CHAPTER 8: THE BINDING

The great hall Norrin stood in returned to darkness and the spirit of Nassima faded away. The soft glow of the runes lining the walls also faded away, leaving Norrin in near blackness for several tense seconds. Then, from above, a small flash and a whoosh of wind formed a tempest of light which swirled around him. The whirlwind turned faster and glowed brighter and brighter, sweeping Norrin off his feet. The weightless sensation made his stomach drop to his spine as he was pushed up and away from the platform. His anxiety flared and his heart raced in his chest, so he began taking deep breaths to rid the fear from his mind.

The image of Nassima floated down from the eye of the tempest. Her armor was gone, and her body appeared in a soft sea blue silhouette. Norrin instantly relaxed when he saw her. She reached out to him as she glided downwards beckoning him toward her. Norrin instinctively reached back towards her. His heart jumped when felt the softness of her fingertips touching his. Even though Nassima was still a spirit, he felt the warmth of her skin as if it was solid flesh and his excitement rose higher. She pulled him in closer, and his body was consumed in a gentle sensation, like he was being dipped into a warm pool of water. As they moved nearer together, Nassima cupped his face in her hands and pulled it close to hers. She gently touched her forehead against his, and all of his senses were flooded with wonder. His mind’s eye opened to the vivid colors of her soul. They embraced each other like lost twins who have searched the world for each other. Then with a single gentle kiss, both figures were engulfed by a bright golden light that saturated the hall.

In that moment, Norrin and Nassima were transported to the earliest memories of his mind. With Nassima by his side, he. found himself in the large commune that his parents and extended family once shared.

"Are we in the Southern Nines?" He asked Nassima.

"To know you more I must know your past: who you are, where you come from, and what you have done." Nassima answered.

Norrin could hardly pay attention to Nassima's words because he was overcome with the emotion of seeing his family. The people inside were in a constant state of movement and conversations, with songs, and laughter filling the air. Then, he saw his younger self rambling about. He couldn't have been more than 2 or 3 solars old, but he was already ball of energy running and jumping along with his older cousins and causing mischief.

"Do they see us?"

"No Norrin, this is all in your mind's eye. I brought us to the earliest memory of you life I can find. Tell me about your life here.

"This was the Shai family compound that was built by my great-grandparents. It was filled with love and happiness even though life in the Southern Nines was difficult. Despair and hunger were a fact of life in the Nines, but my family tried their hardest to make sure all of us children’s lives were worry free." Norrin explained as his mind reveled in the familiarity of his cherished childhood home. The smiling faces of his grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and other kin filled his heart with glee. But then something strange happened, little Norrin stopped in his tracks and stared directly at the spot where Norrin and Nassima stood. He could not see them but still searched the spot with his young eyes. Nassima moved closer to little Norrin, locked eyes with the boy, and gave him a small smile. The boy giggled and ran off in pursuit of his cousins.

In a flash, time fast-forwarded and Norrin’s memory changed. Norrin was playing with his older sister in the back of a transport cart, while his parents sat on the front seats behind the crawler.

"I remember this," Norrin said excited about what he would see. "I was about nine solars old at this time. My father was a skilled stone mason, and his work contract was sold to a company in Citadel Firstview. We joined a large caravan traveling from the Southern Nines to the capital city. And look!"
Just as Norrin said that a Chaser appeared with his gleaming turquoise bandero fluttering behind him. He jogged past Norrin's family on his way to the front of the caravan. He gave the two children a small salute and a confident smile.

"Your first encounter with a Chaser?" Nassima asked.

"Yes, it was, and I learned later that the same smiling Chaser managed to lead a pack of saber-rats away from the path of our caravan, into a group of bandits waiting in ambush further down the route. The fight between the saber-rats and bandits attracted the attention of a flock of harpies who then joined the frenzy. All the while, the Chaser secured a new route for the caravan to travel, which allowed us to peacefully avoid the chaotic scene of fur, feathers and blood."

"The Chaser was celebrated when they reached the Citadel," Norrin continued. "The Rotormen and hirelings that accompanied the caravan hoisted the Chaser on their shoulders, cheering, singing and shouting his praises. The Chaser did not pay for any food or single drop of wine the entire night and was treated like a king. All this left a big impression on me, I guess. I just didn't know it at the time."

Again, Nassima fast forwarded time to Norrin’s formative years in the Institute of Citadel Firstview.

Norrin cringed at the memory. "Me and my sister were admitted to the Institute via a lottery the Highborn held for lower-class children, plus with a few pulled strings by Norrin’s father’s Highborn foreman. My parents were so proud and happy that we were students of the Institute, so I always had to make sure to try my best, even though I couldn’t compete with my sister’s marks."

"She is smarter than you?" Nassima questioned.

"Yeah, but don't tell her I said that," Norrin laughed. "It didn't matter much to me because no one expected much from me anyway. Whatever I did I was still considered a charity case from the Southern Nines. People of the Southern Nines were second class in the Citadels, and at best could only hope for opportunities in low to mid-level service work, construction, or entertainment to live a decent life. Some Niners were able to build decent amounts of wealth doing these things, but they were still locked out of the lifestyle the Highborn of the Citadels abided by. So, being a Niner meant some opportunities would always be closed off to me, no matter what I scored in the Institute. But, I was still told to work hard and be and polite despite knowing the cards were stacked against me. Besides, I liked my history lessons, and it felt good being able to remember random historic trivia. "

As if on cue, a memory of the day Norrin told one of his instructors he wanted to use his interest in history to become an Archivist when he got older came into focus. The instructor in turn looked at him with pity.

“Norrin, you are smart, but Niners do not have the capacity to be Archivists. You could probably do well as a Courier instead. You are pretty quick I suppose? It will at least give you a chance to serve the Archivists in some form,” the instructor said to him with a bluntness.

"Yeah, I remember Instructor Harkniss." Norrin said in a hushed tone. The words still stinging him.

"It was the first time I felt my anxiety affect me," Norrin continued. "I wanted so badly to speak up for myself, and to defend myself and my people. Looking back, I know Harkniss spoke out of ignorance not malice, but it was all the same to me. I just couldn’t find the words to correct the instructor’s obliviousness. My mouth had turned dry and I started sweating and it was like my whole body shook and was frozen in shock at the same time. I didn’t know if it was the anger or fear that made me clench my fist so tight they hurt. And even though I forgot what she said over time, the feeling stayed with me the entire day, playing repeatedly in my mind."

"I never spoke about being an Archivist again." Norrin said with sadness. "I figured that if people would only value me for my physical talents, it would have to be my physical talents that carried me through life. So, I focused on training my body for the upcoming Games, instead."

Nassima felt for Norrin in her heart but also was searing with anger and sadness from the total disregard the instructor gave him. It dawned on her how a few words could change a life forever. A lesson Norrin had learned the hard way.