The Daughter of Darkness
I pushed the hair out of my face as the wind whipped it back and forth. I pushed my horse ahead through the sand and the bitter heat. It had been days since I left home, I don't know how much longer my supplies would last.
"That stupid Arias." I grumbled into the wind. There was sand in my eyes. I was thirsty, and days away from home. Why? Because my fool of a thirteen year old brother decided to take an adventure.
My mother was telling us another one of her stories. This one was of a brave general named User Ramses in Egypt. He was supposedly one of the most cunning generals my mother had ever faced, and my mother was very smart. She was the Gal Meshedi of the Hittite Empire.
My brother was enthralled with the story, and one day he disappeared. I am sure he went to find this "User Ramses" in Egypt when I saw his horse was missing.
So here I was, in the middle of nowhere, running low on food and water, searching for my foolishly stubborn little brother. I pulled my cloak over my face to keep the sand out of my mouth and eyes.
My mother and father will be upset at us both when we get back…father especially. Father is always worried about us and mother. Mostly mother and Arias though, they are the ones that always seem to get into trouble. When I left, Father was doing some work in Ugarit and mother was very busy with some business in Mittani. She wouldn't be back for another week at least.
I couldn't let Arias be gone for that long. Who knows what that boy could get into? Father always said to watch out for my siblings…so I didn't really break the rules did I?
My thoughts were cut short when I noticed a shadow ahead of me. I pushed ahead to see that it was the outline of a horse, and a passed out rider.
"Arias!" I shook the boy. He groaned and pulled his head up to look at me.
"Piya? Hey do you have any water?" He croaked, staring at my bag. Of course he didn't pack enough water. Arias was not known to plan ahead. I wonder if he brought any water at all. I handed him my flask and he grabbed it eagerly, nearly dumping it down his throat.
"Hey! Slowly or you'll throw up!" I snatch the flask away from him again. He groaned and reached his hands for the flask again. I handed it back tentatively and watched him struggle to take the tiny sips to appease me.
When he finished, he handed a nearly empty flask back to me, I swished it and sighed. We had two gulps left at most. Not enough for the both of us to get back home. Our food wouldn't last long either.
"Egypt is up ahead." Arias coughed, his strength beginning to return.
"How do you know that?" I demanded. I couldn't tell where we were. I was following his trail the whole time. And all I saw was sand.
"I got this out of mama's desk." He handed me a parchment. A map.
"Arias! You shouldn't take things out of mama's desk! She'll definitely notice." I scold, but look over the map. He was right. Egypt was less than a half day's ride away. We don't have a choice.
"So we're going to Egypt?" Arias perked up. He still looked tired, but his eyes brightened up. His face was red with sunburn so I took off my cloak and tossed it to him. He was out here so long…how long had he gone without water? His health could be in danger.
"Yeah. We are going to Egypt." I nod, turning my horse toward Egypt.
What was I riding into? We were not on bad terms with Egypt since Auntie Yuri ascended to the throne, but I don't know what to expect there. Mama told stories about Egypt, but I've never been there. She says that it's dangerous to go alone, and mama and papa have so much work to do, that they can never find time to take us.
I took a deep breath. I could do this. Mama always talked about her adventures. I can have adventures too. I can protect the ones I love too.
I always wanted to be more like Mama. Everyone says that I'm more like Papa. I guess I am. I'm not very strong, I don't fight very well, and I prefer to spend the day reading through tablets. I was not particularly brave, and I usually don't venture very far away from home.
Mama is brave. She was the best archer I've ever seen and she is so smart. Arias acts like her. He charges into everything without even thinking about the dangers. It drives Papa crazy with worry. That's why when Arias left, I wanted to go and have my own adventure. I wanted to be like Mama, even just a little bit. But now I am beginning to doubt. What was I doing here? My place is behind the desk with father and Kohana.
I looked down at Arias. He had pulled the cloak over him, but he had passed out again. I had to protect him. No matter what lies ahead, I will die before I let any harm come to him.
I looked over the horizon. We had been riding for a while. Egypt should be close by.
I rubbed my hand over my sore skin. The sun had really taken its toll on my fair skin. It was now turning a nice shade of pink. My vision was getting blurry, but I refused to drink the last sips of water. Arias has been out here longer then me. When he wakes up, he will need it more.
"You! Girl! You are no Egyptian. What are you doing here?" I heard a voice and turned to see an Egyptian soldier. And many more behind him.
