Chapter 4: The One I'm Trying Not to Love

Gwen could hear bartering and bickering as she marched to the assembly chamber. The Council of African Kings was inside discussing politics, territories, and trade. It was not protocol to interrupt such a meeting, but a man's life was swinging in the balance, and she had not the time to waste.

"Step aside please," Gwen instructed the armed guards that blocked her path.

"My lady, the council…"

"I am Crowned Princess of Nubia and you will step aside NOW!"

The guards opened the chamber doors and parted way in a formal coordinated motion. There were scrolls of papyrus and maps spread over an ebony table as the kings continued to debate. Gwen's cousin, Elyan, excused himself from the table. Pharaoh followed suit. Neither of them knew who she needed to talk to, but they could tell it was of dire importance.

Gwen addressed them respectfully, "your majesties."

Prince Elyan huffed impatiently, "I'm in the middle of a meeting. Speak, I haven't got all day."

"It's my betrothed I must speak with," Gwen explained.

Elyan nodded understandably, "Good day, Cousin."

"Good day," Gwen called after Elyan as he returned to the table of arguing royalty.

Pharaoh smiled and whispered, "I've been surrounded by grumbling men all day. Your beauty is a much appreciated escape."

"Thank you, my lord," she modestly replied.

"But you didn't interrupt a council meeting for sake of gracing me with your presence. How may I be of service to my princess?"

Gwen's insides cringed and her skin crawled at the words my princess. Pharaoh was gorgeous. There was no wonder why she once fancied him, but his custom of treating women like territories to be seized was not an attractive trait.

Gwen explained, "my physician, Ewan, informed me that he was denied permission to treat an injured man."

"That is correct," Pharaoh spoke without care. "My kingdom would decay to ruin if I paid a shaman every time a thoughtless slave fell from a construction site. Even if Arthur receives treatment, he is unlikely to survive."

"But you admit there is a chance of survival. Allow me to pay for his care. All I need from you is to grant the surgeon your consent."

"If Arthur survives with irreparable damage he'll be a cripple and a burden. I would sooner kill him myself."

This sort of callousness regarding the lives of lower ranking people was not uncommon among royals, but it never sat well with Gwen. "Is a man of flesh, blood, and spirit of no greater importance than a shattered vase, to be swept up and thrown away?"

Pharaoh was teetering on the edge of irritation now. "It's just one slave."

Her face twisted in a glare of repulsion. "How can you care so little?"

"Why do you care so much?"

Gwen had no logical explanation for caring about the plight of a boy she barely knew. She searched for an answer, but found none. "Pharaoh, I implore you…"

"You implore me?" His face split in a cunning grin. "I like the sound of that, much different from the tone you possessed at the banquet last night. I'll give permission for your surgeon to touch my property under one condition."

"Name your terms."

"Prove that you will be an obedient wife. Kneel before me and kiss the hem of my robes."

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Are you being serious, my lord? We're in a chamber full of kings. You know the message that would send."

Pharaoh nodded his head in the direction of the quarreling kings. "No one is paying attention to us. Do you want Arthur to die?"

"No," Gwen shook her head, "but you know I cannot kneel."

"Alright, we'll allow his suffering and death to serve as a precautionary tale for the others. Good day, my lady."

Gwen caught Pharaoh's arm as he turned to leave. "I'll do it."

Tears filled her eyes as she began to lower herself literally and figuratively. She would endure this degradation if it meant that a life would be spared. The feeling of cold sharp steel at her throat stopped Gwen before her knee could touch the ground.

"If you kneel I'll strike you down," Prince Elyan growled between clinched teeth, as he held his sword to Gwen's throat. "You are a symbol of our kingdom and Nubia bows to no man!"

Silence fell over the negotiations as every ruler in the chamber turned to stare.

Gwen pleaded her case with tears streaming, "I'm trying to save a man's life! I implore you to walk away, Cousin."

