Belly dancer girl? Ah, yes, what did Rick's wild years before Evie birth? A girl whose being ends Imotep's line. But what did Imotep's son do to deserve to be cursed in the first place? Just don't anger the gods, whatever you do...

(I admit it, I'm horrible with summaries... just read it.)

My first Mummy fanfic... but my second fanfic total. I hope this one is good! Please review so I know what your thoughts are. I could use your input! Not to mention I live off of them!
Ancient Egypt

There is an ancient custom, carried on by centuries of pharaohs, to seek wisdom from the gods themselves to keep them pleased. The priests and priestesses that took care of the temples and the people that came were said to be gifted in hearing from the gods, but not nearly as gifted as one, a priestess of the goddess Isis. She heard from all the gods, she only represented Isis because of a mysterious mark on her body, taken as a symbol of the goddess.

But elsewhere in Egypt, at the exact same time she was born, down to the second, was born a forbidden child out of a forbidden love. Pharaoh raised his newborn child above his head, proud that his beloved Anck-su-namun had given him a son. At last, an heir to his throne.

"Please, my love," Anck-su-namun muttered between labored breaths as she struggled from the loss of strength the birth had caused. "Name the boy Osiris, to please the gods."

Pharaoh looked at her, wondering why. "We shall consult the gods," he decided. "Imhotep!"

A priest stepped out from the shadows in a small bow. "Yes, my king?"

"Consult the gods and find us a name for my son to please them," he ordered and set the boy with his mother so he could breastfeed.

"Sire, I must look over the child and the mother alone to receive divine council. The gods will speak to me..." Imhotep told Pharaoh with a bow.

Pharaoh nodded and clapped. His guards started waving the people out of the room. Imhotep stood at the doors, watching everyone leave, and finally bowed before the Pharaoh as he left. "I will lock the doors to keep this room closed off from any evil spirits during the conversing with the gods. This will also please them, to know the room is still pure."

Pharaoh nodded, pleased, and left, adding over his shoulder, "Come to me as soon as they have spoken."

Again, Imhotep bowed and closed the huge doors, locking them. He waited a while, standing with his hands on the doors, and the child suckled his mother. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He rushed over to the couch on which Anck-su-namun lay.

"Anck-su-namun," Imhotep whispered, falling on his knees beside her, brushing her hair back. He looked near to tears at the boy in her arms and kissed the baby's head. "He is beautiful, just like his mother."

She grinned with joy and kissed Imhotep's cheek. "You gave me him, my love," she whispered softly in his ear and laid back, exhausted. "I thank the gods for this gift."

"Do you want to name the child Osiris?" he whispered, looking into her eyes.

She closed her eyes with a small nod. "Thank you, my love," was all she said right before falling fast asleep.

Imhotep picked up the baby, now sleeping as well. He cradled Osiris in his arms carefully and smiled down at his tiny sleeping figure. "My son, I foresee you will do great things to make me proud."

So the boy grew, taught by the greatest tutors, and absorbed everything he was taught. He shadowed Pharaoh, learning how he dealt with slaves, servants, and the country, the country he would one day rule himself. On the day he came of age, he was told by Anck-su-namun who his real father was. It did not surprise him, after all, he often heard of Imhotep and his mother meeting secretly. When a boy is given free reign of every palace and everything in it, you picked up the secrets that were hidden in the dark.

It didn't matter to him. Osiris liked Imhotep and spent many hours with him, for Imhotep had told Pharaoh that the gods demanded Pharaoh's son also be taught by the High Priest. And what Imhotep taught fascinated Osiris far more than anything Pharaoh had ever showed him. Pharaoh taught ruling, which Osiris thought was too easy to waste time paying attention, while Imhotep taught the boy about deep, dark things, things taught out of the Book of the Living and the Book of the Dead.

Still, once he came of age, he also started to follow Pharaoh into more private affairs, such as political matters. A few assasination plans were uprooted and the men beheaded. But one such matter changed Osiris's life forever: visiting the priestess of Isis.

Pharaoh decided to speak to his son about the priestess as they walked the maze of the temple to get to the well-hidden sanctuary of the priestess. "Osiris, you have not yet seen the priestess before, so you do not yet know the customs."

"Father, I've seen priests and priestesses before," Osiris said with a roll of his eyes, already bored by his father's lecture.

Pharaoh stopped. "Don't be a fool, my son." Osiris had half a mind to tell off Pharaoh right then, yell at him that he wasn't his son. But he held his tongue for the sake of Imhotep, his favorite person. "You must simply state what you want to know and then you must remain completely still and quiet. Listen to what's going on around you. And in no way are you allowed to cross into the circle in which she stands, nor can you touch her."

