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12.

-HER-

“Thanks for tonight,” I told her to divert the topic. At this, she smiled widely.

“Well, the night hasn’t even begun yet,” Her words sent a shiver down my spine. I was somewhat aware of what was going to come next. I gulped silently before digging at the food again. We talked more throughout the night on mundane stuff.

“Seems like it’ll rain tonight,” Thea spoke all of a sudden when we were busy finishing the main course. It made my head snap towards the open side of the patio. Dark clouds crowded the night sky. The stars were gone. As if to confirm Thea’s words, the first thunder cracked the sky in half.

“It’s the first rain of the season, isn’t it?” I asked her. It hardly rained in the desert but when it did, it was celebrated quite largely. Thea nodded at me.

“It’s a week early this year,” She commented before taking another sip from her special pearl drink.

“Well, seems like it’s not only evil that I always bring,” I remarked. She threw her head back at this and laughed mockingly at me before looking at me with judging eyes, “I’d like to believe that very much, Psaltisi,” She said before she trailed off. The tone of her voice seemed so eerie as she continued, “I really hope that you would not try to pull off more stunts. You know what happens then,”

I smiled slightly at her before I stuffed my face with food. The air around me buzzed with tension as her eyes narrowed on me.

“I… I told you before, Cleopatra. I have learned my lesson and I am here to make up for my mistakes,” I told her uneasily, lowering my eyes to show submission. Doing this, made me feel uneasy from inside but I did not have any chance to disobey her at the moment.

“Good, Arsinoe,” She muttered. Silence fell between us as the dessert was served. I had lost appetite by now. I was more aware of her sitting in front of me, watching me warily and studying me. I knew that she trying to figure out why I was really there.

I tried to initiate conversation again to lighten the tension in the air but she did not seem very interested to speak. “Tomorrow,” Thea spoke as she finally rose and looked down at me, “Show up in the court. I’ll decide what to do with you,” She spoke grimly. Her words made my blood run cold but I maintained my composure and nodded in submission, even though I hated doing it internally.

“You’ll be accompanied to your room,” She spoke before she walked away. A dozen guards were waiting for me on the other side of the curtains in the patio. My hands were shackled before I was walked to a small prison. I ground my teeth as I was being shoved inside the small room with a small window, which was located very high up in the wall.

I heard them lock the doors before they disappeared. I doubted that they would ever risk leaving me alone at night. I sighed before I settled down on the floor. The cell was empty. There was not even a concrete bed or a mud pot to drink water from.

The sound of the rain soon came to my ears. It made me look up at the window. It was dark outside. Some raindrops sneaked into my cell and fell on my face. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. The sound of rain was very loud. My body was soon aware of how tired it was. I had hardly slept since yesterday.

The tiredness was enough to make the hard and cold stone floor feel comfortable under my tender skin. I curled up and sunk deeper and deeper into sleep while the rain sang one of its melancholy lullabies to me…

The sound of raindrops beating the stone wall outside my small cottage was clearly audible. I was up, attending my wounds because no one would do it for me. I had taken a bath before I stood in front of a full-length mirror to count and assess the bruises and cuts that decorated my body.

The training was pretty intense today. I got beaten up by several warriors double my size and strength. I did the only thing which my small stature could allow me: run and try to dodge their blows but I was unsuccessful for the most part.

My whole body ached with the pain. I had the most intense pain on my left breast. I may have broken a rib or two but there was no way for me to know because I wasn’t allowed to see any healers. As I raised my hand to access my left breast, I winced as soon as I touched the place which was aching. A deep blue bruise was slowly making its presence known.

I also received several kicks to my stomach which ached whenever I tried to turn around or bend. I sighed as I slowly settled on the small bed in the corner of my room and tried to dress my wounds. My eyes were teary due to the intense pain in several places. I didn’t have much in the name of medicine which made the situation even worse.

Suddenly, a loud knock on the door made me sit up. I instantly regretted it because my rib started hurting and my stomach growled in pain.

“Who is it?” I asked gently before I heard a familiar voice grumble lowly in response outside the door. I knew right away it was Chefren. Thinking of him, I felt a spark of hope inside me. He must be here to help me. He saw me getting beaten up during training so he must be feeling concerned about me.

