Chapter One: A Woman Scorned

Sophia was a scorned woman. Long, shiny black hair tickling the frame of her shoulder bone, two glazed pearly eyes, a damaged upper lip so to reveal her white teeth and a scar like artwork on a blank canvas, strewn across the left hand side of her face and stretched all the way to her left breast. Her raspy voice, sharp looking canine teeth and finger-nails that would petrify the regular passer by, she resembled a scorn woman as much as she was one.

Brought up by a rich family in a mansion near the shore line of the Nile, Sophia was mainly of Greek origin. She had Egyptian in her, but had migrated over to Egypt due to a civil battle between her family and a neighbouring one. Escaping the trauma of having to watch her family be crippled by financial debts, crying over death threats; her grandmother had given her an escape route, a sanctuary in Egypt.

Sitting in her upstairs bedroom, she watched with enthusiasm at the boats sailing ghostly up and down the mist of the Nile, some fishing, some travelling, others just floating with what seemed like no purpose but to decorate the surface of the river. With no television or internet access, watching the natural surroundings was her daily entertainment. It was whilst watching the Nile and drawing in her personal diary when she heard the blood curdling smash of glass and a shattering scream ripple through her house.

Jumping, Sophia dropped her fountain pen and watched it fall with a soft thud on the grass below. Sophia closed her diary and swung her legs around and off her window sofa, running to her door frame and listening carefully. Her mouth opened to shout her grandmother, but the long, creeping shadows projected against the wall said otherwise.

"I haven't been sent here to kill anyone, but i'm brave enough to brake the rules!" shouted a gruff voice from below. Suddenly, a hand snatched Sophia's arm and began pulling her across the corridor and towards the bathroom. It was her maid, Mrs. Hignokato (whom Sophia liked to call Higi for short). She was a plump mid thirties woman, who always wore the same apricot dress that hung just above her apple shaped knees and the same white apron that was tied tightly to secure an hourglass shape Sophia always associated with her.
"In here" she licked, pulling Sophia behind her and locking the bathroom door shut.

"The Ashrahf family have gotten the entire river front on lockdown, there's no leaving the house unless discreetly. Your going to have to open the latch in the shower and climb down through the shaft into the cellar. In the cellar there's a pistol with around 10 bullets in, take it and grab one of the sharp garden tools. Climb out of the cellar onto the back garden, get on your bicycle and ride out of town through the backstreets. Go, GO!" whispered Higi heavily.
"What's happening!?" spoke Sophia, tears welling up in her eyes. Pressing a sausage like finger to her lips, she bustled Sophi into the shower and opened the floor latch. A gust of cold air shot out at Sophia, looking down into the murky underground darkness, Sophia put one foot on the ladder and began to climb down, looking at a tearful Higi jumping at a sudden bang on the bathroom door.

The horses sped down the sandy plains at full throttle, the hot air blasting around Zafina and Amelle. Snatching the side mirror, Zafina turned the hanging shard and glanced at who was following them. Two black stallions each carrying a heafty looking soldier were drifting further away from the carriage.
"They're retreating." she said flatly, looking ahead at what seemed like miles and miles of desert.
"I heard crashing from the tent and carriage, what if some of the shelves and cupboards have come down?"
"I'm more worried about how long this desert is going to last, these steeds are worn out."

CRASH.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" a screeching sound errupted suddenly. A long white blade struck the side of the riding bay and flints of wood scattered everywhere. Sophia was riding side by side against the carriage on her horse; an absolutely huge ginger mare with a black and white mane and one bloodshot eye (the horse almost symbolised Sophia's character). Zafina screamed and ducked yet another strike. Amelle screamed over and over again, looking around frantically wondering what to do. Suddenly, a pillar of smoke was rising into the sky, turning for a split second, Amelle screamed again. "THE WHOLE TENT IS ON FIRE!!!"

