First Step to Destiny
Stepping into the vale of what she hoped to put behind her, Elena returned to Egypt's border. Every step ached within her heart as her soul pained her to no end. They were gone, and the hustle and bustle of the port city could not pull her from her anguish. The crowd was frantic with activity as merchants, farmers and sailors populated every corner. Ships traversed the Red Sea behind her, but Elena ignored all; lost in her thoughts and her purpose.
The boat ride across the sea was short, and she doubted her decision to return to the mainland of Egypt's massive empire, but she followed her feelings and felt that she could at least surround herself with people again. She had been isolated from people during her training and desperately wanted the sensation of large crowds, but it wasn't helping. She neared a road leading away from the port city on the Red Sea and began her long walk. She didn't know where she was headed. Elena wondered without purpose and without care.
Night came and Elena found a tree where she could lay and rest. She cried herself to sleep. Her dreams filled with the visions of her father, mother and older siblings. They were gone, and nothing could change this painful truth.
The sun's raise streamed upon her face, and Elena awoke to another sunrise. She had slept, but yet her dreams only made her feel more exhausted. Her eyes swelled from the tears she shed that night and she journeyed to a nearby well. It was quite crowded with travelers refilling their water bags and tending to their camels. It was a bad situation for her, as women were not expected to travel alone in Egypt. It was often done but frowned upon by men. She stepped between a nearby hut and made sure she was not seen. While concealed from view, she quickly adjusted her chest support wrapping; pulling them tighter to conceal her ample bosoms. The flatter her chest, the less men would notice her. She wrapped up her hair and tightened her head wrap. Luckily in this district of Egypt, it was not uncommon to see men wearing full clothes. The men in Lower Egypt, near Cairo, were now wearing the new garment style of a simple waist wrap.
She neared the waterwell as the owner raised another barrel and poured it into a nearby trough for all to consume. Elena mindfully dipped her water bag into the trough and hurried away before any of the men took notice; her height made an excellent camouflage as most people assumed she was a man. As she walked away she noticed that she was being followed by a young woman wearing the traditional Egyptian garb; a tight dress with flats. Her figure was equally impressive and she was well maintained and clean; clearly not a woman that was hard working. Elena extended her pace and tied the bag of water to her shoulder bag. She shouldered the bag and began to walk down the road out of the small village, but she didn't get far.
"Stop!" The woman shouted. Her words were loud and clear, and every traveler turned their attention toward Elena. Two armed Egyptian men came racing to the woman's plea. With sword in hand they ran after Elena, but she didn't want to make a scene, she could easily handle them but choose to see what ill the woman had toward her. She stopped and turned as the two men approached.
The woman slowly walked up as the two men surrounded Elena. She was indeed elegant and wore eye makeup highlighting her eyes. She stood before Elena, looking up at her near seven foot form. The woman must have had some family ties to the regional king, as she was covered in gold jewelry. Her guards also had gold lined hilts on their swords, making them more then just guards or warriors. Elena felt the urge to bow, to show some form or respect, but as she began to bow the woman reached out and placed her hand firmly upon Elena's left breast. Though concealed by her support wrap the woman could easily feel Elena's breast.
Elena glared at the woman shockingly, and poised for her next action. Her sword was in her bag, but Elena could have easily retrieved it if she needed it. The woman squeezed softly and then pulled her hand away. There was no denying that she saw through Elena's disguise. Elena tensed up and prepared to make a run for it. If need be she could sprint out of the village and leave the men in her wake.
The woman turned to the two guards, "You men may go. I will speak with this traveler in private." The men nodded to her, sheathed their swords and walked back toward the well. Once they were out of range she returned her attention to Elena. "Forgive me for grabbing you in such a manor, but I had to be sure you were a woman." She bowed respectfully; to Elena's shock. "I have a riddle for you, and I pray you answer well. If you can not answer then I will be on my way, and no one will follow you in your travel. The riddle is this:
"These are things you must keep in your heart."
Elena's eyes grew wide as she instantly recalled what the woman was saying. It wasn't a riddle, it was a phrase taught to her by her mother.
She answered, "In isolation and secrecy."
The woman's eyes began to swell. "Elena? By the gods, is it you?"
"Yes…"
"I am Tisha, daughter of Essra." She dried her eyes and gripped Elena's hand.
"Essra? My uncle … Tisha … you were the youngest. You escaped!"
