Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters presented here and am not making any profit off of this whatsoever.
Title: Promises
Word Count: 7,438
Rated: PG-13
Romance: Priestess Isis x Kisara
Notes: This is set a few years before the events described in Millennium World and was written for the second season of the Yu-Gi-Oh Pairings Challenge. Comments and criticism gratefully accepted.
Summary: Some promises cannot be kept, even those made of moonlight and heartfelt kisses, between a white dragon and a girl who will see what is to come.

Her hair was the color of moonlight. That was the first thing Isis noticed about her. She stood on the edge of a small hill, teetering on the tips of her toes, and stared unashamedly at the strange girl who sat just a few feet away, her back to her. She was dressed shabbily, much unlike Isis' own finely woven clothes, and looked just a shade or two too thin, as if she'd missed many meals. She had to be poor, Isis cleverly figured out. Very poor, since almost everyone Isis herself knew, even those who didn't live in a large home, could feed themselves regularly.

"If this is your place, I'll go away," the soft voice startled the young girl just a little. Isis jumped for a moment, then saw that the other was starting to stand up. "I'm sorry for being here when I shouldn't have been."

Isis shook her head quickly. "No, you don't have to go. There's room enough for us both here."

The girl still was ready to move at any moment. "Are you certain?"

"Of course!" Isis declared, taking several steps forward. "What's your name?" She liked meeting people. That was one reason she was looking forward to going to the temple in another turn of the moon. She would meet far more people than she could around here, and she would be learning a great deal in the process as well. Her father had already arranged for her to be tutored in the arts of reading and writing, which was one of the reasons the temple had accepted her as a pupil.

Pale hair moved slightly as the other turned her head. "Kisara. I truly did not mean to disturb you."

"You didn't. If anything, I should be apologizing to you," Isis pointed out. "You were here by yourself and I came up and disturbed you."

Kisara flushed, though it was hard to be certain in the moonlight. "I was hoping that I could sleep here tonight before I move on in the morning."

Isis frowned just a little. "You're sleeping outside?" She didn't know why anyone would do that. There were ghosts and demons and such things that wandered around, and it wasn't really that hot anyway. So why would someone want to sleep outdoors?

"I don't have anywhere else to sleep," Kisara said softly, turning away again. "I just travel around. There's nowhere that wants me."

How could anyplace not want someone this pretty? Isis was only fourteen summers old, but she could see that Kisara was really beautiful. Her hair was the strangest color in the world, but was still wondrous, like something from a tale or blessed by the Gods. Isis walked a little closer and stared at Kisara a little more, wanting to be certain that she wasn't deceiving herself in the misleading light.

"Why doesn't anyone want you? You're really pretty." Isis knew there were other reasons to want someone around, but that was one of the most important ones, at least to her at the moment. Besides, someone this lovely just had to be a goddess or the daughter of one.

Kisara blushed again, and at this range it was impossible to miss that she had. "No, I'm not. People have…have called me a demon…and unlucky before." She winced, and Isis wondered just who had been cruel enough to do that.

"I don't think you are," she said firmly. "You can stay here if you want."

Kisara stared at her in disbelief, then slowly shook her head. "No, I shouldn't stay very long." She hesitated for a moment. Isis wondered what was going through the girl's head. They had to be close to the same age, but Kisara just seemed so much older in a way. Maybe it was wandering around the way she did? "I …could stay for a little longer than a night, though. Maybe. But not much longer." There was a definite note of hesitance in her voice. Isis ignored that, however.

"Good." She settled down on the hill and motioned for Kisara to join her, which the pale-haired girl did, if slowly. The stars gleamed overhead, brilliant as could be, thousands upon thousands of them. That was what Isis had come out there to watch. Her father had told her not to stay out long, but he wouldn't do much beyond scold her if she disobeyed. Besides, there was someone new to talk to, someone pretty and nice and sweet, and if the Gods hadn't meant her to talk to Kisara, then Kisara wouldn't have been there to talk to in the first place.

Complete faith in the Gods was a wonderful feeling.

