A Thief's Gold: Ardeth Bay x Reader [Discontinued]

Chapter III - The Altar

It was already close to mid-day by the time the fiasco ceased. Walking with a bounce in my step towards Jida's bakery, I smelt the fragrant spices being roasted all around me, and the smell of incense dancing through the streets. Tafli was currently chatting with a child that was happily munching on some bread, and she had such a sweet smile on her face as she listened to the boy speak. I gave a lopsided smile at the two as the little child reminded me of my sister. As the little boy finished his food and left the bakery, I sat down on the stool in front of Tafli. The pointed look she gave me was a clear sign she already knew what happened.

"Really y/n? Sweet child, you were nearly going to be sent to be hanged!" She looked flustered at the reality of the situation, but I was too naive to care.

"But I'm still alive, and I got rid of the guy for good. He was cheating on his wife with a young lady. He deserves punishment."

She sighed, looking away before she took my hand in hers and looked me in the eye, pleading. "Y/n, your luck will run out if you keep going like this. Please, reconsider what you are doing, and if not for your sake, for your family and husband."

My eyes went wide when she mentioned 'husband.'

"Husband? Please Tafli, like I'm going to get married."

"You want to die alone?"

"No..."

"Good. Now, think about what you're doing. Make the right decision, little one."

I left the bakery, strolling through the streets and alleyways, mumbling to myself and thinking about what she said. Both she and that man had a wise nature to them. I wondered why, of all days, that day was the day that I was warned twice. But only if I knew that day was the day that changed my perspective of my life forever.

After doing some small jobs and errands around the city before the sun fell, I started to walk past the walls into the desert, back to my home. My satchel was a bit heavy from some food and other things (not to mention the jewels) for my family, but thankfully there was a slight breeze cooling me down. walking over the vast hills of sand as the sky was painted in millions of hues and bright stars twinkling in dance above me, I started to question what I was exactly doing. Why was I doing this? What do I want? Is this the life I'm going to live until the day I die?

My heart started to feel heavy at the idea of living alone, old and frail, in a room that is not home and being constantly tired from hiding from my sins. The ruins of Siwa Oasis was not my village anymore, surely, and neither was this facade of wealth I mask myself with when I run across the rooftops of Cairo.

I was in despair, feeling distraught and utterly lost. The years I've spent caught up in my head, surviving and keeping my family alive on the edge has caused me to crash me down. For the first time in my life, I wished for a saviour. Anyone, or anything to bring me back from the whole I was so deeply buried in.

The time I spent thinking about my life, I was already halfway home. I was clutching the pendant around my neck, that was of a small round disk of gold with an opalescent oval jewel buried in the middle, feeling its coolness burn my fingertips softly. 

Once I arrived at the hill that overlooked my village, I halted to see the sun peeping behind a couple abandoned towers, leaving rivers of light to run through the streets of Siwa Oasis. Looking down at the cottage that was my home, I was surprised to see that there was no warm light flooding through the windows, and no family members happily waiting at the door to greet me with smiles and warm hugs. What was mostly out of the ordinary was that the front door was wide open, creaking as the wind slightly pushed it nearly off its hinges.