Warning: There are many sexual references. If you find this offensive, then don't read this chapter.

Chapter 13: Half Ecstatic, Half Dejected

Three months later………….

(Aisha/Aida)

Mereb and I made our way down to the prison cells. I was anxious to see my father. I hoped he was all right. A guard stopped us and blocked our path. Mereb handedhim a sack of gold.

"A word with the prisoner," Mereb said.

"Alright, Mereb," the guard said. "But, be quick about it."

The guard stepped outside the prison and Mereb and I entered my father's cell. My father sat in his cell staring at the wall in front of him.

"Father?" I said.

My father looked at me and smiled.

"Aida?" he said.

He stood up and embraced me. With everything else happening around me, I'd forgotten how much I missed him.

"I knew you would survive," Father said, resting his hands on my shoulders. "I knew that I trained my daughter well. At least, I would not allow myself to believe anything else."

I smiled at my father's praise. My father's praise meant everything to me because he was just the kind of person that I was hoping to be.

"Have they mistreated you?" I asked.

"No," Father answered, dropping his hands and his face growing solemn. "I believe they are saving that part for my execution…………..Three days from now."

I grew frightened. He couldn't die. Not only was he the king of Nubia, but also he was my father, the only living parent that I had. Without him what would Nubia do? Without him what would I do?

On the outside I remained strong. I didn't want my father to worry about me. I needed to show him that if he was excuted, that I would be strong enough to take his place.

"It won't come to that," I said. "We'll get you out of here."

"In two days the daughter of Pharaoh will wed," Mereb said, stepping forward. "Most guards will be needed to control the crowds?"

"And who is this you Minister of War?" Father asked, turning his gaze to Mereb.

I'd been so focused on his escape that I hadn't bothered to introduce Mereb. I guess know is the perfect time, I thought. I grabbed Mereb's arm and brought him next to me.

"This is Mereb," I said. "You remember."

From the look on his face, I could tell that Father did not remember, but he was trying to.

"Henu's boy," I prompted.

My father broke out into a smile. I knew he recognized Mereb now. After all, Henu was like a brother to him.

"Henu," Father said, reminiscing. "Your father was a great warrior. He had hopes you would grow up to be a scholar."

"Sire, the chief jailor will attend Amneris's wedding," Mereb said. "They've assigned a lowly guard to take his place. A man I know."

Leave it to Mereb to put others before himself, I thought.

"You are suggesting that you may be able to bribe this guard?" Father asked.

"Let's just say we've done business in the past," Mereb said.

"That would take a lot of gold," I pointed out.

"I have it," Mereb said. "For years I've been stealing from the palace. I thought, maybe, someday I could use it to get back to Nubia. But, if I can send my king home……….."

Mereb trailed off. I could tell that he wanted to send his king home, but he wanted to go as well.

"We will all be going home soon, Mereb," Father said, placing his hand on Mereb's shoulder.

I was overcome with happiness. I was going home to Nubia. But, along with happiness, I felt despair. If I went home to Nubia, I would leave Radames behind. How could I do that?

"Now, are the docks guarded?" Father asked Mereb, breaking my thoughts.

"By the captain's soldiers," Mereb answered.

"So the odds are slim," Father said. "Can you use a sword, boy?"

Terror suddenly came to Mereb's eyes. "M-me?" he stuttered. "Actually I'm better at providing encouragement from the sidelines."

Mereb looked so afraid like a little boy. My heart went out to him. I didn't want a fight either. There has to be another way, I thought. Suddenly, I remembered the amulet that Radames had given me.

"A fight won't be necessary," I said. "They'll let us through."

I showed my father the amulet and Mereb gasped.

"Captain Radames gave you that?" he asked.

"Who is this captain?" Father asked, sharply. "An Egyptian?"

There was anger in my father's eyes. I'd never seen him this angry. It frightened me.

"Yes, but he's not like the others, father," I said, quickly, hoping he would hear my side.

"He leads Pharaoh's army," Father said, angrily. "And did he not lay waste to our country like the others?"

"He regrets his past," I said.

"AIDA, DO NOT SHAME YOURSELF AND ME WITH SUCH WITLESS SENTIMENT!" Father shouted. "DO NOT TELL ME THAT THIS EGYPTIAN GRIEVES FOR THE NUBIAN MEN EXECUTED, THE WOMEN RAVAGED, AND THE CHILDREN TAKEN INTO SLAVERY!"

