Fireheart [Fanfiction - Alternate Universe]

Reliving Memories

[Header image of Elide Lochan]

Celeana's turn came back around in no time, and she was beaming for it. It was the last encounter of the night, and after such a short and boring first fight, she was eager to throw some punches and have some real competition.

Her opponent was the bulky bald man from the first match of the evening, and the same guard came over to get her.

"What did you mean before?" She asked him as they walked towards the platform. She had managed to cool her anger, and she was now mostly curious about what the guy had said.

He glanced at her through the corner of his eye, and then looked up to the audience, not answering her question. Celaena followed his gaze and was surprised to find a figure sitting in a dark corner, barely visible against the lights that were shining in front of her. From the curves of the body, she could tell it was a woman, but she couldn't see her face. There were two more security guards propped close to her, and Celaena couldn't help but wonder if that was her aunt. It had to be, right?

As she stepped onto the platform, she looked to the corner again, trying to see any further details, but the lights were right on her eyes, and she couldn't make up more than a silhouette. There was no doubt the woman had positioned herself right under the headlights on purpose, trying to be inconspicuous.

"You know the rules," the judge repeated. "Now, fight, make it fun," he finished.

Only a second later, her opponent was already on her, throwing a punch aimed straight at her face. She ducked under his arm and took a step to the side. He turned to face her again with another punch aimed at her jaw. He was too slow. She ducked, took a step to the side, and punched him on the pit of the stomach. He took a step back and charged again. He was slow, but he was solid, and she knew her punches wouldn't do much damage.

As he tried to take another jab with his right, she crouched and rolled to the left. She was on her feet in the blink of an eye, jumping on the guy's exposed back and trapping him in a headlock. His biceps were so big, that he struggled to try and get a grip on her. His arms flew around trying to catch onto something fruitlessly while Celaena kept squeezing.

The guy reached back and managed to grab her ankle, squeezing tight with one hand as he tried to reach her with the other too. She felt her ankle heat up, and pain wrapped around her leg. Her right arm was throbbing at the effort of being wrapped around the guy's thick neck, but she didn't let go, she squeezed tighter, ignoring the pain in her ankle. She knew how much damage that guy could do if he got another hand on her.

After a minute that felt like an eternity, her bicep almost cramping at the effort, her opponent finally stopped fighting her and dropped to his knees. She stood behind him, pushing the weight onto one leg, and released the lock slowly when his head lolled to one side. He slumped with a loud thump that resonated in the silent room. Once again, the crowd was mostly silent as the judge proclaimed her the winner.

She jumped down and walked towards the back, making sure not to show how much pain she was in. The guard was stepping on her heels, silent for the first few steps.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed behind her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, mate," she hissed back over her shoulder. The guy flinched, and shook his head, as if annoyed.

"I'm not your fucking mate," he said under his breath.

His green eyes were still digging a hole into her soul as she stepped into the back room. She watched him quickly walk away and trailed his steps as he made his way to the lady in the shadows. He nodded a few times, then shook his head and walked away from the woman. Celaena wasn't sure why she kept looking at him, but there was something intriguing about the guy and the way he seemed to be trying to warn her about something. There was something in his eyes that didn't match the place, like he didn't belong. And maybe that's what got her attention, because Celaena knew a whole lot about not belonging.