Disclaimer/Author's Note: I won't lie, I'm really proud of myself. Here I am, (mostly) sticking to deadlines and making another long chapter! Long chapters make me feel better about life :) Anyway... I am glad to say that this chapter is more eventful than the last, and I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it!

Obviously, I do not own the Bible, or any of the people therein. Ebio and Raziya belong to me, but no one else. Don't sue.

Chapter 8

We had dined on the boat by lamplight, and by the time we had returned to shore the sky was dark and I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I said a teary goodnight to my dear friends, knowing that I would not see them much the next day, as I would be packing my things and preparing to leave. I headed to my room downhearted, and changed sleepily into my nightdress. Raziya helped me take all of my jewelry off, and we were about to take down my hair when a loud, bold knock sounded at my door. "I am not dressed!" I called, hoping they would leave and allow me to sleep.

"It is Imhotep," came the gruff reply. "Let me in." I was worried—his words were slightly slurred and I imagined that he had had too much to drink; but I nodded to Raziya regardless and she crossed the room to let him in as I tried to make sure my nightdress was at least mostly modest. As he entered, I stood up, trying to look nonchalant while still fully covering myself. He was looking intently at me and I felt very uncomfortable.

"Asenath. Come with me," he demanded, holding his hand out to me. When I made no movement, he stepped forward and grabbed my hand viciously. "I have something to show you," he said angrily, and he began to drag me out of my room. I reached out and grabbed Raziya's hand as we passed and whispered, "Yosi." I knew she understood what I was asking; her eyes widened and she nodded quickly, and next I knew I was being dragged down the hallway.

We entered a door through which I had never passed, and found myself in a dark, long, winding corridor. He continued to drag me along, though I could hardly see where we were going. We passed one doorway in particular, through which I could hear the voices of many women, all chattering quickly and at the same time. One voice stands out in my memory: a small, questioning voice that asked, "Maybe he is not coming tonight?" The simple question took my breath away as I realized that the doorway must lead to the quarters of Imhotep's wives and concubines. I had been worried before, but I was now frightened.

We finally stopped in front of a particularly solid-looking door. Imhotep opened it and literally threw me in, then came in after me and shut and locked the door with a resounding 'thunk!' I stumbled into the room to avoid falling, then spun around, hoping to catch Imhotep off guard. He was much closer to me than I had anticipated, and I was instead the one to be startled. I still tried to keep my composure as I rebuked him, demanding, "What is the meaning of this? I can't--"

He cut me off by grabbing my arms roughly and leaning forward as if to kiss me. I managed to turn my head in time and his lips crashed onto my cheek. I shoved him away roughly. "Get your hands off of me! Do not touch me!" He then hit me, hard, and I fell backwards onto the floor. I tried to scoot away from him, but felt my back hit something solid and hard. His bed.

'Oh, God,' I prayed frantically, 'Please save me!' I tried to scramble back to my feet but was pushed again to the ground. I began to scream for help and he smacked me again, making me see stars.

"Silence!" he bellowed. He straddled my legs to keep me from kicking him, and he grabbed onto my thrashing arms. I heard a ripping noise as he pulled my sleeve apart from my dress. He covered my mouth with it and began to tie it around my head. My arms took advantage of their momentary freedom while his hands were occupied, and I managed to scratch his face deeply. He cried out in pain and smacked me again. My other sleeve was ripped off; he grabbed my wrists and tied them together, then lifted them above my head and tied them to the bedpost. I tried to scream but the sound was muffled; I tried to struggle, but my strength failed me. Imhotep stood up and looked down on me with an almost pitying look.

"It was not supposed to happen like this. Oh, Asenath. If only you had not struggled... Oh well." Apparently his pity would only extend so far; the moment passed, and he was on top of me again.

'God, save me!" I cried, unsure of whether it was prayed or yelled. He touched me in places no one had right to touch, and I tried to pull away, to get my hands loose, to do something! But nothing could be done. I heard another rip—he was ripping my dress apart, starting at the neckline. It was then that a banging on his door (not the hidden one we had come through) sounded, loud and forceful. He sprung off of me and ran to the door as if to lock it, but it was slammed open before he could get to it.

There stood Yosef, temporarily stunned by the sight before him. "No." The word he spoke was a mixture of a yell and a whisper, soft yet piercing all at once. That single word seemed to break a spell, and suddenly Yosef had his hands on Imhotep and was physically throwing him out the door. Imhotep turned and ran away from Yosef, who looked like he wanted very much to follow him. I had never seen him so angry, and it seemed to take all of the self-control he had to resist the urge to hunt down Imhotep, and instead to rush quickly to my side.

