Chapter 2

The ship sailed into Hansville’s main harbour. It was an astonishing sight amongst the dingy little fishing boats dotted along the shore. It was a massive thing with a red, white and yellow sail, the colours of the Kingdom’s flag. This was the ship that was to take thirteen men and women to the castle at the capital city, Larion, where they would begin their training before the challenges begun. A sack stuffed to the brim with essentials- and maybe a few non-essentials- was slung over Kerry’s shoulder as she stood at the harbour. She was excited. Excited to leave Hansville, excited to be part of a life-changing competition, excited to venture out and make new experiences. But she was also sad to go and leave behind her everything she’d ever known. Lea yanked on the hem of her dress and she looked down to see the little girl’s face streaked with tears.

“I don’t want you to go,” Lea moaned. Kerry hugged her close and smiled sadly.

“I know. But I’ll be back soon, Lea,” she replied, unconvincingly.

“You bloody well look after yourself, girl,” said her mother, grinning. “You’re no use at all if you come back bloody paralysed or something!”

“Win that bloody competition for us, would you? Eh?” her father whispered in her ear with a wink. Kerry smiled and winked back. Just then, she heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Sebastian walking toward her. His hair was combed, for once, and his sword hung at his hip. But all her attention was focused on those blue eyes, eyes she had known since she was three.

“Hey,” greeted Sebastian, glancing up at the ship pulling into the harbour. Kerry would miss the sound of her best friend’s voice. But she told herself that she was being silly, that she would be back once the Battle of Larion was over, which would not be long from now.

“Hi there, Sebastian,” said Mrs Rollens, her voice teasing as she moved in closer. Her husband cleared his throat loudly amid raucous laughter.

“Come to see me off?” Kerry asked.

“Actually, I’ve decided to tag along myself,” was the casual reply.

“What? Oh my God. Sebastian! Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Oh, this is going to be so exciting, you and I, battling! So, uh, what did you decide with your mum and all that? Did you get someone to stay with her?”

“It’s taken care of,” said Sebastian vaguely. Kerry didn’t press the issue.

“Well, we’d better get going,” she told her family, giving them each one last hug goodbye, and an extra dose for Lea. “It won’t be long, I promise.” There were various “good luck”s and “we bloody well better see you soon”s passed around, and then there was a man on the deck of the ship, calling them aboard.

 

The man took them below deck, where several hammocks were strung up with about eight occupied by people of various ages, sleeping, eating and gossiping amongst themselves. The chatter died out when the newcomers were spotted. The man pointed to five hammocks down the end.

“Take your pick,” he said. “Dinner’s at six.” With that, he left, and Kerry and Sebastian exchanged bewildered glances as they chose their beds for the journey.

“Did you bring any stuff, Sebastian?” queried Kerry, looking around for her friend’s sack of things.

“Nah. I’m going all out, starting afresh,” he replied. She laughed, shaking her head, and dropped into her hammock. The gentle swaying rhythm was somehow soothing. Sebastian soon followed her lead.

 

The boy in the hammock next to Sebastian leaned over. He looked about fourteen, maybe fifteen, with an array of pimples and zits covering his face and an unfortunately squashed-looking nose planted in the centre.

“So, what’s your name?” the boy asked.

“Sebastian Worth.”

“Ed Crower,” responded the boy, offering his hand. “Who’s the girl?”

“Her name’s Kerry,” Sebastian explained. “We came from the same town.”

“Are you two… together, or something?”

“Just friends.”

“Right. So you won’t mind if I have a go with her, then?”

“She’s eighteen!” cried Sebastian, chuckling.

“Well so?” snapped Ed. “I’m twenty-two. Nice enough age gap if you ask me.”

“Twenty-two? You can’t be!”

“Why do I always get that reaction?” Ed complained, glaring as a smirk appeared on the other man’s face.

 

The ship made two other stops to collect competitors from other points along the shoreline, and then began the direct route toward Castle Larion. But still there were only twelve people below deck.

“Maybe someone didn’t want to come,” suggested Sebastian. He swung his legs over the side of his hammock and ran his fingers through his hair. Oily, very oily.  

