Mariah Oneshots

With You [pt. 2]

****Mariah's POV****

I walked along the road and through the market place, heading towards the place where Ioanna told me I was to meet her and her friends. We had been living in Alexandria for only 11 days, yet Ioanna had become very popular among the fellow craftsmen in the city due to her great artistry and talent. I was very proud of her and her work, and I could not be prouder to be her wife.

"Mama?" I heard the tiny voice say, causing me to smile. My young daughter was positioned on my left hip, her wild raven curls nearly swallowing her face as she looked at me.

"Yes?"

"We're going to Baba?" she questioned.

"Yes, Roxana." I smiled, causing my little daughter to squeal in excitement. Roxana had been our daughter for nearly 24 days, and we discovered her name was Persian for 'dawn' or 'light'.....Roxana after Alexander III's first wife, more specifically. I found the little child's name to be fitting, as her little eyes shone brightly like the golden sun, and her character was very joyous and lovely.

"I love Baba!! We go see him!!" Roxana exclaimed, clapping her tiny hands. Roxana and Ioanna had gotten along extremely well, despite Ioanna's concerns that fatherhood would not suit her as well as motherhood suited me. Roxana absolutely adored Ioanna, and Ioanna would lay her life down for the little girl. Our family, although none of us were of the same origin, worked extremely well.....even better than the fully Egyptian or fully Greek families that dwelled among us in Alexandria. Ioanna and I knew of 3 other Greco-Egyptian couples in our part of the city; however, Ioanna and I were the only one of the couples with a child. People in Alexandria were under the assumption that I had bore Roxana myself, and that her physical features were a combination of Egyptian and Greek rather than being Persian.

'Our life of secretly being two women together with a found child was working without flaw thus far.....'

"Yes, baby! I am sure that Baba will be equally excited to see you!" I giggled, followed by kissing the crown of her head. I continued to walk while Roxana started to entertain herself by twisting my hair, and the walk remained peaceful for a few more moments. However, the peace was abruptly interrupted as I felt an unwanted presence next to me.

"You are absolutely beautiful.....the most beautiful woman in all of Egypt." a male's voice said, causing me to hold my daughter tighter.

"Please, leave me be. I am not interested in courting." I responded, hoping it would send him away.

"Please, beautiful? Let me court you!" he said, ignoring my first request.

"I am a taken woman, I do not wish to have your attention." I frowned.

"Taken? Then where is your husband? I do not see him.....what he does not know will not harm him." the man smirked, bringing himself closer to me.

"I am going to see my husband now, and I can assure you that he will not like you pestering me. Now, leave me be!" I spat, my voice increasing in volume as I grew more and more agitated. I could see the group of men in front of the building a few steps away, including one tall and lender figure with dark waves cascading down their back. I momentarily smiled as I knew that figure and that hair belonged to Ioanna; however, the smile quickly vanished as I felt myself being pulled into a hard body.

"Do you think you can refuse me? I do not appreciate a defiant woman." the man said in my ear.

"GET OFF OF ME!!!" I screamed at him, trying to struggle my way out of his grip while simultaneously trying not to drop my daughter.

"Mama?! It hurts!!!" Roxana cried, her little body being practically crushed between my body and the man's arms.

"GET OFF OF ME!! YOU ARE HURTING MY DAUGHTER!" I yelled at the man, tears forming in my eyes as I realized this stranger was a violent type.