Slave Trade - Nothing Lasts Forever
Slave Trade Nothing Lasts Forever copyright 2013 comidacomida
Baron, Sidney realized, was larger than Tharis... and younger. He had obviously been a skilled gladiator before he had lost to Maern, which made the fox wonder just how much better he had become thanks to the time the stallion had been training him. Or, even worse, what if the bison's failure against Maern had been staged from the very beginning. Sidney was unable to remain seated on the bench, his paws in a death grip on the wooden bars separating the staging area from the combat area.
"Lord Levid already started the fight..." Sidney spoke quietly, watching Baron stride toward the unarmed bull, "I can't believe he didn't let him get a weapon first..."
"I can." Choel commented from the side, groaning as he sat up on the bench where he'd been laying, "That senile old monkey doesn't care about slaves... he cares about winning, and about getting what he wants."
"What does he want?" the fox asked, looking back to the two combatants circling one another. Baron had a large, two-handed sword which he held in one hand, and a whip in the other; Tharis had nothing but his golden lead-- it was hardly a weapon, "Lord Hector could just give--"
"I think Lord Levid is used to TAKING, Sid." the tiger responded, rasping as he leaned forward, spitting out a frothy mix of saliva and blood, "not being given..."
Sidney looked back to the injured tiger and, for a moment, he agonized over abandoning his post at the 'fence line'. "Maern." he spoke, looking back to the fight.
"Iya, Sidney?"
The fox was so focused on the sudden beginning to the fight that he didn't even realize he said the next words in Vensian, "Help Choel-- he is still hurt."
"Yes, my lord." the horse responded in kind, but Sidney's attention was wholly taken up by the deadly dance between the two titans in the arena.
Tharis, despite his age, was still agile, and he spent his time on the defensive. Baron swung once, then a second time, cleaving the empty air with a powerful strike and likewise missed with his back swing. The bison stepped forward even as the bull backpedaled, their long strides eating up ground and causing the wall of the arena to grow ever closer. Lord Levid did not seem pleased by the events. "He is UNARMED, Baron! If you can't kill then I'll find a new champion!"
Letting out a frustrated roar, Baron renewed the attack, slashing through the air again with another set of wide arcs of his blade... but, after the last missed attack, the bison pivoted his foot and continued the spin, rotating even as he stepped forward and, continuing the circular slash, lead with the sword in a forward cut that made it more difficult for Tharis to continue his retreat-- the bull didn't bother.
The old gladiator swung his fist downward onto the encroaching blade, deflecting the attack and causing the weapon to dig into the ground, knocking it clean out of Baron's grasp. The bison jumped away with a laugh, and only then did Sidney realize that the aggressive parry did not leave Tharis unharmed: the bull's hand was separated from the crook of his thumb to more than half-way to his little finger.
"Too slow, old man." Baron sneered, "Maybe I'll just let ya bleed ta death..." and he began circling, giving his whip a crack for good measure, "Nah..." he noted, lashing out the whip again to crack inches from Tharis' ear, "...think I'll flay ya 'live..."
"Less talk." growled Tharis, balling up his injured first as he lunged forward. In a split second, all of runes hidden within the fur of the bull's pelt glowed with light, and the old slave's eyes flared like star bursts. Baron, surprised at the sudden flash, was knocked back by the power of the punch.
"WHAT?!?!" demanded Lord Levid, tearing down his curtain with fury as he observed the attack, "His hand?!? IT!! BUT!! HOW?!?!" the monkey verbalized what Sidney had been thinking. As the bull got to his feet, shaking his head to clear the daze, Tharis situated himself back into a pugilist stance, fists at the ready; the injury on his right hand was illuminated, closing as everyone in the room watched. "THIS IS SORCERY!" the monkey screeched from his place on the balcony.
"No, my Lord." Lord Hector replied calmly, but loudly enough for his voice to echo down to where Sidney stood. "Tharis spent many years interacting with Tenvierian devices."
"He... he's been enchanted!" Lord Levid turned toward the stag, pulling a belt knife, "Shall I add CHEATING to your list of crimes, Hector?!?!"
