Bab 19: NEGOTIATING A DEAL
Orion's house made Thrall's place pale in comparison. The house was a huge three story building made of stone. It covered a large area and had excess land that could take at least three more of such a building. The house was far from any other building and was surrounded by a stone fence almost 20ft tall. There were far more guards patrolling the compound than at Thrall's house and the trees surrounding the house gave the place a secure and homely vibe.
Joda was impressed and felt a little bit at ease. He followed Orion through the small garden that led to his house and didn't miss the respect with which the guards treated the Royal trainer. He could tell they were real soldiers who were proud to serve him, instead of Thrall's servants who mostly did their duty only out of fear.
Inside, the house even looked bigger. It was almost like a maze. With many corridors and rooms for everyone, even the guards who rarely stayed since they ran on a shift basis so that they could go home to their families. Orion introduced Joda to the house staff or servants one by one and made sure to stress on the importance to treat him like another staff member.
Joda noticed that, even though Orion had slaves just like Thrall, he treated his better and with far more respect than Thrall ever did. The royal trainer refused to call any of them slaves and instead referred to them as his servants even though the gap between the two terms was paper thin. The servants were well dressed and looked well fed. They smiled when they talked with the Royal trainer and showed no fear when addressing him.
After the short tour and introduction, Orion left to go to his room and ordered for Joda to be taken care of. The servants still awake gave him a hearty meal which the ex prince devoured like a famished troll before being showed where to shower and also where to lodge. After freshening up, he went to his room which was located on the bottom floor and which was way bigger and smelled better than Thrall's prison where he had spent the past four months.
That night, Joda slept better than all the other nights in Thrall's house. His sleep was filled with dreams of his past, his time as a child with his twin, his gentle and loving parents whom he was sure he wasn't going to see again and finally the last battle he fought with his twin brother,Jada.
He woke up with beads of sweat on every part of his body and took a while to calm down before going outside his room to check why nobody had come to wake him up since he could tell it was already morning.
"Oh, Master said to not wake you up since you were tired and needed a lot of rest." Sylpha, the head cook said as Joda went to her in the kitchen.
She was an older woman in her late forties who had brown hair streaked with shades of white. She was about 5'9 ft tall and looked very healthy and welcoming. She reminded Joda of his own mother, hence why he had no trouble approaching her, compared to the others.
"There is the food we left you for breakfast. It's no good now since it's too cold. Lunch will be ready in a jiffy. You should wait." Sylpha informed him with a radiant smile before turning to continue with her work.
"Lunch?, Is it afternoon already?" Joda was flabbergasted. He thought it was still morning and was expecting to get breakfast, not lunch.
"Yes, lunch. It's already afternoon and master Orion will be here soon. He always eats at home. Everybody, does." Another of the cooks in the kitchen, a kind faced woman with raven black hair who looked to be in her thirties replied.
"Oh. Well then. I'll be in my room if you need me." Joda informed them and quickly went back to his room where he spent the rest of the time thinking about Orion's proposal the night before.
Fighting wasn't anything new to Joda. He had fought all his life and had gotten the best training a prince could get back in his kingdom. He wasn't scared of facing a couple of men if it meant he will get something as important as his freedom. He didn't like being a slave. The mere thought of calling someone 'master' sickened him but he also didn't feel like fighting for anyone's entertainment. He didn't feel like fighting at all.
Anytime he thought of raising his hand against someone, he would have flashes of his brother lying in a pool of blood with multiple spears in his body and an axe lodged in his skull. That had been the result of fighting and he didn't want to see anything like that again.
He was still lost in his thoughts when Sylpha came to inform him that Orion was back from the castle and demanded audience from him. Joda followed the head cook through the house from the bottom floor to the last where Orion's private study was. Inside, Orion was sitting behind a desk with a huge scroll spread infront of him and a steaming cup of what Joda could only think of as tea to the left side of his desk.
The moment Orion saw Joda, he rolled up the scroll, pushed it to the side and cleared a space on his side of the desk for his food.
"Please sit down. I don't have much time to spend here before I get back to the castle. My wife has gone on a short trip and my son is still at work so I'll be having lunch with you today. Hope you don't mind?" Orion asked with a smile. He was dressed in silver armor that was covered by the big yellow robe he wore. His sign as a castle worker.
"Not at all." Joda answered as he took the chair facing Orion's whiles Sylpha served them different dishes for lunch. After the servant was done serving them, she bowed to Orion and left.
The food was good. Too good that it made Joda forget he was eating with someone. He wolfed down his share with big gulps and would have continued that way if Orion's voice hadn't pulled him out of his space.
"I assume you really like Sylpha's food." Orion asked with a chuckle.
"Yes. She's a really good cook. This food is delicious." Joda answered red faced.
"I'm glad you like it." Orion said straight faced as he prepared to ask the question he had in mind.
"So about yesterday's offer. Have you thought of it?" Orion asked.
"Yes, I have." Joda stopped eating so that he could give the royal trainer his full attention.
"Good. And what is your answer?"
"I'll do it, but I have a few conditions I'll like you to accept before I commit to this new task." Joda said with a serious face.
"Just like I expected. People like you never bend your knee without conditions. Anyway, State your terms." Orion grinned.
"First, I'm not at full strength so I need time to grow before attempting to fight. Second, I want to be freed the moment I get the seven straight wins you mentioned yesterday. Third, I don't want to be holed up all the time in this house. I will appreciate it if you let me go out to go explore the town we're in. Lastly, I want one-third of whatever money you make from my fights as a gladiator. Soon I'll be a free man and I could use the money to start a new life. I don't intend on fighting forever." Joda stated as Orion nodded to every condition.
"Your conditions are reasonable,Joda. The first, second and third could easily be fulfilled. The fourth however, not so much. Remember that you'll be lodging in my house without any expenses on your side. I'll also be providing you training to ensure your survival and will be freeing you after only seven fights, something most people won't do since they will see you as their property. I can't give you the money from your winnings since I would already be providing more than that during your stay here. I think it's only fair since you didn't come free of charge as well. If however,after you're free you want a Job, then we can negotiate payment. Until then, I'm afraid I can't pay you." Orion answered truthfully.
For a second, Joda was angry at the royal trainer. He was the one going to face mad men who will be out for his blood. What was a few coins for all the blood he was bound to spill? Then after fuming for a while, He calmed down enough to think about everything Orion had said. True, he didn't really need the training the royal trainer was going to give him. He was already skilled as he was. But still, not many people would waste their time on their slaves like Orion was.
He was treating him like a peer instead of a slave and was even asking his opinion instead of just throwing him into the gladiating arena to fight like most people would. Joda hated to admit it but the royal trainer was right, he was already doing a lot for him. His freedom alone was enough to make him fight a hundred times. Seven wins was a small price for his freedom. He could always negotiate a new deal as a free man later.
"Okay then. I accept. I will fight for you in exchange for the above terms." Joda stretched his hand as he gave his answer.
"I'm glad to hear that,Joda. Your training starts tomorrow." Orion smiled as he clasped Joda's hand in his firmly. Sealing the deal between the two of them.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone