5

After Wynn had left and Saya's head had become a bit clearer, her thoughts had the chance to start running again.

Had her outburst been too much?

Had it hurt Wynn?

Did she deserve it?

Or had Saya been too harsh? She had put a lot of her father's blame on her. She knew that wasn't fair. She and Wynn had both been toddlers when the kingdoms were at war. It wasn't Wynn's fault that Saya's kingdom was struggling.

So maybe it had been too much.

But what about the comments? The 'Poor Girl' nickname?

She realised she had given her a name too: Princess. Did that make her any better? She really didn't know.

The evening fell, but Saya wasn't hungry. Instead she decided to go back to the tent, to get her sword in order to clean it for tomorrow. Her muscles were stiff from sitting on the ledge for so long, and when she tried to stand up, she tripped and fell straight forwards on the pavement. For a minute, she couldn't find the energy to stand up, so she stayed were she was.

"Do you need any help, dear?"

Saya looked up and saw an elderly lady standing over her.

"No. No I'm fine, thank you," Saya answered, as she got up and dusted off her clothes with her hands.

"Where are you going, sweety?" the lady asked.

"Ehh, to the contestant's tents, I have to grab something there."

"You are a contestant? Oh wait, I have seen you fight this morning, haven't I?"

She thought about it for a second.

"Forgive an old lady's bad memory, but you are Saya, aren't you? you fought against the other girl, the one with the painted hair?"

"That is correct. I battled Eska, the one with the green hair. I won."

"Well, let me walk with you, I was about to go into the same direction."

Saya, exhausted from everything that happened the last couple hours, really wanted to be alone, but she didn't have the heart to say no this this kind stranger.

"Sure, why not."

As they started walking, Saya had to tell her all over her fights. The woman just didn't run out of questions, and every time Saya finished talking, she already had a new question ready to go.

"What does it feel like, to stand in the arena, in front of all those people?"

"Aren't you afraid you might get hurt?"

"What do you think when you see others fight?"

"You must be kidding, you really snuck onto the bleachers against the rules?"

The fifteen minute walk seemed to last forever, and so did the conversation. Saya even started to enjoy talking to this curious lady. It didn't take long, or she started talking about what had happened with Wynn. She told her new friend about her outburst, and anxiously waited to hear what she had to say.

"Darling, I know you feel guilty, do you not? Even though you might not want to admit it now. You are hurt by what she did and said to you, but you also know that your reaction was not entirely fair, am I correct?"

Saya struggled to keep the tears from rolling down her face as she nodded in response to the lady's questions. It was true, she did feel guilty, and her reaction hadn't been fair.

"Well then, darling, I don't know how this girl feels about it, but maybe it is up to you to be the bigger person and apologise next time you see her. Even if it is just to lift your own guilt, because feelings like that can keep coming back to you, creep up on you when you least expect it. That is my advice, sweety."

The woman smiled at her and pointed to the street on the left.

"That's my cue, I assume you are going straight ahead?"

Saya nodded again, unable to form the proper words in her head.

"Then I wish you good luck, sweety."

The lady ended the conversation and turned left. Saya stepped up the pace, and went straight ahead, towards the tents.

When she got there, she went straight inside, grabbed the sword from the table and walked back to the entrance of the tent. That's when she saw Wynn coming from one of the other tents.

Wynn walked into her direction, but only seemed to notice Saya when she was at a ten metre distance from her.

"Ehh.. hi," Wynn said, doubtfully. She didn't look up and kept going into the same direction.

Saya impulsively stuck out her hand and grabbed Wynn's arm on her way past. Wynn froze in surprise, took a second to look at the hand grasping her arm, then pulled away.

"What are you doing?"

Saya smiled. "I wanted to apologise to you, Wynn."

Wynn looked confused.

"To me?"

"I was too harsh to you, I shouldn't have said what I said. I blamed you for your father's actions. Actions you had nothing to do with. So, I'm sorry."

"You're… you're apologising to me? After what I said to you? You are way too good for this world, you know that? . I was horrible to you."

Saya thought about it for a second.

"Yes, yes you were. But even if I can't take away what you did to me, I'm still apologising for what I did to you."

"Well then, I'm sorry too," Wynn said a little awkwardly. These were clearly not the type of words she said very often.

For a second, Saya couldn't help but stare. Stare at her warm, chocolaty brown eyes, her wild, curly hair, het soft olive skin. Just for a second.

But then the moment passed.

"Well, I'm gonna go," Saya said. "I'm gonna see if I can still get something to eat at the tavern."

"Eeh yeah, and I'm going… that way." Wynn said pointing in the exact opposite direction of the tavern.

"Alright, see you later then?"

But Wynn was already gone.