"And I implore you not to force me to take your head." Elyan sheathed his sword and yanked Gwen to her full height. He whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, Cousin, but your heart is too big."

"At least I have one, you monster." She snatched her arm from his grasp and fled the chamber, nearly blinded by her tears. I have failed to save the only man I matter to.

She traveled to the servants' quarters to care for Arthur. He was delirious with pain, and sweat beaded on his forehead. There were bowl sized bruises all over his body from blood pooling under his skin. Gwen wept as she sat at his bedside, dabbing his face with a cool cloth.

She felt guilt and shame that the thought of losing Arthur had pained her greater than the thought of losing her betrothed. Has my treachery and disobedience brought grave misfortune upon Arthur? Have the Gods invoked their wrath upon us? I yearn to be a humble and pious wife but how can I marry a man, even a pharaoh, who will humiliate his betrothed and allow a boy to suffer for sake of proving a point?

Gwen jumped as she heard a knock on the window shutter. She wiped her tears and went to find out whom. It was the village doctor, Ewan.

"You can't be here," Gwen warned. "Pharaoh has forbidden you to touch him."

"I have three witnesses who will swear that I never entered the room," Ewan spoke through the window.

"Then why have you come?"

"Because Pharaoh forbid every physician, nurse, and shaman to treat this slave but you are none of those things, my lady," Ewan explained. "That slave will be gone within the hour if you do not do exactly as I say. You are going to set his broken bones and perform surgery."

"No! Arthur will die if I cut him!"

"He will die if you do not. You've been watching me for years."

Gwen shook her head with a distraught look. "I have also watched the sky. That does not mean I can fly or make it rain."

Ewan shoved a bag full of tools and medicine through the window and urged her to calm down, "if you have no faith in yourself then have a little in me. This boy is going to live because I am just that good. I am the best at what I do."

Gwen laughed through her tears and shook her head at him. "All brains and no modesty."

Ewan grinned. "I'm handsome too. Now go to the wash bowl and make your hands very clean."

"They'll just get back dirty with blood. Other surgeons call handwashing a silly superstition."

"Other surgeons are idiots. Your mother was the best healer I've ever laid eyes on and she was adamant about handwashing."

Gwen started scrubbing away while Ewan continued to instruct her, "now soak two strips of cloth in the tallest bottle of medicine and plug each of his nostrils. This will make him fall into a deep sleep."

Days passed before Arthur began to stir. He awakened to an agony so intense that tears sprang to his eyes. In a single moment of consciousness he had experienced every type of pain there was. There were shooting pains in his legs, stabbing pains in his shoulder, cramping pains across his torso, and throbbing pain in his head.

Starlight streamed through open shutters as a gurgle of agony escaped him. This alerted the blurry figure, who was walking around the room. Her image gradually came into focus as she approached his bedside. Arthur gasped when he saw the princess of Egypt fetching fresh bandages, like a common maid.

All but his eyes and one of his arms was bound by splints and dressings. He crowed in a raspy voice, "Princess Sobek… you shouldn't be…" He released a sore groan as she pulled him forward and propped a pillow behind his back.

Sobek held a spoonful of herbs in front of his mouth. "This is for the pain."

He swallowed the spicy combination and chased it with a goblet of fruit nectar. "Thank you, my lady."

"Princess Gwen and I are the only people who will not be killed for entering this chamber," Sobek explained. "Gwen was up for the past few nights with you, so I promised to look after you while she rested."

Despite the intense aching, Arthur couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from curving in a small smile, "her majesty looked in on me?"

"Gwen did much more. She saved your life," Sobek admitted with an amused grin.

Arthur was taken aback. "I don't understand, your majesty."

"You're lucky to be alive. You're going to be in the service of one remarkable princess." The devilish grin remained on Sobek. "You have no idea the risks she took for you. Must have been a spectacular kiss."

Arthur was mortified. "I… I didn't know…"

"Relax, your secret is safe with me." Sobek teased as she redressed one of his numerous bandages, "my dear Arthur you look like a mummy."

