CHAPTER 2

oh by the way just a little reminder that I DO NOT own any of the characters that appear in Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' books except Aisha and some others, ok? Thanks...


All throughout the night I tossed and turned, thinking of how I would run away without leading my father into a disgrace. I could not just leave and go with a man I barely met for one night and yet the temptation was strong. He himself stayed inside our walls as our honored guest. I was so tempted to go from my room to his but I had to do things clearly. If I wanted to get away from this marriage I had to do everything carefully.

Sunrise soon came and my slaves and servants bathed me and dressed me with golden silks and red veils. As soon as they were done, I walked swiftly down to where ate our meal during the morning. Knowing that Aubrey was going to be there had created the impulse of dressing better than I used to. What a wretched daughter I was turning out to be, would I end up like Karicia? No, I could not think that, I thought at the moment.

As I greeted my father and guests I bade my slaves to leave as I sat down near my father. My sister Eianara sat meekly at the table barely touching her food but making the best of it as Karicia stared at Aubrey without disguising her desire. Yet Aubrey smiled at me and looked at me as I sat there and I knew that at that moment my father suspected something if not know already. Maybe this was why all was so quiet, but my father was a kind man. He would not kill or send Aubrey away for something like this for he was a fair man and understanding.

After our meal ended, we stood up and walked out of the chamber. I quickly grabbed Aubrey and pulled to one of the dark corners of the hallway. I said to him, "Meet me in a few moments. Go there now and I will soon be there with you."

He smiled at me that charming, mischievous smile and then quickly kissed me before he left. I quickly made my way to my room and bade all my servants and slaves to leave except my most trusted slave, Ennira.

Ennira was an aging woman who treated me like as if I were her daughter and I would trust her with my life. She had raised me after my mother's death and I loved her well.

"Ennira, you must help me flee from this marriage so I ask of you to come with me out of here so that father will not suspect of us." I whispered to her. "You must do this for me, please! I ask of you by the gods!" I spoke desperately to her and even bothered to mention the gods that I scarcely believed in. She was a very wise woman and now she looked at me as if I were insane and she asked my why I wanted to run out like this. "Just help me." I begged.

She smiled at me for a moment. "Ah, child! I will help you and I will bid the gods that they spare me for helping you flee a marriage that would be good for you. Such luck doesn't come twice my darling. Will you throw away you life to the four winds so foolishly?"

"No," I said softly, "the marriage is not good for me, good for my father and family, but never for me."

She looked at me and at once I noticed that she was growing older and the lines in her face were deeply set. She was not so young anymore and we both knew it.

She smiled at me again and hugged me. "May Isis and Hathor bless you child and me for that matter so that your father, does not kill us both for what we are going to do." Hathor was the goddess of love.

I shrieked with laughter as I hugged her and kissed her warm face. I danced across the room as I searched for an old shawl that would disguise me and Ennira as peasant women. I took off my expensive veils and put on one of my oldest garments.

I hooked my arm around Ennira's as we silently made our way out of the lonely hallway and outdoors. I did not live a secluded life with fences and walls surrounding my home. I was given permission to roam freely about as long as I told my father where I was going. This time I had not taken the time to do so since I intended my visit to be short.

We walked the streets, I careful to hide my face in my shawl as Ennira and walked swiftly through the streets. Vendors and fishers were everywhere, shouting out to the crowds so that they would buy something from them. We made haste and before we knew it, we found ourselves to be at the ruins.

I left Ennira waiting outside as I stepped inside the ruined and old temple. I had never bothered to ever visit this place and never bothered to know whose temple it was. Know as I looked around I found that it was an old temple of the Egyptian god, Anubis. What a choice indeed for an encounter as this!

I heard light footsteps behind me and as I turned swiftly with my hidden dagger in my hands I found who it was. Aubrey stood there, smiling at me, his eyes glittering and darkened with passion and love.

"Ah, my beloved!" he whispered as he caught hold of me. He buried his face in my hair, in my neck, whispering endearments to me as he pressed his warm body against mine. As I looked into his eyes I saw his desire and I did not shrink from him as he took me.

I lay in his arms longer than I imagined and he held me as if he did not want to let go of me. I don't know what went through my mind that day and it was surely that one day that ruined my whole escape for if I had stayed only a while, then everything would have been perfect. To this day I don't know if during those first few days I had fallen in love with him or I just tried to use him as an excuse for my escape.