I had pulled my knees up in front of me, hoping to preserve what little modesty I could with a dress ripped open at the chest. Yosef quickly untied my bound hands, and I was able to cover myself more effectively with my arms. He removed my gag as well, then took off his cloak and draped it over me. My heart was racing, and tears were streaming down my face. Yosef bent down and picked me up, and I clung to his chest, sobbing. Raziya came in to the room and gasped at what she saw.

"Raziya," Yosef said in a quaking voice. "I will take her back to her room. Will you please tell Miss Ebio what has occurred? Asenath will be in need of company this night." Raziya ran out of the room quickly and Yosef began to carry me back to my own room. I hid my face in his shoulder, terrified that someone would be walking in the halls and would see me in such a state.

"Oh, Adi... I am so sorry..." I wanted to tell him it was alright, that he had no reason to apologize. He had saved me! But the tears would not stop and the words would not come. An eternity seemed to have passed before Yosef set me down on my own bed. I curled into myself, away from him. He pulled the blankets over me and tucked me in.

"Do you wish me to stay?" he asked in a voice that was just barely a whisper. Of course I did! And yet, at the same time, I was terrified of being around any men. My distrust for them was only increased by this night. But I knew I could trust Yosi! I opened my mouth to answer, but whatever words I was about to say were cut off by another sob. Instead, I reached out and grabbed his hand tightly. He stayed there at my side, holding my hand, until Ebio came bursting into my room.

"Asenath! My dear friend!" She ran to me and hugged me tightly. "Praise Ra that Yosef came!"

He gave a noble sort of bow with his arm across his chest. "It indeed was a blessing that Raziya came to find me." There was a pained look on his face as he said this. "I know you are in good company now, dearest Adi, so I will take my leave of you. I must inform the Pharaoh of what has transpired this night. Imhotep will not go unpunished." He turned and began to walk out of the room.

"Yosi," I called, wishing my voice sounded less like that of a frightened child. He turned back to me with his hand on the door handle. "Thank you." My voice cracked and faded, but he smiled gently at me and bowed his head before leaving.

Ebio helped me to take down my hair and I went behind a screen to change out of my ripped and torn nightdress. I climbed into bed physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. Ebio laid down next to me, and I felt eternally grateful for her company that night. More than anything, I was afraid of being alone. We stayed awake talking for a very long time until, finally, we both dropped off to sleep.


I was awakened to a soft, confident knock at my door. Ebio had risen long before I, and, having washed and dressed in the clothes Raziya had brought from her room, she was the one to answer the door. For a moment I was utterly confused as to why she was in my room and why Raziya had allowed me to sleep so late, having forgotten the previous night's...occurrence. The memories returned in a wave, and I threw the covers over my head with a groan, not wanting to leave this bed ever again. Ebio came to my side and tenderly touched my shoulder.

"Asenath? Yosef is at the door." I peered out from beneath my blankets. "He has arranged for breakfast to be brought here so that we may dine alone. He would like to know if you wish him to dine with us or not." My trust in Yosef was once again at odds with my sworn distrust for all men. "He is very concerned for you, Asenath. I have never seen a man so caring!"

I smiled weakly at her. "You know, he does have a younger brother," I suggested. We both laughed at my childishness, and I sat up in bed with a great sigh. "Please ask him to wait while I dress. I think it would be...beneficial for him to dine with us." She nodded happily and returned to the door with my message.

I dressed quickly, considering my decision. I wished to see no man. But this was Yosef! He was my rescuer, my savior! He cared deeply for me. He was my friend, my... 'My what?' I asked myself. 'He can not be anything more than a friend. More importantly, he is not.' I sighed, wishing my mind was not so confused. I stole a glance at myself in a mirror—my hair a disheveled mess, my eyes red and puffy from crying, and very bland without the kohl I usually wore. I was too tired for makeup. I almost preferred looking this way than having to dress myself up to look like someone I was not.

I left from behind the screen, fully dressed and nearly awakened, to find that Raziya had made my bed and set up a small circle of cushions so that we could sit and eat. Ebio came to my side, her young eyes filled with concern. "Are you certain, Asenath? The Viceroy would not be offended if you do not wish to see him."

I put on my best confident smile and hoped that it did not look forced. "Yosef is our friend. We can trust him." She nodded and went to the door, opening it with a smile. Two young female servants filed in, carrying trays laden with fruit and bread and honey. I hardly saw any of this. My gaze was stolen by Yosef, who had only barely entered the room and now stood with his back against the wall, looking at me with an indiscernible look on his face. He was watching me, studying me, looking for clues as to how I was feeling and how I would react. I wished to give him no clues, choosing to watch him as well. He was being very cautious, as though afraid I might explode or fall apart at the slightest touch.

