Part Eight

Part Eight

Shard got up and followed the woman back inside the house. When Shard entered, Nathalia had pushed the couch out of the way, leaving an open area in the center of the room. 

“How many push ups can you do?” Nathalia asked. 

“What?” Shard looked at her with confusion. “I don’t know... None?” 

Nathalia pointed to the floor. “Start with ten.”
Shard frowned. “You can’t be serious.” Nathalia flicked the switch against the wall, the noisy crack scaring Shard. “Okay! Okay!” Shard threw off the cloak and attempted to do a push-up, only to collapse. “I can’t-”

Nathalia flicked the switch. “Again.”

Shard attempted again while Nathalia spoke. “Keep your back straight. Don’t lock your elbows. Don’t stop breathing. Again. Use your muscles. Engage your core. Again!” 

Shard gave out and stared at the wooden floor as she huffed. “I can’t!” 

Nathalia sat on the floor beside her and smacked the wood with the switch. “Again. Control your breathing. You sound like a dying pig.” 

“...I… huff… can’t… huff…” Shard crossed her arms and rested her forehead on them. 

“Say ‘can’t’ one more time,” Nathalia threatened as she leaned over. “You can and you will. Or do you want to roll over and let life trample all over you? You want to be a little lamb led to the slaughter? Answer me!”

“No,” Shard answered. “But I need rest.”

“Rest is for the weak.” Nathalia straightened. “Are you weak?” 

Shard wanted to answer yes out of spite, if not out of honesty. “No,” she huffed. 

“Prove it.” Nathalia’s switch landed on Shard’s shoulder. “Again.”

Shard bit back the tears and continued as instructed. Attempted to, anyway. She couldn't keep form and she didn’t keep count. After a moment, Nathalia stood up. “Good. Now lunges.” 

“Wha-” 

Nathalia swatted the switch at Shard. “Get up and take a step forward. No, that’s too close. No, now it’s too far. Good. Now back. Other side. Again.” Nathalia guided Shard through a few more exercises. Always commanding. Always ready with the switch should Shard be less than cooperative. 

“Good, good,” Nathalia said after a while. “Well, not really good. You actually did terrible with all of them, but it’s a start. Everyone has to start somewhere.” 

Shard lay on the floor, sweating and breathing heavily. “... huff... why…?” She glared at Nathalia, angry, but too tired to do anything about it. Nathalia sat on the floor beside Shard with her legs crossed. 

“Strength,” Nathalia replied. “Discipline. Flexibility. Speed. Balance. Control. How do you expect to swing a weapon around with flimsy arms like yours? A sword is only as strong as the hand that holds it.” 

Shard blinked at Nathalia. “A sword? I get a sword?” 

Nathalia shrugged. “If you want. Sword. Bow. Spear. Axe. All tools. The best tools you have are your mind and body.” Shard sat up to listen, breathing still calming down. Nathalia continued. “A body you have full control over will protect you better than the best weapon money can buy. A sharp mind will cut deeper than the sharpest blade. If you want to survive in this world, you need to start using your head.” 

Shard frowned. “I’m not an idiot.”

“That’s yet to be determined.” Nathalia scoffed. “In the end, it’s not the weapon or your skill with it that will give you the strength needed to survive. It’s in here.” Nathalia pointed to her heart. “If you despair, if you give in, if you show any hesitation at all, you might as well roll over and accept your fate. You’re a fighter. That’s good, but you have to keep fighting. Over and over again. The day you stop fighting is the day you die. Fight until your last breath.” 

Shard’s glare softened. Where once was anger, she now felt sorrow. “It can’t be that way all the time,” she said softly. “I mean, we can relax while we’re safe, right? We’re safe here. Nothing’s going to get us in here.” 

Nathalia frowned. “Cattle in a pen think they’re safe. Safety is a false concept. Even here. You can be attacked at any moment, by anyone.” 

“What about other people? There’s safety in numbers, right? What about friends?” Shard asked. 

“Friends will stab you in the back,” Nathalia answered without emotion. “Friends won’t help you. If you are in need, do you think friends will help you? If you’re starving, do you think friends will share their food? If you’re without a home, you think they’ll invite you into theirs?” She shook her head. “They won’t. The only person you can rely on is yourself. Remember it.”

