-1Chapter 2

To my reviewers:

Nannon: don't worry Imhotep and Nuri won't fall in love that quick! Believe me they have some trials to overcome first, one of which is in this chapter. Please warn me if Nuri becomes marysuish, sometimes I notice and I fix it as quick as I can but other times I don't.

Lindsay: Nefertiri won't be bitter towards Imhotep because the king is still alive. And yes the pharaoh saw anck die, and believe me he is not pleased. Thanks for the camel note, I am changing it to horses.

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Last time:

Imhotep went about his duties without really thinking upon them. His mind was on the marriage tomorrow and his place in it. Husband to Nuri, the king's unruly daughter with eyes of the sky. The gem in her father's crown, and he was the unfortunate one sent to be the young woman's husband.

That night:

Cries filled the palace. Nuri had disappeared and not even the Mei-jai guards stationed outside her door had seen anything. Of course they wouldn't though, Nuri had't used a door. At least Nuri the princes hadn't. This time her disguise was a chambermaid. Using a short wig and a simple, scratchy sheath she had snuck out looking like any other chambermaid that attended to Nuri. When she made it safely out of the palace grounds past ponds and small temples, she grinned madly. Her plan of deceit had worked as usual.

She sometimes wondered how they picked the guards, because a simple girl of 15 had tricked them more then once. When she was a child she ran away from the woman assigned to watch over her, around 10 she had taken to the streets for a week until she by accident had run across the Mei-jai, then last year she had run when her father suggested marriage to her for the first time. At the time it was going to be to a 28 year old nobleman, fat and with no sense of hygiene. One of the lesser nobles, but with many connections in the world. Luck had saved her then, because it had gotten her away quick.

Tonight though, her luck had run out.

She did't steal a horse, or a weapon. She was going to travel on foot, because that was how she had evaded the Mei-jai the longest in the past. The one thing she had't counted on was thieves and the like. She had no clue that dressing as a poor man had caused the attention of the thieves to bypass her. Now she was a woman, not a noblewoman, but of a lesser class. Easy prey to vagabonds.

A young man wearing dark robes and a evil sneer was watching the process of the young woman as she crossed the street. His crew was well armed and thirsty for the riches that would be endowed upon them if they succeeded in capturing the king's advisor and priest, Imhotep. But first he was going to have a little fun with the local ladies. Just as he was about to step out on the street to entice the girl to come with him, the Mei-jai came around the corner and spotted the girl. There pace quickened as the girl's did. She was now hiking up the bottom of the sheath and running, while the Mei-jai shouted and speed up their pace to catch the woman.

The young man, Odji, watched curiously. Obviously the woman was important or a thief. The former became true when one of the Mei-jai came close to where he was hiding in the shadows and ordered his men to split up and search for Princess Nuri. Suddenly Odji knew who the girl was and his eyes sparkled with ill humour as he thought of the pay he and his men would receive if they brought the Princess too.

Skipping from the shadows he signalled to one of the boys in the gang to come near. The boy was small and lithe, perfect to get in small places and to be unnoticed when delivering messages.

"Ebo! Tell Amon that he and the rest will go after the priest tonight, I have a little job that needs to be done," Odji muttered before turning and following where the girl had last been.

Ebo was quick on his feet for he did not want to bring Odji's anger upon him. The message was soon received with chuckles and sly grins as the men drew wicked knives and slunk off towards the high priest's chambers.

Meanwhile…

Odji had found the girl trying to climb a wall to escape to the outskirts of the desert. There she would be safe for a few days and then she could beg passage to another city by the traders that crossed the desert plains. She wouldn't make it that far he was sure. Drawing his knife he grabbed the unsuspecting Nuri and pinned her to him, though she struggled like a wildcat. He drew the knife to her throat, the pick of her skin brought a small drop of blood to slid down the blades length. Her struggles stopped instantly.

"Princess, you will come with me and not make a word cause if you do you will not have a throat to say such things. Now if you would be so kind as to come with me," Odji wrapped an arm around her waist and carefully hid the dagger up his sleeve so that the tip was resting against her stomach and if she tried anything… there would be a grievous wound to her body when they found her. Grabbing his horse he hauled her up in front of him and set off towards the camp, avoiding all possible places the Mei-jai would look.

The camp was a fair ways into the desert and Nuri knew by the distance they were covering she could not possibly make it that far without a horse, if she tried on foot… the desert would kill her. They arrived to the sounds of merrymaking and drunkenness. The rest of the band had been successful.

Tossing Nuri to the ground, he dismounted and took in his fellow thieves joy. He left her where she was as some young boy took the horse away. Odji sought out a man with charcoal eyes and a scarred face, Amon.

"I presume your campaign was a success?" Odji commented.

"Oh yes, he put up a rather good fight. He's talented with a sword, but luckily his priest weren't there otherwise we would have had more casualties. What about you? Your secret mission?" Amon asked the younger man.

"Princess Nuri,"

"You must be joking young man, the Princess is guarded more carefully then ever, with that last stunt she pulled. Is that her?" Amon's attention had caught sight of the girl picking herself up from the sand, stepping back as though to run.

"Yes, where did you put the priest?" Odji muttered.

"The tent in the middle of the camp. I don't want him running away, the desert would kill him and then what use would he be?" Amon said before turning back to his wine.

Odji nodded absently before leaving to get the girl. He picked her up easily, for she was light and small. Nuri hissed and scratched at his face, struggling in his grasp, which only tightened on her frame. Motioning to the guard outside the tent, Odji pushed through the entrance to see a battered priest tied to a stake in the ground. The guard entered the tent with a small coil of thin rope. Nuri was still trying to beat him up, but he ignored her feeble attempts and tied her ankle to the same peg as Imhotep causing her to be close to the priest.

"Don't leave me here with this man! Let me go! I am Princess Nuri! Daughter of King Seti the first!" Nuri had found her voice and was protesting with all the will power she had left.

"That is exactly why I took you, Princess Nuri," with a sarcastic bow, Odji left the tent to join in with the party.

"Your yelling will do nothing for you here Nuri, nor will your fighting," Imhotep spoke quietly from the shadows that masked his features.

"Why you? They could have chained me up with anyone but you and I would not be so protestant! You infuriated me as a child and now you mock me as a adult!" Nuri huffed and folded her legs underneath her pulling the rope as far as it would go.

"Do not think me pleased that you are here either. Rather I would have them take you and leave me to rescue Anck-Su-Namun from the afterlife to which she is imprisoned!" Imhotep glared at her and anger threaded though his voice.

Nuri only glared back and turned her side to him as she lay down and tried to get some sleep. The air was cool on her skin compared to the hot sun that scorched the sand. Imhotep glowered at her form for a few minutes and then fell off into an uneasy sleep filled with dreams of Anck-Su-Namun calling to him, begging him to save her for their love.

Read and review as always!