The Princess and the Thief

Amunet - [A Real Man]

The ugly man got on top of me, pulling my dress up, and the other men started to laugh. But I kept screaming and crying. Even though for whatever reason they thought this would silence me.

I screamed louder and louder, begging for help. But the bald man slapped me hard across the face. “Shut up!”

And that did silence me, at least for a moment.

When he realized that I wouldn’t just let him lift up my dress, he started to try and rip it off.

He tore the top of my dress, leaving the top of my chest bare, but before he could do more, I kicked him hard and tried to rush away.

“Grab her you idiots!” The bald man said to the three other men.

And they did as he said.

I cried loudly as I tried to fight them. “Leave me alone!” I screamed.

“Do you know how I feel about rape?”

I froze when I heard the Thief’s voice and my fear grew even more. When I looked up and saw him, my crying got heavier.

But surprisingly, the men let go of me and I fell to the floor.

When I turned back and looked at them, through my tears I could see them all straightening up and looking nervous.

And now I was confused.

The Thief then pulled out a knife and started to twirl it with his fingers. “Get out.”

The men scrambled out of the cage I was in, and started running out of the room.

I sobbed as the Thief walked into the cage. He pulled off his tunic and threw it at me. “Put this on.” He said, as he did.

I didn’t touch his tunic. Instead, I retreated to the back of the cage and continued to sob.

“Listen.” He called, softly, which surprised me. “I won’t let them rape you.”

I continued to sob.

“Rape is not tolerated here.”

“Yes.” I yelled. “Because men like you have some decency.” My voice cracked as I yelled.

The Thief rolled his eyes. “In my eyes, if a man rapes a woman, he is no man. A real man shouldn’t need to force a woman to sleep with him.”

“I don’t care what you think!” I yelled. “Just let me go!”

He just looked at me.

I fell onto my side and cried on the floor. “Please!” I begged. “I want to go back to my family.”

He sat down on the floor inside the cage. “How can I make you feel better?”

I was shocked that he asked that, but I closed my eyes. “Just take me home.”

“Would you like me to kill those men for you?”

The idea was tempting. But I would never forgive myself if he did that for me. I would be a murderer. And besides… for all I know, he was probably trick me… this was all probably a joke to him. “No!” I cried. “Just take me home!”

The Thief sighed and got up.

I then heard him walk away. And I heard him lock the cage again.

And I cried myself to sleep that night.

At this point… after all this time, I had just given up.

These men were ridiculously stubborn and there was no way for me to go home. I couldn’t fight my way past these men… and they weren’t going to set me free.

All I could do now was pray that my father would find me.

That was the only way.

I sat in the corner of my cage, wearing the Thief’s tunic, and staring at the floor with my swollen eyes as I prayed for my father to hurry and find me.

I had cried all night and when the Thief walked into the room where my cage was, I could see the exhaustion on his face from lack of sleep.

That made me a little happy.

He yawned as he opened my cage. “Don’t smile.” He said.

I didn’t realize I was smiling.

“Did you sleep well, princess?” He asked, sarcastically.

I didn’t respond.

He then threw a piece of bread at me… and I was so hungry that I just ate it.

He sat down in front of me and ate his bread too. “I beat those men for you.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t need to talk to this man.

“And as strange as this sounds… I apologize for their behavior. They were drunk and stupid.”

What he said surprised me. I didn’t know a man like him could apologize.

When I didn’t respond to him, he held out a jar. “Do you drink beer?”

I looked away.

“You know better then that, princess. In a desert like Egypt you need to keep drinking water. You’ll die if you don’t.”

“Then I’ll die.” I said with a frown.

The Thief King sighed. “I’m trying to be nice.” He said, his voice getting harsher. “Would you prefer it if I treated you like a dog?”

I didn’t say anything. Though I would have appreciated it if he kept acting nice.

“If you don’t like it I’ll just act like my normal self.” He said.

I wanted to tell him to keep being nice. But I didn’t want to speak to him.

The Thief King groaned. “I’m not going to let you go.” He said. “Don’t think that I will.”

My frown deepened.

“But for Adelah’s sake, I’ll make your stay a little better if you act appropriately.”

I shook my head and looked at him. “All I ask from you is to let me go.” I said. “I miss my family. I miss my brothers and sisters and mother and father so much. I want to go home.”

Khai looked at me. His eyes burning into me.

I wanted to look away but I kept a steady stare.

“I’m trying to get back at your father. He will pay for what he did to me. I won’t hurt you. Even though I don’t like you, I won’t hurt you.” He said. “But your father will pay.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What did my father do that was so bad?” I asked. “My father attacked you because you were killing innocent people and stealing from our family.”

Khai licked his lips. “You don’t know anything.” He said. “You don’t know what the hell happened to me because of him.”

“Tell me!” I said. “Prove to me that my father did something that was horrible enough for you to hate him so much!”

Khai laughed as he got up and left the cage.

“I knew it!” I yelled. “You have no reason to be doing this.”

He stopped, but he kept his back towards me. “I was eight.”

“What?”

“I was eight when he killed my entire family right in front of my eyes.”