I planned on uploading this chapter a while ago but for the past week and a half, my Internet wasn't working and my friends didn't have time... I finally got my internet back so the first thing I did was edit this and put it up, I know it's going a little OOC but it's how I write nothing I can do about that. Lillian I LOVE 3 U and about Nuri... well her being there is part of a different project later on hehe

hope u enjoy the next chapter :)


The End And Beyond Ch.9

(flashback, with an earlier master)

"You insolent wench! How dare you defy my commands! when I tell you to look at me you damn well better look at me, I'll show you what real hurt means!" another series of blows to the back and pulling of hair I was on the verge of going under. My shallow breathing and swollen face gave him a sick satisfaction, he continued to beat me in front of all the slaves as a mean of showing who's boss and what they'll get if they too defy his orders.

"I've given you too much freedom, just because of your devil eyes you think you can bewitch any man into doing whatever you wish, I'm sad to say my blue bird I will not be under your spell."

I was ordered to never look at someone of higher status in the eyes but one of his gambling buddies came over because he heard of me and wanted to see if they were real, I did what he asked afraid he would hurt me. This is what I get for disobeying orders. As I lay there on the dirty floor bleeding, trembling, and begging for forgiveness my arms were forced into ropes and I laid there helpless as he raped another slave to let me know that she got what she got because of me. He would do this often with other slaves, hurt another to degrade our morals. The screams were what scarred me, and the desperate look in her eyes as she stared at me with hatred days after the incident. Those black eyes glaring and watching my every move. She knew it wasn't really my fault and I knew it wasn't but it knowing what's right or not does not heal the physical scars.

I woke up with a gasp and my whole body was trembling from yet another nightmare. I distinctly heard doors slaming and felt arms wrap gently around me.

"shh my love, I'm here!,don't you worry I'll never let those bastards hurt you ever again. I promise you!" I felt the rapid stings from my back as my bandages rubbed against his chest as he rocked me back and forth whispering comforting words in my ear trying to calm my still trembling body.

"I tried I really did, I held my screams in because he would only become more violent if we resisted, but he didn't stop! I begged him to forgive me, I was so scared! I was only a child! she screamed for him to stop! She kept screaming NO! NO! STOP! but he didn't stop! I..I-I- couldn't ...do-d-do any-anything... I c-coul-dn't h-e nn-noth..ing" I couldn't think anymore, remembering those memories makes me go crazy but I couldn't stop them from entering my mind. I knew I was starting to scare Sheftu but I had to let it all out, all those years of suppressing has made my heart cold. They remind me of what I was, the past that haunts me is slowly killing me.

but you have Sheftu now and a place to call home even if u still feel strange in it.

"What's the matter? did you have a bad dream? maybe you need some food and water in you, I'll go get Nuri-"

"NO! don't leave me! They all left me, dragged away by my masters and sold again and again..don't leave me..." I trailed off weakened by my mental breakdown.

The memories of the past haunted me for days. The mission was postponed for me, which bothered me to no end. I didn't want this, I wanted to sail the seas and be someone useful. I was getting better, the spasms only comes occasionally and they weren't as serious. Sheftu tried to argue with everyone to get me out of this mission, but we already planned it so well and I play a vital role in this but they were all uneasy around me. Nuri stuck to my side and acted pretty as if nothing happened, except for those rare afternoons where I'd find her smashing bricks on the floor and cursing god knows who. I'm at a loss of what to do with her, she's obviously isn't healthy in her head right now and she's suppressing her anger, this can't continue but there's nothing I can do, no physician or amount of talking is going to help her, she's seen this behavior ever since she was born, like me and it took me months of interaction with Sheftu and a near death experience to not forget but to be strong enough to live and be happy.

We planned to continue the mission in a few weeks. It was inevitable it had to be done the rebels were starting to show through the small towns. Little riots were present among streets over nothing at all, some were glad there was a new king but others weren't so happy. Hatsephut may be a conceited king but she created a safe haven for those who lived in danger, she brought as much prosperity as she did despair. For the past few days I read documents from scribes who worked under Hatsephut, to understand better why citizens sided to her. There's also the problem of The current king becoming a tyrant too. His Majesty has all these plans bottled up for years on end and now he's finally able to put them to action, and sometimes action in a time like this is a bad idea. Egypt has many enemies, mostly the northeast the land of Avalonia and mind you they have iron! and they're just itching for a fight. The kingdom in it's fragile state it is right now cannot fight them while the people are rebelling. There's another group sent to investigate on that side while we keep things settled on our side. We haven't met the other group but we'll put our trust in the king for now and expect them to be as good as can be.