"My brother and I are lost. We were only searching for some food and water." I answer truthfully. And perhaps some shade. Arias doesn't look so good.
"Those clothes. Your dress is dyed purple. No commoner can afford that luxery. And that boy's sword looks to be well made as well. I'm sorry, but I must take you into custody." The guard made a grab for an unconscious Arias.
"STOP! Don't touch him! Please, we mean no harm, we will leave after we get some food and water, Please!" I push my horse right in front of his. He glared at me and grabbed my wrist.
"Girl, you are under arrest. Come peacefully." He warned.
"Arrest for what? We were only passing through! I will not allow you to lay a hand on my brother!" I held my head up high. My hands were shaking. I clenched them in my dress, mama's hands probably never shook. Mama was never afraid.
"You have been warned, child!" He shouted.
Suddenly, I was on the ground, the sand grinding into my sunburns and getting into my mouth. I spit and screamed in anger, but I wasn't strong enough. I felt hands push down my back, my head was shoved into the sand and I coughed.
I saw them take Arias off his horse. He was still out cold. I saw a soldier throw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and my anger began to boil over.
I grabbed the knife I strapped to my thigh and kicked randomly behind me. I connected with someone and heard a grunt. In one movement, I swung around with the knife in my grasp. I heard a shout and looked at the end of my knife where blood dripped off of it. I had sliced the cheek of one of the guards.
I suddenly screeched as my feet were swept from under me and I was on the floor, staring up at a guard who had taken my weapon.
"You little bitch. You are going to pay now." He hissed. I closed my eyes. I failed. I was caught.
"What's going on here?" A new voice joined in.
"General! I'm sorry for the disturbance, we were just taking care of these spies we found here." The soldier pushed my back into the ground.
"I'm not a spy! Let me go! My brother! Don't you dare hurt him! You will regret it!" I screech, struggling with everything I was.
"Ok, ok. Let's all calm down. I doubt these children are spies. That boy needs to get out of the sun now. I will interrogate the girl at my residence." He said. I felt a sense of relief that Arias would be cared for…but I might be in more trouble now.
General's POV
I sat in front of the girl we found in the desert outside of town. She looked eerily familiar. Her brother as well. But I just couldn't quite place it. Where had I seen those eyes? The way she spoke…it was so very familiar. And that stubborn set in her chin...
"Girl, who are you. What land do you hail from?" I started standard questioning. She stared at me with a stubborn pout on her face. Her mouth set into a thin line. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and just stared at me.
"Just answer. It would be easier for both of us." I sigh. What was I doing, interrogating a little girl? But I could not deny she was no Egyptian. That she must be far from home.
"Mama and my auntie said that I should be careful of information I give in Egypt. They said only one man is trustworthy in Egypt." She stuck her chin out. Her expressions…this fearlessness. Where had I seen them? I know I have seen them before…
"Oh? And who is your mama?" I asked her, trying to be understanding.
She glared at me. Her mouth had shut once again that stubborn look on her face. I sigh. This was getting nowhere.
"Who is the trustworthy man your mama and auntie told you about?" I sigh. Perhaps if I can find him, she would talk. With my connections I might be able to find her "trustworthy man".
"User Ramses." She said clearly. She looked up at me from under her bangs. There was a fire in her eyes. Me? That means I know her mother and aunt. Who…?
"I am User Ramses. Who is your mother?" I leaned over the table to look at her. What was it about this girl? She still looked like she didn't believe me. There was distrust in her eyes as she looked over me carefully.
"Proof. I want proof." She was looking at me head on now. Her eyes were a clear, golden brown, a shade lighter then her long brown hair, still a mess from the long travel.
"And how would you like for me to prove it?" I asked teasingly. She seemed to consider this a moment. She scrunched up her nose and bit her lip in thought. I could see her struggling to think of the perfect way to test me.
"Auntie Nefert says that User Ramses…" She began.
"Wait. Auntie Nefert?" I interrupted her. Nefert? I haven't seen my sister for a long time. She had visited a few times with her husband, Rusafa, but after she had her first child, she hasn't had the time. Who was this girl.
"Girl, how can Nefert be your aunt? I demand to know who you are!" I stood up. My patience was now wearing incredibly thin. She clenched her jaw in thought, then I saw her eyes roam around the room. She suddenly pointed at the shelf. At a board game. A strategic practice game, actually.
"That game. Play it with me now." She looked back at me.
"We don't have time for this. And that is no game for children." I sigh, sitting back down. This child was infuriating.
