Chapter 1
"Amanne! Atemu! Heba! Where are you?" Pharaoh Aknemkanon called. His children and their playmate had been missing for over an hour. He had checked all their usual haunts, and they hadn't been found. As he was walking, he came across elven-year-old Mahad. "Mahad, have you seen Amanne, Atemu, and Heba?"
"I'm sorry my Pharaoh, but I've been sworn to secrecy. The princess would be upset with me if I told."
"Well, we don't have to say who told, or if anyone told at all." Mahad looked both ways, then motioned for Aknemkanon to lean down. He did so, and the child whispered, "They went to the Nile. Prince Atemu wanted to go fishing, and Princess Amanne and Heba tagged along as usual."
Aknemkanon straightened back up, thanked Mahad, and headed out of the palace. Shimone, his advisor, caught him at the stairs. "My pharaoh, where are you going?"
"I've learned the whereabouts of my children and their slave friend. I must go retrieve them."
"But my pharaoh, there's a council meeting in less than an hour."
"That's more than enough time to retrieve those errant children." Aknemkanon started walking down the stairs. Shimone just sighed, and walked back into the palace.
Aknemkanon reached the Nile within a few minutes. It took him several minutes to find the children. Eight-year-old Atemu was sitting on the edge fixing a net while seven-year-olds Amanne and Heba were gathering the fish that had already been caught. The pharaoh stepped through the papyrus reeds, and cleared his throat.
The three children looked up, surprise on their faces. "Father!" Atemu gasped. Heba knelt in the sand, face looking down. "Who told you? How did you find us?" Amanne questioned. Aknemkanon didn't answer. "That isn't important right now. What is important is that all three of you get back to the palace, clean yourselves up, and report to the throne room."
"Yes sir", the children chorused. Atemu picked up the net, while Heba stood up and grabbed the full basket of fish. Amanne took the empty one. The three children filed past the pharaoh, and walked quickly back to the palace.
"I thought you said he wouldn't find us Tem", accused Amanne.
"You were the one covering our tracks Ama." Atemu shot back. Crimson-purple met blue-purple. Huffing in exasperation, Amanne looked away. "It isn't my fault that I haven't had full training."
"I think you do a good job even without lots of magic training." Heba praised.
"Thanks Heba." Amanne said, pulling her friend into a quick hug. Heba blushed. It was no secret that he had feelings for the princess.
They reached the palace without hazard, and separated ways to clean up. They met back at the throne room. Aknemkanon met them, punished them, and made them promise never to do that again. That didn't last long.
~ 10 Years Later ~
"Pharaoh Atemu! Princess Amanne! Heba!" Seth shouted. The eighteen-year-old priest had hoped that his cousins and their friend would grow up and stop running off in the middle of the day. They almost always ended up at the Nile, playing in the water. Seth had had enough. He knew his cousin needed time alone to get rid of some stress, but doing it every other day was beginning to get tiresome.
While Seth was brooding, he didn't see Amanne slip into an open doorway. Relieved at not being caught, she quickly made her way back to her room. She and her brothers(blood and honorary) had been swimming in the Nile, and now she was drenched, dress and all.
Upon reaching her room, she went behind the changing screen, and changed into a light tan dress. She brushed out her long violet tipped raven hair, then put it back into its customary braid. She only wore it down during celebrations. Amanne put all her jewelry back on, including a set of golden bangles that were a present from Seth.
At the thought of her cousin, Amanne blushed. The two of them had liked each other since they were 12 and 13, and had recently become lovers. Seth had given her the bangles to commemorate the occasion. Slipping her coronet on her head, she exited her room and headed to the throne room.