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Two women were gathering food for the local village. The girl with the dark brown hair was gathering corn while the girl with black hair was gathering strawberries.

“Did you hear? The pharaoh is coming. Not only that, but his son as well, and he’s looking for a suitor,” the black haired girl told her friend.

“Bennu, you know we’re never going to marry the pharaoh’s son. We don’t even know what he looks like,” the dark brown haired girl explained.

“I know, Ebony, but it doesn’t hurt to try,” Bennu reasoned.

Ebony just rolled her eyes. She could never reason with her romantic friend. Bennu always had a dream of marrying the pharaoh’s son, or at least the pharaoh himself. They both gathered the food in the basket and went to the village. They placed the food with the others and walked with the other women who are waiting to be the pharaoh’s son’s suitor. Ebony, however, could care less. She went to her family who was busy for the pharaoh’s arrival.

“Ebony, why aren’t you with the other girls? Don’t you want the pharaoh’s son to choose you?” her mother asked her.

“Mother, why would I want to be a queen? That’s not my dream,” Ebony explained.

“Well, don’t stay at home. Go do something if you’re not waiting for the pharaoh,” her mother said.

Ebony rolled her eyes and left the house. She went and did the chores she was supposed to do and sung herself a song.

“Ebony, they want you to help with the servants,” a man commanded her.

Ebony stood up and went over to the servant’s part of the place. This was her job. She couldn’t be with the pharaoh’s son. It was forbidden by law. They always choose the rich women. It always happened.

“Excuse me, my lord, can I get you anything?” Ebony asked the pharaoh. Or at least, she thought it was him.

“Not really,” he said.

The blond haired man sat on one of the rich sofas and looked over the window. Women everywhere were waiting for him, getting ready for which he was going to choose as his next bride. Truth was none of the girls seemed right for him.

“What’s wrong?” Ebony asked him.

She didn’t dare try to get close to him nor sit next to him.

“I don’t want to follow into my father’s footsteps. I want to be able to marry whom I want to marry, not some stranger I just met,” he explained.

Ebony never heard of the pharaoh’s son, much less the pharaoh, say anything like this before. She thought that this sounds very familiar.

“I know how that feels. It feels like you can get no freedom and be with someone you may hate. It just feels wrong,” Ebony said, still holding onto the tray.

The pharaoh’s son finally turned around to look at who he was talking to when he spotted a woman who was no older than twenty years old with dark brown hair with dark brown eyes with tanned skin from being in the sun. She was dirty and everything, but he thought she was beautiful either way. Ebony didn’t see a higher powered man. She only saw a handsome man with blond hair and crystal blue eyes. He was very tall and he seemed beautiful in her eyes.

“You never told me your name,” he stated.

“I’m Ebony. I don’t know your name, either. Except, of course, being called the pharaoh’s son,” Ebony said.

“I’m Darius. You are very beautiful,” Darius stated, moving closer to her.

Ebony just blushed. She has been called beautiful many times by certain men. In fact, she’s been asked by her father to be a bride. However, she always declines them. When Darius said it though, Ebony couldn’t help but be a little excited.

“I’m sure you’ve seen more beautiful girls before, though,” Ebony reasoned.

“I may have, but you’ve beaten them all,” Darius told her, leaning in more to her.

They were now so close to each other. Darius was going in for the kiss, so close that he just brushed her lips.

“Darius, its time to choose,” the pharaoh told his son.

Ebony and Darius quickly took a step back. The pharaoh took a good look at the servant girl in front of him.

“Ah, servant, I want some freshly picked grapes. Go on,” the pharaoh commanded.

Ebony bowed down to him and quickly went to go get the grapes. Darius didn’t like the way that his father treated her.

“You know, you could’ve said it a little kinder to her,” Darius told his father.

“Why ever would I do so? She’s a servant. Now, you’re going to choose your suitor soon. Have you looked at the women yet?” his father asked him.

Darius has, but they weren’t Ebony. He looked out the window again and saw the women gushing over him. He looked beyond them and saw Ebony picking grapes from a nearby food basket.

“Ebony, there you are. I was looking everywhere for you,” Bennu said.

“Sorry, I was busy. You know how it gets when the pharaoh comes to the village,” Ebony told her.

