The next day dawned much like any other, and we began to train, oblivious to the looming storm of change that was about to engulf us both.  I was using a sword and shield, a combination that Layala struggled against. 

She struck quickly, her scimitar clashing against my shield and sending sparks flying from the strength of the blow. But she had overextended. The power of her attack had forced her off balance ever-so-slightly, a mistake that I chose to capitalize on. 

I swept at her feet with my blade, forcing her to leap backwards. Off balance even more, I took the offensive, quickly pushing Layala into a retreat that ended with me disarming her and rapidly covering the distance between us, my sword at her throat.

"Well done... As always." Layala laughed and pushed the blade of my sword away. I joined her in laughing and helped her up, and she went to retrieve her blade.

"Shall we go again?" I asked. She was about to respond when Lykar, our trainer, approached.

   "I need to speak with both of you." He said in a measured voice. I nodded, though I could already tell from his demeanor that something was wrong.

   "Your master wants me to be tougher on you both. If you do poorly in a fight, you are to be whipped." He spoke the words hesitantly, as if he disagreed with the decision but knew he had to carry it out anyway.

   My eyes widened. "Why??"

   "Master Dakil made a deal with that man who visited. The man will personally recruit the two of you into his master's army if you survive the Pit. After the fight, you will report to his master and leave the servitude of Master Dakil forever." 

A flurry of emotions surged through me at that moment, most of them varying degrees of anger. We were supposed to be freed! How could he sell us into slavery again? Part of me wasn't surprised at Master Dakil's treachery. I had never liked the small, shrewish man. But as I began to realize the implications of what the deal meant, I knew that Layala must have felt even worse. I had never tasted freedom, so losing it didn't mean as much to me. But for her... It must have been a crushing blow.

"Why? What right does he have to barter our lives??" I felt the blood rising to my head, but I knew that it wasn't Lykar's fault. 

"You new master will be Lord Khanar. He's the Khan's general, the leader of Rhun's vast armies. A contract with him will make Master Dakil rich."

Layala looked physically ill, and suddenly, it dawned on me;  Buying us wasn't likely a mere coincidence. As the Prince of an important, if not distant, tribe, I would be valuable leverage for the general of an increasingly divided army. How he knew who I was, I did not yet know. But if this was the case, Layala was just part of the deal because we were a team. 

The thought made me sick. 

My mind rushed with all of the possible options. I could attack now and make a desperate attempt to escape with Layala. But neither of us would make it. Master Dakil had a small army of his own under his control, and he wouldn't easily lose us now. Perhaps we would have another opportunity to escape. But once we joined the Khan's army, the chances would fade drastically. 

   "We won't disappoint," I said through gritted teeth, deciding to bide my time until later. We really didn't have any say in the matter.... Not now. 

   "I hope not," Lykar said and left the ring, sitting just outside to watch.

   We both did our best. My best was more than enough. Layala's wasn't. Even though I was going easy on her I still defeated her within a few minutes.

Lykar came into the ring, a whip in hand. My eyes widened and I ran to stop him.

"Lykar, no. She did her best, she doesn't deserve this." I reached for his arm but he recoiled away, a frown creasing his features.

"I'm sorry Rukil, it's the master's orders. He'll rid himself of me if I do not obey," he said, and though he was an even, expressionless man I could almost hear an apologetic tone in his voice.

"What if he never finds out?" I asked cautiously.

"He's going to make sure at least one of you has been beaten by the end of the day."

"Then beat me instead!" I said urgently and grabbed Lykar's arm. "She'll do even worse if she's weakened." I attempted to sound logical, but instead only ended up sounding desperate.

Layala took a step forward, her tone begging. "No! I can't let you take my punishment for me."

I gave her a bleak smile. "Listen, I want to do this for you. Please."

After a moment of what seemed like inner conflict, she sighed with resignation and touched my arm softly. "Thank you," she whispered as Lykar pulled me away.

That was the first of many beatings. Lykar started out by barely whipping me. He seemed very reluctant to do so. But after a few days, Master Dakil started to watch. And so what was once a few lashes became many. By the end my back was bloodied and torn, and I'd return to the tent barely conscious each night. It became harder and harder to train each day.

Eventually, Master Dakil requested that Lykar beat me with a club in addition to the whip for his entertainment. One night when I returned and collapsed on the ground inside the tent, Layala ran to my side in tears.

"Why Rukil?? Why do you take these beatings for me? I can't stand to see you get whipped like this!" She sat down next to me and put her head in her hands.

