Disclaimer: I do not own "Aida" or any of the character in it

Night had come to the Egyptian desert. Everywhere people and creatures alike were settling down and awaiting the bright arrival of a brand new day, sure to be full with promises of hope and life. However, two people inparticular did not have that good fortune. Aida lay in a secluded cell of the palace dungeon, unable to sleep. She had no hope for the coming day, for tomorrow she would be slain, her beloved Radames with her.

The full moon gently cat delicate beams of light through a sole window of the otherwise dark cell. Through it's light, she could Radames's still form at the opposite end of the enclosure. Aida groaned slightly and shifted so she could get a better view of him. "Radames?" she called softly. "Radames, can you hear me?" When no reply came, she turned her back in his direction and resumed her sleeping position.

As she lay there, Aida pondered the events of the previous week. It had all happened so fast. One day, she was captured as a slave, the next discovering her love for the enemy captain and the next, arrested with him for treason and sentenced to death by live burial. Amneris had done all she could. She could not save them from their fate, but she had managed to convince her father to allow Aida to at least be with Radames so she would not have to face death alone.

The thought of him caused Aida to once again cast a glance across the cell. Radames had not moved an inch. Aida sighed and turned back again to face the wall. The ground was very hard and quite uncomfortable for sleeping. Still she had no choice. Using her arms as a pillow to the best of her ability, she lay for some time before the sleep was merciful enough to consume her.

The sound of loud snoring woke Radames from his peaceful slumber. Still groggy, he rolled onto his back before yawning heavily. he stretched and it was only when a searing pain shot through his side that he realized that he was not in the comforts of his chambers in the palace. Instead he was in the dungeon of the same palace and was awaiting his death as well as Aida's that would come with the morning sun.

Aida! Radames shot up to a sitting position and frantically searched the cell for the women he loved. It finally came upon a sleeping form at the opposite end of the cell. Relief washed over him as he closed his eyes and sank down to the floor once again, leaning against the wall for support. How could he have done this to her? he should have forced her to leave with her father the moment he had arrived at the docks. Instead he had made her confess the truth of her identity, causing a delay. It was because of his foolishness that they would both die, come the dawn.

His thoughts were interrupted once again by the irritating snores. Radames cracked one eye open in the attempt to find it's source. When he did, both eyes flew open. The irritant came from the guard of their cell. A large man about the age of thirty-five, he was leaning against the prison wall, mouth agape, and breathing heavily. He was fast asleep instead of doing his assigned job of guarding the prisoners until morning.

This glimmer of hope seemed to renew Radames's strength and he all but ran across the cell to where Aida lay sleeping. he softly called her name and nudged her gently until she gave a soft moan, rolled to face him and slowly opened her eyes. When she say him, she gave a tired smile and allowed him to help her sit up, as she was quite stiff from the hard dirt floor. Radames took a seat across from her, only to notice her head slumped against her shoulder in sleep.

Aida could hear someone calling her from what sounded like a long way off. The next thing she knew, she was being shaken and she could identify the voice as Radames. She opened her eyes to find him staring intently at her. AS soon as he saw that she was awake, he stood and offered his hand. "Come," he said. "We don't have much time." "Radames, what's going on ?" she asked as she took his offered hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. Radames released her hand and smiled. "Our escape."

Aida rubbed her tired eyes and blinked several times. "I'm sorry, Radames." she said. "I must still be dreaming. I could have sworn you said that we were escaping." "I did." he replied without turning around. "Look on the ground outside of the door." Still not fully sure what was happening, Aida did as she was told.

Squinting against the darkness, she soon saw what he had meant. Reflecting off the moonlight where the keys to the cell and the prison door. They lay under the guard's chair where he still sat, fast asleep. A voice behind her replied "Found one," followed by a rustling sound. She turned to see Radames holding a large branch and moved to the side so he could gain easy access to the bottom of the door.

It took several attempts, but Radames finally managed to hook the ring onto the end of the branch. He drew it back to him with great ease, careful not to let the keys slide off of the end. Aida had to stifle her shrieks of joy in order not to awaken the guard when Radames finally held the object of their freedom in his hand. He turned and gave her a slight wink before turning his attention to the lock on the prison door.

