Hadassah's Sacrifice

CHAPTER 26

“I saw you talking to that girl again,” Mylitta said exasperatedly, jealousy visible in her voice. “What is your problem, Tiamat? You are supposed to be on my side!” She flung her hands tiredly in the air.

“Your side?” Tiamat’s asked with a raise of her brows. “What….what are you even saying?”

Mylitta gaped at her like she was out of her mind. “We are here on a mission, not to go around making friends with strange people.” Her voice held all the anger she felt inside her. Tiamat was getting on her nerves.

“Just listen to yourself, Mylitta. Listen to yourself. We are here against our desires, so don’t talk to me about how we are on a mission.”

“Oh please,” she raised her voice eyeing her. “Speak for yourself. I am here to become Queen and if you want to remain my friend, then support me not go around being friends with some girl.”

Tiamat couldn’t believe they were having this conversation. How did they get to this point in their friendship? When did Mylitta become this conceited? What happened to the girl that was confident and not this insecure girl that stood before her? She didn’t even know that Mylitta felt like she was here in the King’s villa for a mission. By the gods, her friend was unbelievable. That’s if they were still friends, not with the way Mylitta has been acting, Tiamat didn’t know if she still wanted to be her friend. Friendship wasn’t lording over another person or making them appear like everything they do is stupid.

So she voiced out her thought.

“I don’t understand you anymore,” she looked her closely this time. “Whatever happened to my friend who didn’t get insecure because of others?” she searched Mylitta’s face as though knitted within them were the answers to her questions. “We used to be able to talk, not fight. Besides I’m not stopping you from making friends and Hadassah is a nice girl,” her voice grew soft, “I could introduce you to see if you want.” Taking a step closer, she attempted hugging her.

“Get away from me!” she screamed. “I don’t want to have anything with that girl whatever her name is, and since this friendship no longer means anything to you, you can go ahead and forget about me.”

Tiamat was shocked. This hysteric Mylitta isn’t her friend. Or perhaps she never really knew her.

“Calm down, Mylitta. I can’t trade our friendship for a person I just met. But I can’t stop being friends with Hadassah just because you don’t like her,” she locked pleading eyes with her. “You don’t even know the girl.” Tiamat’s eyes pleaded with her friend to understand.

After what appeared like Mylitta was having a change of mind with how quiet she got after Tiamat’s plea, she gave the loudest hiss Tiamat has heard and then said, “Then you don’t value what we share,” moving out of Tiamat’s room, she added, “I don’t ever want to know her.” The echoes of the door she shut behind her could be heard rooms away.

“What have I done?” A tired Tiamat asked herself as she slumped tiredly on her bed.

                                       
                                              ❁❁
Quiet eyes gazed at Emmanuel as he spoke, the effect of his voice stayed on the faces of the people.

“I understand how difficult these times are,” he searched their face, “but I will encourage us to not be overcome by our grief. The years ahead will be better. This season will pass. Our people will know freedom again and our daughters will….”

A woman’s hand waving impatiently in the air stopped him. “Go ahead.” He recognised her — she was the woman who had come to his house crying about her daughters.