The Pharaoh smiled. "Look over there, Rhea," he said, pointing to the wall opposite him. "You see that gold circle hanging on the wall?"

"Yes sir."

"Bring it here."

The girl stood, crossing to the wall, and taking down the object in question. She returned to her chair, holding it carefully in her hands. There wasn't much to it. Just a simple gold-leafed, bronze ring about as big around as her head.

"This was my wife's headband. She bought it in the Market District, having saved up the money for it. She'd had her eye on it for years before she'd made enough to purchase it and make it hers. It was the only thing from her former life as a farm girl that she'd kept once we were married. She simply could not part with it, until she was on her deathbed.

"She gave it to me on her last day, and told me—made me promise—not to get rid of it, not to give it away until I was absolutely certain the receiver was trustworthy enough to have it."

Rhea looked up at the Pharaoh, startled. She very nearly dropped the band, but was able to catch it before it hit the ground.

"Sire…" she choked. "Are you saying…?"

"I want you to have it, Rhea."

"Are, are you sure?"

"I've never been surer of anything in my life, my dear," he said. "Come here. Let me help you put it on."

She rose to her feet, and stepped toward the dying man. He gently placed the headband over her head, pulling her hair up over it to where it only showed as a gold strip across her forehead. She turned back around so he could see it, and his smile widened. He had tears in his eyes.

"You look beautiful," He whispered .The girl wrapped her arms around his neck in a loving hug.

"Thank you, sire," she said, letting go of him. "I promise I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," he replied warmly. "That is why I've entrusted you with two of my wife's most precious possessions. I know you'll care for them as devotedly as she did."

All of a sudden, the Pharaoh was launched into a frenzied coughing fit. It lasted several minutes before he was finally able to regain his breath. As he panted, retrieving precious air into his lungs, he sank back down from his sitting position until he was lying on his back with his head on his pillow.

"It seems I will not inhabit this world for much longer," he rasped. "Look after my son for me. Tell him I love him, and that I know he'll be a great pharaoh. Tell him I'm incredibly proud of my son…"

Those were his last words.


As the scene faded away, Atem heard a deep, familiar voice echoing in his ears.

"My son," it said. "In your grief and anger at my death, you have cruelly misjudged this young woman. You let your emotions cloud your judgment and it has cost you dearly."

Atem stood there in his dream world, unmoving as the image of his heinous mistake the day before was displayed before his eyes. He couldn't even recognize himself. He'd turned into a monster, and it was evident from the terror in Rhea's eyes that she could see it too.

Rhea. She'd confessed to him about her father, and all the terrible things he'd done, and what had he done? He'd become the same heartless bastard that Bato was. It was no wonder she'd broken down. It wasn't out of guilt as Atem had previously thought, but of repressed fear brought back to the surface by the horrifying memories of her childhood.

"I can't watch this anymore," Atem said, turning his head away. "Take it away. I don't want to see this anymore."

His father hesitated, but complied. It seemed Atem had learned his lesson.

"You see now that you have done wrong," the late king said.

"…Yes."

"You know what must be done in order to set things right."

"…I do."

"Good. Now go. Do what must be done."

"But Father—"

"Atem, my time has come and passed. I was ready to die. You must accept this, and live your life."

At these words, Atem was thrown from his dream back into reality.


Atem knocked on the door of the dilapidated inn. He had a cloak wrapped around him with the hood pulled up. He didn't want anyone to recognize him, so he'd disguised himself as a palace servant. He'd successfully snuck out of the palace without catching anyone's attention, and had been looking all over the Market District for Rhea, with no success.

His search had ended up going on well into the night, and he was exhausted. He'd overheard some of the citizens talking about an inn, and had figured he could rest there for the night before continuing his search in the morning.

A middle-aged woman with broad features answered the door. She looked down at the young man carefully.

Keeping his hood over his eyes, Atem said, "Excuse me madam. Would you mind if I stayed here for the night?"

"Of course," the woman replied, smiling. "We always welcome weary travelers." Atem nodded once as a sort of silent thanks and was led inside.

