The Prince's Punishment

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen: Eshe

The Pharaoh left me alone in the room, once I felt that it had been long enough I slowly stood up and walked towards the door. Tears stung my eyes but I forced them back, I wouldn't allow myself to cry not now, not ever. I ran out of the palace and headed towards mine and the prince's new spot. He thought it would be better if we were to find a new spot since our old one had been figured out by princess Tahirah. Tepemkau despised her. He always spoke so ill of her and I had never met her but from what he described, she sounded like a real witch then again it was only his opinion of her.

I made it to our spot and stood there as I waited for him to arrive, my emotions all over the place, I wanted so badly to scream and shout but I knew I couldn't. It wasn't long before Tepemkau arrived. The moment he saw me, he knew something was wrong. He walked over to me and cupped my face in his large hands. "What is the matter?" His eyes bore into mine as if searching for the answers in my stare. As we stared into each other's eyes the tears began to form blurring my vision. I fought back the tears that threatened to spill and removed his hands from my face and took a step back. "We need to stop this; I cannot continue this dangerous relationship. I'm sorry to tell you this at such a late time in which we've been seeing each other but I think it is time for us to part ways and go our own way."He looked at me with confusion. "What do you-..." I cut him off before he could finish and continued to say what I needed to before the tears I fought so hard to keep at bay would spill and everything would be ruined. "Let me finish please... This, this thing we have between us, it can no longer be something. You are a prince of Egypt and I am just a low class slave. I was born a slave and I will always be a slave and when I die, a new slave will be born. I am sorry that I led you on with such foolish feelings. I now see the error in my ways and for that I should be punished."

I lowered my head and fell to my knees. I needed him to punish me, I needed to hate him so that all this could be easier to bear, but as it usually did, it didn't play out as I had hoped it would. Instead he kneeled down and pressed his finger under my chin and lifted my head up to look at him, "You are far more than just a low class slave. You are Eshe, MY Eshe. You will never be below me no matter what harsh words you say of yourself. I will take care of everything, but please... Please don't stop seeing me, I need you. I need your presence around me or my days will turn to dull and lifeless nights. I cannot go a day without seeing you or your smile. So please, think again on what you are saying." I sighed at his words and just like I knew they would, my strength failed me and the tears now fell freely. I turned my head away from him and pushed him away. "Leave me alone Prince Tepemkau..."

I quickly got up from the ground and ran off not wanting to stick around any longer than I should. I needed to get as far away from him as possible. The tears continued to fall without hesitation, by the time I reached my home my eyes had been swollen and red. I went to my room and buried my face into the pillow and cried harder than I had ever done in my life.

It had been years since I last cried, it wasn't an easy thing to do, make me cry that is... I was usually very good at hiding my pain from everyone but at this moment I just couldn't contain all the pain I felt. It was so painful that I felt as if I were dying. I didn't want to stop seeing the Prince; I couldn't stand going a day without seeing his wonderful face and his beautiful smile. Just the thought of him my heart twist in pain, I felt sick to my stomach. Why did he and I have to be from different worlds? Why was I born into slavery and he into royalty? This had been the first time in a long, long time that I had asked such a question. I always knew my place in life and I was okay with it until now. I was always okay with my place because I didn't have something or someone for me to question my place in this world and now that I did I questioned it with my very being. A person should be allowed to love and marry whoever they wanted without repercussions but of course we lived in a society that didn't allow that and to go against those rules were punishable by death. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew that our actions would bring death to many innocent lives, especially the Prince's life, he meant more to me than I could ever imagine possible and that hurt me because I knew we would never be together after this night. I was forced to live a life alone knowing I couldn't be with the one I loved, what a dull and lifeless life it was going to be...