Prologue

The crowd is louder than ever. The arena is packed this year, and it's difficult to sneak in. Luckily, Harito and Varys, who is consider to be Harito's best friend, know about the slightly cracked wall that has a hole just big enough for the two of them to crawl through.

They're able to make it to the middle section of the arena. Trying to get front row seats would be too risky, as nobles tend to have that area reserved and they might run into a guard whom usually asks to see their tickets. The middle seats are crowded and provide anonymity. They also provide a decent enough view of the tournament. The middle and top sections don't have assigned seating; they're designed more like areas for the masses to watch. Even though there are a few benches, most of them are old and broken. A few people bring their own wooden stools to sit or stand on, and fathers have their children on their shoulders so they can see. just as the pre-tournament ceremonies are about to begin. Music is being played…there's also dancing and horse tricks providing entertainment to the crowd.

Harito always finds the pre-tournament events to be Boring and just wants to get to the good stuff "Enough of this shit! I want the fighting to begin!" said Harito

"Calm down, just enjoy the scenery and wait for the action to start in a few minutes." said Varys

After several minutes, a horn blasts to signify that the first match is about to begin. Harito stands up on his toes and strain to see the arena floor. Walking in are two teams, each wearing garb and shields from their respective castles. The team on the left have sigils of griffins with black-and-white patterns, while the team on the right has sigils of horses with brown colors. They're about to do combat with wooden swords, clubs, and staffs. Varys decides it's a good time to make a bet with Harito; it's a game they often play with each other, even though neither of them have a coin to pay the other. Varys is kind enough to let Harito take first pick of the teams.

"Ok, ok, I pick the ones on the left, the Griffins" Harito exclaims with excitement.

Another horn sounds, and the men from the right side, the Horses, charge. Harito noticed the left side, the Griffins, charge as well, but they're much more organized and make sure they stay close together. They soon form a semi-circle facing the enemy. When the right side charges, one of the eager aggressors runs further ahead than his comrades.

He quickly engages in combat with the left defenders and finds himself surrounded. He's quickly put down. The fighting continues until only one side remains standing, which happens to be the left side, the Griffins. Two of their men have fallen, but all in all, they're mostly intact. A few watchers boo; this is certainly one of the quicker arena battles Harito and Varys have ever seen.

Usually, it's chaotic, with men having individual duels throughout the arena. People often want to make a name for themselves, as this is the most common way to get into the single matches. It seems the left team decides to use a different strategy instead. Harito find the Griffins to be Boring, as the battle ended too quickly

"Aww, I wanted to see some more fighting!" Harito complained, Varys was looking at Harito like some kind of idiot.

In truth, winning wasn't really the point of the team battle. Both sides are compensated well; what really matters is that the crowd is entertained. It's supposed to be a disorganized brawl to get the crowd excited for the main event. By making it a quick fight, some of the people are disappointed. Perhaps the Griffins didn't know this, or didn't care. There's a brief intermission before the main event. Vendors walk around selling food and trinkets. A couple of fights break out on the top stands, which results in a small detachment of guards being sent to break it up.