"Gah!" Ivan groaned as he fell hard to the ground, his backbone almost shattering. He was about to stand up again when a booted foot stomped on his chest and sent him back down. Etana smirked down at him as she kept him there, digging her heel into his sternum.
"Mercy!" he pleaded, gagging. His assailant lifted her foot and laughed maniacally.
"That's for tackling me," she said matter-of-factly, still smirking, and extended her arm to help the boy back up. He looked up at her and smiled back, then took her hand and got back on his feet.
"Fair enough," Ivan said, brushing himself off.
"You know," began Drury, who had been observing the training session, "you really shouldn't give her a false sense of accomplishment."
"What are you saying? He let me win?" Etana asked as she glared at Drury. She turned back to Ivan and hit him in the shoulder. "Did you let me win?"
Ivan flinched. "No! Why would I do that?"
His friend responded with a knowing grin and a raised eyebrow. "Oh, I don't know." He rolled his eyes. "I just think it's funny that you got creamed so easily when, just two nights ago, you seemed to render her helpless with no trouble at all."
Etana scowled, then turned and punched Ivan in the chest as hard as she could. He didn't react in the slightest, only apologized. "I'm sorry…"
"Fight me!" she commanded, her breathing becoming heavy. She clenched her fists at her waist and bared her teeth.
"You're not trained enough…"
"Come on! Let's go!"
Ivan sighed and looked away. "I don't think-"
"Then forget it! I'm done!"
"Etana, wait!" But it was too late. She ran out of the courtyard and back up to her new quarters without looking back.
"What in the world is wrong with you?" the boy asked furiously.
"What's wrong with me? Have you forgotten something?" Drury responded with equal anger as he stood. "We got demoted here for a reason, Ivan. You lost sight of our goal!" Ivan clenched his jaw and glared. "I'm not going down with you again, I'm just not! This is about taking down Ilom, not getting the girl!" Drury approached him and looked him dead in the eye. "Get your priorities in order."
Then, just like Etana, the Kondian soldier left Ivan and stormed back to the castle.
The door creaked open behind Etana. "You could at least leave me with some dignity," she scolded without turning around. Ivan stood just outside the door, hesitant to enter.
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't," she said harshly as she spun around on her bed. "The whole reason that I'm doing this is to restore my honor. Instead of crushing it, you could actually train and help me."
"I felt bad about the other night. I just wanted to make it up," Ivan confessed and took a tiny step inside her small room. It was all wood, with a small wooden bed upon which Etana sat, a wardrobe, and the oath of the soldiers engraved on one of the walls.
"By embarrassing me? Thanks a lot," she replied sarcastically and crossed her arms.
"If it's of any consolation, you did hurt me quite a bit." He took another tentative step inside. "You're very good. I'm just… stronger."
The girl held eye contact with him. "I'm just trying to be worth something." She looked down. "I'm sick of being a failure…" Ivan rested his arm against the wall and pressed his forehead against it, closing his eyes. "What's wrong with you?" Etana asked, confused.
After a moment, he answered. "You make me feel bad and…" he walked back toward the door. "I shouldn't be here."
"Yeah, maybe you should leave…" she said, feeling uncomfortable.
Stopping at the exit, Ivan asked "Are we going to continue training?"
Etana stared back at the floor, unsure. She didn't want to embarrass herself again, but, still, it was her only chance at becoming something besides a prisoner. When she didn't answer, the boy turned around.
"Listen, it'll be better this time, I promise." She looked up at him and met his green eyes with her blue ones. "And my promises never break."
Suspicious, the girl stood up. "What's the real reason that you came here?"
"What?" Ivan asked, bewildered.
"I told you, I'm not a fool. Why are you here?"
"To make sure you were alright," he confessed in an uneasy tone.
"And you care because…?"
The boy took a deep breath. "Because we need you here. You're the key to our plan."
Etana stared at him for quite some time, not completely buying this excuse. He had been too nice to her from (almost) the beginning, nicer than anyone else here. There had to be some reason, some explanation for this behavior. Nevertheless, she appreciated his kindness and smiled at him.
"Good night," she told him, and sat back down on her bed.
Ivan smiled back. "Sleep well," he replied, and closed the door behind him.