Author's Note: I really don't have any business starting a new NLOCK story, considering the other two aren't done yet, but I could not for the life of me get this story out of my head. It just had to be written, so yeah... here you go. This was intended to be a three-shot, but it's now a four-shot. The maximum shots this story is going to have is five. For my sanity's sake, it cannot go beyond that.
As a warning, the story is very AU. Some of the characters will have name changes. I think I'll only stick with the names of Chloe, Alek and Jasmine. All the other characters will have different names, so try to see if you can guess who is who. Also, the story is bound to have its implausibilities (e.g. two blonde folks named Alek and Chloe in Ancient Egypt), but well, I figured I'd play around with the idea. I did try to read up on Ancient Egyptian civilization for costumes and such, but it will have its inaccuracies.
A special shout-out goes to theregoesnash for agreeing to go through the story's chapters. Her input really helped improve the story into what it is now. Lots of love and thanks goes to her for her... (why is it that the only word I can think of to write is "patience", the ever-elusive virtue? Apparently, I don't have that virtue either, because I couldn't wait to post the story up. Writers can be so needy... tsk, tsk...)
Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah… I don't own NLOCK and its characters. (Just wondering… Why do we even put these disclaimers up? Is it kind of like S.O.P. for fan fiction or something? Oh well, when in fan fiction, do what the fan ficitionians do.)
-oiOio-
All of Egypt agreed how strange a thing it was that in one generation, a boy and a girl would be born with hair shining bright as the sun. Amidst a sea of raven-haired citizens, both he and she were certainly out of place, perhaps 'tis the reason why many mused whether or not they belonged together. However, it could not be so, for the kingdom's affluent nobility certainly could never agree to such a pairing.
It was simply not acceptable.
She was the Pharaoh's daughter, princess of Egypt, betrothed to the prince of Persia, destined to unite the two kingdoms. He was an orphan, a street rat, plucked from obscurity by the high priestess of Bastet, trained to become one of the kingdom's most powerful warriors. It was not their place to belong together, and yet to both the princess and the warrior, nothing in the world felt right without the other.
Thus, when her sixteenth birthday came, the war between love and duty raged within them, because that day marked the start of her journey to Persia in order to be offered up as a bride to a man she'd never met before. He knew he had to make a choice - fight for her or lose her forever.
-oiOio-
The sun had just risen over the arid Egyptian landscape, illuminating the capital's black lands. The soothing rush of the river Nile's sparkling water flowed and resounded through one of the grand palace's inner courtyards. Great marble pillars supported the majestic fixture where echoes of steel clashing with steel permeated the cavern-like ceiling as two of Egypt's youngest and fiercest warriors practiced with each other to hone their fighting skills.
Clutching the bronze hilt of the sickle-sword in both hands, Jasmine stared her opponent in the eye, a disconcerted sensation coursing through her body as she saw the vacant coolness in Alek's normally warm, brown eyes as he clutched the spear in his hands.
Trained for battle since childhood, their skills used to be equally matched growing up, with Jasmine having more of an edge in long distance combat compared to Alek, who was more skilled in close combat. However, more than three years ago, when he reached his sixteenth birthday, their narrowly matched battle expertise changed. He became stronger, quicker and better than she was. Thus, the fact that she had just beaten him in all three of their matches that morning was a clear indication that something was wrong.
Crouching down and swinging a leg beneath him, making him topple to the ground, Jasmine quickly recovered and pointed the sickle-sword to his neck, looking down at him in frustration. "You're not even trying, Alek." There was no attempt to hide the disappointment and slight hint of anger in her voice as she glared at him.
Tight-lipped and silent, he pressed his palm against the blunt side of her sword to move it away from him before standing up, an expressionless look on his face. He replaced the spear where it belonged, before adjusting the wide leather waist belt securing his white loincloth before flexing his bare torso, his only adornment a golden armlet with the carved image of Bastet on his right arm and a tattoo on his back, right below his left shoulder, showing the seal that marked him as a warrior of Egypt. He turned to face Jasmine, who kept a steady gaze at him, and was about to say something when the doors of the courtyard swung open.
