The wind blows past her face. She can feel the rough texture of cloth moving about her cheeks. Black lace covers her nose and mouth. A hood over her head keeps the sun from baring down across her skin. She remembers the path that she walks as though it was yesterday. A voice from behind speaks.
“ It has been a long time. Hasn’t it my queen.” he says to her. She turns her head to look at her long time friend. “ Yes.” softly her voice trails off. In the distance the grounds of sand that she once worked with in came into sight. “ If I may ask, how did you get here?” Al says to her looking at an area of uncover buildings.
Her eyes seem to move to the side, as her form relaxes in the past that came flooding to her. A Smile enters on to her face. “ Amazing how far women have come since those days.” she pause in thought. “ my husband had died. I was young and another man came to me asking if I would go with him. It had been a friend of my husband. He knew that I helped my husband with keeping papers in order. His name was Fred.” she lets out a small laugh.
“ I think he was in love with me, but with what I had gone threw with my first husband..” she pauses as other memories come to. Remembering red marks across the face and left behind bruises from drunken stupors. Tear falling to wooden floor as she bend down to pick up broken glass, from a long battle during the night. An evil smile entered on to the queens lips. Laughing at what she had once kept secret from her long dead husband.
His eye brows crease down in the sudden change of her mood. “ What are you laughing about?” Al asks
“ Only if my husband knew the things that I could of done to him.” she smiles even more. “ I had a father who believed woman or no woman one should know how to defend one’s self. So, he taught me all that he knew. I could wield a sword just as well as any man could in those days. I knew how to get my opponent down on the ground with out even hurting them, or I knew how to brake a persons neck with in a blink of an eye.” she pauses in thought.
“ Then why didn’t you.” he asks knowing how his queen is now a days.
Laughing at the thought, “ Because if I would, I’d go to jail. Quicker then a man would for half killing his wife. It might of been ungentle men like to hit a woman but there were no laws that said that a man couldn’t. Yet, a woman in those days had to know her.” she tells him. Speaking up again, “ It was just how the times were Al. A wife did as she was told. Plane and simple.”
A hearty laugh came from Al’s mouth. Putting a happy smile on her face, “ Now, what is it that your laughing at.” Looking at her, “ Could you imagine your husband now trying to tell you to do something.” Just at the thought both laugh with the first fight that the king and queen had so many years ago.
Once the laughter had stopped, she kept walking along toward the building. Once upon the sight Al looks about to what looked as though it had been abandoned. “ It doesn’t seem as though they have done much.” Looking at a few of the still covered stone buildings. Al turns to her again. “How did he find you?”
Her eyes became sad, as her lips lost their smile. A single tear falls down the side of her cheek. “ Fred made sure I had a room to my self.” she pauses, “ It was hot as always but I was not use to the heat. I had to go rest one night after a long day of keeping notes for him.”
Sweat dripped down the side of her temples. With out looking she closes the door behind her. Turning around she felt a cool breeze blow into her room. Looking at the wall across the room, she notice that the window was left open. With questioned eyes the woman walks over to the window. Figuring that Fred had came in to ensure that it would be cool for her for the night, Sara shrugs her shoulders. Reaching behind her, Sara undoes the lace. Loosen up the dress and slipping all the clothing but a tight girdle. Letting it all drop to the floor.
Stepping out of the worn clothing, she heads her way to the bed room. In mid step Sara notices that the door to her sleeping quarter had been left half open. Slowly with fragile finger she opens the door all the way. Again she could feel a cool breeze come from an open window. Darkness filled the room. With feet and hands she feels her way to the vanity. Long match sticks still lay, from earlier, on top of the desk. With one quick swipe the stick come a flame. Taking the top from the lantern, she lights it, laminating the room. Placing the glass top back down and blowing out the match she turns around.
With a grate surprise, she finds her self not alone. Sara’s throat clench with in itself and her breath becomes still. Unable to scream, her nails claws the vanity behind her. With in a chair a man sits. Looking at him and the way he was dress, there was no way he could be a thief of some sort. With his looks and the way he just simply sat, she could tell that he was a well bread man. One with money and was the kind to make sure those around knew it. With in the palm of his hands was a cain with pure silver tips. Dark brown hair, with a few wisps of white strands was nicely combed back. Hazel green eyes were entrancing to look at.
“ I have a proposition to make to you dear lady.” he says with a deep calming voice. Stunned, Sara blinks a few times to make sure that she wasn’t dreaming. Slowly she says, “ Who are you and why are you in my room sir?” Waiting for an answer but there was none given. With no answer Sara speaks again, “ Please, leave my room. If you want to speak with me, you may ask for a moment of my time with the gentleman that I am with.”
