Ruth: Reimagined

Royalty

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Royalty
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Barak hadn't slept well in a month and weeks. He'd cuddle up with Adira, talk with her, till she fell asleep, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion, then she was gone, leaving him alone with his thoughts, his decisions.

I plan on making her Queen of Moab.

Barak had stared up at the ceiling for hours till the frustration pulled him out of bed, but he didn't know what to do with himself.

After reading the last letter from the King, he was shocked  into silence. He crushed the letter in his hand, a fire burning within his heart, rebellion beckoning. 

How dare the King ever think he could marry his daughter?

He was strongly advised by his men to not go against the wishes of the King, but it was his daughter, his Ruth, his little lilly in the valley.

He didn't respond to the King's letter , even though Ruth was sent out for those afternoon walks.

Barak would always make sure he wasn't home around that time, and that bothered Adira.

One time, during the night, as they prepared for bed, Adira slipped into the bed faster than she normally would. She didn't take her time, applying her oils and ointment, neither did she obsess over what she'd wear the next day. Barak found it odd but thought nothing of it, slipping into the bed, as well, pulling her into his arms.

“Goodnight.” He placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Goodnight.”

Her hold on him, tightened, desperate. He looked down at the woman in his arms.

“What's wrong?”

“It's nothing.” Adira quickly answered.

He nodded, waiting. He  found that it was the thing that always uprooted the truth out of her. This time, it took longer than expected.

“I slapped our daughter today.”

“Adira.” Barak said, his deep voice displeased. He sat up, and she, too, sat up, avoiding his stare.

“ She has fallen for the charms of the King.”

Barak tried, but he could not receive those words. He could not believe it. It sounded nothing like his daughter. “ But that doesn't give you the right to hit her, Adira.”

“We need to slap some  sense into her.” Adira argued. “ Right now, it may seem like the right thing to do, but it will one day be a regret she can't run away from.”

“ You're exaggerating.”

Her nostrils flared, and she turned to stare at her husband in the dark. “ A mother always knows best for her daughter, always.”

A silence settled over the both of them, heavy.  Everything was slowly changing, and Ruth was changing. After hiding away from the world for about a year, she made a step into the world, one where the spotlight shone on her.

Her parents thought, maybe it was too big of a step into the world, maybe the Chalom  was a cursed thing to display. There were rumours, even evidence that the dancers that performed the Chalom ended up dead in the pursuit of their desires.

“ Ruth should marry for love, Barak.”

She looked into the eyes of  her husband, seeking understanding and compassion. “Not for riches, or pressure, or pain, or escape. She should marry for love and finally breathe. A relationship with the king will only suffocate her…”