I do not know for how long we stood there, watching each other, before he, with an uncertain look in his eyes, took an uncertain step away from the wall. I walked forward to meet him, not noticing anyone else in the room. He stood a good distance away from me, but I closed the distance quickly to show I was not afraid of him. He smiled a little smile, and bowed his head slightly, concern evident in his eyes.

"Did you sleep alright last night?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you. Ebio's company was a blessing."

"She is very good company. I can see why you are such friends." We had quickly come to a lull in this conversation. I saw him take a breath; his eyes looked at me thoughtfully, as if he was making the decision, right at that moment, to either disclose or withhold the information he was planning to give me. "I spoke with Pharaoh," he whispered, finally making a decision. I waited for him to continue. "He is... Well, he is not happy. He has disowned his son."

"What?" I breathed. I had not expected that.

"From this moment on, Imhotep is simply the Royal Architect. He holds no power, and shall no longer live in the palace."

My mind was reeling. Such a harsh punishment! Even for the horrible thing he had done to me (or tried to do to me), this was a far harsher punishment than I had expected to come from Pharaoh's hand. "Will the people of Egypt be told what he did?"

"Do you wish them to be?"

"No. No, no... No. I do not want anyone to know."

"Then they shall not. Imhotep will simply be removed. The people will create their own reasons for his disownment. One can only hope that they will be more fantastic reasons than the truth."

"Thank you." Finding nothing else to be said, we sat down with Ebio and began to eat. I did not have much of an appetite, but I tried to eat anyway to keep my dear friends from worrying too much. We talked about many things, but our conversation was much more subdued than usual. Ebio did most of the talking; Yosef spent his time by watching my every more. I knew that he was concerned, which made me feel far more comfortable with having him around.

Our meal came to an end and, while my friends wished to stay with me longer, I had to excuse them so that Raziya and I could finish packing the rest of my things. They both promised to escort me to my father's barge, which I was very grateful for. I did not know if Potipherah had been informed of what had happened, but I did not want to be left alone with him.

Whenever I travel, I am always amazed at how small my boxes seem. My entire world can seemingly fit into a few travel chests, all of the clothing and trinkets and jewelry that I have come to call my own. It was on this day, looking at the chests that Raziya and I had just finished filling, that I truly realized for the first time that these items were not at all important. My clothing and jewels would become torn and tarnished with time. The friendships I had forged with Yosef and with Ebio, the time I had spent conversing with Raziya and the Pharaoh; these moments I would hold in my heart forever.

It was a long, sombre walk down to the Nile, with Yosef at my right and Ebio at my left. My father and I had not shared a word, and he walked along a good distance ahead of us. I had missed my mother and my home, but I had also grown quite fond of Memphis and my friends there. I cried much in saying goodbye to Ebio, who promised again to visit me. Then she turned away, allowing me to speak with Yosef in private.

"Adi," he whispered, reaching up a hand to wipe away my tears. I stepped into his arms and buried my face in his chest. He held me tightly, saying soothing words in Hebrew. Something that he said caught my ear, and I pulled away slightly.

"You never told me, Yosi... What does Adi mean?"

He smiled his mysterious smile, touching my cheek with his thumb. "I cannot tell you now. The next time I see you, though, I promise you will know."

"Will there even be a next time?" I asked gloomily, turning my eyes away from him and gazing at the sand.

"Yes, Adi," he whispered, turning my chin so I would look at him. "I promise, we will meet again soon. Now go," he said, pressing his lips against my temple. "Your father needs you."

I turned around to look at my father, who was standing alone on the barge, looking very tired, old, lonely, and helpless. I was nearly overwhelmed by a wave of emotion, looking at him, and I swore that I would love my father now more than ever, no matter what he might choose to do to me. I turned to look back at my best friend. "Good-bye, Yosef."

"No. Not goodbye. See you soon."

I smiled, and stood on the tips of my toes to place a kiss on his cheek. "See you soon." With that, I turned and boarded the boat, joining my father and taking his hand. He seemed startled, but he did not let go.

We waved goodbye as the barge pulled away from shore. My friends waved back and, as I tried to engrave both of their features in my mind as we drew further and further away, I prayed to Yosef's God—my God—that his words and promise had not been in vain, and that we would see each other again soon.

Author's Note: Sorry there wasn't much dialogue in this chapter. Please Review! I can't express how happy reviews make me, and a happy Lumia means faster updates! Thanks for reading!!