"Yes. Do you know of your family?"
"Yes." Elena's expression grew heavy and she began to sulk.
"Your mother escaped the first battle with the Watchmen, and when she returned to her tribe she spread the word to us all. Since I was the youngest, my father gave me away to the Royal family within this village. He knew them well. My father and family went off to fight the traitors along with your mother. Yet none of them returned." Tisha watched as Elena's mood swayed. Elena was dueling with the new information, adding it to the deep scars already upon her heart. Her mother had lived, but her father had died first; most likely as her mother escape. But still her mother met her fate in the battle against the Watchmen.
Tisha gripped Elena's hand between hers, "Come with me. The family here is kind, and you can rest. I will prepare a bath and we will feast in your honor today." Elena had been walking for ten days since she left Sinai; she was not going to turn down a chance to rest.
- - - - - - -
Indeed the family that Tisha had joined was kind. Royalty lived a lavish lifestyle filled with spoils that were rare for such areas within Egypt. Fruits from across the kingdom, servants and handmaids, lavish pools for bathing; it was an oasis seen only by Tisha's new family. It also helped that the area was frequently visited by King Narmer during his attempts to unify Upper and Lower Egypt. For his sake alone, the Royal house had to be luxurious.
Tisha and Elena sat in the waist deep pool as female servants washed and massaged them. Even in the Reclaimer tribes such acts were common, but not to this extent. Tisha looked to Elena and noticed that she was not enjoying the treatment. She thumbed the Luminous Key, which hung from her neck, while contemplating her next task.
"Are you alright?"
With her head held low, Elena replied "the last person to treat me this way was my mother. It was the night before we went to the Nile." Elena raised her head and attempted to smile. "Do … do you know what happened, can you share with me the details? This past year I've been…"
"Yes … I know." Tisha stood and waved for the handmaids and servants to leave the bath. The women quickly made there way out of the room and Elena inched closer to Tisha's side. "You were training within the Ark. My knowledge of the war is jumbled but I can tell you what I know."
Elena listened intently. She gripped the crystal necklace in her hand tightly.
"My new father, the king of this Village, sent out many scouts to watch the battles. To this day he does not know what the two tribes were fighting over, believing it to be border disputes between rival desert tribes. Yet I remember the night it began.
"Your mother returned to our camps. She was wounded and covered in blood …
- - - - - - -
One year ago…
"My lady!" A scream resonated into the night air. Many ran from their tents to see what the scream was for. A lone camel trotted into the camp and upon its back lie the figure of an aged Reclaimer woman. Blood dripped from her robes and stained the camel's back.
"Nursemaid!" Another shouted as many ran to the camel's side. Two men gripped the woman and pulled her from its back. She was unconscious and barely alive. A broken spear handle protruded from her side, and numerous scars covered her body.
"What has happened? Where is her husband? What of Elena?" Constant musings and rumbles repeated throughout the camp. The Reclaimers were thought to be unbeatable, but yet, two were missing and one lay near death.
"There is no time for questions. Tend to her wounds, and hurry!" The nursemaids quickly took Elena's mother to a nearby tent where they surgically repaired what they could. Mostly it was the older woman's strength and resilience that stayed death from her door.
She awoke the next morning, "Essra! Where is Essra?" The nurse maid, startled awake, ran to her side.
"I will send for him." The nursemaid exited the tent and approached the tent of Essra, the head watchman of the tribe. "She is awake and is asking for you." Essra stood to his feet, leaving his family breakfast and followed the nursemaid back to the tent.
"Maria?" Essra approached her resting spot and kneeled at her side.
"No time for questions. I'll be fine. You must send word to all of the local tribes and the Grand Master, the Watchmen have betrayed us."
"What… then the words of the youth?"
"All true. They are seeking the Ark."
Essra lowered his head in shock, "What of Elena?"
"She lives. Hidden within the Ark. She does not know what has befallen me and … and my husband."
Essra gripped Maria's hand tightly as he lowered his head in respect. "I shall send word to every trust worthy camp. What could will the young to turn against us in such a way?"
"It was him." Maria sighed, as she rested her head upon the woven sheep's wool. "It was so many years ago. How could I have forgotten his greed? No … how could I have forgotten his passion."
"Who?" Essra questioned as he stood from Maria's side. "Who has turned our young against us?"
Maria pushed the thought aside and returned her focus to Essra. "No time to reflect. I am sure I was followed. We must make plans to defend ourselves. They will come."