“I know. Let me serve the grapes to him. Maybe I’ll get a good look at his son,” Bennu seductively told her.

Ebony’s blood began to boil. She didn’t know why, though. It was a strange feeling to her. It was almost like envy.

“No, I won’t. The pharaoh told me to get it for him and I will. I will see you some other time,” Ebony confirmed angrily.

Ebony quickly went to the main temple where the pharaoh was and served him his grapes.

“Yes, I haven’t had these since forever. Tell me, servant, do you and your villagers pick them out?” the pharaoh asked her.

Ebony got a good look at him. He was much like his son, yes, but his eyes were much darker and more sinister.

“Yes, my lord. The ladies and I pick them out when they’re ready to harvest,” she told him.

“Excellent. It’s not everyday when a lady picks out harvest when they’re ready,” the pharaoh said, popping the grape in his mouth. “Oh, the picking is about to begin.”

Darius soon stepped out from the temple and made his way to the front. Many of the women threw themselves onto him. Many of the servants had to pull them away from him. Darius looked over to his father and saw Ebony holding out the grapes for him. Darius knew who he wanted to choose.

“So, have you found one?” his father asked.

Darius was silent for a moment. He looked at the other women, who were waving at him and giggling at him. He then looked at Ebony; her dark brown hair glittering in the sun while her tanned skin gleamed out at him.

“I have father. I want to marry this girl,” Darius proclaimed, grabbing onto Ebony’s small hand.

His father soon spit out the grapes in shock.

“I’m sorry, you want to marry a servant?” his father asked him.

“You said I could have any girl I want,” Darius stated.

“Yes, I said that, but I meant a wealthy girl. Not some servant. You!” the pharaoh pointed to Ebony, who was in shock, looked up at him. “You did some sort of witchcraft on my son, didn’t you?”

“What? No, my lord. I am not a witch,” Ebony told him.

“Lies! Burn the witch by sundown!” the pharaoh presented.

Everybody cheered at once. Ebony looked around for help. She even saw Bennu cheering as well. Darius went over to his father.

“Father, she’s not a witch. She didn’t do anything,” Darius argued.

“Nonsense. It is clear that she did do something and now she must be burned. Take the witch to the dungeons. She’ll be burned tomorrow,” the pharaoh commanded.

The guards took Ebony away from her, but Darius was trying to get to her. They both were. His father just pulled him back while Ebony has struggling to get free from the guard’s grasp. It wasn’t working for her. They were all too strong. Ebony took one last look at Darius before he was out of sight.

***

Ebony was alone and scared in an empty cell. Nobody was in there with her in her cell. She heard someone coming down the cold steps, but she didn’t even look up. She was miserable and wanted to die already.

“Ebony?” someone called out. Ebony knew that voice.

“Darius?” Ebony called.

Darius looked at where the voice came from. He saw her sitting on the dirty floor, looking miserable as ever. He quickly went toward her and opened the cell and went toward her. Darius and Ebony hugged, while she cried on his sleeve. He tried his best to try and soothe her.

“I don’t want to die,” she choked out.

“I’m not going to let them hurt you,” he promised her.

She just kept crying on his shoulder. Darius held her closely to him and kept kissing her forehead softly.

“What is this?” a voice asked angrily.

They both looked at who the voice was when they found out that it was Darius’s father. Darius just held onto Ebony tightly to him, who had tear streaks on her cheeks.

“Father, I can’t let you burn her. I love her,” he proclaimed to her.

The pharaoh held onto a knife and walked slowly toward them. Ebony saw the knife and pointed it out to him.

“Father, you wouldn’t kill your own son, would you?” Darius questioned.

“I have no son,” he confirmed, swinging the knife down.

Ebony cried out when he aimed the knife on his back. Tears started to leak through her eyes. The pharaoh took the knife out from his son’s back and stabbed her through her stomach. Soon after, they left. Darius and Ebony only held onto each other for a lot longer.

“Ebony, I want our souls to travel through time and to find each other again. I want us to keep living together and not end up dying. That’s what I want from us,” Darius commanded.

“It’s impossible. What if we don’t reunite?” Ebony asked him, short of breath.

“We will. I can guarantee that much,” he promised her.

That was the last words before Darius and Ebony died in each others arms. The funny part was, they did meet again… in Greece a few years later.