Isis hadn't spent a lot of time sitting around with anyone else. She either was with her parents, who didn't really sit that much, or by herself studying scrolls in preparation for the day when she would go to the temple. But sitting with Kisara just felt right in a way that she didn't bother to explain to herself. It just was.

The moon wouldn't be up until later that night, and it wasn't going to give much light when it did. Soon it would be the new moon. Isis shivered a little at the thought. She much preferred the full moon, with it's gleaming storm of light caressing everything. It really did remind her of Kisara's hair then, full and brilliant and glowing.

"What's your name?" Kisara asked suddenly, and Isis knew that she was blushing intently. She should have said hers right away, as soon as she'd asked for Kisara's! She made a note to be more polite in the future. Her parents were always telling her that a priestess should be calm and mysterious. She would know some of the Mysteries herself one day, after all, and couldn't babble them to just anyone. Her training in the temple would take care of that, Isis believed. But still…she had to be worthy of them.

"I'm sorry. It's Isis." She had been named after the Great Goddess, virtually ensuring her destiny to go to the temple one day. She would be a credit to her name. She had promised herself that for years and years.

"That's beautiful." Kisara smiled a little, and Isis smiled back at her. Kisara hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Was there a reason you were coming out here? It is late."

Isis gestured up towards the stars. "That's why. I'm going to be going to the temple to learn to be a priestess next moon, and I wanted to watch them while I can. I don't know how much time I'll have once I'm there."

Kisara nodded, turning her own gaze to the infinity above them. The great goddess Nut stretched above them, the stars speckled all over her body. Isis' attention was torn between the wonderful view and the sight of Kisara beside her. This had to be something the Gods had willed. She couldn't imagine anyone else being involved in this.

"Are you hungry?" she asked suddenly, hearing a faint grumble that could only be someone's stomach. She knew it wasn't hers, so that meant it had to be Kisara's. "I can get something for us to eat." She knew the servants would have cleared off the remains of dinner, but there were still things in her own room, kept there in case she herself had a sudden hunger pang in the night. It wasn't much, but it would do for a snack for the two of them.

Kisara started to shake her head in denial, but Isis didn't pay any attention to it. She'd heard what she'd heard. "I'll be right back." She got up and hurried back to the house, hoping that Kisara would stay there. The thought of coming back and not finding the other girl sent chills down her spine. She's almost like a spirit. I wonder if she is a spirit. She'd have to be a good one. Isis just couldn't see someone like Kisara, even from the little time they'd known each other, being anything other than good. Every sense she possessed, and even at her age that was more than the normal five, told her that there was something that was pure good about the other girl.

Isis slipped back into the house, avoiding the servants as best she could, and went into her room. Her old nurse was still there, dozing lightly as she leaned against the wall, and Isis moved carefully, making certain not to disturb her. Kiwu needs to rest, anyway. She would be honorably retired once Isis went to the temple, having served loyally all of her days. Isis didn't know what would happen to her after that, but she knew that her father would make certain Kiwu was taken proper care of.

That was in the unseeable future…or at least a future that Isis couldn't see at the moment. For now, she simply gathered some grapes and dates, then filled two cups with wine. This wasn't the best wine, which was only served at the Pharaoh's table, nor even the fine ones that her father had set at his table. It was merely a common home wine, suitable for a girl of her age.

Placing all that she had on a small plate, she started back out, once again avoiding the servants as if she knew where they were going to be before they would. It wasn't that difficult; most of them had completed their chores and were relaxing in their quarters anyway. Her father would want to know when she had returned from her star watching trip as well, but since she technically hadn't, she didn't bother him.

Her heart raced, either from nervousness or from anticipation, as she returned to where she'd left Kisara. For a moment, she thought that the other girl had left. That vanished when she moved closer to the top of the hill, and saw that Kisara had only moved a little farther down. Alerted by the sound of her footsteps, Kisara looked up, a soft smile caressing her lips.

"You did come back."

"Of course. I said I would, didn't I?" Isis smiled, then settled down beside her. "Did you really think I wouldn't?"

Kisara colored quite prettily. "I…it wouldn't be the first time someone's said they would be back and never came back," she admitted quietly. Isis frowned; her father had always told her that lying to someone was horrible, an offense against the Gods. She would never do that.

