"WAKE UP," they're screaming in my face. I wince and pull myself up from the ground. My long hair is crusted with blood, and the strands hang limply around my face as I stand, some of them brushing my face as I stand. They drag me off the large boat we all got here in, and drop me into a smaller boat. From there, I am rowed towards a castle made of stone. A guard hits me on the head, and I faint. When I wake up, I am on the floor of a cold stone prison cell. I curl up into a ball, and pray that this will be over soon and I can go back home. But then I remember that there is no home. Only ashes.
@Chronos Hybrid

The sun was starting to set, and it was almost curfew. I stood on the opposite end of the arena facing my opponent who was a knight in training, he barely manages to stand up straight with all his armor and he was already thrown into a fight. The training system here is absolute rap but I didn’t argue, not that I could. I waited for the single to start the fight and get this over with.

“Start”

I charge at my opponent striking him in the chest with my palm. He stumbles back than swing his sword managing to cut me in the arm. Without any hesitation, I step pass his sword, grab his wrist disarm him then threw him onto the ground. I held the sword to his neck and he yielded.

I threw the sword next to him then walk away. I left the training ground and headed to my room which was just a prison cell in the dungeon. As I continue out of the training ground I was joined by two guards they were my personal escort from the king himself. He doesn’t want his little pet running around without a leash. I ignore them and kept walking. I reach my cell and waited for the guard to unlock the door.

They unlock the door and push me in. I look around finding the place exactly the same but this time there was someone on the floor curl up into a ball.

"Hey, you still alive,” I said sitting down with my leg cross.

A shadow appears in the doorway. "Hey, you still alive," the other says to me. "Of course," I say, sitting up from my curled position on the floor. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Over the last two minutes I'd had before the man showed up, they'd explained my job to me. "Take care of him," they'd said. "And his weapons." Now one of them jerked his chin at me. "Get to it, urchin," they said, spitting at my feet.

I pull out my pitiful bag of healing supplies they'd granted me. I begin to scan his body for injuries. "This'll sting a bit," I say, reaching out to put the cream I have on his arm, painfully aware of my accent. Jeezus, I think. I sound like a heretic. It's a sword wound, probably gained in some inconsequential sword fight or other, maybe from training. I can see how thin he really is. He legitimately has no fat on him, all muscle and bone. I scoot closer to him. "How'd you get that wound?"

"Of course," the girl said, sitting up from her little spot on the floor “Why wouldn't I be?".

I was shocked as I saw her face she was only a little girl and they just threw her in the dungeon this country is truly a twisted one. The girl was had long brown hair a beautiful green eye she reminded me of someone I knew back then, someone I cared for. Memories of the past started to appear the time I use to spend with her and the long night staring at the moon.

"This'll sting a bit," the girl said as she reaches out and spread a white cream over my wound. It stung for a bit but quickly faded away. She scooted closer which I didn't like so I scooted back away from her.

"How'd you get that wound?" she asks.

“training” I replied, “so what is a little girl like you doing here in the dungeon”.

“Training" he replied, “So what is a little girl like you doing here in the dungeon?" Jas sat up a little straighter at the 'little girl' comment. "I'm eighteen," she stated indignantly. Jas blew a strand of blood-coated hair out of her eyes. "I, um, I'm here to do work for the king," Jas said, not fully ready to admit to anyone else, let alone a complete stranger, that she was a slave. "Uh, so what is your name? I'm Jasmine Harona," she said, to try and change the subject away from her. "And by the way, you're going to need to let me get closer to you than that," Jas said. "I'm supposed to be healing you."

‘I’m Eighteen” she stated, "I, um, I'm here to do work for the king,".

Working for the king doubtfull I thought. there was no way she was working for the king. By the looks of it she was probably a slave. Her hair was a mess and cover in blood, her wrist has scratches on them probably from chains and she was not from this country.

"Uh, so what is your name? I'm Jasmine Harona," she said, "And by the way, you're going to need to let me get closer to you than that, I'm supposed to be healing you.".