"Your highness..." Lord Talvin's voice was calm, but clear in its projection, "Technically there was no enchanting... It isn't magic; the slave is simply imbu--"
"SILENCE!" the monkey screeched, "You may have unveiled this traitor to me, but it does not mean I'll accept YOUR insubordination as well!"
Lord Hector froze, and slowly turned to gaze at the wolf, his jaw slack in surprise and disbelief, "Talvin?"
"We are all free men, Lord Hector." the wolf answered, crossing his arms over his chest as he smiled, "I knew what you were up to, and I could not let that come to pass." The discussion continued overhead, but Sidney's attention was pulled back to the arena as Baron howled out in pain.
Tharis had a firm grip on the bison's wrist and had his arm pushed against his body at an odd angle. The fox's heartbeat began to pick up speed when he realized that the tide of combat may have turned-- right until Baron brought his shin up powerfully between Tharis' legs. Sidney realized that his own eyes must have mirrored Baron's when they both realized that the blow didn't seem to faze the bull in the least.
"Can't...." Tharis' knees finally buckled, "have...." and his pain-addled grip loosened on the bison's wrist, "...him."
"We'll see." Baron sneered, pulling his hand free. The bison brought his hoof up, connecting to the bull's chin and knocking the old slave over, "Course..." he grinned wide as he circled Tharis, "by my memory, I already have..." and he delivered a kick to the prone bull's ribs, "Wonder if the Master'll let me go back for seconds before he has him gutted..."
Tharis' response came out as pure animalistic fury. Baron grinned, cleanly stepping to the side with a punch waiting for the rage-blinded bull. Inside a split second, the old slave cut short his bellow, pivoted, dropped the ruse, and calmly brought his arm up, launching a handful of sand into the bison's face. "Dirty fighting's not new to me... Baron." a faint glow of power closed the trickle of blood coming from Tharis' lip.
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Baron's warcry was much more heartfelt, and he collided with the bull, both of them falling into a pile of swinging limbs. From his vantage, Sidney couldn't see what was going on, and, based on the noise in the Lord's Rise, it was readily evident that the nobles were not particularly intent on the fight at that moment.
"ENOUGH!" the wolf barked, silencing the reproach Lord Hector had been leveling at him, "I am not your tool, Lord Hector." Lord Talvin added calmly, "And, try as you might, you will never change that."
The stag lowered his head, letting out a deep breath, "I expected more from you."
"Funny..." Lord Levid smirked, "I had thought the exact same thing about YOU, Hector... I suppose we BOTH know what it's like to be betrayed."
The dialogue stung Sidney on more levels than he knew possible. He had trusted Lord Talvin... perhaps if only he had questioned the wolf's motives... if only he had been more insistent of discovering what he was up to... if only he had paid more attention to what Lord Talvin did rather than what he said... if-- but his self-reproach came to a stop as the two combatants in the ring disengaged, throwing one another aside as they stood.
Sidney did not miss the fact that Baron was once again armed with his sword, and Tharis' side glowed as the newest gash began to close. He was also astute enough to see that the old bull looked far more winded than Baron-- something that the bison likewise observed, "Heh..." he grunted, "Might not have to kill you after all... I'll just wait til you have to take a nap, old man."
"Enough time for that later." Tharis snorted, and charged.
Baron did not have a difficult time landing a blow: he held his sword out straight. With no regard for the weapon, the old bull lunged, and Sidney closed his eyes, wishing he could close his ears as well when the blackness of his sight did little to mute the sound of flesh, sinew, and cartilage giving way before steel. He felt tears squeeze through his shut eyelids, sight blurry when he opened them anew upon the sound of a heavy weight impacting against the dirt as Tharis fell to his knees.
Willing reality to be anything but what he thought it was, the fox's vision slowly cleared... and all his wishing was for not. Tharis knelt there, Baron standing over him with one arm raised in victory, the other still holding onto the hilt of the large sword that was imbedded in the old bull's sternum, blood dripping off of the point, which had emerged several inches from the slave's lower back. Sidney screamed, "NO!!!"
