Disclaimer: I own nothing save my OC's minor or major, doesn't matter, they are mine.
A/N: Hey, this is my first attempt at a fan fiction. Please R&R, be brutally honest, I can take it, promise. I hope you like it. (Please remember to Read & Review so I know if I'm doing anything well or not!)
Long ago, in the wondrous land of Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs, there was one woman who stood out among the rest. A woman by the name of Semati…
"Your highness," a servant called out. The young man is in search of his Queen, her presence requested earlier by a High Priest. And, although it isn't his place, the man can't help but wonder what the Priest needs to speak to the Queen about. Often time's matters are discussed with the Pharaoh and the Queen has seemed somewhat off as of late. Perhaps the Priest in question is simply concerned about how the Queen is faring in this land so distant from her home.
Once more the servant called out to the Queen. He continued down the outdoor walkway towards one of the courtyards and finally stopped. His eyes fell upon the woman he'd been in search of. The foreign beauty of her royal majesty never ceased to capture everyone's attention.
Unlike women native to Egypt, the queen's long hair is a luscious mantle of gold, similar to that of the hot sun and her skin is so delicately pale it appears almost translucent rather than the more sandy opaque that is common to those of this land. Wide green eyes that always look openly upon her people and a smile so kind one would be overcome with the desire to spill all of their innermost secrets to her, adorn the soft features of her face. The queen was quite tall, as well as lean and very feminine. She's quite soft spoken most of the time, excluding those days where her temper flares. Unfortunately, her temper has worsened over the years and her nature has become much more secluded. Many have come to fear her wrath.
"Yes, what is it?" the Queen asked gently, a sign of a good mood. The young man made a short bow before venturing closer to explain what was needed. He couldn't help but feel regret at possibly erasing the jubilance about the Queen as he delivered his message. Ever so slightly, unnoticed by the servant, the woman's eyes tightened. "Very well, you may go," she dismissed him with a flick of her wrist. Waiting until he was gone she held in a frustrated sigh. There could be absolutely no way any of the High Priests knew what she'd been up to. But then, how could they not? She could only keep up the façade for so long before something would slip up. Someone may have said the wrong thing at the wrong time or lost something of the utmost importance. Either way, it would be nothing a High Priest need concern himself with.
With her mind a sudden whirlwind of thought, the Queen made her way to one of the many temples. She took her time along the path for she was contemplating how she should act. She had this nagging feeling she should consult the Pharaoh and yet, her feet took her through the palace and out towards her destination. As she neared, the sense of foreboding grew and the air seemed to thicken with a heavy distaste to her arrival. It was then, as the sky seemed to darken and she stumbled slightly that she realized a greater being was with her.
"Welcome, my Queen," a woman's voice called out from within the shadows, "Please, enter, there is much to be done."
Swallowing her fear, the Queen stood proudly and stepped through the doorway coming face to face with one of the High Priestesses appointed to this temple. "My humblest greetings, milady, right this way," the young Egyptian woman said, her eyes darkened with some unreadable emotion. Together the two women walked down a corridor lit by the setting sun and torches set into the walls every few feet. Each step brought the Queen closer to her inevitable fate. And, with each step the air thickened. An electric charge seemed to run through it. She could only think of one reason for such a thing: the presence of the Gods.
"Who is it that requested I come here?" the sound of her words seemed to be lost soon as they left her lips yet the Priestess heard. "Anu, my Queen. There's an urgent matter at hand and your assistance is required for the task to be fulfilled," the young woman explained. "I see," was all that the Queen said before silence fell around the two once more.
After several tense moments the Priestess stopped. Before her was a large ornate doorway. The Queen looked down at the woman who nodded and ushered her highness into the room. "This is where I leave you, your majesty. Inside you will find Anu waiting to see you. Until we meet again," the younger one bowed and left. With that, the Queen found herself feeling very much alone. Warily she entered and, as the High Priestess had said, found the High Priest Anu waiting by an altar at which tributes would be made to honor the gods, his back to her, studying the sacred hieroglyphs carved into the temple wall.
