Chapter Twenty: Hometown Glory

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Her eyes fluttered open slowly, her eyes wet from tears no doubt, she could feel her body slightly swaying as the skies above her were clearing. A heavy weight filled her head which made it hard for her to focus on something but it soon cleared up as she gained consciousness.

'Finally you're awake, I thought you'd never wake up' the voice of the King angered her rolling her eyes as he spoke. She wanted to move but her arms were strapped down as were her legs. The sound of the sea beneath them swishing gently. She knew where they were headed and the butterflies in her stomach began to feel like nails. She didn't want to go back and knew her plan was going to have to take action sometime soon if she wanted to see Tommy again.

'Where are we?' she asked looking up at the sky as she spoke, birds flying freely in clusters and the sun shining directly in her eyes. It was brighter than it was in London which gave her the indication that she was no longer in the UK.

'In the Mediterranean sea, doesn't it look and feel like home?' He giggled at her discomfort, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight as she couldn't shield them with her hands.

'Nope' she tried to move her arms again, they were becoming sore from the ropes.

'Don't struggle we won't be long, we are nearly home. I'm sure you'll be glad to be back in your own country' he smiled cutting the ropes off her as a sign of kindness which she took lightly. Rubbing her sore red wrists as the king spoke once again.

'You'll be meeting King Ahaz tonight at the royal ball and if everything goes well you'll be the new queen of Israel sooner than you think' the king spoke proudly a smile plastered on his face. Ayla wanted to plunge a knife in his heart there and then but knew it wouldn't get her anywhere she needed to go through with her plan if she wanted to being a free life with Thomas.

'Looking forward to it' she said sarcastically. It didn't take long for them to get to Ankara, Turkey. It was around noon as the sun was still shining. The first step on Turkish land felt familiar but not in a good way. The only thing that came to her mind was the horrid torture she had to suffer year after year. The sight of the castle made her feel sick. It was exactly the same. Nothing had changed not even slightly it was almost nostalgic in a twisted way.

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Back in Small heath Birmingham the Shelby brothers were in their usual spot in the Garrison it had taken them a few hours to get home but they got home before dark. It was livelier than it was before they left, people were getting back to their own selves as word started to spread about the King and how his killing spree was over now Ayla had agreed to leave, Arthur and John felt better but Thomas felt like something was missing and it sure was.

'So what happened where's Ayla?' Polly popped out of nowhere wanting to know the truth behind the rumours. Glad to see her boys were still in once piece... almost

'She went with the King' Arthur said chucking back a drink. Polly didn't know what to say to them anymore. As they spoke Thomas found himself ripping open the envelope and reading the long letter Ayla had left behind. He could almost imagine her reading it to him. Her voice filled his ears and his heart started to ache. As the words poured into his mind he felt a rush of adrenaline pump through his veins, he gained comfort from reading the letter she had written and she was right. It did answer all of his questions but it also revealed her plan. It was at that moment he knew exactly what to do, he knew she would succeed, she was a stronger woman now and she would never fall back into the vulnerable position she was in once before. The glisten in his eyes were apparent, his baby blue pools filling with joy.

'Boy's we're going to Europe!' he took one final swig with a smirk across his lips.

'We just got back!' John exclaimed but Arthur didn't look too happy

'There's no way I'm getting caught up in this bullshit again!' Arthur cursed grabbing the attention of bystanders.

'I'm going with or without you Art' Thomas said but deep down knew he would need the back up of his elder brother. They did everything together and it hurt him to know that his brother didn't support his decision to go after the thing he cared about most. Polly looked at Arthur with a scowl.

'After everything your brother has done for you?' She raised her eyebrows which made him rethink his answer

'His girlfriend almost got us killed, this is her problem not ours' Arthur took another drink.

A sudden rush of anger ran into Thomas as he lunged for his brother there was no particular reason for why. His fist colliding with his nose making it bleed rather quickly the shock in Arthurs eyes were recognisable. Trying to come to terms with what just happened Arthur fought back throwing punches left right and centre trying to land a decent hit. Polly and John tried to pull the two apart but things were escalating rather quickly. Crashing into tables, breaking glasses and bottle people around them were surprised to see the Shelby brothers fighting. When John and Finn finally managed to pull Thomas away from Arthur Polly tried to keep Arthur calm. Both were now sweating and partially bleeding. The whole pub went silent as Thomas grabbed his things pushing past everyone in his way. As the doors of the garrison opened and the cool fresh air hit him he felt himself take a deep breath. Exhaling everything that had just happened. He knew he had to go after Ayla, the thought of losing her was tragic and he didn't want it to come to that.


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As night fell and the maid finished zipping up Ayla's silk dress she could feel her heartbeat quickening. She wondered what Thomas was doing and how he was and if he had found the stuff she had left behind for him. She wanted him to hold her in his arms and never let go she didn't know it until then but she wanted a life with him. A life where she could start over. She didn't want to be here alone and unprotected. The king was unreliable and she of all people knew it.

'The king is waiting for you in the dining room' another maid entered knocking her out of her daydream. She didn't want to move. She wanted to lock herself away but she knew she had to put on a straight face and get on with it.

As she entered the dining room the king had a wide smile on his face, he looked at every detail of her outfit carefully noticing how well she cleaned up.

'Well you clean up nice' he smirked which made her feel conscious about herself once again.

'Can we just go?' she said with all the strength she could conjure up. She didn't want to show the king that he was intimidating her but for the first time in years she felt like the little girl she was locked up in a cage again. As he took her arm into his leading her out into the carriage which was in cased in gold trimming. She had forgotten what the rich lived like, everything covered in gold or diamonds. She hated it. She wanted a simple life where diamonds were hard to come by.


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