"I nearly became one." His chest hurt as they chuckled at his misfortune.

Sobek prepared to leave. "Gwen will want to know you're awake. I'll send her your way."

He shook his bandaged head and pleaded, "I beg your majesty to allow Princess Gwen and yourself to rest. I am unworthy of all you have bestowed upon me, and I am forever in your debt."

Sobek took a moment to consider his request. "Are you well enough to write?"

He nodded and she rummaged through a cluttered drawer.

She walked over with an inkwell and a piece of parchment. "Send Gwen a note to dowse her concerns."

"Of course, your majesty." Arthur extended the arm that wasn't in a sling, and obediently accepted the writing utensils.

He could already feel a sense of euphoria sweeping over him, thanks to the opium based pain remedy. There was a narrow window of time to construct his letter before he became too loopy to function. With this understanding, Arthur dipped his quill in ink and got right to it.

By week's end Gwen became a reluctant member of a caravan bound for Egypt. She swayed to and fro as she rode in a royal carriage, suspended between two camels. She opened the curtains of her mobile chamber. Sunlight and fresh air flooded in, causing her pet kitten to yawn and stretch out of his nap. Gwen gave the kitten what was left of her lunch and glanced out the window. Two lines of shackled slaves marched beneath a harsh desert sun.

Arthur's injuries prevented him from marching with the others. Gwen was grateful that he was able to ride in the carriage with her. His powerful pain remedies caused him to sleep the majority of the time, but it was still a joy to have him near and hear him breathing. It was a pleasure to see a bit of life return to him with each passing day. He was already down to half the number of bandages. Many of his bruises were yellow and fading.

Gwen gingerly swept the hair from his face as he slept. She closed the curtains to give herself privacy, before retrieving the letter Arthur had written to her. A candle clock on an interior wall of her carriage provided just enough light for her eyes to devour his words.

The One I'm Trying Not to Love

The one I'm trying not to love steals my breath with the caress of her fingertips. Her voice renders me senseless and her gaze makes my heart race like the hooves of a galloping horse. The one I'm trying not to love has an essence that pulls my universe into balance and all becomes right with the world. When I look into her eyes my thoughts flow with a sense of harmony, peace sweeps over my soul, and I find myself wondering if I've gone to heaven. The one I'm trying not to love looks upon me as if I am the most beautiful creation she's ever been blessed by the heavens to watch and I see her the very same way. She is the beacon of light in my darkest hour my hope and inspiration. She is my hero. The one I'm trying not to love has a smile that turns the worst of days to the best of days. Her laugh awakens my soul and breathes life into my being. She is more than my friend and the object of my affection. She is my Angel. The one I'm trying not to love kisses me in a way that makes time stand still. Nothing else matters or even exists when our lips meet. Two hearts forever linked. She possesses me mind, body, and spirit. She is my everything.

Gwen must have read his letter at least fifteen times and still yearned to read it again, but she knew she must destroy it for his protection. She gazed upon it once more, and with a heavy heart, she passed the note over the candle flame. She dropped the burning letter on a metal tray and watched as it charred and burned to a cinder. She swept the ashes out of the carriage window. That's when she heard the slaves speaking in a secretive tone.

Gwen had never been one to spy, but the sound of Arthur's name floating on muffled whispers captured her attention. She listened harder. Her hands shot to her mouth in shock. Arthur didn't fall! He was pushed! Someone is trying to kill him!

Author's note: This collection features previously published stories so I really wasn't expecting to receive any feedback on them. I truly appreciate all the support on this project and I hope you enjoy the stories. If The Fifth Bride of Pharaoh seems long this time around please don't blame me. Blame the readers who demanded that I turn it into a full length story lol. With that said I will try not to stray too far from the original version, but rather add more adventures and of course more Arthur & Gwen. Thanks for reading :^)

-Embrasia