Part Six

We walked down the street away from the arena and turned down a side alley. It wasn’t nearly as busy or loud back here. We walked into a small restaurant and sat at a table in the corner. A waitress came by and Nathalia ordered some food. I wasn’t really paying attention to either one of them. I was staring out the window watching the civilians of the town. It was interesting to just sit there and try to picture what it would be like to live a simple life. A life where I didn’t have to worry about constantly training or looking for a way to get away from Nathalia would be nice. I saw a mother scolding her son for dropping whatever it was he was carrying. The poor kid started crying. Amazing how such a small instance can have such seemingly heavy bearing on their lives. What could they possibly know of hardship? Their whole lives revolve around this village and the fortress thereof. What did these people live for? My thoughts were interrupted when the waitress set a plate before me. I thanked her, but waited until her back was turned to poke at the food with my fork. It looked like an innocent serving of mashed potatoes and chicken.
“Eat up. I’m sure you’re starving,” Nathalia said before digging into her own food.
I wrinkled my nose and shoved the fork into the meat. “Not hungry.” I folded my arms and looked out the window again.
“Oh, come now, don’t be so ornery. If you’re not going to eat your food, I will, but that’s all you’ll get until dinner,” she replied between bites.
Sighing, I signaled to the waitress and ordered a cup of tea. She brought it and I dumped a bunch of sugar into it before taking a few sips. I really wasn’t that hungry, not after that fight anyway. I’m sure I’d be famished by the end of the day, but I wasn’t going to give Nathalia the satisfaction of being right if that was the case. Images of bloody bodies momentarily flashed through my mind, but I continued drinking my tea. Nathalia finished her food and mine within a fairly short amount of time. She leaned back in her chair when she was finished and we sat in silence for a few minutes.
“Hey kid,” Nathalia started, “do you ever get the feeling that maybe your life is being wasted away?”
I wanted to say, “I’m sure I wouldn’t know,” but I held my tongue and just raised an eyebrow at her.
She rocked back and forth on her chair and continued her thought. “I mean, maybe you’ve been wrong about something your whole life and you aren’t meant to be where you are now.”
“Maybe,” I muttered and took another sip of tea.
Nathalia suddenly sat up. She clasped her hands and placed them on the table. “Kid, what do you think your purpose is?”
I eyed her warily. Was this some sort of trap? With Nathalia, it was impossible to tell. Gently setting my cup on the table, I replied, “My purpose is to serve you.”
“Hmm…” Nathalia nodded, but then leaned forward and her next words came in a hushed whisper. “I’m not asking for the right answer. I’m asking you what your heart says.”
I glared at Nathalia’s blindfold, finding myself wishing she could see the hatred in my eyes. My heart... this was certainly a trap. There was no way she was trying to be sincere with a question like that. My heart? I wanted freedom more than anything in the world at this point, but I knew that she was still stronger than I. Despite being blind, she was still too powerful to take on alone. No matter what I tried, she always seemed to know what was coming before it happened. She was still expecting an answer from me though. I cleared my throat then stared down at my reflection in the tea as I answered, “I gave up making decisions based upon my heart. My duty, now and until my death, is to serve you.”
Nathalia sighed and leaned back again. “Maybe one day you will see the bigger picture of life,” she said.
There she goes with her riddles again. Why had she asked me those questions? What was she thinking?
“Feeling guilty?” I asked with a smirk.
Nathalia shook her head. “No, just old. I’ve seen things before my time. There are certain burdens far more destructive to one’s wellbeing than merely physical strain.”
Yet another riddle. Seems she couldn’t say anything without being painfully obvious or evasively cryptic about it.
“No matter, that’s enough heart to heart for one day,” she said and stood up, placing a few rupees on the table. Finishing my tea, I got up and headed toward the door with Nathalia.
We left the restaurant and walked back to the busy street. We passed by a few shops and various peddler stands. I was looking over some pitifully crafted jewelry when I felt a sharp jab to my ribs. I turned and watched Nathalia crash into a merchant.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going!” The man angrily cried out as he tried to pick himself off the ground. Nathalia jumped up and started vigorously brushing the man off.
“Beggin’ your pardon, sir. I’m just a poor blind woman. I didn’t mean no harm, really!” She pleaded.
Nathalia’s efforts only angered the man further. No matter how hard he tried, she wouldn’t stop.
“Get off of me!” he bellowed and inadvertently knocked her to the ground.
“Please, sir! I wasn’t meanin’ any harm! I was only tryin’ ta help!” Nathalia whimpered. She stayed on the ground, half curled with a hand in the air as a shield. I neared the confrontation and fingered a dagger hidden in my cloak. I contemplated how much easier disposing of Nathalia in this state would be. If there was ever a time to get rid of her... I shoved past the irate man and knelt beside Nathalia. She gasped when I grabbed her by the arm.

