I sat in the warm waiting room, holding my silence in my mouth. I grasp my helmet as the roaring crowd outside cheers for me. It was about to be an ultimate fight, and seeing as I am the champion of tournaments in my home kingdom, they suspect a good fight. The opponent is unknown to me, and I have never seen their face or heard their voice. Footsteps approach from the corner, and the referee then appears. He swings past the pillar and leans on the wall. He crosses his arms and says, "How are you feeling?". I turn to him in silence; after the hundreds of battles I have fought in a week, this will be the last, so I save my breath. He speaks again, "I know you probably know nothing of your opponent yet, but you will in a minute. Come on". I place my helmet on my head, grab my spear and shield, then walk with the referee.

 A burst of wind comes from the open door into the Colosseum. I walk out the door, and screams go at me. I try to ignore it and focus on my next opponent. I walked to the center, and the referee started to rush back towards the stairs leading to the upper level where the princess, the King, and the queen reside. Once he reached the top, he blew a Rhino horn, calling out to the opponent. The noise slept. The ground started to shake, and the crowd mumbled. The door opened on the other side of the Colosseum, but no one came out. Then the wall cracked, then a bang hit it, then another, then another. One more blow and a monstrous beast, about the size of the Colosseum, burst out the wall. Luckily no one was above the door. The beast let out a big roar and stood idle. I take a stance and notice something on the beast I didn't see at first. It was wrapped in chains from the neck to the ankles. He was being held down by something.

 The chains started to shake, then they fell to the ground. The beast rushed at me. He swings at me from above; I lift my shield and counter his blow. The blow had enormous power; I struggled to keep my body from being smashed. I swiped his fist and jumped back, and threw my spear. It aimed right at his chest. He started to bleed, but only a little. He lets out a roar and rushes at me again. I charge at him, and he throws his left fist; I block it with my shield. It was as strong as the last blow. I was pushed to the wall but recovered and charged forward again. The beast took a step back and lunged at me headfirst. I jumped up and dodged the lunge, but his tail struck me from above. I land on his back as his seat keeps hitting me. I finally grabbed his tail and used my shield to chop the tip-off. He lets out an enormous roar. He lunges back up. I fly up into the air. The beast was looking at me from above. He opened his mouth, and an ample light started to glow. The light turned into a beam and aimed right at me. I used my shield and blocked the morning, but the light was too strong, burning through my guard.

 I roll out of the beam's way, and the beast moves his head to where I am. I had no other choice but to take it head-on. I used my shield and started to fly toward the beast's mouth. The beam burned a few holes in my guard. As I get closer, the beam becomes more substantial and more powerful for me to handle. I make it to the beast's mouth; my shield is burned out, and I sacrifice my skin to take on the beam. I land on the beast's nose and slide down toward the chest. I grabbed my spear and clamped onto his sticky chest. I jump back on his neck and stab him with my spear. The beast smacks his neck, making the spear go deeper. I hid behind his head and tried to choke his thick neck. His neck muscles were extremely tight and firm.

I lean back and force him to stop the beam. I almost won, but his tail grabbed me and threw me away. I hit the wall, trying to recover, but the shaft did a number on me. The beast turns around and walks towards me. Blood started to spew out of his neck and chest like a geyser. He was still walking despite all the blood loss. Then he stopped and collapsed in front of me. He was still breathing, but barely. I finally manage to get up and walk towards him. I put my hand on his nose, "You did well; it's time for you to rest." The crowd then cheered and started to chant my name. The referee ran down the stairs and rushed towards me with a horn. He strolled past the beast and grabbed my hand. He raised it and yelled through the funnel, "Holding the title as champion, still, Zechariah Morlock!!".

 The King, queen, and princess walk down to present me with an honorable medal, The Medal of Heroes. The King looks at me and says, "You have fought bravely well, young man, your name will be remembered alongside other champions before you, even your father would be proud."

My father was the reason I wanted to battle in the first place. I remember winning my first match at age 7 against a Babylonian soldier. My father was so happy that day until he passed the next morning. 10 years have passed since then, but I fight just to keep his legacy to be remembered.

The King suddenly says, "As another treat for the champion, he will accompany us tonight at the royal banquet to honor his achievement. The queen is shocked and turns to the King and whispers. Despite how low their voices were, I could still hear them.

"Honey, are you sure about letting him be with us tonight?" the queen said.

          "Of course, I'm sure; what's the matter with having a guest?" the king said.

"Nothing is wrong with having guests. His appeal is not suited for a royal gathering like this. Plus, he is a peasant".

          "He is not a peasant; he is a champion, a boy looking to recolor a fallen soldier's legacy. And we're not taking him like that; we'll freshen him up to make him fit".

          "Well, alright then."

I told them, "It is okay if you do not wish to have me at your party, my queen. I am not fonder of royal traditions".

The king said, "No, you must come; it will be an honor."

          I speak again, "But King I…".

"Too late to take it back; you will meet with the doctor after this, got it?" the king said.

          "Yes, your majesty, but…".

          "Okay, let us be off."

          The king, queen, and princess walk back. The princess looks around at me and then turns around again.

          I return to the waiting room and see a person sitting with a cloth bag. He notices me and speaks, "Zechariah, yes?". I nod, and he sits me down on a chair and examines me. He rubs my burnt skin and asks, "Does it hurt?". I shake my head. He goes into his bag and takes out a jar of ointment. He opens it and scoops a chunk in his hand.

He rubs my arm and says, "You know you can speak to me; I am not much of a stranger to you."

I look up and say, "Yes, I know; I have much to think about with the king and the banquet."

"So, you are going?".

"I honestly do not want to, but I must go if the king demands me."

"Why do you not want to go?".

"I am not rich; I am a fighter. If I go there, it will seem like the king is letting even peasants enter his royal banquets".

"Your father went to a banquet once."

"He did?".

"Yes, after his 200^th victory. The king wanted him to come. Everyone from other kingdoms and counties came to see him. It wasn't because he was a peasant but because he and the king were childhood friends."

"Wait, what?! The king and my father were friends?"

"Yes, a friendship that lasted for years. The king sees your father in you. How you strive to become the best colosseum champion and how deeply determined you are."

"Mmm…okay, I guess I need to go now."

"Change of heart, I see; I'll be there too."

"But I'm not doing this because of their relationship."

"Sure."