Baron sneered, "Heal from that... old man."
Tharis turned his head slowly to meet Sidney's gaze, and agony tore at the fox's heart; the bull was dead because of him. So stricken by the situation, Sidney almost missed Tharis' wink. Opening his hand, the bull let the long length of golden cord fall to the sand, all except for the ring at the end, which was looped around his middle finger. Swinging his arm out wide, Tharis launched the cord out in an arc, which carried it up and around the back of Baron's neck.
Reaching his other arm up to catch the leading end, the bull pushed with his legs, rising up even as he pulled the surprised bison's body down. Turning the angle of his head at the last moment, Tharis brought his horn to bear, and the tip lodged itself up beneath Baron's chin; flexing his legs with all his might, he drove it up, pulling his opponent's head downward until it was buried to the hilt.
The bison's entire body went rigid, and then began to spasm as blood poured out of his muzzle and the hole created by Tharis' horn. The old bull twisted his neck, rotating his head as he heaved, tossing Baron's corpse to the ground, "Hey!" he shouted up at the arguing Lords, "Fight's done, Levid." he widened his stance, wavering as he stood there, blood still pouring out of the sword wound. The three lords fell silent, eyes returning to the arena before Tharis continued speaking his mind, "Looks like you lost another Baron..." Sidney didn't miss the fact that the glow was slowly fading from Tharis' runes.
Lord Levid's mouth moved but no words came out. Sidney thought for a moment that the monkey looked almost like a corked steam kettle. Rather than explode, however, the king pointed with all the fury in his body, and everything progressed in slow motion as the archers rose from their place in the bench seating.
Sidney cried out wordlessly, racing out between the wooden posts as arrow after arrow struck the defiant bull. Still standing, Tharis held his ground as every last archer loosed his shot and then, like a great oak finally giving way to the woodsman's axe, the bull finally fell to his knees, and then to his side.
Sidney skidded to a halt next to Tharis, crying out as he rolled the large gladiator onto his back. "Tharis? Tharis? So... so much blood!" his paws came away covered in red, "Tharis? Are... are you--"
"Shhh..." the bull answered calmly, and he took in a slow, breath, fresh blood seeping from his countless wounds, "Calm, Sidney... calm..."
"But!" the fox yipped, looking around at the numerous eyes on the two of them.
"You can't... win... without calm..." Tharis rasped.
"I..." Sidney's voice quivered, his vision blurred by tears, "You're hurt!"
Tharis chuckled faintly, but it was cut off by a cough, blood pouring from his muzzle, "Very hurt."
"Can't... can you heal?" the fox began to try and staunch the bleeding, but he didn't even know where to begin, "you healed before, and--"
"Shhh..." Tharis repeated, "...calm...."
"Tharis!" Sidney whimpered, "Don't die... please don't die!"
The bull chuckled softly, "Give me your paw..." he spoke, which the fox did immediately. Tharis gave it a light squeeze, "I died... a long time ago... Sidney."
"No!" the slave master objected, "Don't talk like that."
"Shhh..." Tharis repeated his earlier statement, "Calm... remember?"
"How am I--"
"Calm..." the bull noted, his voice rasping before his body shuddered with another wracking cough; Sidney wished he didn't hear the sound of the numerous arrow shafts rattling together, "Calm." Tharis repeated, "I died... a long time ago, Sidney... you... brought me back."
"I just..." the fox whimpered.
"You did." Tharis smiled, looking up at him, "So... it's only fair... that I use... my life... the right way."
"But... I... I want you to LIVE!" Sidney cried, raising Tharis' arm so he could press his cheek against the back of the bull's massive hand, "I want you to live..."
"heh..." Tharis chuckled, blinking tears out of his own eyes, "...you called me old."
"I..." Sidney choked on his words, "you aren't... you..."
"I AM old, Sidney... old, and tired..." the bull took a deep, burbling breath, "nothing lasts forever..." he spoke, as if reciting it, "... whether slave... or king... time lays them down." and he looked up at the fox, "...nothing... lasts forever."
