Chapter 2

Deviance and Deliverance

WARNING: This chapter will be pretty graphic and dark. If you don't like, you should probably skip past that part.

If you haven't already noticed, this story is going to be quite a bit darker than my other story, but I hope you like it.

This story has been inspired by a lot of different things all jumbled together, but as I sit here writing this, I am listening to the soundtrack of The Prince of Egypt. I recommend you watch it is you haven't seen it already, or watch it again if it has been a long time! It really is a great movie, with an amazing soundtrack!

Thank you to Pendragon2601 for being my first reviewer! I hope you stick with the story!

Sariyah's POV

Rough calloused hands pushed me up the stairs and into the dark rooms of a chamber. Suddenly, I was tightly bound to a chair.

"That should do it," one of the men said. He was tall and burly, with huge muscles. "I will be out in a few minutes."

"See you in a few Shar,"

Shar raised an eyebrow at me and smiled. He was probably trying to go for something seductive, but it only came across as creepy and a bit alarming. Suddenly, his rough hand was on my cheek, stoking it as he looked down at me.

"Hello, sweets," he said in a deep, rumbling voice. I stiffened and glanced around the room for some escape, but I knew there was nothing I could do now but endure whatever was about to happen. I glared down at the scanty clothing the magicians had dressed me in and cursed the gods for giving me a good figure. Shar was already staring me up and down hungrily, perhaps wondering where to begin.

"Why don't you put on a little show for me, just like I know you will for that little king of yours," Shar said as he moved in closer. He gripped my jaw tightly and forced my lips up to his. I clenched my lips tightly together; I would not have his taste in my mouth. His hands began to wander up and down my body, touching me in places no one had touched me before, but it was not a good feeling. He roughly squeezed my breasts as he continued to try to force his tongue into my mouth. He smelled of stale alcohol and meats, making me gag. His mouth found its way to my neck as I squirmed violently in the ropes.

"Someone sounds impatient to get started," Shar whispered darkly as he fingered my top, which only barely covered my breasts. "Why don't we change the arrangements up?" Shar untied the rope that bound me to the chair and pushed me to the floor, so that I was kneeling down before him. Suddenly, his pants were down and I quickly shut my eyes tight, but the damage was done. I had seen.

"Taste me," he whispered as he hovered over me, but I kept my eyes tightly shut. If I refuse to look, I cannot do what he asks me to do. His stench was overpowering, but I tried to ignore it. Just breathe through your nose, don't open your mouth. If you keep your mouth shut, you will be okay. He cannot force you to do this, although there are other thing he can do, at least you can stop this part. Suddenly, I felt his fist contact my cheek, forcing my head back. I felt my cheek and found it to be tender and sore.

"I see that you want to skip that part. That's alright, we will save the best for last," Shar answered as he pushed me back. My head hit the cold stone floor and I felt the bruise already forming. I was suddenly delirious. Before I could so much as move, Shar had my hands tied to the chair above my head and he was hovering over me. He began to tear off my clothes, leaving me exposed before him.

"Help me!" I screamed, but it was too late. I knew anyone who could do something would be down at the feast. I winced as I felt a piece of cloth shoved into my mouth as a gag. Now there was nothing I could do but shut my eyes and hope it ended quickly. A loud crash sounded and light flooded in from the outside corridor.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" A voice shouted. I detected a hint of boyishness in it, and silently thanked the gods for whoever it was. Shar was off me in a heartbeat and began backing toward the windows. I could see the figure that had saved me walk toward Shar with his sword drawn, but the sword was strangely shaped. This must be the king of Narnia that I had been given to. He looked quite menacing with his sword drawn as he approached Shar. Shar was now backed against the window and I relished the thought of my savior striking him with his sword. Shar glanced behind him and with a loud sound, I was cowering again. The window was broken and the pieces lay on the floor, glittering like little diamonds. I peeked between my hands and saw the king, standing with his back to me, glaring out the window. I could tell he was fuming and prayed he wouldn't turn on me with his sword. He turned and I curled back into a ball, hoping he would not remember me and would just leave the chambers, leaving me in solace. I heard his soft footsteps walking away from me, but I didn't dare peek. The footsteps returned, and then I felt him kneel down beside me. His warm hand found mine, and he began to rub my back softly. I began to slowly relax, mesmerized by the feel of his slightly calloused hands on my soft, smooth back. I cannot remember how long we just sat there, but his presence soothed me. It was late when I finally broke down, the tears that had been threatening to overflow since earlier in the day, when I had been captured by the Calormene guards. My tears ran thickly down my face, erasing the kohl the magicians had drawn around my eyes. The king stroked my hair and my back as I lay on my stomach and my body racked with silent sobs.