"Play and I will tell you." She stuck her chin out stubbornly. I studied her before finally getting up and grabbing the board off the shelf, placing it in front of her. To my surprise, she began to set up the game by herself. This game was meant to train the minds of new generals. It simulated a warground and required each player to think as if they were really in war. How could this child know how to play?
"Why don't you move first." I smile at her.
"This formation…" I mumbled. We had been playing for a while, and now I looked at the formation she had set. It was the exact strategy used so many years ago. The one that had cost Egypt the war with the Hittite empire. The one that Pharaoh Horemheb had failed to see through.
I moved my pieces how I should have in that war, if I had continued my charge. I effortlessly broke through the formation. She looked at me carefully. I had won. She suddenly nodded.
"You are surely User Ramses." She smiled. "Mama said that during this war, only User Ramses would have seen through that formation."
"I played your little game, girl. It seems your mother knew me well. So tell me, what is your name, and where do you hail from? I deserve my answers." I leaned back in my chair. That girl knew that formation front and back. As if she had been practicing it. But who puts a young girl through this kind of practice?
"My name is Piya. I come from Hattusa. My father is the head minister, Ilbani. My mother is Yuki Ereshkigal. The Gal Meshedi and Goddess of Darkness." She said proudly. I couldn't help but laugh out loud, holding my stomach in laughter. She glared at me.
"N-no, I am not laughing at you, dear child. I am laughing at myself! Now I see it. You look like your father, but you manner of speaking, your tactics. They are surely your mother's!" I laughed. When my laughter calmed, I called in one of my sons.
"Akil. This is Piya. She will be staying here for a while. Please take her to one of the spare rooms while I write a message to your worried mother." I say.
"Um, please, may I stay in the room with my brother?" She asked. I considered her again. I see it now. That overprotective nature. The way she held herself up and that tactic. She was her mother's daughter all right. Yuki. It had been many years. How old was this child, 14? I haven't seen Yuki Ereshkigal for more then a decade. She had not had any need to visit Egypt and I have had no reason to visit Hattusa. Ah how time has passed. And how old we've gotten. I watched as my son led the young lady out and leaned back in my chair. I snagged a clay tablet and began to compose a quick note to Yuki Ereshkigal.
Akil's POV
I glanced back at the strange girl behind me. Her skin was pale. A bit pink from the sun, but she was very pale. I have never been outside of Egypt, but I have seen Aunt Nefert's husband, and he was pale like this girl too. What was her name again?
"Piya" I murmured, remembering. She turned her head at me. I blush, realizing I had said her name outloud.
"Yes?" She waited for me to continue.
"Just trying the name out for size. Father must think highly of you." I turn and continue towards the room.
"No, not me. My mother. General User Ramses thinks highly of my mother. Certainly not me. We just met." She shook her long locks. She was different from the girls I usually interacted with.
"No, my father never cares for one's parental heritage. He always told me to judge a person on who they are. Not their blood." I grin. Father was so smart. I hope that one day, I can be a great general, just like him. One day, I will do great things just like him.
"Your father sounds very wise. My mother told us that your father was the best general she had ever gone up against." Piya played with the ends of her hair. She looked so innocent. Yet, she had proven she had the will of any man I've ever met.
"Your mother sounds like a wondrous woman as well. I hope to meet her sometime in my life." I said. We had reached the door of her brother's room. "We are here. Are you sure you don't want your own room? We can put you right next door." I offer. I hated sharing rooms with my siblings. My sisters were gossipy and my brothers were loud. At least the young ones stayed with the mothers in the seraglio, so there wasn't as much crying.
"I am fine here. Thank you." She smiled softly before shutting the door. I was left standing stupidly in front of the door.
Her smile had caught me off guard. She looked so serious speaking to my father. She kept that serious face the entire time. Even when speaking to me, she kept that stoic face. It didn't seem to reach her eyes. Even if her whole face was emotionless, her eyes held sadness, worry, and a hint of curiosity. It was as if she was struggling to try and keep her emotionless face on.
When she smiled, it seemed to change her entire being. When she was with my father, she was like a soldier. She was all business. But when she smiled, she looked like a regular girl.
I walked aimlessly about the halls. This girl…she looked so innocent, but already I know she knows more of the world then I. She has traveled a long way from home. A very long way. I have never even stepped foot outside of Egypt.