"Then... just..." Sidney couldn't find the right words, "... just... last LONGER."
Tharis inhaled deeply, obviously fighting against the pain of attempting to do so, and he shook his head, "I thought I.. would die in... a ditch... but no... I get to--" he coughed, turning his head to the side so the bloody spittle could drain from his muzzle, "... I get to die... fighting... for something--- SOMEONE..."
"I didn't want you to... Tharis? I DON'T want you to die for me!" the fox placed his paws on the bull's face, "Do you hear me?"
"I... I hear you..." Tharis acknowledged with a raspy breath, "But I'm not..." another series of coughs wracked him, "I'm not taking... orders anymore... Sidney." each word came harder than the last as the bull fought to breathe.
"Why?" the word was joined by more tears.
"Because... it was... my..." Tharis smiled, "choice."
Sidney swallowed, "Please don't die, Tharis..." his tears fell down onto the bull's face, "Don't leave..."
The bull's arm grew heavy against the fox's face, and it dragged down to his shoulders, then to his chest, "I won't..." Tharis answered, "I'll be...." he tapped Sidney's chest with a finger, "...right there." The touch felt ice cold.
"Tharis?" it was hard for Sidney to talk through the tears.
"Hm?"
"I'll..." the fox swallowed, "I'll make you proud... I promise."
The bull smiled, his arm slowly falling back to the ground, "...you... already... do."
Sidney, no longer able to hold back his tears, lowered his head over the fallen gladiator and sobbed. There were any number of things the fox would have wished for at that moment, and the time to grieve would have been very high at that list but, sadly, none of his wishes came true... especially time to grieve. A loud, thunderous impact rocked the building and it was powerful enough to shift the sand on the arena floor.
"Your Highness!" shouted a sell sword, racing into the Lord's Rise from above, "The coliseum... it's UNDER ATTACK!!!"
"WHAT?!" Lord Levid shrieked.
"Free men, servants... even slaves, Lord Levid!" exclaimed another, fast on the heels of the first, "They... they just..." another deafening convulsion shook the building, accompanied by the sound of splintering wood, "They broke through the doors, your highness!"
"Get the soldiers out in the halls!" the monkey spat, "Put the slaves away! Reinforce the inner doors!" he growled. Sidney barely registered Maern and Dorias being led away, giving no care to Lord Levid's gladiators being led out, or the unconscious honey badger left, still unmoving on the pit floor. Maern put up a fight when it was apparent that he was being separated from Sidney, but the guards subdued him with surprising efficiency and he was dragged out of the room with the rest.
"Your subjects will only overlook so much, Lord Levid." Lord Talvin's voice was calm, neutral, and aloof... except for the hint of reproach.
"What are you going on about, Talvin?" demanded the monkey, fury bubbling over as he stared daggers at the wolf.
"Quite simple, really..." the lord raised a paw, revealing a small, apple sized silver ball, "This is a scrying censor, your highness... a very creative Tenvierian invention that allows all linked devices to broadcast what this one sees and hears."
Lord Levid was, quite simply, stunned. Even from his position on the arena floor, half blind by tears and completely numbed to the events around him, Sidney did not miss the monkey's indignant "WHAT?!?!"
"A few select words among some dissident groups..." the wolf motioned in one direction with the silver ball, "some well-placed receivers of what THIS censor sends.." he motioned in another direction, "and, viola!" he tossed the ball into the air, "the seeds have been sown so that you may reap what you have grown." and he caught it as it came down.
"What are you playing at... wolf?!" Lord Levid gnashed his teeth.
"Allow me to clarify." Lord Talvin smirked, "Every unfair decree, every courtly misstep, every uncouth action, every every childish temper tantrum... you have done a fine job of allowing the men and women of this fine kingdom to see the real you." he set the silver ball down atop one of the railing posts, "So, your MAJESTY, perhaps you might enlighten me as to what you plan on doing as part of your follow-up act?" he smiled sweetly at the fuming king, "Hmmmmm?" and he wiggled his ears to accentuate his chiding comments.