Silence was still in the air. A few seconds later he speaks, “ I need not to ask for any thing dear lady. Would you like to know the proposition?” he says with that calming and almost intriguing voice. “ Leave or I will scream!” Sara says bravely. “ Go, scream my dear.” with that in a blink of an eye he disappears before her . Looking about, Sara takes a step closer to the chair.
She feels a strong hand on her shoulder, “ Some one will come in and I’ll be gone before they even get here.” his lips tells Sara, close to her ear.
“ Why do I know you?” she says to the mystery man behind her. Sara can feel her heart begin to race as his hands run down the length of her arms. Slowly they go to the center of her stomach. Pulling her in closer to him. Her breathing picks up, as her blood fiercely run threw her veins. Warmth of a sensation envelopes her entire body. A feeling that she had never felt before.
“Here is my proposition to you my dear. I will be taking you away from here. Come with me Sara.” he says to her.
For a second she felt as though her body could go completely limp with in his arms. The feeling of his touch and voice sent shivers up her spine. Realizing that he was about to take her some where unknown, she shakes her head from the spell that he seem to be casting on her.
“ No! No, I will not go with you.” abruptly Sara says to him while pulling from his grasp. Turning to him she looks into his eyes. “ I will ask one more time sir. Leave my room now!” putting a strong humph to her words.
“ If this his how you wish it to be darling...Then it shall be this way.” he tells Sara while stepping closer to her. Heart racing again with in her breast. Feeling as though it could pound right out of the place that it sits. Arms wrap around her waist. His lips comes close to hers but does not touch. Lingering before her, she begins to have a strong feeling to want to taste him.
“ I’m sorry dear that it has to be this way.” softly he speaks. Softness touches her lips. Her eyes go close. Blackness encases her vision and mind.
“ Sara! Sara!” she hears a voice but not the voice of her husband. Shaking her mind from the day dream she looks at who it was calling to her. Smiling at Al, “ I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“ Is this where the door is suppose to be.” he asks his queen.
Sara looks at the mound of sand with a small opening to it. “ Yes, if you just swipe away the sand around the opening you’ll see the symbols.” she says to him while retrieving a sharp blade from the inside of her cloak. “ Al step away from the door once your done clearing the sand. I’m not sure what will happen once I place the blood into the symbols.” Sara tells him while walking closer to the arch way.
Nodding his head after swiping away the last bit of sand. He watches his best friend walk up to the door way, “ My queen that will take a lot of blood. Are you sure you will be able to give so much and be okay with in.” he says stepping closer to her.
Whipping her head around, “ Al I told you not to come close.” turning her head back to her object of desire.
Placing the blade across her wrist, Sara presses hard into the skin. Like butter the knife cuts deep. Blood runs down the blade and onto the other wrist. She allows to soak up her blood. Every thirteen different symbol of a forgotten language. In a time when letter had no meaning.
With the last letter Sara falls down to her knee. Weak from the lost of blood. Taking more then she had thought. Down on her knees her head bows. Blond curls dangle by her face. Covering the tear stain cheeks. It didn’t hurt to slice her wrist open. A fear crept up. A fear of not knowing if what she’s about to do will work. Fear, that she may never find the love of her life. The light that brings her the most joy.
Quickly from behind Sara feels Al’s hands on her. “ My queen, my friend, please let me help you.” he begs her.
Shaking her head, “ No!”
For the first time he disobeys a direct order. Bitting into his wrist, he allows the blood to drip before her face. Shaking her head again, “ No!” Sara angrily snaps.
With a sigh he says to her, “ I’m sorry Sara.” pulls back her head. Forcing his wrist to her lips. Knowing with just a taste that she won’t be able to resist.
As he had thought Sara laches onto the open wound. Drinking the value of ones life. Feeling the precious liquid flow down her throat. Craving and needing every drop. Not wanting to let go. Sara did not stop drinking until she saw her friend drop to his knees. Pulling herself from him.
“ Oh, God Al! I’m so sorry” she scream in panic. With a smile, Al looks up at her, “I’ll be okay. Finish the job.” With that Sara helps him to a safe place from the door way.
With an old tong she begins to chant. Allowing the chant to blend into English. I am her to day to state that I am looking for my love. For love is my reason to call upon the door way to enter into what is beyond.
With a flash of bright light the symbols vibrate brightly one at a time. Getting to the top most, the entrance becomes as black as night. Turning to Al Sara speaks, “ I will be back. I promise. Make sure things are in order. Prepare for the worst and the best my friend.” Seeing a nod from Al.
Sara steps threw the door way.
