"Sure! I'll go get Prolyta you two go and have fun!" Nikolaos runs away with a wink and Eupolis lightly chuckles.
"I never asked your name so like what is it?"
"Oh, I'm Damon, nice to meet you." I extend a handshake and she accepts and pulls me in. She then hooks her other arm underneath my shoulder throwing me onto the ground. "Hey, what are you doing!" I squirm underneath trying to escape.
"Your friend always talks about how skilled you are so I'm just testing you out." She begins to place me in a headlock placing her chest onto mine not allowing me to escape. Then again do I need to? It's highly unlikely I gain anything by showing her my capabilities since they aren't yet at an Olympic level anyway.
She finishes placing me into her headlock with a tight grip as I give up just enjoying my time on the ground relaxing. She looks at me with confused eyes and then looks me over.
"Ew, you pervert!" She jumps off me and I raise my eyebrows because I don't understand.
"What do you mean?" Her face turns red and she slaps me.
"You were enjoying yourself weren't you!" She reorganizes her skirt and places herself into her own arms.
"Well yeah?" Whatever I did must be a misunderstanding but she probably just needs to think it over. Plus I'm not even physically a teenager so I can't seem like a real threat.
She slaps me again, her face now befitting a tomato instead of olive skin. Nikolaos reappears with a girl standing almost a foot shorter than him.
"Damon! This is Prolyta and Prolyta this is Damon." The girl stands close to Nikolaos distances herself from me and waves. I wave back and Eupolia inches herself away from me giving a face of disgust.
"So what are we doing? Since you do know I'm supposed to be practicing my lyre Nikolaos." Prolyta looks up at the towering boy and he gives a kind chuckle.
"We are going to play a game.. A game of tug of war!" Nikolaos raises his hands and then runs away from view. We all look at each other confused until he eventually comes back with a large rope. He then places a tree branch directly in the middle of it.
"What are the teams?" Eupolia asks with her hands on her hips eyeing all of us.
"Eupolia, you and Damon will be on the same team while Prolyta and I will be on the same. Since I am the biggest and Prolyta is the smallest." Nikolaos gives a wink to me and Prolyta joins him on his side of the rope.
Nikolaos is many things but a homie blocker is not one of them. It's been over a decade since I have found someone attractive and that someone is the princess herself. I ideally would've wanted to marry her anyway even if she looked like a horse all to potentially help raise my legitimacy the day I launch my power play.
"Grab the rope, Damian!" Eupolia bends over picking the rope in front of me and I look down to pick my end. Nikolaos stands opposite too me holding his rope tight while Prolyta stands in front holding the rope with bent knees. Eupolia digs her feet into the dirt and I begin to wrap myself into the rope.
Tug of war is a very familiar game for Nikolaos and I as in the agoge we extensively played it. Our team was always prone to winning due to our leadership and everyone listening. Now at this very moment this very game I plan to win. Nikolaos has already beaten me with dirt in my eyes earlier and they still sting. I mustn't let my friend win again.
"Eupolia," I whisper and she turns her neck looking at me.
"What?"
"We tire them out by just throwing our weight backward and then once they start to give we pull on counts of 3." She nods at my request and then Nikolaos starts to smile.
"1… 2… 3!" Nikolaos yells and the game starts the opposing team immediately starts pulling. Nikolaos's team continuously pulls us hard as we bend back being dead weight.
"Pull Damon! Stop being scared!" Nikolaos yells as his teammate Prolyta grunts.
"Hell no Nikolaos! You already beat me once, not again my friend!" My competitive spirit shows as our line holds and their line shows visible sweat.
"What's a hell?" Eupolia breaks her silence with sweat falling down her toned arms from the hot sun.
"Yeah! What's a hell!" Nikolaos yells his breath and his voice now rugged.
"It's nothing! Eupolia we pull now! 1.. 2.. 3!"
We begin jerking the rope pulling it farther and further to our side. Until they eventually cross the line and Prolyta falls over the branch but Nikolaos jumps to fall under her. She lands in his arms and Nikolaos turns a slight hue of red.
"Are you okay Prolyta?"
"Yes Nikolaos"
They look each other in the eyes and I see Eupolia roll hers and she walks away to the house but then looks at me.
"Hey!" She shouts at me with her eyebrows inward.
"What?" Her face softens and she politely smiles.
"Good plan." Shen then walks away finishing her walk into the house.
"Damon!" I look over and see Xenophon exiting the house right after Eupolia entered.
"Yes sir?"
"It's time to go. Hopefully, you have had a bountiful time with your friend." I nod and we walk out to the front and retrieve our carriage. I ride the horses back to Xenophon's house as he sleeps through the ride.
I wake him up and he enters the house while I take the chore of handling the carriage. The horses lick me excessively as I group them back into their stable. Once I make it into the house I see everyone eating dinner and I join quickly eating my food to show my manners.
I enter my guest room I have become well acquainted with and lay down. Nikolaos is a good friend, his strength and now unyielding attitude in battle is a great blessing. His relationship with Prolyta is also advantageous if they get married and he supports me down the line. My power play for rule will garner more support within the Spartan social class.
"Wake up Damon today is time for you to properly train in wrestling!" Xenophon knocks on the wall and I exit the room. Today will be an important one!