Disclaimer: Yaaarrrrhhhh! generic pirate noises Avast ye mateys, Ardeth Bay, Rick O'Connel, and Evy O'Connel are the property of Universal Studios, yarr, I'm just... borrowing them. But all you landlubbers should know that Chanda is mine, yaarrr.
...OK, I know, that was SO random.
Chanda was noticeably silent as she was led through the palace halls with a guard holding each of her arms. The handsome warrior walked before them and when he took a left toward two large, elegantly gilded doors she brought her chin up. She wasn't going to let the pharaoh humiliate her. Not that she'd be able to understand the scornful words that were sure to come, but she refused to give him any sense that he was intimidating her. Yes, she'd been caught, but as she saw it, it was all just a temporary setback. She'd picked some of the most difficult locks devised. She had her doubts this king possessed anything out of her sphere. Then again, she realized, these soldiers of his would just track her down again.
Seti's throne room was largely empty after the events of that morning. Imhotep was the only person who remained at pharaoh's side. He'd had all day now to calm himself, and, as Dakarai entered, Seti showed little concern for the dancing girl being brought in. In fact, he left Dakarai and the Medjai standing for several minutes while he discussed the construction of a new temple with his most trusted priest. His guards stood patiently, awaiting their turn. Still Dakarai couldn't help but feel a little resentment for the state Seti had been in over this woman only to brush them aside once she was brought before him. Finally, Imhotep was finished, and he bowed graciously before stepping down and heading for the door. As he passed, he smiled at the Indian girl with a certain knowing smugness, but she ignored the gesture and maintained her steely gaze on the throne before her.
"Dakarai," Seti finally addressed, "I am pleased to see you have retrieved my little runaway. I trust it was not too much trouble for you."
"No, your majesty, it was no trouble. Your horses are swift and your men are strong. The girl stole a camel from one of your subjects. We were able to return the animal." Dakarai explained. The two men holding Chanda brought her forward. Seti smiled for the first time that day.
"You are trouble, little one," he said. Chanda stared. A sardonic smile pulled at her lips. "I know you don't understand a word of this, and it is perhaps your ignorance that saves you from a harsh punishment." Seti continued, walking forward and finally standing before her, "You will learn in time that your fate is not as horrible as you may think, and you no doubt know now that my Medjai are the finest soldiers any king could ask for. If you try to run, they will find you before you leave the palace grounds. For now, you will go to the harem, and tomorrow I shall decide what, if any, punishment befits you." Chanda continued to stare with piercing golden hued brown eyes. Seti reached out and ran a finger along her smooth jaw line. Still no motion. "Dakarai," he said, "take her away."
With a bow, Dakarai turned and headed back for the door, and Chanda's two escorts drug her around to follow. She could only assume that the general unpleasantness was behind her, and so she allowed herself to relax as she was led out of the throne room and into the hallway. She was more than a little irritated at the manner in which her to escorts held her arms, but she ignored it as best she could and knew that by morning she'd have some fine bruises. In the meantime, she couldn't really help but enjoy the view. The hallway was the finest limestone available, polished to perfection. The great pillars that supported the massive structure were stained black with gold accents. There were statues of gods and goddesses wholly unfamiliar to her, and lush ferns and palms in large, beautiful stone pots. For a moment she just listened as the leather sandals of the guards clicked against the stone floors and echoed with a harmony that sounded at once natural and intentional.
As they turned right and passed by a statue of a man with a falcon's head, she saw a set of stairs up ahead. At the top of the stairs she could see a hallway leading to the left and great, large balcony windows framed by flowing white curtains. They climbed the stairs and passed down the hallway, and as a breeze came in she looked outside to see the Nile down below. There was sound and life and vibrancy still despite the rapidly setting sun. She could see great monuments and temples she'd not seen in the dead of night. Then again, she'd not been in the mood for sightseeing at the time. They continued on and passed several elegantly crafted wooden doors. She could see two golden doors at the end of the hallway, an immense sun carved into them in stark relief. There was an elaborate pinion latch the held them closed and two guards stood outside them. This, she realized, was pharaoh Seti's harem. Despite all her fortitude, her heart sank until it hit the pit of her stomach like a lead weight.
As her steps began to slow and grow more reluctant, the hands on her arms gripped more firmly, pulling her forward. She'd not gotten along with the other dancing girls Bhagra had employed, and she had no reason to believe things here would be different. Aside from the fact that her sarcasm would have little effect on them. The nearer they came to those foreboding doors, the slower her steps became. One of the guards looked at her, a stern gaze that warned of bitter consequences should she continue to be difficult, but her feet no longer obeyed her orders. Her will to be strong and face this like a woman had dissolved, and just ten feet away from the door, her feet stopped, though the men continued to drag her. Her knees gave way and she fell limply forward, trying desperately to pull her arms away. She was sliding across the polished stone floor on the tops of her feet. Still their grip tightened and she let loose an involuntary, surprised cry.
The guard leading them spun around. He saw her struggling against the guards and his deep voice resonated in the halls as he spoke to them. Before she knew, they'd let go of her arms and she stayed there on the floor, face in her hands. She had nowhere to go, there was no sense in running. She knew she had to pass through those doors, but her legs simply would not allow it. Then, Chanda was startled by the feel of a hand on her head. Pulling her hands away and looking up she saw the deep brown eyes of the palace guard, the man for whom she'd really been dancing the night before. There was nothing he could tell her, nothing she would understand. Instead, he took her hands gently and helped her to her feet. Shaking, Chanda stood, never once taking her eyes off the man in front of her.