Part Five

I sighed and looked around. The crowd hadn’t settled down any, from what I could tell. I spotted a young woman standing in the center of the circle. She was holding a flail in one hand and a small shield in the other. I tilted my head back and forth, sizing her up. She looked just a tad shorter than me and had her brunette hair tied into a ponytail. She didn’t seem too harmful. The spiked ball and chain of her flail seemed small enough that the weapon didn’t look all that harmful either. I nonchalantly walked toward the girl and slowly pulled my sword out of its sheath. I stopped in front of her and rested the tip of the sword on the ground, folding both hands over the pommel.
“You don’t have to do this you know,” I said indifferently, leaning forward slightly. She simply smirked and started swinging the flail back and forth. I shrugged and gripped my sword by the handle and waited for her to make her move. She twirled and swung the ball at me from the right. I blocked the short chain with my sword, but then a swift leg sweep threw me on my back. I saw the flail flying towards my face and rolled out of the way. I jumped to my feet and narrowed my eyes at the girl. Maybe this won’t be so easy after all. I charged with my sword, but then changed directions and, instead of jabbing the girl, I slashed at her from the left. She blocked the attack with her shield and swung her flail at my head. I ducked and flung my sword at her feet. She jumped over my sword and twirled again, this time swinging her flail at me from the left. Waiting a few seconds longer than I did the first time, I stopped the chain with my sword again, letting it wrap around the blade, and twisted it downward to shove the sword into the ground as hard as I could. That managed to yank the flail from her hand entirely. Before she could make a grab for it, I kicked her. She blocked the kick with her shield, but the force knocked her back a few steps. She rushed at me and the glint of a dagger warned me of the new weapon. I brought out two daggers from my belt and turned just at the last minute so her dagger slid just past my face. I hit her dagger hand with my fist, causing her to drop the weapon. I brought my elbow up and caught her chin hard enough to knock her to the ground. She wiped some blood from the corner of her mouth with a glare. She hopped to her feet and made a dive for the flail again. I pounced on her midair and we both crashed to the ground. I put her in a chokehold, but she threw some dirt at my face, causing me to let go. She clambered away and yanked my sword out of the ground. Ok, I could handle the hidden dagger and maybe the dirt, but taking my weapon and using it against me? Now that’s just cheating. I realized I was still holding my two daggers. Deciding to throw tactic out the window, I ran at the girl. When I was close enough, I threw both daggers at her, one high and one low. One hit the ground near her feet and she dodged the second one. While she was avoiding the daggers, I tackled her. I wrenched my sword from her hand and held the blade sidelong against her throat. She glared at me and huffed with exhaustion. I carefully stood up, keeping the sword pointed at her. I wasn’t going to kill her, so I scanned the crowd, unsure of what exactly I was supposed to do now. Unfortunately, my opponent had to answer that question for me. Without me seeing her, she evaded my sword and grabbed me from behind with a chokehold. I shoved the pommel of my sword into what I assume was her stomach and spun around to deliver an uppercut to her face. She landed on her back unconscious. I sheathed my sword, stepped away from the girl, and headed toward the double doors. They opened and the cleanup crew rushed past me. I walked inside and Nathalia met me with a huge grin on her face.
“I knew you could do it,” she said cheerily.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I sarcastically replied. I really wasn’t in the mood for any more games. If she was going to risk my life like that, I’d at least like a say in the matter.
“You up for another challenge?” She actually had the nerve to ask?
“What?!” I asked in disbelief. “Of course not! I’m up for a hot meal, shower, some rest, and maybe a side of apology! That’s what I’m up for!” I nearly screamed.
Nathalia could make me mad quite a bit, but I was getting fed up with her games.
She simply smiled at me, that evil little all-knowing smirk that drove me crazy. “Be proud of yourself, you just won us 350 rupees.”
I blinked. “I did?” I couldn’t really think of anything else to say. 350 rupees weren’t exactly easy to come by. Thorae used gold and rupees alike and, while gold is of greater value, rupees were still a fairly valuable form of gain.
“You sure did, kid,” Nathalia patted me on the back. “Apparently that girl you just knocked out killed the last person she fought.”
That didn’t make me feel very comfortable. I wasn’t sure if I was more worried about being killed in my sleep for beating the snot out of that girl or about Nathalia eventually pitting me against people stronger than that. I shivered. I didn’t really want to continue fighting. It’s true, part of me found the whole experience thrilling, exciting even, but I didn’t want to have to deal with another near-death experience today.
I sighed and asked, “ Do you really want me to keep fighting?”
Nathalia seemed to ponder the question. “Generally, yes. You don’t have to fight again today, however I do expect you to fight as many battles as I tell you to. Got that?”
“Yes,” I replied with my head bowed.
“Good, now how about we get some lunch?”
Lunch? I was surprised that it wasn’t even midday yet. “Sure thing, boss.” I answered wearily. I really wanted this day to end already.