The soft padding of her slippered feet and the gentle swishing of fabric alerted the man to the presence of the Queen. He turned and looked down at her due to the difference in height, something the Queen did not take too kindly. "I thank you for your time, my Queen," Anu said. He turned towards a wall depicting an image of the great god, Amun-Ra. "I suppose you're wondering why I asked you to come here," Anu began, pausing only to gauge the Queen's reaction. "The Gods are angry, you see. They've spoken to me and told me something rather…disturbing," He continued, voice soft but distinct.
"Tell me what it is that troubles you," the Queen interjected, "and I will see to it that the Pharaoh is told immediately. We shall have the problem fixed at once."
The words left her mouth faster than anticipated and the Queen was taken slightly aback by her own abruptness. Despite the fact that keeping the peace within the kingdom is largely the responsibility of the Pharaoh the High Priests that serve under him do much of that work daily. However, there are times where action greater than a High Priest can take may occur. The Queen felt herself wishing she had kept her mouth shut as this may not be one such instance.
Anu turned to her once more and smiled sadly. "You see, milady," he continued as though her highness hadn't spoken, "I'm afraid it may not be something the Pharaoh can fix…" He trailed off and looked towards the altar. A man stood before them and with a small gasp, Anu fell to his knees. For you see, this isn't just any man. This man, taller than any other the Queen had seen before, grasped a scimitar within one hand and a shield was clasped firmly upon the opposite wrist. He was adorned in the best armor and stood with such a calm, proud demeanor that one could only assume he was an important man. What shocked Anu and the woman beside him the most, however, was the brilliantly crafted helmet upon the stranger's head. Shaped like the head of a hawk and decorated with images of the sun, it could only be one being, one entity.
An audible gasp flew from the lips of the Queen and she found herself kneeling before Amun-Ra, the god of the sun and king of the gods, as well.
"Be still, Anu, you have done your job well," Ra spoke with a sense of finality that one could not ignore. Anu, trembling, nodded and stayed on his knees. "Rise and be gone, I shall continue from here." Once more, the High Priest nodded. Quickly, almost fearfully, he left the Queen and Ra alone.
Moments later, the God spoke again. "Rise, Semati, wife of the Pharaoh, mother of Khura, Queen of Egypt, and meet your fate."
For the first time in ages, Queen Semati felt true fear course through her veins. Her heart beat a rapid, uneven beat within her chest and it wouldn't surprise her if Amun-Ra knew the true effect his presence had on her. She stood, barely, for she trembled just as much as Anu had.
"You know why it is I'm here," Ra began, voice resonant, "and you know what shall become of you soon."
Involuntarily, Semati nodded her head. She wished terribly that the Pharaoh would arrive and speak with Ra, perhaps convince the god of something to stop this, but she knew what a folly that would be. Once the gods have made their decision there's no stopping it.
"For crimes against me, my children and family, the Gods and Goddesses of this land you've come to call your home, you shall be punished," the words hit the Queen like the lashes of a whip upon her face and she found she could not see. She cried out in pain and anguish as she realized what had happened; Ra had taken her sight. Trails of burning tears ran down her cheeks due to the pain of her lost sight. A speedy wind picked up around the two and Semati realized her punishment had not yet been exacted. "And now," Ra called over the rushing of air, "You will perish."
Abruptly, the wind died and all was silent. The Queen wondered if Ra had left. Try as she may, she could not see and thus could not know her surroundings. She could, however, hear. A long time passed before it happened but eventually she finally heard something crash to the floor followed by a cry of fear mingling with shock. "Queen Semati!" was the final thing she heard. The one thing that told her what had transpired, before great silence fell over her ears, and her thoughts slowed into nothingness.
The Queen's fair skin was now paler than originally, nearly transparent, and she appeared even lovelier in death than in life, marred only by the dark trickle of crimson flowing, almost blasphemously, against the parted lips and snowy chin, pooling beneath her upturned face.
Amun-Ra had taken her life.
As you have learned, the fate of this woman was brought upon herself. The young servant who had discovered the Queen's corpse rushed tearfully to the palace to inform the Pharaoh of his wife's death. The king mourned for a long time the loss of his beloved, the only memento of her being their only son. The citizens of Egypt were devastated by the demise of the Queen and the pain caused to their king and prince.
To this day, nobody seems to know what exactly Semati did to anger the gods. In all this life there's just one thing to remember, it can only get worse before it gets better.
There's always darkness before the dawn…