Segments from Sio: Tournament of Lies. 

“I didn't think much of you at first, just some girl thrown into the competition for diversity.”
“Feel the same now?” I asked smiling sweetly.

“I did say at first, you're more than just the token girl playing around in armour.”

I looked at him. “Be warned. Today I wear armour, tonight a dress, I'm a girl who does both, and trust me,” I narrowed my eyes. “I could easily kill you wearing either.”

He nodded. “Now I believe it...
 

“Well King Marcus of Kenfig was fine with me,” suck that one bitchface!

She scoffed. “You have not met King Marcus,” she said, oozing disbelief.
“Would you like to bet on that?” I asked smiling. “I last saw him two months ago, he was very grateful for the help I gave him with something I have promised not to say, because he earned my doing so.”

“Stole something for him did you?” She asked, it was amusing that everyone else at the table was just watching our verbal contest, shame I didn't get further in the competition for this fight.

“Oh no,” I said chewing casually. “I helped him with a problem threatening his realm, no stealing, and I was the good guy, he said he was eternally grateful for my assistance and that I could consider him a friend,” I grinned. “Though he also said that if he caught me stealing anything from him he'd throw me in jail,” I shrugged. “Still took a candelabra on the way out.”
“And he did not arrest you?” A man down the table asked.

“Well he didn't know about it for a while, but I did receive an official letter a few days later than simply read 'very funny' so I think he was amused about it anyway,

​

Do you have any secret hidden powers?” 
“Oh, you mean, am I really a secret princess with an ancient magical power hidden from sight, and maybe mind? Do I sing to music that isn't there and have birds sing back? Do I have an animal companion who can almost talk, like in all the the childhood stories?” I grinned. “No, I'm a natural rogue, and rucking thief and I worked hard to be good at it,” I tried to look apologetic. “Sorry, but there's nothing special about me, I'm as common as mud and if I was born in Rogarin wouldn't have been able to anything more than a fruit seller or fishwife,” a thought occurred to me. “But hey, if I'm a poor downtrodden miserable wretch of a thief who's now in the gladiator regional semi-finals then I show you can do anything if you put your mind to it right?” It sounded good, and I'd have liked it if I read it...as long as the reader didn't realise the only reason I was here was to steal a sword so I didn't get executed. 
“You want to inspire other people like you to become thieves?” She asked. 
I laughed at that. “No, then I'd have soo much competition, and some of them would end up in jail, which I have done, a lot, some jails are ok, others,” I pinched my nose. “Bleh, puke, no. But if I inspired a few people to follow their dreams, and not listen to people telling them how to live that's a huge win,” I gestured at her. “Your society likes people to stay in one place, never be more than you were born with, you know the whole, old is good, new is dangerous attitude, what if the best ever song writer was born into a family that force them to become a cobbler? Or potato grower? Can't people be allowed to do what they like? Or at least have a go at changing their lives if they have the talent or drive? What's so wrong with that?” 
“Rogarin society does have that attitude ingrained within it,” said Octavia. “Most people in our lands would find it difficult to go against those age old values.” 
“Then most people are stupid,” I said.

“That's unfair!” Ransha was fuming. 
“Fair doesn't matter,” I said glancing at her. “Not to her, them at the top have different rules for the rich and poor, I matter less than a blob of mud, possibly less actually, you can make money from mud if you put crops in it, or grow grass for sheep to feed from it.”
“It should matter!” Ransha blurted out. 
“Should it?” I asked looking at her. “Is it fair that my dad died at four and I grew up in abject poverty? Is it fair that I turned to crime because it was that, prostitution or impoverished farm girl?” I know my eyes were blazing at this moment. “Is it fair that I was tricked into becoming a gladiator for someone else's political gain or be executed? And am now being targetted for death because I stuck up for a friend?” I let the word 'friend' sink in. “If you can find an example of true 'fairness' in the world then you let me know, but 'fair,” I made inverted comma motions with my fingers. “Is something that we poor people never see, and the rich often believe that everything is theirs by right," I sighed. "She believes she can do whatever she likes. So she's paid people to try and make sure that I'll fail, preferably publicly in front of everyone so they all see me fall, and then I can be executed where she's watching, knowing that she's triumphed."

 

It was written in rough handwriting, and looked like it had been written in a hurry, there was even some dirt on it, so wherever it had come from it wasn't a pleasant place.

​

Septimus

It is done, I am taking part, just make sure that you've got someone who either you trust, or someone who has no other choice than to get the bloody thing. Without it I can't do it, with it we're in business, you'll have it all. You'd better have the money I need for this, I'm giving up everything here, and for the love of every god don't let that blasted wife of yours know about this, she's got her fingers in too many pies, women should know their place.

I'll lay low until after the finals start, I can guarantee I'll get there, that won't be a problem, a few bribes just to make sure but there's no-one in this I can't have in a fight, specially with a little dirty secret or two. The rest is up to you, once it happens make sure your spod gets it, I see no reason for it not go to plan. The tournament will hide me until the time's right. Come the finals, it'll be time.

Until then.

​

Well, that was interesting, and weird. The person had gone to great lengths to indicate things without actually obviously saying them, Septimus would know on the basis that he knew about it, and the writer of this letter didn't have a high opinion of women, clearly, probably feeling the same about a woman's role as bitch face I sent packing earlier. Someone had given everything up and was asking Septimus to provide someone who either owed him everything, or he completely trusted to get the thing. That could only mean me and the sword. The only thing I was truly certain of was that something odd was planned and it involved the sword I'd been hired to get, and someone who was planted in the tournament, laying low like me, I just hoped that it someone in the same provincial tournament as me, then I could try and sniff them out before we got to the finals.
 