I turned over and looked at her through a swollen eye. "Because..." I didn't know what to say. I felt different about her than I had about anyone else. It was something unlike anything I had ever known. But I didn't know how to say it. I had never been told how. Instead I simply said, "Because I care about you."

   She looked over at me, her dark brown eyes looking into mine. "Why do you care about me? I'm a terrible fighter, I make you look bad, and I'm making you get beaten now."

   "Because you're different..." I said haltingly, unused to letting my emotions show. "You're the only light in this life of darkness I've lived. Words aren't adequate to explain it." I turned away awkwardly. I would never be able to tell her how I truly felt. I was raised in a world where emotions were weakness, where only the strong survived. Emotions were foreign to me... Especially the emotions I felt toward Layala.

She smiled, and I felt her hand on mine. "I'm glad you care. If I didn't have you here I don't know if I could make it." 

I intertwined my fingers in hers and squeezed her hand, closing my eyes and smiling. I fell asleep to the sound of Layala's steady breathing.

===============================

The following days were easier, not because the beatings were any less(they got worse) but because Layala gave me a reason to stay strong. 

She was improving in our training as well, and was besting me in more and more of our duels. The beatings weakened me, but that wasn't it. She was definitely getting better.
I, on the other hand, was doing worse and worse. My back was constantly bleeding from the whippings, and the bruises made every movement painful. But that turned out to be a blessing.
One day when we were dueling, I collapsed. The beatings had left me too weak to stand. Lykar ran into the ring and had two servants carry me out as I felt my senses begin to fade. The last thing I remember hearing before I passed out was Lykar saying, "he won't be able to fight in the Pit like this. The beatings must stop!"

===============================

I awoke in a bed. I had never slept in a bed before, and it felt strange. Like I was sinking into the mattress. I quickly sat up, but the pain that rushed to my head made me quickly lay back down. I looked around, and to my disappointment saw that I was alone. I had hoped Layala would be there. 

I was blinded as the tent flaps opened and a young woman I had never seen before entered. She was most likely one of Master Dakil's personal maids, as he kept several of the more sophisticated slaves to care for his family. She saw that I was awake and smiled at me.

"How long have I been out?" I asked. My voice sounded surprisingly hoarse, and my throat was sore.

"Only a few hours," she said as she sat on the side of my bed. She had a cup full of water and propped my head up with her hand. "Here, drink." 

I gulped thirstily at the water. It had honey in it, and it brought cool relief to my parched throat. "Thank you," I croaked and smiled gratefully. 

The young woman smiled back and left the tent. A moment later Lykar walked in.
"You're doing better?" He said with relief. 

"Yes," I said quietly, not taking my eyes off him. I couldn't help but imagine his emotionless expression as he whipped me to within an inch of my life, an occurrence that was now deeply ingrained in my mind. 

"I wanted to apologize. You know I had no choice. I wouldn't have beaten or whipped you otherwise." His harsh accent made his words sound cold, but the look on his face told me he genuinely felt remorseful for his actions. 

"Apology accepted," I replied. I knew holding a grudge wouldn't help anything... Even though part of me wanted to run him through with his own blade. 

Lykar's mouth turned up into a slight smile, and he bowed his head in gratitude. "Rest for a while. I convinced Master Dakil to let me stop beating you." 

"Thank you Lykar," I said, the relief seeping into my tone despite my best efforts to hide any sort of real gratefulness to him. 

The beatings stopped after that. I regained my former strength slowly, and my back mostly healed. Scars remained, but that was all. 

Talk of traveling to the Pit started to fill the camp, and I made it my goal to teach Layala all I knew before the time came. We only had a few weeks, but I tried to make them count. While she wasn't a natural fighter, she slowly made progress. She became relatively efficient with a spear, able to disarm me with a combination I had taught her; She was also able to throw one quite effectively, consistently able to hit a target the size of a man's torso. 

But I knew what kind of enemies we would face there. They would show no mercy. 

I also knew in my heart that I had an important decision to make. I had to make sure that she survived, even if I didn't. There was a future for her, but for me? I had no-one. No goal to drive me. All I had was a vague notion of revenge against a father I barely knew and a tribe that had been indifferent to me at the best of times. 

I would see to it that Layala saw her family again... No matter what.   

Sorry for how long it is between chapters! I've been really busy lately, so it's been hard to find time to write. But I'm trying! Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Things will start picking up BIG TIME in the following chapters. Thank you to those of you still reading this. :)