Part Four

We got up the next morning and set out to explore the town. Nathalia led me through the crowed streets. From every window hung a flag and the streets were lined with streamers and banners in all different colors. There was jovial music being played in an open square. A lot of people filled the streets and shops. Nathalia led me to a huge circular structure. I could hear a lot of noise, mostly screaming and shouting, coming from the place. We entered and made our way through a huge crowd. When we stopped, I looked around and found that we were in the stands of a huge arena. The place was filled with people shouting and screaming. I looked down into the center of the arena and watched two people battling it out. One of the warriors fell to the ground and didn’t get up. Some in the crowd were shouting for death while others cried for mercy. Eventually, the one still standing just walked through a set of open double doors on a sidewall. The crowds continued to shout and scream at the top of their lungs. It didn’t seem like anything could quiet them. I thought my ears would start bleeding if I either didn’t leave or join them. A couple men went to the fallen warrior and dragged him off the field while a man in elegant robes walked out and raised both hands in the air to quiet the crowd. The crowd quieted a little, but not by much. I could barely tell what the man in the robes was saying, despite it looking like he was screaming at the top of his lungs. He walked off the field and two more warriors entered, faced each other for but a few moments, and then sprung into battle. I turned to Nathalia. She nodded and made her way through the crowd again, heading for the exit. I glanced back at the struggle before following her. We managed to push through the crowd and finally found some place that was fairly quiet just outside the arena walls. I rubbed one of my ears, wondering if I hadn’t gone deaf yet. Nathalia turned to me and gestured at the festive banners in the town.
“They’re having one of their tournaments. The lord of this fortress and its people, Tyrone, established these tournaments when he was running out of troops to give the people a reason to fight. Those who survived would be given the chance to join his army voluntarily before forcing them to enlist.”
I grimaced. “Sounds like a nice guy.”
She smirked and replied, “When he believed his army was large enough, these tournaments turned more into prize fights. You won’t have to worry about becoming a soldier any time soon. I’ve trained you too well for that.”
I rolled my eyes and asked, “So what are we doing here?”
She grinned and held up a small coin pouch. “You’re going to win us some money.”
I blinked in confusion and turned back to the arena. I then looked at Nathalia with wide eyes. “You can’t possibly mean…” She nodded and I balked, shouting, “There’s no way you’re sending me in there to get slaughtered!”
She replied calmly. “If you win, you progress through supposedly harder opponents, thus winning us more money. If you lose, you only die if they kill you.” She walked past me and headed for a side door of the structure. I narrowed my eyes, but followed in silence.
A rather large guard blocked the door. Nathalia spoke to him for a few minutes before he let us enter. It was far darker inside than it was outside. There were soldiers, guards, warriors, and civilians alike. The roar of the audience above was muffled, but not nearly enough so you could be heard across the room without shouting. Among the assortment of people, I saw the man with the robes. Now that we were closer to him, I noticed that his attire didn’t shine nearly as much in the dim lighting as it did in the sunlight. He ran his right hand through his white hair while his left hand rested on his round belly. “Wait over there,” Nathalia said in my ear and pointed to an open door. Without another word, she went over to the man and started a conversation with him. I raised my eyebrow, but headed for the room. Glancing back, I saw Nathalia place something in the man’s hand. Once I entered the room, I saw that the wall nearest to the door was filled with all sorts of weapons. On the opposite wall stood a pair of double doors, guarded by two men. Several people in the room were warming up for combat. I inspected the collection of weaponry on the wall. Swords, maces, lances, shields, axes, bows, arrows, and daggers were just a few of the assortment. I pulled out a pair of sais from the rack and twirled them around a couple times before putting them back.
“It’s all set,” Nathalia said as she entered the room. “You’re next.”
“Wait, what? How does that work? We just got here.” I probably didn’t sound half as worried as I really was.
Nathalia simply shrugged and put a hand on my shoulder. “I didn’t want to give you time to get scared and back out,” she said simply as she led me toward the double doors, which I just noticed were wide open.
“You mean run for my life?” I replied bitterly as I watched two men drag in a bloody body.
“Just don’t get yourself killed, kid,” Nathalia said before shoving me through the open doors. I turned just in time to see them shut.

