A/N: I just want to thank you all for reading my story so far and for the lovely comments. Believe it or not, your comments really motivate me to keep writing. I'm glad you all love Mara as much as I do, and I hope you like where I decide to take their next adventures! But now, we need to get back to palace...enjoy! :-)

Inanni walked with her ladies in one of the many palace gardens. The morning air was cool and fragrant, the multiple lilies perfuming the winds. The ladies with her sighed happily and let the breeze catch in their shawls and wrappings.

A few weeks had passed since Sheftu and Mara departed for their wedding tour. An odd custom, Inanni reflected, but nonetheless she was glad for them. She glowed at the memory of their wedding day, the beautiful couple, side-by-side in the finest litter Egypt had to offer….Oh Ishtar, Inanni thought, if I could but be half as happy someday…

Inanni had cried tears of joy seeing her friend whisked away with the crowd cheering. For just the shortest of moments, Inanni had thought she had seen the same troubled look in Mara's eyes from before the turn in the revolution. A cold, tight feeling had formed in her stomach, but the next moment Mara was full of joy again, and Inanni dismissed her anxieties.

I wonder what Mara is doing right now, Inanni pondered, at this hour, they may still will be in bed… Inanni blushed. She had been more than surprised when Mara had shared with her the loose legality of Egyptian marriages – that the only requirement be two individuals taking up residence together – and the information had quickened Inanni's heart ever since. Did this mean Thutmose was already her husband? Surely it was different for Pharaoh.

Regardless of Inanni's position at court, she was being taught Egyptian per Thutmose's request. Her tutor didn't speak much Babylonian, but she was making progress. Already she had mastered the hieroglyphics and several key phrases. She practiced her skills with Thutmose when she saw him, which was nearly every day. As she was already aware, Thutmose loved sketching vases. Now that Inanni could read and write the hieroglyphics, her enjoyment of his work increased.

A bolder move she had made recently was the adoption of more Egyptian clothing. Her ladies in waiting joined her in choosing white fabrics, light and gauzy as opposed to the typical heavy, bright colored woolen clothes worn in Syria. Inanni and her ladies chose to remain covered with headdresses and shawls, but with the breathable Egyptian fabrics. Inanni approached a pond in the garden, staring at her reflection in the water. The white flowy fabric cascading down from her dark curly head looked finer than the mists of a waterfall. She was pleased with the four lilies her ladies had arranged on one side of her forehead, each a soft pastel pink or cream. It wasn't the same as the beautiful flower-crowns she had made as girl, but she was starting to appreciate the differences in Egyptian fashion.

The click of the gate drew Inanni's attention. A palace servant strode toward her and spoke to her in Egyptian. She understood almost nothing he said, except for his mentioning of the King. This happened on a near-daily basis, and so by now Inanni had learned to know this situation meant she was being summoned buy Thutmose. She gestured to her women and they followed the servant to the palace. Inanni parted ways with her women in the corridor and walked to Pharaoh's apartments. The servant showed her inside, gave her the salute of respect, then left. Inanni stood alone in the King's drawing room. Upon the table were dozens of sketches, mostly of vases. Not wishing to be impertinent, Inanni wondered if it would be permissible to look over the King's sketches while she waited. He wasn't usually absent when she entered his chambers, so there was no way of knowing what he would and wouldn't allow.

Opting to look, but not touch, Inanni stepped closer to the table. She loved the sketches and always looked forward to seeing the King's innovative designs. Today there were several ornate vases, almost like the vases in Canaan. Inanni's eyes poured over the details, trying to read the phrases Thutmose had written on some of them. Presently her eyes spotted a scrap of papyrus half-covered by a sketch. On the scrap was a message. Inanni concentrated and read the hieroglyphics, "…spies on…ship…reach…Canaan in month…from, Bhetosh."

Canaan? Inanni thought, interest piqued. She reread the scrap, though still unable to understand some of the words. Maybe if I could see the whole message I could understand better. Inanni chewed her lip, hesitating. If the King walked in and discovered her reading his messages, he would surely be angry.

It isn't right! Inanni's conscience screamed, this message is meant for Thutmose!

But Inanni rationalized, The message is about Canaan – it might concern me! Or my brothers! I won't tell him I looked…

And Inanni moved the sketch to read more of the message. "Canaan's royal family…in terrible…conditions. Tyranny…torture…usurper is war-hungry…Egypt's spies on…ship…reach…Canaan in month…from, Bhetosh."

Inanni dropped the papyrus as though it had burned her. Stunned, she fell to her knees on the floor. The world swam before her, only the sound of her heartbeat in her ears connected her spirit to her body in that moment. Her breathing staggered into panting, tears plopping on the stone floor unchecked.

