*Natalie*

Natalie watched from the window as Lady Cass and Odal left the carriage and walked into the manor. She could tell that Lady Cass was furious and shivered as she recalled the night she met the Strioi. Odal might be a Warrior, but she didn’t think that he could beat Lady Cass. Also, Natalie was certain Odal would not really be able to fight Lady Cass at all, he clearly liked her a lot. Natalie also knew that Lady Cass knew that and was leading Odal on, but she kept her mouth shut about it during the lessons.

But those lessons… When Lady Cass had told her that she would be learning how to fight, Natalie had initially balked, but Lady Cass was not the kind of woman that could really be denied. According to Odal she had even killed a Warden in single combat! Wardens were blessed by the spirits of battle according to the priests and yet she had killed one!

Natalie sometimes wondered if Lady Cass was a spirit herself, but whenever she thought back to the night they had met… If she was a spirit, she was a dark one. Natalie heard Lady Cass enter and turned to watch her as she stormed off to her rooms. Even when she was so angry she could barely control her movements, being stiffer and jerkier than normal, she still managed to look beautiful. Natalie would have idolized her… But Lady Cass was not a person who one could have simple feelings towards. She had torn down Natalie’s family, then saved her and supported them. She had saved Natalie but then tortured and tormented those men more than she needed…

Odal entered next and Natalie decided to go talk to him, she was still cautious of Lady Cass and finding out why she was angry might be a good idea.

“Warrior Odal-” Natalie stopped, seeing the blood near his neck. Had they been attacked? “You are hurt, why don’t you sit down and let me take a look at it?”

Odal tried to refuse, but Natalie eventually got him to sit down. For a Warrior he really was not that hard to push around… Natalie used a little water and a small cloth to clean the cuts and also noticed the marks on his cheeks- handprints? These cuts almost looked like they were made by nails, or maybe claws of some kind? No, given the marks on his face, it was definitely nails.

“Did you get into a fight with the Lady?” Natalie asked while cleaning and examining the wounds. They bled a lot, but were quite thin, they should heal soon without any need for real treatment.

“I wouldn’t quite call it a fight,” Odal chuckled, oddly happy for some reason. Natalie did not understand why, but maybe she would find out. “It seems that my way of thinking is a bit narrow.”

Well, yes. Natalie was nine and she could have told him that much. She also could have told him that picking a fight with Cass was akin to asking to die horribly. Natalie doubted that Warden Rowig could handle Cass, so someone like Odal would be little more than a mouse before a cat.

Instead of saying any of that though, Natalie said, “I am sure she was just tired.”

“No, this was my own fault.” Odal sighed, “I deserved this, and I do have to admit her fury is hard to look away from.”

Oh Odal, how can you be so dense when you are so much older? Well if he wanted Lady Cass to kick his ass that badly, there was not much Natalie could do about it. Though why anyone would want to be hurt was beyond Natalie’s ability to understand. Her mother told her that pain was the spirits way of saying to avoid something, and it was never a good idea to go against the spirits.

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They talked a little more and Odal left for the night, so Natalie walked towards Cass’s bedroom. She had her own, but Natalie was more afraid of being alone then being around Cass who, for all her cruelty and manipulation, always treated Natalie well. And they both seemed to need each other when the silence took over at night, though while Natalie was afraid of being alone, she was not quite sure what Cass scared of. Since it was something that could terrify someone as strong and smart as Lady Cass, Natalie was sure she did not want to know what it was.

Cass was changing into her nightdress and Natalie was able to catch a glimpse of the stunningly complicated tattoo that dominated Cass’s back. It was a beautiful thing, a work of art only comparable to the ones that twined around her arms and thighs. They really complimented her looks, beauty and grace combined with violence and brutality.

“Sorry that you weren’t invited Nat,” Lady Cass turned and smiled softly. “Next time we go to a restaurant you are coming, you should see what it feels like on the other side.”

“You don’t have to do that Lady,” Natalie was not even sure she would be comfortable with that. Of course, refusing Cass rarely worked. “You have been generous enough already.”

“Nonsense,” Yeah, it didn’t work this time either. “It is such a small thing that it hardly counts as generosity.” Cass got into bed, leaving a space for Natalie to slide in to, which she did. She was more comfortable being held by someone as scary as Cass could be then she was being alone right now… “For that matter, you can call me Cass.”

Lady Cass had said that last part several times, but Natalie did not think she could do it. She had raised to always, always, always, use the titles of the upper Castes. To not do so was incredibly dangerous. Still, she slipped into the bed next to the Lady and let her pull Natalie close. Natalie did not stiffen so much this time, Lady Cass was cruel, but never to her- even if she did not quite understand why she was so important to the Lady.

After a moment of silence, Natalie decided to risk a question. She even tried to call the Lady by her name to try and see if she would answer, “Why are you doing this to Warrior Odal, Ca- Cass?” She stumbled over the name, she could hardly get it out…

Cass shifted too look down at Natalie, but Natalie did not look up. The Lady’s eyes could be soft, but generally were hard and scary… She did not want to see which it was…

“You are a very observant girl, Nat.” Cass said quietly, “Odal is not. Why am I doing this to him? Because one side of my personality tells me to use him and the other side of it tells me to help educate him, and his knowledge is useful, even if he lacks the intelligence and imagination to go beyond his rote knowledge.”

“You hurt him tonight.” Natalie whispered, starting to tremble slightly in Cass’s arms. Natalie felt Cass hold her tighter, trying to comfort her even as cold words came from her lips.

“Odal is a fool and a hypocrite.” Cass’s voice was like mountain ice, clear but colder than death. “It would not be so bad if he took advantage of people on purpose, but to do so and think that he is a beacon for good and justice is despicable. He deserves everything he gets because he ignores reality for his own dreams.”

“Lady, isn’t your beliefs all about dreams?” Natalie asked in confusion, Cass had been teaching her about the beliefs of Haj and the Church of Light, and Natalie had to admit it had a certain attraction to it. But this answer seemed the opposite of what her Church preached.

“To make your dreams real,” Cass explained smoothly. “You must understand the current reality, and how to get from that reality to the dream. If you never leave your dreams you will never reach them, as strange as that sounds.”

“I think I understand,” Natalie yawned. She was tired, the exercise and lessons from Odal combined with some the lessons Cass taught exhausted her. She would have to think more on what Cass had said tomorrow, almost unconsciously she snuggled closer to Cass as she fell asleep.