Alek drew a short breath when he saw who was coming. She's here. His fists clenched as he watched her approach, marvelling over how breathtakingly regal and magnificent she looked in the almost transparent single-strapped linen dress clinging to her womanly curves, seamlessly flowing with her every move. He dared look at her face for a moment, but quickly turned his eyes away, stunned by the strength of emotion that began to grip at him the moment he laid eyes on her. It was daunting to him that he could be so deeply aware of how much he wanted to know what it would be like to hold her in his arms, to kiss her, to simply touch her. The inner desire was so consuming in its power, he was sure that if he didn't get a hold of himself, his knees would buckle and give way beneath him. Thus, he was relieved when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jasmine bow down before the princess. He quickly followed suit, kneeling on the ground next to Jasmine.
Her head held high, Chloe was fighting to maintain the regal composure that was befitting of her status. She kept her gaze on Jasmine for a while before daring to look the other way, focusing her blue eyes on Alek. Just the sight of him was tearing her heart apart – piece by piece – and it took everything she had in her to keep herself from breaking down into tears. She was silently pleading for him to look at her. After all these years of being around him, the only form of intimacy they could share with each other was a look, a smile, a rare moment of dropping their guard to express in cryptic words what they felt for each other. She longed to sense those brown eyes on her, because after all they'd been through together, it was the only part of him that had ever dared touch her with affection. And today of all days, she needed him to look at her with affection, to assure her that he was still hers and that she was his.
Instead, Alek kept his head bowed down and his eyes downcast, making her wonder if he was aware how much it was killing her that he would not even dare look at her. "Your majesty," his deep baritone voice spoke up. "How may we be of service to you?"
Unnerved, a knot formed on her stomach and her fists clenched and unclenched. Chloe knew and detested the tone of voice that was coming from him. She'd heard it too many times before. His formality toward her was a clear indication that he was putting up that invisible, but all too familiar, wall between them again. She was acutely aware that at that moment, she was nothing more than the princess he served, and he was nothing more than one of her palace's soldiers.
"I'm here for training," she flatly announced.
The swift exchange of surprised glances between Alek and Jasmine didn't escape her notice. She had no business being there that morning. She was supposed to be preparing herself for the journey to Persia. She was supposed to be bathing in milk, soaking in jasmine and myrrh, undergoing all the beauty treatments that would prepare her for the journey to Persia, where she was to meet her bridegroom for the first time. And yet, there she was, in the last place a princess ought to be on such a day – the courtyard that served as their battle training grounds – consumed by her longing to see the warrior that had been plaguing both her waking moments and her dreams.
As she stood there, bearing the weight of his obvious attempts to push her away, she wanted nothing other than to feel his strong arms wrap around her, hear his voice assure her that all would be alright. She wanted to look at him, hold him, touch him, breathe in his scent, and ingrain every bit of his being in her memory, so that she would never forget. Yet there he was, indifferent, his eyes staring into space instead of gazing at her.
Look at me, Alek.
"My princess," he began to speak up and her heart leaped with anticipation, "are you not supposed to be preparing for your journey tomorrow?"
Incensed by his aloofness, Chloe bit her lip. She clenched her fists so tightly, she was almost sure her nails would draw blood from her palms. Matching his formality, she gathered herself together and said through gritted teeth, "You dare question me, soldier?"
She saw the expression on his face change from defensive coolness to quiet hurt. She had just matched his wall with one of her own and both of them knew that the battle was on. That morning's training session would not be over until those walls came crashing down.
"Rise," she commanded them and both warriors promptly rose to their feet.
As Chloe began removing her jewellery and handing them over to her handmaidens, Jasmine looked back and forth from the princess to her fellow warrior. The tension in the courtyard was getting increasingly palpable and Jasmine feared for both Chloe and Alek.
