The Pharaoh and His Desire

Chapter 4

Noa

"Ah.. what the fuck..." I groaned as I rolled onto my side and used my forearm to shield the bright light that was still managing to blind me even with my eyes closed.

After what had seemed like a few hours but in reality was probably only a couple of minutes I finally pulled myself up. Opening my eyes slowly I looked around in utter confusion. All I could see for miles was rolling hills of sand.

"Where the f**k am I..." I wondered out loud before all the last moments of my life came flashing back.

"Oh. f**k. I'm Dead." I said matter-of-factly as I groaned again and fell onto my back, the hot sand burning through my thin t-shirt.

"Oh jesus!" I hissed and jumped up, brushing myself off as I looked around. Heaven sure was hot.. Wait... was this heaven? I wondered before taking a deep breath and making my way in a random direction. Maybe this was hell with how f*****g hot it is... that made more sense at least. The irony not being lost on me that my sudden “belief” system seemed to be making an appearance again. 

I wasn't sure how long I had been walking but judging by how hot my cheeks felt I would’ve ventured to guess five years. I was almost about to drop down when I suddenly heard hard thumping against the packed sand.

"What in the...." I mumbled to myself as I used my hand as a visor to stare off into the distance.

Horses.

Not just horses... PEOPLE!

Waving my arms above my head I screamed at the top of my lungs to try and get their attention. Much to my horror my voice came out as a husky, harsh croak rather than its usual full sound. Damn dehydration.

However it didn't matter that my voice wasn't as strong as it usually was because they were headed straight in my direction. I'm saved, I thought in relief.

How wrong I was.....

As they galloped towards me I began to worry that they wouldn't stop. Their furious pace never once hesitating or slowing down.

"Ooooooh shiiiiiiitttt!!" I cried as I started to run in the opposite direction, the clopping of the horses hooves getting closer and closer. "s**t. s**t. Shit." I huffed to myself thinking I should've ran more in Miss. Jenners PE class. "Period cramps my ass..." I thought right as I was knocked to the ground.

I wiped the sand from my face as I slowly raised my head and looked at all the soldiers who surrounded me. They began to yell at me in a language I didn't understand which caused me to furrow my brows in frustration.

"What the f**k are you saying!??!" I shouted at them.

"SPEAK ENGLISH OR SPANISH!!! I DON'T UNDERSTAND!!" I yelled over their constant monologue to me.

"What are you saying!?!? I don't understand!!!!" I kept repeating over and over again growing increasingly frustrated.

"Not English? ¿Española? ***? 한국어?" I was all out of options as they continued to scream at me in a language I had never heard.

Before I knew what was happening I was yanked up by my forearm courtesy of a giant man who had dark brown hair and hazel eyes. I immediately noticed his handsome yet stolid face as I was thrown onto the front of a horse as if I was a sack of potatoes. 

"Woah, woah, calm down buddy!!! You know this is k********g!?!" I screamed as he wrapped his arms around me and grabbed the reins, feeling his groin press into my backside I inhaled sharply and glared at him over my shoulder. "Try anything and I'll throw us both off this horse" I said in a harsh whisper, knowing he wouldn't understand anything I said.

Where were we going... I had absolutely no idea and it caused a knot in my stomach to form...

I wasn't sure how long we had been traveling but I had noticed it was getting considerably cooler. My eyelids were heavy with sleep but I refused to give in knowing that any moment could be my chance for escape.

Eventually, we came over a sand dune and I saw a metropolis laid out before us. My jaw dropped as I witnessed the pyramids being built in the bustling city.

If this was Hell it definitely looked different than what I expected. It looked exactly like ancient Egypt. I scowled in frustration and tightened my grip on the horses' mane as we began our descent down the sand dune.

As we traveled through the city streets people parted and bowed their heads in respect. I didn't realize there was classism in Hell I thought to myself.

With that thought I glanced around and realized that many children surrounded us, frowning to myself when I realized they were malnourished. 

"Don't you have some bread?" I mumbled to the man behind me as my delicate fingers began to search the pockets of his saddle. I didn't find any food but I did find round pieces of metal so without thinking I quickly threw the coins to the children around us. Earning a hard thrust forward from the man behind me, causing my pelvis to push sharply into the leather saddle, but I didn't care. At least they can eat tonight...

Because I was observing everything I hadn’t realized that the horses were suddenly on a steep incline leading up a hill. 

Where are we going? 

Eventually I got my answer as our horses galloped up a flight of marble stairs which led to an opulent palace that made the white house look like a shack. There were rows and rows of soldiers and servants with their heads bowed all parting ways in the middle so that your eye-line was drawn up towards the center of the palace with its open walls and tall columns. What was inside I had no idea...

I felt the weight behind me disappear as the general popped off of the horse, grabbing under my arms and pulling me down as well.

"Thanks..." I muttered before I was roughly grabbed by the nape of the neck and dragged up the steps.

"Hey!! Haven't you heard of manners!!!" I yelled as I tried to fight him off without any success.

I wasn't sure what he said as he barked something at me and threw me onto the ground but I had a feeling now wasn't the time to be disobedient. Remaining there on my knees I stared at the ground and refused to raise my head. 

Again I heard someone speak but, this time it came in the silky, smooth sound of a female. I slowly raised my head to look at a beautiful dark-skinned woman holding her hand out to me. She was dressed in a white linen dress with light purple silk wrapped around her waist.