"Well, here, have some grapes," Isis offered a few towards her new friend. "And I brought some wine, too." She settled the cups down on the ground as carefully as she could and hoped that they wouldn't spill. "I can bring you some more tomorrow, if you want."

Whether Kisara would have protested against being hungry earlier or not, she certainly started into the grapes with an appetite now. Isis nibbled on her own, not quite as hungry, but she enjoyed watching Kisara eat more. She sipped at the wine, her attention never really leaving the other girl. Kisara was just right to watch. She couldn't have watched anything or anyone else, and didn't want to.

Once the grapes and dates were all gone, and the wine had been drunk, the two of them simply sat in the starlight together. No words were necessary. Isis was certain they were communicating, just not in words themselves. In the soft sighing of breath, in the flicker of a breeze that tossed pale hair and dark, it was all that either of them wanted or needed in this moment.

Kisara did speak, eventually, of course. "I wish I really could stay here forever."

"What makes it so you can't?" Isis wondered. She had been vaguely entertaining thoughts of asking her father to find a place for Kisara in the household. Or even taking her along with her to the temple. Surely the priests and priestesses there would understand and would be willing to train her as one of them, or just find a place where she could be safe.

"Because of these." Kisara motioned briefly to her eyes. "Wherever I go, when people see them, they get scared. They claim that I'll bring bad luck: that women with blue eyes always bring bad luck." Her fingers caressed down her pale skinned arm for a moment. "They've called me a demon for this. Saying no child of Egypt should have skin this pale."

Isis shook her head. "That's wrong." Sure, the pale skin was a little unusual, but Isis had firm faith in the Gods. What they gave a person, no matter how strange, was a gift, not a curse, and there was surely a reason for it. Even if they didn't know what the reason was. "Besides, I have blue eyes, and I haven't brought any bad luck to anyone!"

"I noticed." Kisara glanced towards her, a hint of curiosity on her face. "I wondered…if you'd ever heard the same thing, when I saw it."

"Never." Isis told her stoutly. Though there were many legends and stories in Egypt, and she knew she couldn't possibly have heard them all, so maybe…but this was Kisara. Even after just knowing her a few hours, she couldn't bring herself to believe that there was anything bad luck about her at all.

Kisara smiled just a little. "You…you couldn't bring bad luck if you wanted to, I think. It's not in you." She turned away just a bit, her fingers clutching at the earth beneath her somewhat. "I hope I didn't speak out of turn, Isis."

The sound of her name on Kisara's tongue sent a special kind of thrill all through the other girl. She wished Kisara would say it more often. "No, you didn't."

Again silence fell between them, and they watched the stars moving overhead in their celestial dance. Finally, Isis sighed. "I have to go back. My father will really be angry if I'm not back soon." She'd stretched the limits of his indulgences with her tonight, she thought. But she turned and looked firmly at Kisara. "I'll come out here tomorrow and see you, though. I'll see you every day until I have to leave…or even more if I can."

Kisara looked at her, a faintly worried frown tilting her lips. "You might not think I'm bad luck, but there could be others around who do. If they find me hiding here…"

There was always that kind of danger. She was too young to be fully taken seriously by everyone around there, especially the ones she had grown up around. They always thought of her as the little girl, the daughter of the master, but no one to be really listened to. Perhaps that would change once she became a priestess.

"If you really want to go…" Isis bit her lip a little. She didn't want Kisara to go. She ached at the very thought of it. But she wouldn't chain her down here. "Then at least stay long enough so I can get you some food. Just for a day or two?"

Kisara said nothing for a few moments, then nodded slightly. "All right."

Isis stood up carefully and gathered the wine cups and the plate. "I'll come back tomorrow, then." Kisara nodded, and Isis hesitated again. I want to say something else. But just what to say escaped her. Finally she simply bowed her head for a moment and murmured, "May the Gods protect you until we meet again, Kisara." It wasn't the most elegant of blessings, but it would do, she hoped.