Even if I strive to be a great general like my father, I know that I do not have the talent for it like my eldest brother. I have so many siblings, that sometimes I feel as if I am lost in the mix. Father never treated me unkindly, but I sometimes feel like I am nothing else. I am merely another son. One of many others, many other more talented ones.
I wonder if I ever would have the courage to leave home like she did? If anyone would notice I was missing.
Who was Piya? She seemed to know about my father. And she knew Aunt Nefert. Aunt Nefert used to come with her husband from Hattusa to visit, but she stopped coming after she got pregnant the first time. I know nothing of Piya's mother whom my father seems to know so well.
I must have been thinking too hard and I ran smack into my father.
"Oh! Father! Forgive me, I didn't see you, I was lost in thought." I stuttered.
"Thinking about the new girl, yes?" My father laughed.
"Father…Piya knows a lot about you. And you know her mother, right? Who is Piya?" I ask. My father got a distant look in his eyes. He was looking at me, but not really me. He was looking beyond me to see memories. Memories that I would never be able to see.
"Her mother's name is Yuki Ereshkigal. A woman that was made to be a Queen. I had pursued her once, long ago. But she had already fallen in love with another man. The Head Minister of Hattusa. Now, she is the Gal Meshedi, and the brightest tactician this world has to offer thus far." My father said, lost in thought.
"Father, I don't understand. Why did she choose a mere minister over a great General? Father, you are in line for the Egyptian crown, that minister may never get any higher then he already is. Isn't a military leader of higher status then a minister? Why would Miss Ereshkigal choose him? His status is even beneath hers as Gal Meshedi." I was really puzzled at the thought. All of the mothers in the Seraglio and all of the women I know of wanted to wed the richest man. The man with the most power. That's why Father had so many women in the Seraglio.
"My son, that is an answer that I have, yet do not understand. Yuki Ereshkigal had fallen in love. She had fallen in so much love, that she didn't care about power or money." My father sighed. He must have read the confusion on my face, because he patted my head. "Perhaps I will never understand. But perhaps you may, in your life. And when you do, why don't you explain it all to me?"
Piya's POV
It has been a while since we arrived in Egypt. My strength was back, and Arias had long since woken up and was bustling about in his usual manner.
General Ramses had seemed to take a liking to him. He answered all of his questions patiently, even played that strategy game with him countless times.
Thought Arias never won. It was like that with mother and Arias as well. He had a habit of just charging in and just going all out. He left himself open and could be easily surrounded.
I hadn't left Arias' side at all. I sat in the corner of the room, often raiding the bookshelves and reading one of the General's many books. It's not that I didn't trust the general, I merely had a habit of hovering over my young brother.
Aunt Yuri says that I get that from both of my parents. She says that when Mama was young, she would always hover over Auntie Yuri and papa. That she was always worried over nothing.
I knew I was being paranoid. I just couldn't help it. Arias always got into trouble. And I always had to fish him out of it. I didn't hate it. But I always worried about leaving Arias alone. What if I wasn't there and he got hurt?
I was happy sitting in the corner, blending into the background. Where Arias was the center of attention, I was content standing by and watching from the shadows. My sister, Kohana, and I were similar in that sense. While Arias was more outgoing, always in the middle of things. Our youngest brother, Kaskal is still too young for us to place, but his personality seems to lean toward Mama.
Sitting in my little corner, listening to Arias' endless prattle. That was enough for me.
"Akil. Why don't you take Piya out? She must be restless cooped up all day." General Ramses' voice interrupted my reading.
"Oh, no. Please don't trouble yourselves. I am content as I am." I glance up from the book. When had Akil entered the room?
"No, no. It may be a long time until you come to Egypt again. Reading is good, but wouldn't you want to see things first hand?" General Ramses had piqued my interest. Yes, I had wanted to go into the market…but…
He noticed my sudden interest. "Good! Then I will see you two later!" He laughed, urging us out the door.
"How does Egyptian currency work?" I ask as we walk towards the market with Akil. I was looking about and noticed I saw almost no exchange of any type of currency. People came carrying various wares, but no money in sight.
"Honestly, we are at the point where most of the merchants barter other goods and trade wares. Money's practically worth nothing now." He answers. He hadn't looked at me since we left…was he mad?
"Won't bartering hurt the economy? If money is worth nothing, then how will the taxes be paid? What will be used to pay the workers?" I asked earnestly. I truly was curious. A land where everything was bartered because the money had become next to useless. It sounded like it can only lead to disaster.
