Broken
2134 Words
~You think you're loving me. All you're doing...is killing me slowly.~
Aria had ran after him out the throne room, but she hadn't caught any sight of him.
She panicked and in her unstable state, she'd bumped into Achin.
"Aria, calm down. Are you okay?" Achin asked concern etched in her brows.
Aria shook her head.
"Where is the execution holding?" Aria managed to ask.
"By the arena," Achin answered.
Aria's eyes widened.
"No." She whispered.
Without another moment to waste, she made a mad dash outside the impossibly large Palace and made her way to the arena, turned execution ground.
By the time Aria got to the arena, her had eyes widened at the number of people gathered. Officials and civilians alike, even...children!
She made her way through the enormous crowd and succeeded in getting to the front.
Her heart broke when she saw her parents forced to kneel, head bowed with their hands tied behind their back.
"No." She sobbed.
She looked up at the gallery and saw him-he was wearing his nemes crown holding the staff of Pharaoh.
She saw the Israeli woman by his side.
Aria looked around her at the hungry eyes of the people waiting to fill their blood l**t.
It was a public execution.
Aria stared at Akhenaten but she knew it was almost impossible for him to see her.
One of the court officials—the one that had been to the throne room—read the offences they'd been charged out loud.
"...and therefore the Israeli offenders have been charged with treason for the destruction of the Royal family's plantation." Aria covered her mouth as tears blurred her eyes.
"And the penalty for this act of treachery...is public execution by beheading." The official finished.
"No!" Aria screamed through the crowd, which drew lots of attention—including his.
Aria ran to the open space to where her parents were held and hugged her aged mother, her knees digging into the stony ground.
"Mama." She whispered brokenly.
"My dear child." She heard her mother's strong voice say.
Aria hugged her tighter.
"I see your heart covered in pain and darkness."
"The God of your fathers has great plans for you. Seek him." Aria heard her mother's voice say.
Aria nodded against her shoulder.
She felt hard hands grab her about to tear her away from her mother, from her everything.
"I love you, Mama." She quickly said.
Aria quickly hugged her father too kissing him.
"I love you, Father." She whispered before she was pulled off of them.
"Forgive me!" She cried.
Aria felt her heart torn from her as they ripped her from her parent's arms.
Tears fell down her cheeks as she saw the four executioners unsheathe their swords, ready to s*******r. Aria fought her captors but they forced her to the ground.
"Stop, please! They're innocent! Don't—" Her voice failed her.
She saw her mother give her a tender smile-just for her.
"Look away, child." She whispered as she lowered her head.
The executioners raised their swords.
Desperately, Aria fought to free herself but they were too strong.
She managed to look up at the gallery.
Her eyes managed to catch hold of his expressionless ones.
She pleaded with her eyes.
'Please, don't take them away from me.'
His eyes still holding hers, he gave the order.
"Execute."
Immediately, all four of them were beheaded, including her parents—right in front of her.
"No!"
And everything went dark.
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Aria woke up grudgingly to find herself in a luxurious bed.
'Where was she?'
She rubbed her head.
She looked down and found that she was barely having any clothing on.
And that was when she felt movement beside her on the bed she laid.
Her blood froze.
"I see you're awake." Aria heard that vile voice, that unholy voice says behind her.
She didn't want to turn around. She was afraid to because if she did, then it would all be real.
She felt him touch her tentatively and she immediately felt sick to her stomach.
"Don't touch me." Aria bit out coldly.
There was a brief pause before he pushed her unto the bed and got on top of her.
Her stomach recoiled in disgust and fear.
She turned her head to the side and remained silent.
"I can touch you whenever I want, wherever I want." He said, his voice low.
Aria felt him touch her ever so softly before planting kisses on her neck.
Aria recoiled in disgust.
"Please, stop." Her voice sounded shaky even in her own ears.
The memory of what had happened the day before, came flooding back full force.
Tears fell down her cheeks. Her heart wrenched painfully.
She should be mourning them, but he didn't even give her that.
A sob escaped her lips and he stopped his kisses.
He drew back and stared at her.
She wasn't looking at him, her eyes were closed.
"You killed them." She whispered tearfully.
He stared at her for the longest moment, before answering.
"Yes."
"You're a monster." She bit out.
"Did you take away my chastity too?" She questioned accusingly.
Akhenaten got off of her, out of the bed.
Aria sobbed—uncontrollably.
"I hate you." She bit out.
Akhenaten's back was turned to her.
"I didn't force myself on you if that's what you mean." There was a defensive edge to his voice.
"But you have no problem doing that now." She continued.
Akhenaten remained silent.
Aria sat up and stared at him, teary-eyed.
"I pleaded, I begged you, and you still killed them."
"You once said no one's ever wanted you." She started.
"No one could ever want a monster like you.
You are incapable of love or mercy and that is why no one will ever love you."
"You killed your own brother. No sane person does that but I've come to realise, quite late, unfortunately, that you are far from sane." She continued her verbal onslaught.
"Your own father didn't want you, I'm sure your mother didn't either. They should have just sacrificed you to the Nile." Aria finished.
Aria stared at his back, he hadn't countered one of her insults.
He'd simply allowed her to go on.
