Lost
this was an ordinary day for tozouko. Tombs and city life were all he really knew. Until that one day...
he was going about his routine as usual, and was just about to head home when she ran into him. " ah! " she looked up her eyes wild with anger. " get outta the way! " she shoved past him and tore off away into the crowd. " this way! I'm sure of it! " tozouko looked over to see the royal guard running towards him. " what the? " the guard stops in his tracks and stares. " what is it? Did you find them? " another guard stands behind the first. " the thief king? If we catch him, the pharaoh will reward us greatly! "tozouko wondered briefly about the strange girl, but decided it was a better plan to run for now.
" OK... i managed to escape thanks to that guy who was in the way, seems he was wanted to. " the girl relaxed and sank down to the ground, clutching a small bag to her chest. Good, now i can move on again... " looking around, she stands and starts walking through the seemingly endless desert. After a few hours however, she was out of water. " arg... i knew i should have topped up in the city... " she climbed to the top of a sand dune in hopes of seeing an oasis. No such luck. " well, that's just great... nothing... as usual. " the sound of hoof falls in the sand startles her. " what the! Oomph! " a heavy object collides with her back and sends her sprawling into the sand. " arrrrgghh... " she sits up and holds her head. " what the hell just happened...? " tozouko looks down on the girl in the sand. " i forced you down. " he replied coldly. " and i want to know this... " he jumped off his horse and draws his sword to her neck. " what in the name of the gods, do you think you where doing in the city? And what in Ra's name do you think your doing out here? " she looks up, her face hidden by the cloak she wore. " nothing that is of any concern to you! " she spat. " and you would be wise to stay out of my way, thief king. " rolling from under the sword, she stands up.
" what ever you want from me, your not going to get it. " she stood up defiantly and folded her arms. " you can move on. " tozouko smirked at her. " i don't think i will... you see, you put me in quite the spot back there, and now it looks like your in a bit of a spot yourself. No water, and little food, you won't last long out here on your own. But, it looks like you have some skill in thieving. So I'm willing to make you an offer. " tozouko puts his sword back into the sheath and walks towards her. " and what would that be...? " tozouko grins and lifts her chin up, looking into the shadow covered eyes. " i will give you a place to stay, and food to eat, in exchange for no more than your name, and a little help. " she pauses. " sounds tempting, but i work alone. And I'm not going to change that for a random thief. " tozouko's smirk slips. " well then, i just thought it was a good plan to offer a girl a chance. But if you refuse... " he reaches for his sword again. " then i see no reason to keep you alive. " before he could draw his blade the girl pounced on him, forcing him to the ground, and a dagger to his neck. " how did you know i was a girl? " she growled. " it's impossible for anyone to see... "
tozouko smirks. " call it a sixth sense, but i could tell right away, not only that, but your bust, as small as it may be, was pressed against me earlier. " she flinches. " well, it doesn't matter. If you know I'm a girl, then my life is in danger. I cannot allow myself to be found, or caught, and to lose to a petty thief like you is no option either. " tozouko's ego and pride reared up and exploded. " who are you calling a petty thief girl? Who do you think you are to address the king of thieves in that tone! " tozouko darts his hand up and knocks the dagger out of her hand. " don't ever call me a petty thief! That mistake will be your last! " tozouko picks up the dagger himself and runs at her. " i don't think so! " she darted out of the way, the dagger narrowly missing her head. " it's not that easy... " she jumped up in the air and kicked tozouko in the back of the skull. " ugh! " tozouko falls with a heavy thud into the sand. " i might be a girl, but i know how to handle my own in a fight, and you would do well to remember that! "
tozouko stands, holding his skull. " who are you? " he growls without menace. " if you must know, my name is emily. Last names are not important. What is important, is that i don't need your help. i... i can... ugh... " the brief scuffle had sapped most of Emily's remaining energy, and she collapsed out of dehydration, and hunger. " well now... it seems you do need my help after all. Hehhehheh... " tozouko picks up her unconscious body and carries her over to his horse. " up! " he grunts, heaving her onto the horse. " your heavier than you look, emily... "
when she awoke, emily found herself in a strange room, and an overly large bed. " what the? Where am i? " tozouko walked in and looked up. " ah, your awake now i see. " he placed a tray of water and a plate of food down next to her. " what the? You? What... what did you do to me? Where am i? " in her panic, she jumped up and grew dizzy sagging into his arms. " whoa! Take it easy! Your dehydrated! And you slept for three days! You need to rest. " tozouko mentally scolded himself for sounding so concerned. But in reality, he was. He was captivated by the mystery of the girl much like him. He always kept his emotions and thoughts in check, and hid his emotions behind a solid mask of anger. But right here, after meeting this girl, his stone cloak, cracked open.