Essra bowed respectfully and exited the tent. He gracefully strode across the camp heading toward his own tent and the area in which his family rested. He approached a group of men and told them what to do. Shock filled their faces as they ran to spread the word of the inevitable attack.
Pushing through the front tarp of his tent, he quickly looked into the eyes of his young. They sat restfully preparing for the day's activities, but Essra knew that this day would not be normal.
"All of you rise." He stood before his three children. "Have any of you heard muse of locating the Ark?"
The middle son, John, was no more than fifteen years of age yet he had been a watchman in training for five years. "I have father. And I must agree with these ideas. The Ark should be shared."
"Renounce those words!" Essra's wife spoke loudly and deliberately toward John as she entered the tent. "What you speak goes against everything we have been taught. The Reclaimers..."
"No mother. It is for the best. The Ark can make life for everyone better." John slipped his feet into his sandals and began to walk out of the tent.
He was stopped by his mother, "Where are you going? We are not done."
"I am going to meet with my teacher. He said you would try to change my view. He was right about all of this." John began to push passed his mother, yet he grunted with a sudden scream of pain. Blood trails dripped from his clothes as a cold steel blade was pulled from his chest. The other two siblings screamed in terror as John crumbled into his father's arms. Tears flowed from Essra's eyes as he cradled his lifeless son in his arms. His dagger struck true to his son's heart.
Essra's wife stumbled away from the spilling blood of her son. Her eyes slowly swelling with tears as she gripped her other two children and turned their heads away from the blood shed. The oldest son, Michael, was twenty and had been a Watchman for many years, but he had not been swayed by the new teachings. The youngest was Tisha, and she was fourteen.
Michael, the eldest, loosened himself from his mothers grip. "Father, for what reason …"
"They are coming, Michael." Essra sobbed while still holding his son tightly to his chest; feeling the warmth of his body fade away. "They are coming and they would have made him fight against us. He was my son and they turned him against us. Against our tribe and our family!"
"Then … the rumors of rebellion are true?" Michael questioned to himself. "I must report this to the Grand Master."
"Go my son. You know your duties well and I trust you to this task. I will prepare this camp."
Michael walked toward his father and little brother and ran his hands through John's curly hair. After quickly pulling away, he exited the tent and mounted his camel.
He quickly looked around the camel flock and spotted a young woman on the opposite side. "Sarah! Ride with me! I am off to the Grand Master." Michael grew up with the young camel trainer, and loved her dearly. If battle was going to start then he wanted her to be with him.
"I must inform my father ..." She began, but Michael quickly cut her off.
"No time. The young Watchmen have been divided. The Grand master must be notified at once. Come with me?" He extended his hand and Sarah hesitantly took it. He pulled her onto the camel and they quickly rode out of camp.
Essra placed his dead son on a tarp and stroked his son's hair one last time. "Tisha, come to me." Essra walked away from his son and gripped his tearful daughter in his arms. "I will send you with a few servants to a friend of mine within the kingdom of Egypt. You will stay there as his daughter. Do you understand?"
"I don't want to go." Tisha sobbed.
"Many men are coming. Men who will want to hurt you. You must go." Essra walked away from her and went out of the tent. Tisha turned and watched as her tearful mother packed clothes into a bag. The tent tarp quickly flung open and two men rushed in with Essra. "Tisha, go with them."
Tisha softly nodded and tearfully followed the two men. One of the men carried Tisha's belongs while the other ran to prepare a camel. She knew them both, and was sure to be safe with them. One of the men placed Tisha onto a camel back as her mother raced toward them. Her mother embraced her one last time, sobbing uncontrollably. Tisha returned the tearful embrace, but the servants knew that time was limited. They pulled Tisha away and quickly began there long journey toward Egypt.
Maria hobbled from her tent just in time to see the young Tisha flee the camp. She watched as her mother waved good bye. Maria then watched Essra as he stood at his tent soaked in blood. Curious, Maria made her way to him.
"Essra what has happened?"
"John. He was swayed by their ideals."
"You killed him? Your own child?"
"How many children have the Reclaimers killed because of what we must protect? Maria, in battle you would slaughter anyone who opposed you. But if one of our loyal Watchmen had faced off against John, they would have hesitated to kill him. I trained John well in combat, and he would not have hesitated to kill someone he once thought of as a friend."
