The King and The Deliverer

Chapter 1

"Take me to your home woman."

"Yes my lord."

Her heart was pounding rapidly the whole time she led him over to the clay hovel she lived in. Upon arriving he dismissed his soldiers and entered her home.

"What is it you wish of me great pharaoh?" Her voice was laced with nothing but fear. This pleased Precht greatly. He enjoyed the sight of a someone apprehensive and frightened. It made him feel like a true deity.

"Undress for me." He said.

When he spoke those words Levy became more afraid than ever.

"Oh no sire." She pleaded. "I beg of you. Please do not ask that of me. Ask anything of me but that."

He struck down the terrified slave woman without any pity.

"I asked you nothing! I commanded you! Be silent and do as your told!" He snapped. "I am pharaoh! You are a slave! You will do as I wish when I wish it!"

He climbed over top of her fallen body and started tearing at her ragged clothes. Tears ran down her eyes when she believed that this horrible act could not be prevented. Although her tears were not for herself, they were for her husband whom she felt would be betrayed once Precht had his way with her.

She was married to Gajeel a Hebrew slave like herself who spent most of his days building the temples and monuments. His entire body bore countless scars from the many lashings he received over the years. This was because his master secretly envied him. Envied for not being like other slaves or rather how his master believed other slaves should be. He thought that he should be weak, puny, uneducated, in other words useless for anything besides hard labor. But Gajeel was strong, educated, and very witty. Both he and his wife were extremely clever and intelligent. They could understand more than one language and they knew of things that were completely foreign to Egyptians. Sadly it was because of their intelligence that he was mistreated so much worse than usual.

He endured so much abuse and obeyed every command without objection. He knew it was the only way to stay alive in this world. But pain has a way of building up sometimes and his just kept building and building until it could be contained no more and it was released as soon as Gajeel glanced over to the window of his hut and saw what Precht was doing to his wife.

Now there was only one thing in this world that kept Gajeel living. One thing that could make him happy in this God forsaken life he was forced into. One thing that kept him from just acting out and letting the soldiers kill him for it. That one thing was Levy. She was the love of his life and the only goodness he had ever known. He cared for her, devoted himself to her, went out of his way to make her smile if it was possible. There never was a husband in Egypt who loved his wife more than Gajeel loved Levy. So when his eyes beheld the sight of Precht attempting to violate her his inner rage finally broke forth.

The wicked pharaoh had just began to make a grab for her breast when Gajeel came charging in like a mad bull. He jerked Precht off of Levy, threw him to the ground as hard as he could, and proceeded to beat him in the face as many times as he could.

"Gajeel no!" Levy cried.

But he ignored her cries. He was too blinded by rage. Precht never thought a slave could have so much strength and fury. His attempts to stop him were futile and he might have ended up beaten to death if the soldiers did not hear him call. They restrained Gajeel and helped the pharaoh to his feet, his entire face battered and his eye so swollen, black, and bleeding. He had been beaten by a slave. Him the great pharaoh beaten by a common slave.

"You dare attack pharaoh!" He snarled. "Your ruler! Your master! The one who reigns over all! The morning and evening star!"

"I don't care who you are!" Gajeel roared. "If you ever put your damn hands on my wife again I'll kill you!"

"Guards! Take his head!"

"No!" Levy threw herself at Precht's feet in desperation. "Please great one, spare my husband! Can you not understand why he lashed out against you? How angry and hurt he felt."

"The feelings and well being of a slave are nothing to me! He has disgraced me! Humiliated me! And I shall not be undermined by anyone!"

"Oh please! He meant no offense! It was an act of love! He only did what he did for me! Because he loves me so much! Have mercy on a loving husband who only wanted to defend his wife!"

He was just about to strike her down again when an idea came into his twisted mind. One that made him think of far more dreadful way to punish the Hebrew who had dared challenged him.

"Well an act of love brings a whole new meaning to this." He said. "You say that you are married yes?"

"Yes sire." Levy answered.

"And you both appear quite young. Any children? After all if you two are as deeply in love as you say then naturally children are to come of it."

"We have no children to speak of yet but we are hopeful."

Precht turned to face Gajeel.

"Very well. The penalty for your insubordination will not be death. Death would be too merciful for one who humiliates pharaoh."

"Is that so?" Gajeel asked. "Then what exactly do you have in mind?"

"By disgracing me you have disgraced the mighty and powerful Ra. For I am messenger and favored servant to all the Gods. Your punishment is that you must appease them with a sacrifice."

"What sacrifice? I have no cattle and no sheep. I own nothing that could be considered sacrificial."

"Not yet." He chuckled sinisterly. "But you will. In time you will."

"What are you talking about?"

"To make up for your disrespect, the sacrifice you make to Ra shall be your first born child."

Gajeel and Levy's faces were overwhelmed with horror at hearing this.

"No." He said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Please no!" Levy begged.

"I'd rather you kill me!"

"That's the point." Precht sneered.

"I won't do it!"

"Then I shall do it myself! If you and your wife have a child then my men shall take it from you and give it to me to do with as I please!"

"I won't let you!"

"If you fight my men they will simply kill you and take the child! Either way your first child is mine and there is nothing you can do to stop me from taking it!"

Levy begged and pleaded for the pharaoh to reconsider but he refused. The couple then decided to never again lie with each other. Unfortunately and unbeknownst to them at the time, Gajeel had successfully planted his seed a week before the incident and when Levy did not bleed for two months they realized that she was with child.