A Hasty Escape

Back inside his chambers, Ammon was busy with preparations for his journey when Zahra arrived with two guards, who were among Ammon’s most trusted men. He handed them two large wooden boxes, with heavy iron padlocks and instructed them to take them to his secret chambers under the palace. The Crown Prince had accidentally discovered a series of underground passages that ran beneath the palace while still a child and he had made use of them ever since.

Alone again, he proceeded with packing clothes suitable for lengthy travel across the desert and he had become so engrossed in his task that he failed to hear the soft knock on the doors, only looking up when the door opened to reveal Nenet standing in the doorway.

He blinked, thinking that he must be imagining the vision before him, but on opening his eyes found that she had entered the room and was now walking hesitantly toward him. Her head was bowed and she kept her eyes cast down onto the floor as she finally came to a stop only a few feet away while clutching something shiny in both her hands.

“Why have you come here”, he demanded harshly, trying to hide how pleased he was to see her.

“Pharaoh sent me to give you this”, she said, holding out her arms to reveal two long daggers that glinted evilly under the light from the torches.

He stepped toward her and quickly took them from her grasp, afraid that she might hurt herself if she continued to hold them. She bowed and turned on her heel to leave when he called her name while wracking his brain to come up with a reason for doing so.

“Yes Your Highness”, she answered and stood facing him, still with her head lowered.

“Do you not remember me at all?”

“Of course, Your Highness, you are the Crown Prince and Pharaoh’s son”

“I know who I am Nenet, I asked if you remembered me from when you were first brought here”, he replied while carefully studying her.

“Forgive me Your Highness, I was very young when I came here and I don’t remember much of my arrival”

He was quiet, watching her face become anxious and listening to her already rapidly beating heart begin to beat even faster. She was worried that she had offended him but she was also searching her memories, desperately trying to find the one that he was referring to. It wasn’t hard to read her with those doe-like expressive eyes and her lips that seemed to move and change with each emotion.

“Do not let it trouble you. I will be leaving tomorrow and I have entrusted Zahra with your care, do exactly as she tells you. Do you understand?” his voice was gentle but insistent, he needed her to heed his words but he didn’t want to frighten her.

“Yes Your Highness”

She waited expectantly for him to dismiss her but as the seconds ticked by she thought that perhaps he had gone back to his packing and forgotten about her so she snuck a quick glance at him only to be met with his piercing stare. She gasped in shock and quickly lowered her gaze; feeling like her heart might burst from her chest and land in a bloody mess on the floor.

“You may leave now Nenet”

She turned on her heel, meaning to flee the room but somehow ended up tripping on the hem of her dress and fell unceremoniously to the floor, landing on her stomach with a muffled thud. Pain flooded her body but her mortification overcame it and she braced herself on her arms, quickly trying to get to her feet when she felt a pair of strong hands grip her waist and effortlessly lift her to her feet. Her face was burning with embarrassment and she kept her back to him while trying to compose herself even as she felt him immediately step back away from her as if he didn’t want to touch her any more than necessary.

It must have been only a minute or two but to her it seemed like an eternity before she finally turned to face him, her cheeks still stained crimson.

“My deepest apologies Your Highness, please forgive me”, she was glad that she was forbidden from looking directly at him or she would have instantly died from shame.

“Sit down”, he sounded pained somehow but she wouldn’t risk another glance.

He pointed at a low couch beside her and obediently she went to sit down, wondering what he was doing and why he hadn’t dismissed her yet. She heard him leave the room before returning shortly after carrying something in his hands and while she tried to avoid looking, her curiosity got the better of her. Looking up as he approached her, she realized that he was holding bandages and gauze and small dish of water. Her eyes widened in disbelief and she shrank back against the couch, in a futile attempt to get as far away from him as possible.

“Your Highness? What are you doing?” she whispered.

“You are bleeding” he answered, indicating the blood stains on the front of her dress as he gingerly lifted her dress above her knees and tried cleaning the scratches that she hadn’t even noticed were there.

She flinched and pulled her knees back, barely able to stop herself from swatting his hands away.

“Please, Your Highness, you mustn’t. It is not right”

“I will be the judge of what is right. Now sit still I order you”, he was becoming impatient with her and wanted this over with so he could return to his preparations.

He noticed with some relief that she became still and sat quietly while he cleaned and dressed the cuts while carefully looking everywhere but at him. As soon as he was done, she immediately shot to her feet and hurriedly mumbled her gratitude before half running and half stumbling to the door and letting herself out. He almost chuckled when he heard the sound of her footsteps as she ran down the hall outside. He imagined that she would be in much pain tonight after her hasty escape.