Part Three

“Get on your feet, you worthless slug!” Nathalia shouted in my ear. I jumped to my feet, shoved her aside and took off running. I could hear her call after me, but I didn’t look back. I ran through the snow, slipping once, but I didn’t stop. I ran to a wooded area and ducked behind a tree to catch my breath. I tried to calm my racing heartbeat, but to no avail. I could see the steam from my breath every time I exhaled. I didn’t hear Nathalia follow me, but I was pretty sure she couldn’t be far behind. I cautiously pressed onward.
The tree line suddenly disappeared as I came to the edge of a ravine. I peeked over the cliff and watched a river peacefully flowing below. I looked around for a bridge and saw one farther down the side of the ravine. I started toward it, but froze when Nathalia stepped in my way. She had appeared out of nowhere and without a sound, though her head was turned toward the bridge. I glared at her and hoped that if I stood still enough, she would continue moving until she walked off the cliff by accident. We both turned toward the tree line when we heard twigs snapping and deep growling sounds.
A huge, wild, grizzly bear-like creature was staring at us. It looked as big and powerful as a grizzly, only twice as big and it had long saber teeth protruding from its mouth. Puffs of steam came from its nostrils in the cold night. The creature scraped at the ground with a clawed paw. Fear raced through me as I glanced at Nathalia. If she hadn’t been standing two feet away, I probably wouldn’t have cared if the bear thing took her out. “Nathalia,” I whispered. “Don’t. Move.”
She didn’t seem surprised by my presence. In fact, it was as if she already knew I was standing beside her the whole time. Instead of listening to me, she pulled a dagger out of her belt and I watched in horror as she flung it at the bear. The weapon landed in the creature’s paw and it howled in pain. That did it. The creature took off running straight at us while I stood locked in place. When the massive creature was just a few feet away, my mind finally kicked into gear. I threw myself into Nathalia, knocking us both out of the way. We landed near the edge of the ravine, but luckily not close enough to fall off. Unfortunately for our saber friend, the animal couldn’t stop soon enough and plummeted to the river below. I got up and yanked Nathalia to her feet. “Are you insane?! You almost got us killed!” I shouted at her then marched toward the bridge.
“Amusing,” she said. “Your first reaction was to save me. How… pathetic.”
I stopped and turned around. I should have kept walking, but I didn’t. “I was NOT trying to save you! You just happened to be in my way!”
“Then why didn’t you jump in the other direction?” Nathalia asked calmly as she brushed snow off her cape.
“You know what? I just saved your life! You should be thanking me.” I crossed my arms and glowered.
“Funny, I could say the same thing about you. We’re more alike than you realize.”
Anger like no other marched me right up to her face. “I am NOTHING like you,” I whispered menacingly.
“I agree,” she said backing up. “I’m better than you.”
Nathalia calmly turned her back to me as she continued. “You really are pathetic. You have a fighter’s spirit, but you have nothing to fight for, except your life. You run from me, but have no clear idea where you are going. The point is to just keep running. You have no purpose in life.”
I turned to walk back to the bridge. I’ve had enough of this. I hadn’t gone five steps when Nathalia spoke again.
“Train under me and I will give you a purpose.” Nathalia’s words caught me off guard. “Fight for me and gain the glories of this world.”
I stopped walking.

