Hadassah's Sacrifice

CHAPTER 24

"Hi," a voice said from behind Hadassah who appeared to be deep in thought. Tiamat has had her eyes on Hadassah from the moment she followed her friend's gaze. Mylitta couldn't take her eyes away from the lady who was lucky enough to have a beautiful maid, but Tiamat observed that it wasn't just the maid that had caught her friend's attention, it was her mistress.

Wondering who it was, Hadassah turned to see a well dressed Babylonian girl, her eyes looked calm, so plastering a small smile she replied, "Hi."

"I'm Tiamat."

Hadassah didn't know if she should be telling her name when she didn't even know the girl, but something about the girl let her say, "My name is Hadassah."

Alright. She knew she was beautiful from afar, but Tiamat didn't expect to be standing before a human goddess. This lady who just introduced herself as Hadassah was stunning. Oh, and her eyes were the finest shade of brown she has seen. Not wanting to leave just like that, she asked further, "How do you feel being here?"

"I'm fine," was Hadassah's short response. She didn't know the girl who introduced herself as Tiamat. What if she was a spy of the King? Why did she care about how she felt being here? Who was she really?

Seeing that her companion's expression was changing, "I don't mean you any harm, Hadassah," she said trying her name on her lips and watching her. "I wouldn't even like to be here if I had my way. But Mother won't have it any other way. She says being a concubine to the King is better than being a wife to an ordinary man." She shrugged like it didn't bother her, but it did bother her. Tiamat wished her mother didn't have such ideology about life. She wished she knew that who she married didn't define her worth or diminish her worth as a person. For her mother, it was either her daughter married a royal blood or no one.

Hadassah saw the sadness Tiamat was trying to hide, she saw that they did have one thing in common - being here against their wish. "I — I had no idea. I just didn't know if you were a spy," she said trying to apologise for her reaction earlier. Who knew that they had something in common? Maybe they could be friends eventually. She liked her already.

"We would be fine here, Hadassah, " Tiamat said with a smile making Hadassah smile back. It was after all the only thing she could offer right now.

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Emmanuel had words sent to Benjamin. The younger man hasn't attended Bible Study since the day the soldiers took Hadassah. He sent word through his mother, Leah that he wanted to see him. He sensed the younger man needed some counsel.

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In all his years on earth, never has he felt as pained and dejected as he was now. Benjamin's heart was shattered in a million pieces. The day he lost Hadassah was the day he lost himself, he was no longer the man he once was, and he didn't even attend Bible Study anymore. He didn't see a need to — God has disappointed him. Hadassah has been the reason he enjoyed Bible Study, she even was the reason he enjoyed his work as Papa Emmanuel's assistant. Now that she was gone, so was the desire to attend Bible Study.

Benjamin couldn't deny that what he felt for Hadassah was sincere but even him didn't know that it was this deep. He loves her. The Lord knows that he does. He couldn't imagine a life where she wasn't his bride or friend. This hurt that he felt deep within him was heartbreaking. Her absence has left him a broken man, and he feared that not even Papa Emmanuel could help him this time. His mother after returning from Bible Study told him about Papa Emmanuel's message.

He was going to go see him, though he doubted that whatever Papa Emmanuel had to say could change the way he felt. Nothing could change the loss he was experiencing.

"Hadassah," he sighed wearily.

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"Did I just see you talking to that girl?" Mylitta accusingly asked a surprised Tiamat, the two were in another one of their Queenly training.

"Which girl?" Tiamat asked with her brows furrowed, a sign that she had no idea what her friend was talking about.

"What do you mean what girl?" Mylitta fired, "Didn't I just see you talking with that girl with the pretty Babylonian maid?" her eyes disclosed her disgust and annoyance.

"Oh, you mean Hadassah," Tiamat replied casually, waving her hand as though dismissing what Mylitta has just said. "she's such a friendly girl," she added with a wide smile, earning a disapproving stare from Mylitta.

"And you know that because you talked to her in how many seconds...?"

"Because I talked to her for as many seconds that it takes to know how a person really is." She wasn't going to pay attention to Mylitta's attitude today. She could fuss all she wanted, Hadassah was a lovely girl and she was going to be friends with her.

"You did what, Tiamat!" Mylitta gave a silent shriek, she didn't want to cause attention, but her friend was making her lose her nerves. Tiamat was always too forward — being the first to talk to people in a new place, she's the one who wouldn't behave like a true Babylonian, in fact, she's literally everything that Mylitta disapproves of. She wondered how they have both stayed as friends — they were so different.

"You didn't see other people to talk to?" she continued, eyeing her.

"I don't understand you. Since when do you control who I talk to and why does talking to that girl bother you so much? You don't even know her." Mylitta was making her feel like she did a terrible thing talking to Hadassah. She was her friend, not her superior. Friendship is supposed to be about respect and understanding.

Staring at her friend, and shaking her head, Mylitta replied, "Never mind. Just do what you like." With that she faced forward, giving no thought to a perplexed Tiamat sitting beside her.

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"You cannot continue this way, son." Papa Emmanuel said to a depressed Benjamin where the two men sat in Emmanuel's house. "What happened with Hadassah isn't your fault." But nothing of the words that he said made meaning to Benjamin who just gazed at nothing. "I know how much you loved her, Benjamin," he moved to take hold of his hand, holding them firmly between his, "but the Lord knows best."

There it was again with the Lord knowing best and being wise. Well, he was tired of hearing it. Did the Lord know that he was in pain? When he had prayed to the Lord to spare Hadassah, why didn't He answer? Surely the Lord didn't care about him. "There you go again with the Lord, Papa Emmanuel," Benjamin attacked, retrieving his hands from Emmanuel's grip. "you keep saying the Lord knows best, but does He really? Does He see how much hurt His lack of protecting Hadassah has caused me? Does He even care about me anymore?" his eyes were glittery from the tears that were stored in them.

Emmanuel saw the disappointment in the younger man's voice and he felt sorry for him. It was a hard thing encouraging a man whose heart has been broken. He could only pray — "open his eyes Lord. Heal his broken heart," he prayed under his breath. Giving Benjamin a fatherly pat at the back, "God is wise, son. You can choose to see His wisdom or you don't, it doesn't change the wisdom of His decisions concerning our lives. One day, you will see the reason why all this happened," he gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. "Oh, and the Lord loves you more than you know."

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Memukan was aware of what the request of the King meant — he was going to hasten the preparations of the girls. If the King wanted a Queen in three months, he Memukan was going to present him with one.

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A/N: do you agree that God is wise irrespective of whatever it is you are currently experiencing? Please vote. Again, I love you guys!❤