Goodbye

~Everything that happens, happens for a reason.~

Three months had passed since Aria last saw him. She had come to the Nile, religiously, every day hoping to see him.

But he was never there.

She sighed.

She looked down at the entire town from the top of a palm tree. In the far distance, she could see the daunting structures and high pillars of the Royal Palace.

Aria sighed softly.

"Who are you, Ammon?"

She had asked him the last time and his reply had left her confused ever since.

"Both our undoing."

•••

The day was wet and cold.

Aria would never forget—the day she was exiled, the day she lost everything dear to her, everything she ever loved.

The news of her rebellion or rather what her people thought was rebellion had spread far and wide. It was about the incident that took place between her and her teacher weeks ago.

Apparently, the other teens had spread the rumours of what had transpired between her and him.

They thought her questions stemmed from unbelief and the right course of action was to purge her from among them—from among her people.

Aria would never forget the hurtful words and the hate-filled gazes. She was eschewed like a gentile—like an unclean thing.

Aria closed her eyes as she curled in on herself on the cold hard floor of her new Egyptian master's house.

A single tear fell from her eye as she recollected the day she was exiled—the day her whole world fell apart.

•••

Aria had just come back from her errand, having gone for the whole day—she was very tired.

She entered their small house which has been her home for the past fourteen years. As she entered the house, a strange wind blew her and she had a trepidation—like something bad was about to happen.

She greeted her mother and father.

"Evening Mother, evening Father."

Normally, her mother would embrace her, her father would kiss her, but they stood afar off. She sensed something wasn't right.

"Mother, Father?" She called quietly. Her mother burst into tears and sobbed into her husband's chest. Aria's confused eyes met with her father's and he looked away.

Aria didn't miss the pained look in his eyes.

"You Aria, daughter of Joseph and Sarah, have become a nuisance among our people." A deep voice spoke.

Aria turned to the source of the voice. Her eyes widened as she saw an aged man walk to stand by her father.

Aria gasped. It was Eliah, he was one one of the chief of the elders of their people.

'What was he doing here?' 'How come she hadn't seen him?'

His traditional robe was wrapped around him in a dignified manner. It was obvious he was a man of honour.

His stern brown eyes rested on hers and Aria felt fear—real fear—for the first time in a long time.

"You have become a bad role model for the little ones and you've become a stumbling block to your peers and our people." His voice was so cold, it sent shivers down her spine.

The way he said 'our people' terrified her, she knew those words had an underlying meaning.

"S-Stumbling block?" Her voice shook. She was panicking and he knew it. Her eyes locked with her mother's—they were pleading. Her mother must have seen the fear and confusion in her own eyes as she looked away and started sobbing again.

The Elder took a step towards her, eyes terrifying as ever.

"You girl, seek to defy the very laws our people have lived by for hundreds of years, the very laws our fathers taught us, the laws given by God by the hands of Moses; the greatest prophet to have ever walked the earth." His voice echoed through the four walls of their house.

"N-No I-I-"

"Silence child!" Her father cautioned. Her father's soft reprimand broke her heart into a thousand pieces. Without having much control over it, her eyes filled with tears.

"She doesn't cover her hair, no headscarf whatsoever. She questions our laws, laws taught to her by her Rabbi ever since she was a child. That's a slap to his face, an insult to all the elders." Now it was as if he was reprimanding her parents.

He pointed a despicable finger at her father.

"It's all your fault. Whatever happens to her, it'll all be on you."

"She's already of age, all her peers are already married, some already bearing children for their husbands."

"Do you know the most infuriating thing of all? Is the fact that she dresses like a boy, so inappropriate for a maiden—that's if she's still one." The venom that laced his words were like knives digging through her flesh.

She knew what he was insinuating.

That she was no longer chaste-no longer a virgin. She looked down at what she wore, it was one of her father's old clothing she had trimmed to size.

She swallowed the tears that had stuck to her throat.

"For these unforgivable reasons, the elders have decided to cut you off from us. As of this moment, your name will no longer be named among us."

"We are separating ourselves from you like we would an unclean thing."

Aria's mother threw herself on the hard floor and held the Elder's mantle and bowed, her head touching his feet.

