Chapter 2: Chapter Two—A Questionable Decision

My nightmares were far from fear-inducing, but I feel like I might go mad from their frequency. It was always the same dream in a dark room, nothing alarming like demons or anything—not that I’ve seen one. At first, it doesn’t bother me, but not seeing, hearing, or feeling eats away at you from the inside out. My thoughts became loud, and I couldn’t keep my mind from panicking. Finally, after the prolonged torment, a sense of dread would fill me, and I awaken, or Liam interrupted my sleep for something ridiculous.

“You’re so bloody lazy,” I heard Liam say as my eyes opened to him, inches from my face. I had been awake for a while but hoped he would lose interest.

“You gonna kiss me or something?”

Liam wrenched away from my face. “Heavens, no, you’re not that attractive. Let’s see if the healer has big ones,” Liam smirked, tossing on a worn linen shirt—Emma had patched that shirt up too many times.

“While I am not opposed to seeing… tits. I’m not walking three hours to town on my day off.”

“Listen, it’s not about the tits. It’s about my teeth—mostly,” Liam said, thinking over his statement. He couldn’t even convince himself it wasn’t his cock leading the way to town.

“Fine, fine, but if I hear you complain once about your feet hurting in the fields tomorrow, I will strangle you to death.”

“Deal, get up then already!” Liam shouted as I sat up on the edge of the bed, yawning and stretching my arms towards the roof. I look behind me at the bed. That’s just a mere line of ropes with a blanket tossed over it. Goddess, my back hurts. Old age would not take kindly to this abuse.

“You ever wonder what a real one feels like? I said, patting the frame of ropes. At least it was better than the stone floor.

“A Tit?” Liam asked for clarification. I hadn’t even been up for five minutes and was disappointed in him.

“No… a bed, Liam.”

“No, why would I care about that? Let’s go,” he said, marching out of the room with purpose. I get up, throwing on a beige linen shirt and trousers.

Emma was gone, which saddened me, but was expected. Liam and I quickly shared a loaf of bread and a bowl of blueberry Emma had left on the worn wood table for us. A note sat saying she would be back in a few days and not to eat all food at once, but like usual, we didn’t listen. If need be, I could go and snare a rabbit or pick berries from the forest nearby.

After our brunch, we make our way down the beaten dirt path to the town outside our small village. Liam insisted on singing the entire time, His wretched voice sending the birds flying in the opposite direction. I find myself numb to his squawking, looking at the blue sky as the warm sun hits my skin; the wind was chilly but had a refreshing touch.

I am happy

“Aries, there it is,” Liam nudged me in the ribs as our two-hour walk approached its end.

The bustling little town comes into sight as we march down the winding hill leading towards it. We walk into the main strip, bombarded with merchants trying to sell us various things. I don’t know if they’re willfully ignorant or idiots, but it’s apparent from our attire we were dirt poor. Even food was a luxury for us; We had no use for frivolous things. The air held a pleasant smell of smoked meat coming from a butcher shop down the road, making me salivate.

I surveyed around to see if Emma was nearby. Perhaps I could convince her to go back home with us, but she was nowhere in sight—I gave up quickly, realizing my childish whim as we continued down the crowded stone street.

The buildings all seem well cared for. Not one brick was missing from the chimney heads, and not one shingle was broken. Everyone was well dressed—I felt out of place as eyes darted our way. Liam and I hadn’t been in town in over a year easily, and I had forgotten how out of place I felt here.

“Well, fuck me. Where’s the healer?” Liam complained, looking around like a lost puppy.

I raised my eyebrow at him, “I hate to be right all the time, but… healer, eh?” I replied, probably being overly condescending.

“I swear, I heard she’d be here,” Liam panicked, not giving up on his search. That’s when we heard the hooves of horses riding into town fill the air. 

Liam bolted towards the front of the crowd, and I followed behind quickly. We fight our way to the front of the swarms of people circling the town’s central fountain. We see female Knights in golden and platinum armour file in on their steeds, stopping short of the group as the horses go up on their back hooves, crashing back down. The knight’s helmets covered their entire head except for a small slit forming a T in the front. Large shields and swords were bound to their backs. They held the horses still, staring at us as a white carriage approached.

“shit, she’s here,” Liam gushed, elbowing me in the ribs again, and I looked at him with a scowl.

“I told you it is going to be an old man,” I said with a chuckle, but Boy, was I wrong again. An elegant-looking woman with waist-long hair stepped out. Her beautiful hair crisscrossed into a braid, climbing down her bareback.

The woman grabbed a man’s hand as she gracefully stepped down the golden stairs of the carriage. Her white silk dress kissed the stairs as it followed her descent. She was in her early twenties, yet her hair glowed white in the sunlight. She wore a white blindfold but glanced around as if she could still see everything clearly; her gaze seemed to fall upon me multiple times.

“No tits, wow,” Liam groaned, disappointed.

“She’s gorgeous,” I stumbled out, caught in the trance of this woman’s beauty. She wasn’t a healer; she was a priestess.

“What are you talking about? She’s skinny as a board,” Liam said, looking at me oddly, but his attention went back to her imminently as she spoke.

