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Chapter 4

Ahk found his feet falling faster than normal as he headed towards the newest displays. He was surprised to see it was so far way. The night before when he and his father had been told about the newest additions, he'd been a great deal closer to the wing. Now, he realized it was nearly on the other side of the museum.

He tried to get there as quickly as possible before Isis began to worry or panic again. When all of the displays awoke at the same time, it made it difficult for him to be at her sarcophagus before she began to panic.

By the time he made it to her hall, the lid was already swaying from side to side. He knew why. Having been locked in his own coffin before, Ahkmenrah knew she was pressing her palms against the thick wooden surface and jamming her knees into it as well to try and get it off. They weren't terribly deep which gave the inhabitant little room, but there was still enough to jostle things around. He jogged quickly to her side before she had the chance to topple the lid again and possibly cause the artifact damage.

"Together," he said as he reached the sarcophagus.

Isis seemed to hear him and pushed up once against the lid giving him the chance to slip his fingers into the gap. Together, they began to push it to the side. He guided it to the marble floor to keep it from being damaged. When it rested flatly on the floor, he gave her his attention.

Isis' eyes continued to dart around while she held the edges of the sarcophagus. Ahk could see the lingering fear of the unknown mixed with the desire to understand what was happening around her.

Ahk offered her his hand and without bothering to question it, she took hold of him and let the prince help her out of her coffin. As he lifted her up and over the edges, neither noticed her wrappings catch the wood. The sound of tearing fabric caught their attention when Isis' feet were firmly on the ground. She spun to see what happened.

A loose, aged and tattered thread of her bindings –one that had been hanging from the back of her knee- caught a single splinter of wood that jutted out from the lip of the casket. In normal circumstances, the splinter would have been the thing to break. But, as it was, Isis' "outfit" was over four thousand years old. It was thin, weak and had centuries upon centuries upon centuries to deteriorate. It was so weak in fact, that the splinter thinner than a toothpick grabbed hold and wouldn't let go. It tore her bindings, revealing the back of her knee, a portion of her calf and a bit of her thigh as well. In total, nearly a foot of her skin was now visible.

"No," she growled under her breath. "What am I to do now?"

Ahkmenrah's brows came together softly. He wasn't sure what to tell her. Unlike Isis, Ahk and his family were buried with their clothes. They had something to change into when they removed their bindings, but Isis didn't. It was probable to think she was buried with her personal effects too, but they weren't brought with her.

"I'm sure we can find something…" he told her. Ahk tried to make her feel better, but he honestly wasn't sure they could do anything as far as a wardrobe change.

~!~

Isis wandered around the museum watching everything moving and going about its business. She still wasn't sure how to comprehend what she was seeing. It seemed too fantastical.

Ahkmenrah had left her side some time ago. He told her he was going to see if there wasn't something around to dress her in. Her bindings were so old; a strong wind might be enough to turn them to shreds. Both knew it, but until they were caught on the edge of her sarcophagus, it hadn't been something either truly thought about.

Knowing more about the modern world than she did, Ahk was well aware that there were easy ways to find clothing for the woman donning the true mummy fashions. He asked Tilly for help in finding Isis something to wear and was glad she came through for him.

The blond called someone she knew could help and had something for Ahk only a few hours after the sun had set. But, it wasn't quite the same as his or his parents' outfits. It was Egyptian, true, but… it was a costume. Isis was going to have to wear a Halloween costume.

It was the best he could do.

When he handed her the bag –plastic being yet another thing she didn't understand- Ahk led her to the ladies room to change. In favor of having something new to wear, Isis ignored the strange echoing room filled with stalls and a wall of mirrors.

What she pulled out of the bag was familiar, but the fabric was cheap and felt like it would fall apart easily. Still, she didn't complain. She was simply happy to have something else to wear.

Ahkmenrah was pacing slowly outside the bathrooms. He wasn't nervous, but standing still while waiting wasn't something he could do. So, he paced back and forth.

His heavy robes slid easily across the marble floor, the metal in his clothing jangled and shuffled. His odd movements and the fact they hadn't seen him in some time forced his parents to take notice.

"Is something wrong, my son?" Merenkahre asked calmly.

Ahk stopped his pacing long enough to address the pharaoh.

"No, father." He said.

While it wasn't an outright lie, Merenkahre was smart enough to know it wasn't the entire truth either. The older monarch stepped forward and gently set his hand on his son's shoulder.

"What worries you?"

Ahkmenrah didn't immediately offer an answer. He wasn't sure what worried him or if he was really worried at all. There was a random combination of emotions in his gut, so focusing on one didn't seem as easy as his father hoped.

Before he could open his mouth to speak, the door to the ladies room opened and Isis emerged. Her change in outfit drew attention and held it completely.

The costume Tilly's friend purchased was one of the Egyptian goddess Isis. No one knew why that was his pick, but it was oddly suiting.

The dress was incredibly tight (the modern 'sexy' costumes seemed to require it) and a brilliant red. It fell to her knees in the same swooping wrap the Egyptians were known for with their garments. She had a collar similar to Ahkmenrah's but it was made of fabric and fake gems as opposed to his real gold and jewels. And hanging from the back of each shoulder were two wide flaps of brilliantly colored fabric that fell to her mid-calf. In the picture of the package, they were meant to be wings. As was common in many pictures of the goddess, the costume came complete with two flaps of fabric the wearer could take hold of and spread to look more like the ancient Egyptian. But, despite the transformation, her feet remained bare. The costume didn't come with shoes…

Ahkmenrah's jaw fell a bit slack as he looked at the woman in the more provocative version of his peoples' clothes. While Ahk was more than capable of finding any modern woman attractive, there was something refreshing and more alluring when it was one of his own people. It struck a chord deep within his chest that he couldn't truly explain. And besides, it wasn't as though he'd come across another from his time since his time.

"You look beautiful." He said before he could stop himself.

Isis looked at him oddly when he spoke. He thought it was because he'd spoken openly about his thoughts. He meant to be embarrassed, but realized quickly why she stared at him strangely. He spoke in English. Ahkmenrah sighed his internally relief before shifting his language.

"Are they comfortable?" he asked, more than willing to pretend that had been his previous statement.

"This is not Egyptian." She replied.

"Not technically, no." he agreed. "It's a costume. It was the best we could do."

She nodded softly. Isis still felt uncomfortable in the thin, form-fitting fabric, but she was glad for the change.

"Thank you." She told him after a moment.

Ahkmenrah smiled warmly and nodded. Looking up through her lashes at the young prince, Isis did something she hadn't done since waking. She smiled back.