Greed

the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of spiritual; also called avarice or covetousness.

She hated him. She despised him. She wished him dead. Thoughts of the different ways he could suffer ran through her mind as she miserably bobbed about on her filthy camel trekking through the arid desert.

Endless hot sand surrounded them as they made their way to an unknown land. She couldn't escape. Her grunting, two-humped beast was tied to his and beneath her oversized linen gown, her hands were bound with ties. She glared at the man riding next to her. Her eyes were barely visible beneath her head scarf covering her sweaty braids and parched mouth. He was as concealed as her in his peasant clothing yet there was a humor dancing in his eyes that angered her to no end.

It was difficult to believe that it had only been a few nights since her life had changed forever.

She had heard rumors about a growing rebellion but paid it no heed until she had awoken to the cold sharpness of a blade against her neck. Her eyes had immediately blinked open in fear. It was Commander Richard. Confusion filled her sleep-addled mind as he removed the blade and held his finger to his lips, quieting her panicked breaths. He instructed her to dress in the peasant gown draped upon her covers and hastily began emptying her boxes of gold and jewels into a sack.

With the rebellion in mind, she didn't think to question him or demand an explanation. Being one of her pharaoh's trusted advisors, she blindly trusted him. He would not show up in her chambers in the middle of the night for no reason. Assuming he was under orders to protect her, she did as instructed and snuck out of the palace. All the while, her pharaoh commanded his soldiers to find the traitorous commander who had stolen his wife. She could not know that that same traitorous commander was abducting her.

Now, here she sat upon a foul creature, hostage to a madman, and desperate for the luxuries he had taken her away from. Why he'd stolen her from her rightful throne was a mystery to her. She presumed his avarice had finally weakened his senses. Or perhaps it was to claim victory for the rebels. Though, she believed if there were any rebels left, there would be too few to celebrate the conquest. They must have been put to death by her pharaoh after discovering their collusion with her captor.

"Come now, my queen," his voice cut through the silence as he glanced back at her narrowed eyes, "There is no need for your anger. You are free now."

She scoffed. "Am I? These bounds upon my wrists claim otherwise."

Amused by her boldness, he hid a smile. "I shall remove them," he said, subtly adding, "in due time."

"Well, until then, Commander, I shall remain in my state of indignation." She glared at him, denying to oblige him with the pleasure of her company whilst she remained captive against her will.

He exhaled tiredly. He had chosen to keep her oblivious to the truth of her situation believing it was better to lie than destroy her trusting nature. As queen, she was impervious to the evil that ran rampant around her. He did not want to be the one to cause her disillusion. Yet, his actions did not inspire confidence. She believed he had stolen her away and kept her hostage for his own pleasure. It was far from the truth.

Deciding to put an end to his dishonesty, he halted their camels. He closed his eyes and tilted his head in renunciation. "I am no longer your commander, my queen."

"Humph, a truth of which I am certain."

"Along with the truth that you are no longer queen."

How dare he? Fury burned within her. He had no authority to strip her of her title. She was royalty and would remain as such for eternity. Her nostrils flared in restrained anger. "Though you may have abducted me, you cannot divest me of my birthright. I am your queen and you shall suffer for your transgressions."

A sad, half-smile flickered in his eyes. "I could never divest you of your title. You shall always remain my queen. As for my transgressions, I wish you not lay blame at my feet. In time, my actions may very well be commended not detested."

Disgusted by his arrogance, she scowled. "Commended?"

He reluctantly turned to her, compassion in his eyes. "Your pharaoh is dead, my queen. A deed executed by the rebels the night I stole you away."

Her lips parted in disbelief. It could not be true. Her pharaoh could not be dead. Though, the whisper of attempts to dethrone him had spread since the day he was declared pharaoh. It was why she was quick to recognize the true intentions of the man before her the night she'd caught him sitting upon his throne. Yet, here he was, far away from the now empty throne, same as she. Was he not a rebel? She shook her head, refusing to believe it. Of course he was. Why else would he steal her away?

Devastation settled heavily upon her chest as she imagined the life she once knew disappearing before her. She was far away from home and her pharaoh was dead. Denial forbade her from accepting it. She blinked away her tears as the camels began to move once again.

"That is impossible," she whispered harshly.

"Alas, it is not."

"You lie," she said through clenched teeth.

"It is the truth. You were to be next."

She stared at the back of his head with a steely disposition, her eyes wet with grief, awaiting an explanation.

