Heart's Desire

Chapter 8

"And where are you going this evening?" my father asked as I tried, but failed, to sneak out of the palace.

"Meeting up with someone," I said.

"And who is this someone?"

"Just a friend."

"Y/N, if this friend is someone I do not know."

"It's just Odessa, father."

"Odessa?" he asked.

"Yes. It's just Odessa. I want to get to know her better."

"I was friends with her father."

"I know."

"She told you?"

"Yes."

"Did she tell you why we stopped being friends?"

"To a degree."

"She is not like normal people, Y/N."

"So?" I asked. "I don't care if she's abnormal or something along those lines. It just makes her different. And I need different in this place."

My father sighed, shaking his head, "Whatever you do, don't get too close without knowing what you're getting into."

"And what am I getting into?"

"I told you before, Odessa is not the person you think she is."

"You keep saying that, but you have yet to tell me why."

"In time, you will know. I'd rather let you figure it out."

I sighed, "So you're just going to let me get hurt."

"That's how I got hurt. By figuring it out."

I shook my head, "Fine. I'll be cautious around Odessa."

"Thank you. Now, have fun. And be careful coming back."

"I will."

I walked out of the palace and towards her little neighborhood. When I reached her house, the door swung open and Odessa walked out, her younger brother and sister saying goodbye to her. I smiled as they were about to head inside, but as soon as they saw me, they waved. I waved to them and Odessa turned to face me. A smile crawled onto her face as she walked towards me, the door closing behind her.

"You look...stunning," she said.

"Thank you. And you look amazing."

We walked off and once we passed the area I was used to, I followed Odessa as she was now leading. We walked well past the inner part of the city and was now reaching uncharted territory. It was still part of the empire, but I have never left anywhere outside of Rome.

"Are we almost there?" I asked, taking note of the position of the moon now, since the sun was completely gone.

"Almost. Why? You getting tired?"

"A bit," I said.

"I'll carry you on the way back."

When we reached the place, I was met with a medium sized creek with woods and possibly another civilization on the other side. I wanted to explore the entire empire, but I was limited to where I would go. Not to mention, the territory my father controlled was huge.

"Odessa," I breathed out, amazed by how the reflection of the moon was hitting the water.

The sounds of nature were like a symphony. The buzzing of the mosquitoes, the croaking of frogs, and the blinking lights of the fireflies.

"I can see why your family likes coming out here," I said.

"They usually come during the day or afternoon. There's a lot more activity. I like coming here at night."

"Why's that?"

"My father and I would come here to train at times. Harden my body to where I could take anything he threw at me."

I walked around the small bank, stepping up to where the water meets land. Sinking down, I dipped my hand into the cool water, letting it run through the gaps of my fingers. I smiled as I stood up, Odessa walking up beside me. I turned and flicked the droplets of water at her face. She chuckled, wiping them off.

"He also taught me how to fish."

"Then where's your equipment?"

"Don't need it," she said, slipping her sandals off and stepping into the water.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," she said and lightly walked around.

She stopped, stood still for a moment, before crouching down and grabbing something. She turned towards me, holding a fish in the air by its tail.

"Caught one," she smiled.

If flopped around in her hand and she lost her grip on it. She tried to catch it once more, but it ended up flipping itself off of her head and into the water once more. My mouth formed into a smile, cracking open as I let out a roar of laughter. Odessa soon joined in.

"Get in here," she walked over to me, grabbing my arm.

"Odessa, wait! Let me at least take my sandals off."

Once I had slipped them off, I stepped into the cold water, shrieking slightly.

"That's cold!"

"You'll get used to it. Not like I'm dunking you in."

We played around in the water, trying to catch some fish. When we were able to catch some, and have a good hold on them, Odessa gathered the necessary wood and things to light a fire. We placed the fish on stakes and secured them in the soil underneath, watching them cook.

"I didn't expect for you to bring me out here."

"Is it a bad thing?" Odessa asked.

"No. It's just that, I've never really been past the city. It's beautiful out here."

"Yeah," she smiled. "It is quite the scene."

I glanced at her through the corner of my eye. She wasn't looking where I was. I smiled, causing her to look away.

"Do you know when the champion's battle is?"

"In about a few months. Why?"

"I'm going to go after his title."

"Odessa, no," I shot my head in her direction. "You can't do that."

"Why not?" she asked. "If I get that title, I can prove to everyone here in Rome that I can be like every other gladiator. That I can rise above what they say about me."

"And what do they say about you?"

"That I am a woman. That a woman can't achieve the level of a man in terms of strength."

"Also, Odessa, the champion is about thirty to forty years old."

"And I am about half his age then, if he is forty," Odessa said. "Besides, it's time someone like me gets what they want around here."

I let out a sigh, "It's a death wish, Odessa. Even if he is older and losing his strength, he is still naturally stronger than you."

"We'll see about that."

"I hope you do win," I said. "I just hope you know what you're getting into."

"I know," she said.

"I also hope that you know you get one thing out of this."

"What's that?"

"Anything your heart desires. If you win the challenge, the Caesar is guaranteed to grant anything you want."

"Anything my heart desires," she whispered.