(eng) Mercedes Lackey - Elemental Masters 10 by Blood Red

Author:Blood Red [Red, Blood]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The children, when presented at breakfast with the idea of contests, had an idea of their own—and it was quite the clever one.

“We want an Olympics!” proclaimed the eldest of the boys. “Peter and Tobi and I have been studying the Greeks, and we want an Olympics!”

At that, the rest of the children all bounced in place or leapt to their feet. “Yes, yes!” they cried out. “Please Uncle Heinrich! We want an Olympics!”

Rosa had the distinct impression that several of them had no idea what the Olympic Games were, but the three older boys wanted such a competition so badly that they wanted it too.

“It must be a proper Games,” Johan said, with utmost seriousness. “We must invoke the Gods, and we must have chitons and tunics, and laurel wreathes and everything. And we must have an Olympic Torch to light! And we must have a marathon—”

The Graf embraced the plan with as much enthusiasm as the children, and sent his housekeeper running off to find pillowcases and sheets that could be sacrificed to make chitons and tunics. “But I think running twenty-five miles may be a bit much for a marathon,” he pointed out gently. “It will take you a long time, possibly all day, and that would not be fun. So let us make our marathon—hmm—shall we say once around the palace and grounds?”

After due deliberation, and assurances that the Gods would not mind if children did a rather shorter marathon than the ancient Greeks had, the entire company pitched together to design the games. Marie and two of the laundry maids volunteered to make costumes of the sheets. Marie did the designing, and the laundry maids, accustomed to running up linen hems very quickly indeed on their treadle sewing machines, sewed the few seams needed.

By midmorning the preparations were complete. The girls all elected themselves as representatives of the goddess Athena and the god Apollo, and had a solemn procession, ending with the oldest of the girls calling upon Apollo. “Oh Apollo, god of the divine sun and idea of light, send your rays to light this sacred torch!” she called, and the Graf obliged by doing so. When the torch had gone up with a satisfactory whoosh, she continued. “Now you, god Zeus, bless all those here with peace and crown those who have mastered the sacred contests.”

That was the signal for the release of a cage full of doves hidden in the bushes, to the applause of all. Then the games themselves began. There was no wrestling, in part because none of the children actually knew how to wrestle, and in part because there was such disparity in ages and sizes that no fair contests could have been staged. The same went for boxing, and of course chariot racing was completely out of the question as much too dangerous.

But before lunch, there were races in plenty; short sprints, longer races on courses laid out through the garden, and long jumps. And after lunch, there was pony racing, archery, throwing of a ball, and discus, hammer, and javelin.

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