Author's note: Many thanks to all those who reviewed this story of mine. I know the first chapter had a couple of flaws but that was because I'm not a native English speaker and also because I wrote it between 9 o'clock in the evening and 3 o'clock in the morning and I didn't reread it before posting it.
This time however I tried to be more attentive and make fewer mistakes, but if you happen to spot any, please mention them to me because this is a perfect way for me to improve my knowledge of the English language.
Episode II : "The traitor "
The Prince stood still for a moment, contemplating Markug's words, after which he started walking to the left side of the tent, towards a small table where a large bowl filled with warm water and some clean towels had been prepared for him. He had so many things on his mind that for a few moments he completely forgot about the woman tied to the pillar on the other side of the relatively large tent. After washing off the blood and dust from his face and arms, he finally took notice of the woman and approached her.
"What is your name?" he asked, not knowing what else to say, especially now, when he had no desire to discuss anything with anyone, unless it was a matter of great importance.
The woman slowly raised her head and turned to look at him.
Truth be told, he had a bit of a shock upon seeing her. He had expected to see a young, frightened girl, trembling and pleading him with tears in her eyes not to hurt her, just like the majority of girls captured as slaves in times of war.
Instead, he met the cold and piercing glance of a woman who, although seemed to be young in years, looked matured, and experienced in the ways of the world.
Another curious thing was her very dark eyes, whose shape was outlined by a black line, in the same way Egyptian women outlined theirs, resembling to a certain extent a cat's eyes, an animal worshipped as a demi-god in The Kingdom of The Pharaohs.
"You can't rape me without knowing my name?" she shocked him yet again, speaking on a very serious and emotionless tone.
"Why do you think I would do such a thing?" he responded with another question, on his own serious tone.
"I am prisoner in a camp full of men who haven't been with a woman for a very long time. What else could I be useful for?" she asked, smirking ironically.
The Prince didn't respond, but stared at her for a moment, after which he pulled out a knife from his belt and came closer. She was able to appear indifferent although his unknown intentions startled her. To her surprise, he kneeled behind her and cut the ropes that were bounding her hands to the pillar.
"You're not a prisoner and are free to leave whenever you wish," he told her while making his way to the right side of the tent where there was another, much bigger table with a couple of maps spread all over its surface.
"With this war going on, no road is safe for travelling," she reminded him, this time with a milder voice, as she stood up and removed the pieces of rope from around her wrists.
"That's not my problem," he responded with his back turned to her.
"That would have been an appropriate answer only if I had come here willingly, which is not what happened."
Hearing this, the Prince stopped examining the maps on the table and looked at her questionably as if her previous words had been meant to insinuate something.
"One of my generals told me you were the one who revealed the location of our army to the Syrians. I didn't believe him at first but now that idea doesn't seem so implausible anymore."
"Your general was right."
"How could you do this, betray your own people? Because I assume you are a Babylonian."
"Was. My ties to the world of mortals have been cut long ago. I am a servant of the gods now."
"You are a priestess?"
"Yes."
"And do the gods tell you to bring death and destruction upon the kingdom they protect?"
"I don't serve any of your gods, but the Egyptian goddess Bast."
"Why would you choose to serve a foreign god?"
"It is the goddess who has chosen me, not I her," she answered with a faint smile, appearing to be greatly pleased with the idea, in which it was clear that she strongly believed.
At this point the Prince had to admit to himself that the woman's fanatical beliefs made his brain reel, so he decided to change the subject as soon as possible not wanting to engage in a pointless conversation about religious beliefs.
"No matter what god or goddess you choose to worship, you are still a citizen of Babylon and here treason is punished by death."
"Are you going to kill me then?" she smirked.
"I should," the Prince tried to sound menacing, not liking the woman's defiant attitude.
"I'd like to see you try," she responded without thinking twice, this time wearing the same serious and emotionless expression she had worn when she first greeted him.
He simply stared at her for a few moments, being quite amazed at her bold answer and great self-confidence.
"Do you truly believe your goddess will protect you against all evil?"
"Bast has taught me to protect myself against evil."
"Right …... "
"I am not asking you to believe me."
"This is getting nowhere. Leave the gods aside for a few moments and tell me why did you do it."
"I had no choice. We, the worshipers of the goddess Bast, have a very small community in Babylon and we cannot let it perish. The Syrians invaded the temple of Bast with the intention of taking everything and everyone as spoils of war and then destroy whatever remained inside. I threw myself at the Syrian leader's feet and begged his mercy. Fortunately, he accepted my offer and left as soon as I told him what he wanted to know."
The Prince looked at her very intrigued, not because of what she was saying but because of the way in which she was saying it. In an instant, her entire personality seemed to have changed and she had become the frightened girl he had expected to meet when he first laid eyes on her. No traces of the confident and defiant woman he had been used to could be seen and she was now trembling as she spoke, while actual tears seemed to appear at the corners of her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she spoke on a mild tone while gazing into his eyes with a look that asked for forgiveness.
"It's all right. It doesn't matter any more," he finally spoke, as he came closer and put his hand on her shoulder, hopping to comfort her. "You will be safe here and as soon as it is possible I will have some of my most trustworthy men escort you back to the city. Now come with me."
He walked in the direction of the small table with the bowl of water and towels resting on it, and stopped a few paces to its right, where there was a curtain that seemed to serve as a door to another room within the large tent. The woman followed him and then entered the smaller room when he held the curtains aside and motioned for her to go in.
Inside there was a beautifully carved wooden table to the left, with a lot of food and drinks laid on it, surrounded by many cushions, serving as chairs, the table being a low one. Around the table there were a few props holding lit candles and the floor was covered with beautifully designed Persian carpets. To the right, there was a relatively large bed covered with many small pillows -of almost all colors and designs- and surrounded by golden silk drapes.
"You can sleep in my bed," the Prince informed her without thinking his intentions might be misunderstood.
"You changed your mind about taking advantage of me?" she turned her head towards him in a very swift movement, obviously having switched again to her previous personality.
He watched her intrigued and wondered whether she was doing it on purpose or was possessed by some sort of demon, that could very well be, metaphorically speaking, the result of her unquestionable belief in the existence and power of the divinity she worshipped.
"I'm not going to stay with you. In fact, you will see very little of me or any of my men during your stay here. Some servants will come every day to bring you food and attend to your needs, but apart from that this tent is all yours."
Saying nothing more, the Prince turned to leave, but was stopped by the woman's statement.
"You shouldn't have so much confidence in people you barely know."
"Who says I do?" he immediately responded before exiting the room.