" i... i don't need your help! I can handle things myself! Let go of me! " emily tears herself out of his arms. " i really don't need your help! " tozouko grabs a hold of Emily's waist again. " you say that, but i know that your still weak. Your going to stay here and rest, and if i have to tie you to this bed to do so, i will! " emily shudders before sagging down onto the bed. " fine. But as soon as i see fit, I'm out of here, and don't you dare try and stop me! " tozouko smirks. " agreed. But until then, you will be under the watch of my men. " at this point, seven men in cloaks all walked into the room. " one of them will be here with you at all times. During the night, one will be outside the door, and one will be outside that window. Just keep that in mind, so you don't try to run before you are ready. "
that night, emily was planning how to escape the room, without alerting the two guards. " there has to be someway to get out of here... but with those two outside, i have to be really careful... " tozouko meanwhile, was thinking as well, thinking about what was causing him to keep this girl with him. To keep her alive and in his care. She was just another thief, he wasn't even sure that emily was her real name! " what in the gods name is happening to me? I have no reason to help her, or to care about her well being! " tozouko shakes his head. " it doesn't matter, once she has her strength back, I'm just going to send her off. "
several days later...
" finally! I can stand and move about again... " emily walked around her room and stretched her neglected legs. " OK, you are ready to leave, but before you do, i have an offer for you. " tozouko smiled. " oh? And what would that be? You would be hard pressed to make me an offer i couldn't refuse. " tozouko blinks at the cockiness dancing playfully in her eyes. " well, i just thought i could offer you this. In exchange for you joining me, i won't tell anyone about your... secret. And before you doubt me, i can and will. I know your the ' shadow dragon ' and you would lose your infamous rep, if i told your secret. " Emily's eyes widen. " so... blackmail huh? I must say good job. Finding the one weak point in my life and using it against me. However. I also know something about YOU. Your the only survivor of the Cul Elna massacre. "
tozouko blinks and smirks. " so, I'm not the only one who did a little research hm? Good to know. You however, you need to choose if your going to take my offer, or leave it. " emily looked at tozouko then seemed to slip into thought. " OK, so my options are either stay with you, and rely on your help, or leave, and have you screw around with my rep... not much of a choice huh? " Emily looks at tozouko. " OK, so... if i DO stay... what would you do with me? What is it... that you REALLY want? I know that your not really interested in my skills. I can see it in your eyes. So what is it that you TRULY want thief king? " tozouko smirks. " i must say you are very observant for your age. But if you truly MUST know what i would do with you... i guess i will have to show you... " tozouko steps forward and kisses emily roughly on the lips. " that is just one of the things i would do to you." he runs his thumb over her lips and whispers into her ear. " that was one pleasure... just imagine the amount of pleasure i could give you... " he pulls back and gives her a playful grin. " I'll let you think on it now... we will talk over dinner, that i assume you will be attending? " emily was far to stunned to say no, so she simply nodded. " good. Until then. " and with that he left.
