The Scars of Love

The Pharaoh sat on the throne not saying anything. Priest Seto took over for him. “She will be whipped 30 times for stealing the millennium scale.” Akeyana thought all of this had to be a nightmare. She may as well give up on life. A very enormous looking man with a black mask came out with a very long and sharp looking whip. There was no way out of this. Priestess Ishizu felt that whipping her that many times could kill her but, she really didn’t have a say so in the matter when it comes to Priest Seto.

At dawn, Akeyana was to be whipped in front of the whole city has punishment for her crime. In the meantime, they put her in a cell. She sat there and cried, she wanted to kill herself but she didn’t have anything to use for killing, so she waited until morning. She tried to cheer herself up by thinking about her sisters and how they used to play together, dance together, and have fun always. Everyone was always happy and there were never any problems. That's until her father started beating her mother and sisters.

She wanted to get this over with quickly and just move on. If she is still living. She was going to be whipped for something she didn’t do was just saddening. She heard footsteps coming down and to her surprise it was the Pharaoh. She knew it wasn’t his fault but if he was to let her go than all the other people that steal would have to be let go as well. “I know your angry and there is nothing I can do to stop this but I will find out who really did this.” Akeyana sighed and just laughed. “What does it matter, I am going to die anyway so don’t waste your time.” The Pharaoh took something from around his neck and gave it to Akeyana. “I’m really sorry about this.” Akeyana looked at the necklace and saw a name on there she looked at him in an odd way. She was wondering, why he would give her such a pretty necklace, so she had to ask him if he still loved her but she was sure that he didn‘t. “Do you still love me?” As the Pharaoh was walking away he glanced at her and smiled. “Yes, I do.” He then walked out the prison and closed the door.

It was cold, dark, and damp kind of like the opposite of Hell. She felt like she was in a mellow version of Hell. She felt like no one would ever love her anymore and no one would ever like to see her dance anymore because she thinks that in their minds she is a criminal. It was only the afternoon and she had time before she was whipped. She cuddled up in a little ball in the corner like a cat and went to sleep.

Meanwhile...

Yochiko ran into the palace and past the guards. They caught her and dragged her back outside. She was determined to free Akeyana. One of the Guards smacked her and kicked her in the stomach. The villagers helped her up and carried her back to her home. The Pharaoh sat on the throne and felt that his kingdom was slowly starting to fall apart. A tear escaped the Pharaoh’s eye. He feared for Akeyana’s life. He didn’t have a choice, if he let her go what good does justice do. He was having and internal debate between his kingdom and the one he loves.
He stayed silent and blocked everything outside. It seems like being a Pharaoh was too much for him. He was caught between love and justice and he promised his people justice, so he has to do what is just and what is fair. Shimon looked at the Pharaoh and somehow figured out that he had feelings for this young lady. Shimon was saddened by the thought. Every minute that went by and every hour that passed was crucial for the Pharaoh because they would be getting closer and closer from dusk to dawn.

He went into the garden and lied on the grass. He looked up at the cloudy pillow like sky felt a cool breeze run through his body. He was trying to get everything off his mind but he couldn’t he was too depressed at the moment. It felt like everything was coming down on him and he couldn’t do anything about it. It felt like someone ripped his heart out and stepped on it. He was not in a good mood at all and he just wanted to be alone. One of his 4 servants named Sarai came into the garden and sat down next to him.

“I know your in a bad mood right now but I just wanted to tell you that I’m here for you. He was still looking up at the sky not paying very much attention. “You know you can’t sit out here forever, your the Pharaoh and you have to attend to your people. There is madness outside in the village. The people have been arguing and fighting with the guards all day.” The Pharaoh thought about it and decided to get up and attend to these matters. He couldn’t lie there forever thinking about Akeyana.

The Pharaoh got up and left the garden. He returned to the throne and found a lot of villagers in chains. The Pharaoh was determined to restore peace in the palace so he let them all go. The Priests as well as the guards were shocked by this.

Priest Seto bowed before the Pharaoh with anger boiling inside of him. “My Lord, you are going to let these uncivilized humans go and they have been causing a ruckus all day.” The Pharaoh had no choice if he punished them all he would have even more problems on his hands.

“I must let them go. I want to restore the peace to our kingdom, even though it may be hard and difficult.” Priest Seto growled and backed away. The people were much calmer since the Pharaoh was generous enough to let them go. The people continued there daily lives and awaited until dawn. The Pharaoh decided to stay seated on the throne to keep watch over his people. Normally, he would walk off but he decided to stay.

The sun was setting and the Pharaoh stood out on the balcony over looking his beautiful kingdom. The colorful clouds made a pattern in the sky and the dark night was beginning to show. The Pharaoh couldn’t go through with this but he had to. Shana was the only happy person in the palace. She pranced around humming to herself as if nothing was wrong. She laughed at the thought of Akeyana being whipped. She was determined to be the only beautiful one in Egypt.

She always carried a mirror around with her to make sure that her beauty remains the same. One of the Pharaoh’s 4 servants named Maya, she was in her room examining the bag that the millennium scale was found in. The bag had little diamonds on there and it all all white. It was hard for her to believe that one of the villagers would be carrying such a pretty bag around with them. She knew someone was lying but she didn’t know who. She had until tomorrow to find out who framed Akeyana or it will be too late.

Meanwhile...

Yochiko was in her house talking to two of her friends who are also her neighbors. They were displeased with the Pharaoh’s decision to whip an innocent girl but they did find the millennium scale in her house. “It doesn’t make any damn since to me. How could they accuse her right off the back.” Yochiko paced back and forth nervously. Tomorrow was only a few hours away and they all felt like tomorrow would be the end of the world.

