20 The Demonstration of Power

On the 15th of August 275 AC the colosseum was packed to the limit. The people of Lys were celebrating and cheering as the opening fight was nearing.

Victor was present on the balcony with his parents, as the representatives of House Di Natale. He was surrounded by many figures that would decide the fate of Westeros in the next thirty years. The duo of Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark. Brynden Stark and the following of the Riverlands. Jamie and Kevon Lannister with many nobles from the west of Westeros.

Mace Tyrell and many representatives of the Reach. They were seated as far away as possible from Oberyn Martell and the noble families of Dorne. You could feel the tension and excitement between the many different interest groups of Westeros. Even the powerful people of the free states, who normally feared nothing in Essos, except maybe the Dothraki, were very careful in their speech and manners as they could feel the tension in the air.

Everybody quieted down a little as the announcer of the colosseum appeared on the stage. 

"Ladies and gentleman, lovely people of Lys, tonight we are here to witness history, to witness a spectacle of iron and blood and to witness the birth of a new legend. Whoever will stand at the end of the night will become the new hero of the arena!"

The nobles, people of Lys and especially the gladiators in the catacombs were excited. They didn't expect that the price of todays event was freedom. An exciting story way brewing for the viewers and an astonishing reward was expected by the gladiators. The killing intent in the waiting rooms grew thicker by the second. Everybody was wary of eachother, red eyes and bloodlust brewing in their minds.

Even the disciplined and calm Eddard Stark was affected by the emotions within the colosseum. The athmossphere was electrifying. Many people were starting to place bets and the nobles didn't want to miss this excitement. But Oberyn didn't participate this year, as Victor suggested him to keep a lower profile in the future. You don't need to show your edge all the time to be intimidating.

Meanwhile the announcer continued:

"To showcase the skills and glory of the peak gladiators and to tell you what to expect of the future champion the first fight will be something extremely special. Many friends will meet a memory that they could never forget even if they wanted to. A person synonymous with the number one gladiator, a true hero.

He will set an example for all the gladiators that follow today. Fighting a handicap match versus two gladiators of the House Tyrell of Westeros.

Please welcome to hero of the arena, Attilius Di Natale!"

As they people of Lys were screaming their lungs out and even Robert Baratheon was getting extremely excited, the doors on the left side of the colosseum were slowly opening. Attilius, wearing a new armor with the coat of arms of the Di Natale family, a golden eagle spreading his wings in front of a laurel wreath, was slowly walking to the middle of the arena, carrying two short swords on his bag. Two years ago Attilius was just a unimposing youth. Two years later he was not only the hero of Lys, but also a father, a husband and a member of the noble family Di Natale. His aura was breathtaking and even the nobles of Westeros were in awe of the mighty warrior. Mace Tyrell was really regretting his idea of regaining honor for house Tyrell by challenging the former hero of the arena. He was offering 5000 Golden Dragons to make this fight possible. Victor forwarded this offer to Attilius who instantly agreed. Reminding everyone in the Known World of his greatness, killing two gladiators trained in Westeros and putting a noble family in his place. He would do that even without earning such a large amount of money.

As the door of the opposing side of the arena was opening two extremely large men could be seen. They were both close to 2,10 meters in height, arms as thick as large tree trunk and looking as heavy as a bear. Both carrying a large hammer in their hands.

After a short moment of astonishment Attilius burst out laughing in the middle of the arena. He was really amused. The same could not be said about Mace Tyrell. The voice inside the colosseum was getting smaller and smaller, only the laughter of Attilius was being heard. At the same time Mace Tyrells head was slowly starting to turn red and blue. The next moment Oberyn couldn't help himself and started a laughing frenzy as well, followed by all the nobles of Lys, as they all knew that Attilius greatest strength was his speed and agility. Using two large bears in human form carrying heavy hammers was really the worst decision one could make when facing Attilius on the sand of the arena.

The two gladiators were furious. They have never been insulted like that in front of thousands of people and in front of all the noble families of Westeros and Essos. They stormed towards Attilius leaving heavy footprints in the sand. Attilius avoided the warhammers elegantly and left two wounds on their angles, one for each of the men. It took them nearly a second to just turn around after their sprint, as they weight of the warhammer kept dragging them forward.

The masses started clapping and the 13 year old Robert Baratheon was drinking down his glass of wine in one go, red liquid dripping down his chin. Attilius kept toying with the opposing gladiators, leaving small wounds on their body. Blood was spiling out of the many small holy, drenching the two figures in red. After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality were only a couple of minutes two bloody red figures were kneeling in front of the crowd in the middle of the arena. The sand below them slowly changing colour, red as the sky over the colosseum. The whole world seemed like changing colour and the people of Lys could no longer contain their excitement. Slowly the cheers turned into a single word.

"Death! Death! Death!"