The monkey, suddenly, was composed and official, though, to Sidney, the promise of death was clear in the king's eyes, "Second, I will be putting down this lackluster insurrection." Lord Levid shook his head condescendingly, "Honestly, Talvin, I expected better than this from you."
"I believe Lord Hector already said those words." the wolf smiled, "Besides... what can I say?" he leaned forward to prop his muzzle on his palms, elbows resting on the hand rail, "I suppose I am positively FULL of surprises." Lord Talvin straightened up, "Now... enough about me. I can imagine many of your soldiers may be joining the rebellion as they do not appreciate seeing the 'real you' any more than the common man does. Does that not bother you, Your Manicy-- er... Majesty?"
"Mercenaries care nothing for gentility." the king waved away the concern casually, "They have their money and that is enough for them."
"Ah... silly me." the wolf nodded, sliding one leg then the other over the railing so he could sit on it like a bench, "Now... for the sake of my edification, Your Highness, you mentioned that the SECOND thing you would do is deal with this uprising... pray tell, what might the FIRST thing be?"
Lord Levid's sneer returned, "Solve a more pressing issue." and he motioned to the bowmen, who were already prepared to carry out the king's wishes. Sidney gasped as he watched the wolf open his muzzle to reply but, instead, slumped forward off of the balcony after being riddled with arrows. The fox watched, detached, as the lord's body sailed down to the arena floor like a discarded rag doll, landing, face up, with am audible thump.
"Your Highness..." Lord Hector murmured, taking a step away from the king.
"Whatever is the matter, Hector?" the monkey demanded, turning to face him, "I figured you would like to thank me for putting an end to the snitch that ratted out your intentions."
"You..." the stag took another step back, "You just murdered Lord Talvin."
"No," Lord Levid shook his head, "I sentenced him to death..." he glanced down to where Sidney was gazing back up at them, "Now..." the king's voice was full of barely restrained rage, as he swung himself over the railing, nimbly climbing down the pillars and wall fixtures as only a monkey could, "One more loose end to deal with."
The pure animosity with which the king's fixated gaze exuded caused Sidney to get to his feet, stepping back, despite his desire to stay with his fallen lover. "Lord-- Lord Levid... I-- I do not know what I have done--"
"Silence." snarled the monkey, "You have done nothing... YET." he stalked closer, drawing his belt knife, "This isn't about what you've DONE... this is about what you are PLANNING!"
"Nothing, Lord Levid... nothing!" the fox bleated, "I do not plan... I am a--"
"Spare me the act." the monkey sneered, pausing only long enough to kick Tharis' body, causing it to slump over on its side, impaling it further on the sword that still stuck out of its sternum. Lord Levid didn't pay the dead gladiator any further mind, stalking forward toward the fox with the blade in his hand, "Your Master knows of the Sorra, and I know what he's been planning."
"The... Sorra?" Sidney spared a quick glance up at Lord Hector; the stag had his head hung, shaking it slowly as he walked out of the Lord's Rise, "You know about Lord Hector's Sorra?"
Lord Levid paused, "What?" for a moment the monkey seemed genuinely surprised, but he snorted, and the rage quickly supplanted the expression on his face, "You're a crafty one..." he growled, continuing to advance even as Sidney backpedaled, "I'm talking about me... I'm talking about MY Sorra, you fiendish little conniving assassin."
"I... I--"
"Levid of Pross, your time will come." the monkey recited in a chiding voice, "By your command the one named Bane will fall, and then, by Bane's own paw your life will be ended." Lord Levid lunged forward, catching Sidney by surprise. The fox scampered back, but tripped over the honey badger, who, still unconscious, had yet to be removed from the arena.
The monkey was upon him in an instant, gripping him by the throat, then he paused, "What?!?" he demanded, "What is THAT?!?!" he gripped a handful of the fur on Sidney's chest. "When did-- how did-- where--"
"Lord--- Lord Levid--" Sidney rasped, taken aback by the king's ferocity... and the unexpected question.
"No matter..." the monkey scowled, "If I order you killed then I die as well..." he peered down at the fox, the promise of death in his eyes, "Which means I'll just kill you myself." he raised his dagger, "With no Bane, there is no Sorra..." and the blade descended.