“where I come from, names are sacred, and you must earn the right to someone name” I explained, “and I don’t need any healing”. I scooted further away from her still felling uncountable. It was strange to have someone else here, It was usually quite dark.

The man looked Jas over with a doubtful expression on his face, one that said, Yeah, right, working for the king. She's a slave.“Where I come from, names are sacred, and you must earn the right to someone's name,” he explained, “and I don’t need any healing." He scooted further away from Jas. "You just did," Jas said a bit irritably. "And you will once you start fighting, anyway. Good night." She'd noticed his slightly uncomfortable expression, and had decided to end the conversation. Jas curled up once more into a ball for warmth, wishing she could be closer to the other human for heat purposes, but he seemed unsettled enough without her trying to get closer to him.@Chronos Hybrid

"You just did," Jas said. "And you will once you start fighting, anyway. Good night.". she curled back up into her little ball and went to sleep. Aldrich went to the far corner and sat down watching the little girl. He wasn’t going to get much sleep with someone in the cell with him. With all the time he spends in the arena, he learns to never turn your back on someone especially someone you just met. He watches the little girl as she sleeps waiting for the sun to come up.

This is going to be a long night He thought.

It was while before the sun came up and when it did the guard came banging loudly on the door telling him training was going to start soon and they're there to escort him. It was back to the same old routine, training all day then it back to the cell. Aldrich didn’t get any sleep that night he just sat there watching the moon and occasionally glancing over at the girl. He is never going to use to having someone else in the cell with him.

@Chronos Hybrid

The man, it seemed, wasn't getting any more used to Jas, so on the second night, she scooted over to his side and said, "It might be hard to believe, but I won't murder you in your sleep." She had noticed a couple of scratches on his arms, and so leaned over to him, and smeared more cream on his arms.

"There," she said, mostly to herself, and then began to sing and old epic. It was in her native language, but it was still hauntingly beautiful. It was the story of a commoner and a princess, and how they met, and how much they loved each other, but then the man had to go to war, and the princess never saw him again, and how she swore off men, and locked herself up in a tower. The final line was And so, alone in a sea of sorrow, she drowned, never knowing that he lived, and to this day, he pines for her still. When she had finished the song, she lay down with her head next to to the male's leg. "Night," she said sleepily, and passed out.

It was night time and he was back in the cell with the girl. He still didn’t like having anyone else there, but he had to learn because she wasn’t going anywhere. He was sitting in his corner still keeping a close eye on Jasmine when she walks over and sat down next to him.

"It might be hard to believe, but I won't murder you in your sleep." She said.

You never know Aldrich though. she obviously notices the scratched on his arm from training because she leaned over and smear more scream over the wound. He wanted to scoot away but he stopped himself. He needed to learn to get along with her since they’ll be spending a lot more time with each other.

"There," she said. She sat back down and started singing a song in a langue he didn’t know, but he liked it. her voice was soft and gentle he couldn’t help but listen. It was strange how she reminded him of Alain the girl he had love but never got the chance to tell. It felt strange but yet comforting. When she finished her song she lay down with her head next to his leg.

“Night," she said sleepily and passed out.

Aldrich smile then said, “Goodnight Jasmin”.

When Jas woke up, she noticed two things. The first was that the man, whose name she still didn't know, was right next to her still, although he was asleep. The second thing was that the guards hadn't woken them up yet. Jas looked out the window, and seeing that it was still dark outside, she went back to sleep.

"No!No! Jasmine," her mother's screaming as they pull the two apart, Jas to the boat and her mother to the gallows. "MOM," Jas screams, and she's sobbing, and hiccuping and then everything is very bright.

"MOOM," Jas screams through her tears. And then she realises she's awake. "I'm so sorry," she mumbles to the male.

"MOOM," Jas screams waking Aldrich up. He did realize that he fell asleep, was he that tired. He looked around the dark cell trying to see what had woken him, the moon was out and the cell was pitch dark he looked at the girl sitting by his side. she had tears were rolling down her cheeks. What had happened when he was asleep, did the guard do something or was it a nightmare.

"I'm so sorry," she mumbles.