Just as Radames was about to unlock the door, Aida placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "Radames, wait!" she whispered. Radames stopped midway and turned to face her, awaiting her explanation as to why she had stopped him. She let out a long breath and continued. "What about when they discover that we are missing!? Won't they come looking for us!? I don't want to be running away forever. Radames, I would rather die tomorrow than live the rest of my life in fear!" Aida was close to tears at this point, the only time Radames had ever seen her cry. Yes, she was strong, but even strong people have a breaking point. He said nothing, but moved to take her into his embrace. For a few precious moments, she was comforted by the feeling of his arms around her as she spilled out her sorrow. Radames pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head and pulled her closer. When he felt her relax after a few moments, he drew back from her and wiped away the remainder of the tears from her eyes.

"Listen to me, Aida." he commanded softly. Aida raised her head to meet his gaze before he continued. "As long as I live, no harm will come to you, even if I must be the one to pay the price. He let go of her then to retrieve the keys from where they had fallen to the ground. "As for looking for us, it is not likely. Most are cowards to go before Pharaoh and risk being severely punished for negligence." This seemed to reassure Aida and she quickly went to his side as he fumbled with the keys, trying to find the one that would lead to their liberty. When he found the one he seeked, he turned and smiled at her. "Ready?" he asked. She sighed, nodded and watched as he inserted the key into the hole and turned it.

The sound of the door being unlocked was much louder than expected and started the couple. Afraid that they had woken the guard, they both shrank back into the shadows of the cell. Fortunately for them, the noise seemed to do little to bother the man. Oblivious to the whole situation, he gave a loud grunt and shifted to the side. Cautiously, Radames moved forward and opened the door as quietly as possible. Every creak seemed to echo throughout the whole place, but never once did the guard even move. When the door seemed to be open wide enough, he took Aida's hand in his and the two slipped silently out of the dungeon. After running for some distance, they collapsed on the cool sand of the desert. They were finally free. Free to live. Free to love.

Aida closed her eyes and allowed herself to be gently caressed by the cool night air. Never in her life had she experienced this type of joy. She had never been this happy to be alive. She rolled onto her side and opened her eyes to find Radames smiling at her. He brushed back a stray piece of hair that had fallen in front of her face and then stated what they both already knew. "We are free." Aida nodded in agreement, knowing the double meaning of his words. "We are indeed." she replied, squeezing his hand. After a few moments, they rose to their feet and dusted themselves off, knowing they had far to go.

Radames fell in step beside her as they walked. "Do you know what else this means?" he asked. Aida looked at him in confusion. Radames only smiled. "There'll be no times of time and space to bind us..." he sang softly. Aida's countenance shown with understanding as she answered. "...And no horizon we shall not pursue..." Radames took her face in his hands before joining her in the last stanza. "....We'll leave the worlds misfortunes far behind us and put my faith and trust in you." they finished together. Radames drew her to him then, and softly kissed her. When he drew back, he took her hand in his and they began their journey into freedom and a new life together, not forgetting the potential danger, nor fearing it either.

.........The next morning......

The bright rays of the morning sun shone through the same sole window as the moon the previous night. The guard still slept until someone kicked the chair from underneath. He awoke with a start after landing on the ground with a large thud. He shook himself out of his state and found himself in the piercing gaze of the prison foreman. He shank back in fear and cowered even more when his head officer saw what had happened. "What have you done!!?" he growled. The guard was in a complete state of oblivion to what was going on. When this showed, he followed the older man's line of vision until his gaze fell upon the empty cell. When he saw this, his face paled and he cursed low under his breath. When he returned his gaze back to his commander, it was no more understanding.

"You imbicil!!!!" he bellowed. "because of you negligence, the slave and captain have escaped! How?" When no answer came, they officer paced for a few moments before turning back to the guard, his face calmer. "I will not punish you on one condition." he told him. The relief was evident of the guard's face. "Anything." he murmured. The foreman looked him straight in the eye when he spoke. "No one must ever know what has happened here. Not even the other soldiers. We will let everyone believe that they have died, as planned. Do you understand?" At the guard's nod, he continued. "If I ever hear one word about it, I will personally hunt you down and see to it that you will take their sentence for yourself. Am I clear?" The guard gulped and nodded. "Very well." the man said "Be gone with you." The frightened guard hurried off while the foreman stayed behind to close the door. How they managed to escape, he didn't know. However, one thing was for sure. No one could ever know the truth about what really happened to the couple and as far as he was concerned, no one ever would.