15 Vile
~You look in front of you and all you see is darkness, you look behind and it's the same. You've run out of options, what do you do? I'll tell you what you don't do, don't run to that darkness~
Akhenaten remained in his bed chambers.
His eyes were closed and he found his thoughts wandering to her—yet again.
He felt the all too familiar pain that came with it.
He tried distracting himself, losing himself in the pleasure and brief comfort the finest women provided.
But they were short-lived.
None of them made him feel the way she did.
No one had ever resisted him-no one.
But she had.
It roused within him such confusion that she could so easily be unaffected by him when just looking at her made him lose all rational thoughts.
He wanted her...he needed her, and soon he would have her. Whole or broken, alive or in death.
•••
Aria was alone by the servant's washing pool once again, once all the others had left.
Sometimes, she just liked being alone.
She didn't know if she could take anymore encounters with him.
She wouldn't be able to bear it, she just wouldn't.
She was tempted to run away, from him, from all of it.
But something within her told her that there was nowhere she could run that he wouldn't find her, and that terrified her so much that she felt suffocated. She couldn't breathe.
'What had she gotten herself into?'
'Just what exactly had she gotten into?'
She should never have gone back to that lake-to him.
But she hadn't been able to help it.
He was right, she was also drawn to him, but she knew it was an unholy attraction.
'She wanted out but why did his touch always send her nerves blazing?'
She let out a sob and wrapped her hands around herself.
Everything drew her in...his deep quiet voice, his dark hair, his eyes...
She buried her face in her folded arms.
'What was wrong with her?'
She wanted it to stop, she wanted him to stop.
He terrified her.
Tears fell on her cheeks.
'What was she going to do?'
She had no idea what he was capable of...and she had a feeling she was about to.
•••
Aria hadn't seen Akhenaten in weeks.
In the absence of Pharaoh, the political load rested on him and he was away most of the time.
Aria felt elated, she felt free.
She didn't feel so choked anymore.
She slept better, although, sometimes, she had nightmares of him coming back, but generally all was fine.
Sometimes, although it was shameful of her, she found herself thinking about him, daydreaming even.
Those thoughts were so graphic, it always left her feeling immensely ashamed.
She couldn't help but think he'd made her that way.
Poisoned her mind...tainted her...
For some reason beyond her, she also found herself wanting him.
Finally, he'd stripped her of her sanity, of her chastity, and decency.
She hated him but at the same time, her body wanted him, which was the greatest evil of all.
She would never stoop so low.
This wasn't her, he'd turned her into something she wasn't.
Before long, she fell into a deep slumber.
•••
By the time Aria woke up, everything wasn't the same.
If she'd known, she'd have slept and never woken up.
While she slept...he'd arrived.
All the other thirteen servants had gone to welcome him...and she hadn't.
Aria's eyes widened.
He would have definitely noticed her absence.
Aria's heart started beating fast.
The fear was back.
It was only a matter of time before...
•••
Akhenaten sat on the throne, he was alone in the throne room.
He'd ordered all the servants to leave.
She wasn't there, she hadn't come to welcome him.
He'd been gone for almost a month and she hadn't even come to welcome him.
His hand clenched.
During his trip, they'd run into bandits and had suffered a hit to his left eye.
It was just a scratch but visible nonetheless.
He closed his eyes and chanted.
Immediately, he conjured a demon.
It was covered in armour and had a single-edged sword by its side.
"Tell me everything she did while I was away." He commanded.
The demon bowed.
"Master." The demon went on to narrate every single thing she did, down to the food she ate, to the places she went, to the people she talked with.
Akhenaten nodded opening his eyes-they were a startling blue.
"Where is she now?" He ordered.
"In the servant's quarters." It answered head low.
"You may leave."
The demon faded instantly.
Just then, five of the Royal officials trudged in bowing low to him.
"Crown Prince." The highest-ranked official greeted.
"What is it?" Akhenaten was impatient.
"There's a situation that needs your urgent attention." The head official started.
"Some thief's have been caught in the lower province, in a very small town where many of the foreigners live."
"What was stolen?"
"It wasn't so much what was stolen but what was destroyed."
"They burnt down an entire plantation of palm trees." He finished.
"They must be punished. They've been brought here to the Palace for judgement. They've been thrown in the dungeons." Another official, who was shorter, stated pressingly.
"I'll attend to it," Akhenaten stated.
"It's urgent, my Prince."
Akhenaten let out a breath.
"Bring them to me."
They all bowed low and left the throne room. And once again, he was alone.
He closed his eyes and tried locating her, in a few seconds he was able to.
The moment he saw her, he felt his heart constrict painfully in his chest.
There she was, alone in the large quarter, sitting on her mattress.
He walked towards her and stopped when he was right in front of her.
He crouched and stared at her delicate face.
He noticed she'd grown even leaner.
Her shoulders looked even more delicate...even through the linen.
He also noticed the raw fear in her eyes.
He had a feeling she knew he was back but had stayed in her room instead.
He knew she loathed him, but he didn't care.
He saw her exhale nervously and shiver.
She looked around as if she was searching for something.
Unconsciously, he reached for her but just as his hand touched her cheek...
"My Prince, here they are." He heard one of the officials say.
Akhenaten grudgingly opened his eyes and they steadily turned back to his amber green-rimmed ones.
He stared at the prisoners.