That’s how it all started.
My “training,” as she called it. Was I that desperate for something to believe in? Probably.
Either way, from that day forward, my life was changed forever. I underwent rigorous training. She had me jump through loops, endure brutal obstacle courses, and partake in various endurance and weapons training. Each day she gave me harder activities to accomplish on top of the ones she already had me doing. When I wasn’t training, I had to attend her every command. Even after a grueling workout, she would want me to do all the regular chores as well. You might call me crazy. I wouldn’t blame you. I should have ignored her, but even when I turned away that day, something kept nagging at me. Something I had to disprove to Nathalia as well as myself. I’m not like her. She offered me more than I knew she could give. I also knew that if I agreed, I could prove to her that I was indeed nothing like her. Not only that I was different, but also that I was better. I made a promise that day, I would never become like Nathalia.

It is now four months into the training and she hasn’t let up any as far as training goes. I managed to find a spot not far from the hut to which I could escape whenever I got the chance. It was a quiet place surrounded by trees. There was one tree in particular with thick enough branches for me to climb and rest on. In fact, I had been sitting on one of them for the past half hour undisturbed. It wasn’t much time, but I enjoyed the peace. I leaned my head against the tree trunk and let my legs dangle back and forth in the air below me. I reflected back on the first week after the encounter with the bear.
Nathalia had ground a set of rules into every part of the training. I closed my eyes and went over the rules in my mind for the millionth time. “Lesson one,” her sneering voice said, “Don’t get mad, get even. Lesson two: if you want something, take it. Lesson three: do whatever makes you happy. Lesson four: cheat. Lesson five: hurt people before they hurt you.” I opened my eyes and looked around. That last line wasn’t just said in my head. I spotted Nathalia walking up to my tree. I sighed loudly and hopped down from my perch to stand in front of her. Out of nowhere, she slapped me pretty hard. “Ow! What was that for?!” I yelled and rubbed my stinging cheek.
“Did you see it coming?” Nathalia asked.
“No,” I reluctantly replied.
“Exactly. Now what’s the golden rule?” She took out a dagger and started twirling it between her fingers.
“Obey you at all times,” I muttered.
Nathalia smiled and walked away. “Good girl. However, there is still one more rule I need you to remember.”
“What’s that?” I narrowed my eyes and watched her carefully.
Like lightning, she spun around threw the dagger. It flew by my ear and sunk into the tree behind me with a soft thunk. Nathalia smirked at me and said in a threatening voice, “NEVER turn on me.”
I bowed my head. “My allegiance is to you alone. You have my word.” In truth, I had begun despising her a long time ago. I would have left, but I still had to prove myself. Until then I had to keep playing along.
“Good,” she said as she started back to the hut. “You’re ready.”
“For what?” I inquired and followed behind her.
She didn’t answer, but instead led us to a couple horses waiting outside. Nathalia mounted one and waited for me before leading her horse away. We rode most of the night in silence, stopping only a few times. By nightfall we came to a fairly large town surrounding an equally large fortress. We found an inn near daybreak and settled down for the time being, sleeping soundly.