Being Alek's closest friend and confidant, she stood witness to the progression of affection between him and the princess. She warned him more times than she could remember that Chloe could never be his, and yet, she saw his love grow for their beautiful, compassionate princess more each day. They all knew this day would come and Jasmine dreaded having to see their kingdom's beloved princess given away to the Persian prince, but there was nothing they could possibly do about it, and she couldn't help but wonder why Chloe was here, why she was doing this… today of all days.
Jasmine heaved a silent sigh when Chloe nodded toward them, indicating that she was now ready to commence her training.
"Your choice of weapon, majesty," Jasmine said.
Wordlessly, Chloe moved toward the vast array of weapons available and picked up a sickle-sword. Jasmine followed suit and picked up a sword of her own and was about to approach the princess when Chloe shook her head. "No, not you." She turned her blue eyes toward Alek, blatantly looking him over from head to foot, shamelessly drinking the sight of him in as she noted the scars on his body – a lot of which he attained protecting her. Her eyes reaching his foot, she let her eyes roam back to his face, finally settling on those brown eyes of his, eyes that still refused to look at her. "I want to fight you."
Alek's jaw clenched. He saw her command for what it was. A challenge.
Alek was always present in their training sessions, but he rarely fought with the princess, because after the first few times Alek and Chloe fought, the princess' handmaidens pleaded that Alek no longer fight with her, lest they suffer a heart attack. From the first moment he was tasked to train her, he never bothered to hold back just because she was their princess. After training with him, she would return to her chambers, aching with bruises, sore for days.
Jasmine shot Chloe's handmaidens a quick glance and they all looked horrified at the idea of watching their princess fight the famed warrior. "Princess…" she began to protest. "Perhaps it wouldn't be wise to…"
Chloe raised one finger to silence Jasmine, determination blazing in her bright blue eyes.
Not one to back down from a challenge, Alek nodded and began taking the sword from Jasmine's hand.
"She can't go to the prince bruised and broken," Jasmine whispered to him under her breath.
Alek gritted his teeth at the reminder of Chloe's departure. She can't go to the prince at all. She belongs with me. Ignoring Jasmine, he grabbed the sword and positioned himself in front of Chloe. "When you're ready, princess," he said, slightly tilting his head to the side, a hint of mockery in his tone.
Finally, he looked at her straight in the eye, but not with the affection she was longing for. He was looking at her with a fiery passion blazing in his eyes. Chloe swallowed hard. She could see the fury, the desperation, the pain in his brown eyes, and it could only remind her of the first time they were pitted against each other in a training session…
"Are you sure you want to fight me, princess?" he asked, and she nervously nodded. By the time it was over, she was on the ground, flat on her back, sure that there wasn't a single part of her body that didn't ache. One of the soldiers warned Alek that he might just get a sound whipping for not holding back when fighting the princess and all he said was, "If she truly wants to learn, then I can't treat her like the fragile little princess that she is. I only treated her the same way I would anyone who asks me to train them."
Chloe held a distinct sense of respect and admiration for him since then. Even after her handmaidens rallied to not have him fight her again, she requested that he be present at all of her training sessions, knowing that he would not treat her any differently than anyone else just because of who she was.
That particular morning, she was about to find out just how much she'd been able to learn from him through the years.
Taking a step forward, she began waving the sword in her hand back and forth as if to ready herself before taking one deep breath and swinging it at the man whom she wasn't allowed to admit she loved. He lifted his sword to block her blow and the fight began.
It didn't take long for Alek to realize that she was now a far better fighter than she'd been since their last fight, but it wasn't just that… there was something different about her that day. There was a part of him that actually considered holding back a little, but from the first moment she struck, the fight stopped feeling like practice and began to feel like the real thing. There was something fierce, raw… even terrifying… in the way she was fighting and even as he met every strike of her sword, Alek could only wonder at what it was that could have unleashed the warrior within her.
