The Life and Times of Bonnie Chance

Emir

Bonnie and Memphis's group rode on and didn't stop until they had reached Memphis' ship. They boarded it and set sail, eager to get away before they were pursued by the Hittites.

"So, what mess did you get yourself into this time?" Memphis asked Bonnie, who had changed out of her Hittite wedding dress into an Egyptian dress that had been left behind by Carol, as they were served tea. He was shocked when tears welled up in her eyes. "Hey, I didn't mean..." he said nervously, weirded out because he thought Bonnie was too tough to fall to pieces over such on offhanded comment.

Bonnie couldn't help it. When he had asked the question, everything that had happened hit her again and the wounds she had been doing her best to ignore were reopened. But she didn't want to cry in front of everyone, so she quickly wiped her eyes and did her best to remain calm while she told Memphis everything that had happened to her, starting with her time in Minoa and ending with when he rode up and found her.

Memphis was shocked to learn that Bonnie had completed a marriage ceremony with Izmir. 'What does this mean? He once promised that Carol would be safe from him if Bonnie married him. But Bonnie has run away... What will Izmir do now? I've technically just kidnapped his wife. What should I do about this?' Seeing the hurt expression on Bonnie's face, he didn't have the heart to send her back to Izmir yet. 'She's been through a lot. I should at least let her meet Carol again before deciding what to do about the fact that she is technically a member of the Hittite royal family now. She looks so miserable... I should do something to distract her from that.' "You said the Hittites have a secret naval base on the island of Thera? I would like to see that."

"Oh," Bonnie said, surprised. "It's supposed to be secret, so I don't know how welcome you'll be..."

"The king of Minoa has been really worried about you. You should see him before we return to Egypt," Memphis said. "Thera is on our way there. We can make a brief stop."

"Well, you can, if you want to, but I think I'll stay on the ship..." Bonnie said, remembering that Atlas was there. "I think you should send a message to King Minos telling him your intentions, so they won't think you're trying to spy on them or something like that."

"Good idea," Memphis said.

—∞—

A few days later, they reached Santorini.

"Oh! I see the smoke from the volcano obscures the view of the port..." Memphis said, looking ahead as they approached the island.

"There's another ship coming!" Ruka said, pointing out a grand Minoan ship that was heading their way.

"It's King Minos!" Bonnie said, spotting the young king standing on the deck, waving to her. She smiled at him and waved back. They two ships pulled side by side, and Minos, Bonnie, and Memphis moved to stand as close to each other as they could while staying on their own boats.

"Greetings, Pharaoh Memphis," Minos said politely. "I came to thank you in person for helping to liberate Troy. I've received a report from General Iouktas that the Hittites were forced into a retreat. Prince Izmir and his people have fled, and Troy is free once again." He looked at Bonnie and smiled at her. "Bonnie, I also wanted to see you again. Won't you return to Minoa with me? I know many things have happened, but I promise you will be safe from now on. I will protect you with all my might."

"You would need all you might," Memphis said. "Bonnie was forced to marry Prince Izmir while she was in Troy, so she is his wife now. She belongs to him, and he will no doubt come for her."

'He'll come for me?' Bonnie thought. She hadn't thought about the possibility that Izmir might start a fight to get her back. He never had before. But then, she wasn't his wife until now. 'Will Hittite join Babylonia to get me back? Am I putting Carol and everyone else in danger?' she wondered anxiously.