For the past week or so I've been instructed to talk about what happened with a doctor. They say it's better to let it all out first and see what I'm really afraid of. whether it was the beatings, the hunger, or being looked down upon by society for so long or all of them. I asked the doctor if Nuri could be present too, she needed help, especially if she's going to be alone while I'm away. She still shied away from most people, she talked and laughed but she kept herself at a distance.

The doctor was a lot of help, she kept her name to herself and didn't talk to me, or touch me. She stayed in one side of a curtain and me on the other while Nuri sat in front of us and saw both of us as we conversed. I didn't suffer the embarrassment of crying in front of a stranger and she wasn't distracted by my physical features. When I get a bit too emotional Nuri would be there to hold me together. After a week I told my whole life story, what had I got to lose, pride? a slave's pride is worthless and so is their pain, and this is Maya the slave's story. Every odd day or so she had Sheftu sit across from me and told me to look closely, look at every detail from his face. At first I didn't know how this would help me. I knew Sheftu's face well enough, but she told me to keep looking. Slowly as I kept memorizing every detail of his face I started to unconsciously smile. As my grin grew so did Sheftu, once we were both grinning like a pair of fools she told us to relax and take our time and left. Before I knew it I wasn't so insecure anymore. He kept my feet to the ground, the rest I can deal with. I also noticed that if you look close enough there's a small mole under his left eye, and he has laugh lines when he smiles.

Nuri didn't see the point in the meetings. She felt that bad guys were bad guys, and they did something wrong so they needed to be punished. You can see the slave mentality there. She was also slowly growing into a young woman, she's slowly developing curves of her own and she lost some of her baby chub. She presented a shadowed mystery to the other boys in the neighborhood. They played pranks and teased her for attention but she paid them no mind. She lost her innocence a long time ago.

Recently Panahashi has been sending brief reports of the outbreaks among the cities. Poor against rich, some were street quarrels and some theft but the oppression and the segregation among them were getting to a level where you can't watch silently anymore. The new king already had a plan for the poor in action, it entitled 15 silver coins to get started and many soup kitchens and they are rewarded if they have progress for example find a well paying job, if they have steady income they are rewarded merit and a small pouch with 2 golds each for every development. This plan helped a lot of people get back on track. The money lost to help get the poor on their feet is regained by the cycle of taxes they are able to now pay.

smart idea, except half of them only see the money in it, no motivation for more development not to mention the middle class and rich will revolt and/or take advantage of it.

Education isn't very well praised to the common people. They believed no use for literacy, they had their work and they were content with spending their lives that way. Although they are easily fooled by con-artists and end up bankrupt, and...and..smarter's just better!

Panahashi's reports were staight to the point and short which impressed me. He had a scary face but he had a talent for this. Runihura has also credit to his name. He was able to stay undercover in his own house where his royal family posed a rather large threat to the king. They had a lot of money and a lot of time on their hands.

oh! don't forget the lack of taste in better women.

Then again they do have money grubbing was able to hear a lot of juicy gossip of the court ladies. He kept an eye out for abuse of power from the rich. Since Runihura scared just about anyone within visual range no one messed with him, even if he was physically harmless.

Gahiji sent flirty messages along with his report. Little notes inviting me to his bedchamber at night, I can't tell if he's joking or serious. He apparently worked at his own pace. He using his "skills" smoothetalked... well let's just say very influential wives into spilling everything out. You'd be surprised what women blurt out while blushing bright red under his gaze. From husbands supplying weapons and money to encourage fights to secret love affairs with other noble's wives to obtain more money... The rest... I'll leave to your imagination.

General Khofra is currently watching over the police officers at the main city along with his son. He's been training them to break up fights effectively and with the least amout of injuries. I got a letter from him jokingly ranting about us working him to his death.

old geezer, you know you love to meddle in these kinds of things, don't deny it.

Sheftu has been going to and from the palace these past few days getting some of the new laws set up and going. The set up time to travel was nearing and again Sheftu got nervous. We've been so close to losing one another too many times, he often got fidgety and squirmed when we planned out our postponed mission. Tau and Thabit visited me often. They were turning out to be like family, they joked more then brothers and whined more then sisters. They were jokingly acting out some of the scenes we were going to use, Nuri and I nearly pissed ourselves watching Thabit take on my role placing a cloth over his eyes, he eventually knocked into the wall twice and the edge of my bed once where the sun don't shine. We laughed the day away while pushing the departure to the back of our minds.


I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll do my best to write even better

As always

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