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Unnerved, Ayala followed the men as they made their way to the arena. They were ushered into the king’s special section and sat down. Moctezuma was already there, waiting for them.
Ayala smiled at the king and bowed her head in respect to him. She turned her eyes back to the game and watched as the players lined up on either side of the field. The game was called ullamaliztli, and the game grounds were surrounded by the palace and temple. It was the place to be this evening, as the seats were quickly filling as the evening went on. Nobles, commoners, and judges filled the area meant for spectators. Along the walls were beautiful painted reliefs of the past winners, and even past losers.
Ayala gazed upon the court itself. It was in the shape of a capital I and was about one hundred and fif
ty feet long. Around the court were sloped flat areas leading up to very high walls. In the center of these high walls were two stone-carved rings, only about thirty-five inches in diameter, one on each side. Animals were carved into the rings, providing blessings from the gods.
The ball had been placed in the center of the court. It was made of a hard rubber substance and was really heavy, at least to Ayala. She had held one once, and it had been about nine to ten pounds. This game was not an easy one.
She gazed upon the players lined up along either side of the field. They were all men, and heavily muscled. Had she been standing next to them, they would have towered over her. They all wore protective gear on their thighs, hips, hands, and even their chins. Their gear was made out of deerskin, and made the players look hard and almost ready for battle. Their muscles rippled in anticipation of the rough game ahead.
The goal of the game was to get the heavy ball through the stone hoop, but there were many rules that made this exceedingly difficult. Players could not touch the ball with their hands, but had to use feet, elbows, hips, knees, and even their heads to do this. Another rule was that the ball was never allowed to touch the ground.
It was extremely difficult to get the ball through the hoop, so there was a plethora of other ways each team could score. There were markers along the sides of the walls that they could hit with the ball, or they could be given points for strategic plays. Players could be fouled as well. But still, sometimes the games went on for hours.
Ayala looked away from the field and watched Cortés, the king, and her lord. She watched as they whispered amongst themselves, pointing at men on either team, and she eventually saw money exchanging hands. She figured they were probably gambling and placing bets on the team they expected to win. When Cortés pointed toward her, she tried to listen, but the background noise was too loud for her to pick up what they were saying.
Lord Eiotan looked at her, and then at Cortés, his face hardening. He nodded, very slightly, and a grin passed over Cortés’ face. Ayala gave Eiotan a confused look, and he shook his head when he met her eyes.
She turned back to the game as the crowd roared. It must be starting.
She tried to pay attention as the men ran up and down the court, passing the ball with anything but their hands. The men were surprisingly very skilled, and the ball didn’t touch the ground once. She found her focus drifting to her lord and the manipulator, Cortés, both of whom were casting heavy, satisfied glances in her direction.
She wondered what each had wagered, and what that would mean for her. Would Lord Eiotan want to be rid of her? What would he have agreed to that made Cortés so happy?
The game passed slowly for Ayala as she tried to rack her brain and figure out what the men had bet, but to no avail. She would not find out until the game was over.
She finally gave up and paid attention to the match. The players were falling on the ground and pushing each other to get to the ball. The gameplay was vicious, and many men would spill blood during the game, if they hadn’t already. A few had dark bruises that were beginning to form on some of their limbs from the effort to keep the ball in the air.
She asked the king a few questions about the gameplay in an effort to learn more about various rules. Finally, when she could quell her curiosity no longer, she softly thanked the king and made her way over to sit closer to Lord Eiotan.
He moved over and shared the small bench seat he was sitting on. She reached and took his hand in hers, needing the little reassurance. Her curious eyes took in his.
“Is everything alright, sir?” she whispered softly, laying her head on his shoulder.
“Everything is fine, dove. There isn’t anything to worry about. Just a simple bet between men,” he responded softly, so that only she could hear.
The crowd roared as a point was made.
Ayala lifted her head and began to pay closer attention to the match. Servants brought everyone in the king’s section some sweet red wine, and she gulped it down. Before she knew it, she was sipping the remnants of her second glass.
Cortés leaned in toward her, asking if she would like a refill. She nodded her head, smiled at him, and thanked him. Cortés called over a servant and ordered him to refill Ayala’s wine goblet. Quickly, the servant grabbed a jug and refilled her glass almost to the brim.
She looked at him and Cortés wide-eyed, and turned back to look at Lord Eiotan. He was watching her with narrowed eyes. She giggled and squeezed his hand.
“Don’t be mad at me, sir. This wine is delicious! Would you like some?”
Lord Eiotan took her glass from her and took a big sip. He held her gaze the entire time.
“My wife is going to be on her best behavior, isn’t that right? I wouldn’t want to have to spank her here in the arena, would I?” he said softly, but sternly.
Ayala gulped and hid her face in his shoulder, a blush hopelessly engulfing her face.
“No, sir. I’ll be good. Please don’t spank me,” she pleaded.
Lord Eiotan smirked a little and continued sipping Ayala’s wine. She didn’t fight for it back, not wanting to earn a punishment here in the arena. She kept imagining him pulling her over his lap and baring her bottom for everyone to see. The humiliation would almost be worse than the spanking itself, but then she glanced at his big hands. Those hurt very much on her bare cheeks.
Lord Eiotan caught her staring at his hands. He snaked a hand behind her neck and grabbed a chunk of her hair. He pulled and she gasped. Eiotan brought his lips to her ear and began to whisper.
