Furious with himself for believing and trusting someone like Jonghyun, Jinki spent the next fortnight in his quarters, refusing to come out for training. Even though he had been treated badly all these years, he had never been used, which had come as a stab to his male pride. He felt almost as big as a grain of sand and vowed not to touch his sword again until he got his revenge. In support of Jinki who had tried to help them, the rest of the gladiators had also stopped their training. Knowing that it was bound to irk the Emperor and his stooges but not caring what would happen to them for their defiance, they all stood together.

As a result of their little strike, it wasn’t too soon before Jinki was forced to have another one of Jonghyun’s visits. His eyes narrowed into slits as he hissed at his unwelcome visitor.

“What do you want now?”

“Why are you doing this, Jinki?”

“You know why”

“Please….just listen to me”

“Get out”

“Jinki, I really didn’t mean it”

“I said, get out”

“Isn’t there anything I can do?”

Now, this was a welcome suggestion, which was a chance for him to do what he wanted. A small smile curved his lips as he figured out what he could demand.

“How about a little match, then?”

“What do you mean?”

A cold shiver went down Jonghyun’s back as he realized what Jinki meant. He wanted a duel.

“You know what I mean, stooge”

“A….duel?”

“To the death. I don’t care if I die, but there’s no way I’d bow my head down to your emperor”

This wasn’t something Jonghyun ever thought he’d end up doing, but now that he had opened his big mouth, he had no choice but to comply with what was asked of him.

“I accept, but if I win, you’ll have to obey me”

“Agreed”

All Jonghyun could do now was hope that his war honed skills would help him win the match against Jinki. Of course, he wouldn’t kill Jinki as per the ancient tradition, but it would probably be fun to experience their star’s moves firsthand. After all, what Jinki didn’t know was the fact that Jonghyun had trained with gladiators when he was growing up, and still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Jinki, who hadn’t expected the famed Jonghyun to agree to his condition, was frankly rather stunned when he actually did. In any case, Jonghyun was in for a rude awakening and Jinki was more than prepared to show him who the boss truly was. After all, if he won this time, all of them would gain the freedom that had been promised to them and then rudely snatched away. This time, it wasn’t about any trophies or prizes, but it was about Jonghyun’s death. By God, Jinki would finally be able to feed his sword, which hadn’t tasted blood yet.

Their duel was set for a week later and had already attracted a lot of attention. For some unfathomable reason, the Emperor and his consort were going to watch them as well. As they all knew, Jinki thrived when he had an audience and this time would be no different.

As he trained with his army, Jonghyun couldn’t help but wonder if he had made a mistake by tangling with the best of the best. It would be very easy for him to lose everything he cared about unless he cheated. Being someone who completely abhorred the idea of any unfairness or foul play, this thought had really weighed in on his conscience, the more he considered it. It couldn’t be something he did himself. Instead, Jonghyun would have to make use of the gladiators, but who would be able to betray their ace? No, what he could do was set up some of his men, in the guise of gladiators who would exchange Jinki’s sword with a different one. Everyone knew that Jinki’s sword was a part of what made him such a good fighter, and that would be the first obstacle Jonghyun would create for him.

Jinki, utterly oblivious to Jonghyun’s sinister plan, had been the first one to enter the circle. Contrary to the usual matches, there were hardly any spectators. The commander obviously didn’t want the public to watch him receive the beating of his lifetime, which made complete sense. Grinning as he made up his mind to make Jonghyun feel like a fool, Jinki turned around, stunned, when he was asked to report for a security check. It was odd for his weapon to be checked so late, but what choice did he have? Furrowing his brow as he was subjected to a very embarrassing bout of checking, Jinki removed his armour and kept his sword aside. Once it was sure that there was nothing unusual about him, he was finally allowed to go back outside to the arena. As he stepped out, two foreign warriors bumped into him, making his sword clatter to the ground.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Here’s your sword back”

Whoever they were, they certainly did possess some manners, and if he had time, Jinki really wanted to stay and watch their fight, which seemed to be the one after his. Gripping his trusty sword, Jinki walked towards the middle, filled with confidence. Joined by Jonghyun clad in his armour, the two warriors nodded to each other before waiting for the one in charge to give out his call. Once the match had begun, Jinki lifted his sword with two hands and charged towards Jonghyun, intent on causing him a few injuries if possible. There seemed to be something that seemed out of the ordinary. Had he become weaker, or had his sword suddenly turned heavier? With barely any time to dodge Jonghyun and his sharp sword, Jinki had no time to wonder what had happened to him. All he could do was hop around and try to control himself in order to get back his strength and superiority. For all the fights he had won, this should be easy.