He didn’t wait for my response because, in the next moment, the door was being kicked open so hard that it almost fell off from one of its hinges. The tall and broad figure of Chefren stalked inside. His upper half body was bare while he wore a trouser which hung very low on his hips. His glorious body was on display and for a moment, I found myself staring at him.

After he stepped in, he searched the room before his eyes landed on me. Instantly, I became aware of the thin linen towel which happened to be the only piece of cloth on my body. I felt his eyes zoom on my chest before he stalked towards me.

I looked up at him hopefully, “Are you here to help me dress the wounds?” I noticed how water trickled down his short hair, which hinted away that he was out in the rain. He was soaked in water too. He stopped at the foot of my bed before staring at me. My question was left hanging in the air.

As the moments passed by, he stared at me with a mixture of lust and anger. My heartbeats sped up as I clutched the towel close to my body and peered up at him. Something in me was screaming that something was very wrong. It was then when I finally noticed that he was drunk.

“Chefren?” I called for him gently when he did not move. In response, he grumbled something. I wasn’t able to make it out because his words were incoherent. My breath hitched when he kicked off his boots before climbing on the bed. I was frozen at my place, not knowing what to do.

When he was finally near me, I anticipated a gentle kiss or a gentle physical caress but instead of that, he wrapped his big, rough fingers around my throat before pushing me back on the bed. I wanted to scream but it died in my throat. The sudden action shot a new wave of pain through my already weeping body.

Before I could react, his other hand tore the linen towel away from my body. Soon, I was lying bare in front of him, “Chefren!” A weak cry escaped my mouth before I felt a signing pain on my cheek followed by a sharp noise of the slap. Tears instantly rolled down my cheek as another cry swelled up in my chest.

I tried to pry his hand off my throat but he only tightened his hold which led me to choke. With his other hand, he grabbed my exposed breast which was severely bruised. I tried to cry out in pain but his hand was squeezing my throat very tightly. Besides, I didn’t have much left in my body after being so severely beaten up.

A wave of terror and helplessness washed over me before I felt his mouth descend on my injured breast and bite me inhumanely. I tried to kick him but he pinned my legs together before holding them between his. He took the pebbled peak of my breast and bit it very hard before almost pulling at it roughly. It intensified the pain that I was already feeling. He attacked my other breast next.

Meanwhile, I was chocking and trying to pry his hand off my throat. I tried to dig my nails in his arm but it only ended up with him hitting me hard across my face. My eyes rolled back for the moment as I felt him bite and tug at my body before reaching between my thighs.

He left my throat and I gasped for breath, feeling somewhat relieved but little did I know it was the starting. He put his hands between my thighs before painfully parting my legs aside. I screamed in pain at this. I felt something burn in my lady bits.

“Chefren,” My voice was barely audible. I didn’t have the energy to protect myself and he knew it very well. His eyes stared me down as he reached down and tugged away his trouser to reveal his manhood. Panic rose inside my chest. I tried to rise on my arms or to move but I was hit a couple more times across my face which I knew was going to be bruised by tomorrow.

“Please, Chefren. I am not ready,” I tried my best to plea as my hands reached for him and gently caressed his skin but he didn’t listen. He grabbed my hips very painfully. I was bleeding due to some tear and looking at his angry manhood, I knew it was going to be worse.

“Chefren!” I cried out loud when he slammed into me very deep. I haven’t been penetrated before. Pain enveloped my body before I felt my stomach burn. My legs were shaking and my heart was beating wildly in my chest. My vision was blurry due to the tears in my eyes. I tried to push him away as he angrily thrust inside me, rocking my body and the whole bed.

He punched me square on my face when I tried to protest. I felt hot blood trickle down my nose. My breaths were labored and the pain I was feeling was beyond anything words could describe. I tried to cry but the exhaustion took over me and soon, I was being consumed by darkness as he tore me apart from inside…

I sat up with a jerk. My chest was heaving and I was soaked with sweat and water. My mouth was dry. I could hear my heart drumming in my chest. Sunlight was now draining out of the small window into the small cell where I was put last night.

A guard was standing in front of me with a wooden bucket. He had woken me up from the nightmare by throwing water on me.

“Get up!” He shouted at my face. I shook my head lightly to come in terms with the present before I slowly got up. I was instantly being tugged and dragged towards the court. I was instantly irked by the way they were treating me but I was too busy thinking about the nightmare. I wished it to be a nightmare but a huge part of me was sacred and broken because it was my reality… terrible things had happened to me.

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