The Fallen Star

Chapter 5: Grindles Games

Dust flew outside the children’s home as boys and girls alike clashed with staffs of wood. The games occurred once a month; a display of skill and a way to allow all the kids to compete in a sport and get better. These games had been officially dubbed ‘Grindle’s Games’, after the headmistress, Grindle. 

   The games went all day and consisted of three different challenges. These challenges changed month to month depending on the weather. This month, the games were stick fighting, an obstacle course, and a swimming race.

   At the moment, Elisa was fighting a boy around Ilben’s age of fourteen. They were fighting back and forth inside the ring–a boundary of sticks–and neither could gain the upper hand. 

   The boy was more muscular than her, but she had a life of grit and a year on him, making the match relatively even. Finally, however, Elisa roared and lashed out. She feinted toward his gut, before snagging his legs from under him and sending him to the ground with a thud!

   Scattered applause sounded from the crowd, as most had wanted the boy–Tury–to win. Elisa smiled though and stepped off, effectively making it to the top ten out of one-hundred or so kids.

   The next matchup was Conner (one of Lervstoes cronies) versus a kid Ilben didn’t know. It was a good match, but Conner came out on top, much to Ilben’s displeasure.

   Then Owain defeated his opponent, Lerstoe beat his enemy, and finally it was Ilben’s fight. If he won, the finals would be Elisa, Conner, Owain, Lerstoe, and himself.

   It had been ten months since Ilben had been taken from his home, and it hadn’t gotten better as far as the feeling of it all. It did, however, get easier to rise above the pain and continue on with his life.

   So he stepped forward to meet his opponent, Joseph. Ilben took a deep breath, and readied his staff. Gerchin, who was reffing the matches, lowered a staff of her own, and then raised it to signal the start.

   Ilben steeled himself as the other boy shot toward him in a burst of speed. His father had once told him after he had gotten in a fight with a village boy: ‘When you are outmatched, you want to take a defensive stance. Let the better fighter wear down, and then strike! It only takes one hit to finish it, Ilben.”

   That is what he did. The other fighter came at him with a series of blows, and Ilben just focused on defending. Whack! Whack! Smack! Each block sounded over the other hundred children.

   But even with what Ilben knew, this kid was just better than him. The boys fought through Ilben’s guard, wrapped his knuckles, and hit him square in the chest, sending him tumbling onto the ground.

   He was humiliated. He had given his all, tried to be smart, and this kid beat him with just seven hits exchanged.

   The crowd was loving it. They cheered the winner, and booed Ilben. Lervstoe howled with laughter, making ‘cry baby’ faces. Ilben got up and cursed himself and the stupid home, and went to stand with the rest of the crowd.

   Next up was Lervstoe versus Elisa. The battle started slowly, with the two just exchanging blows, but Lervstoe gave her a kissy face and she lunged at him with a primal scream. The boy laughed like a maniac and dodged. 

   The two of them stared at each other for a second before they met in a clash once again. This time, Lervstoe hit her with two consecutive hits to the leg and shoulder, sending her tumbling. 

   The crowd cheered again, and Owain ran out to Elisa. He helped her up and stared Lervstoe down. 

   “I’m going to beat you,” Owain said.

   “We’ll see about that!” Lervstoe said with an evil grin.

   Rivalries would have to be put on hold, though, as the next matchup was Conner and the kid that had beaten Ilben. Conner was quickly defeated. Then the losers of the first two fights fought, and Conner–who had beaten Elisa–was set to fight Lervstoe. 

   The next battle was Owain and the random boy(who’s name they had figured out was Teran). Owain came out with a vengeance, ready to move on and maybe fight Lervstoe. Even with his vigor, though, it was hard fought.

   His fellow combatant was a whirl of blows, but he wasn’t patient. Owain knew he could use that against him. The two young men battled back and forth around the ring, kicking up dirt and clods of grass.

   After around five minutes exchanging blows, Owain dealt a strong blow to Teran’s chest, sending him sprawling. A loud cheer went up from the crowd, as Owain was popular with most of the kids in the home.