"I see." Maria sighed. "You took his life in order to save someone else's. Very noble Essra, but yet it pains me this division we have created between our family. Watchmen or Reclaimer; is this the end of it all. Perhaps Jonas is correct in his teachings."
"Jonas? Jonas is behind these teachings!" Essra fumed with disgust. "We should have never allowed him to teach. We knew his history … his feelings for you."
"You can not blame yourself for not knowing his mind."
"Yes I can. We are Watchmen. We have sworn our lives to keeping in the shadows and knowing everything that surrounds the Reclaimers. There is nothing that we don't know. Even the King of all Egypt has no secrets from us and stays away from our territories. How could we let an Ex-Reclaimer deceive us in such a way?"
"Essra, I can not calm your inner turmoil. However, I have a solution to our situation. I will go and speak with Jonas."
"I can not let you do that, my lady." Essra stated in shock.
"I am the Reclaimer, you are the Watchman. Your duty is not to tell me what to do; it is merely to watch." A cold glare escaped Maria's eyes and Essra bowed respectfully.
As they had feared, the Watchmen attacked several hours later. However, most of there numbers consisted of hired warriors from various desert tribes. Their numbers were few, and they were quickly slaughtered by Essra's defending forces.
That night, Maria stayed true to her words. The intelligence of the Watchmen loyal to the Reclaimer ways had found Jonas's camp. Maria walked into the camp, her wounded side still caused her great pain but she gave it no merit in her mind. She pressed forward, ignoring the shocked gazes from the hired warriors littering the camp.
As she neared the central tent a massive Watchman approached her. His height and build was a clear indication that he had received many of the Reclaimer traits. He blocked her path and looked down up her. Maria was not a small woman by any measure, but she was still a woman and men had no fear of her.
"Allow me to enter and speak with your master." She calmly stated.
"You are the great Reclaimer that my master fears? How does it feel to you that I killed your husband, and soon I will kill your daughter, but she hides …" The man gasped as Maria's hand gripped his neck with one hand. Her speed was godly. He attempted to free himself but could not escape her death grip. He reached for his sword, pulling it from its sheath, yet Maria effortlessly ripped it from his hands.
Maria squeezed his neck tightly and watched as the man dropped to his knees. "Even with all of your muscles and size, I have defeated with one hand. And I say to you right now, if you ever face my daughter in combat … you will die that day." Maria released the massive warrior and he crumbled to the ground; gasping for air as he fought of the urge to black out. Maria looked closely at the pendant upon his neck, "there was a time when wearing that pendant meant something to the Watchmen. Now you were it, and it brings me shame."
Maria stepped passed the defeated man and entered the tent. "Jonas." She said with a smile.
"Maria? It has been a long time. Bold of you to come here like this." The old warrior stood from his seat and smiled happily toward Maria.
"I'm grateful that you would see me after all this time." Jonas gestured toward the chair and Maria happily accepted. "How long has it been? Sixty, eighty years now?"
"Seventy four years, Maria. How could I ever forget? And you don't look a day passed Fifty." Jonas looked up as the massive Watchman stumbled into the tent. "You've looked better. Let me guess. Did you think you could stop her?" Jonas laughed at the young man but quickly turned his attention back to Maria. "So why have you come?"
"You know why." Maria replied courtly.
Jonas snapped his fingers in shock. "Where are my manors? Would you like some wine, or water?"
"No thank you. You always were a good host."
"It's my nature. So, is this about your husband or the Ark?"
"Neither. It is about us, and how we can end this bloodshed before it get's out of hand."
"Maria, I will not rest until you are all dead." Jonas calmly added.
"Hear me out. My offer is subtle and you might find it tempting." Maria smiled. "I'll stay with you if you end this feud between the Watchmen. Many died on both sides today, and for what? To protect something that none of you have seen. This is stupid Jonas. Do not fight this war. If you stay your army and the young that fallow you, I will stay by your side."
Jonas chuckled as he lustfully glared at Maria. "You would stay with me, after your husband was killed, and my vow to kill your daughter and seize the ark? You would stay?" Jonas stood from his chair and gripped his sword loosely. Maria gazed at the sword, never letting it leave her eyesight. "As much as I loved you, I've learned to hate you even more. Do you think I want to split the Watchmen against each other? If the Ark was free for everyone, then we would not need Reclaimers or Watchmen. We could all live normal lives. But no, Reclaimers have created these rules that everyone must follow. I should have been a Reclaimer and you should have been my bride."