"No!" Sidney cried, and he felt a hot flush race through his body, followed by an icy chill in the palms of his paws. The fox slid back several feet along the sand as Lord Levid was launched off of him. The fox slowly sat up, the black leather on his palms smoking faintly, yellow 'x' symbols glowing brightly. He gazed across the arena floor to where the king had been thrown through the air a dozen yards. The monkey had come to a rest, slamming into Tharis' corpse... and the sword blade that was still sticking out of it.
Stunned, and unable to understand what had just happened, Sidney slowly sat up, and gazed across the distance at Lord Levid, who, in shock, simply stared back at him. Seemingly as one, their attentions were drawn to the several inches of sword that were poking out of the monkey's chest. The fox got to his feet, uninjured, but far from okay. Numbly, he approached the fallen king, who made no attempt to free himself from the blade, "I..." Levid murmured, the word accompanied by a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
As the sounds of combat echoed down the long halls from the central doorway, the archers in the bench seating began to filter out. Sidney was astounded, having never encountered men who worked for money rather than out of loyalty or duty. His thoughts were cut short as Lord Hector emerged from the stairwell that lead down from the balcony, "Hmm... 'I' exactly... It always has been about YOU, your Highness."
"But... I..." the monkey rasped, pressing his hands against weapon in a vain attempt to keep his blood inside his body "I never... ordered... Bane..."
"I am afraid you did, your Majesty." the stag bowed his head, then motioned to the unmoving form of Lord Talvin "And I had tried to stop you..."
"L-Lord Talvin...?" Lord Levid glanced to where the wolf lay unmoving, then back to Lord Hector, "I... don't understand."
"Lord Talvin, Your Majesty... he dyes his fur to get the gray coloration."
"Eh?" the king demanded, pressing his hands to the blade in his chest.
"He was the white wolf you ordered me to buy." the stag clarified.
"Ah... ah yes..." the king nodded, chuckling as more blood poured from his mouth, "... every... every Lord... with a bleeding heart... should..."
"Should have an assassin." Lord Hector nodded, "I remembered your words, Your Majesty." he spoke casually, giving no sound to the shouts and cries drifting toward them from far down the grand entryway.
"You were... supposed to... destroy... it." Lord Levid rasped, swallowing once as he took another strained breath as he lowered his arms, no longer bothering to try and grip the blade.
"You expressly told me that you were NOT ordering me to do so." the stag knelt down and took the monkey's bloody digits gently in his grip, "And so I did not."
"You... you sabotaged me." Lord Levid accused, pulling his hand back.
"No, my king... you did that well enough yourself." Lord Hector stood, "I had tried to teach Bane that all men were worth saving. At every turn, you made it harder and harder for me to keep him safe until I had no choice but to help him change his identiy." the stag shook his head, "I was hoping to have more time with him... to teach him that there is value in all men... all slaves... even tyrants."
"Tyrant?" the stubborn monkey raised his head as if willing death to keep at bay, "Is that what you think of me?" he demanded.
The stag shook his head, "You are not a good man, Levid... if you were, then perhaps the true royal line would still be ruling Pross today. Instead, we stood here and watched you kill the last living heir."
Lord Levid's eyes widened for a moment, "You couldn't--" his gaze trailed away from Lord Hector and Sidney watched, aghast as one of the monkey's hands slid around to grasp one of Tharis', "There is no way you could have known... no one did..."
The stag motioned to Sidney, "It became clear tonight."
Confused by the gesture, the fox was even more unsure of the situation when Levid turned to sneer at him, "Damn you... damn you damn you damn you..."
"From the king's most trusted adviser to the king's murderer." Lord Hector interrupted, sighing deeply, "Then the rumors were true..." the stag lowered his gaze, "You must have claimed his newborn son as a slave and hid the record of his birth... they HAD conceived... and you were there to cover it up... There is no word that can describe the... the immorality..."
"I did what I had to do, Hector... you cannot..." he gagged on an upwelling of blood, "you can't condemn me for that... you... you cannot condemn me for... ambition."
