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.