40 Days Confinement
1606 Words
It was the same routine the moment I wake up alone on the huge bed of mine. Usually, both Heather and I would be sprawled with utmost unroyalty to the bed as we would find our best position to sleep on the thick, cushy mattresses.
Ever since Heather was in the infirmary for pre and postnatal care, I would laze about in bed for a while longer before I go and have my wash up and hurry over to the infirmary for breakfast.
I had insisted my breakfast to be sent there so the 4 of us would eat together during Heather's 40 days confinement. It was such a bore since the domain upstairs was quiet with only me around.
The end of the month was approaching and so it meant only 2 things — remunerations as well as the wrestling match that the residents were very much looking forward to.
The participants had already registered themselves a week prior to the matchup. There were 4 categories — singles, tag team, handicap and Royal rumble. But this time, a 30-minute exhibition match would be given to the group of Shadows that would be showcasing their mixed martial arts as well.
It's going to be an exhilarating one for sure...!
Works end at 3 in the afternoon that day and the arena was set up and made sure safety was prioritised in its building. The bamboo bleachers were reinforced so well that if those spectators were to jump about on it, it would just creak and not sway nor budge from its bindings and lashings.
The resident knew who are the ones that would be participating but no one would know the end results. As this was the first few rounds to determine who goes through the second round and or be picked for the handicap match, the wrestling event would be held from 5 in the evening right till about 9 or 10 in the evening.
So right after ending work, the residents gathered to receive their remunerations based on their induction intake as the earlier ones came to collect while the later ones went to have their shower or do about their business.
If they happened to miss their turn, they could always wait for a few more turns. Besides, everyone was getting their fair share of 5 silvers per person.
The plan for the matches would have an intermission every 2 or 3 matches for the residents to go and get their own drinks as well as snacks which were sold on the dining tables and benches all around the bleachers.
It was prepared beforehand and there were steamed peanuts, grilled corn on a cob, steamed buttered sweet corn in a cup and also grilled fish, skewered boar meat, venison, game meat and also the deep-fried fish fritters that were being distributed from Gracehaven's Greasy Spoon.
Frankly, during that evening itself, the Sales that the Gracehaven's Greasy Spoon had raked in was about 4 to 5 times they normally make in a night...!
The Shadows were up first in the 30 mins exclusive exhibition match where they were showing moves that only could be seen in a trapeze act...! There was unarmed combat with various mixed martial arts combined.
Everyone was delighted to see the Shadows in action as they thought the Shadows were only good in archery and guarding the premises. There were a lot of body slams, chokeholds, suplexes, acrobatic moves, mid-air moves and their agility were like cats on steroids...!
The exhibition fight ended and the children who were on the first front rows all wanted to be a Shadow member and asked their 'heroes' how they could be a member after this. And of course, the children were referred to Eagle and was given a lecture but was cut short when after the intermission, the first singles match commences.
5 referees were present to take over each match so they could rotate accordingly. Furthermore, the referees were made up of Shadow members and they could even take up a beating or two in case the wrestlers mistook the referees as their opponents.
All matches were being refereed except for the Royal Rumble that would be the main event for the evening where the first 2 wrestlers would go up and fight it out before another wrestler climbs in on the 3rd minute and followed by another one on intervals.
It was the first royal rumble to be the king of the ring and the first two wrestlers were a bit lost on what they had to do. When the crowd chanted, "Throw him out...! Throw him out...! Throw him out...!" only then the wrestlers knew that in order to stay alive and legal in the ring was to throw their opponent across the top rope only and onto the floor below.
The 'vendors' that were manning the tables filled with food were hawking their wares on the 3rd intermission onwards as the spectators were too engrossed in the match before them. If one were to hold a cup of buttered sweet corn, the next moment it would rain down on the spectators in front of him.
It was jovial fun and no one bothered about it. Its part and parcel of an exciting match before them and this little mess was considered as nothing. They could all have their showers after this and besides, this mess makes the event more exciting. Hahaha. Barbarians...
To make up the numbers for the Royal Rumble and to make it more exciting, the Top 10 from the singles match, handicap match and tag team match all were invited to take part in the no holds barred and free for all Royal Rumble to be the undisputed King of the Ring.
In total since there was an addition of a wrestler every 3 minutes or after one was immediately thrown off the top rope, the tiny squared circle was soon filled with 20 wrestlers and the more people the more rowdy and more messy the match was and the more the spectators love them...
It's either so many wrestlers against one as they tried to throw off their opponent or they became temporary allies and back being enemies after accomplishing their task.
The wrestlers were having a lot of fun on the ring and so does the spectators and luckily the ring did not fall apart nor did any mishap happened on the bleachers.
It was already past 10 and yet there are about 10 or more wrestlers on the ring and the referees decided to speed things up by playing a fool with the wrestlers. When a wrestler got to near the ropes, the referees on the ground would trip the legs of the wrestler and then pull him down to the ground. This does not disqualify the wrestler but it made the crowd laughed out loud instead.
There was a case when one wrestler was pulled done to the ground and the moment he stood on his feet, a bench was solved under his butt, while food and a mug of ale were offered to him and the referees sat next to the dumbfounded wrestler and pointed out and gestured to their ineffectiveness in wrestling.
When the wrestler took a swig on the ale and another wrestler in the ring had his attention suddenly diverted, he was immediately picked up by two wrestlers and thrown over the ring. The crowd went wild and laughed out loud once again.
Wrestling in Gracehaven... Is just an entertaining sport. There's no winners and loses and everyone just wanted to have a piece of release from all their hard work every month.
That's what it is folks, soon when it was close to 11 in the evening, the winner stands alone in the ring after he had somehow managed to throw off the opponent off the top rope and down to the ground.
The crowd were ecstatic as a crown, spectre and a robe (I found in my old chest which I don't think my old dad would wear them. It was like from some animal. Spotted cat-like predator fur.)
At last, the winner had been crowned King of the Ring as after the winner was hastily crowned, the referees knelt on both knees and threw their arms before themselves... It was so comical. The thing that I don't want them to do to us was practically done in the ring like they were worshipping the Sun God or something. Hahaha...!
Everyone chanted "King of the Ring... King of the Ring... King of the Ring..." as they clapped their hands and roared their chant. The winner of the match walked out of the ring and went aside when the referee announced a big thank you for the great support.
"Please remember, the winners of this month would be defending their championship belts and as for the King of the Ring, everyone would have a chance at it and the current King of the Ring had the right to defend it at all cost. Train hard and let us meet each other here again next month... Good night everyone...!"
When the event was concluded everyone cleared up that rubbish and helped to clear the bleachers and set them at their storage areas and dismantled the arena. By midnight the whole courtyard was cleared of any trace of a great arena but leaving the group of wrestlers that have their bragging rights for a while month...!
Yeah, that's right... Brag all you want for a month and then you would need to defend your title next month for sure.
- Writer
