The Heart of Alexander

Chapter Thirty Six - The Heart

I woke up the next morning within the servants quarters on some discarded straw, hustling and bustling around me. Servants were scattered around me and ignored my presence. I did not know whether they realized I was the Macedonian Queen or not, but the dirtied slaves went to their daily chores in an instant.  Rubbing my face, I cursed the bright light that shone through the cracks on the walls. Groggily, I sat up, pulling the lumps of straw out of my raven hair.

For a moment, I had forgotten how I ended up here, but the thought of my drunkard husband invited itself back into my mind. Whether I wanted to or not, Alexander would have never allowed me back into our chambers for the night. After a night of wandering through the winding corridors, I found myself cozying up in stack of straw, the concoction still nuzzled up between the folds of my cloak that kept in the warmth.

Standing slowly, I discarded my cloak in the straw and dawdled into the kitchen and pantry, my bottle in hand. I searched and found myself a few herbs that I sprinkled into the concoction to disguise the smell and taste. With that, I lifted the concoction to my lips, swallowing as much of it as I could get down. After reluctantly gulping it down, I gagged in disgust.

Suddenly, it became eerily quiet in the kitchen. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw all the servants had come to a halt in their daily chores, frozen by the sight of me.

"My Queen," they all said in unison, going into a deep bow before me.

"Can someone point me in the direction of my chambers. I seem to have gotten myself lost in the middle of the night," I lied.

A small, ragged, young girl proudly stepped forward from behind all the fear frozen slaves and took my hand in hers. My head tilted at the sight of her little form. Never had I seen a girl so young be brought into the life of servitude. Her raven black hair was matted to her forehead, her skin oily and discolored. She looked bruised and battered, her eyes empty. Somehow, I could feel the little girl's pain. I felt her lost in hope, just as I felt my wedding night. Yet, she was the one to step forward in pride. In a way, I saw myself in her.

"Do you have a name?" I questioned.

"Ishta, Your Radiance," the little girl piped up when I spoke directly to her.

"Lead my way, Ishta," I said with a small smile.

The child was toddling on her little feet through the servants as they formed a path not for her, but for me. The other servants, both young and old, sneered in her direction, almost like she was a pestering bug. My eyes were piercing at the rest who dismissed her existence. Here, she was nothing. But I thought back to the children in my home who served and how they thrived in and out of my father's home. I knew this child could be so much more.

As we strode into familiar hallways, I felt my gut begin to twist in pain. Doubling over, I fought back a scream of agony as my insides felt like they were being squeezed and molded together in the most despicable way. A gasp sounded from Ishta as I put all my weight on one of the columns in the corridor. I gagged, bile come up my throat, but this time it was impossible to hold back such a copious amount.

"Your Majesty, what should I do?" little Ishta quivered from the shock.

I began to slide down the column, my footing slipping out from underneath me as I choked on the foul stench of the bile and my breath, "Get...the king," I croaked.

My vision became impaired as I only saw her little form disappearing and just hearing the echoing of her running. The aching and pain went on to be almost unbearable as I attempted to drag myself away from my previous meal on the tile.

"Don't pass out Roxana," I spoke to myself, "This pain is for the greater good,"

Without warning, a pair of arms wrapped around my body, lifting me into the air. I could hardly make out the face, but instead of the blonde locks I was expecting to see crowning his head, I faintly made them out to be dark as night. There was no strength left in me to protest or struggle, but an instant terror filled me to the brim because of this unknown being.