Jonas's sword cut through the air swiftly, yet Maria could easily track it. She rolled backward, out of the chair, just as the blade split the air where her head once was. Maria stood firm on the opposite side of the room and glared at Jonas.
"You know you can't beat me, Jonas."
"No, Maria, I can't beat you. Your much to elusive for me. Yet, I know that you will die tonight. I know this because you came here to end this war. You and Elena are the last of the Reclaimers, and if you wish to stay my hand from erasing all of your followers then you will kneel before me."
Maria paused in thought as she pondered Jonas's words. "You would ask me to die at your feet?"
"Be a martyr for the lives of all that follow you."
Maria looked at Jonas with a heavy expression. She had not considered this option.
"You will have your chance on the battlefield, Jonas." Maria turned to exit the tent.
"In ten days, you will come and beg for me to take your life. That much I promise you. Ten hundred men are holding at the edge of your territory, awaiting my word to attack. Not even Essra's leadership can stop that many." He walked closer to Maria. "I will send more and more troops into your camp everyday. I know you will survive, but how long will you let your people suffer?"
Elena pushed out of the tent and left the camp. Jonas was true to his words. For nine days, hundreds of men stormed into the camps. The battles were lopsided, as Essra and Maria led the Reclaimer supporters to three days of victory. But this was not going to last. Over time there numbers began to dwindle, and soon every death began to take a toll. On the ninth day of battle Maria found herself with only ten supporters facing an army of one hundred. Though she lived, she knew that more people would die at her side.
- - - - - - - -
Tisha leaned back into the water as she fought back the tears of a year ago. Elena simply soaked it all into her mind.
"The last you saw of your family was when your father sent you here?"
"Yes. I wish I knew more, but I don't. The king's men only saw the battles from afar."
"And my mother? Did the Watchmen defeat her in battle?"
"I don't know. I only know of my last day in the camp, and what the king's men saw."
"What about your brother?"
"I don't know. I have not heard anything of him since he left to see the Grand Master."
"I understand." Elena mumbled. "Your father came into the tent after my mother arrived, questioned the Watchmen teachings, and then … sorry about your brother. You then crossed the desert to Egypt and the king's men told you of the war. Everyone in the camp was killed over ten days of fighting. Then the war spread further into the desert. I know that Watchmen's leader was Jonas of the western tribe, and I know he killed my mother; he carried her head like a trophy."
Tisha sighed. "Jonas? Sounds familiar, but I wish I knew more. I wish I knew what happened to my father and mother. I wish I knew more about Jonas, the man that was leading the Watchmen traitors. I'm sorry I don't know more."
"It's alright. You're alive and you weren't there. To have someone alive from my camp is more then I can ask for. I'm sorry, Tisha. You lost your family because of us."
"No, you have nothing to apologize for. Not to me or anyone. I wish I was a better Watchman and could give you all the information you need. But my youth is my weakness. I do not have enough contacts to gain all the facts. I feel as though I should apologize to you."
The screen to the bath parted and a lovely Egyptian woman entered. "You two have been bathing long enough. Tisha, you and your guest get dressed; the servants will have dinner for us soon."
"Thank you, mother." Tisha replied to the local Queen. The elegant woman, in her tightly fitting white gown, smiled as she exited the room.
"After dinner, Tisha, I will need to be going. I can't stay in one place for too long." Elena stood from the bath and Tisha marveled at her physical features. Elena was a sculpture of perfection; her body seemed to be created by the hands of the gods. Even the numerous battle scars that spotted her figure seemed to accentuate her features. She held up the crystal necklace around her neck and glared at it. The Luminous Key seemed to sparkle in her eyes. "Too many people have died for this, and if there are any traitors left within the Watchmen, they will come looking for it."
"Once we eat, we shall depart." Tisha smiled.
"We?"
"Yes, my lady. As a loyal Watchman, it is my duty to serve you. Within this past year, I have created a small list of trust worthy contacts. I can be of assistance." Tisha smiled brightly as the servants entered the room to prepare them for dinner. Elena dreaded the idea of having young Tisha following her around, but after a year of talking to a faceless machine, it felt nice to once again have a living person to talk to.
Note: Be mindful that Elena has yet to ask about her brothers and sisters, and Essra hinted at her familial ties during the flash back. Just something to be mindful of in the future. Thanks for reading.