Her time in Egypt had been challenging – the homesickness and uncertainty often becoming too much to bear. The only comfort she had was the thought that her actions – becoming a bride for the prince (and now King) of Egypt – were bringing honor, pride, and financial comfort to her family and country. She had always imagined her family in a state of cheer and leisure, remembering her with warm gratitude during their nightly toasts.

Instead it was for nothing. Her father usurped, her family in "terrible" conditions! And all while Inanni had been pampering herself with fine Egyptian indulgences such as muslin and sheer linens, her family was suffering. Her mental picture of "home" shattered, and her heart with it, as she wept on Pharaoh's floor.

/

Thutmose snapped his fingers and his manservant fastened the golden collar around his throat. The collar was Thutmose's favorite, only because it was quite comfortable. His other jewels were too heavy for the typical Egyptian heat.

Inanni probably prefers something with more color, he thought with a wry smile. He was to meet with the Princess of Canaan again momentarily, as was beginning to be a daily custom. Thutmose adjusted the cobra on his brow, then left to seek the drawing room, where the princess was awaiting him.

A servant opened the door for him, and at first glance Thutmose thought the princess to be absent. But then he heard a muffled sob and looked to the floor. Inanni was there, weeping.

Thutmose froze, so unexpected was the sight before him. Then he strode quickly to her and bent, asking, "What happened? What is amiss?"

Inanni started at the sound of his voice, looking up at him with her large, dark eyes, now overflowing with streams of tears.

"M-Majesty," she managed to say, "Forgive me, I – " she broke off, more tears gushed forth and she hid behind her thin veil, wiping them away.

"What is it?" Thutmose lowered himself to one knee, reaching for one of her hands. She shrank away, her voice wavering as she said, "You'll be angry, but I couldn't help myself – p-please understand!"

"Princess," Thutmose took her hand this time, "what do you speak of?"

"M-My King," Inanni said through fresh tears, "I r-read one of your m-messages…it was about my f-family." She couldn't look at him, she shook beneath her draperies and covered her face with her free hand. The King sighed, realizing immediately the message to which she was referring. On an impulse he pulled her into his arms, guiding her head to his shoulder. He had never held a woman before, but this seemed to be the right occasion.

Inanni was stiff and barely breathing, her tears temporarily stopped, and now that she was so close to him, Thutmose could feel her pounding heart.

"I'm not angry," he said quietly. When she didn't relax, he tried stroking her long hair, though it was covered with muslin. "Perhaps I should have told you sooner," he murmured.

The princess took a sharp breath, and Thutmose heard her whisper, "How long have you known?"

"Not long, a few weeks." There was a pause.

"Why wasn't I told?" Inanni's voice was thick with emotion again.

"I didn't want to cause you undue panic. I have some plans underway to restore your family to their place as the rightful monarchs. Everything might be solved soon."

"Where is my family?"

Thutmose took a deep breath, then sighed on the exhale, saying, "I believe they are being held prisoner."

Inanni sobbed, sagging against him. He tightened his hold on her and tried his best to comfort her. I shouldn't have told her so much, Thutmose thought, this is exactly why I didn't get her involved from the beginning. As someone with experience being a royal prisoner, Thutmose could empathize with the Canaanite royal family, and he knew they probably would want their sister/daughter aware of their strife. But though he couldn't explain it, the thought of upsetting the princess caused him great discomfort. In a perfect world the problem would be solved in a fortnight and no one would have to suffer. The king knew the princess hadn't come to Egypt happily, and he hadn't made any attempt to make her feel welcome until perhaps recently. If he could do one thing right by her, it would be to save her loved ones. Then he would extend her the option to choose for herself – a life in Egypt or return home safely to her kinsmen.

The princess clung to him, wetting his robes with her tears. As his arms held her soft body, he felt a flicker of a new type of remorse through his consciousness as he remembered his words to Mara upon first meeting Inaani – calling the princess fat and reacting with childish disgust. How differently he felt now. Was it her devotion to him that altered his heart? Or maybe it was her sweet, genuine smile. Regardless, the king presently felt pangs of regret at the memories of mistreating Inanni and judging her before learning how kind and giving she was.

It was not often that Thutmose reflected on his actions with sorrow. As the rightful King of Egypt, he had divine entitlement to all his decisions and therefore made no mistakes, so to speak. So far in life his meticulous plans had begotten success after success. But now, as the king knelt on his stone floor, holding the weeping princess, he knew in his heart he had been cruel to an innocent, put vanity before sincerity, and were it not for this pitiful maiden, he would not even be King. He owed her so much…

"Princess," Thutmose said, his heart full, "Inanni…"

Inanni went rigid at the sound of her name, hiccoughing from her arrested sobs.

"Your family will be freed. Don't be afraid." Thutmose said the words softly, "I have sent my very best people, they will not fail."

The princess took a shaky breath. Her head still on his shoulder, she whispered into his ear, "Who is it?"

Thutmose nuzzled her and put his mouth to her ear as well. "Sheftu and Mara."