To Love Is To Die

The Locked Room

I sat, arms crossed, at my vanity glaring at my reflection. I still could not believe that I had been punished for something that I didn't do. If father was going to point fingers, then may I suggest pointing them at Dalila? She was the one to carry out the plan. I merely suggested to her what should have been done. Anyhow, why should I be punished for something that is expected of me? If I didn't keep the people lower in class below me then there would be chaos. Absolute chaos.

I paced to the window and looked down at the peasants going home after a long day of hard work. You could just see their incompetence. Without someone ruling over them they wouldn't know what to do. A knock at the door broke through my thoughts.

"Who is it?" I barked.

"Dalila, Your Majesty." Good, now I had someone to yell at.

"Enter." The door slowly opened and she stepped in sheepishly with her head bowed.

"Dalila Dalila Dalila." I said walking towards her. Oh, this was going to be fun. Her eyes found mine and from the way she shrank back against the wall, I could tell I didn't look too thrilled.

"While sentenced to my room I began to ponder some things. Like for example, how hard it was to throw a scalding hot bowl on someone."

"I didn't feel comfor-"

"You didn't feel comfortable? I'm sorry, I didn't think I cared. When I tell you to do something, you do it correctly." I sneered the last word. She winced and pressed herself closer to the door.

"It's like speaking to a monkey, a big stupid monkey named Dalila!" I yelled hitting a candle pot to the floor. It spilled over the flame dosed in wax. I turned back to her even angrier than I had been before.

"Look what you made me do! Don't just stand there! Clean it up!" She bent down by my feet and started to pick the candle holder up and scooped the hot wax back onto the holder. I could see how the hot wax hurt her, but I just didn't care at this point. I turned away from her pathetic form and walked over to my bed.

"You know, I saved you from having to serve my father in his afterlife. Would you like me to return you to your former position?"

"It would be a great sacrifice to serve your father in his afterlife." She mumbled still on the floor. I scoffed at her little lie.

"I'm so sure. You were practically begging me to take you on as my maid. But if you like, I can make the arrangements." I smirked. Her eyes widened and her lips parted as if to speak but only a squeak came out.

"That's what I thought. One more slip and I'll have you thrown to the jackals, only to be replaced with someone far more superior than you." She stood up with the now hot plate in her hands and waited for me to give her leave. I just watched her for a little bit, enjoying the pain she was in.

"Leave me. I must prepare for bed."

"Would you like-"

"No." She nodded and curtsied then left. I fell back onto the bed and sighed. I felt so much better, letting all that stress out. I rolled over and buried my head in my silk sheets. My mind wondered for a little bit pondering on Bennu. Who was she? Where did she come from? Why did I feel so connected to her? These were the questions that flooded my mind.

I groaned and got up, I just had to forget about her. Maybe one of the maids were playing a trick on me. I grimaced, if they were I would see to it that they go serve my great grandfather in his sarcophagus! I walked to my wash room bathed, oiled, brushed my hair and teeth, slipped on my night shift and stalked back to my bed.

But just as I was about to slip into the covers and fall into a marvelous dream about Bomani, another knock sounded at the door. I groaned which turned into a shriek. I threw the covers off and stomped to the door. Who in the name of Isis could that possibly be? I whipped the door open and glared out, only to look into a pair of hollow green eyes. I jumped back stumbling until I hit the floor with a thud.

There she stood, in her ghostly beauty. Bennu.

"Wh-what do you want?" I choked out. She blinked remaining silent. I was about to ask again when she said, "Come." I drew my eyebrows together and tilted my head.

"What?"

"Come."

"Why?"

"Come." With that she turned and started to float down the hallway. I pushed myself from the floor and peered out of the doorway. I looked both ways before bolting after her. Once I caught up I made sure to keep distance between us.

Her black cloak floated back like a mist and brushed up against my skin. I felt a chill ripple through my body as it did so. We walked down a series of corridors, everything seemed different in the dark. 5 minutes later and I didn't recognize anything. I squinted in the darkness the moon the only light I had. Finally she stopped, and froze. I peered around her and saw that a huge acacia door stood before us. I reached out and tried to pull the handle but it was locked.

I turned back to Bennu.

"I don't have a key." She stared back at me.

I don't have the key." I said waving my arms around. Maybe she was hearing impaired.

"I don't know what you are playing at, but I don't have the key. We can't go inside." I said just below yelling. I shook my head in exasperation. Why couldn't she get it? We can't go in!

I turned away from her thinking about running down the hallway in hysteria. Father wouldn't further my punishment if he thought I was being chased by a murder. When I looked back at her I was startled to see she was holding out a golden key. It was small but pretty, the ankh at the end was outlined in rubies and two spokes poked out at the other end. But when I reached out to grab it, it fell through my fingers.

"I can't-" But before I could finish I heard my name being yelled from the other end of the corridor.

"Chione! What do you think you are doing? Did I not tell you that you could not come out from your room until I said?" I winced at my father's voice and turned to him just in time to see him stomping over to me his nostrils flaring. I looked back to Bennu but she was already gone. I looked around for her ghostly white fog, stammering about some ghost when father's large hand gripped my forearm and started to drag me toward my room.

"Why are you here?" He bellowed.

"To be quite honest, I don't know exactly where 'here' is." He gave me a questioning look.

"I followed someone here."

"Who? Was it that Bomani? Did you plan to meet him?" He asked with a hopeful glance. What? Shouldn't he be mad if I did that? Oh, I could sneak out to meet some guy, but throwing hot soup on someone was awful! 

"No, I followed Bennu." At that my father's face paled and his grip tightened.

"You're hurting me." I pleaded. He quickly took his hand away and turned to me.

"Who did you say you followed?"

"Bennu. Why, do you know her?"

"No," He replied hastily, "Listen to me, and listen carefully. Never say that name again, understood? Promise me you won't." He demanded, and surprisingly, he begged. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. The Pharaoh was begging me to do something? I liked the feeling of it though.

"Of course father, but do you know her?" He looked away, satisfied with the answer, but none too pleased with the question.

"No, I don't" He mumbled. He looked back at me and sighed. "You should go to bed. Happy Birthday." He placed a kiss on my head and hurried away. That was strange in more ways than one. I turned back to the dark hallway, there was Bennu floating there staring back at me. The key floated above her hand.

"Find it." She said darkly before disappearing a cloud of smoke.