• The journey there had been terrifying. Of course nothing could compare to the terror that Eliza had first felt when she had opened the door, not to Jesseb, but to some unknown man. Smiling, he had silently pushed the door opened and had reached for her. Trying to escape, Eliza had thrown what ever she could to prevent him from getting closer. Countless times he had grabbed her dress, tearing it in hopes of capturing her. Finally after throwing a chair, she had made a dash for the door, but the man had grabbed her by the hair and tossed her onto the ground. The next few minutes were one big blur. She remembered him striking her, before sliding chains onto her wrists. The next thing she knew, she was being thrown into a cart along with other women before being carried away.
    Every night her capturer, whose named she learned was Bezant, would taunt her and the other girls with food and water. Sometimes he would throw food at them and watch amusingly as they fought each other over the small crust of bread. After ‘dinner’ they were forced to sleep without anything protection from the blinding cold of the desert.
    During the days across the desert, Bezant would occasionally pull into a town and force the girls off the cart. Then men, young and old, would surround them and they would violate and abuse them. Every now and then, a man would point to one of the women before handing Bezant a bag of coins. The women that had been selected would then have a rope slipped around her neck before being pulled away. They were never seen again. Every once and while a man would point to her and eagerly hold up a bag of coins. But Bezant would shake his head and use words that Eliza later learned meant virgin and very expensive. Other times, Bezant would disappear for a few hours and return with three or five girls trailing behind him.
    Finally after three weeks of being beaten, and violated, the cart, that had originally had seven girls in it but now only four, reached its destination.
    “Nazareth” Bezant exclaimed proudly as he pointed to a place that looked anything but proud.
    As if sensing the catastrophic atmosphere of the city, the sky hanging above was shaded grey and full of black storm clouds letting off threatening blasts of thunder. As the cart moved closer, the sand thinned out until it was replaced with jagged rocks that stuck out of the uneven ground at odd angles. Unlike the other places Eliza had seen, there was no sign of vegetation growing around the border of the city. The only plants that she saw were dried thorn bushes and smoldering trees. The inside was even worse than the crumbling outside. The majority of the buildings were dirty and smelled of year-old garbage and dead bodies. Most of them didn’t have windows but that ones that did, often had bars over them. The wide bumpy streets were full of unwashed men and animals. So many people were talking at once, that all the voices blended together until it become a garbled mess. Dead animal carcasses littered the ground that people simply walked over, ignoring the flies that hovered and picked at the rotting flesh. Lining the streets were various booths that sold odd-looking spices and herbs that were mostly likely used as drugs. Occasionally, they would pass groups of women, all chained together, standing on makeshift stages being presented before large crowds. Sometimes, the men would cheer or throw things such as mud or rocks, other times, the men would simply grab the poor girl from the stage, tear her clothes off and rape her. Eliza felt her eyes tear as she watched the dreadful scene unfold in front of her. Unable to bear it any longer, Eliza tore her eyes away and focused on the ground. To her horror, she saw that the streets were practically paved in yellowed bones.
    Finally, Bezant found a clear spot and pulled his horse to a halt. After unloading the women, he started shouting for men to gather around. Among the men that appeared, was a man that looked to be in his fifties. He had rotting teeth and was slowly going bald. Taking his time he examined each girl. When he reached Eliza, he smiled a disturbing smile. Pointing to her, he forced her to stand and led her over to Bezant.
    Five minutes later, a rope was slipped around her neck, the chains around her wrists where replaced with ropes and she was led away. To keep himself amused, her new ‘owner’ would often kick her in the shins, shouting at her violently. When that wasn’t satisfying enough, he would knock her to the ground her drag her through the streets by the rope around her neck.