"And you, Isis." Kisara replied, bending her own head. Isis smiled some, then started to walk away. She didn't hurry, and she hated having to turn her back on Kisara. But all too soon, she was back home. She put the plate and cups back in her room and sent her nurse off to actually get some real sleep before she started to get ready for bed herself, her thoughts full of Kisara. I hope she can stay. I wonder if she'd even want to go to the temple with me. She had to. Could she really want to keep on moving, being hated, if there was a chance she could find a place where she'd be wanted? And every part of Isis told her that the temple would want someone like Kisara, and they would want Kisara herself.

With those kinds of dreams and fantasies in mind, Isis drifted into sleep and into dreams.

Kisara stirred a little as the first sun's rays caressed her. She blinked, her eyes opening, and realized not just where she was, but what had happened the night before. She really had met Isis, who really had talked to her, sat with her, and brought her food. Her heart skipped a beat or two at the very thought. No one had been that kind to her before. Sometimes people would throw food at her, or even give it to her, but no one had ever talked to her kindly and sat down to eat with her as if she were their equal.

I should leave. She knew it was true. No matter what Isis said, there would always be those who would consider her bad luck or worse, and she didn't want to bring any harm to the gentle girl. If anyone finds me here, or finds out that she's been helping me… Isis had said she was destined for the temple, but even that might not help her.

She fluffed some of the dust out of her hair and straightened herself the best that she could. She wouldn't leave just yet. She'd promised Isis she wouldn't, and the thought of saddening those eyes was just too much for her to bear.

The thought of someone else with the same shade of blue eyes was something that was going to take some getting used to. She still bore bruises from the last village she'd went to that had declared she was nothing but bad luck, a beast to be cast out as quickly as possible. And here was Isis, with eyes like pieces of the evening sky, being prepared to enter the temple.

Her stomach rumbled lightly, but she did her best to ignore it. There was a city nearby, within easy walking distance for her; she'd probably be able to make it before noon. But she didn't really want to leave, in case Isis came back.

On the other hand, she was hungry, and what good the fruit from the night before had done her was already gone. She fidgeted, not certain what to do, when a clear voice came through the morning air.

"Kisara! Kisara, are you awake yet?" Isis came over the crest of the hill, carrying a woven basket. "Oh, you are!"

Kisara blinked a little at how cheerful Isis was despite how early the hour. She'd met people who were like that, but it was always a surprise when she encountered another one. "Good morning."

"I brought you some breakfast, and there's a clean outfit in there for you too." Isis told her, setting the basket down between them as she came up. "I can bring you some food every day if you want."

Kisara shook her head. "You don't have to. I can take care of myself." Now that Isis was actually there, the thought of her risking her safety just to do something Kisara could manage for herself was more than she wanted to deal with. She didn't think she'd actually tell Isis what she would have to do in order to eat, though.

"I want to anyway." Isis told her quietly, looking into her eyes. They were nearly the same height, and Kisara enjoyed being able to look right at someone. Most of the time when she talked to someone, she stared down at the dirt, not wanting to scare them. But when she looked at Isis, a deep and heartfelt warmth spread all through her. She didn't think she'd ever felt safer in her life.

"You shouldn't risk yourself for me. You already said you're going to be entering the temple. That's what you need to think about, not me," Kisara said. Isis just shook her head and reached to open the basket. Inside was exactly what she'd said: a clean set of clothing and food. The fresh scent of baked bread wafted up towards Kisara, who all but sighed in pleasure. It had been so long since she'd actually tasted fresh bread. There was such a difference between that and the remains she scavenged most of the time.

Both of them settled down once more, and Kisara devoted her attention to the breakfast Isis had brought to her. She couldn't help but look now and then over at Isis herself, who ate with enough vigor to indicate this was her first meal of the day as well. Why did she not eat with her family? Why did she come out here for me? With all of this for me? Kisara had no answers, and she didn't want to ask, for fear of driving Isis away much too soon. She knew something like this couldn't last forever. But that didn't mean she wouldn't enjoy it while she could.

"I can't stay that long," Isis sighed after they'd both taken the edge off of their hunger. "Mother wants to spend some time with me today, and I can't turn her down."