"It's alright Sariyah," the king said soothingly. My sobs stopped and I turned to face him.

"You know my name," I responded accusingly. The king gave a hearty chuckle and continued to stroke my hair.

"Well, we did meet earlier today," he answered as he pointed to his head. There was a cut and a great bruise surrounding it. My brain whirled as I pieced the two together.

"You were the foreigner, at the market!" I exclaimed. I suddenly looked down and realized that I was completely naked. I hurried to cover myself, but there was nothing in sight.

"Here," the king said as he grabbed a blanket from his bed. It was silk and finer than anything I had felt in years. I wrapped it around me and realized that I had been shivering. I sat there for a while, wondering why the tears did not come again.

"I could have handled it myself at the market you know,"

"I'm sure you had it sorted," the king replied with a roll of his eyes. He really was quite handsome, with his brooding grey eyes and his dark hair. He wore a very solemn expression and I suddenly realized he had yet to smile. "By the way, what was that for?" he asked, indicating again to the injury on his head.

"I was on the run," I explained and turned away from him again, hoping he wouldn't inquire further, but as I knew well, I was not that lucky.

"Why were you running?" the king asked curiously.

"You know, curiosity-" I began to reprimand him, but he interrupted.

"killed the cat. My mother used to say that. Now, tell me why you were running."

"Why should I tell you anything? You are a complete stranger. I don't even know your name." I shouted. I knew I was probably wrong to do this, but I couldn't tell him. I knew if I did, he would just turn me away like everyone else had.

"A complete stranger who just saved your life." He stated, no doubt infuriated by my comment. I knew I should apologize, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. "It's Edmund."

"I was running from the guards because they believe me to be cursed," I explained curtly, hoping he would just leave it at that so we could both get some sleep, but unfortunately, this was not the case.

"Cursed? But that is absurd!" Edmund exclaimed as he stood up and paced back and forth. He glanced down at me and I bit my lip and looked away. "It isn't true is it?"

"Yes, it is true." Edmund stared into my eyes for a moment before laughing loudly.

"Come on now, cursed? What did you disrespect the Tisroc?" Edmund asked with a chuckle.

"This is serious!" I shouted, taken aback by his joking manner.

"Did you disrespect you father? Did he curse you?" Edmund joked again.

"I am the last of my kind! I watched my people die! I watched the genocide, I watched as they were killed before me by Calormene soldiers. I watched my mother and sisters get raped by the men. I watched my father and uncles murdered. So don't you ever joke about matters such as these," I shouted. I was suddenly up in Edmunds face, the covers now around my ankles and I poked him in the chest. Edmund looked frightened by my show of anger, satisfying me more. He glanced down and I suddenly realized that I was exposed again. Edmund bent down to pick up the blanket just as I went to do the same. Our heads collided, forcing us both to the ground again. Edmund handed me the blanket and I wrapped it snugly around my body again.

"Sariyah, I am sorry. I didn't know that it was such a serious matter." Edmund apologized.

"Well now you do!" I snapped. His hurt expression caused me to reach out and touch his cheek. "I am sorry. Would you like to hear the story of my people?" Edmund nodded solemnly and waited for me to begin.

