All boys hide any worry in their faces as my group and I look at each other comforted by being close to one another. Once we face forward we meet eyes with the king as he dips his hand into a cheese.
"One… Two… Three…" The king looks left to right as whips clash with our young flesh. A few boys groan lowly and many find the strength to hold complete silence.
"One.. Two.. Three.." Another round releases on our backs as many begin to clench their teeth from the pain.
"One. Two. Three." The third round causes a few of the smallest to fall down with their Spartan tortures giving a look of shame on the boys. As the round goes by more and more fall. I need to win this, if I win this I'm not just a paide I'm Bomonike! This will greatly help me down the run I feel and even if I'm not able to attain it I at least hope one of my group can.
Another round flies out into the air and Georgios is the first of our group to fall as his still small body meets its breaking point.
Then Nero falls after another round leaving only 50 or so boys left. I look over and see Nikolaos barely hanging on but not showing any quit. Another round of whips comes through leaving now half of the 50 standing. The remaining boys all stand with towering stature and lean physiques. Nikolaos and I stand being the only paides in our class to be standing.
"Hey, you best not go down before me ya hear!" Nikolaos chuckles already being prepared for the next clash.
"Same thing to you psycho." I playfully say and for a second forgetting the stinging pain the whips have left.
The whips launch again and bring more boys to their knees with their backs bloodied and scarred. The pain rushes through my body as I crave to lay down in even the tough reed beds we have slept in for the past 5 years.
Finally, things trickle down to just 5 boys and the king orders us to all stand next to each other allowing him to focus on us 5.
One…
Two…
Three…
"Agh" I cry and fall to the ground in defeat. Losing my chance to eat with the king yet Nikolaos still stands. His posture softens after my defeat, perhaps losing some of his bravado.
Instead of staying quiet and watching my friend potentially lose due to his shake of being all alone I need to support him!
"Nikolaos, if you win I'll give you my rations." I lightly speak, allowing him to be the only one to hear.
"By Apollo, I will win" Nikolaos speaks and puffs out his chest seemingly asking to be whipped again. The king begins staring at Nikolaos leaving the both of them to start smiling.
"One… Two… Three…" Two more boys fall leaving only Nikolaos and the largest boy in the whole area still standing. The boy standing a foot taller than Nikolaos who himself is relatively tall. In the last 4 years, his normal height vanished as he rapidly grew into a human ox.
"If I want to, I can go all day!" The boy yells allowing the king to hear and Nikolaos begins laughing.
"And I can go all week you pig!" Nikolaos proudly exclaims, making the large boy groan and many boys laugh pointing out the larger figure the towering boy possesses. Even the king himself noticeably chuckles, Nikolaos will likely never let us forget what has occurred today.
Rounds begin flying left and right both being at the breaking point. Then Nikolaos begins to slip!
"Not now, not ever!" He screams and makes a forward lunge regaining his composure.
"Hey, he lost!" The large boy complains but to no avail as the king continues his steady countdown. The king stands now a few feet away from the two boys showing clear interest.
"One… Two… Three!" The last round flies out and the large boy tumbles into the ground. His back is covered in lashes as Nikolaos stays standing.
"Remember the rations, Damon! '' He cries out to me as I distanced myself from the competition as everyone else.
Nikolaos then takes his turn falling and the king awaits for him to stand. Yet Nikolaos stays on the floor with his eyes closed.
"What is this boy's name Eiren!" The king asks with a demand and Eiren Tobias quickly replies
"Nikolaos sir, the boy's name is Nikolaos."
"Nikolaos through the great courage I saw and the grand title you have received from it makes me inclined to say this… I want you to compete for my daughter's hand in marriage!"