"Of course." Kisara couldn't remember her own mother. She had been wandering for so long, all of her memories from her own home village had faded away into the mists. But she thought she remembered loving her a great deal, and would never have turned down a chance to go see her. She hesitated on asking when Isis would be able to return. She would have to make her own way for any other meals for the day. Perhaps if she could get down to one of the small streams running off of the Nile, she could not only bathe, but catch a fish or two for dinner. That would be delicious.

Isis nodded a little, and started to reach for one of the cups of wine she'd brought once more. Kisara reached for it at the same time, not wanting Isis to do all the work of bringing and packing and unpacking. Their fingers brushed, and a thrill ran all through Kisara, like nothing she'd ever felt before. It brought a flush to her cheeks, and she pulled her hand away quickly, words of apology rising to her lips, but never crossing them.

That was because Isis put a finger to those lips and shook her head, a hint of mischief in those twilight-blue eyes. "It's all right." Kisara knew without a doubt that Isis had felt the same thing. Quietly they both packed up the dishes, leaving the new garment neatly folded and off to the side. Neither of them spoke about what had happened. Kisara wasn't even certain what had happened in the first place. The touch and the taste of Isis's finger on her lips lingered for a long, long time, however.

Kisara wanted to leave. Every day that passed made it just that much more likely that someone would come by and see her lurking in the area and decide she needed to be thrown out for everyone's own good. So far, the gods had smiled upon her and Isis both. Indeed, as far as she was concerned, they had smiled upon her from the moment she and Isis had met. There was no one who had ever made her happier. Of course, her experience was a little limited, but she didn't care.

Her nights were filled with dreams of Isis, the way they both tingled whenever their skin brushed against one another, the scent of her hair, warmed by the sun, the way she laughed and smiled whenever they spent any kind of time together, and so much more. Isis had a serious side, of course, and Kisara loved that as much as she did anything else about her.

I do love her. Kisara accepted that without a shred of doubt. There had been some few people who were kind to her in the past, but none of them made her feel the way Isis did. She was the last thing on Kisara's mind when she went to sleep, and the first thought to cross her mind when she woke up was if Isis would be by that morning.

Unfortunately, Isis couldn't come to see her every day. Her parents would grow too suspicious, and Isis had already told her that there was a chance they thought she was sneaking out to meet someone. Which she was, but not in the way that they thought.

Isis threw a small stone in the stream the two of them sat beside, some three weeks after they had met for the first time. "A priest or priestess can marry, if she chooses. At least some of them can," Isis told her, in that serious and informed tone that Kisara found enchanting. "But my parents want me to attend to my education before I settle with someone." She glanced over at the pale-haired girl beside her. "I haven't really seen any of the boys around here that I would like to wed."

Kisara could feel her own cheeks going red at what Isis was not saying. "I…I haven't either. Here, or anywhere else." She stared over at the stream, trying to think of anything else that would possibly cool her cheeks. "I don't think I'll ever marry anyone. There's no one who would want someone like me." Thinking of her real situation, not the blissful idyll that life had been since she had met Isis, cooled her down quite a bit.

"That's not true." Isis' voice was a little nervous, but strong regardless, and Kisara turned in time to see the other's hand reach out and fold around her own, sending that eternally pleasant thrill all through her. "I can't think of anyone I'd like to spend all my days with…except you."

The heat was back in Kisara's cheeks as if it had never left in the first place. She tried to say something, anything, but nothing at all wanted to leave her lips until finally, "I…I feel the same way about you, Isis. There isn't anyone else but you." She didn't know if this was because Isis cared enough about her to bring her food instead of beating her or some other reason altogether. Nor did it really matter. What was, was.

Kisara lifted her head and stared into those dusk-blue eyes, her heart pounding as if she'd been running a marathon. She didn't know if she moved closer towards Isis or if Isis had moved closer to her. But there they were, arms about one another, dark hair and white mingling in the breeze as it blew around them, and her lips found Isis's, and there was no sweeter gift than what she found in that embrace.

It could have been a single kiss later, or a hundred, or a thousand, before they moved apart. Neither of them were counting. Kisara couldn't bear to let Isis leave her arms. If I do, I'll never see her again. She was as certain of that as she had ever been of anything. But she was just as certain of something else: that she would have to, whether she wanted to or not.

