Author's Notes: Hey everyone, thank you for your support with the last two chapters especially, as I was quite excited to get them out there. This chapter has a sort of flashback scene, much to my own disappointment (as I really don't like flashback sequences) so along with the inner monologue, it will appear in italics.
So what's going on with Akefia and Amunet now that he rescued her? Well, you will have to be patient and just keep reading =)
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!
"Should we wake her up?" the healer asked, doing his best not to frown at the work that laid in front of him.
"No. She's in too much pain, it's better this way. I doubt that she will wake up from you dressing her back," Akefia said before brushing her hair off of her sweat ridden forehead. Her breathing was very heavy and Akefia hoped that she would stay asleep just so it could be more bearable for her.
The healer began to work on her back, mumbling chants as he cleaned her wounds and pressed leaves to her open flesh before wrapping everything with gauze. This last part required Akefia to pull her up slightly so the bandages could be wrapped around her entire torso. Once he was done, the healer picked up his things hurriedly while Akefia placed her back down onto her stomach, her head to the side facing him.
"Make sure she drinks plenty of water when she does wake," he said just before walking out.
Akefia looked down at Amunet, whose brows had furrowed in what he only could construe as pain, even despite her being asleep. He moved closer to her before sitting on the cot that her small frame barely occupied. Wondering how something so fragile could possibly handle that many lashes without conceding, he suddenly noticed that she began to stir.
"Akefia…" she whispered so quietly that it took him a few seconds to process that she had called his name. Her eyes remained closed, even though they were in the cooler confines of his tent, she could detect in her half-conscious state that it was still day time. Her body burned with pain and tears escaped her tightly shut lids when she realized that she wasn't having a nightmare, this suffering would not go away any time soon.
"Akefia…" she whispered again, the knot in her throat starting to appear as she remembered the events of the previous night which had caused her to fall into the hands of the Pharaoh.
"Please don't leave me," her words rasped in her throat.
"I'm right here," Akefia suddenly spoke.
Amunet flinched when she realized that he had been next to her the whole time, for some reason, in fear of his reaction.
"Forgive me," she started weakly.
"I heard you call for me," he said after pausing for a moment.
"I didn't know you were here," she said, trying not to tremble as a sudden chill ran over her.
"No, when they were whipping you," he said abruptly.
At this, Amunet opened her eyes, searching for the pair that gazed down at her. Although her vision was quite blurry, she met his eyes that seemed to have softened since the last time she had seen him.
"I though the Pharaoh was making an example of some pheasant who had gotten in his way. I checked the situation briefly before I turned around. That's when I heard my name…" he spoke softly.
Amunet began to cry, he put his hand on her face gently, shushing her as he continued.
"I had been too far before, as I got closer I realized that they were whipping a woman, and at that, they had stripped her as well - a punishment befitting a man. But when I heard my name, I knew instantly… You didn't run away, did you?" he asked, his thumb stroking her cheek.
"No, I did not run from you," she said through choked sobs.
"I know it's going to hurt, but can you sit up?" Akefia asked, removing his hand from her face.
She nodded meekly as he carefully helped her sit onto her backside, pulling her legs over his lap. Grabbing the bowl of water that had been placed next to the cot, he held it to her lips while his other hand gripped the back of her head in order to steady it as she drank. Every so often he would ease the water from her mouth so she could breathe shakily before silently pleading for more with her eyes. When she had nearly emptied the bowl, her head fell forward, dizzy from the pain that gripped her entire body. Her hair was still pulled to the top of her head, and as if reading her mind, he unclasped the golden piece, allowing her black locks to cascade down her bare shoulders. She sobbed into his chest as he held her head and neck from leaving him.
"Forgive me," she spoke while continuing to cry quietly.
"For what, Amunet?"
"I have forgotten my place, my King," she said shakily.
Akefia looked down at her crying form in confusion, then the sudden realization of what had happened to her dawned on him.
Amunet squirmed as she remembered waking up to the Pharaoh in front of her,
"So what are you, his whore or his slave?"
Amunet looked up to see that she had been tied to a sort of post, but none like she had ever seen before. Her wrists were the only thing tied together, a single rope forcing her arms up as she shifted uncomfortably on her knees. Amunet had yet to respond to the man that stood glaring in front of her, as heated as the sun that scorched her naked body. She realized that even though her clothes had been ripped off of her, she still donned her golden cuffs on her wrists and ankles.