I pretty much bounced in holding one of the daggers I'd taken from the man. “Hey all!” I said. “Soo sorry to hold up the party for a moment,” I pretended to look sheepish. “But you see, I did just have this guy try and murder me,” I kicked the specimen I'd found before pointing at Gaius. “And Gaius,” I let the crowd start to murmur to each other, shocked faces appeared everywhere. I turned to face Laughing Boy. “Go on then, tell the lovely people who hired you, give them a reason not to just split your throat right here.”
He sneered at me. “I was hired by someone working for Agrippina,” he said, the bare minimum. 
“What!” Oh there she is. “I had nothing to do with this!” She roared across the room, naturally people stepped back. 
“Did you not?” I asked. “Is that like the man who you sent to hurt me last week during the night? Or the fact that you offered a reward to anyone to stab me so that I'd fall in the contest? Do you deny those too?”
“I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“A yes then,” I said. 
Gaius raised a hand, it was like he was asking to speak. “Uhm, I was approached by someone from Agrippina to try and attack Sio too,” he said. “I told them to get lost, she helped me in the tournament so I wasn't going to betray her, but I was also approached.”
“I wouldn't be surprised if everyone was,” I said. “Such was her determination to stop me. Is it because I told you to your face that people should be allowed to be what they wanted? That you should support your daughter in what she wants to do in life? And your response was to insult me, and then insult my mother who I care about more than anyone.”
“It's no insult to call you what you are, a common thief, playing games far above your breeding, you and all the evil little creatures like you belong under the rocks where you were born, you disgusting little insect.”
“Shut up, mother!” Ransha shouted across the room. “Will you call me the same? Your daughter, who is in your eyes the right breeding? Will you say the same to me as I stand employed to protect Sio? Call me an insect too for supporting her? Because she defended what I want to in life,” Ransha glared at her mother. “I know you planned all of these attacks, the same way that you asked the man who attacked Sio that night to also kidnap me and bring here to be your dutiful daughter, precisely the reason I left in the first place!”
“What did you expect me to do Rancipinia? You would not do your duty to your family! Your only role in life is to marry for the good of the blood.”
“You've got other children for that,” Ransha was almost snarling. “You didn't need me, but you've always pulled the strings, even when father was alive it was all about you, you've always controlled everything.”
“Dear, that's the only way we women can rule.”
“Well I think your reign here is done,” I said smiling. "There are more ways than that to rule, if you so wish anyway," I grinned searching the crowd for Septimus. 
He nodded at me and stepped forward. “Agrippina Augusta, you shall be taken into custody pending a trial for attempted conspiracy to commit murder,” he nodded to guards at the end of the room. “Take her to the debtors' prison until we can deal with her.”
Agrippina glared at me. “And so the insect burrows further into where she doesn't belong,” she snarled. 
I smiled. “I think we're about to be a roach short actually,” I said. “Ta-ta.”

“I will rip you apart with my claws if I have to!” She spat through gritted teeth. 
“You hate me this much because of Jaskin?” I shook my head grimacing against the pain. 
“I hate you this much because of Aeron!” She screamed. 
That shock rippled through me, I kicked her in the ribs and the two of us rolled away from each other, me bleeding from the cut on my leg and where her nails had ripped the skin on my hand...but what she'd said had shocked me far more than any pain. “Aeron? This is all about Aeron? The ruck?” 
“It's always been about him!” She shouted grabbing her pick. “You came, and you stole him!” 
“You weren't with him when I showed up,” I said, I was honestly shocked. 
“We talked about being together for a while but he rejected me, said he wasn't sure yet about us, but I knew I could get him back,” she pointed at herself. “Sooner or later I knew he'd come back to me...and then you!” She pointed her pick at me. “You just show up and ruin EVERYTHING!” She screamed it at the top of her lungs. “Being funny, being yourself, and suddenly you're with him, and I had to watch you two, laughing together, being together, that should have been me!” She was waving the pick around, now at full froth. “You waltz in, take the man who should have been mine, make Jaskin favour you over me, and turn the group against having me in charge when Jaskin retired, you ruined everything I was building! And then! And then!” Repeating herself in anger. “You turned Aeron away! Just like that.”
“He wanted to settle down and have kids, I didn't yet. You could have gone for him then,” I said. “He was single, I'd have been ok with it, because I'm not gonna hold a grudge. Not like you.” I pointed at myself. “I love him! But I can't give him what he wants yet! One day when I have enough to retire and not have to worry about where the next money is coming from I'll actually do the thing, I'll be ready to settle and if Aeron is free I will take him with all my heart but he shouldn't have to wait for me. I'd let him go crying my eyes out, the saddest moment since my childhood, but knowing how miserable I'd be we'd stayed, it'd destroy me,” I took a deep breath. “So I walked away, hoping that one day I could have the life I've dreamed of, with Aeron, but if he's not free when that day comes then I can't say it wouldn't bother me but I wouldn't say or do anything,” I raised my voice to shout at her. “Because it's not just about me!” 
“Oh,” she wobbled the pick at me. “But you left your claws in him didn't you! He's still pining for you, even now, he just wants you, says he'll wait for you to be ready...” She snarled again. “You're like a disease! You corrupt everything you touch and then everyone wants you! Even here,” she waved her hands at the crowd who were watching in stunned silence. “They all like little Sio! They want her to win, because you've dug into their brains and infected them all like a little parasite! Well that ends now!”
“You think killing me will make Aeron go to you eventually? He'll hate you forever.” 
“Then he should've picked me over you in the first rucking place shouldn't he?”