"I wish I could bring you to the temple with me." Isis murmured, leaning in to lay her head on Kisara's chest. "I know you'd be happy there. And better, you'd be safe."

"I don't think that's what the gods have planned for me, Isis. I don't know what it is, but that isn't it." Kisara clung a little more tightly to Isis. This was all she had ever wanted in the world, to be like everyone else. To have someone who loved her, and who she loved with all of her heart and soul in return. She held onto this moment with every ounce of strength she had, lest it be torn away from her far too soon. "I should leave soon." Even as the words fell from her lips, she knew she didn't want to.

"I still have seven more days until I have to go to the temple," Isis reminded her. There were tears in her eyes as she spoke the words. She hadn't wanted this to happen, ever. The time since she had met Kisara had been the happiest she could remember in her entire life. She felt complete with her. "Don't go until then."

Kisara hesitated slightly, then slowly nodded. "I won't. I'll wait until you're gone." She only hoped that she actually could keep to the promise she had just made.

They held each other a little more, until Isis finally sighed a long sigh, one that Kisara had come to know well in the last few days. "I have to go," she spoke the words quietly. "My parents…"

"I know." Kisara had never fought Isis's leaving. She dared not. A single word spoken at the wrong time could shatter all of this. She wanted to keep every single moment of it that she could, no matter what. It would give her something to think about, to cling to in the cold nights of the future.

A slight chill passed through her as Isis stood up and away from her. She drew herself to her feet, smoothing out the skirt that had been Isis's first real gift to her. It was a plain outfit, one that suited a vagabond's lifestyle, but unlike what she'd worn earlier, it didn't have any holes in it. It was a little dusty from the nights she'd spent outdoors, but that was nothing that couldn't be brushed off. Kisara treasured it now, and would treasure it for years to come.

"I might not be back for a few days. I need to make certain they don't try to follow me." Isis trusted that her parents wouldn't brand Kisara the same kind of bad luck woman that so many other people had, but she couldn't always be so certain of the servants who might be assigned to follow her if her parents grew too concerned. She hadn't thought about it all that much, but since she had begun to visit with Kisara, she had recalled some of them whispering about the old story of blue-eyed women bringing bad luck. None of them had dared to say such a thing to her parents or to her, but if they saw Kisara…Isis refused to let that happen.

With another kiss and an embrace, one that stole both their breaths away, Isis turned and began to walk away. I want to stay with her. I want to be with her. They were old enough to make such choices. Some people she knew were already married at her age. But her education, her training as a priestess, had to come first. As much as she loved Kisara, that was as much a part of her as her skin or her hair. It had to be. It was the will of the Gods, and that came before everything. Why would they give us something so wonderful, only to take it away again?

The question wandered through her mind all the way home, but she couldn't find an answer to it. Perhaps one of the priests or priestesses at the temple would know more than she did on this. She might not be able to bring Kisara with her now, but if they could find an answer, or even just a reason for her to be sought after and brought there later, then she could come. They would see each other again.

That thought brought her contentedly to the door of the mansion, where she saw her parents standing there. Beside them was one of the swiftest runners in the household, Wati. He was breathing just a little heavily, so he must have just come from somewhere. Perhaps someone nearby needed their help for something? That was all that she could think of at the moment.

"Isis," her father spoke her name quietly. "You have been meeting with someone." The words were heavy with disappointment, and she winced to herself. Perhaps there would be a way she could get out of this…

"Father, I haven't been meeting with any boys or men. I will swear to all the Gods to that." It was true, after all. Kisara was so far beyond a boy or a man that words could not express it at all.

Her father shook his head slightly. "You have been meeting with a demon-witch who is seeking to seduce you away from your destiny, my daughter. I know that you think she is simply a girl like yourself, but it is not so."

Isis's eyes widened and her fists clenched in anger. "No, father! Kisara is just a girl like me! She's beautiful and kind and caring, and too many people have called her a demon in her life, just because she looks a little different! She just has blue eyes! I have blue eyes, and I'm not a demon!"