"Please Father, spare her. She's my only daughter." Her mother sobbed.

By now, tears were already streaming down her father's hard eyes, but he didn't say anything.

Aria noticed her father's clenched fingers, how they twitched as if he was ready to take her and hide her somewhere they would never find her—where she'd be safe.

At that moment, she felt ashamed, ashamed at what this man had reduced her mother to. Aria's hands clenched by her side, she couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"You should consider yourself lucky that we didn't stone her to death as she rightly deserved." The Chief man spat.

"Please Father, please!" Her mother wept bitterly and Aria's heart broke into tiny uncountable pieces at that moment.

Heartbroken, she went over to her mother and pulled her up. Her mother stood and clung to her as if she was her lifeline.

She held her so tightly Aria could feel her mother's despair and heartbreak in every harsh breath she took.

Without being able to stop them, the tears kept running down Aria's cheeks. Her mother's heartbreaking sobs were her breaking point.

She looked over to her father and her heart broke even more.

Aria knew if he could, he would have done something, anything, to save her from the pain and turmoil that she knew was sure to come. But her father's pain-filled eyes said more than she cared to know.

And it was in that moment, Aria knew she would never see her family again.

•••

Life separated from her family—her loved ones, the ones whom she cherished the most in the world, was pure torture.

It was hell on earth.

She found herself in an impossible situation—she was the servant of a rather nasty, short-tempered Egyptian after she'd been banished from all she knew and rendered homeless with nothing but the clothes she'd had on—her parents had cried their hearts out.

She was made to work on her Master's plantation after being found at the brink of dying out in the cold desert. She had no breaks.

If she thought it was hard when she and her brother went to the plantation back home, it was nothing compared to the inhumane treatment she'd been reduced to.

She wasn't the only servant he had, there was another girl-she was Greek.

She'd been there longer than Aria. She was tiny and looked malnourished but one could easily tell she was a beautiful girl—her name was Chloe, and they were the same age.

Their master had customary clothes for his slaves and he made them wear it—it was Egyptian clothing.

Aria sat alone by the window and looked out. It was less crowded there. The Egyptians lived mostly in that province and the majority were filthy rich.

Aria could see the Palace from the hill her Master's house was located.

They were much closer to the Royal Palace—she could see it's magnificent stature and enchanting architectural designs.

She had only been privileged to see it from afar. She had always thought it was beautiful, but seeing it much closely—it was absolutely breathtaking and massive.

The Nile River flowed gracefully in front of it.

She looked at the flicker of the setting sun from where she sat by the window. She couldn't really enjoy the sunset anymore—it was mostly obstructed by the other houses that surrounded them.

Tears came to her kohl painted eyes as she remembered their evening prayers which took place right about that time.

She missed watching the sunset there. She missed her brother, Eros. She missed her parents.

Thoughts of them plagued her constantly, and it always brought tears to her eyes.

Her master mustn't catch her crying, she would be flogged-mercilessly.

Her back still tingled from her master's unforgivable whips. Her body was scarred and she would carry those marks for the rest of her life—a token of her servitude.

They both had scars—she and Chloe-but hers were the worst...and she hadn't even been around as long.

•••

Two years had passed-two long painful years in servitude.

Aria was already twenty. She was the only servant left in her Master's house.

Chloe had passed away.

She had died the year before—alone, scared and shamefully.

While running an errand for her master in the city, she'd been stopped by some Egyptian men. In the guise of marketing their merchandise, all three men had trapped her, had their way with her and had strangled her to death.

Her body was found in a dry well outside the city after a few days—naked with fresh marks all over her body.

She had no relative to claim her corpse so they merely sealed the well with huge rocks and that well became her tomb.

It was inhumane, wicked and vile.

After that day, Aria lost the will to fight. She felt so alone, lost.

She felt insignificant.

In all her life, she never thought she'd become a household slave, not once did it ever cross her mind but she'd quickly discovered that in life the unexpected was bound to happen.

"Ahit." She heard the booming voice of her master call.

Ahit...

That was the name her master had given her.

She had asked Chloe what it had meant-she hadn't had a clue.

"Ahit!" He called a second time and she knew what that meant...whips.

