"You know how badly we need to win right?" Phibi asked me on our way to lunch hall.

"Um... yes," I replied, while I untied my lunch sack off my belt. I opened my lunch sack to find I had corn that we grew in the fields along with a slice of bread. The usual.

"I am so excited for the games! Aren't you?" Phibi rambled.

"She is, Phibi," I turned my head to find Drake. Him and Lynx sitting down at the table, followed a second later by Oara, Lux, and Lyrra, "We all know team Thundervile is going to win," Drake said as he winked at me.

"Are you sure about that?" Mira said as she walked over and put a hand on the table. "I'm pretty-sure my team is going to win. Go team Scaleneburg!" She yelled. All of a sudden, a lunch table yelled the same words.

I sighed, "When are you going to learn the truth, Mira? It's a shame people are giving you false facts," Oara nodded in agreement then got up and snapped her fingers in Mira's face.

"Alright..." She said as she glanced at Drake, "Tell you what... I am looking for another team member. How about we settle this the right way after school?"

"Fight?" I asked.

"You know it... and if you lose... Drake has to join the Scaleneburg's," She said smirking and staring at Drake.

"What?" Our entire team asked in unison.

"What's wrong? Scared you'll lose?" Mira teased.

"Challenge accepted." Drake said as he stood up from his chair and extended his arm, "And if you lose... you have to drop out of the Bellum Games."

"Deal." She said her voice a little to cheery... They shook hands and Mira went back to her lunch table as Drake sat down.

"Are you crazy?" I yelled at him once he sat down.

"Relax," He said as he took a bite of his bread.

But we both knew I wouldn't.

We went back to class after lunch, learning about dodge techniques. I was dreading after school. What if we lose? What if—

"What's wrong?" Drake whispered while reading his textbook.

"What do you think?" I yell whispered.

"Class dismissed. See you tomorrow apprentices!" Our teacher called. Me and the rest of the class walked outside. I pulled Drake aside.

"What the heck is wrong with you?" I yelled at Drake. "What if... what if we lose? What if you have to join the Scaleneburg's? Don't you ever think sometimes?" I screamed as I slapped him in the face. He rubbed his cheek.

"Yeah... I thought about that..."

"Did you? Because what it looks like is that—"

"Come one, come all! Scaleneburg vs. Thundervile!" Mira yelled while banging a sword on the bench outside.

Everyone came to watch.

"Are you ready, Cara?" Mira asked as a wicked grin spread across her face. I looked at Drake.

"She's about to be... I am going to help her pick out her weapon," Drake said as Mira gave an approving nod. Then, we walked inside to the weapon library. Instead of reading a book we would observe every millimeter of a weapon. I reached for a sword, but once I put my hand on it, Drake's hand rested calmly on top of it. I turned to face him just as I felt tears in my eyes.

"Drake... what if I lose?" I asked. Keeping the tears back was getting harder, but I managed.

Drake stepped millimeters away from me and whispered in my ear. "I never expected the person I'm in love with to always win... but to always try." He closed my hand around the handle of the sword and together we pulled it off the wall. "That's all I'm asking." He said as he kissed me on the cheek.

I nodded, gave him a hug, then walked outside with him right behind me.

"Ready?" Mira asked.

"Ready to fight, stay fighting, and be fought!" I yelled in my most confident voice. Team Thundervile cheered.

Drake smiled and nodded.

"Alright then... Drake, you announce when to fight," Mira said as me and her clanged our swords together.

"Ready... Fight!" Drake yelled. "Go Cara!" He screamed as the rest of my team shouted the same thing, banging sticks on trees, making as much noise as possible.

I made the first move.

I lunged my sword toward her, but she ducked under the blade and kicked me back, her medal boots colliding with my armor. I slid on the dirt, but didn't fall as I charged at full speed, tackling her to the ground. She punched me in the face with her metal glove and kicked me back. I rolled on the ground, but immediately got back into a fighting stance. She did the same thing. At the same time, we ran and collided our swords together pushing against them, trying to knock each other to the ground. But something I never thought would happen... happened.

She whispered in my ear, "He's mine."

I screamed and shoved her to the ground, forcing her blade to inch slowly toward her neck. All of a sudden, hands pulled me back, slamming me into the dirt and I knew it wasn't Mira.

"Hey, what the—" I started but my sentence got cut off when someone slammed my head to the ground.

"Mira, what are you doing?" Drake screamed. I looked at the corner of my eye seeing hands pulling him back.

"Oh... I'm just winning," She said as hands all around me had me pinned to the ground. Mira crouched down and pulled out a dagger from her pocket, "I hope you remember this moment for the rest of your life," She said.

"This is against the rules. Your teammates can't help you!" I yelled struggling and failing to get out of their grip.

"Sorry, Cara but... I'm pretty-sure the rules were fight, stay fighting, and be fought," Mira said as she inched the dagger toward my eye, "And you are about to be fought... Remember this moment... when I take your man, your career... and a little blood as a trophy," She then put the dagger above my eyebrow and ran it down my face. I screamed as she slowly, pulled it down to my cheek. She then lifted the dagger off my face and held my face in her hands then shoved it to the ground.

"Drake, you may say your goodbye's, but as of tomorrow... you are a Scaleneburg," Mira said then nodded at someone pinning me down and all of them left. Leaving me on the ground with a bloody face.

"CARA!" Drake screamed as the Scaleneburg teammates let him go. He crouched down over me and lifted my face in his hands. "Oh Cara..."

I started crying.

Usually its blood, sweat, and fight the tears. But I've never felt so vulnerable. I grabbed the bottom of Drake's shirt that stuck out underneath the armor and wiped the blood off... and wiped some tears on it. He cradled me in his arms as our team ran to get a battle ready first aid kit. "I am so proud of you," He whispered. I said nothing as he picked me up and carried me back to the village. He left a note in the dirt saying where they were going for my teammates.

He knocked on my house door, "Mr. and Mrs. Villingsvy!" He yelled at the door. My mom opened it.

"Drake what—" She gasped and opened the door all the way and let him in. "What happened?" She asked.

"Long story. Do you have wound cleaning supplies?" He asked.

"Of course. Take her to her room. I'll be there in a couple minutes." She said as her tone grew frantic.

He walked into my room and gently placed me on my bench. I held my hand over my eye and let the sobs escape. The sobs only made my eye hurt more which caused me to cry harder. Drake sat on the bench and pulled me into him, "It's gonna be okay..." He murmured.

"I'm here," My mother said. "Honey, I need you to move your hand..." She gently grabbed my wrist and lowered it onto her lap. She then grabbed a cloth and gently pressed it on my face. I sucked in air through my teeth, Drake then rubbed his hand up and down my arm. A comforting reminder he was there.

For now.

After my mother cleaned my wound and Drake left, I was alone in my room with a bandage around half of my face. I sat staring out my window next to my bed. The rain drops rolled down the window. I turned away and walked over to my bench and sat right where Drake did. A tear rolled down my cheek and fell on the bench. Words from that day circling round and round in my head.

He's mine...

I hope you remember this moment for the rest of your life...

When I take your man...

Your career...

A little blood as a trophy...

But the words circling in my mind the most were words that weren't Mira's words... but Drake's. The words that would defeat her horrid words any day. The words that made me decide to always try... no matter what... no matter what scars people give me. I took off my bandage and looked at myself in the mirror, remembering the most powerful words I had ever heard.

I've never expected the person I'm in love with to always win... but to always try.