Characters
Aida-Yami
Radames-Atemu
Amneris-Anzu
Zoser-Akhenaden
Mereb-Jonouchi
Nehebka-Mana
Pharaoh-Akhenamkhanen
Amonasro-Siamun
Prologue
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the opening day of the Domino Museum's Grand Egyptian Exhibit. Ishizu had extended a private invitation to me, knowing that it was important to me to see the treasures of Egypt one more time before I left the country to begin my new job.
Stopping just outside the exhibit hall, I paused to take a deep breath. Feeling my heart pound in my chest, I stepped inside the exhibit hall, the smell of sand and fresh paint filling my nose. I walked slowly through the exhibit, taking in each and every artifact. It felt as though I had never left Egypt.
"Isn't that an amazing piece of art? The craftsmanship is extraordinary," a woman said quietly to her companion as they wandered around the exhibit. "I can't believe it survived that long in the sand and the elements. Truly incredible." She paused to draw a sketch before moving on, dragging her companion with her.
"I guess it's beautiful if you like that sort of thing," her companion mumbled, as they moved to another part of the museum, rolling her eyes. I smiled to myself as I walked around, taking in each piece of art, remembering them in their glory from when I was young.
I approached a display case containing a young woman in ancient Egyptian royal dress when something caught my eye in the reflection of the glass case. It was a section of an ancient burial chamber, a tomb used only for nobility and royalty. I turned to see something I thought I would never see again, my heart jumping into my throat.
I approached the section of tomb, my heart racing in my chest as I walked around it. I knew this burial chamber only too well. It was a symbol of a sin I would have to live with for the rest of my life. I looked up to see a young man with hauntingly familiar crimson eyes and an unruly spiked haircut staring at the tomb as well. He circled it, taking in each and every detail, before realizing what it was.
"Every story, new or ancient, bagatelle or work of art. All are tales of human failing, all are tales of love at heart," whispered the young queen in the display case.
We both stared at the ancient chamber for quite some time, neither of us willing to meet the other's gaze.
After quite some time, I finally looked up, the young man across from me following suit. Our eyes locked as the museum visitors froze in their places and the young woman in ancient dress came alive and stepped from her display case.
"This is a story of a love that flourished in a time of hate, of lovers no tyranny could separate," she said, her voice echoing around the exhibit as she approached the two of us, her eyes clouded by a moment of anger. "Love set into motion on the Nile's shore, destiny ignited by an act of war."
She continued to walk around the exhibit, as flashes from that terrible day began to flash before my eyes. "You see, Egypt saw the mighty river as its very heart and soul, a source of life for all her people, a source of power that only Egypt could control. Destruction of her southern neighbor justified, Nubia exploited, left with little more than pride."
In a dream-like motion, the museum dissolved and I was taken back to the barges of ancient Egypt, on the worst day of my life. Taken from my kingdom, never to return home again…
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