    At last they arrived. The house, like the others was constructed out of the same black stone that gave off an unpleasant stench. There were no windows and Eliza could hear screams coming from within. Once inside, the smell of rotting food, unclean bodies, and vomit was so overwhelming, she almost passed out. Not long after a woman with a nose that appeared to have been broken more than once greeted them. The man barked an order at the servant and pushed Eliza into her arms. After being led upstairs, the rope around her wrists was cut before Eliza was stripped of what remained of her clothes and given new ones. Her new dress was short and practically transparent. Once she was changed, another servant approached her carrying a small knife. Seizing her hair, in two slashes the majority of her hair lay useless on the floor. Sadly, Eliza grabbed the long strands of her hair and started to cry. Ro had always told her that he loved her hair, loved the soft feeling of running his hands through it. At the thought of Ro she started to cry harder. She wasn’t ever going to seem him again was she? By now he had probably already returned home. She could she just see him, walking into the house to find her not there. What would he think? Or maybe he hadn’t come home at all. Perhaps the council had managed to detain him from leaving. Either way, the chances of him ever finding her were slim. He didn’t know where to look or who to ask. She was mid cry when suddenly a hand violently slapped her, returning her to reality.
    Glancing up, the woman who had led her upstairs was glaring at her. In Dúnedin she barked an order at her. But Eliza shook her head, not understanding. Then the women spoke slowly. “Master waiting. See him now,” she snarled as she pointed down a corridor.
    Struggling to her feet, Eliza followed the servant. Along the way, they passed other room that had girls dressed like her in them. Each girl was with a man who was either beating her, or forcing her to sleep with him. Finally they reached the final room. Without saying anything, Eliza was pushed inside the dark room, the door being locked behind her. There lying on the bed, was the man who had bought her. Signaling for her to join him, Eliza shook her head. Growing angry the man snapped at her to join him again but she refused. The next thing she knew the man was coming towards her yelling and shouting. At the first hit, she stumbled and fell against the wall. At the second she felt blood filling inside her mouth. Before she could even feel the third, she passed out.
    When Eliza came to, she was blindfolded and she could feel chains on her wrists again. Wherever she was, it was cold; the air was dry, making it hard to breath. Listening, she tried to hear for sounds of life but the only noise she was greeted with was the sounds of squeaking and little feet pitter patting across the stone floor. Reaching up, Eliza blindly tried to find her face. When at least she did, she touched her cheek as softy as she could. It stung when her fingers touched her skin. Along with face the rest of hr body was crying out in pain, hunger and thirst. Because of the blindfold, she had no way of knowing if it was day or night. For all she knew it could have already been a week since she had arrived in this god-awful place.
    With the exception of the rats, she was alone. Every now and then someone would walk into her cell and force water or food down her throat. The water always tasted awful and the food was no more than a crumb of bread or a rotten vegetable. The rest of the day she left alone with her memories. At first she thought of her family, remembering precious moments with each of them. After what she assumed was a few days, her thoughts drifted to Ro. She tried not to think of him long because it hurt her heart to do so. Her longing for him was so great that some days she thought that it would tear her in two. And just when she thought that she would never hear another human’s voice again, one day she heard the door open. At first she thought it was a servant who had come to feed her but a second later she felt a strong foot kick her in the ribs. Coughing and gasping for air, Eliza felt her body being thrown against the wall and floor as someone shouted angrily at her. Then her attacker was on top of her, pulling at the remains of her dress.
    This was it, she though as she heard a deep male voice whisper something to her. But before the man could do anything, she heard another voice yelling at him. A moment later, she was left alone again. Trembling, she crawled back to the wall before leaning against it.
    It hurt to breathe now, her sides ached from when they had been kicked. Coughing, Eliza tasted the distinct metallic taste of blood creeping around in her mouth.
    It wasn’t fair. Just when she had finally started being happy again, someone came in and tore her world to shreds. Fleeting images of her loves ones passed before her eyes. Emily was wrong. Her mother wouldn’t be proud of her, how could she? She had failed, failed her family, and failed Ro. He had given her one rule and she couldn’t even have followed that. She was as pathetic as she was weak. There was nothing about her to be proud about. All this time she had been fooling herself. Telling herself that at any minute, Ro was going to come crashing through the door of her prison and carry her to safety. But this time, this time there wasn’t going to be a happy ending because Ro wasn’t coming to save her and if he was, she’d probably be dead by the time he reached her.
    Death.
    For the first time since her arrival she had refused to acknowledge that as a possible outcome. Why would she believe such a bleak fate when she could easily trick her mind into believing that Ro was going to rescue her?
    Coughing some more, she felt as if someone was squeezing her throat, making it almost impossible to breathe.
    Be strong Eliza.