As soon as I got home my father had already known that I had gone out without his approval. I could not tell him what my plans were, not now when everything was barely starting. I quickly blamed it on one of my slaves, Arian, saying that I had given her orders to inform him and that she never did. My father sent her to receive twenty lashes for not doing so and I, full of shame, turned my face from him. He did not comment on the old clothes that I was wearing at all. See, that was the first time that I had ever lied to my father, whom I loved deeply, and I felt utterly terrible to have made an innocent suffer my wrath. I made my way up to my room with Ennira at my side but Ennira's face was pale.

"Aisha, how could you have blamed it on Arian? She is just a girl who has always done everything to please and she loves you well. Your father is not an idiot and he will know sooner or later what your plans are."

My throat was tight and for a moment I could not speak. "I had to do it. Ennira, Aubrey is my way to escape this life he will take me away, I know it! He promised me!" I whispered. Ennira looked at me for a moment and then she shook her head. "I am willing to go with him, I am!" I said to her smiling.

"How can you believe him? You have everything and now you have a husband in you future and he is a good man indeed! Will you forsake paradise for just one man?"

"Ennira, what do you know about men?" I spoke harshly, suddenly angry that she could not understand me. Yet I wished that I would not have said those harsh, poisonous words to her; the woman who was like my mother.

"I am old and I have seen many things, dear child. There's something about that boy that I do not like. He is going to bring you to your ruin." Her face looked ghostly and she had frightened me with those words. She could not mean this!

"I thought I was the one that was going to bring men into ruin?" My voice was full of sarcasm for I was not going to show my fear to her. She

did not answer back and I knew that our conversation was over but it had

left me with doubt.

For three nights I went to Aubrey's room, careful not to wake any of the servants, until the day came when he had to leave.


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His depart had caught me off guard for I knew that he had meant to stay longer in our house. It appeared that some urgent matters in Greece called for him and his master and that they were needed. This was going all wrong for I was not ready to leave with him but his Greek master needed him.

"Aubrey, can't this delay? I ask of you just one more day!" I begged him.

"Aisha I cannot. My master needs me and you know he has raised me as his son. I will come back for you, do not doubt that for you are mine!" he said to me. At that moment I had heard faint whispers and as I turned to see I found someone's shadow and they quickly went away. Someone had found us! When I looked back at Aubrey I knew that he too had seen them and we quickly made way to follow it. That was our mistake.

The shadow led us to my father and to my dismay when we got there I realize that my hand was still in Aubrey's. The person's shadow was Arian's, the girl that I had blamed for my escapade with Aubrey. The sisterly love that used to be there was now replaced by something darker. My father stood aghast as Arian explained to him of my frequent rendezvous with Aubrey. We both knew that everything was ruined.

Aubrey quickly faced my father. "My lord, I will marry your daughter for those are my true intentions. Please, I ask of you, let me marry her."

Marriage? No, this could not. I was not going to be taken away from one marriage to land into another! I said nothing as I stood there watching my father refuse Aubrey over and over again. Yet, Aubrey was good to me and maybe marriage would be good to us yet I did not want to. Father saw my ghostly pale face at the mention of marriage and looked away sadly. Soon, my father had lost all patience and he called for our guards to have him removed from our home. It took many men to take him out and I did nothing, said nothing. I ran to my room and looked out my window. It was raining and Aubrey was still being dragged by many men. He yelled my name so that I would help him, so that I would go with him but I would not. He said to me that he would come back for me whether I wanted or not and at that he left.

Ennira stood behind me as I looked out. Everything was ruined! I had lost my chance to escape and I had lost my father's trust. No doubt he now thought me like Karicia now. No, I would not weep. Crying was a weakness for me and I would not show it.

Not long after Aubrey and the Greek left did we receive news that their ship was attacked and that they had not survived it. I could not think at the moment, I could not hear the rest. Fate had played with me and I began to wonder if my prophecy was right. Did I really bring Aubrey to his doom? I had to settle for my fate now and a few weeks later my marriage took place. Anger took me in a full blast and when I receive those news I nearly destroyed everything in my room. I hated my fate, my destiny!