Feeling her stare, he grudgingly explained what had happened. "When kingdoms are overthrown, it is not solely the pharaohs that are done away with. Their entire family is slaughtered. You were his queen. You were to be killed, though not before they...," he unsteadily inhaled, unwilling to finish his explanation.

He did not want to recall what the rebels had planned for her. It had taken everything inside of him not to kill them once he had discovered their vile plan. Instead, he bade his time. He made himself a promise: he would keep her alive and safe from harm, even if it meant she would hate him for the rest of her life.

Nevertheless, upon having her dutifully accompany him the night they fled the city, a hope ignited in his chest. He still desired her more than the priceless jewels now hidden in her traveling bags, more than the vacant throne that had once filled him with an overwhelming desire to rule. He wanted to maintain his original vow: he wanted his queen to finally be his. However, to his misfortune, it did not appear that she desired to even travel alongside him.

She did not want to believe it. Michonne's eyes slightly widened as his unspoken claim rang clear: the rebels wanted to take her virtue and then kill her. It couldn't possibly be true. Her people could not wish her harm. She had done nothing to deserve their cruelty.

Outraged, she asserted, "My subjects would never violate the throne in that manner. They would not desecrate their queen."

Her ignorance made him snort. "Did you truly believe that your subjects were loyal to you because you deserved it? After witnessing their oppression under your pharaoh's rule, did you not realize their suffering?"

His biting words took her aback. She blinked in realization.

Regretting his hard tone, he exhaled tiredly. "You were nothing more to them than something they needed to destroy."

She remained silent before quietly asking the question that choked at her throat. "Is that why you took me? To defile me? To destroy me?"

He abruptly stopped the camels. He turned to her, his eyes gleaming in fury. He dismounted his camel, reached into one of his packs, and tied something to his belt. The gleam of a small dagger in its sheath caught her eye as he approached her. He swiftly pulled her off the camel ignoring her protests.

"Show me your hands."

His angry tone sent panic up her body. Trembling, she backed away. Her back pressed against her beast as he gripped her arm, exposing her bound wrists. She cried out when he reached for his dagger. Before she could pull away, he sliced through her ties.

She gasped in surprise.

Next, he took the rope tying the two camels together and sliced through it as well. Packing away his dagger, he turned to her once again.

"Do not ever claim that I am as deprived as those slaughterers who killed your pharaoh. I stole you away to protect you from your fated suffering. I see now that it was a mistake. I am not your jailor and you are not my prisoner. You are free to leave."

Michonne stared at him in disbelief as he climbed back on his camel and lurched forward, leaving her alone. She looked down at her raw wrists and then around her in bewilderment. He'd released her. She was free yet she was lost. She looked back at where she assumed her now blood-soaked throne sat.

Even if she wanted to return, what would await her? If he was telling the truth, she would be killed or defiled– or both – upon entering the city. And if by chance he was still alive, her pharaoh would never accept a tarnished reputation. She could no longer be queen.

She turned to stare at the receding figure of her captor, then again at the endless mounds of sand that surrounded her. Only the unknown lay before her. If she remained by this former commander's side, there was no telling what her destiny would bring her. If she traveled in any other direction, death or worse would be her fate.

She stared at the packs on her camel. She had enough food and water for a return journey. He'd left her gold and jewels with her, enough to buy a modest existence in any town, if need be. She shut her eyes, longing for an answer to appear before her. Should she risk her return and hope that if indeed her subjects had dissented would restore her to power? Or should she follow the man, who'd apparently saved her life, to live a deprived existence in an unknown land?

She climbed back on her camel and, for the first time in her life, Michonne decided her own destiny.

Okay so I received lots of heartfelt reviews asking for a continuation of this and I just couldn't help it. It's not as greed-centric as the first part but it still has subtle hints of it.

I know I left the ending a bit ambiguous but maybe this would inspire y'all to decide what she chose. It is all about Richonne but then again, the theme of the story is Greed. So… :)

Anyway, I did tell you guys that I was working on Sloth. It's done but it is ANGSTY. I'm not sure if it's something I want to post just yet but we'll see.

As for the continued requests for a continuation to Envy, I mean, it's truly flattering. I've honestly tried but I keep coming up with just a straight-forward, grown-up conversation about things. I don't know if it's the resolution readers want but you never know.

Thank you so much for all the support with these stories. I'm kind of taken aback by the passionate response it's received. I look forward to hearing from y'all and I appreciate your support!

Your taken aback writer,

semul