Part Two

There must have been something in that soup to put me to sleep or something because I woke up. Although, it could be that I was just still so weak that I needed the rest, but I wasn’t going to let this crazy lady get the benefit of the doubt. I found my feet untied and the knife I used missing. Other than that, there was no sign of Nathalia. Though to be honest, those two changes were sign enough that she was probably messing with me. I successfully sat up, albeit somewhat painfully, and placed my feet on the floor. The room was even darker now that the fire had died down to mere embers. Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself to my feet. I wobbled some and my whole body wouldn’t stop trembling, but I was standing and that was good enough for me. I spotted the door and bolted for it. I stumbled and clumsily tripped or bumped nearly every object in the room on the way to the door, but I wasn’t stopping for anything short of freedom. Once I made it to the exit, I yanked on the handle and swung open door. A blast of icy cold wind and snow met me, but I ignorantly plowed through anyway. I got about ten feet from the door when it hit me that I just ran into a blizzard. The snow-covered ground had already started numbing my bare feet. It was already dark outside, but the harsh wind and falling snow made it even more difficult to see. I wrapped my arms around myself in an effort to cease my violent shaking, but such was futile. I started to feel lightheaded and I could feel myself start to fall. Something grabbed me from behind. I vaguely remember the blinding snow disappearing into darkness and warmth replacing the cold. Before I knew it, I was sitting in a chair with a blanket wrapped around me. Nathalia was sitting in a chair across from me, sharpening a dagger. “You’re going to have problems if you keep running into life threatening situations like that,” she said calmly. “But who am I to take the fun out of life? I don’t know of any escape attempt more amusing than the one you just pulled.”
I winced as my feet slowly regained feeling. “Please…” I weakly pleaded, “Please, just let me go.”
Nathalia laughed at me. “How so full of spirit, you are. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a storm outside. You’re stuck here until it passes, so lighten up.”
She got up and threw a log on the dying embers. “The soup’s still warm if you want it,” I heard her say. She came back and placed the pot on the table we were sitting at and set a bowl and spoon in front of me. “Try not to dish out more than you can handle this time.” I put my hands around the pot for warmth, but made no move to eat any more of the stuff. Nathalia plopped into the armchair across from me with a sigh She swung her legs over the arm of the chair and sunk into the seat. “You should try actually coming up with a plan before attempting to escape like that.”
“You’re right,” I said with my teeth still chattering a little. “Next time I’ll just knock you unconscious before running.”
“Now I know what to look for,” she answered with a smirk. “Are you always so troublesome? It’s pathetic.”
I glared at her, but dared not say another word.
Nathalia picked up an instrument that had apparently been sitting on the floor up until this point. She held the stringed object and began plucking at the strings. I didn’t recognize any particular melody, but apparently she was enjoying herself. I glared at her either way. When I wasn’t glaring at Nathalia, I was glaring at the window. When I wasn’t glaring at the window, I was glaring at Nathalia. A twisted cycle of dirty looks to one I knew could never see them. I considered throwing the pot of broth at her more than a few times, but restrained myself every time because I couldn’t think of what I would do after that. Besides, such an interruption to her playing would probably produce some very bad results if I didn’t get away immediately. We sat like this for a few hours before Nathalia stopped plucking. She put the lyre down and stood up.
“Good night,” she said cheerfully and walked into a back room. It wasn’t until after I heard the door slam shut that I shouted, “Not if you wake up with a knife in your back!” I heard something slide against the door, presumably a lock. Sighing, I stood up and walked to the door behind which the wind was howling outside. I opened the door a crack to peek out. It was still snowing heavily. I closed the door and went back to sitting on the couch. “It’s no use. Even if I ran…” I slowly admitted to myself the undeniable fact that I had nowhere else to go. I wouldn’t make it very far without the proper gear anyway. I curled up on the couch and felt myself drifting off to sleep.
The storm lasted another day. By the time it was over, the door was sealed shut with ice and snow. We had to wait another three days before we could get out. In that time, I saw very little of Nathalia. She came out a few times to get food and firewood. She took her lyre with her the first time she went back to her room. Other than that, she mostly stayed in the back room. I could occasionally hear her plucking along on the stringed instrument, playing unidentifiable melodies. I was grateful for the solitude, to be honest. I regained the rest of my strength and managed to find a new wardrobe while rummaging through Nathalia’s hut. Hey, if she was going to lock herself on the other side of the house, that’s fine with me. It’s not like she could see that I was wearing her clothes anyway.
On the day the snow finally melted enough to let us get outside, Nathalia woke me up that night an hour or so after I went to sleep. She was barking orders for me to get up and ready to go. I was too disoriented at being woken up so soon to fully realize what was happening, but I pulled on some boots and a cloak. I followed Nathalia outside. The bitter cold air made the rude awakening even worse. All I wanted to do was go back inside the warm hut and resume sleeping. It really hadn’t dawned on me that I was outside. I was only aware that I was standing in the cold instead of sleeping under a warm blanket. I had no idea what I was doing out here.
“This is your first night of training,” Nathalia said in a loud voice.
“Listen, lady. I’m too tired to understand your insanity. I’m going to sleep.” I yawned and headed back to the house. Before I took two steps, something heavy hit me in the back and knocked me facedown to the ground. Let me tell you, a face plant in the snow does wonders to wake you up. I tried to get up, but Nathalia planted her boot on my back and pushed me back down.
She leaned over so she was sure I would hear her. “First lesson. Obey me at all times. When I speak you listen, when I call you come, when I give you an order-”
I cut her off before she could finish, “You want me to obey. I get it, all right?”
Much to my horror, she grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head up. “Yikes! Let go!”
“You’re not going to turn this into a problem, are you?” Nathalia asked in that creepy voice of hers.
I winced and tried not to move too much. I was fully awake now, but I kept telling myself this was all a dream.
“N-no…” I whimpered.
“Good,” she said as she let go of my hair and removed her foot. “Never interrupt me again.”
I rubbed the back of my head and slowly rose to my knees. It’s all a dream. A horrible, terrible dream. All of it. I’ll wake up back in my bed at home and none of this will have ever happened. But I knew the truth. There was no changing the past. For now, I could only protect my chance at a future, any future, if I cooperate now. All a horrible dream. I knew I was wrong.