"Yes, Master!" She ran to his inner chamber at the eastern part of the house where he worked-he was an astrologer, a man who knew the times and studied them.

He also practised magic.

"How many times do I have to call you before you answer me!" His bronze face was contoured with anger and his painted eyes bulged with rage-he was wearing a headdress.

Aria wanted to cower back in fear but she swallowed the sob stuck in her throat.

He grabbed his whip which he hanged on the wall. He neared her about to make the first strike when a loud trumpet rang through the air and they both froze momentarily.

They heard a loud bang on the door.

Still fuming, her master went to the entrance and to his surprise, it was the Chamberlain—Pharaoh's own Chamberlain—the one who was in charge of the welfare of the Palace...and Aria's master's close friend.

He was of very high status.

"Kamuzu, my old friend!" Her master greeted and they embraced one another.

"I hoped to Aah that I would meet you and thanks to Aahti, I did." Her master's friend beamed.

Aria looked the guest over, he seemed to be the same age as her master—probably mid 40's.

He was wearing a full-length gown, his headdress worn on his head, kohl painted eyes with armlets on his arm, bracelets on his wrists and ankles, and a golden collar on his neck.

Needless to say, he was covered in jewellery. She could tell he was a noble.

"To what do I owe this visit?" Her master enquired.

He gave Kamuzu a seat at the expensively decorated guest chamber.

"Ahit! Are you blind? Don't you see I have a guest? An important guest?" Her master's sudden harsh voice made her jump a little.

"Get him something to drink you, infidel!" Aria made for the kitchen as quickly as she could and tried to whip up a decent meal. All the while she could hear him curse her under his breath-she was used to it.

As she blew the fire with a handmade fan, it grew and she sighed in relief—the food shouldn't take too long.

In the meantime, she served their guest with a bowl of cool water informing them that their meal would soon be ready and went back to the cooking chamber.

She sighed as she looked for a wooden stool to sit on.

She could overhear their conversation.

"You can't be serious Kamuzu!" Her master exclaimed to what Kamuzu said.

Aria imagined Kamuzu must have nodded in response to her master's exclamation.

"Rebellion is arising in the Royal Palace." Kamuzu continued.

"Those found out have been apprehended and beheaded." He continued.

"How were they exposed?" Her Master enquired.

"They were caught by the Crown Prince and punished accordingly. You know he's vast in the dark arts." Kamuzu said the last part quietly.

"Bloodthirsty is what he is." Her Master hissed in disdain.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you, even the wind spies for him. Do not talk so rudely about the Prince." Kamuzu rebuked immediately.

Aria could hear the tense undertone in his voice.

Just then, Aria brought them their food and served it.

All eyes moved to her.

"And who might this be? Doesn't look Egyptian." Kamuzu pointed out.

"She's a filthy Israeli. Found her half-dead in the desert. Her people must have exiled her."

"But she's so young." Kamuzu looked at her with great interest.

Her master spat in disgust.

"And they call us barbarians." His mouth twisted in a frown, the hatred obvious in his eyes.

"It would be a reprieve if you took her out of my hands. She's nothing but a nuisance." He spat venomously.

Kamuzu sighed.

"How much do you want for her?" He enquired.

Aria's heart slammed against her ribcage.

'No.' 'Not again.' 'He wanted to sell her?!'

Her hands shook by her sides so she clutched them behind her back.

"She's utterly useless. You can take her for free." The harsh words burned her ears.

Kamuzu sighed again.

"Very well. Hopefully, she'll be of some use in the Palace." Kamuzu stated.

He stood and beckoned to her and like a sheep headed to the slaughter, she obeyed. There was nothing she could say, nothing she could do. Why? Because she was a servant and her life wasn't worth even a shekel.

Her life no longer belonged to her-it hadn't for a long while and tears fell down her hollowed cheeks down to her thin collar bone at that undeniable reality—her reality.

And on they went into the Royal Palace, where her life as she knew it would never remain the same.

And if Aria knew what awaited her, she probably would have fought with all her strength to escape or at the very most, taken her own life, but she'd come to realise in the harshest of ways—that life doesn't always go as planned.

...