The cry had taken Dakarai off guard. He had turned to see the Medjai dragging the Indian girl by her arms. She had been so calm and so strong that her sudden breakdown took him completely by surprise.
"Heru! Badru! Let go of the girl!" his voice thundered, and though he barely outranked them, they knew better than to argue. Dakarai was a fair man, but he commanded respect and obedience from his subordinates. He knelt before the woman and placed hand on her coal black hair. With a start her head shot up, and he saw in an instant brown eyes wide and consumed by fear. There were no tears, as he'd assumed there'd be, but the anxiety was clearly written on her face. Once again he was awestruck by her beauty. Her skin, darker than his own, was impeccably smooth and flawless. Her features were strongly feminine, here eyes large and expressive. The long black braid of her hair fell over her shoulder, desperately knotted and disheveled by this point. Her hands with their long graceful fingers steadied her as she kneeled on the floor. His heart ached for her, for the fear she felt and the life she faced, and he hurt more in knowing there was nothing he could do for this woman.
Dakarai took her hands from the floor and slowly helped her to her feet. "Little one" he spoke softly, "I know you do not understand me, but you know what fate lies within for you. There is no escape, so your only options are to face this with strength and dignity or wallow in sorrow and self-pity. This is a fine home, and you will be well taken care of." His only hope was that a soothing voice might calm her. After all, even if they did speak the same language her trauma might have kept her from registering a single word. It was the tone that mattered, and slowly Dakrai took a step backward toward the door. To his relief, she followed suit, never taking her eyes from his. Though her gaze unnerved him, he continued, and behind him he heard the door being unlatched and opened. With great effort the doors opened and Dakarai took her to the threshold before letting go of her hands.
Finally, Chanda was forced to divert her gaze, and what she saw astounded her. Beyond those golden doors lay a common room so vast it confounded her senses. Twenty feet above her was a vaulted ceiling and a massive open skylight that illuminated the whole of the central common room. Surrounding this were multiple doors. At the back of the room was a massive spiral staircase that led to a second level of doors that encircled the great open common room. There must have been a dozen individual suites in all. In the center of the room was a great circular pool surrounded by the black stone pillars which supported the ceiling. The water glistened with orange iridescence. Interspersed throughout the room were several couches on which lay the most beautiful and decorated women in all Egypt. Suddenly, in spite of the opulence, Chanda's heart fell. Was this to be her life, wasting away the day in idleness until called upon by her master?
"Mistresses," Dakarai addressed them, "this is Chanda, your master's newest acquisition. I would greatly appreciate if you could get her cleaned up and show her to her chambers." One of the tall, elegant creatures stood from the couch on which she'd been laying and came forward. She was lean, almost athletic in build, and her fine black headdress bore beads of the finest gold. She wore a blue dyed sheer linen dress that swept the floor as she walked and intricate gold earrings that brushed her shoulders. Her face was fair, an aristocratic air to it, and her eyes were lined in black. Chanda stood silently as the woman stopped in front of her, a look of appraisal on her face.
"She's certainly interesting," the woman said, raising a critical eyebrow.
"Enough, Amunet, it is his majesty's decision who enters this harem, not yours."
"Dakarai, you pompous buffoon, I was merely commenting. Where is she from, anyway? Certainly she can't be Egyptian." Amunet asserted, and even without understanding a word of it, Chanda recognized it as a slur.
"She's a dancing girl from India. She was brought here to entertain the pharaoh and his guests at the coronation. She doesn't speak a word of Egyptian, so all your yelling and fussing won't do a bit of good. I expect you to have her presentable by tomorrow. She is to be brought before the pharaoh." he said, turning and stepping away from the door. Amunet was more than surprised.
"During the day? Whatever for?" They were never called from the harem before sundown except for those festivals and banquets when they would be expected to entertain dignitaries. Dakarai turned and the guards began to push the doors shut.
"Her former master helped her to escape and tried to put another girl in her place. She faces judgment for her part in the scheme." Dakarai said, the opening growing smaller and smaller until his form disappeared altogether. Amunet smiled wryly and looked at the Indian woman before her.
"Well, well," she commented, "Aren't you an interesting creature?"
A/N: Woohoo! New chapter. And the last one apparently was less than stellar as there were 32 hits and only 2 reviews. First, many thanks to Rachel Sparrow and hikaru motosuwa for taking the time to review. Ya'll ROCK. As for the rest of you, shame shame. C'mon, if even an EIGHTH of the people who read it had reviewed I'd be happy. I feed off comments, whether good or bad, so if you thought it was weak, tell me why, just say something. Observe your right to voice your opinion. Rock the vote! OK, that was lame, but still, honestly folks, I beg of you to drop me a line, 2 words, anything. I'm on my knees here. Even my regulars haven't chimed in in awhile. I feel abandoned. And for those of you waiting for "Those Who Dream By Day" I have the next chapter done, I'm just waiting for it to get beta'd. I'm beginning to think my beta has lost all computer access, so if anyone out there wants to read the nice juicy last chapter of "Those Who Dream By Day" before anyone and give me some feedback on the style, grammar, spelling, etc. then drop me a line.