I was ready, the gates lowered and the elf started to charge towards me; her weapon drawn. I was so overcome with what I was doing that I had trouble reacting in time before she sliced my arm with her sword. The searing pain brought me back to reality. She lunged towards me again but that time I saw her move, dodging and rolling out of the way. I quickly got out of her sword's range, pulling my bow from my back. I quickly aimed and let my arrow fly from my bow to her face where it pierced her skin, skull, and brain right between her eyes.

She fell quickly.

   The spectator and the crowd cheered for my win as I walked back to the Red Room, back to Owyn. I turned the corner to see Owyn talking to one of the other members of Blue Team. When he saw me he turned to me and told me that he would be more impressed with my kills once I looked like I was going to throw up on my opponent and I raised in rank. So I kept taking on the Yellows and spent my time between matches practicing with my bow, using a small dagger, and my footwork. The nausea never really went away as I climbed in rank, destroying the Yellow Team's mates, but I learned to control it.

   After going through over half of the Yellow Team, I decided I was good enough to become Champion, which meant that I would have to kill the Yellow Team's best. I told Owyn that becoming Champion was my goal and he seemed excited that I wanted to do that. He confided in me that if anyone on the Blue Team could defeat that nord, it would be me.

   I finished off the rest of the Yellows, now with ease after my weeks of training and battling. I was then ready to take on their Champion and claim that title for my own. I didn't know what I had done in the life I had forgotten, but I knew this would be the greatest thing I had thus far accomplished.
I went to the sleeping quarters for the night before my last battle. I would either come out victorious or I would no longer be part of this world.

   In the night, a dream came to me. In the dream I was walking through a forest tailing a person, a man. As I followed him through the forest, I noticed my dream-self was laughing, though I did not know why. The man never turned to where I could see his face. The dream faded as we came to a ledge, a river down below, and a waterfall at the top. A beautiful sight to behold with someone I obviously trusted. I awoke dazed and confused as to what the meaning was behind the dream. Pondering the vision, I fell back asleep.

   The next day I felt rested, ready, and calm despite what was soon going to be awaiting me in the Arena. I went to Owyn for what felt like the last time. His eyes were more red than usual and he cleared his throat continuously while filling me in on what was going on. He told me that it would be me and a pig against three members of the Yellow Team: a swordsman, an archer, and a spell-caster. It would be a challenge and if I survived, IF, then I would be known all over Cyrodil. I would be famous for becoming the Champion of the Arena.... The elf woman who was just imprisoned for a crime she did not remember committing.

   The moment came for me to head up to the Arena. As I walked through the Red Room, I thought back to the vision I had had the night before: following a young man through the forest and laughing. Perhaps that was a glimpse at the life I had before my crime, perhaps it was just my mind playing tricks on me. I met the pig up at the gate as the announcer gave his speech for me for the last time. It was longer than usual, talking up the Yellow Team's cleverness on gathering up three of them against me. I was not going to allow this to waver me. To calm my nerves, I counted the number of breaths before the gate lowered.

One... The flash of a smile crossed my mind.

Two... Curly, brown hair twined in my hands.

Three... Pained brown eyes as I walk away.

Four... The gates lowered, bringing me back to the arena.

I readied my bow, I took my stance...

Five... The gateway cleared.

   I let an arrow sing through the air. I hit my first target, the Champion, in her left shoulder. She staggered back as I ducked from an arrow that swiped past my right ear. The pig was going to work on the spell caster as I took on the swordsman and archer. I ducked again as the Champion took another swing at me. I had been too slow and took a hit to my left forearm. I unsheathed my dagger, ducking again, turned around, and stabbed the Champion in her right side. This kept her down long enough for me to finish off the archer and to see that the pig had been successful with the spell caster. All that was left was to finish off the Champion. I turned to her, she was still doubled over in pain, I looked into her eyes, triumph ringing in my ears, steadied an arrow on my bow.

   Before I let loose the arrow I heard a man's voice in my head, "Talisa, you have skill that I have never seen. Don't waste it... We will see each other again."

  The voice faded as soon as it had come. I shook my head, clearing it, as the Champion took a stance, turned to rush me, and fell from my arrow that hit her in her throat, blood gushing from her mouth and the hole the arrow left.

It was over...