“Maybe,” agreed Kerry, sniffing the air. “Damn it, Sebastian, you smell.” She tossed him a bar of soap and buried her face in her hands.

“Oh, it’s not that bad! So anyway, how are you getting along with the girls here?” Kerry frowned at Sebastian.

“Well, there’s this one woman who’s a total snob, her name’s Celeste. Then there’s Lillian, who never says anything, and Abigail, she seems sort of nice, but kind of a suck-up. The only one that’s bearable all of the time is Octavia. She’s the one over there, with blonde hair.”

“They all have blonde hair!” exclaimed Sebastian.

“No, idiot, Lilly’s is golden brown, Abigail’s is strawberry,” Kerry corrected, “and Celeste is…well, fine, Celeste is blonde, but who cares about bloody Celeste?”

“We talking hair?” Ed chimed in from the next hammock. “’Cause mine’s chocolate brown with streaks of sandy blonde, but the texture’s a little off. Gets coarse and oily sometimes.”

“Congratulations, Ed,” grinned Sebastian. “All I know about my hair is that it’ll need a good wash when we get to the castle.”

“Your armpits too, Sebastian!” came a call from the opposite end. It was Benjamin, a tall, handsome man in his mid-twenties, with dark hair and hazel eyes.

“Oh, look at him, Seb, he’s just so… beautiful!” cried Kerry, gazing at Ben.

“Did you just call me ‘Seb’?” laughed Sebastian. He reached out and pinched Kerry’s arm. She let out a yelp of pain and fixed a deadly stare on him.

“What was that for?”

“Well, isn’t that what you do? You know, people say ‘I think I’m dreaming, pinch me’. Right?”

“Did you hear those words come out of my mouth?”

“No…”

“Then don’t pinch me, idiot!” Kerry pinched him back, then stood up and walked over to sit with Octavia.

“Rejected,” sneered Ed.

 

As the boat glided up the river, Sebastian climbed onto the rear deck and looked out at the stunning sight before him. The grass was rich and green, not a dead blade as far as the eye could see. Streaks of bright golden sunlight fell on the ground, creating a criss-crossing pattern of shadow and light across the landscape. The water beneath the ship was clear and sparkling, so fresh and clean you could drink from it. And atop a gentle slope, amid the beautiful countryside, stood Castle Larion. The castle was a truly grand structure, picture-perfect in every definition of the word. Imposing, domed turrets, made from polished marble and sandstone, stood bearing down upon the city of Larion below them. Stain-glass windows and Juliette balconies adorned the outside, with a number of drawbridges and portcullises, for both practicality and beauty. It was the most amazing, mind-numbing building Sebastian had ever seen. It took a lot of willpower to prise his eyes away from the castle to look out at the city beyond. It was far more stately than anything they might’ve seen watching Hansville from a distance, with big old houses, orderly marketplaces and fertile, green paddocks for crops and livestock. Even the roads were smooth and pristine-looking, and beautiful gardens were dotted across parks and backyards.

“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” said a voice beside him. Sebastian met the bright blue eyes of the thirty-one- year- old known as Octavia.

“It really is,” he agreed, smiling. They said nothing more, just stood there and looked, drinking up the stunning world that would be their home for the next couple of months.

 

“She’s anchored in,” a rower told Sebastian and Octavia as they stood on the deck.

“Who?” asked Sebastian, puzzled. The rower laughed and Octavia smiled knowingly.

“The ship,” she explained. “People address a boat as ‘she’. Don’t ask me why, that’s just what we do. It’s kind of a commonly known fact, though.”

“Oh,” said Sebastian, still confused but slowly realising that he should probably be embarrassed at his lack of knowledge.

“Anyway, you should get going,” grinned the rower. “His Majesty will be waiting for you.”

