Chapter 8

Akila,

Akila Shivered as she walked away, leaving the king and his court whispering and staring at her.

She has never been humiliated like that in her entire life, even when people pushed her around.

Not even when they called her names and treated her like a curse or a bad omen.

This was on another level. To be exposed like that and they check if she had lost her virtue or not.

It is not anyone's right to judge her for what she does with her body. It is hers, hers only, not even the gods have a say in it.

"Easy, little one. Don't be that angry. Anger blinds us and pushes us to our demise. Contain your emotions and never be that obvious or transparent to others. Your thoughts are yours alone, so keep them at pay from prying eyes."

The old man said sternly as he guided her away, and Akila's shaking intensified.

Now she wasn't sure if the cause of it was fear or anger or even humiliation.

All she knew was that her mind was filled with so many thoughts that she wanted to scream.

Gods, she was wrong for not being intimate with a man. She would have been free by now and on her way to her grandmother.

"No, you would have been still here yet. The king has already chosen you. Why do you think he had asked me to be your guardian and sponsor? He wanted you to be on equal footing with the other girls, so when he says he chose you, no one would question him."

Akila stopped abruptly and glowered at Babu, who might be a mind reader. Her face felt hot and her eyes burned with angry tears.

"I should have a say in all of this. No one asked me if I want to be a queen or not. Some might think that I'm crazy for saying this, but I don't want to have that role. I would rather be back, taking care of my two goats."

Babu smiled at the girl's outburst and hugged her tightly, startling her.

"Good, for a moment I thought that this little thing has broken your spirit. Now I can see what the king felt and saw in you. You will make a fine queen and you will be an influential supporter of Ramses."

Akila accepted the man's hug awkwardly, thinking of his words. She didn't think that would be his reaction to her little tantrum.

She thought that he would chastise her or even hit her for speaking out of place.

"I want you to be always strong, my child. You might not have been born a noble, but you fit the mold. Adapt and act like one. Be arrogant and entitled. Speak up your mind to anyone, even the king. Fear no one, my child. You are from this moment a queen."

Akila got away from the man's firm hold on her and walked a few steps to lean against one of the cold walls.

She doesn't want any of this. She has been screaming that to him already. And still, he insists on convincing her.

"Be presentable. That cunt of a queen is coming our way, and she looks angry."

Heba said, laughing, and then stood silently beside her father, who gave her a very disappointed look.

"Don't you ever think that you won this, you filth? I will kill you before sitting beside me. I will enjoy doing it with my bare hands."

Queen Annipe said venomously to Akila, who stood frozen in her place after the queen's outburst.

She had never imagined that the queen would be hating her that much.

She took a deep breath and stood up with a straight back and a haughtily look she saw the women in court give.

"Trust me, your highness, if I could choose or have a saying in the matter, I would have left a long time ago, but as you can see, I have been dragged here against my will."

The queen chuckled humorlessly and charged at her. She reached out and held Akila's hair in her firm fist.

She winced when the queen's long and sharp nails scraped her scalp.

"You think that I'm stupid, peasant? This is more than you have dreamed of. This is your only chance to be seen without that filth that covered you, you cursed mutt."

Akila's eyes searched for the old man and his daughter and saw him trying to hold Heba in place.

Her face was a mask of fury and her hands were balled as if she wanted to hit the queen.

The queens' guards and entourage were ready for any attack and if this situation escalated, there will be blood.

"If you know what would be better for you, your highness, you would unhand me. If the king knew about this of you harming his property, he would not tolerate it. You should know him better than this."

Annipe let Akila go, but not before snatching her necklace and throwing it at her feet.

She then slapped the girl harshly that a few nails scratched her cheek.

"It is you who should never forget their place, cunt."

Akila gasped for air and collapsed on the floor the moment the queen left.

She choked on air and then gasped again because of the lack of it. She closed her eyes tightly and concentrated on breathing.

"Yes, that is, it, my child breathe. Think of nothing and no one, just focus on your breathing."

Babu said as he stroked her back in a soothing manner. Heba kept pacing in front of them with her fists still clenched.

"That whore, I should have slapped that wig off of her hair. How dare she do that to the king's chosen?"

Babu sighed, then he faced up to glare at his daughter, who was still fuming but now palming her small dagger.

"Enough with your insolence, girl. And hide that damn blade. We are not allowed weapons in the royal palace. The queen has the right to do whatever she desires until Akila was named a queen, so shut up and stay still. I need to calm her."

Akila focused on the old man's voice and breathed deeply. The small fight between him and his daughter took her mind away from her breathing problem.

"All I was saying was that her wig was ugly, but she had to wear it to hide her balding head. She is just jealous of Akila's beautiful wheat hair."

Heba said as she crouched beside Akila and sat with her legs entwined not in a lady-like way.

She couldn't help herself and laugh between chokes. Babu pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration but laughed too.

"I'm sorry for all those stupid words my untamed girl has spewed, my lady. She might look and act like a savage, but she is loyal to the king and now you as an extension."

Heba huffed, but she winked at her, saying silently that everything Babu said was the truth.

"Now, let us take you to your own room. You are allowed one now and so we can visit you whenever we wanted because we are your family."

Akila nodded silently and then she followed the kind man to her room, which was different from the other one she had occupied with the girls.

This one was even more spacious and filled with wooden furniture, ornaments, and silk.

The bed itself was taking half of the room's space. She searched every corner and looked behind every door, not believing all of that.

"This will be your room for the time being. Most of those things are my gifts and some are from the king himself, along with some nobles."

Akila put down the golden chalice she was holding and regarded the man quizzically.

"What do you mean by nobles? I know no one"

The man sighed and held her hand, then he helped her to sit on the softest chair she has ever tried.

"You don't understand the significance of that necklace or the small kiss the king gave you. I know you are not aware of royal etiquette or the meaning of those slight gestures. But now, whether you are the king's second wife or not, you have his favor. He will keep you Akila and some see a lot of potential in you. Not as a ruler, but as a supporter of them and their interest, so they are trying to gain your favor, too."

The girl stood up and began to pace the wide room. Cold sweat covered her body and her mind yet again screamed at her.

"Don't fret, my child. And think nothing of it, I will ask the servants about those gifts owners and return them. Would you like that?"

The man asked her, but she felt that this was another test, the same as what happened before the examination.

"Yes, please, I would be grateful to you. Thank you, my lord."

The man stood up, smiling, and kissed her forehead.

"Call me father. Now we will take our leave to let you have some rest. And tomorrow Heba will come to prepare you for your next....trail."

Akila collapsed on the comfortable bed and closed her eyes. She caressed the necklace the king has given her.

It was fortunate that the queen didn't break it. She didn't know what she could have told the king. It would have been an unspoken insult.

She closed her eyes and, surprisingly; she drifted to sleep easily even though the sun was still bright outside.

And even though her sleep was full of nightmares and painful obscure memories, a voice kept talking and calming her.

It told her that he will always protect her in this life and the other one too.