Aria wanted to hurt him as much as he'd hurt her.
He'd taken her parents from her, right in front of her. Now she had no parents, she didn't even know if her brother was still alive.
"Just take my life too Akhenaten because I would die before I willingly give myself to you." She told him.
Akhenaten turned and stared at her. His eyes were intense and they looked almost hurt.
"You can't escape me Aria. I can't even escape myself." He started moving closer to her.
He stared into her frightened brown orbs.
"Yes, I'm a monster. No one will ever love me, I know. My father never loved me, neither did my w***e of a mother."
Aria's eyes widened.
"I told you Aria, you are mine. Whole or broken, alive or in death, you belong to me." His amber eyes bored into hers.
"The reason I haven't had you isn't that I don't want to, it's simply because I can't. I can't bed a virgin." He stated matter-of-factly.
Aria's eyes widened to the size of saucers.
He got on the bed.
"But there are other ways I can have you."
He drew her to him and kissed her passionately.
He got on top of her and stared down into her frightened orbs.
Aria gasped when she saw his eyes.
He buried his face in her neck.
"You intoxicate me." He breathed out.
"Please stop." She tried fighting to get free.
"Let me go!" She cried.
"I'll never let you go." She heard him say quietly against her neck.
Aria's breath caught in her throat.
"You can't escape me Aria." He whispered in her ear.
"Stop!" She hit him with all her power, with all her might but it seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.
She felt utterly powerless against him.
"Just give in to me Aria." She heard his husky voice say.
"Stop fighting it...just let go." He whispered against her lips before capturing her lips once more in his.
•••
Moments passed.
He laid sound asleep beside her.
Thankfully, he hadn't done much to her, just kissed her.
Aria stared at the man that laid beside her.
At that moment, he looked vulnerable and Aria almost convinced herself that he wasn't as vile as she thought him to be...but she knew better.
Silent tears escaped her eyes.
'How could she sleep, in the arms of a monster?'
•••
Pharaoh, who was yet to return from his meditation, had pleaded with her to help him, to help Akhenaten...but it would seem she was the one, who needed saving.
He tormented her thoughts, she had no peace of mind.
Everywhere she turned, he was there.
For days, she remained in his private chambers.
She'd been ordered not to leave.
While he was away attending to country matters, she remained in his private chambers.
Slowly, Aria began to emaciate.
She couldn't eat-the only thing she could keep down was watered wine.
He'd made her this way.
Unable to move much.
She kept thinking about her parents and she'd cried day and night
'How could he be so unaffected by their deaths?'
'How could he have hurt her this way?
She laid on his bed and remained there, only getting up to bathe and do other little things.
That evening, he came back.
When he saw her lying in a vulnerable fetal position, he went to her.
"Aria." He called her name...no response.
He gently turned her and his eyes widened at how thin she'd become.
He'd only been gone for a few days.
His brows furrowed-she was very thin.
Effortlessly, he cradled her in his arms and looked down at her.
He felt an uneasy pang in his chest.
'She weighed nothing.'
He teleported them to his lake-the walls were lit.
He cradled her close to him and entered into the lake with her still in his arms.
The moment they were deep enough, he released her gently into the lake.
His arms were still wrapped carefully around her, her head rested on his shoulder.
He placed a hand gently on her cheek.
"Aria." He said her name softly.
He released a tired breath.
Gradually, he felt her gain a little more weight in his arms.
Her nearly emaciated body became healthy again.
As he stared down at her, he felt pain-which was odd because he never felt pain, emotional pain.
He watched her take steady breaths.
He took in every single feature, every single small detail of her face.
'She was very small.'
She was small but strong.
He averted his eyes.
"I hate myself when I'm around you." He said quietly.
He felt her stir slightly in his arms before he saw her open her eyes.
He watched how her eyes turned from sleepy, to confused and then frightened when she saw him.
Immediately, she started to struggle.
She had more strength now, he noticed.
"Let me go!" She struggled against him but he held her firmly against him.
"Why am I here? What did you do to me?" Akhenaten could hear clearly the accusation in her voice.
Akhenaten remained silent and just seemed to watch her.
Probably irked at his silence, she struggled more.
"Release me Akhenaten or so help me—" Her voice shook slightly tearfully.
"You'll what?" He said challenging her.
"Call me a monster?" He asked staring into her eyes, his own void of any emotion.
"Yes! Because you are one. You imprisoned me in your private chambers for days after you-" The words got choked in her throat.
"You're a monster and that's all you'll ever be. You killed my parents right in front of me. I'll never forgive you."
"Monsters don't deserve forgiveness."
Tears had already gathered in her eyes and one by one, they fell.
Akhenaten stared at her for moments before finally closing his eyes.
He held her close to his chest and carried her out of the lake.
She was still light in his arms, but it was better than weighing nothing.
He teleported them back to his private chambers.
He had the servants dry her up and change her clothing.
After they were done, he laid her back in his bed.
He turned to leave.
"You can't hold me here. I'm not your concubine. You have no right." She bit out venomously.
Without turning, he replied her.
"Eat."
And with that, he left the room, his heart seeking reprieve from her hateful words.
...
- Writer