    That’s what her father had said to her wasn’t it? Be strong, how could she when she didn’t have any strength left? Besides what was the point, she was alone anyway. Everyone that she loved had been taken away from her and now it was clear to her that she would never see her loved ones again. She would never see Sophie mature into a radiant young lady, Maria finally ease out of her shell of solitude upon meeting that certain someone who knew just how to make her smile. Her father would never sit her upon his lap as they read together nor would she ever see the dreams that Emily had planned for her. And then there was Ro. She wasn’t gong to be there when he was finally free to leave the desert once and for all. In her mind she could see him, a figure slowly vanishing over the horizon, never to be seen or heard from again.
    It hurt her to think about them, to think about how their lives would keep unwinding while hers violently met its end. For once she was grateful for her solitude, this way there was no one to pity her, and say with a mournful sigh ‘such a shame’ or ‘pity such a thing.’ She didn’t want to hear those words anymore than she did hear the diabolical laugh of her twisted capturer.
    Closing her eyes, Eliza let her hands fall limply at her sides while she waited for death to come and take her…

    It had been almost a month since he had learned from Jesseb that Eliza had been taken away. From that moment onward he had been searching nonstop. For once in his life, being royalty finally paid off. After alerting the guards that had followed what had happened, he ordered that they search the town, looking for anyone that knew anything about the man that had taken Eliza away. In the end, the brought before him a man he regrettably recognized. He was one of the men that had he fought that night after dining with Jesseb.
    “Where did she go,” he had yelled but the man refused to talk. Exasperated Ro threatened the man’s life and was rewarded with information that Eliza had been taken to Nazareth. Upon learning where she was, he jumped onto his horse and rode off, the two guards trailing behind him telling him the remaining details that he had not heard. Meanwhile, back at Dúneatorah, the high council had promised him that they would raise an army to bring back Eliza though he returned their offer by telling them to stay out of it.
    Two weeks later, he arrived in Nazareth. Upon his request, more of the royal guards were waiting for him. Knowing the dangers that lurked within Nazareth, Ro knew that the sooner they found Eliza the better. If she was still alive. So many times during his search that thought had crossed his mind. And each time he banished the thought, refusing to believe that he had lost her forever. For next seven days, he had his guard go through the city searching for the man named Bezant. When at long last they brought him before Ro, two guards nearly had to hold him back just so he wouldn’t kill him.
    “Tell me who you sold her to,” Ro ordered while his guards pointed their spears at Bezant’s thin body. To his disgust, Bezant listed details that described Eliza almost perfectly. At the end of his interrogation, Bezant admitted that he almost hadn’t sold her because had wanted her for himself.
    Ro broke the man’s arm as soon as those words left his lips.
    When he finally got his answer, Ro didn’t even wait for his guards to catch up to him. Marching up to the door of the man who had bought Eliza, he kicked it down and stormed in. At first the servants wouldn’t answer his questions but when he flashed him the royal ring they fell to their knees and bowed. Then the man, whose name was Wantali, finally appeared. Wantali ignored his groveling servants and ordered Ro to leave immediately, telling him he didn’t have the girl that he was looking for. But when Ro saw the blood on the man he demanded that Wantali tell him whom it belonged to.
    “Just who do you think are, demanding me to answer your foolish questions,” Wantali snapped as he wiped the blood away on the rag that he held in his other hand.
    Ro then had rushed forward and wrapped his hands around the man’s fat neck, “I’m the god damn king,” he yelled as he tightened his grip, “now tell me where the hell my wife is!”
    At that precise moment, his guards appeared and pulled Ro off of Wantali.
    “The…the stairs, take the stair down. She’s under ground,” he stammered as he threw a set of keys at Ro.
    “Arrest this son of a b***h,” Ro commanded as his guards seized Wantali. Then he grabbed the keys and descended down the stairs.
    When he finally saw her, Ro almost couldn’t believe that it was Eliza. She was so thin he could almost see her bones through her clear skin. Opening the door, he had rushed towards her and pulled the blindfold off of her. To his dismay, her eyes were closed and her skin icy. Once he freed her wrists he had cradled her in his arms, calling her name.
    “Eliza…”
    “Please don’t do this.”
    “Eliza, please open your eyes.”