After tozouko left her room, he leaned against the wall and drew a shuddering breath. what had come over him? Why was he acting this way? What strange new power had forced him to kiss the pale skinned girl with such passion? " this girl... she has some strange powers of confusion... that must be what happened! " and yet, even as the words fell from his lips, he knew it was just a lie. She had no special powers over him. In fact, he had no idea of the earth shattering effect the kiss had on her as well. " what... what was that?... " emily was pacing around her room, lips still tingling and aching for his lips to be pressed back onto her own. " what has he done to me? With just one kiss no less... he must be something special to work his way to my nerves so fast. " emily takes a deep breath and steadies her emotions. Steeling herself behind the wall she built.
Emily looked through the closet in the room, it was full of rich and extravagant dresses. She looked through them all one by one and finally settled on a simple but elegant formfitting black cotton dress. With semi-see through silk sleeves and a golden beading belt around the middle, she slipped it on and looked to see how it looked. Finding it suitable to her liking, she turned her attention to her much needed brushing of her hair. After finally getting a comb through the mass of tangles, she found a small and simple golden hair clip in the shape of a flame. Pinning it in securely, she then looks her self over. Nodding in approval of her image looking back at her, she leaves the room and heads towards the dinning room.
Tozouko however was much less easy going about it. He was looking through everything he could find to seem presentable. " arg! Nothing! there has to be at least one thing in this room that is clean, and not ripped! " tripping over a pile of robes he had already dismissed as ' unsightly ', he fell face first into a pile he hadn't been through yet. " hm? What's this? " tozouko reaches into the pile and pulls up a white robe with silver and gold trim. " this looks fine... " he examines it and finds – much to his amazement – that it was clean, and had only the smallest of tears at the bottom. " perfect. "
while those two where busy with their thoughts of impressing the other, memories flooded another persons mind...
"she has blonde hair... and blue eyes. This is a bad omen my king... " the royal pharaoh's brother Aknaden murmurs. " the legend says that when a fair skinned daughter with blonde hair is born to the king, the end of Egypt is in sight. " the queen was asleep, resting from the new birth of the two princesses. " Isis has already seen it. " a young girl, no older then ten walked in. " yes my king. I have seen it. If she is allowed to stay here in the palace, the whole kingdom will fall in just ten years. However, i have seen a way to postpone it until we can find a way to stop it. " the pharaoh looks at the girl then at the new princess. " where will we send her? " aknaden's eyes flash. " we must get her out of the kingdom. We will send her with a caravan of travellers. " the king nods slowly. " let it be done..."
the pharaoh's adviser saon remembered hearing that so long ago. He had not told the pharaoh of the sandstorm that had killed the caravan three years prior to now. But Isis could feel the evil and the divine order of ma'at, the balance of life shifting. To long had it been since to removal of the blonde sister. To long he had lived with the guilt of knowing. He needed to tell the pharaoh. " lord saon! It's the prince! he... he found her we think! " saon turned to the voice of the princes closest friend mahad. " you think it's her? How do you know? " mahad shakes his head. " we don't. But the prince found the lair of the king of thieves, and found a blonde girl with him. " saon nods. " fine, do what you will. But bring her to me. " mahad bows. " yes sir lord saon. As you wish." saon turns to the window and looks out over the garden again.
Back in Cul Elna...
" so... you seem a little dressed up..." emily says, trying to make conversation out of the awkward silence. " yea, so do you... " you look beautiful... thought tozouko, his eyes wandering up to her face, and scanning down over her body. The cotton clung to her hips, and slender shoulders. Hugging her middle, and finally flows out at the floor. She still had her dagger at her side, but it didn't look like there was any reason to worry about it. An hour later emily had gotten just a little giggly after some wine. Tozouko was about to leave her at the door when she pulled him to her and kissed him hard. " what the? mm... " tozouko slides his hand up her side and kisses back.
" shh... there they are... " the prince atem hisses. " we need to catch the girl right? " atem nods. " yes... but take the guy to... he is the king of thieves, we catch him, we catch the rest. " motioning to two of the soldiers, he tells them what to do.