“What… what about you?” Shard asked softly. 

“I can’t protect you forever.” Nathalia smiled and stood up. She started pushing the couch back into place. “Come. It’s time to make breakfast. I’m hungry enough to eat you.” 

“WHAT?!” Shard turned to Nathalia in alarm. 

Nathalia laughed. “I’m only teasing. Try not to take things so seriously.”

Shard relaxed and let out a nervous laugh. Shard watched Nathalia start making food as her smile faded. I’m sorry. I’m sorry for whatever happened to you to turn you into such a person. I’m sorry for whoever hurt you. 

***********************************

Nathalia made breakfast and Shard cleaned up the dishes. After the dishes, Nathalia had Shard clean the room and floor. While Shard started off not doing any chores, her list of things to do around the house seemed to gradually be growing. Shard didn’t mind as much. She felt it was fair to help out after everything Nathalia had done for her. After breakfast, Nathalia directed Shard outside again. 

“Now,” Nathalia started. “Focus on the cold.” 

Shard blinked at her. “It’s freezing out here. I’m not sure how I can focus on it any more than that.” 

“No,” Nathalia said. “Focus on your connection to it. The element is an extension of yourself. Become the frost.” 

Shard raised an eyebrow then rolled her eyes. “Become the frost. That sounds ridiculous.” 

Nathalia stooped down to pick up some snow and packed it into a ball. She threw the snowball in Shard’s direction. The snowball missed, but it got Shard’s attention. 

“Hey!” Shard shouted then bent down to collect some snow. 

“No,” Nathalia warned. “Create your own snowball.” 

Shard stopped and looked at her hands. She could feel the cold starting to numb the tips of her fingers. She could feel the hairs on her arms rise as a breeze ruffled the edge of her cloak. Shard shivered and clenched her fists

“You’re still trying to keep yourself warm,” Nathalia stated, folding her arms. “Warmth and cold cannot exist in the same space. The harder you fight to keep yourself warm, the weaker your frost control will be. Accept the cold. Embrace it.” 

Shard frowned. “And what happens when I freeze to death?” 

“You won’t,” Nathalia reassured. “You’ll be the strongest you’ve ever been.” 

“You make no sense,” Shard muttered. 

“It’s Thoraen elemental magic,” Nathalia countered. “Of course it doesn’t make sense to an ignorant earthling. Let your core grow cold.” 

Shard took a deep breath and focused with her eyes closed. As she let out a long breath, she relaxed every part of her that wanted to contract and preserve heat. She forced the warm air out of her lungs and breathed in the cold. 

“Good,” Nathalia said. “Focus on what you want to accomplish. Picture it clearly.” 

Shard put her palms together and let out another breath of hot air. She kept her body relaxed and slowed her breathing. Shard focused on the space between her palms. She could feel an icy shape forming between her hands. After a moment, Shard looked down and opened her hands. A small rosebud of ice delicately sat in her cupped hands. A huge smile grew on Shard’s face as she stared at it. “I did it! It turned out just like I wanted it to!” She held up the clear, icy flower. “It’s beautiful! Nathalia, look at what I made!” 

Shard kept forgetting the woman’s eyes were covered at all times. She looked up to see Nathalia frowning at her. “I told you to make a snowball,” Nathalia said, arms still folded.

“Oh… right...” Shard gently set the rosebud down in the snow and focused again. What she ended up with was a solid ball of ice, not a snowball. “Well… it’s close, but I wouldn’t want to throw this at you.” 

“Try again,” Nathalia said. 

Shard focused again, but came up with the same result. She set the globes of ice down next to the rosebud. The third time she tried, the ball was frozen on the outside, but slush on the inside. She only knew this because it quickly cracked and spilled all over her hands. Shard shook her hands off and clenched them a few times. “I can’t feel my fingers…” 

Nathalia frowned. “That’s to be expected. Your body will adjust and acclimate with practice. Eventually, you won’t feel it at all.” 

“My hands or the cold?” Shard asked skeptically. 

Nathalia shrugged as she stepped close, heading toward the house. “Maybe either, but what do I know?” She brushed past Shard, footsteps crunching as she walked back inside. 

Shard looked down. The globes were still intact, but the rosebud was crushed. Nathalia must have stepped on it by accident, Shard told herself. I can always make another one later.