The interior of the inn wasn't quite as rundown as he'd expected. Sure, it wasn't in the condition that the palace was, but—having spent all day familiarizing himself with the Market District—it was fairly well-maintained. The wooden tables and chairs were old, but still sturdy. Any previous cracks that had emerged in the foundation were sealed with an incredibly effective sealant. There were no rats or other pests that would betray a lack of sanitation. All in all, it was an impressive establishment. In fact, it was rather cozy. Atem voiced his opinion to the woman, who appeared to be the head landlady. The woman thanked him for the compliment, proclaiming that it had always been her life's passion to take care of others.

"And how are you supposed to help others with their troubles," the woman explained, "if you can't even deal with your own?"

"You can't," Atem muttered, the irony of her words not escaping him.

"Exactly," the woman agreed, apparently oblivious to her new guest's defeated demeanor. Not all that surprising since she had her back to him.

"So," she went on, taking a rag from her waistband and wiping down a table for him. "What's a fine young gentleman like yourself doing all the way out here in the boondocks?"

"I'm…looking for someone," Atem replied. "Someone I care for very deeply." It was only when he'd spoken did he realize the trueness of his words.

"A girl?" the landlady asked inquisitively.

Atem nodded, sitting down at the table. "Yes," he said. "A girl."

The woman smiled, winking. "Well, I hope you find her."

As the woman walked away, Atem whispered, "So do I."

The woman returned with a glass of water. "We've got a room all set up and ready for you," she said. "Would you like a meal before you go to your room?"

Atem started to say no, but remembered that he'd had nothing to eat all day long. He'd been so concerned with finding Rhea and apologizing that he'd forgotten to eat. It was only now, as his stress and fatigue began catching up with him, that he realized how hungry he was.

"Yes, please," he said, staring at the table. The landlady turned her head to shout toward the kitchen.

"Hey," she yelled. "Have Ferod cook up one last bowl of stew for our newest guest, would ya, Rhea?"

Atem's head shot up. Rhea? She's here?

Suddenly, he wasn't feeling well. At least, not well enough to see her. He couldn't face her. Not after what he'd done.

"I must be going," he said quickly, rising to his feet. "I can't stay here."

The woman looked disappointed. "Going so soon? It's not often we have such an interesting guest around these parts."

"I'm sorry," Atem apologized, heading for the door. "But I have to—"

"Excuse me," a soft, familiar voice said behind him. "But, could you show me your face, please?"

Atem had nearly had his hand on the door knob to leave, but couldn't bring himself to open the door.

"I…I can't stay here," he said, disguising his voice as best he could. "I have to leave immediately."

He listened nervously as he heard her light footsteps approach him.

"Please," she pleaded quietly. "Show me your face."

"I…can't."

She stepped closer, close enough for him to be able to whisper, "Sire? Is that you?"

Having already been discovered, Atem figured there was no need to keep his hood up. He turned slowly, pulling down the hood of his cloak as he did so. Once his face was revealed, he heard a gasp escape from the landlady's lips. Rhea, however, was not nearly as surprised. In fact, she seemed to have a sad sort of confirmation in her eyes.

"You!" the landlady shrieked, charging toward him with a near-murderous glint in her eyes. "I don't care if you are the Prince of Egypt. You have no place in my inn." She roughly grabbed his arm, jerking him around to face her so she could be sure he was listening as she spat, "Everyone here thought she had been executed the day you arrested her. Then, she comes home crying, saying that you accused her of being a thief." The woman threw the door open, ready to toss him out into the street. "No one treats Rhea so horribly. Not if I have anything to say about it. Anyone who does, can sleep in the—"

"Karn, wait!"

The woman, Karn—who had been preparing to throw Atem out of her inn, quite literally—stopped. Atem, who'd expected something similar to Karn's reaction and had braced himself, glanced up incredulously at Rhea.

She seemed tense, but had an indignant air about her. She spoke softly, but with conviction. "You said that you always welcome weary travelers did you not?"

Karn looked about as confused as Atem felt. "…Yes," she answered uncertainly.

