Eventually her exhaustion won the battle and she had no other choice but to climb on the bed, even if she would get punished for it. When she finally rested against the pillow and listened to the quiet sound of raindrops against the window, Sajedene felt at peace. It didn't take long for her to fall into a deep sleep, despite the environment she was in.<br/><br/>She slept very long, which was nothing new to her. When meeting Maleiek during the night, she eventually slept through the entire day, much to the annoyance of her father. Hours later, however, she felt the first rays of sunlight on her face and was slowly awakened from her slumber. After so much sleep, she wasn't quite aware of her surroundings, nor did she immediately recall what had happened. The only thing she knew was that beside her another person was sleeping. She could feel his breath against her neck and his arms around her, which could only mean one thing: Maleiek. A slight smile touched her sleepy face and with her eyes still closed she reached for his hand and slipped her fingers between his in a rather loving manner. The sunlight was nice and warm against her skin and she was inspired to speak to him:<br/><br/>"I wish we could stay this way forever." Sajedene spoke, her voice soft from sleep. "Just you and me. I dread those moments when we have to part ways, when I have to return to my father who's obsessed with this god forsaken war." She took a deep breath and smiled once more. "I'd rather run away with you and never look back."<br/><br/>For a moment she fell quiet. And then, when there was no answer, she slowly opened her eyes and squinted in the sunlight. Something was different. She couldn't smell the overpowering stench of hay, nor hear the horses further away. In fact, she soon realized that whatever she was lying on was far too comfortable to be that hay stack she usually slept on with Maleiek. It was far too soft, the place smelled too clean and it was quiet. Suddenly she was wide awake as the realization hit her and she sat up quickly, her mind putting together the pieces from last night and the past four days. The battle, the village, Maleiek and... the Emperor. Her jaw clenched at the thought of Daishoga and as she turned to look to her other side to see who was sleeping with her, she nearly jumped out of bed. This time, however, she managed to contain herself. He seemed to be still asleep.<br/><br/>Had he slept with her all this time? How embarrassing of her to think he had been Maleiek instead! Sajedene sat there next to him, doing everything to keep herself calm. She would hate to do something stupid again, like smack him. Oh, how foolish she had been! Thankfully, it seemed lie he wasn't angry with her. Now that he was sleeping, he looked particularly serene and she couldn't help but to become mesmerized by him. Sajedene hesitated for a moment, but eventually lay back down next to him in order to get a closer look at his face. He was incredibly handsome. She hadn't really paid attention to it yesterday, when her priority had been survival and not anger him. It wasn't that her priorities had changed either, but since he was now sleeping and unaware, she was given the freedom to look at him all she wanted and admire him. She hated herself for being so captivated by his looks, especially since it had been four days since the death of Maleiek. But the more she saw of him, the more she listened to him, the more she realized she was beginning to see the faults in her affair with the farmer's son.<br/><br/>Perhaps he had been a bit too rough around the edges, just like Sajedene. It was dangerous to be too similar to the one's lover. Sajedene was fire and so was Maleiek. When they had got to together, they burned everything they came across, but also hurt each other. The brighter their flames were, the more vicious they had been to one another. Their many arguments had been as fiery and passionate as their lovemaking, which, now that she thought about it, didn't seem like a relationship that had much for a future. What then if they had managed to run away after all? Maybe in the end their similarities would have torn them apart in the most painful of manners. In situations like that, they both dealt in absolutes: either one of them yielded or it was the end of their relationship. And she had usually been the one to yield.<br/><br/>These thoughts made her increasingly more nervous. She hated doubting herself, but after meeting the Emperor, she couldn't help it. Something was changing when it came to Maleiek and she would be lying if she said it didn't scare her one bit.