"Come forward."
•••
Aria heard about the prisoners that had been brought to the province.
It was already night time.
She'd also heard they've been taken to the dungeons after a confrontation with the Crown Prince.
Her heart skipped a bit, she hadn't seen him all day.
It shocked her, but it gave her a little bit of hope.
Maybe he'd forgotten all about her in the past month.
But a little voice in her head told her she shouldn't push her luck.
She'd been assigned by the chamberlain to feed the prisoners.
And as Aria climbed the steps down, she felt a kind of foreboding, a trepidation.
The dungeons were a dreadful place to be, and she wanted to perform her given duties and go as fast as she could.
She noticed the guards armed with their spears.
They nodded to her and she nodded back in understanding.
She was led to the cells of the recent prisoners.
She took a deep breathe as the guards announced she had brought them food.
But to her surprise, none of them even responded.
Aria observed their clothing.
She let out a soft gasp, eyes wide.
'They were...'
"Come get your meal you Israeli scums." One of the guards said rudely.
Slowly, they moved closer.
They were four in number, Aria noticed.
Two of them were young males who looked to be in their late twenties.
Aria focused on the other two and her heart stopped beating altogether.
Her eyes widened and the tray of food in her hands made a loud clang as it fell to the ground.
Her hands trembled.
"Mother, Father?" She whispered in a breath.
•••
The next morning, Aria ran as fast as her legs could take her.
That morning was the day of the execution.
They've been accused of burning one of Pharaoh's palm tree plantations-but it had all been a lie.
It wasn't any of them.
He wanted to kill innocent people, take innocent lives.
The fire had started by itself, due to the dry weather, not seeing anyone take the fault they'd blamed her parents seeing how they'd become Elders in the town and had taken the two other young men who'd been bold enough to stand up for their people.
But Aria now saw what they did as foolishness.
Akhenaten was vile, he knew no mercy.
Her legs ached as she made her way to the throne room.
She had to convince him to spare their lives, she didn't care what she had to do. If it meant she'd have to grovel, she'd do it.
She lost her parents once, she didn't want to lose them-not again.
Aria stopped in front of the two impossibly large doors that was surprisingly void of guards.
There was no turning back.
Her delicate hands trembled by her sides and fear gripped her entire soul at the confrontation with him.
Her heart was beating wildly against her ribcage.
She closed her eyes.
'God, please.' 'Save my parents, save those innocent men.' 'Save my people.'
She prayed with all her heart.
She exhaled and let herself into the throne room.
Immediately, fear unlike no other gripped her.
The hair on her body stood on ends and it became hard to breathe.
The ominous presence she felt all around her was numbing.
Her breathing was heavy as she looked up at him seated on Pharaoh's throne.
She willed her legs to move and she walked purposefully towards him, his eyes never leaving her.
The closer she got to him, the more afraid she was, the more choking the darkness was.
With each step she took towards him, she wanted to turn back and run as far from him as possible.
Finally, she reached his throne.
She willed herself to look up.
Her eyes met his unreadable ones and her heart almost gave up in her chest.
She exhaled shakily before looking down and bowing her head before she got on her knees and bowed low, her hands in front of her.
"My Lord," Aria said in a small voice.
Akhenaten stared at her for a moment shocked...shocked by her display of reverence.
"Aria." He spoke her name in his deep quiet voice.
She straightened and looked up at him.
"Please spare them, they're innocent." Aria cried.
His eyes widened in surprise and then lowered.
"You defend them because they're your people?" Akhenaten asked quietly.
Aria looked away and she bowed her head.
Akhenaten's hand twitched as he watched her.
'She was so near, so near within his reach...'
"No, my Lord, I defend them because they're innocent." She said quietly.
There was only a brief pause.
He scrutinized her intently.
"Are you saying my officials lie?" Akhenaten enquired.
Aria's eyes widened looking up at him.
"No, I didn't mea-"
"Aria, I trust my subjects." He stated.
Aria stared wide-eyed as she watched him stand from his throne and walk slowly towards her.
Her heart couldn't possibly beat any faster.
When he was right in front of her, he stopped.
"Your people are guilty of the crime they've been accused of." He stated quietly looking into her eyes.
They both heard the doors open slightly to reveal the court officials.
"My Lord." One of them greeted head bowed.
"They're ready for you." He informed.
Akhenaten nodded and the official left at once, closing the door behind him leaving them alone once again.
Aria saw his hands curl into fists. They were free of bandages.
She'd noticed the new injury sustained in his left eye.
Without another glance her way, he walked right past her.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she shut her eyes tightly.
"Akhenaten!" She gasped out.
Akhenaten halted in his steps.
He'd never heard her call him by his name.
"Two of them are my parents." She cried.
She stood and turned to face him-his back was still to her.
"Please don't take them away from me." She said softly.
"I'll do anything you want." Aria found herself saying and she knew the implication of those words.
Aria saw his shoulders visibly tense.
"Anything." She repeated.
To her surprise, he turned around to face her.
He took deliberate steps towards her, his gaze never faltering.
He stopped in front of her.
Aria's eyes widened.
"I won't pervert judgement just because you mean something to me."
He stared deeply into her eyes.
"Don't come for the execution." He ordered with a finality.
And with that, he withdrew completely and walked out of throne room, leaving her to drown in her despair.
...