“what’s wrong,” Aldrich asked softly.

"What's wrong," the male asks. Jas's tears are falling steadily now, and she sniffles. "It- it was nothing," she gasps out, trying not to burden him with her problems, as he obviously has his own. "Nothing for you to worry about. I'll go back to sleep now and stop bothering you."Goddess, I sound desperate.Jas lies down and wipes away the last of her tears, trying desperately to go back to sleep.
@Chronos Hybrid

"It- it was nothing," she gasps out, "Nothing for you to worry about. I'll go back to sleep now and stop bothering you." She lies down and wipes away the last of her tears, trying desperately to go back to sleep.

“okay if you don’t want to talk about it that fine” Aldrich said. He wasn’t going to push her to talk if she doesn’t want to. Having been through the same situations she has he knows from experience what she must be feeling the pain and sadness of being kidnap from your home never be able to see your loved ones again.

No use in sleep he thought looking out the window seeing the sky starting to light up. He looked at Jasmine wanting to comfort her but he didn’t know how he was never the sentimental type.

"Okay if you don’t want to talk about it that's fine" Jas's cellmate said. "It was a nightmare," Jas said softly from where she was laying on the floor. "A-about home," she stuttered. "About the night I got taken to work here. They took me away from my family and-" Jas sniffled, "-and they killed my mom." Jas's tears flowed anew. She pressed her face into the male's side. "They told me I was going to a palace, I just thought that-that it wouldn't be like this." She cried openly now, watching the sky grow brighter. @Chronos Hybrid

"It was a nightmare," she said softly from where she was laying on the floor. "A-about home," she stuttered. "About the night I got taken to work here. They took me away from my family and--and they killed my mom." she started to tear up again. Memories of the past, memories that he wanted to forget started to resurface in his mind. Memories of that night, the night he was captured and the night they killed everyone he loved.

She pressed her face against his side and said, "They told me I was going to a palace, I just thought that--that it wouldn't be like this."

He pulled her into a hug and whisper to her, “I’m sorry Jasmine”. As he though she been through a lot just like him.

@Arya10108909

He pulled her into a hug and whispered to her, “I’m sorry Jasmine.” Jas sniffled, but her tears were slowing down. She bit her lip. "Let's-let's just watch the sky," she said. Jas fell asleep in his arms for maybe five minutes before the guard was banging on the door, and slipping food into the cell. Then the male left for the day. Jas mostly just sat in a corner and scribbled snippets of stories on the wall. When the male returned, the sky was dark.
@Chronos Hybrid

That morning the guard came and escorted him to the training ground. He didn’t want to leave jasmine especially when she like this, but he didn’t have a choice. All day he could help think about Jasmine. His mind keeps wandering off into faraway places. In one match with some of the other knight, he wasn’t paying attention and his opponent got a hit slicing his arm. It started to bleed but he had the rest of the day to get through, so he just wraps some cloth over it as a makeshift bandage and hopes he doesn’t bleed to death.

When he got back the sky was pitch dark. The guard opened the door to his cell and he walks in. when the guard closed the door he collapses against the wall. He sat down right next to the door not having enough energy to walk.

“hey jasmine” Aldrich said.

"Hey," Jas says, already pulling out her med kit and bandages and scooting closer to the male. "Are you okay? What happened? Jeez, this is so deep," she rambles, concern for the man evident in her voice. He obviously didn't have enough strength to move, and so he'd collapsed next to the door. She handed him all of the food the guards had given them, including her share. "Eat. It'll help you heal."
@Chronos Hybrid

"Hey," Jasmine said, "Are you okay? What happened? Jeez, this is so deep,". He didn’t have the energy to answer so he just sat there watching her. She grabbed all the food the guards had given them, including her share and handed them to Aldrich. "Eat. It'll help you heal." He took his share of the food and left the rest. He didn’t feel comfortable taking her share if the food even if he was injured.

“if you think this is bad just wait until the tournament” Aldrich said trying to distract himself from the pain. Most injury wouldn’t bother him but he been using the injured arm all day without a proper bandage.