Chapter 6
Natonito is silent for a minute at the table as the audience sits in awe. Each of them looks at each other and wonders about the tale that has just been told.
�That is an amazing story,� Daniel said. �Now I know who the noble people that came with us that one summer are. They would never tell me their names.�
�There is a reason I never told you my name,� Henry said. �It is because I feared you would get into trouble if you knew who I was and why I was in Cork. It truly was an amazing story.�
�It�s not even close to done yet,� said Natonito.
�Who knew that Bravia�s history was that interesting,� Delia said. �There was basically no rebellion in Puria. When Robert Russ III took the throne, Sir Shiva joined his empire without problems.�
�Bravians never could do something without problems,� Natonito said. �But there is much more to tell.�
�Did Henry�s father really have my sister kidnapped?� Cherie said.
�I�m afraid so,� Bathsheba said. �It was Ve Lue that did it, but he was under the hire of Duke Oen.�
�My wife is right,� Natonito said sadly. �It all worked out for the better, but it must have been very hard on your whole family, Cherie, especially your sister.�
�That�s so sad,� Cherie said.
�Yes, it is,� Bathsheba said. �But look at me, Oen is going to be a good father-in-law. After all, he married Natonito�s sister. He may still apologize for what he has done for me, but he cannot change the past. His family and ours was once locked in bitter war, and it cost both sides dearly. In the end, though, the Albrights and Bravias won, but as you can see there are no hard feelings for us personally.�
�Why did we have to fight at all?� Cherie asked.
�I do not know. There is a lot of pride involved with being part of the high nobility, though,� Natonito said. �And sometimes the pride blinds our better judgement.�
�I thought it was a captivating tale,� Delia said. �Who knew that all of you were connected before?�
�Yeah,� Daniel said. �That summer had been the defining moment of my life before coming to the Imperial School. But interestingly enough, the same people play an important role in my life.�
�Yes,� Henry said. �I knew there was something familiar about you, Daniel, and a reason why we got along and came from such close backgrounds, but I didn�t realize it was your family I stayed with that summer. We had fun that summer, didn�t we?�
�Yeah, it was very interesting. I am sure that Natonito will tell more later,� Daniel said.
�It is amazing how the tapestry of our lives fits together,� Bathsheba said. �All of us are somehow connected by chance events that appear to have the imprint of destiny.�
�Here are your drinks,� the waitress said, coming up. �You guys sure drink a lot of root beer.�
�Yes, we do,� Daniel said. �I hope you keep the refills coming.�
�Of course we do, Mister-� the waitress said.
�Miller, and please call me Daniel. I�m far too young to be a Mister,� Daniel said, laughing.
�Well, Mister Albright, you sure have brought a young group of people to this place. What is your purpose here, if you don�t mind me asking?� the waitress asked.
�Well, we are on the way to a wedding between my sister-in-law and my nephew,� Natonito said. �And I wanted to tell them about some stories of the Bravian War of Independence.�
�Ah, I see. Does that have anything to do with this building?� the waitress asked.
�Actually, it is. I had owned this building for a few years, having built it off of my early profits in Natonito Industries, and it was here I met my wife,� Natonito said.
�Your wife, that beautiful brunette there?� the waitress said.
�Yes,� Natonito said, smiling.
�I was a waitress here myself,� Bathsheba said. �Among other things.�
�Oh, you were one of those special waitresses that double as courtesans, right?� the waitress said.
�Yes, how do you know?� Bathsheba said.
�How�d a beautiful girl like you get caught up in a place like this?� the waitress said.
�I had been kidnapped and sold to a prostitution ring,� Bathsheba said. �When Natonito saw me here, as his brother-in-law had placed me to work here, he bought my contract and I became his. When he found out who I really was, and was already in love with me, we married.�
�That�s sweet. I�m no noblewoman, though, just a common girl who tried to make my fortune in the big city,� the waitress said. �Hah, why did I have such foolish dreams?�
�It is no fault to dream,� Daniel said. �I am a commoner myself. Why does it seem that all the pretty peasant girls who leave the small towns like I grew up in end up being waitresses or prostitutes in the cities?�
�It is because we leave without having skills, without having a whole lot of brains, and without having any good luck,� the waitress said. �We leave because we�re in love with some guy our parents won�t let us be with or because we�re bored with the country or because we just think there�s more to the world that we�re missing. And so we leave the country and find out that the city just eats up people like us. There is nothing worse than being a poor person in the city, because you�re not around family, you�re crammed into small places because you can�t afford a nice pad, and no one cares about you or your life. The city doesn�t care about your silly dreams of youth. If you don�t have money, you don�t have squat, and you will die unmourned and unloved.�
�That�s awfully sad,� Delia said. �I suppose it is the same for poor people everywhere, though. I was born the daughter of a Baron, and my life has been good, but there are many poor vagrants everywhere.�
�Yes, that is true,� Natonito said. �The dream and reality of the city are so different. After all, for rich people and even middle class people, the city and suburbs are wonderful, but for the poor, the city is a nightmare.�
�Your food will be coming in a little while,� the waitress said. �The cook is quite busy right now.�
�I see, it is a full house tonight,� Natonito said. �I wonder what is going on.�
�Heather Van Larken will be singing a little later tonight, so the young noblemen are all here,� the waitress said. �And thanks for your concern.�
�No problem,� Daniel said with a smile as the waitress walked away.
�It seems like everyone has their own problems,� Henry said.
�Yes, it does,� Bathsheba said. �Poor girl, she must be in the same spot I was.�
�How do you know?� Cherie said.
�She didn�t directly answer my question. She probably is glad that we are here just for the food, because she must have thought that some guy was going to proposition her,� Bathsheba said. �I know, I had days where I thought some guy would want to pay for my services, and I would be glad when a couple would show up and just want food.�
�You had an interesting life here, didn�t you sister,� Cherie said.
�Yes, I did. I am glad that Natonito got me out of this place. I would have been used up in no time,� Bathsheba said.
�I saw that you were different from the other girls, more pure, and so I wanted you to be my woman,� Natonito said.
�And because you loved me you ended up getting rid of all of your other women,� Bathsheba said.
�Yes, that is what love is. When one has a girl one is in love with, and one you know is in love with you, why would you need, or want, anyone else?� Natonito asked rhetorically.
�That is very true,� Delia said. �I remember a time in my recent past where I was looking for love and could not find it, so I filled up my life with sex, thinking that guys would love me if I was a freak for them, but I found out they only used me to get experience.�
�But you found love yourself,� Daniel said. �And your past is forgiven.�
�But it will never be forgotten,� Delia said. �I can never undo my past sins.�
�Yes, but you don�t have to repeat them,� Daniel said. �God has a merciful heart, and is quick to forgive those who have changed their ways.�
�Yes,� Bathsheba said. �All we can do is move forward and not repeat the errors of our past. Sometimes we must pay the price for our indiscretions, but the sin is forgiven.�
�That is a good thing, isn�t it little Oen,� Cherie said to the baby on her lap.
�Yes, little Natonito. Some day you will wonder what kind of woman your mother is, and you will just have to know she is a survivor,� Bathsheba said. �That is all that matters, anyway.�
�I hope the food is good,� Henry said with a wink. �We sure will have waited long enough for it.�
�Yes,� Natonito said. �I agree. While we are waiting I will tell more of the story.�
�Sounds good to me,� Daniel said.
[ Chapter 5 ]
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