The color drained from Aida's face. Amneris couldn't come to their village! She would recognize Aida and Radames instantly.
"Aida? Aida? Aida?" Rebecca asked. Aida seemed to be in a trance of sorts. She could hear their voices, see their faces; her people begging for her leadership. She ran away from them though, fleeing. She hadn't thought about them in months.
"Aida! Aida!" their voices rang in her head. "All we ask of you is a lifetime of service, wisdom, courage. To ask more would be selfish, but nothing less with do. Aida! Aida!"
"Aida? Aida?" The jug Aida was holding slipped out of her hands, and shattered when it hit the ground.
"I have to find Radames," she breathed before bolting towards her tent where Radames was working.
Radames was talking with Micah when Aida threw her arms around his neck, and buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, and began to rub her back.
"What's the matter?" he asked his normally strong wife.
"I need to talk to you in private," she replied. "It's important."
"Micah, Aida has to talk to me about something, so if you'll excuse us." Micah nodded and left. Radames went inside their tent with Aida. "What's the matter, Aida?" he asked again. Aida bit her bottom lip and sighed.
"Amneris is on her way home to Egypt from Jerusalem," she stated. Radames looked confused.
"How do you know this?" he asked.
"Let me finish!" snapped Aida. Radames quickly closed his mouth. "She's stopping here to restock her supplies. Amneris cannot see us, Radames!" Radames gently stroked Aida's cheek.
"We'll go to Jacob; he'll know what to do." Radames and Aida quickly made their way to Jacob's tent to explain the situation to him.
Meanwhile, a young messenger boy from Jacob's village knelt before Amneris' makeshift throne.
"Your Highness, if I may be so bold, your amulet is stunning," he commented. He was referring to the amulet around Amneris' neck. It was identical to Aida's amulet. Amneris wore it in memory of her lost friends. "There is a young woman in my village who has the same amulet; it was a gift from her husband. He's from Egypt, but she's from farther South." Amneris normally didn't pay attention when messangers and such talked to her, but this one's comments caught her attention.
"Leave us," she told the guards sternly. The messenger looked afraid that he had said something wrong. Amneris turned her attention to him the second she was sure they were alone. "Now, tell me the name of this woman," she ordered.
Aida peeked out of the tent. Everything was in place. Amneris was set to visit at some point around noon. Rebecca had been filled in on Radames and Aida's past. She and Micah were going to watch Joseph while Radames and Aida laid low in their tent. Everything was set, but then Amneris demanded to speak to Joseph alone.
"What can I do for you, Your Highness?" asked Jacob. Amneris' back was to him, and she was sorting out her thoughts. She turned around suddenly, facing the older man.
"Where are Radames and Aida?" she demanded sternly.
A/N: Short chapter…sorry! The next one is the last one, but it's really long, trust me! I'll try and update soon. Right now, I'm starving. Reviews are like chocolate…I like chocolate!
Tina101