Alaethia has spent a lifetime of luxury under her father's rule of the Persian Empire. When the city walls of her home are torn down by enemy clans she is sold by her father to ensure allies in battle. Betrothed to a man that has killed more men tha...
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My soldiers and I had set up camp for the night. In the morning we would make our journey back home to Rome. Only a day. I anticipated and felt each nerve of my body anxiously wait to be with my love again. I missed her greatly during this time. Her brown skin sweet like burning amber haunted my every thought and dream. Her eyes which swallowed me up into weakness with every glance. I longed to be home again with my family. As I thought of them a gut wrenching feeling plagued my soul. It was an unbearable feeling of despair. As my body was crushed with this wave of agony I felt cold droplets of rain fall from the night sky. They landed onto the golden sand that glowed from the fire. The burning logs sizzled with each assault of water. I clenched my jaw and grimaced as I tried to make my way into my tent. As I stood I stumbled. weakness overcoming my senses. Something was wrong, I could feel it deep within my blood, boiling hot terror. I heard the loud gallop of a horse storming to my direction. I snapped my head peering to see what news it brought. On top of the horse rode a boy about nineteen summers. As he approached me he yelled,
"General, the palace is under attack!"His voice hoarse with exhaustion from riding rampantly through the night. My heart sank. Everything became dark. Light had gone and all I could feel was burning anguish. I yanked the boy from the horse and mounted the stallion quickly gathering the reins and storming into the direction of the palace.
I felt the sting of the horse slap against my thighs as we rode home. Each break of thunder driving us forward harder.
I prayed that my family was safe. A bitter taste of despair washed my tongue. I knew it was not, I could feel it. I prayed to the Gods that I would make it there in time to protect them. If they were gone, I would have nothing to live for.
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Brenae:
I had heard everything. Each time she cried out a piece of my soul broke into pieces. I sobbed clutching my mouth to silence my tears. Alexander stood holding Gabriel tightly to his chest as he stared at the door, his eyes wild with pain.
We heard it , yet we could do nothing. That was the worst part. We could do nothing but listen.
"Let's go."A man yelled as footsteps retreated from the chamber.
I looked to Alexander to see if it was safe to leave. He shook his head slowly.
"Not yet."He mouthed. He was right it could be a trap, yet every second we stood in terrified silence Alaethiya needed our help. Before long the anguish overcame me and I stormed out of the safe heaven.
What I walked into I would never forget, it would always haunt me.
There Alaethiya lay on the ground soaked in blood and exposed. I ran to Alaethiya covering her up with my silk shawl. The floor was covered in warm sticky blood and it oozed into my sandals. I leaned down to listen for her heart beat. Despair overcame me as I listened but heard nothing. But then there it was, a faint thump that restored me with hope.
"She is still alive, Alexander, She's, she's still alive!" I cried out holding her bloodied and beaten body in my lap.
Alexander placed Gabriel and Zahreen into their bassinets quickly before he rushed to my side. Alexander lifted Alaethiya in his arms and dashed out of the room. "Where are you going?!" I yelled out running after him.
As we stepped into the hallway bloodied bodies lay strewn across the floor. I felt anguish wash over me as I saw my friend Alexiye's body lying cold on the ground, her eyes rolled back with death. I bent down and vomited while Alexander continued his pace unfazed by the massacre of soldiers. I followed him into the canteen, his face remained hard as a rock as he placed Alaethiya gently onto the wooden island and tore open the fabric of Alaethiya's gown where her wound resided. "We must stop the bleeding, Brenae, you will have to sew her wounds shut."He barked running to a cabinet that held clay vases and bowls. "I-I can't, I don't know how-"I quivered in fear. Alexander snapped his head towards me, his wild green eyes shadowed in chaos. "You will try."He stated turning back to his actions as he placed a cooking pot onto the furnace which boiled water. I stumbled through a drawer trying to find a needle and thread, my blood covered hands shaking uncontrollably. I came across a pair of needle and thread and snatched it from the drawer.
I heard the pop of boiling water as Alexander took it off of the stove. He took the pot and placed it over Alaethiya's wound. "What are you doing!?"I questioned hastily. "Stitching this wound won't matter if it is not sterilized."Alexander replied pouring the scalding liquid into the gaping hole in Alaethiya's abdomen. Alaethiya's body shook in pain, the only sign of consciousness she had shown since I had seen her. "You're hurting her!"I cried watching as she quivered in agony. "You must stitch her up now, this will have to do until we can reach a healer."Alexander replied pressing a bloodied towel soaked in boiling water to her wound to stop the bleeding. I moved to to turn Alaethiya over gently to stitch the wound on her back. My hands quivered in anxiety as I shakily laced thread through her brown skin. I did this for what seemed eternity as Alexander wiped the blood covering her her body with water. Her jaw held a dark blue bruise and her lip was torn open at eh side. Her neck was bruised with the rough outline of two hands. She had gone through hell. But she survived. She has to survive.
As I examined her body in sadness, I heard the bang of the door crash open. There my brother stood, drenched in rain and fury ablaze in his eyes.