Rhea then turned to Atem. "You," she said, not addressing him by name. Atem couldn't help but wonder why. "You are weary from your travels, are you not?"

Suddenly understanding, Atem nodded.

Karn seemed to catch on as well, since she exclaimed, "Rhea, you can't be serious!"

"I am perfectly serious, Karn," she scolded, raising her voice, "and you should be, too. Just because I have a prior history with this man does not mean he deserves treatment any different from the other guests. You of all people should know that."

Atem had never seen this side of her before; and judging from the look on Karn's face, neither had she. Nevertheless, she let go of Atem's arm, staring at the ground in defeat.

"Now, you said that you had prepared a room for him," Rhea continued, sternly. "Which one was it?"

"Up the stairs, first door on the left," Karn grumbled. She leaned down, and whispered in Atem's ear, "You're lucky. She's far more forgiving than I would have been at her age. You don't deserve what all she does for you."

Atem didn't look up at her. "I know," he said.

"Come," Rhea said, taking Atem's hand. The familiar jolt of energy he felt was both pleasing and heartbreaking. "I'll show you to your room."

She led him up the stairs, and into the room, closing the door behind her. As she did so, Atem began to notice that she'd changed out of her clothes from the palace and was back in her rags. He really couldn't blame her. They must have held many painful memories. However, the dirty commoners' clothes looked rather strange on her still glowing skin and radiant-looking hair.

Even in rags, he thought. She's still as beautiful as ever.

He couldn't focus on her appearance for long, since she turned her attention back to him, her expression one of firm conviction.

"Alright," she said severely. "Talk. You obviously came here for a reason. And judging by the way you're dressed…" She gestured to his current wardrobe. "…it looks like you didn't come here on any official royal business." Her tone lessened slightly as she finished, "You snuck out to look for me, didn't you?"

Atem nodded sadly. "I did," he replied. He strolled toward the window to his left, looking out at the moonlight hidden behind the clouds. "I…How did you figure all of that out?"

Rhea crossed her arms over her chest. "Believe it or not, I'm smarter than I look." Atem flinched, having had his own words thrown back at him. "Now, tell me why you came here."

Atem turned back to her. "I came here to apologize. I was wrong to accuse you of stealing. I realize that now. I had no right to indict you so harshly. I told you I wasn't a violent person, and then I pulled a stunt like that. I sucked you back into a world you thought you'd escaped from when your father died.

"I know my words don't excuse my actions. But if you'll just give me a chance, I can show you—"

"Show me what?" Rhea demanded. "How hard you can hit now that you've had some practice?"

Atem was stunned. "I wasn't going to say that," he said.

But Rhea wouldn't hear of it. "I've had enough of this, sire. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder, keeping my guard up wondering whether or not you're in a violent mood today.

"I don't regret saving your life that day," she said, "but I'm starting to regret accepting your father's offer to protect you." She turned her back to him, and took a step toward the door.

"Please," Atem begged. "I've already lost two people I care about. Don't make me lose a third."

Rhea paused, but only for a moment. She took another step toward the door, placing one hand on the handle. "You may stay for the night, but I suggest you leave in the morning."

Before she could leave, however, Atem reached out and grabbed her hand. "Rhea," he pleaded, his voice beginning to shake. "Don't leave. I…" He had to push the words out. It wasn't that he didn't mean it. It was because he'd never felt so strongly about someone that it led him to these words. But now, it was the only way he could describe how he was feeling.

"I love you."

Rhea's grip on the door handle tightened and began to shake, as did her shoulders. "If you really love me," she said, her soft voice cracking. Atem couldn't help but notice the single tear that slid down her cheek.

"If you really love me…then you'll let me go."

It was the last thing Atem had wanted to hear, but it was to be expected. Atem closed his eyes and let go of her hand. He couldn't watch her leave, but he did hear the slam of the door as she ran out of the room.


Hey guys! I know, quick update, but hey! It is technically next week. :P Lol Anyway, still more chapters to come. Much more drama ensues.

Can Rhea learn to forgive Atem? Will she return his feelings? All this, and more, next week. Fave and review plz! :D