"So Anzu is to marry Horus, as we have agreed?" asked King Gardner.
" Yes, they Princess and Priest will be wedded," stated Priest Amon.
And so it was decided.
"Princess Anzu, the Queen requests your presence in the dining room for dinner," stated Mai, a young servant of the Gardner palace. Mai had long wavy blonde hair, with dark purple/brown eyes. She wore a simple white tunic with red cuffs to indicate her position. She wore wooden sandals on her feet. She was one of the older servants, a grown lady of 21. She was currently positioned as the King's personal servant.
"Tell her I will be there shortly," replied Princess Anzu as Mai retreated from her bedroom. Anzu had short brown hair that accented her ocean blue eyes. She wore a long white dress with blue cuffs. She had a simple sapphire necklace and gold bracelets on each arm. She too wore wooden sandals for her small feet. She was slightly shorter for her age of 15. Princess Anzu was the eldest child of King Menefer Gardner and Queen Mariasha Gardner. Anzu was the heir to the Egyptian throne and was waiting her upcoming birthday when she would be pronounced the ruler of Egypt.
Princess Anzu quickly walked to the dining room where she was greeted by her family and friends. Princess Anzu had 4 younger sisters at the table. After her came Princess Isis, a 14-year-old beauty with long black hair and dazzling green eyes. She too had already been assigned an arranged marriage. Next came Princess Ramla, a young girl who spent most of her days locked away in her room or roaming the gardens. She preferred to be silent. She was 12-years-old with short black hair and dark brown eyes. Princess Nubia was beside her, the smart one in the family. Nubia had medium brown hair with green eyes like her sister Isis. She and Isis shared a trend to go to the market daily and were often seen together throughout the day. Princess Monifa sat beside Isis, looking very small compared to her older sister. Monifa was small for 6-years-old and was often regarded as a toddler. Monifa had long blond hair that crept down her lower back. She had dark blue eyes that seemed to swallow you if you stared to long.
Princess Anzu spotted her father at the end of the table beside Nubia. He had dark brown hair and sharp green eyes. He wore a white shirt and a white man's skirt. He was tall and had a very broad muscular build. Anzu looked around and tried to find her mother. She couldn't find her and drew the conclusion that she was tending to Jamila, the newest addition to the family that had only arrived 2 months ago. Jamila had deep blond hair that shone like the sun. She had dark brown eyes like Ramla's, but Jamila's were friendlier.
Anzu looked at the empty spot on the other side of her father and sighed. There used to be another family member too, Moses. Moses was supposed to be the new Pharaoh, but he was killed in a sword fighting accident. The family was still mourning the loss of their only son, who was 3 years older than Anzu. He had died last year around the time of Queen Mariasha's pregnancy discovery.
The Princess made her way over to her spot in between Monifa and Horus. Horus was the High Priest's son and her fiancé. They were to be married, as arranged, in three weeks. Horus was 16 and very handsome. He had dark brown hair and soft hazel eyes. He always wore a smile and was very caring towards his family-in-law to-be. Beside Horus were his father, High Priest Amon, and his mother, Priestess Atira. They both shared their son's features, except Priestess Atira had dark brown eyes. Beside Priestess Atira was their daughter, Ilana. Ilana had light brown hair and dark brown eyes. She was best friends with Monifa, as they were the same age.
Anzu sat down beside Horus and began eating the delicious meal prepared for her. She then returned to her bedroom, but before she could open the door she heard a loud scream coming from the dining room. Running as fast as her legs could carry her she ran for the room she had just left.
"That sounded a lot like Atira," thought Anzu.
When she reached it she was shocked to see Atira, Amon, Ilana and her family over top of a body covered in blood. She didn't even have to look around the room to know who it was.
"Horus," she thought. "The people of the south had been apposing of a marriage before Horus turned 18, and were going to rebel, but in such a manner!"
"Horus!" Anzu screamed as she shoved through the barrier of people standing in her way. When she saw his body, the tears quickly formed in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks. Her fiancé lay on the floor, dead, with a large gash in his chest.
"Horus," she thought. "My Horus. The one I was to marry. My best friend since my childhood. My love. The one who made me feel happy when I was sad. What has happened to you? Why? Why before we could be joined as one?
The shocked princess kneeled down beside her beloved and put his head in her lap. She gently began to stroke his hair, remembering all the fun times they had together. She continued to let the tears falls that were now falling into Horus' hair. Anzu sat there, stroking Horus' hair, all night long while the rest of the family prepared for his burial.
During his funeral she sat in the garden and cried. She couldn't bear to see her lover be lowered into the ground.
"There will always be a person in whom you find comfort. In whom you trust your life, but soon that all changes with the slice of a knife. How could a person that meant so much to you, leave you before you wed? Now lay down in the flower, cry and shed. Shed tears of sadness for the fact that he died, but shed tears for the fact that he wasn't perfect, but tried. Shed tears for the hope that you will see him again. And shed tears for grief, the loss and the pain."
"Who said that?" called Anzu as she looked around the garden, looking for the person whose kind words were so mysterious.
"I did," said a voice. A boy was now in view, a tall boy of 17. He had golden bangs, with black and red spiky hair. He wore a black man's skirt and a white shirt. He had deep purple eyes, with a kind mouth that spoke such cherished words.
"Who are you?" asked Princess Anzu between her sobs and tears. She looked at the boy curiously, trying to figure out why he was here.
"I am Atemu. I have come here to admire your beautiful garden. Why are you here Princess Anzu? Why do you look so sad?"
"My fiancé has died, haven't you heard? The people of the south stabbed him because they didn't want him to rule before 18. I couldn't watch him be buried so I came here, to the garden, where we used to sit." Princess Anzu found that this boy was similar to Horus, but how? She didn't want to look at him, for it brought back memories of her beloved.
"We all mourn for some reason, why do you? Horus would not have wanted to see you cry, he would have wanted you to be happy and hopeful. When people are happy they pick flowers. Perhaps you will find a way to be happy for Horus," Atemu said as he slowly backed away.
"Flowers," thought Anzu. "Horus always loved to pick flowers with me. Flowers for Horus."
The Princess carefully gathered a bouquet of flowers and went to her fiancé's grave. She delicately placed the flowers on his grave, and then placed her letter on top of it. She had written a farewell letter to Horus, so that he may know that she still wanted to say good-bye.
Anzu then went back to the garden and found a deep red rose. She went down to the market and asked the stall men if they had seen Atemu. No one had heard of him. On an impulse, Anzu ran to the Palace Library and found the fairy tale that Horus had bought her. Anzu carefully opened the book and read the story.
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Princess Leila that lived in a lovely castle in a land far away. She had a dream that someday she could make her own choices, instead of her father doing so. She wished that she didn't have to marry the rich man that her mother wanted her to. The night before her wedding, the Princess looked out the window to see an angel in the garden. Leila rushed down to the garden and started talking to the angel. His name was Atemu and he was there to teach her how to fly away. So Atemu gave her wings and Leila flew away to a land in the sky where she could make her own choices. And they all lived happily ever after.
"My Angel," thought Anzu. "Atemu is my angel."
Anzu went to her bedroom and wrote a letter for the angel. She then placed both the letter and flower on the garden bench and walked back to her room. That night, Princess Anzu found her wings and flew to the clouds above with Atemu at her side.
Dear Atemu,
Thank-you for your words of kindness and hope, and for teaching me to have faith. I only ask that you please help me find my wings and teach me to fly.
Every flower has a purpose, a beginning and an ending that was chosen by God. Everything has a path laid out for it. Thank-you for helping me find my path. Thank-you for being my angel.
Your beautiful rose,
Anzu