   Next up was Lervstoe and Conner. Although they were of the same brood of snakes, Lervstoe showed no mercy. In less than a minute, Lervstoe had beat Conner onto his back, where he lay groaning.

   The final match would be Lervstoe and Owain.

   Owain was drenched in sweat. Before the final match, they were allowed a rest, and Owain was ever grateful. His heart was pounding and his throat parched from lack of water during the tournament. 

   He was ready for this fight; he would beat his cocky enemy. As he sat on the resting bench, Elisa and Ilben ran up to him.

   “You ready for this?” Ilben asked him.

   Owain shook his head. “I’ll make him pay for the way he has scorned us.”

   Ilben grinned. “That’s my guy. Kick his narcissistic arse.”

   “You got this Owain,” Elisa said. “Avenge us.”

   Owain mustered a smirk. “Thank you, guys, I appreciate it.”

   With that, he stood up and grabbed his staff.

   Lervstoe sauntered into the ring. “I hope you don’t mind humiliation, Owain.”

   “Funny, I was going to say the same thing,” Owain replied.

   “You have a lot of spunk for a nationless miscreant,” the other boy sneered.

   “After this, we’ll figure out who the miscreant is.”

   “Enough jabber, boys, prepare for the fight,” Gerchin snapped.

   Owain took a deep breath and readied himself. On the count of three, they would fight. Time seemed to slow as Gerchin counted, and then she raised the stick.

   They rushed at each other like mad bulls. They were closely matched physically, with roughly the same strength and height. However, Lervstoe had a year on Owain and was slightly taller and faster… but not enough that he had a clear advantage.

   So the fight continued on like no other battle that day. The two rivals clashed again and again, neither seeming to get the upper hand. The tide turned, though, when Lervstoe kicked Owain in the groin, and slammed his stick into Owain’s back. 

   Owain stumbled and felt the pain hit him. He clenched his teeth as he fought it off and raised himself up. 

   Lervstoe smiled. “Sorry, but I think we know who is superior between us.”

   Faster than the boy could react, Owain struck. His staff hit his nemesis hard on the cheek and he cried out in pain.

   “You’ll pay for that you fool,” Lervstoe hissed. 

   Lervstoe struck and batted away Owain’s weapon. Owain was sluggish now, and in pain. In three strikes, Lervstoe hit him twice, and then once on the head, knocking him to the ground.

   Owain had lost.

   “Ha, vermin!” Lervstoe raised his arms as the crowd cheered.

   Owain got up, humiliated and ran off the field to where his friends waited.

  They rushed out to meet him and help him over to a bench.

   “I’m sorry Owain. If I could, I’d run that bastard through myself!” Ilben growled.

   “Guys, calm down. There are still two more competitions today,” Elisa said.

   Owain scowled. “Yeah, but the tournament is the one everyone wants to win,”

   “Debatable. I think the obstacle course is the most impressive,” Ilben added.

   Owain grimaced as his head flaired with pain. “Also, I won’t be competing in the rest of them as I am in too much pain.”

   Ilben cursed. “It’s up to us then, Elisa.”

   It was the mid-afternoon when the swimming began. In the large river next to the lodge, thirty children gathered. Since most children did not know how to swim, only thirty kids would participate. The top fifteen swimmers would then compete in the finals where the winner would be chosen.

   Ilben stepped into the water ready to swim, and Elisa jumped into the water next to him and he glanced over. He immediately turned away, his face bright red. He knew they were just swimming, but he couldn’t help but notice her lack of dress. 

   He knew it was foolish–he took off his shirt all the time. But, it was frowned upon when girls did it, and the speculation only served to draw more attention when it happened. She still wore a cover for her chest area, so he shouldn’t be looking at it as if it were wrong.

   Whatever the case, he turned his focus from her as the race readied to begin. 

   A few swimmers over, Lervstoe cackled. “Where is Owain, Ilben? Too scared to face me after I humbled him?”

