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Chapter 4: The Ancient One
I watched from the sidelines silently as Teresa drilled in new skills to this level of warriors in training. It had been difficult watching her deal with this emotion of betrayal and hurt. I wanted to keep out of it for as long as I could, but the poor children were being driven to exhaustion. I had to step in.
When Marc had come to me asking for advice, I listened patiently as he retold his side of the story. I had heard the gossip from the village about how he had betrayed Teresa and was now at a loss as to what to do. He hadn't meant for any of it to happen. I know he was sincere on that one. I never liked Bianca. Something was always up to something and he wasn't the first man she'd seduced. But that's another problem.
I didn't want to believe that Teresa wasn't handling this well. She is one to take so much and not let anything affect her work. But upon seeing her this afternoon, I realized how wrong I was. Even she was human and could only take in so much. Gone was the woman who smiled and helped her students learn and made learning enjoyable. Here was a complete stranger, ordering the children around as if she was commander of an army.
Slowly, I made my way to the practice grounds. One by one, the students stopped their practice and turned to watch my approach. Teresa yelled shrilly at the students to keep going, not noticing my presence. "Teresa," I quietly said.
Immediately, she turned around and gave me the sign of respect. "Ancient One, I didn't hear you coming."
"Give the children a rest."
Her eyes flashed up at me. "They're not done with their training. I refuse to dismiss them until they have this down perfectly."
In the crowd, I could hear a few muffled groans and I waved a hand to quiet them. "Please, listen to me. See how your students are tiring."
"They're not tired. They just need to work harder to-"
"Teresa," I warned.
"Look. These are my students and I can train them whatever way I want." She tried to glare me down as she took her staff and got into a fighting stance.
Shaking my head, I silently agreed to the combat as I took my walking staff and used it as an impromptu staff of my own.
I must be honest. I was slow warming up and had a little difficulty keeping up with her for a few moments. After all, I hadn't sparred in so many years. Still, I knew she underestimated my abilities and sure enough she was put on the defensive for much of the remainder of the fight. I could feel her growing desperate as we continued and it wasn't long before she lay sprawled on her back with me towering over her.
Her eyes told me all. She was furious… Frustrated… Confused… Hurt… And humiliated. I gave a sad smile and helped her up to her feet. "Take a break Teresa. You deserve some rest. I'll take over for the next couple of days. Go home."
She stiffly gave the sign of respect before storming off in the opposite direction of her home.
I sadly shook my head as I watched her back move away. I turned to the children who were now sitting, staring wide-eyed at me. With a gesture of my hand, I dismissed them, calling after them to get a good night's rest and to be ready for tomorrow's work out.
After they had all left, I turned to a solitary figure half hidden behind a tree. I slowly made my way over there and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"She's that upset with me," Marc murmured, letting his tears fall freely as he rest against the try and looked skyward.
"Did you expect different?" He didn't answer. "Marc, I'm not going to condemn you and remind you that what you did was wrong." I saw him flinch a little and went on after he remained silent. "But I'm not going to tolerate your self-pity and whining either." His burning eyes glanced at me a second. "Stop hurting yourself. You know what you did. Now move on and fix it."
"But Ancient One, I'm so lost. I know I should wait and give her time, but I wish she wouldn't be so angry. It wasn't my fault!"
I raised an eyebrow to that one. "Whether you realize it or not, you are equally to blame as Bianca. It may have been her idea to do what you did, but you consented and didn't stop her."
Marc groaned. "Why did I do this? I'm hurting everyone. I'm driving myself crazy. My fellow warriors are getting antsy. The villagers are talking. The trainees are being pushed beyond their limits… I can only imagine how I've hurt Tess."
"Just give her some time, young one. If she's worth it, you'll stick around."
Marc nodded and I took my leave. Some distance away from him though, I turned back. "She is worth it, isn't she?"
Marc looked at me a second. "She's worth everything to me."
I nodded and went on my way.