Part One

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A sliver of moonlight fell upon the fresh snow in the forest clearing. The strong trees’ crooked fingerlike branches swayed little in the wind. Smaller trees, however, lost whole limbs to the harsh billows. Nearby, one could make out the faint outline of a pool of water that had frozen over. Upon the glassy surface, the wind whipped away some of the snow. A horrendous crash swallowed the silence of the night. Coughing and gasping, a figure broke through the surface of the ice. The dark shape clawed at the slick surface with all its might. Finally able to crawl up the bank, the figure’s features were illuminated. The moonlight revealed a teenage girl dressed in an unusual tunic. Shivering violently and dripping with black water, the young girl collapsed under a tree. Before slipping into unconsciousness, the girl whispered one word, “Why?” Not far away, shrouded in shadows, yellow beast-like eyes stared through the dark trees at the prone figure lying in the snow.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I woke to the sound of a crackling fire. Turning my head a little, my blurred vision cleared. I blinked and looked around the small abode I found myself in. As far as I could tell, it was some sort of hut. Weapons, tapestries, and shelves littered with jars lined the walls. The windows were boarded up. Aside from the fire, there was very little light. I was lying on a couch with a thick blanket draped over me. When I tried to get up, I not only found myself too weak to do so, but my hands bound as well.

“About time you woke up,” said a voice to my left. A woman stepped into my line of sight. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back. She wore a brown leather outfit covered with various weapons, pouches, and pockets. The dark red cape she wore looked dirty and tattered. What I found incredibly odd though was the black strip of cloth covering her eyes.

“Do you always tie up your guests?” I asked, being more annoyed with the heavy blanket than actually being held captive at the moment. She smirked at me.

“Only if they have as much spirit as you do. What’s your name, kid?” she asked.

“Irritated, now let me up before I melt under this thing!” I snapped back. I wasn’t in the mood for formalities, especially a kidnapper. The strange woman came closer to the couch and put a knife to my throat. The cold blade against my sweaty skin only mocked my situation.

“Name,” she whispered in my ear.

I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered through clenched teeth, “Not telling.”

Thankfully, she removed the blade. I let out the breath I had been holding and involuntarily shivered. As if this insane woman wasn’t creepy enough, that last move really had me freaking out now. All at once, the heavy blanket was yanked off and a refreshing wave of cool air greeted me. I took a deep breath and sighed. I looked down to see my hands and feet tied with rope and my clothing stained black. I bit back tears when I remembered how I got to this new land.

“It’s odd that you know that,” the woman said.

“Wha-?” I turned to see her sitting in a chair near the fire.

“You had a strong connection to your original. That’s intriguing,” she continued.

I was really confused now. Original? What in the world was she talking about?

“I… I don’t know what you mean,” I said, hoping she would actually believe me. Who knows what was going on in that crazy lady’s head…

But she ignored me and continued speaking. “The sands of time are shifting in Thorae. Change is coming, great change. I can see it.”

You know someone needs to be in a mental hospital if they think they can still see when they’re obviously blind. I figured my best bet is getting out of these ropes and hightailing it as far away as possible. I twisted my hands and tried quietly wriggling them out of the rope. My arms felt like noodles and the rope harshly cut into my wrists, but I kept trying. Keeping an eye on the woman, I watched her use a stick to prod a black pot hanging over the fire. She suddenly turned to me and I froze. If she weren’t wearing a blindfold, she probably would have been making direct eye contact. I knew she couldn’t see me through the blindfold, but I was too afraid to move a muscle. Who is this freak of nature?

“Nathalia,” she said. Before I said a word, she answered my question for me. “My name is Nathalia,” She turned back to the fire as she continued, “You should know the name of your fear.”

“I don’t fear you!” I burst without thinking. I had surprising confidence, considering I was absolutely terrified of being around this woman.