   Rage boiled inside Ilben. “I don’t need him to win for me, Lervestoe, I can beat you easily.”

   Their banter was cut short as Gerchin yelled from the shore. “Ready!” all the swimmers prepared. “Set! Go!”

   Immediately, Ilben launched forward with powerful strokes. He ignored the people around him and plowed through the water with a skill among the best there. 

   However, he began to slow down when he remembered he only had to be in the top fifteen. He could conserve his energy for the second race, and have a better chance at winning. To his right, Ilben saw that Elisa had the same strategy. So when the first race ended, they were still in the top fifteen.

   The hard part had just begun though. They were allowed a short rest, and then the last part of the challenge was ready.

   The final fifteen gathered in the water, and Ilben recognized Teran, Lervstoe, Elisa, and Tury among them. He took a deep breath. All of these people were among the more talented children in the home. He could do this.

   All too soon the race started. Ilben shot out ahead and focused on nothing else. He swam with everything he had, cutting through the water like a knife through paper.

   Somehow, despite all his effort, Elisa was leading the pack. She gracefully streaked through the water like someone who had swam since a very young age.

   Ilben glanced back and found that he and Elisa were well ahead of everyone else. He hadn’t even considered having to battle the girl for the win! Ilben grimaced. I wanted it to be Lervstoe so I could get back at him, but Elisa is better competition, and that’s what I want.

   They had reached the last leg of the swim, and Ilben put on the jets. His legs and arms were burning with pain, and his breath was short from exertion. He could see where one of the children from the home stood with a flag, signaling the finish line. Elisa was barely ahead of him, and if he could just… No. Ilben groaned as he passed the finish line a second before her. Elisa climbed out of the water and shook her auburn hair out.

   “Better luck next time, Ilben,” she said with a wink.

   

   Ilben lay on a bench in the lodge, relaxing before the last challenge. Due to the taxing competitions before the obstacle course, all the children were given an hour's rest to change, eat, and relax. 

   He was now wearing a dry pair of breeches, and a short-sleeved tunic. The obstacle course was the hardest challenge of them all. Ilben had only done it once, a couple of months earlier in spring. It had been one of the hardest things he had ever done.

   It started out with a dive into the river, and the contestant would swim to the shore point. Then you ran up the little hill to the main ground and climbed a wooden wall. After that, you balanced on a beam, ran with a log, and battled your way through two people who would try and stop you. Finally, you jumped over a pit, and tagged your teammate. 

   Every team consisted of three members. Each team chooses someone to start, and when they finish they have to tag the next person. The same thing happens, and at the end, your team's clock ends with the last person.

   Then the top three winning teams are presented, and the top five individual times are given.

   It was going to be tough.

   Nonetheless, Ilben got up and went looking for his teammates. Elisa was the first, but they needed a third. Ilben thought for a second. Who was good, and also someone he could be on a team with? Obviously Lervstoe and most of his ilk would be good at the course, but they were all the worst-of-the-worst. 

   Then he realized. Teran! The boy was relatively new to the children’s home, but was a good fighter and had great physical attributes.

   So Ilben told Elisa and they went to look for him. They found him sitting in the dining room, eating a piece of stale bread and cold soup.

  “Hey there, Teran,” Ilben called.

   The boy looked up. “What is it? Ilben, right?”

   “Yes, and, do you have a team for the course?”

   “No, I wasn’t planning on doing it,” Teran replied.

   “Well, we need a third team member if you would join us,” Elisa said.

   His face broke into a smile. “Why of course I would!”

   So it was settled and the three of them went outside for the final competition of the day. Outside, some twelve teams stood for the obstacle course.

   Gerchin raised her voice so everyone could hear. “As most of you know, the obstacle course is the most physically taxing of the games. It requires strength, endurance, will, and teamwork to win.”

   She then explained the rules and how the course worked. 

   Finally, she ended by saying: “Now that we know what the deal is, we will line up in our respective teams, and go team by team. You will be timed by this pocket watch,” she said as she pointed to a small object. “And the winners will be named at the end.”