"I asked you a question, girl," the Pharaoh said gruffly, gripping her hair so that she looked up at him.
Amunet smiled before responding curtly, "His slave."
The Pharaoh chuckled before releasing her hair and bending over to meet her eye level.
"Why do I have difficulty in believing that a delicate little flower like yourself is that thief's slave, and not his whore?"
"I am no one's whore, and I-" Amunet's words were cut short as he back handed her. The smile that had been on her face never left, as she continued to smirk at him.
"Well, you can take a hit but you're not very obedient are you? Too bad Akefia will never reap the benefits of all the work I'm going to do with you," the Pharaoh said returning her smile. He gripped her hair once more, gathering it at the top of her head before clasping a golden piece around it.
Amunet felt the sun hit her nude back and looked up at the Pharaoh quizzically.
"Hit her once," he said, not removing his eyes from her face. As he saw the flit of emotions roll through her face when the whip came down on her for the first time, he crouched down to study her closely.
"You're a beautiful creature, aren't you? I think I enjoy the pained expression on that face of yours, it gives me a feeling of.." he paused, toying with her as his fingers ran down the sides of her waist and hips. "Satisfaction," he finally said, leaning into her right ear as he spoke.
"But here's the thing, slaves are either obedient to their master or they're not really slaves. So, you can either comply with your King, or we can wait and see how many lashes it takes before you rat out your former Master,"
"You think that a hundred lashes might be enough to kill you?" he asked, his breath hot on her face.
"Amunet?" Akefia's voice suddenly cooed in her ear. Amunet kept her head down as she tried to forget what was so painfully painted across her mind.
"Amunet…" he lifted her face to his own. Her eyes were almost blood red from crying and the agony of reliving her wounds.
"Amunet, I heard what you said to him when he offered you mercy. You would have done all that for my sake? Even allow him to defile or kill you?" he asked, his expression stern.
She paused before responding, "My King, I shall serve you and only you-"
Akefia's lips crashed onto hers, thinking it was an accident on her part, Amunet pulled away, only to be pulled back by the hand that remained on the base of her head. Her lips began to vibrate pleasantly as he kissed her so fervently that it almost distracted her from her wounds. His other hand rose to cup her cheek once more when she had winced in pain from an attempt to get closer to him. Removing his lips slowly to look at her he noticed the bump on the side of her face that had a faint line of dried blood.
"When he hit you?" he suddenly demanded, his countenance immediately changing.
She nodded, casting her eyes to the ground once more in shame.
His anger bubbled and seemed to boil over as he suddenly stood, causing her to flinch.
What did they do to her? he asked himself, knowing full well that they had broken his precious Amunet. Her fiery spirit had never truly wavered as long as he had known her, and yet, here she was crying openly to him as if…
His eyes widened in disbelief, she was in love with him. The reason as to why she had called his name, why she cried for him, and her embarrassment in admitting so. She was technically his slave, but loyalty can only go so far once they are put in a difficult position. Her unrelenting obedience to him, Akefia mused, is the sole reason he and his men are still alive. He took one last glance at her suffering form, his stony eyes seeming to melt upon looking at her and yet, he peeled himself from the tent, making his way to the prisoner they had brought with them.
"You!"
Akefia punched the soldier with such force that he fell to the ground, struggling in his bonds as the other thieves looked on. Where the man laid on the ground, Akefia kicked him repeatedly, making sure that at least one of his ribs were broken. He continued torturing the man, despite all of his begging and pleading before stopping a second to assess the damage.
"Knife," he stated quite loudly to no one in particular, one of his men rising forward with exactly what he wanted. This knife had three large curves to it, making the entry into flesh, particularly painful.
"Hold him down, the Pharaoh wants to deliver a message across my slave's back, then the least I can do is return the gesture," he said with the same maniacal smile that he was so famous for amongst his victims.
Amunet heard the screaming of what she rightly assumed was one of the guards they had captured. Knowing Akefia was the benefactor of these screams brought a devilish smile to her own face, his anger resonating from what they had done to her.
"He loves me," she whispered out loud just before she nodded off again.