One of Yochiko’s friends named Rishad stood up and slammed his fist on the table. “Dammit it all. I am not letting them do that to Akeyana. The Pharaoh has manipulated the villagers minds into thinking that she really is a criminal when she is a sweet girl. She is not perfect but she would never do something so outrageous.” Rishad’s wife Marlene stood up to try and calm the angry man down. “Now you going against the Pharaoh is just plain insane. You could get a punishment far worse than Akeyana.”

Rishad walked to the corner and sat down in the chair rubbing his hands together. He was sweating and frustrated about all this. “I’m not going to let that pussy loving Pharaoh accuse Akeyana for doing something wrong.” Marlene slapped her husband across the face. “How dare you say such evil things about the Pharaoh. Your not helping anything by saying such rude things.” Rishad pointed his head toward the floor and sighed. “I’m sorry but if they whip her I am going to kill every last one of them.” Marlene knew that there was no way to convince him to find another way. All he wanted to do was fight them.

Yochiko stood up and took a deep breath. “All we can do now is pray to Ra that Akeyana will survive. We will be there before and after it happens. Agreed?” Marlene shook her head and agreed but, Rishad got up and left without saying a word. Marlene stood there and cried. she feared for her husband and Akeyana. Yochiko gave her a hug and she cried on her shoulders. “Everything will be okay.”

After While...

The Pharaoh was headed up into his chambers to rest. he had a long tiring day and he just wanted to relax now. He undressed and got into bed. For a while he lied in bed with his eyes open. He felt a pain running through him like he was dying. It was a cold and windy night. Only the twilight of the moon lit the darkened land. He had come to realize that tonight, sleeping was not an option. He got up and put his kilt on and proceeded to the cell to see Akeyana.

When he got down there he looked inside and stared silently at Akeyana who was asleep on the floor. She didn’t look like the same beautiful belly dancer girl that he had met in the village. Her hair was all over the place, she was barely breathing, the area around her eyes seemed to be darker, her eyes were red and muddy looking, she was cold and shivering like a scared cat, and she looked like she was sick with a disease. She was afraid of tomorrow, for she knew what was coming. She would rather die in the cell than suffer the pain she was to endure in the morning.

Priest Aknadean came down and saw the Pharaoh standing there. “My Lord, what are you doing here?” The Pharaoh got closer to the cell and he held onto the bars. “I wanted to check on her. She looks terrible.” Priest Aknadean walked up to the Pharaoh and put his hand on his shoulder. “I know you don’t want to go through this but for the sake of your precious kingdom you must do what is right. One of the guards has brought food for the young lady.” The guard opened up the cell and gave the food to her. She knocked the tray of food out of his hand and onto the Pharaoh. Two more guards who where in the prison keeping watch, went inside the cell and slapped her. she fell to the ground and the other guards began kicking her in the stomach and in the face.

She wanted this. Maybe they’ll kill her now and she won’t have to suffer the pain. The Pharaoh went inside the cell and pulled the two guards off of Akeyana. “That is enough. You are dismissed.” The guards left the prison and closed the door. Akeyana was spitting up blood and trying to get up off of the floor. “Why didn’t you just let them kill me?” The Pharaoh helped her to her feet and she sat down on the bed. “Because I still care about you. I must do this for my people. If I let you free then they are likely to rebel against my kingdom. You must understand that I still care about you and I am really sorry.” She just shook her head and laughed. “Go away, leave me alone. You don’t give a shit about me and that’s fine just leave me be so I can die alone.” The Pharaoh was hurt by her words. he was only doing this for the well being of the kingdom.

He got up and closed the cell door back. “I love you.” She looked at him and said nothing. The Pharaoh and Priest Aknadean walked back out of the prison and shut the door. Priest Aknadean went back to his room and the Pharaoh went back to his chambers. When he went to sleep it seemed like he only slept a few minutes because dawn had arrived.

~Next Day~

The Pharaoh’s 4 servants assisted him as he got ready. He took a deep breath and walked slowly out of his chambers towards the throne. He sat down and awaited the guards to bring Akeyana out of the cell. The Pharaoh couldn’t even look her in the eyes. The guards lead her out the palace gates and the whipping took place not too far away from the palace. It was a cool quite morning. The sun shown much more over the palace than in the village. It may have been a beautiful morning but not a beautiful day. Everyone stood watching, awaiting the thief’s punishment. The Pharaoh and his Priests are sitting on a chair and in which the servants carried them out the palace gates in. Everyone in the palace stood watching, everyone in the village was watching, this was the first time that a woman was whipped for stealing.

Akeyana’s heart turned cold. Nothing no longer mattered to her anymore. She was left alone to defend for herself. Her sisters got married to Princes from different countries. Akeyana chose not to. She wanted to choose her own path and make her own decisions. The guards ripped her clothes off and she stood bare in front of everyone. Her hair could only cover her overly sized breasts.

They tied her hands together and lifted her on the hook of the pole. They were standing on a stage like platform like the one the Pharaoh and his Priests were sitting on during Ra’s birthday celebration. She hung there with her head down in agony and embarrassment. Because she had long hair they moved it away from her back so that the whipping can commence.

A very very large looking man with a long black whip and a black mask came onto the platform. He smiled devilishly ready to begin. One of the guards stood up and before they whipped her, he was going to remind everyone of what she did. “This evil witch has stolen Priest Karim’s millennium scale and therefore, is being punished for her thievery.”

Surprisingly, some of the villagers wanted her to get whipped and some of them wanted her to be hanged. They booed her, they threw things, they spat, they were just plane evil to an innocent child. She didn’t look at anyone, she ignored there silly antics and was anxious for them to whip her and get it over with.