Jonghyun was enjoying watching Jinki struggle with the sword. In the blink of an eye, his men had been able to switch Jinki’s sword with a much heavier replica, but even now, he could only marvel at Jinki’s resolve to win. Using both his hands, Jinki was now wielding his sword like a Viking, using only his brute strength.

Those bulging biceps had certainly become a lot bigger due to Jinki’s constant training, and although Jonghyun had chosen to cheat, he had only managed to slow Jinki down rather than stopping him in his tracks entirely, as he’d originally intended.

Grunting as he moved around, Jinki advanced once again, with a steely glint in his eye as he watched his enemy like a hawk. Something seemed off about the smirk that curled the sides of Jonghyun’s mouth, which made him start to wonder if there was more to his seemingly new sword than met the eye. His agility had become hampered and he wasn’t able to move around as quickly as he usually did, but Jinki held onto his sword with both hands. After all, if either of them were disarmed, it meant that they’d lose their battle. Jonghyun had a lot that was coming to him, starting with Jinki’s revenge and ending with him begging for mercy while Jinki raised his sword for the kill. Hissing in pain as he felt his shoulder being slashed, for the first time ever, Jinki struggled to hold on to the sword.

Seizing his opportunity, Jonghyun sprang and started to attack Jinki, slashing his shoulder in the process. The blood that spurted out gave him a bit of a shock, he really thought it was just a small scratch. Seeing as he must have hit a major artery, Jonghyun felt it was time to end the fight so that Jinki could get that wound looked at, before he bled to death. Smiling wickedly, Jonghyun used up all of his strength to disarm Jinki in one single movement, thereby sealing his fate.

“I believe I’ve won, Jinki. Now go to the physician”

Sinking to his knees as he struggled to comprehend what had just happened, Jinki was oblivious to the blood that had started to pool around him. Gasping for breath, he tried to tell Jonghyun that the match wasn’t over, it was a fight to the death, but he couldn’t move a muscle. For the first time in history, Ares had lost. With this match, he had lost everything he believed in. As his eyes started to close, Jinki drew in a breath before he collapsed. The last thing he saw was the pity in Jonghyun’s eyes.

Jonghyun just stared at Jinki’s limp body for a minute, before carrying him to the physician. For three nights, no one was sure if Jinki would survive, as he had lost too much blood. Jonghyun stayed by his side, tirelessly running around and ensuring all the medicines were sent for and given to Jinki. He only left when he heard that the fever had subsided and that Jinki would be fine.

Jinki awoke, not knowing where he was anymore. The last thing he remembered was duelling with Jonghyun. Why was he in the infirmary, and why was his left shoulder bandaged? Sitting up and wincing at the pain that small action caused him, Jinki looked at the bed next to his, where an injured gladiator lay. Confused by the tears that glistened in the man’s eyes, Jinki couldn’t hold in his frustration any longer.

“What...happened yesterday? Do you know why I’m here?”

“Ares...you….didn’t win”

The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. He had jeopardized all of their futures along with his own, due to his carelessness. Hanging his head, he stared at the floor, ignoring the sound of the footsteps that approached him.

“So, champion Ares, how does it feel to have lost your first fight?”

Looking into Jonghyun’s smug face, Jinki felt all of his anger rise to the surface, and his hands itched to slap him senseless.

“I couldn’t have lost”

“You did, and as per our agreement, you’re my slave from now on”

Although this was honestly his worst nightmare come to life, Jinki knew that he had lost, and was forced to honour the deal they had made. Swallowing his revulsion, he looked at the floor as he nodded slowly. Although he had once been saved from this type of life, he now had no other choice. After all, he would have certainly kept up his part of the deal, by teaching Jonghyun a lesson.

“Follow me, my slave”

Unable to hide the smirk on his face, Jonghyun started to walk away, knowing that Jinki would obey. For all of his anger and stubborn qualities, Jinki was loyal, and it was this quality that made him all the more irresistible. Once they reached his home, a rather large house for just one person, Jonghyun showed Jinki around the place. After all, this was to be his new home from now on.

Jinki couldn’t help but feel revulsion, even though his quarters here were a lot better than what he was accustomed to. Now, he was expected to cook and clean for Jonghyun. He was a gladiator, not some kept woman. With fire burning in his eyes, Jinki gritted his teeth and picked up a broom for the first time in years. Just the feeling of Jonghyun standing and watching him work annoyed Jinki, and made him want to hurl something towards him. Smiling to himself as he wondered how good the commander’s reflexes were, Jinki pretended to stumble, and effectively threw his broom at Jonghyun, who caught it instantly.

“Watch your temper before it hurts you, Jinki. As a punishment for trying to attack me, you will sleep on the floor of the larder. Without dinner”