"No, it is not my place to judge you, Levid, but I know the difference between right and wrong..." the stag rested a hand on Sidney's shoulder. "And, now that I see the depths of your depravity... to discover who Tharis REALLY was--"
"It... changes... nothing." the monkey fumed, his words accompanied by red bubbles as his head slowly lowered back down to his chest. Neither his head nor his chest rose again, and his eyes dulled, lifeless.
"It changes everything." Lord Hector countered, "Now, for the first time in my life, I might just believe that Bane was right..." he knelt down and closed Levid's eyes.
Sidney didn't know how he found the words to speak, but, somehow, he managed, "Lord Hector..."
The stag slowly stood and turned to regard the fox, eyes awash with sympathy and compassion. Sidney realized he should have broken into tears right then and there but, somehow, for some reason, all he felt was emptiness. "Yes, Sidney?" Lord Hector questioned.
"Tharis... he--"
"Over years ago, Levid was the king's greatest adviser and dearest friend." the stag knelt back down and began to pull the monkey's corpse off of the blade, "When the king and queen thought they would never conceive, the king decreed that Levid would become the king in his stead... and the king and queen died months later." Lord Hector slowly pulled the blade from Tharis' chest, "Many people questioned the mystery surrounding their demise... and... well..." the stag shook his head, "The rest you know."
"So..." Sidney gaze down at the slain bull, "Tharis was--" his words were drowned out at the sound of another loud explosion, along with voices from down the great entry hall shouting something about the second door being breached.
Lord Hector glanced that way, then back to Sidney, "He was supposed to be king." He picked up each of the bull's arms and rested them atop his chest, placing the sword hilt beneath them; Sidney somehow found the pose appropriate... regal. "And Levid somehow kept it secret for all this time."
"How do YOU know about it, Lord Hector?" Sidney asked, "If it was kept secret, how do you know of it?"
"I learned about it tonight." the stag answered, "I believe Tharis must have known. When you were with him, there, at the end, he--"
Their discussion was cut short as one of the side doors burst open. Both Sidney and Lord Hector turned, and the fox was relieved to see that it was Maern, with Dorias in pursuit. The stallion had a sword in his hand, and the yak had shackles, that appeared to have had their chains cut. The slaves emerged quickly into the arena, Choel following along behind them, holding his abdomen with one paw and walking with the aid of a crutch, "Lord Hector... Slave Master... things are getting... uh... uncivilized."
"Come, Sidney." Lord Hector motioned for him to follow, "Questions can wait."
The fox took a step obediently, then paused, glancing back at the body of his lover, then to the stag, who remained waiting for him, "How did you know Tharis was royalty?"
Despite the severity of the situation, Lord Hector stopped and calmly drew out a small hand mirror from his belt pouch. Turning it toward Sidney, he held it up at just the right angle for Sidney to see a strange discoloration on his chest fur. It was where Tharis had touched him... and, for a moment, he recalled the icy sensation of the bull's finger. Sidney's eyes widened when the splotch glow a fierce blue, and he could clearly see a symbol within the marking. He wasn't the only one surprised.
"Th' royal seal!" Dorias gasped in disbelief.
"The royal seal." Lord Hector acknowledged, The stag motioned to the honey badger, who Maern picked up and slung over a shoulder. "Now come... all of you." he looked sympathetically back to the fox, "Sidney... we MUST go."
The slave master nodded slowly, pressing the palm of his paw against the strange rune on his chest. He gave another glance to where Tharis lay on the area floor and turned to follow. Sidney somehow managed a faint smile knowing that Tharis treasured his ability to choose, and he promised to make that decision worthwhile. He did not delay, following Lord Hector and the stable of gladiators out of the arena.
The sounds of combat grew closer from the main hall, but Lord Hector led them down another passage. Pausing at the exit, Sidney looked one final time to the bull, "Goodbye, Tharis." he spoke softly, and, somehow, could have sworn that the glyph on his chest glowed just a little brighter. Comforted by that realization, the fox was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to realize that one body was missing from the arena.