Again her father shook his head. "She is different, Isis. It is her skin that gives her away: pale like death. You are not a demon; your eyes simply mark that you are to be in service to the Goddess whose name you bear. But she is a creature of death and destruction, and we will not permit her to remain on our lands, ready to seduce any of us away from the path of the Gods." He motioned behind himself, and a small army of his soldiers stepped into view. "This is the will of the Gods, Isis. You must understand that."

Isis stared, slowly shaking her head more and more until her hair blinded her. "No! Kisara is not evil! She just looks different." Her heart sang in rage that they would do this. "She's not a demon! If I'm supposed to be the servant of the Great Goddess, then I wouldn't love a demon! And I love her!"

A low moan came from her mother, Ebio. "It is worse than we thought, my husband! The beast has deceived our daughter into thinking she loves her!"

"Be at peace, Ebio," her father placed a hand on her mother's shoulder firmly. "Once the creature is gone, and Isis is in the temple, all will be well." He turned his attention back to his daughter. "We have already arranged for you to be sent to the temple, and they will cleanse you of whatever taint this demon has placed in your heart and your mind."

Before Isis could raise so much as another word in protest, two of her father's servants had taken her to a chariot that awaited her, and she was being driven away from the mansion. Shock held her in silence almost until they were out of sight of her home, and she caught a glimpse of the stream that she and Kisara had sat so happily beside not that long ago. Something snapped inside of her, and she cried out as loudly as she could.

"Kisara! Run away! I love you!" It was all she could say before one of the servants clapped his hand most unceremoniously over her mouth, and the other whipped the horse into greater speed, taking her away from her home and from Kisara. I'll see you again, someday. Isis swore it with all of her soul. It would happen. It had to happen.

By the stream, Kisara heard Isis's voice, and before the first echo had faded away, she was on her feet already and had begun to move. She didn't know which direction that they would come from, but there weren't that many options. To her left was the way Isis had always come, and that, she felt, was the most likely. To her right was the stream, and on the far side of it, hours of walking away, was the city itself. She didn't know the name of it, but she had seen smoke coming up from it during the day, and Isis had mentioned that it was where she would be going to learn the ways of the priesthood. Of the other two directions, one she had come from on the night she had settled here and met Isis. The other…she didn't know. She'd meant to go that way, until her life and her journey had been interrupted by Isis.

She looked around quickly; what was that sound? She didn't take the time to listen more carefully. She was glad that she always traveled light. It meant that she didn't have to waste her time gathering up items that could only hinder her way. As quickly and lightly as possible, she turned in the direction she'd once thought to travel, and began to run. It wasn't wise to move too much in the heat of the day, but she had no choice. It was either run and find a place to hide, or remain and be tormented, or worse.

As she ran, she heard voices behind her. They were in the distance, and she managed to spare one quick look over her shoulder. They weren't quite in sight yet, at least not clearly, but she thought she could see something moving. It was hard to be certain, since she was still running as fast as she could. Thank you, Isis, for all the food. The good meals had built up her strength, as had resting quietly for all those days. She was in much better shape than she'd been before. Then, they might have caught her. Now, the odds were better in her favor.

Oh, Gods, please save me. I've never wanted to hurt anyone. All I want is to live in peace, with the one named after you, great Queen of the Gods. Kisara had never prayed before, at least not seriously. Now she did so with all of her heart. Isis had always had pure faith in the Gods, following their will without so much as a whimper or complaint, even when she'd known it could pull them apart. Kisara wanted that faith now, that complete belief in something beyond herself.

In her mind's eye, she drew the image of her Isis, her love. This would be who she believed in. Who better? She concentrated with all her heart just on escaping, on living so that they could find one another again somehow. No matter what, she would see Isis again. She didn't know how or when, but it would happen.

There were still noises behind her, and she kept going, paying only enough attention to them so she knew they weren't on her heels. Her breath caught in her chest, and she stumbled some. She would have to find a place to hide soon, or they would simply run her down.

Then she caught sight of a small stretch of tumbled down ruins. Perhaps it was an old house, abandoned by the owners and left to the elements and to time to bring down. It didn't matter, only that it was empty and she could hide in there. She scurried inside, breathing a little more softly at the coolness trapped under there, and curled up as far back from the opening as she could.