I jumped, startled. I had heard my father yell before, but he never yelled at me.I wanted to bawl my eyes out. Don't cry, I thought. It will only show lack of strength.

"Any soft look you have given this captain," my father said, lowering his voice, but not losing his anger. "Any soft word betrays the innocents who suffered at the hands of every soldier he commands. You will cut this man from your heart."

Cut him from my heart? I couldn't do that. I loved Radames. It wasn't just lust. He'd given me everything I ever wanted in life and now I had to give it up. But, if I didn't cut him from my heart, then I would betray my people and my fatherand I didn't want to be a traitor. Besides, my father had given me a command and I had to obey whether I wanted to or not.

"Yes, father," I said.

Father sat down in the spot he was sitting in when we first came in. I looked over at Mereb who was staring at the floor. He looked like he wished to be elsewhere. I couldn't have agreed more with him.

"I would not have thought it possible that these Egyptians could give me one more reason to hate them," Father said.

"Aisha, wake up."

I opened my eyes and looked around my surroundings. Where was the prison cell? Where was Mereb? Where was my father? It suddenly hit me: I was in Roderick's bedroom after last night's "festivities." And it was all a dream. I looked to my right to find Roderick looking at me with a tired, but concerned look on his face.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's three o'clock in the morning," Roderick answered. "You were crying. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. "I just had a bad dream. No biggie."

"Okay," he said, settling back where he was.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" I asked.

"No, I had to use the bathroom and I came back in and you were crying."

I nodded. I turned to Roderick to tell him about my dream, but I heard a light snore come from his side of the bed. Iturned back to where I was and tried to go back to sleep.Unfortunately, I couldn't shake the memory of my dream off.

It was like my subconscious was telling me give up Roderick. It's not Roderick, I corrected myself, mentally.He has another name that you can't remember.But, still,he looked like Roderick andI didn't want to give himup. He was the best thing that ever happened to me since Julia Roberts showed up at my art gallery and told me personally that she loved my work and wanted to buy a painting for herself.

I snuggled up next to Roderick and felt his arms encircle mine. I knew nothing could go wrong in reality, but I felt like if I didn't hold him, he would be gone.

(Radames/Roderick)

I headed down to the war room. My father said he had to talk to me. I didn't want to hear any more plans of when I was to take the thrown of Egypt. I didn't want to be Pharaoh like most men did. I was going to tell my father about Aida and myself and unarrange the marriage that was supposed to take place tomorrow.

When I walked into the war room, my father was there………..with Amneris. Fury suddenly started boiling in the pit of my stomach. He had planned this. He wanted me to spend time with Amneris. He didn't want to talk to me. This was a set up.

"I've been explaining our foreign campaigns to Amneris," my father said.

"Really?" I kept the anger out of my voice.

"Yes," Father replied. "Because she wants to know what's been preoccupying you lately."

My father's voice was neutral, but I knew he was shooting daggers at me with his eyes. Amneris stepped forward.

"Radames, I feel like we haven't had a moment alone since you returned from Nubia," she said. "I miss you."

I looked at Amneris and felt horrible. Amneris was such a nice woman. She was like a sister to me. She didn't deserve to be treated the way I was treating her. But, she didn't love me the same way. She loved me the way I loved Aida.

I couldn't go on with the rest of my life and marry someone I didn't love. Amneris, as shallow and stupid as she was, didn't deserve it. She had a heart the size of the palace.

"Can't we spend this afternoon together?" Amneris asked.

"Of course," I said. "Of course we can."

I owe you that much, I thought.

"But, first I'd like to have a word with my father," I said, taking a scroll from the table and handing it to her. "Here. You can read this while you wait."

"'Campaign at Kadesh,'" Amneris read aloud.

"It will give us something to talk about," I said.

"I didn't realize we were at a loss for topics," Amneris said. "But, then there's a lot of thoughts I haven't realized."

Amneris turned and left. I felt horrible, but it immediately went back to anger when I turned to my father.

"That was clever of you," I spat.

"I can't have you neglecting the girl," Father said. "Not after all the trouble I've gone through."

