Amunet - [Good Men and Love]
1586 Words
Before I knew it, I was back in my little cage, screaming and fighting and absolutely disappointed that the lady back at the bar couldn’t help me.
But at least she was nice to me.
“Shut up.” I heard the Thief say as he walked into the room where my cage was. “You always choose to scream and be a pain in the night time. It’s annoying.”
“I will do as I please.”
“Then be killed by my men.” He said. “They will kill you and it may anger me but I won’t be able to bring you back to life.”
I sat down, trying not to give up completely on this fight against him. “Just take me home, please.” I begged. “My family is probably so worried for me.”
He sat in front of the cage, crossing his legs and placing his small jar of what smelled like beer in front of him.
“How old are you?” He asked. “I’ve forgotten.”
I didn’t answer his question. “Take me home, I’m begging you.”
“Seventeen, yes?”
I looked down at my feet. “What do you want from me?”
“Are you seventeen?”
“Yes.” I said.
“You’re so old.” He said, drinking some of his beer.
I looked up at him.
“Well passed the perfect childbearing age.” He said. “I’m surprised your father hasn’t already married you off to one of your suitors. If he had, you may not be here.”
“My father wouldn’t do that to me.”
“Do what? Make you live as a woman?” He asked. “He wouldn’t let you do your duty as a woman?”
“Force me to marry someone.” I corrected. “He’s given me the right to find love.”
The Thief snorted. “Love! Ha!”
I looked at him. “It’s so typical of a heartless man to mock love.”
He shook his head. “Let me give you some advice.” He said. “No man can truly love a princess.”
“And you would know this?”
“Every Princess is a beauty in the eyes of men.” He said. “After all, she has money, status and land. She has respect and physical beauty. And she’s the daughter of the most powerful man in all the lands.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Any man who gets to be with a princess, claiming to love her, actually wants everything from her. Everything but her love.”
“You know nothing.”
“I know more than you do.”
I hugged my legs. And though I wanted to ignore him, I knew he was somewhat right.
“That is what riches do to people.” He took another gulp of his beer. “It makes men heartless.”
“I guess that’s what made you so heartless.” I frowned. “All of the gold and riches you’ve stole makes you a man with a great amount of riches.”
“You know nothing about me.”
“And you know nothing about me. You know nothing about me, or my family or my people.” My voice started to rise.
“And I am not one of your people?” He asked. “I am, after all, Egyptian in blood.”
“You may be in blood but you are not in heart. Pure Egyptians are good people. You are not.”
He snorted. “What do you believe is good?”
I bit my lip, annoyed with his questions.
“A man who subdues himself and does everything that their leader tells him too? A man who has no goals because his social status does not permit any?” He asked. “Or a man who does everything he can to get what he wants? To be who he wants to be? To avenge people who deserves to be avenged?”
“A good man is a man who loves, not hates.” I said, looking up at him.
He stared at me, his eyes were strangely focused.
“A man who loves and lives for others, not himself. A man who saves lives, not kills them. A man who dreams of happiness, not destruction.” I said. “A good man is everything that you are not.”
He leaned back and chuckled. “You are naïve.”
I shook my head, not surprised by his response.
“Not even the gods are as good as that.” He said. “Horus wished death upon Seth. Ra and Hathor waged war against humankind.”
I was surprised by his education. One would think that a petty Thief knew nothing. But then again, he was not a petty Thief.
“Your view of a good man is a dream that will never come true, princess. Is this what your father taught you? To believe in false, unrealistic dreams?”
“Your view of human kind is more horrible then you are.”
He laughed, drinking more of his beer.
As he did though, he stood up. “What an interesting conversation we’ve had.” He said. “Now, be silent so we can sleep. And you should get some sleep yourself. You never know when I’m going to take you for a walk again.”
I looked at him, glaring angrily. How dare he treat me like a dog?
He winked at me before he turned around and walked off.
I hugged my legs tightly and hoped for a way to escape to just pop up into my head.
But with what the Thief King had said fresh in my mind, I really couldn’t concentrate.
Though I wouldn’t admit it out loud… I knew that in a sense… he was right. My view of a truly good person was unrealistic. There was no one who could be like that.
I did believe that my father was the best example there was for a good man. But he too has wished for death upon people… even if they had done harm to others.
There was no one who really could be truly good.
And then there was the whole thing about no one really being able to love a princess. How horrible was that? And I could see how that would be right.
I shook my head and frowned angrily in the darkness. Now wasn’t the time to let this horrible man scare me. He knew nothing about my family and I. And I was not going to let what he said affect me.
Right now, as always, it was important for me to find a way to get out of here.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through my head.
I wondered if it was possible for me to annoy his men so much that they’d let me go.
The thief, Khai… had made it somewhat clear that he wasn’t going to hurt me… which definitely meant he wasn’t going to kill me. And maybe that meant his men knew that too.
He threatened me all the time, but he never acted on what he said.
So his men probably wouldn’t hurt me.
And even if they did hurt me… they would have to open this cage, and that would be my chance to escape.
I started to shout loudly, knowing it was nighttime and many of the men were sleeping. “Let me out!” I yelled, over and over again.
At first, there was no response.
Then I could hear some of the men groan.
But for a long while, no one came into where I was.
I didn’t give up though, and I kept yelling.
And soon, the groans turned into yells.
And a moment after that, some of Khai’s men walked into the room I was in.
They were all filthy. Much filthier then Khai.
The Thief at least tried to look strong and attractive. These men however, didn’t seem to try at all.
As they walked closer, they cursed. And I kept yelling at them.
“Let me out you filthy men!” I yelled. “I will never let you sleep if you keep me in here!”
One of them men, a tall, dark skinned, bald man, unlocked the door and rushed in.
I got up and ran past him, trying to make my escape.
But he grabbed my easily and threw me onto the ground, so hard that when my back hit the ground, I couldn’t breathe for a moment.
When I opened my eyes, I screamed when I saw the four men in front of me.
And my scream grew louder when the tall bald man unknotted his belt.
“This will shut you up you little bitch.” He said as he grabbed my hair and made me scream even louder.
I hadn’t expected this.
And I have never been so scared in my entire life.
- Writer
