21 Because Life is Such

I laid Dina in the bed, and covered her with the duvet. I wasn't about to complain under such circumstances. Spending a few night on the floor was nothing compared to what she went through. The following morning, I left to do my work, while Dina was still asleep.

I returned before the noon, where my breakfast awaited me. Dina was still in bed, but I checked on her just in case. "Hey, are you still asleep?", I asked. "... No", she replied weakly. "I'll share my breakfast with you, here, let me help you", I helped her sit on the bed, then fed her my porridge. "...What about you?", she asked with some difficulties. "Don't worry, I'll eat the bread".

"You... Have bruises on your face?", she noticed after a while. "I'm fine... Come on, eat up. You need energy to recover", I encouraged her. I didn't ask her what happened. I didn't want her to describe those awful events to me. "I'll try to get more medicine for you in the afternoon. I'm no doctor, but the injuries should heal up. I'm not sure about your leg though. I'm not experienced with such things", I said once she finished the porridge.

She looked at me, and her tears were simply flowing down her cheeks. I was about to reassure her again, but she spoke first. "You helped me?". I nodded and explained the whole thing to her. She was surprised the doctor didn't even lift a finger to help her. "I know, he's a bastard like all of them", I said. "Thank you...", she said quietly.

"Dina, rest here. I'll try to get some more food and medicine for you. In worst case scenario, I'll share my dinner with you. Okay, I have to go now", I said before leaving.

Hungry and angry, I worked until the last patient left the doctor's place. Before leaving, I walked inside the doctor's room. "Can I take some medicine with me? She's in pain. Please don't tell me you will deny me that as well", I asked. The doctor looked at me calmly, then said, "When you work for me, take whatever you need to treat patients".

I was glad he didn't tell me to scram. I grabbed some liquid medicine, as well as some dried plants, then left his house. Fortunately, there was food waiting for me inside my house. To my surprise, there was more than usual. 'The guy did mention that Rand still needs her. What the hell does he want from her now?', I asked myself.

"I'm back, let's eat something first. Then I'll apply the medicine", I said to Dina who laid in the bed. She wasn't crying anymore, as if her tears dried up from crying so much. She was able to eat by herself, but only porridge, the bread was too tough for her, and would only cause pain in her mouth.

After our dinner, I was about to apply medicine, but she stopped me. "Nex, I'd like you to do something for me", "Sure, what do you need?", I asked in reply. "I... I don't want to live anymore", as her words left her mouth, my heart stopped. She continued, "Please, end my life. I'd do it myself, if there was something sharp in here". I didn't know how to respond, no words left my mouth. I couldn't reply to that, how does one reply to such a request?

"You saw the extent of injuries these monster inflicted upon me. Do you think this was it? Once I get better, this will only continue", she added. "I... I can't... You did nothing wrong. I can't...", I stuttered. She was innocent, other than trying to escape. Being beaten up, I'd understand, but what they did to her, was far beyond the point of being beaten up.

"I don't want them to torture me again. I'd rather die, than live such a miserable life... My parents are already gone. That fucker must've killed them as well...", she said. "What... What do you mean?", I asked a bit confused. "Rand knew my parents. They apparently died because of some wild animals attack, but I don't buy that shit. He killed them to steal our family's training method. That bastard even admitted to it, when they caught me", she explained.

"So you knew him? That's why they caught you, and tried to imprison you here?", I asked. "I didn't know him much. As a kid, I saw him maybe two times. My parents knew him, and only for business. They didn't like him either", she replied. "...One hunter said that Rand still needs you. Does that have something to do with your family's training method?", I asked.

"That idiot thinks, I'll tell him the secrets of these methods. Maybe if I studied the book, it would be obvious to me, but my parents showed it to me once or twice. I was too young back then... He's not going to stop. He'll torture me again, but this time probably without breaking my bones. I know it's a lot to ask, and you'll get in trouble... I'm selfish, but I don't want to live. End my life, I'd like to pass in the arms of someone who actually cared about me", she explained.

The question remained, was I able to kill? Not due to anger, hate or other reasons as such, but because someone pleaded me. Such questions popped up in my mind by the dozens. I stared at her with a blank expression, unable to even answer that. "Why? Why are you suppose to die, when they hurt you?", I asked myself, more than Dina. "Because... Life is such".

Her words made me stare at her. 'Because life is such', the exact words that she heard, when she asked me why I was working like slave inside that village. The reality hit me hard, and made me realise something. The life was such that the hunters would still hunt. The peddlers would still sell their wares, and the villages would continue to exist.

My mind no longer hesitated, "I will do it". She smiled for the first time that day. She then asked, "Will you take revenge for me? For what they did?". "No... I'll take revenge for everything they did, or would do in the future", I replied. She seemed content with that reply. "Rest now, I'll be back soon", I said and left the house.

Grabbing my dagger from the smithy would be impossible at that point. They'd quickly catch me, and take it away. My other option, was the doctor. He had the necessary tools to cut skin and whatnot. I would borrow one such tool. 'I hope he didn't lock the door', I thought while rushing to the doctor's house.

The doors were unlocked. I tried to sneak in, grab a knife, and leave. As I arrived at the bench with the tools, I heard his voice, "What are you doing here?". My heart almost left my chest, but fortunately, he didn't leave his room. "I'm sorry doctor, I needed a new bandage. I didn't want to disturb you. I'm leaving right now", I replied while grabbing the knife and taking off.

I returned to our house, and showed her the knife. "I can tell you are an innocent guy. You never killed before... This should be a good practice for you. It's better to get used to it, if you meant it about the revenge", Dina said. "Please, don't say it like that... I'm still not sure if I can. If you were a monster, I'd probably do it...", I replied while trying to keep my hand from shaking.

She grabbed my hand, and pointed at her heart. "Aim here, this should be the quickest method. Don't worry, it's what I want. I know you'd like to help me, but right now, you are a no match for them. You need to get stronger, and don't make the same mistake as me".

I was still shaking, but she held my hand tightly. "Nex, will you remember me?", she asked out of nowhere. I nodded, "Always. Dina, the crazy? How's that?", I tried to lift the atmosphere, as it that would work. "I'm happy, it's a shame we didn't get more time together. Farewell, Nex", she said, then closed her eyes.

I pushed my hand holding the knife down. The sharpness of the knife allowed it to quickly travel downwards, and only a slight "Un", escaped Dina's mouth. As tears rolled down my cheeks, I said farewell to Dina as well.

We remain that way for a while, though I'm not sure how long. The bed got stained with blood, then I pulled the knife out. Dina, was dead. When I looked at her face, instead of sadness, there was a smile. She left the world with a smile, even after what they did to her. My tears stopped, and something in my mind snapped. Though punishment awaited me for this, at least she didn't have to suffer anymore.

I decided to bury her just outside of the village. Whether villagers would notice or not, I didn't care at that point. I lifted her up, and left the house. Not a lot of people were around, so no one stopped me. I wasn't sure what would happen if a random guy stopped me at that point. I still had that knife on me, and chances were, I'd use it.

We passed the gate, and headed straight towards the river. That's were I'd bury her. Without a shovel or any tools, I dug the ground with my own hands. My mind wasn't even thinking about that. It was like, my body did things on its own. Once the hole was deep enough, I buried Dina inside and laid a large stone on top of her grave. I wasn't sure how much time passed, but it was night already.

"Get up, kid. We're going back", the voice didn't belong to Rand or any of his hunters. The voice belonged to the doctor. "You can give me back my knife as well", he added. I gave him the knife without complaints, and followed him back to the village.