Why did my father have to make everything about himself? I was getting married for him, not me. And all he did was arrange it. He didn't even lift a finger.

"You arranged a marriage," I countered.

"There have been other arrangements, son," Father said, keeping his voice calm. "Things I have done on your behalf."

"I haven't asked you to do anything for me!" I was practicallyseething.

"No, you're right," Father said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Because you've been too busy whiling away the hours with that slave girl."

Suddenly my pulse stopped. My father knew of me and Aida. He was spying on me. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't believe that my father was watching every move I made.

"Oh, your spies are good," I fumed.

"Radames you can have your little diversion," Father said. "Just wait until your married."

"Like you did," I sneered.

My father tensed up when I mentioned that, but he deserved it. Hewas saying that I should betray Amneris and use Aida as my love slave. He'd had a love slave of his own and betrayed my mother. Every night I would hear her crying and I never figured out why, until I was older and found him with one of palace slaves.

He assumed that I was just using Aida for my own sexual pleasure. He didn't know that I had real feelings for Aida. Not just sensual feelings, real affection. He doesn't know that those kind of feelings exist, I thought. And he never will.

"Your mother never had any complaints," Father said, stiffly.

"She never had any choice," I responded, angrily.

My father turned to me with anger blaring in his eyes. I knew I had struck a chord with him. He'd given me that look many times and I had feared him when he did, but now all I saw was an annoying petty little man with no soul.

"DON'T YOU REALIZE THAT WHORE COULD COST YOU THE THROWN?" My father's bellowed, vibrating the walls of the war room.

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE THROWN, FATHER!" I shouted back. "BECAUSE I'M NOT LIKE YOU AND I NEVER WILL BE!"

Some ministers came in, but I was too angry to tell them to leave.

"DO YOU REALLY WAN TO THROW AWAY YOUR FUTURE?" My father yelled. "ALL FOR SOME WRETCHED SLAVE!"

Wretched slave? How dare he talk about Aida like that! I had to restrain myself to wrapping my fingers his neck and choking him until he could breath no more.

"SHE HAS A NAME!" I retorted.

"IN A FEW MONTHS YOU WON'T REMEMBER HER NAME!" My father countered.

Yes, I will, I thought, but replies like that would only be a sign of weakness in my father's eyes.

"You can forget about your plans, father," I said, lowering my voice a little. But, then I raised it when I said, "THERE WILL BE NO WEDDING!"

"RODERICK, CALM DOWN!"

I woke up, around me. I was in my bedroom and the sun was just peeking through the blinds. Aisha lay next to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "You were yelling in your sleep."

I put my hand over my eyes and tried to catch my breath.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm fine."

I looked over at the clock. It six thirty in the morning.

"I'm sorry," I said. "Did I wake you?"

"I was going to get up anyway," Aisha said, getting out of bed. "I have to pick Amy up from the airport."

"She's coming home from Milan today?" I asked.

"Yeah," Aisha answered, getting dressed. "I talked to her yesterday. Her fashion show went really well."

"Good for her," I said.

"Can I use your toothbrush?" Aisha asked.

"No," I said, sarcastically. "We've been dating for three months and you can't use my toothbrush."

Aisha smiled and went into the bathroom. Meanwhile I got out of bed and tried to stop thinking about my dream. What the hell was that all about? I thought, throwing some sweats on. Did it mean I was taking advantage of Aisha?

I went into the bathroom and hugged Aisha from behind. She chuckled and spit her toothpaste out of her mouth in the sink.

"Lovely," I said, sarcastically.

"Thank you," Aisha responded. "Now, what's this about?"

"Nothing," I said.

"Okay," Aisha said, sticking the toothbrush back in her mouth.

"Do I take advantage of you?" I blurted.

Aisha spit her toothpaste out again and turned around to face me.

"Stop doing that!" I said in mock-annoyance.

"No, you don't," she said, ignoring my remark and answering the question. "Why would you think that?"

"I don't know," I lied.

"You treat me with good respect," Aisha said.

"Good," I replied.

Aisha turned around and buried her head in my shirt and I squeezed her tightly, but not too tightly so that she could still breathe. I don't know what I'd do without you, I thought mentally.

To Be Continued…………….

A/N: Chapter 14 is coming soon.