"What!?" screamed Zafina. Sophia began to laugh a raucous laughter. "Your dead bitch" she screamed, twisting her sword in her hand and getting into position for one more strike on the riding bay; which was now weakly connected to Zafina's carriage. One last swipe sent the riding bay tilting to the left and Ben's reign was released, sending him galloping away into the distance. Azula was pulled back, with a loud release of air from her mouth, she stumbled and landed on her back, breaking one of her hind legs. Amelle flew out of the carriage and rolled on the hot sand below, feet away from the burning wreck they a few minutes ago called home. Zafina leapt off the now on fire riding bay, which continued rolling for a while before crumbling to a dead heap. Sophia and her horse circled the two girls, then the soldiers who had previously slowed down had now caught up and one spat on the floor besides Amelle.

"Do that again and i'll slice out your tongue!" screamed Zafina, looking protectively over a squinting and panting Amelle.
" ... AAAHAAAHAAAHAAAHAAA ..." cackled Sophia, stopping dead in her tracks and sliding snake like off her horse. Wearing what seemed like a light pink piece of armory around her chest and a small grey skirt on her bottom, Sophia's wild black hair emphasised her malicious appearence. The cackling continued until her two soldiers started to laugh. Suddenly, she stopped and stood close to Amelle. Resting a foot on Amelle's head, she viciously stamped Amelles' tear drenched face into the sand. With reluctant muffling, it only fuelled Sophia's laughter. As Zafina got up to move, Sophia raised her eyebrows and pointed her sword towards Amelle's neck.

"Poor, poor girls. Daddys rotting like raw egg and now your parading around Egypt like people care" she hissed, lifting her foot relieving Amelle from the lack of air. Gasing, Amelle sniffed mucus back into her nose and wiped sand that had stuck to her face, away.

"If your going to kill me, do it now and leave Amelle alone!" screamed Zafina, brushing the sand that had scattered across her maroon floral decorations on her skirt off her.

"WHY DONT YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE!?" squealed Amelle.
"Your eyebrow jewellry is pretty, i might take them out for my wife" grumbled one of the soliders, bending to pull out Amelles golden studs. Just before she could scream and retaliate however, a fire engulfed arrow slammed with a squish into the soldiers head. A spurt of blood fountained out of his head and left a crimson marking on the previously golden sand. Stumbling back he coughed and a volume of blood soon began spilling from his mouth. As the line of bodily fluid dripped from his wound, the fire began to lick at his face and his eyes rolled into the back of his head before he fell stone dead on the ground. Breathing highly, Amelle began to whimper and looked around from where the arrow had come from.

The other soldier joined Amelle in whimpering whilst Sophia looked straight towards Zafina screamed with gritted teeth.
"Wh-" an arrow landing inches away from Sophia. Another one, Sophia knocked off course with her sword. A third hit the remaining soldiers horse straight in the neck. Errupting with noise, the horse fell back and seemed to die instantly. Sophia looked around and leapt back on her horse. A flurry of arrows missing her as she spun around rapidly on her horse.
"YOUR DEAD" Sophia screamed, whipping her horse and speeding away, leaving her soldier screaming for help as an arrow had journeyed it's way into his ankle.

"Who is that?" asked Zafina, pulling Amelle off the floor.
"Zafina, lets get on Azula and GO!" shouted Amelle, looking nervously at the wailing soldier.
"Azula's hurt ..." spoke Zafina, looking at her quiet horse curled on the sand with a quivering leg.
One last arrow hit the sand yards away from Amelle, this one fireless and attatched with a note. Snatching the arrow from the floor, Zafina read: 2 o' clock. Looking in the direction, she sore a horse coming down the desert leaving a whirlwind of sand spiralling without control behind it. Then, she made the outline of a young boy with a stack of arrows and a bow tied loosely on his back. Amelle and Zafina watched without a sound until the horse amd boy got closer and finally stopped.

"Amelle Hignokato?" asked the handsome young boy.
"Yes?" answered a puzzled and nervous Amelle.
"Prince Shaan at your service"
"Huh?" stuttered Amelle.
"King Oziah's son? ... That's Sophias brother ..." spoke Zafina softly.