Jasmine and the other spectators present to witness them were surprised to find that the fight was evenly matched. There were several times when Jasmine felt the urge to intervene – sometimes on behalf of Chloe, sometimes on behalf of Alek.
An audible gasp filled the room when Chloe was successfully able to disarm Alek, his sword falling to the ground a few strides away from him. No one saw it coming. It was beyond their understanding how Chloe could've grown to be such a skilled fighter so quickly – enough to prove her mettle against a warrior like Alek. All watched with bated breath as she raised the sword to his chest, right over his heart.
As he tried to catch his breath, they were expecting him to admit defeat. Instead, he only smiled bitterly at his beautiful opponent. "That part of me has already been ripped out, princess."
Taken aback by his statement, Chloe dropped her guard, easily forgetting just how experienced a fighter he was. Her split-second moment of surprise gave him the leverage he needed to push her away, retrieve his sword and resume the fight, swinging the sickle-sword at her again. Recovering quickly, she motioned to block his blow with the weapon in her hand, only to find herself swinging at the air when he dodged her and turned to her left side, his sword swooshing in the air, grazing her left shoulder. She cried out in pain at the cut on her shoulder and everything halted.
For a moment, there wasn't a sound in the room other than Alek and Chloe's uneven breaths as both tried to get a steady gasp of air. Alek's stomach clenched at the sight of blood dripping from her shoulder. It was the first time he ever drew blood from her and he was immediately racked by guilt and concern. "Chloe…" he gasped, her name coming out of his mouth before he could stop it.
He was a mere soldier. He had no business calling her by name. All eyes shot at him in unconcealed shock – all eyes except Chloe's. A veiled smile came over her and relief flooded her being, even as she momentarily gazed at the wound on her left shoulder. The walls between them had just come crashing down. She hovered a quick gaze over everyone in the room – except him. "Leave us," she commanded with the kind of authority only people of her stature could conjure.
"Your highness, your wound…" one of her handmaidens spoke up.
"I said leave us," Chloe replied sternly in a tone that made it clear that she would not be questioned.
They complied with her command quickly, everyone milling out of the courtyard in order to leave her with him. Jasmine was the last to go, casting a concerned glance at both Alek and Chloe, before closing the doors behind her.
The moment the large oak doors banged shut, Alek dropped his sword to the ground and rushed to the princess he had just wounded. "Forgive me, your majesty," his voice breaking as he said it. He stopped barely an inch away from her, looking at her with a mixture of sorrow and concern in his brown eyes as he looked over her wound.
"I'm fine. It's just a scratch," she whispered hoarsely, gazing up at him, recording every feature of his finely-chiselled face into memory.
They stood for a moment, marvelling at the sight of the other, cherishing the few moments they could spend alone – just him and her. They simply looked, standing so close to each other, neither touching the other. He was staring at the small trickle of blood dripping down her arm. It wasn't deep. It would not even scar, but he hated that it was him who caused it. She, on the other hand, was staring at the rise and fall of his chest as he tried to catch his breath, noting once again the battle scars he had there, memories filling her mind of times he had risked his own life to save hers.
The longing to touch the other consumed both of them. Going through the past years feeling the way they did for each other, but never being able to give in to the indulgence of experiencing each other's touch, had been sheer torment. And standing so close to each other, alone, it was impossible not to give in. Practically in unison, both caved in. She ran her soft, delicate fingers over a particularly long scar on his torso, while he softly brushed his calloused thumb below the wound on her arm.
She found herself trembling at the contact, shaken by the sensations running through her body. She never could've imagined that just touching him would have such an effect on her.
Sensing the soft tremble of her lithe form, he quickly withdrew his hand, hesitant, wondering if he had overstepped his boundaries. She was the princess. The only justification he had for touching her would be to protect her from harm. It felt as if there was no one there to protect her from except himself.
I want you so badly, he found himself thinking the words he couldn't say.
Chills coursed through him when she gently brushed the back of her right hand against his cheekbone. He shut his eyes, daring himself to drop his guard. "I don't want you to go."