Be safe, Isis, she thought, hoping with all of her soul that Isis would be spared any harm that might have come to her from sheltering a pale-skinned, blue-eyed demon of bad luck. I do bring bad luck. Maybe not to a country, but to people. Isis took care of me, and I love her, and she could be hurt because of me now. It's my fault.

Arms wrapped around her knees as she huddled there, Kisara closed her eyes and listened, wanting to hear any sound that might tell her she needed to run, or that she was safe. She didn't know how long she'd hidden there before she heard the rough voices of men.

"She's got to be around here somewhere. That demon-witch who tried to corrupt our lord's daughter!" Thick hatred was in the voice, and Kisara shrunk back just from hearing it. She almost wished she had never met Isis in the first place. Maybe this wouldn't have happened…No. I won't give her up for anything. Even if I never see her again, I'll love her forever.

The men kept on searching, and she saw the shadow of one of them falling on the opening of her little hideout. He took two steps inside, and dust, and a few pieces of small rock, fell down. He stepped back out. "If she's in there, then she'll die trying to get out." His voice was just as gruff and cold as the one who had spoken before him. "With her off to the temple, the demon won't have any reason to stick around here."

Kisara wondered somehow if he were saying those things for her benefit, so she'd know that Isis wouldn't be there to succor her any longer. I knew it already. She tucked her head down the best she could, and refused to acknowledge the stinging in her eyes as tears.

The voices and the sounds of men walking around outside faded away, but Kisara didn't move at all. The hours slowly passed. She could feel herself getting hungry and tired, but it meant nothing to her. The darkness outside faded a little, replaced by the shimmering white of the moon. It was nearly full. It would be several days before it rose late at night again, as it had on the night she and Isis had met one another.

Is that all it's been? She could scarcely believe it, much less believe it was all over. In the space of moments, it was all gone, just as it had all first happened. For the sake of the Gods, she could still feel Isis's arms around her, and the taste of those kisses on her lips! It was too soon!

But there was also nothing that she could do to stop it. Silent tears fell into the crook of her arms as she mourned for what was gone. Perhaps this was the Gods' way of telling her not to hope for too much, ever again? Isis would know, perhaps. But she didn't.

Slowly, at last, she squirmed her way out of the hiding hole. More dust and a few more shards of rock fell as she did so, but none of them hit her. She stood up, stretching, and looked around. There were still signs of the hunt that had been for her, but it was long since passed. There was no food around here, and she didn't dare return to the area of Isis's home, not even to scavenge through the midden. But there would be other homes, she hoped, and other places she could find food, just as she had before she'd met Isis. Those times had come on her again, just as she'd thought they would.

She kept going forward, putting one foot in front of the other, as quietly as she could. She watched for any sign of someone looking to harm her, and held a tiny spark of hope that somewhere, somehow, she would be able to find someone who would rather help her instead. It had happened before, it could happen again. If she hoped just a little, instead of hoping a great deal, instead of reaching for that same complete happiness and joy that everyone else had, maybe she would be granted small favors like that. A few good meals, a safe place to sleep, that was all she wanted now. She ached to see Isis again, but that wasn't a want. That was a need as much a part of her as food or water now. It wasn't one she hoped to have satisfied, but it was there, nonetheless.

Onward and onward she walked, until she found another mansion shortly before sunrise, and was able to claim something that resembled a meal when no one was looking. She also found a safe place to sleep in a small oasis some distance from the mansion, and there she rested for the day.

In the night, when she moved onward again, she watched as the moon rose, and remembered a pair of evening-dusk eyes, a soft voice that alternated between wisdom and youth, and kisses that stole her breath away. Kisara smiled just a little, a sad and sweet smile, and kept on going, heading for a future she couldn't see, but knew had to have Isis in it somewhere. She kept on going, her blue eyes shimmering softly with unshed tears, her moonlight hair hidden beneath her smock's hood, a few dark hairs still clinging to it, and beating with her, the soul of a dragon that would never die.

The End