“The goddesses are merciful with their divinity. They weep at the sight of their children’s pain. So I shall, in the name of Aphrodite, heal her children”—Her arms opened as if she was asking for a hug—“Come to Aphrodite’s embrace, my sick children.” 

Her words radiated comfort; however, I felt discomfort at Aphrodite’s name.

“Man, she got such a low-cut dress the cleavage would be heavenly if there were any,” Liam mumbled as I pushed him forward.

“Put your cock away and get your teeth healed,” I snapped at him in a low tone, trying to avoid any more attention. He grabbed my hand, pulling me with him as we were the first to stumble up to the Priestess. I noticed she turned her head slightly towards me before returning to Liam.

“Priestess, I request your grace in healing my teeth,” Liam stammered, shaking as she cupped his face with her left hand.

“My child, do you have anything to give in return for Aphrodite’s blessing,” she said, and I flinched again at the name, which Liam noticed.

“A thank you?” Liam asked nervously. She, of course, frowned, unamused by his poor offering.

“A silver coin?” I said, putting it in the woven basket next to her.

She slowly returned to her regular smile. “How did you lose your teeth, child?” The Priestess asked, not taking her blindfolded gaze from me since I tossed the coin in the basket.

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“The church was searching for Demons. Almost my entire village is missing their canines,” Liam said, looking like he was about to piss his pants at her touch or explode…

“Oh, my child, the church does no such thing anymore, I can promise you that,” she reassured, taking her other hand, placing it on his cheek before kissing his forehead. “you’re now blessed, my child, your sins are forgiven, and your body has returned to its purest form,” she stepped back, “next.”

A woman handed me a paper before we were pushed away by the knight standing around the Priestess. We walked back to the crowd while Liam continuously touched his jaw and teeth. He turned to me and smiled, “I’m normal!” he proclaimed, showing his magically restored canines with tears dancing on the edges of his eyes.

“Normal is a little stretch, but you look less goofy, yes,” I chuckled as we pushed through the crowd. Liam doesn’t stop touching his face the entire way to the edge of town. 

I stopped looking down at the paper the woman handed me, almost completely forgetting about it. “The divine tournament.”

“What?” Liam asked, tilting his head.

I held the paper up. “The speaker is of age, a tournament to determine a suiter so she can pass the divine blessing on.”

“Speaker?” Liam looked even more confused.

A frown fell over my face. “My goddess, Emma’s right—you’re retarded,” I replied, keeping my disappointment steady. “I know your mother told you about the speaker.”

“Hey now, I am just asking a question. I have plenty of smarts,” he rebutted, pointing to his forehead—I am unsure if he is trying to make a joke or not.

“You have air between your ears. That’s it.”

“Can you stop being a wanker and tell me what this means?” Liam pouted at me.

I let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “The speaker has come of age, and men will come from all over bloody Gaia to kill themselves over some woman’s vagina. She has the divine blessing of communication. She talks with the goddesses. They must pass it on. Got it?”

“Is she beautiful?” Liam asked as I rolled my eyes at his reply. Liam clearly only thought with one head, which was the wrong one.

“How would I know I haven’t travelled beyond this town?”

“I’m going to enter,” Liam declared with enthusiasm, and I grabbed him, dragging him back towards town. “What are you doing?” squirmed around.

I stopped, letting him go. “I’m asking the Priestess to fix your fucking brain. Did you miss the part about being killed?”

“Come on, Aries. Men have been dying for glory and cunt for ages!” Liam proclaimed as if he would change my mind with that mediocre response.

“So you think you can beat all those men?”

“I think I can!” Liam replied proudly, putting his hand on his hips.

“You stand maybe five foot ten. I have heard of giants close to eight feet from the snow valley.”

“Myths, and I bet I am faster than them,” Liam grinned, and I pinched the bridge of my nose, releasing an exasperated sigh before letting the paper flutter to the dirt road.

“Liam, drop it. Let’s go home,” I commanded, walking toward the cottage.

“You know Emma would stop having to whore herself out if we come in the top five,” Liam said, and I froze in place, turning around to him, overlooking the paper he had picked up.

“That was a dirty play.”

Liam glanced up from the handbill. “What? Do you think I enjoy knowing every cockhead in that town behind us has been inside my sis? Aries, I’m dumb, unskilled, and a burden to my sister. I could make it up to her.”

“Liam, you can’t win.”

“It’s not about winning. It’s about coming in the top five and Emma receiving the two million gold coins from us,” Liam responded sharply, acting like a man for once. I run my hands over my face, letting out a sigh.

“You’re doing this for Emma and not some random girl you don’t know.”

“I am doing it for Emma,” Liam said sternly.

There was a long pause between the two of us. “Shit!”

“What?” Liam looked confused at me.

“You know I have to join you. And Make sure you don’t die.”

A grin emerged from Liam’s new smile. “With the power of brotherhood, we will win,” he said, putting his hand up for a high five, and I turned around, continuing to the cottage, ignoring his hand in the air. I had agreed to go with him, but I was not happy about it.

“Wow, way to leave me hanging, brother,” Liam complained, jogging to my side.

We both are going to die.

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