Chapter 9: Stranded


When Radames opened his eyes he didn't know where he was. It was dark with the exception of a torch in the corner and a little bit of sunlight coming through the doorway of the hut he was in. Hut? Radames thought. What am I doing in a hut? Where am I? I'm dreaming. When I wake up, I'm going to be where I was this morning. He closed his eyes again.

A few minutes later, he felt something pricking his hip. He would've sat up from where he was lying down, but he was too weak. His eyes flew open to find an ebony-skinned hand using a needle to stitch the cut in his side. His gaze traveled up the arm of the hand and suddenly came face-to-face with………

"Aida?" he whispered.

Aida smiled at him. Was this another hallucination? If it is, then my mind is playing a cruel trick on me, Radames thought. He rubbed his eyes, but Aida was still there stitching his side.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Confused," Radames answered. "Where am I?"

"You're in Nubia," she said.

Well, she must be real because hallucinations don't talk back, Radames thought.

"I know what country I'm in. Where in Nubia am I?"

"You're in Ikaita."

Radames took another look at his surroundings. Next to him on the floor was a bunch of blankets that looked slept in.

"Do you sleep here?" he asked.

Aida nodded as she brought her attention back to stitching his hip.

"Do you share this with any of your family?" Radames asked. Or do you live here alone because I killed or captured half of them? He added silently.

"No, it's just me," Aida answered. "The rest of my family have huts of their own with the exception of my little brother. He sleeps with my parents. Hold still."

Radames didn't look at what she was doing, but it hurt. He winced from the pain. Within seconds a cold cloth was pressed to his side easing the dull pain caused by the needle.

"There," Aida said. "That's taken care of."

She took the blanket off his left foot and examined it.

"What are you doing?" Radames asked.

"I'm seeing if you have anymore wounds," Aida answered.

"I sprained it," he said.

Aida touched his ankle in random places and in every place she merely laid her fingernail on, shooting pains went throughout his body.

"Ow!" Radames cringed.

"You have to rest until it heals, but you can't stay in my hut," Aida said. "Mereb and I set up a shelter a few feet away, so before everyone else wakes up, I have to get you down there, do you need any help walking?"

He could see that she felt guilty about lying to him. But, why was she taking care of him? Did she actually love and care about him or was she trying to kill her guilt?

"I can do this myself," he responded.

But, the moment he put his foot to the floor, another pain went straight from his ankle up to his head. Again he grimaced. Aida put his arm around her shoulder and helped him to a well-hidden area where a tent was waiting for him. She took him inside the tent where a bed was made for him.

"Have you eaten or drank anything?" she asked.

"Not in a few weeks," Radames answered.

Aida left the tent and then momentarily returned with some bread and water.

"Everyone is starting to wake up now," she said. "I'll be back tonight."

Then she slipped out of the tent leaving Radames alone. He wanted to be angry with her for lying to him about her identity, but he couldn't bring himself to feel that way. He'd missed her too much. Now he was left alone to do nothing but eat what she'd given him and wait for her to come back.


"Good-night, mother," Aida said that night, smuggling some food under her dress.

"Why do you have all that food with you?" Busara asked.

"In case I wake up hungry in the middle of the night," Aida lied.

"It will only spoil," Busara argued.

"Mother, trust me, I'm going to eat it," Aida said, a little more sharply than she intended to.

Her mother back away as if hurt. "All right," she said. "I'm sorry. Good-night."

"Good-night," Aida replied, disappearing into her hut.

After waiting a few moments, when she was sure everyone was asleep, she slipped out of her hut with the food, two basins of water (one with a sea sponge in it), and went to Radames's tent. When she went inside, she found him staring through the ceiling of the tent at the stars. She was so happy that he wasn't dead and even more ecstatic that he was here. But, as happy as she was, she was also afraid that he hated her and would snap at her any minute.

"Radames," she said to get his attention.

He turned his head in response to his name. His face bore no expression.

"I brought you some more food," Aida said.

Aida handed Radames a bowl of stew and a basin of water. He stared at the stew quizzically and then ate a little bit of it.

"This is good," he commented. "What is this?"

"Doro Wat," Aida answered.

"What?" Radames looked confused.

"Spicy chicken stew," she translated for him.

Radames nodded and continued to eat while Aida looked at his upper body through his beige shirt, which to her horror had turned black and blue.

"Why do you have so many bruises?" Aida asked.

"I swam half the way here and I hit a few rocks on the way," Radames responded between bites.

Aidatook Radames's sprainedd ankle and wrapped the cloth around it making a brace. While Radames practically inhaled his food and drained his water, Aida's mind reeled with questions. What was Radames doing in Nubia in the first place? Did Amneris find out about them? Did the Pharaoh? Was he running away from being buried alive?

"Can I ask you something?" Aida asked.

Radames nodded in response.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "I mean, when I left you were married and you had to accept your duty as Pharaoh. What changed?"

Radames set the bowl aside. "I was banished," he replied. "My father ran away and as soon as the guards came, I hid from them. Then, Amneris found me and told me she was going to be her father's successor and she was going to abolish the law that all traitors must be buried alive."

"So, what happened next?" Aida asked.

"She knew," Radames answered.

"What?" Aida's eyes widened.

"She heard us talking in the garden," he said.

Aida felt horrible. Amneris was her friend. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt her.

"So, rather than have me buried alive," he continued. "She banished me."

"I'm sorry," Aida said. "But, why did you come here?"

"I wanted to see you," Radames said.

"After the way I lied to you, why would you want to see me?"

Radames moved closer to Aida. "I wanted to apologize for the way I yelled at you that day," he said. "I didn't want anything to happen to you, so I tried to drive you away."

Aida's heart soared. He still loved her. He didn't hate her at all even after the way she lied to him.

"I love you so much," Aida said. "And I'm really glad you're here."

"Me, too," Radames said.

He cupped his hand under chin and kissed her. Aida felt like she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. His kisses were better than she remembered.

"I missed that," she said when he pulled away.

"So did I," he replied.


"If it's coming over you
Like it's coming over me
I'm crashing like a tidal wave
That drags me out to the sea
And I wanna be with you
And you wanna be with me
I'm crashing like a tidal wave
And I don't wanna be
Stranded, stranded, stranded, stranded"-
Plumb


To Be Continued………


A/N: Chapter 10 will be less cheesy.