"…I don't know. Egypt is not doing the best. Especially economically. And the crown is no help to us." Akil glanced back at me, but I couldn't read the look in his eyes.
I walked on in silence. The market was bustling. It must be a market day. We had those in Hattusa too. Mother would take us all out on days like that. She says it is always better to experience life first hand. To see the people of Hattusa, and see the everyday problems they face. That only by seeing problems first hand are we able to fully address and fix those problems. With that philosophy in mind, she often left the palace to see these troubles…of course she never told father about it. She had taken to writing a note to him before she went, but that never really quelled his worry.
I didn't see just the bustling people of the market place. I saw the vagabonds too. The people that hid in the shadow of the buildings. The ones that looked at me with eyes that seemed to have lost hope. The children that cried helplessly as their mothers clutched them close, unable to feed their empty bellies.
Akil's POV
Piya had been quiet for quite a while. Perhaps I had angered her with my tart replies. Her questions had made me feel more than a little inadequate. I didn't know much of manners of the state and economy. I had chased my father's image and only learned of battle tactics. All of her questions reminded me of how little I know of my own country.
I turned around to apologize to her, but stopped short at the sight that met me when I saw her.
Piya stood with her hands clutching her dress, glancing about at everything and biting her lip. The most surprising were the tears that were running down her cheeks. When she saw that I was looking at her, she quickly rubbed at her face with her palms, trying to stem the tears.
"I didn't mean to offend you…I just-" I began to apologize. I really must have hurt her feelings. She waved me off half way through my apology.
"N-no. It's not you. S-sorry. I-it's my fault." She hiccupped. I dragged her to a secluded little fountain and sat her down.
"I really didn't mean to make you cry…" I offer her a handkerchief.
"I t-told you it's n-not you." She was still trying to calm down.
"Then what's wrong?" I was truly confused now. Perhaps she was homesick?
"The people…the ones that were hiding in the shadows…hungry…" She sniffed.
"The refugees?" I ask. She nodded.
"The sadness in their eyes…the number of them! It was too much for me…" She looked away.
I felt ashamed all over again. Had I been here so long that I didn't recognize human suffering? In her land, they must not have so much suffering. She must be unaccustomed to it. I must seem heartless to her. Perhaps living here has made me heartless.
"You are not accustomed to seeing such despair…I am sorry. I didn't realize. Next time, we will go somewhere different…" I offer, but she shook her head vigorously.
"No, I have seen those eyes in Hattusa. Mother made sure we all saw such types of misery first hand. I know there is no place that has no sadness…It's my fault. I am a cry baby. I don't have the strength to see such misery. No matter how many times I see it, it still stabs at my heart. Mama and Papa say it is fine. They say that it's fine the way I am…but I know it isn't. I am the daughter of one of the Gal Meshedi and the Head Minister. I shouldn't cry so easily. I should fight better. I should have a better mind in politics...anything! I've never seen Mama or Papa cry…I am weak. I shouldn't be…everyone expects me to be strong. The whole empire expects me to be strong…" She trailed off.
Suddenly, I saw how much this girl mirrored me. She understood how it was. Living in a parent's shadow. She lived in two parents' shadows. We understood that even when our parents don't push s to be better, we knows that others expected it.
"That boy is the son of Ramses. He must be a brilliant mind."
"That child should be a great general like his father when he grows up."
Everyone…they all expected us to follow our parents. To inherit their strengths. And we strive to do that. We strive with all of our might to follow their paths. To perhaps even surpass them. To show the world that our parent's hard work and suffering amounted to something. Everyone around us expected it of us. And we do everything we can, fight with all our might to fill those shoes. But it is never enough. We will never escape the grand shadows that had been cast over us. We will always be one step behind them, never as great as them.
"You know…I don't think you're weak. I think you have a kind heart…" I say haltingly. I didn't have much experience comforting people. Whenever my sisters were upset, I could give them some shiny bauble and they'd forget their sadness. But I feel like that won't work for this girl.
She looked up at me with eyes that said she didn't believe my words, but she smiled gently anyway.
I realized right then and there, that I wanted this girl to smile forever.
Here's the sequel i promised!
Not sure how long it's gonna be, but probably a lot shorter then the first story.
Not really sure where I'm going with it yet, but I'll figure it out eventually XD
Anyhow, thanks for reading! Reviews are always nice!
Akil (Egyptian) means Intelligence.
Keskal (Hittite) Means River
~Eternally Snowy