“You will,” Nathalia said plainly as she took the pot off the fire and placed it on a nearby table. She grabbed my bound hands and pulled me forward so I could sit up. It’s actually quite pathetic how I was too weak to even do that by myself. Either that or I simply didn’t want to put in the effort. I brushed the thought aside when Nathalia brought a spoonful of steaming broth to my face. Despite how hungry I was, I kept my mouth closed. There was no way I was going to let some crazy blind woman feed me. For all I know, she might poke my eye out with a spoon, accidental or not.

She waited a few moments before putting the spoon back into the bowl. “You sure are a handful,” she said as she stood up. “Fine. Starve.” She walked away and I heard a door shut.

Finally! She’s gone. I looked around and spotted a dagger next to the bowl of soup. I reached for it, thankful that I could at least move a little more without too much trouble. I grabbed the knife and started cutting the rope. It cut through easier than I expected and my hands were free within seconds. My feet were next. Instead of trying to find a way out of the place, like I probably should have, I grabbed the bowl of soup and downed it in seconds. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate and the soup smelled too delicious to pass up. I didn’t even care if I died of food poisoning, as long as I died warm and filled. 

With the salty taste of chicken still on my tongue, I spooned out another bowl and ate that as well.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled myself to my feet. I wobbled some and my whole body wouldn’t stop trembling, but I was standing and that was good enough for me. I spotted the door and bolted for it. I stumbled and tripped over every object in the room on the way to the door, but I wasn’t stopping for anything short of freedom. Once I made it to the exit, I yanked on the handle and swung the door open. 

A blast of icy cold wind and snow met me, but I ignorantly plowed through anyway. I got about ten feet from the door when it hit me that I just ran into a blizzard. Forethought isn’t exactly my strong suit.

The snow-covered ground had already started numbing my feet. It was already dark outside, but the harsh wind and snow made it even more difficult to see. I wrapped my arms around myself in an effort to cease my violent shaking, but such was futile. I started to feel lightheaded and I could feel myself start to fall. Something grabbed me from behind. I vaguely remember the blinding snow disappearing into darkness and warmth replacing the cold. Before I knew it, I was sitting in the couch again with a blanket wrapped around me. Nathalia was sitting in a chair across from me, sharpening a dagger.

“You’re going to have problems if you keep running into life threatening situations like that,” she said calmly. “But who am I to take the fun out of life? I don’t know of any escape attempt more amusing than the one you just pulled.”

I winced as my feet slowly regained feeling. “Please, just let me go,” I weakly pleaded.

She laughed. “So full of spirit... In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s a storm outside. We’re both stuck here until it passes, so lighten up.” She swung her legs over the arm of her chair and sunk into the seat. “You should really try coming up with a plan before attempting an escape like that.”

“You’re right,” I said with my teeth still chattering a little. “Next time I’ll be sure to knock you unconscious before running.”

“Thanks for the warning,” she answered with a smirk. “Are you always so troublesome? It’s quite sad.”

I glared at her, but didn’t say a word. I considered throwing the pot of broth at her more than a few times, but restrained myself because I couldn’t think of what to do after that. Such an action would probably produce some very bad results if I weren’t able to get away immediately. We probably would have sat like this for a few hours had Nathalia not stood up to leave.

“Good night,” she said cheerfully and walked into a back room. 

It wasn’t until after I heard the door slam shut that I shouted, “Not if you wake up with a knife in your back!” I heard something slide against the door, presumably a lock. Sighing, I got up and walked to the door behind which the wind was howling outside. I opened the door a crack to peek out. It was still snowing heavily. I closed the door and went back to sitting on the couch.

“It’s no use. Even if I ran…” I slowly admitted to myself the undeniable fact that I had nowhere else to go. I wouldn’t make it very far without proper gear anyway. I curled up on the couch and felt myself drifting off to sleep.

Hanna

A girl plagued by present struggles and an unknown history.

Is she good or evil?
Friend or foe?
Caring or hateful?
Weak or strong?
Hero or villain?

Maybe all of the above...

You decide.


This is the story of Hanna, A very conflicted character in Ice Sword Chronicles.

Hopefully, I'll post here often. (Often being a relative term...)

My coauthors have their own prequels

Hero's Chronicles

Misty's Mind


Enjoy a walk down memory lane, a broken and hidden path to Hanna, the most confused and equally confusing character I've created.

How far will you go to protect the ones you love?