The teenager rolled his eyes again. Why would he want to touch her or step into a stupid circle? He just couldn't wait to get this over with, so he could get back to the palace and give one of the slave or servant girls a... hard time. If it wasn't for the throne, he wouldn't be there right now. So, he shut up and followed his father into a dim, smoky room, with a doorway across from where they entered, with the sun shining into it, making the figure that sat in the center of the room look like a shadow.

"Pharaoh," said a soft, almost mystical voice. It must have come from the figure. "And the son... of Anck-su-namun."

"Priestess of Isis, I seek guidance! Consult every god that will hear you. I wish to know the future of my line, the future of my son."

Osiris was strangely entranced by the priestess. She was so mysterious and so... He looked down at the floor. There was an outlined circle, where his father had told him not to go. But he wanted to. He wanted to see her, what she looked like, not the shadow from the sun.

The priestess began to dance in the light, slowing and speeding up, spinning and stopping. But then the dance would be resumed again and she would continue for a while more. But then, she came to a final halt.

"I see you have no son..."

"My son dies!" Pharaoh cried out and put an arm around Osiris, hugging him to his chest.

Osiris glared at the priestess. She was going to ruin everything! His throne was at stake here. If he wasn't the son of pharaoh, he didn't get to become pharaoh! Not to mention he'd have to go and warn his Anck-su-namun and Imhotep, taking time away from his night. Before she could say anything more, he quickly asked, "Priestess, how do I die?"

"Your rule will begin between dawn and midday in your life, while your death will come as the sun hangs over head..."

If he really cared, he would have cursed the riddles, but he didn't care anyway. Pharaoh had heard something to change the conversation back to himself. "Priestess, my death comes soon?"

"You will die by the hand of the one mistaken to be of the gods," she told him simply and sat down where she stood. Their session was over.

Pharaoh rushed from the room, followed by Osiris. Obviously, Pharaoh had gotten something from all of this, while Osiris felt like they had just wasted a perfectly good afternoon. She had come so close to telling Pharaoh about them. But still... he wanted to see that priestess, see her face, see who she was.

Later than night, Osiris returned to the temple, following the same winding path that he had taken with Pharaoh earlier that day. Once he reached the doorway, he stalked in the shadows, into the room. This time, instead of by the light of the sun, the room was decorated by the hundreds of candle lights, casting shadows on the wall with their flickers.

The priestess was lighting a few other candles, the thin linen that barely covered her body sweeping the floor as she moved. She was graceful and light, even in her simplest, daily moves. Suddenly a thunder clap exploded outside and she looked up, out the doorway that would let the sun in. The soft sound of rain began, and then it became heavier.

Osiris lifted his foot to step forward but was halted by a simple phrase.

"What is it that you want, young Osiris?"

"Everything," he replied coolly, and walked forward. He paused when he came to the line of her circle.

She turned and looked at him, and he saw what the sun hid. A sweet face, exotic looking. Black hair, thick and curled, framing her face. But what really made her unique was her eyes. They were green, with an small hint of the outline of orange around her pupils.

The priestess was young, his age. But on her arm was something he had never seen before. He could see it through the linen that covered her arm. There was some sort of mark there.

Osiris didn't guess what it was. He was going to see it for himself.

"Do not cross the line, Osiris, as your parents have," she warned. "For your own good, do not commit such a crime against the gods!"

He sneered at her and stepped over the line, entering into the circle. The priestess gasped and backed herself into the wall as he advanced. He reached out for her arm, lifting the linen. On her arm was a huge birthmark, in the shape of...

"Guards!" she screamed, shoving him against the wall as she pushed to get away. He grabbed at her arm to catch her, but instead grabbed ahold of the linen, pulling it off her body.

She stumbled and fell, and her arms went to cover herself. Osiris towered over her and grabbed her arms, pulling her to her feet. The look of terror in her eyes was more enticing, more delicious than anything he had seen from the slave or servant girls.

"You will be cursed for this, Osiris!" she warned again, struggling to get away, but he was too strong. He threw her against the wall and held her hands above her head, pressing against her.

"For your own good, priestess, you will keep your mouth shut," he whispered into her ear and ran a hand down her neck and body. He looked down and with an evil grin, looked into her face, into her eyes. "I promise you, I will be back."

The next chapter will be consistent with the movies. They always start with a brief prologue with some Egyptian story, and then start up with Rick and Evie, relating it back to the beginning.

But... I have a problem. Getting into the action is easy, but the filler, the openning is always more difficult for me. I'm having a tough time writing it without looking at it in disgust. So, I need an editor for chapter 2... I believe I've seen them called a "Beta" writer? I'm not sure -blush- So, if I could have someone help me out by volunteering for the position, then as soon as it is done, I will email the chapter to you and you can look it over, yay or nay whatever, and then I can post it.

So, see you next chapter. I'm already close to finishing it, so read and review... what you can, anyway.

-Kat-