Wow... she's gorgeous, I thought to myself quietly as I slowly rose and took her hand. I had no idea what she was saying but her gentle tone made me feel a little more at peace so I allowed her to lead me off to the corner and down a dark hallway, into a room that was immediately filled with humidity.

I realized almost simultaneously that I was in a female bath house as multiple women lay there naked, the smell of cinnamon and a mixture of essential oils filling my senses.

"It smells amazing in here..." I mumbled to myself as I suddenly felt my mind go fuzzy, barely grasping the copper cup that was placed in my hand.

The gorgeous female stepped towards me and used the palm of her hand to push the cup up towards my face so I assumed she wanted me to drink. I felt the fruits touch my lips as the warm, red liquid slid down my throat.

"Oh god... that tastes like melted candy" I said with an amused giggle as I let the rest trickle down my throat. It was worlds better than the cheap and highly flammable vodka and Tampico mixture that we usually drank at house parties. Looking down at my cup I noticed that they had immediately filled it to the top again. I knew that I should be more concerned about my current predicament; “working the problem” as my Guidance Counselor would say. But this was the first time I had finally felt a small fraction of comfortability and I didn’t want it to end so quickly and for reality to smack me across the face again.

"Damn... they really know how to treat a girl in Hell.." I mumbled to myself figuring I really was dead or in some kind of coma- trapped inside my own mind. I took another sip of the wine as a few dark skinned girls quietly led me towards a scented bath which resembled a mini-lap pool.

As the warm, delicious smelling water enveloped me I let out a sigh of relief. My skin burned from being out in the sun all day but I knew that it would slowly turn into a tan. Laying back in the warm water I felt my own temperature begin to rise, the exhaustion finally washing over me as I slipped into a light, self-aware rest.

Feeling a deep state of relaxation and fatigue I groggily followed the women’s orders and rose from the bath. Standing completely naked in the open bath house I felt no sense of insecurity as I swayed slightly back and forth, my eyes barely open. Hearing a loud door open I jumped out of my comatose state instantly and looked towards the door just in time to see a large guard emerge. Once he approached me he shouted something angrily and roughly yanked me by the arm towards the door he had just come from.

Making our way out of the mirrored room I noticed that they had dressed me in a burnt orange silk dress that complimented my skin tone perfectly. Finishing it off with a braided gold rope tied tightly around my waist which showed off my curvy figure in a way that I had never been comfortable with. The deep V in the dress did nothing to hide my voluptuous breasts and the delicate beaded jewelry just added unnecessary attention. Basically, this outfit was my nightmare. I tried my hardest to cover up my chest as I was dragged out to a narrow, dark hallway and thrown into a wide-open hall. 

As my knees hit the hard cold tile, bruising for sure. I heard a voice ring in my ears that was the smoothest yet core shaking thing I'd ever heard. My long locks flowed around my shoulders as I finally willed myself to look up. The harsh transition from dim lighting to a brilliant luminescence took my eyes a few moments to adjust but I never would’ve been prepared for what I saw...

In front of me sitting on a golden throne that extended outwards as if he was sitting in the middle of the sun was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. 

His size rivaled that of a giant, I observed. His broad chest was exposed and he was covered in gold paint. At least I assumed it was paint... His long, ebony hair flowed down to his waist reaching just above his belly button and it almost seemed as if we were in a Hollywood movie by the way it flowed lightly in the breeze. He was wearing gold jewelry around his wrists, ankles, neck and head, which made him appear even more godly. But what captured me the most was his piercing gold eyes. I had never seen such an intense eye color in my entire life. The way they pierced through my soul caused me to squirm under his ablazed gaze. His defined jaw and sharp nose that led to perfectly full lips were enough to make goosebumps form on my skin. 

Was this person even human? There was no way…

He wasn't a man...

This was a god.

I wasn't sure how tall he was, but as he sat on his throne I observed the people around him and realized that this man was the largest man I had ever seen... Must be a world record... 

Again they began speaking in that unrecognizable language as I stared transfixed by his golden eyes. He had yet to break my eye contact and I hadn't even realized the audible gasps that erupted around me as we made eye contact.

Slowly the man on the throne stood up and walked down the steps towards me. While he descended the stairs I realized that his body was indeed radiating gold which meant my first thought had been correct - he was not human.

Does he run Hell? Is he a figment of my imagination? How did I even conjure up a being like this? I thought to myself as I stared up at the massive form that approached me slowly. He continued to speak words that I didn't understand until eventually he subtly arched one of his perfectly groomed eyebrows, raising his flawless hand he pushed his long fingers together so that it formed a beautiful snap that echoed through the halls.

I had no idea what had happened but as his voice rang in my ears I realized that I could suddenly understand him perfectly.

"Where are you from?" he asked in a cold, deep, emotionless voice.

"America?" I replied, not really sure what such a question would accomplish.

"America?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, his deep voice booming.

"Where is this?" He followed up. At this point I had forgotten that we were surrounded by masses of people who stared at us in shock and awe...

"Well someone hasn't had geography class in quite awhile." I responded back before eventually pulling myself up so that I could stand on my own two feet, causing more gasps to erupt from the crowd.I realized that the man in front of me had suddenly furrowed his brow in complete and unrelenting fury.

"Who are you?!?" he asked in a booming voice, towering over me in an attempt to intimidate me so that I had to crane my neck back to look at him.

"Well people call me Noa..."