Chapter 7

Hector ran through the halls towards the cry. As he rounded a pillar, he saw Anama lying on the ground, curled up into a little ball.

"Oh no." he whispered. He rushed over to her and turned her over. She jumped at his touch. As he turned her over, he saw the dark bruise that was forming on her face. It was black, and curved all the way up to her eye from her mouth. It was terrible. He went to grab her arms when he noticed her holding her wrist. He gently took her arm and looked at her wrist. The bone was snapped and protruding from the skin. You could tell it was broken. 'Who would do such a thing?'

He gently picked her up and carried her to her room. When he got to her quarters, he laid her on the bed and went to get a towel and some cold water. Anama scooted to the top of her bed and sat in a ball. She didn't cry but you could the tear stains on her cheeks and the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Hector returned with a bowl of cold water and a towel. He sat down next to her and wet the towel. He gently placed it on her face, over the bruise. She flinched when he touched her.

"Anama. It's me Hector." Anama slowly and hesitantly looked over to Hector. When she saw it was him, she cried. "Shhh. It's all right. I'm here." He held her as she continued to cry. Who would hurt her? He had to know. He pulled her away and looked into her face.

"Anama." He said as he placed the towel on her face, "Will you tell me who hurt you?" Anama didn't say anything. She just stared at the wall in front of her. Hector went to get up to leave her alone when she spoke.

"He hurt me." Hector stopped and looked back towards her. He slowly sat back down and listened to her. "He wanted to talk. But I knew there was something else he had in mind. I told him no, I told him that I was tired and wanted to rest. He would hear none of it. He kept pushing to go my room and talk, but I kept saying no. He finally got forceful and grabbed my wrist. I tried to get away when I heard something crack. I finally got free; I started running back to the hall when he caught me. He… He slapped me and I fell to the floor. When I caught myself, I heard my wrist snap. After that, he walked away."

Hector was silent. "Who did this to you? You can tell me. Please." Anama looked at him with fear and sadness in her eyes.

"Semoculus." She whispered. Hector froze. He knew something was wrong with the man. Semoculus was Anama's future husband. He knew he should have followed her when she left. He felt somewhat responsible for what happened to her. She seemed to sense this.

"Hector. It's not your fault. It's no ones fault that this happened, you know that. Stop blaming yourself for everything that happens to me."

"I can't help it. I feel like I should protect you."

"You do protect me. In more ways then you know."

"I wish I could protect you from him."

"I do too." Hector looked at her and placed his hand on the side of her face. He leaned in and kissed her. He wished he would have her forever. He pulled away. "I love you."

Anama looked at him with shock. 'Did he just say he loved me?' She continued to look at him. "I love you too."

Hector smiled and kissed her again. "Marry me."

"What?"

"I know it seems weird but, marry me. That way you won't have to deal with Semoculus. You would be with me, forever."

"Hector. You know I would marry you in a heartbeat. But what about Semoculus? His father and the King have already come up with marriage arrangements. How do we tell them to call it off? We are to far into it now, there is no way your father would allow it."

"Let me talk to my father. Believe me, once he hears about what happened to you, he will turn down the marriage. In the meanwhile, I want you to get some rest. I will send in the healer to look at your wrist." He kissed her goodbye and left.

He walked in the conference hall and demanded to speak with his father. "Father! I need to speak with you immediately."

"Please, Hector, I am in the middle of something. Can't it wait?"

"No! I need to speak with you now." King Priam heard the urgency in hi sons voice and excused himself from the King of Ithaca and his son. He followed Hector through the halls.

"Father, you can't let Amana marry that bastard!"

"Hector! Watch your language! Where did this come from? Why the sudden urgency to call off this whole wedding?"

"This is why." King Priam didn't notice, but they were standing outside of Amanas room. Hector opened the door and the King walked in. What he saw made him want to cry. There sitting on her bed, curled up into a ball was Amana. She had a black bruise that curved from the corner of her mouth, across her entire cheek, and stopped at the top of her eye. She also had a bandage on her wrist.

"Her fiancé, Semoculus did this. Do you really want her to go threw with this for the rest of her life?" When Hector said this, Amana sat up and saw the King standing in her room. She tried to cover her face but couldn't move her hand.

"Amana, don't." said the King as he went to sit on the side of her bed. "Let me look at you child. O goodness. He really did this? Why?"

"He wouldn't accept the fact that I didn't want to talk." She said angrily. King Priam shook his head.

"I am so sorry my child. I wish I would have never gotten you into this. You probably hate me know."

"I don't hate you. It wasn't your fault you picked a bad suitor. I could never stay mad at you." She smiled at him. The King gave her a kiss on her forehead and stood.

"I will call this off at once." He strode from the room.

"Father!" yelled Hector as he ran after him. "Father I need to ask you something."

"Yes, you may."

"What?"

"Yes, you can marry her." Hector looked at his father. "Don't insult my intelligence my son. Just because I am old doesn't mean I can't read my own child's face. You have been in love with her for years. A blind man could tell. You will marry her when she is better. Now, I have a marriage to ruin."

"Father. If you knew I was in love with her, why did you engage her to someone else?"

"It was a test my son. Although I didn't know these men would be so cruel. I didn't mean for her to get hurt in the process. I am the only one that knows this was all a test. That's why I am hoping these men take it well. And with that he was off. Hector just smiled to himself. He walked back to Amana's room to see her asleep on her bed. He picked her up and placed the covers over her. He kissed her goodnight and left.