"My people traveled through all the lands, never staying in a single place, but always moving. We lived in colorful tents and wagons. My people lived like one big family, always ending our meal with a story. We were storytellers. Every night it was something different, whether it was a legend, or a fairy tale. We lived off of the land and gave back to it accordingly. Where we found an oasis for drinking water, we planted fruits. When we killed an animal for food, we only killed males. We used the fur for clothing and did not waste a single part of the being. We had not trails, no roads to follow. We followed the stars. There were no leaders; every man and woman was equal. While the women had many more jobs than the man, her husband worshipped the ground she walked on. He valued her every breath and heartbeat. I always wanted that as a child, until I found out that I was different. It was my grandmother that told me.

"One day, I was sitting by a creek with her. It was a land with a cool temperature. There were many plants that I learned were called trees. In some places, they even block out the sun! My grandmother asked me to tell her a story. I was only four and I had never told anyone a story. So I sat back and closed my eyes, trying to remember a story to tell her. I couldn't think of any, so I decided to make up a story. I asked her if I should borrow the scarf she was wearing and she handed it over. I began to feel the woolen cloth, feeling every bit of wool. I knew my grand =mother had knitted it herself and I felt the love she had sewn into it, but it did not truly belong to her, it was meant to be a gift. So, I began to tell her a story, a story of a man and a woman. The man was made of the moon and the woman of the stars. One day, while in the night sky, they met. Immediately the man and woman knew that they both completed each other, they knew that they were meant to be together forever. With that, they fell in love. But, one day, the moon was gone. The stars were left alone and lonely, and the Earth below was darkened greatly.

"When I finished my story, I looked back at my grandma. She was crying and staring at me with disbelief. She looked at me and responded, 'I used to call your Grandfather the moon of my night sky.' I tried to give the woolen scarf back to my grandma, but she refused to take it. 'Keep this and always remember your gift. You are a great storyteller, for most storytellers can tell a story, but it is not the truth. It is only a fair few that can find the truth in a story.'

"So my people began to have me tell the night's story. For every night after the day I told my first story, I told a story to my people. Sometimes, the story was finished in a night. Sometimes the story stretched on over more than one night, but my stories always left my people in awe."

"When I was fourteen, I was alone with my grandma again. This time, it was because she was on her deathbed. She pulled me close and whispered one thing in my ear. She told me, 'You are not meant for any of the men here. When you meet a man that you must heal, you will know why you were given a gift.' My parents never allowed any of the men to court me, so I was fairly lonely. I spent most of my years with my sisters and brothers. I had four sisters and three brothers. We were a big family, but we were all very close.

"One day when I was fourteen, I was out fetching some water. In the distance, I saw a cloud of dust, but assuming it was just a few dingoes, I ignored it and continued to fetch water, occasionally taking a sip of the cool water myself. I heard a scream come from the direction of camp and I dropped the clay pitcher I had been using to fetch water. It fell into the waterhole, and I waded in after it. After I had retrieved the clay pitcher, I filled it once again with water. I turned back to our camp and saw black smoke coming from one of the tents. More screams erupted and I backed slowly away. I hid behind a bush next to the waterhole and scanned the camp for my family, silently praying that they were safe.

"I watched as they first gathered everyone. They searched tents and wagons for valuable and then set them afire. The sun was nearly blocked off with all the smoke. All the men and boys were gathered together. The women and girls were separated. The men at boys were tied to stakes and burned. The repulsive stench filled the air and reached me at my hiding spot. I watched as my father and brothers were burned, screaming and kicking. After the women were forced to watch their husbands and sons burned, the soldiers turned to them. Their clothes were ripped from their bodies and they were forced to the ground. Even my littlest sister, who was only seven years old, was raped. Their screams still haunt me in my sleep. I wish that the gods had chosen another, I was forced to watch, to endure with them though I suffered no physical pain. I wandered the desert, following the trails left behind by the soldier's horses. Finally, I came here, thinking I would find refuge. Well, I was wrong. A couple took me in and after hearing my story, sold me for ransom to the Tisroc. After that, I became a dancer for the court. I tried to escape, and that is where I met you." I took a deep breath and peeked over at Edmund. He seemed shocked at my story, but took my hand in his. He led me to his bed and tucked me in.

"You are not cursed. Never let anyone tell you so," Edmund grabbed a pillow and lay down on the floor near the bed, leaving me to my thoughts and pondering his final words.