 

Kerry grabbed Sebastian’s arm as the group made their way through narrow hallways and up winding staircases toward the throne room. He could see excitement and fear fighting for control over her face as she smiled at him. Finally, they arrived at a set of finely carved double doors that looked promising. The administrator who had led them there pushed his way to the front and spoke in a soft tone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you are about to be in the presence of His Majesty, King Siotan. I beseech of you to act with respect and decency. Once inside, you must wait until you are spoken to before speaking yourself. Do not dither, or stutter, and do not waste your monarch’s time.” The thin weasel of a man nodded to himself, probably going through a mental checklist, before opening the doors and poking his head inside. “The competitors, Your Majesty.” He gestured at the group and stepped aside to let them pass.

 

Seated on a simple throne of oak, was Siotan. A tall, bulky man with a bit of a belly thanks to the many lavish feasts that came with the role of king. His bald head almost shone in the light seeping in from the windows, but his moustache and beard gave him the look of a noble man. Broad shoulders, strong features, callused hands.

“Welcome to my courts,” he began, spreading his arms wide as if to embrace them all. From then on, it was impossible to hear what was being said, as everyone started talking at once. The administrator, down the back of the room, was waving his hands around in exasperation as the chatter grew in strength.

“SILENCE!” Siotan boomed, and quiet immediately fell over the room. “I’m honoured that you all chose to come here today and begin preparation for the Battle of Larion. Your training will commence tomorrow at five o’clock in the morning. Each one of you will be given two weeks to change your mind about competing. After that time is up, however, you are fully committed and may at no point leave until you are eliminated. I want you all to understand what you’re signing up for. Am I clear so far?” There was a communal ‘yes’. “Now. I suppose you all have been wondering where the thirteenth contestant might be. Well, he has been waiting here this whole time. Come forward, Gregory.”

 

A young man walked into the throne room through one of the doors at the back, and stood before the King. His feet were spread in a fighting stance, with a sword and a collection of knives hanging on his belt. But he was thin and sullen-looking, probably about the same age as Sebastian, and he lacked the confidence of someone who knew what they were doing.

“Bizarre,” muttered Kerry. Benjamin moved his lips closer to her ear.

“You do know who that is, don’t you?” he whispered.

“No… Who is it?” she replied.

“It’s the King’s son!” Benjamin exclaimed, fighting to keep his voice low.

“No way,” said Sebastian, beside them. “But isn’t that kind of unfair? He’s already got Siotan’s favour.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard,” answered Benjamin. “Apparently, Prince Gregory is a bit of a wimp. He’s not much good at anything and he’s constantly doing the wrong thing. They say the King will do whatever it takes to prove to the people that his only son, and our future king, is not a failure.”

“This is my son, Gregory,” said Siotan, gesturing at the boy. “He will be the thirteenth competitor in the Battle of Larion.” There were mutterings around the room at this announcement. “From this point until the competition is over, Gregory will be living in the same conditions as all of you. He will be given no favouritism and you must treat him as your equal.”

Reviews

[James Hanna-Magill]

Dear Addi

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get around to reviewing chapter two.

However take this please as it comes:

Unaccustomed as I am to being concise, this is turning into being an amazingly engaging, well told tale. From the first sentence, you dragged me in deeper and deeper and hooked me and wanted me to find out more.

Frankly I have to stop myself at times, as I could write you a book of congratulations on this chapter without being picky: The interplay between the characters; the early boyish, girlish love play, the description of the castle (sounded to my ear as musical as Mervyn Peake and Gormenghast)....I could go on.

Please go back and reflect a tiny bit more on chapter one, to make the drag into this book start off with an even bigger bang.

Well done.

Keep at it.

It's starting to take shape and feel really good.

With my kindest regards as ever

James

[Addi]

Thank you! :)

[Panda]

Ohhh yes this is getting very interesting, I am really enjoying this so far. You are doing a great job moving the story along from chapter to chapter. Sometimes people have a hard time doing that, the move on to a next chapter and the previous one just seems unfinished. Once again just include some of the senses into the writing. Also just a thought, when you are writing dialogue for your characters, do they speak perfect English, do they have an accent, ect. Just wondering :), but that is all for now, moving on! :)

[Addi]

Thanks :) Describing the way the characters speak is a very interesting thought. It never actually occurred to me before but I can see how it would add to the description and story.