   After she finished, all the teams lined up near the river, waiting in nervous anticipation for what was to come. 

   All too soon the competition started and Ilben watched as three teams went before his. None of them were very talented, and Ilben did not really worry about losing to them.

   When it came for his team’s turn, they decided Elisa would go first, then Teran, and Ilben last. 

   Elisa stood there, anxious for the yell that they were to begin. When it came, she dove into the river and swam with a fervor she hadn’t swam with even in the swimming race. 

   In seconds she was out of the water and running up the hill. She leapt up and grabbed the top of the wall before hurtling over. Putting on a burst of speed, she sprinted for the balancing beam. As she jumped on, she teetered, and then managed to get across safely. Then she reached down and grabbed the log, stumbling under the weight as she ran. Then she reached the drop point and was off.

   Finally, she was met by two girls who grabbed her and held her for a few seconds before she shoved them aside and leapt over the pit. She stumbled the last length and tagged Teran before flopping to the ground.

   Teran ran the course at an extremely consistent pace. He swam at a manageable speed, dashed up the hill, jumped up and climbed over the wall with ease. Seconds later, he lithley pranced over the balancing beam, hefted the log onto his shoulders and jogged toward the drop point.

   When he reached the two girls, he struggled through their hold and easily jumped the distance of the pit before tagging Ilben.

   Ilben had never tried so hard at anything in his life. He dove into the water and felt its cool embrace as he stroked faster than he thought he could. When he had ran up the hill, he jumped, and in one fluid motion grabbed and vaulted over the wall.

   Already his arms felt dead, but the adrenaline kept him going. He quickly ran over the beam, and grabbed the log. The weight of the log on his dead arms weighed him down, but he struggled forward and reached the spot to set it down.

   At last, he saw the girls ready for him, but he just dodged quickly around them and ran to tag Elisa, which would end their time.

   When he tagged her, he stopped running, and it hit him. A wave of fatigue and weariness fell on him instantly. He felt lightheaded and slumped onto the ground to rest. He lay there for what felt like days before Elisa was there shaking him.

   “Ilben. Ilben!”

   “Huh? What?” he mumbled.

   “The results are in, you’ll want to hear.”

   Ilben groaned and sat up. He felt like crap. His whole body felt like it was weighed down by a ton of bricks. Even so, he rubbed his eyes and watched as Gerchin came to stand in front of the teams.

   “I just want to start by saying good job to all of you who participated,” the housekeeper began. “Now, we will start with teams first and go on to individuals next. In third place for teams is Jako, Markis, and Bailey!”

   The rest of the teams clapped appropriately.

   “In second place is Conner, Lervstoe, and Jason!”

   Raucous cheers sounded from the crowd. Second place was not good enough for Lervstoe, however, and he was scowling.

   “And in first place is… Elisa, Teran, and Ilben!”

   A few claps showed the measly support they had. It didn’t matter to Ilben, and he gave a sarcastic wave to Lervstoe.

   “Yeah, enjoy it while you can! We’ll see who has the best personal time,” Lervstoe said.

   Right on cue, Gerchin began. “So, for the individual times, I would like Lervstoe Cotnsky, Luke Hergt, Jason Orin, Ilben Hooch, and Bailey Lidiso to come forward as the top five. I will now rank them appropriately. In fifth place: Jason Orin!”

   The crowd cheered and she continued. “Next, in fourth place is Luke Hergt!”

   Again, the crowd cheered and she continued. “In third place: Bailey Lidiso!”

   It had come down to the top two–Ilben and Lervstoe. Who would place first? The crowd waited with bated breath. 

   “In second place, losing by just one second, is Lervstoe Cotnsky!”

   Half the crowd cheered, while the other half was angry he wasn’t first. Lervstoe himself cursed and glared at Ilben with pure hate.

   “Quiet down! Quiet down! In first place is… Ilben Hooch!”

   The teams cheered half-heartedly and some even booed. Ilben just walked by Lervstoe with a smile. “Pride comes before the fall,” he said.