    It was strange how familiar the voice that was calling her seemed. Suddenly she felt rough hand on her shoulders only they were holding her gently. Then she heard the voice again, calling her name. It was then that she realized that the chains had been removed from her wrists as well as the blindfold. Forcing her eyes open, it took them a few minutes to grow accustom to seeing something other than darkness. When her vision finally cleared, she saw a face that she had believed she would never see again.
    “Ro?”
    He didn’t say anything. Instead he lifted her up besides him and kissed her softly.
    Compared to her freezing cell, his warm arms felt good and she wished he’d never let go. Tears streaming down her face, she reached up and touched his face to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming.
    “You don’t have to do that, I’m real,” he assured her as he carried her out of the room. In the few moments before she opened her eyes. He had believed that he had lost her, if that been the case, he would have seen that Nazareth was destroyed, torn apart stone by stone. But then she groaned and her eyes fluttered opened.
    Now as he carried her out into the streets of Nazareth he kept thinking of ways to find revenge against the city. Once out into the light, he watch Eliza shield her eyes from the sun she hadn’t seen in weeks. Reaching up, he gently wiped the tears out of her eyes before bringing his hand to what remained of her hair.

    Even once he had her settled upon his horse wrapped in a blanket, she still continued to tremble.
    “I’m sorry,” she whispered as they rode out of the city, “I’m not the same anymore.”
    Ro rolled his eyes before kissing her cheek, “Idiot, I wouldn’t care if you were missing all your teeth, I’d still love you just the same.”
    Along the way, Ro told Eliza all about Dúneatorah, about the high council, and about the palace. Until, just before sunset, she fell asleep.

    “Ugh, why didn’t anyone tell me about sea sickness?” Ro asked as he grabbed hold of the railing as the boat swayed back and forth.
    Eliza walked over to him and took his hand, “I guess it slipped my mind,” she replied jokingly.
    “Enough about me, how are you feeling?”
    It had been seven months since that day since Ro carried her out of Nazareth. Upon reaching Dúneatorah, Ro assembled the high council and set to work at correcting the countless problems that his ancestors had caused. The first thing he did was fire all the corrupt members on the high council and refilled their positions with men who understood the problems of the common man. Among the members of the high council was Jesseb, whom Ro, after explaining the truth to him, claimed he owed his life to.
    While Eliza recovered, Ro set, changed, and abolished many laws. He ordered that half of his inheritance be broken up and given to each village in the Dúnedin nation. After that he reestablished trade with outside nations ensuring the council members that it would help benefit their people and create more jobs for those stuck in poverty. But perhaps the biggest change that Ro made was abolishing this great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather’s law that stripped women of their rights. Though he knew he knew it would take many years for these laws to have an effect, it was going to be worth it. And once Eliza was healthy again, he helped her send a message to her family.
    When she finally received their message, she was so overcome with happiness that she was almost unable to read it. According to the letter, her family had been doing all they could to try and get her back since arriving back home months before. They were overjoyed to hear that she would be coming home soon and sent money to help pay for their passage on a ship. Of course that money was not needed. Even after giving up half of his inheritance, Ro had more than enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life. And as promised, after seven months, Ro was free to go. In the end finally did what he waited almost all his life to do, abolish the monarchy. He replaced it with a government and divided up the power equally among the members of the council. He also accepted the fact that even without a monarchy, he was still king. Although he had given up the throne, the council members promised to obey any law that he ever felt like putting forth.
    When it was finally time to leave, Eliza had asked Ro if he would miss the desert.
    “I think I’ll be able to manage without it,” he said with a smile, though they both knew that it wouldn’t be last time they ever saw its familiar sands.
    Now both of them stood on a ship heading for Eliza’s home country. Ro had kept his promise; he did take as far away from the desert as possible and helped her find her family.
    “Stop worrying about me,” she whispered as she took his hand.
    Ro shook his head and put his arms around her, “I’m just saying that maybe someone in your condition shouldn’t be traveling.”
    Eliza playfully pushed him away, “My condition?”
    Shrugging his shoulders, Ro ran a hand through his hair, “I mean you are carrying the future of my people with you…”
    “Well if it’s like you, then I think it can manage.”
    Just then a cold sea air blew past them and Eliza shivered despite the heavy dress that she wore. Putting his arms around her again, Ro leaned down and kissed her just as the sun sunk below the horizon.
    The sky at that precise moment looked gold, almost like the sand of a desert.