It was a tortuous experience to wait behind those silk curtains. My parents were doing their usual speech about our diplomatic relations with the kingdom of Canaan, known for their cedars wood and the discovery of a new beautiful color by Princess Melqart of Tyre. Melqart and I were close friends since youth, and my parents love her so much that she will be the one to present me as the future queen of Stellara.
“- Iahe?
- Yes Melqart?
- I would like to say that I'm very happy to have met someone like you. And to thank you for it, I would like to give you a gift. I want you to wear it right now.”
She went to a satchel she brought and pulled out a purple silky scarf. I couldn't help but hug her.
“- Melqart it's... it's beautiful! 
- You deserve more than that scarf. This is also my early gift for your fertility ritual.”
If Melqart was the one who made me forget my anxiety, she was also the one who reminded me of it.
A fertility ritual is a ritual in which priests gather around me and pray for my future kids to be healthy and wise. It is also the one I lose my purity to my cousin and future consort Shezmu, a ritual that will have to last all rest time —symbolizing creation of light in darkness. I'll have to give it away in front of watching priests, especially head priest Qetesh, our guide in what will be our life after the ritual. I wouldn't say that I'm embarrassed, but I believed since I was young that those steps should be private… which is why I still have those hidden scars on my back no one but princess Melqart knew about, a punishment from father. Then, after knowing about my arranged bonding with Shezmu —cousin and childhood friend,— I talked to father about the dangers of having a baby with diseases since we were related… which earned me more scars for questioning our beliefs. But as for tonight, it will be no longer a secret.
“- Iahe.
- What is it Melqart?
- It's time.”
...
My coronation day would be one I would never forget. After stepping out, all I heard were people cheering for me. I enounced my promises and my future works as a queen, all of it while wearing a beautiful white silk dress embroided with sapphire.
Usually, women walk with little cloth to hide their body, sometimes none (only in the case of women looking for disgusting lustful men). I only agreed to show my belly but hide my back with a cape, and wanted women to wear more clothes, which almost earned me more scars only if mother didn't convince father to consider it as modesty, a quality searched for in great queens.
And then Shezmu came and escorted me to the ritual room. He didn't speak anything but a compliment about my scarf, and it was relieving. Normally Shezmu would look at me with such innocent smiling eyes that I would think he was a cute child, but today… all glint of innocence was gone. Was he nervous?
We arrived. We greeted the priests and started
“To my Godess Nut I bow tonight and fulfill Her demands.”
“To my God Geb I bow tonight and fulfill His demands.”
We got guided to the altar where everything will happen. Once we're there, there's no stepping back. I looked once more at Shezmu to calm myself with his innocent eyes. But, again, no trace of it.
I laid down on the altar, then Shezmu climbed on top of me. All I heard other than my racing heart was priest Qetesh's “Begin.”
And that's what we did.
Shezmu started kissing me slowly, and I couldn't help but wrap my hands around his neck and into his brown hair. This ritual would have to be slow to show the affection and patience for our mate.
But Shezmu didn't care.
All of a sudden, his kisses turned too fierce and moved to my neck. His strong hand started climbing my leg up to my long skirt then unbuckled it. He started hurting me but he didn't notice, too busy with his… LUST!
I looked at the priests and, panicking, found them moving around. But no, they weren't calm. They were trying to stop us, but an invisible wall was separating them from the altar, the wall that bans anyone from trying to stop the ritual, unless you're inside it. But it wouldn't matter because arrows were shot at the priests, instantly killing them. I will never forget our dear priest Qetesh's blank face when she got shot straight through her heart, falling lifeless but gracefully. They were shot by what I recognized later as Canaanian soldiers. As for me, I couldn't move.
My body felt numb and as I tried to scream, my breath got caught... I was charmed. As if my realization was clear on my face, Shezmu looked at my scarf and smiled devilishly. And then I knew.
I got tricked. By my cousin… and by Melqart.