"I don't want to go," Chloe responded, a tear running down her cheek. "Alek…"
Hearing his name escape her sweet lips was his undoing. He took a few deep breaths before throwing caution to the wind. He grabbed her small waist and pulled her against him, his lips pressing against hers, passionate and demanding, unleashing all the pent up emotions he'd been trying to hold inside with one adamant kiss. She responded with as much fervour, pushing herself toward him almost as if she couldn't get close enough. Their tongues continued the fight that they had abandoned only minutes ago, fiercely exploring, sensing, tasting. His one hand brushed against the softness of her long, straight, sunlight locks, while the other ran along her back. Alek groaned when he felt Chloe's nails dig down the skin on his back, but he relentlessly pursued the kiss he'd been dreaming of for more nights than he could remember.
By the time their lips parted, both were breathless and slightly flustered, Chloe's cheeks flushed, the light tremble in her entire body evident in the rise and fall of her shoulders.
"Princess…" he began to say, but could not continue. He stepped away from her in order to take a better look at her, taking in the sight of the light pink blush on her cheeks and the deep red swelling of her lips. I shouldn't have done that. We could both get killed for this. And yet, why? Why does it feel so right? "Forgive me."
"For what?" Bewilderment traced her blue eyes. Her heart was leaping at what had just happened, aching at what was to come.
Alek looked away from her. "I wish to stay here."
Chloe backed away from him. It felt as if he had just slapped her in the face. "Surely you don't mean that." He was supposed to go to Persia with her. Having him there with her was the one comfort she was drawing from the whole situation.
His entire body tensed as he slowly lifted his gaze to meet hers. "You have to understand… I can't do it…"
"Can't do what? I need you there! No. You can't. You have to go with me…" She tried to calm down, breathing in and out as she regained composure. Tears began to stream down her face as she shook her head. She rarely – if ever – begged, especially to people below her social status, but she found herself making an appeal. "Alek, please…" She stepped forward, closer to him, laying one hand over his chest as if calling out to his heart to reconsider. "I won't be able to bear it without you."
The whole encounter was tearing him apart. Her sobs were cutting him to the core. It was the first time she'd ever asked anything from him. She didn't command him to go with her. Had she commanded it, he'd have no choice other than to heed to her wishes. Instead, Chloe asked. His princess asked – pleaded even. He clutched the hand she had on his chest with both hands. "I don't know how I'll be able to handle it, Chloe," he admitted. "Having to see you with him… I'm not sure I'll be able to keep myself from ripping his face off."
His voice was so low, so intense, she barely even heard it, but it dawned on her what he was saying and a sick feeling rose from the pit of her stomach. She didn't want to see him hurting, but she couldn't stand the thought of not having him around either. On the other hand, part of her aching heart leaped at the knowledge that he would actually feel that way – that jealous – over her marriage to the prince. All this time, she thought it meant nothing to him. He had seemed so resigned to the idea, but then, here he was… looking absolutely broken by the thought. Not knowing what to say, she drew close to him, leaning her forehead over his shoulder.
"I want you with me, Alek," she finally whispered, her breath hot against his skin, "but I refuse to make you go against your will." She paused, not wanting to once again break into sobs. "I just have one request."
He answered breathlessly, "Anything."
"For once, forget I'm your princess and hold me. Please…" she pleaded once again, a humble gesture toward the man she longed to be with, "…just hold me."
It was a request he couldn't possibly deny her, a request he couldn't possibly deny himself. His arms wrapped around her trembling form and pulled her close to him.
As the warrior held the princess in his arms, all seemed right in the world. For a moment, they allowed themselves to feel as if they belonged together. For a moment, they allowed themselves to forget that the walls they'd just toppled over would soon create a wide chasm between them. They cherished that fleeting moment, because part of them knew that it wouldn't take long before she would once again become nothing more than the princess he served and he nothing more than the warrior she wasn't allowed to love.