Egyptian Lotus Part One

A/N: Okay, now ancient Egypt was a very different place from what we think of. As a general rule, women were equal to men in all aspects, including the ability to earn military recognition. They could be skilled fighters, and had legal rights of their own. Also (excluding the monogamy of marriage) there were no sexual taboos. A woman could take as many lovers as she desired. They also had fewer taboos on the body; a bared breast, for example, was not immodest and there were even periods of fashion that left a woman's chest bare.

Additionally, a harem was not a place for women to sit around until their master came to take them to bed. It was simply a place for unmarried women, female servants, and secondary wives to live. It was, in fact, run very much like its own business estate. They grew their own food, had estate of their own, and servants that worked exclusively on their plots of land. And there is "no evidence to suggest and no reason to believe that any of [the males working on the estate] were eunuchs." I ask that you note that I will be combining the reality of the harem and the cultural image of it.

On the matter of marriage, there was no official ceremony. The bride's things were simply moved to her husband's home. However, infidelity was, hypothetically, punishable by death; though women could initiate a divorce without a man's consent. Moreover, the Pharaoh would often marry a female of close relation, sometimes his mother, to preserve the royal bloodline. There are cases, though, of the Pharaoh taking a bride to seal alliances and foreign contracts. And though there would be only one "Great Wife" or "King's Great Wife" there would be a host of minor wives to increase the chances of producing a male heir. But this left minor wives in a position to attempt to usurp the throne and place their own son on the throne.

On the matter of names: Nathifa means "pure" and Omorose means "beautiful" Their surname, Mubarak, means "blessed one."

Thanks for your time; I hope these notes make the read a bit easier. ~.^

Disclaimer: We have ZERO ownership of Naruto and Yugioh!

Nathifa drew her cloak hood up and over her face, attempting to shield her skin from the unforgiving rays of the sun. She didn't like the Egyptian heat, and the humidity only added to her discomfort. Her sister was much better suited to the climate.

Nathifa stole a glance at her sister: Her skin was a deep caramel, protecting her from the worst of the sun; that, with her candy apple hair and hazel eyes, gave her the air of some kind of forbidden fruit. Even her relatively innocent sister was aware of that, so she couldn't even begin to imagine how men looked at her…She averted her eyes, feeling suddenly inferior.

She hadn't been excited about the call from the capital. The Pharaoh, having no living female relatives, for the first time in a thousand years required a wife from outside of his bloodline. It had caused quite a commotion among the villages under his rule. Envoys were sent with to the farthest corners of the empire with an order to find and bring back beautiful women.

But she had been quite happy in their village. It was quiet-nothing like the noisy, bustling capital port city. It seemed there was never a moment of peace…And she had very little desire to be in the middle of any of it.

She turned to look at the harem she knew she was likely to call home for a very long time to come…

"And would you really have been happy there for the rest of your life?" Omorose replied as she rubbed oil into her skin, her legs dangling into the pool of water her sister was wading in.

Nathifa was beginning to regret having started the conversation. It was hard to make her sister understand when so many of her misgivings were internal. And Omorose had such a sense of adventure that it was even more difficult to convey the sense of modest accomplishment she had felt in their home village.

"That's difficult to say." She finally admitted.

"You've no reason not to be excited, Sister." The red-haired beauty said. "And no reason to believe you've any less of a chance then the other women here."

Nathifa didn't want to say that Omorose was the reason she didn't. It wasn't that she didn't love her sister; just that she was beautiful and confident. She had an air about her that suited the role of wife to the Pharaoh.

"In fact," Omorose continued, "I think the gods favor you above many here."

"No less than they favor you." She replied.

Her sister smiled at the compliment before good-naturedly ordering her sister to hurry and finish bathing. It was the night before the day of selection and she needed to rest.

"Go ahead." She replied, "I think I'll stay a bit longer."

Her sister nodded, disappearing into the next room. She waited until her footsteps had fallen away completely before she let her eyes fall to the water.

She stared back at her reflection, wondering why she had been chosen at all. She was hardly the standard of beauty: She was pale, and her hair, reaching to the small of her back, was pink-not the ebony ideal. Her figure was not as full as her sister's and her eyes were an oddity even to herself. They weren't the dark, seductive eyes so many other women had. They were green.

She sighed to herself, rising from the water and following after her sister.

Her eyes opened, moonlight flooding them. She rolled over, burying her head in the crook of her arm and trying to fall back asleep. She lay awake, staring at the floor, for some time before she rose. She pulled a wool cloak over her shoulders and slipping into the night.

Omorose's eyes flickered open and fell automatically to the pallet beside her. It was empty…

Her brow knit as she reached across the span of floor between them. Her hand came down on the bedding. It was still faintly warm. Her eyes drifted to the right of the bedding, and she realized her sister's cloak was also gone.

'Silly girl…' She thought to herself as she pushed away the blanket covering her legs. She slid into her sandals and secured a shawl around her shoulders before she, too, slid through the door and into the streets.

The streets were quiet, the night clear and cool. The moon hung high in the velvet night, a silver crescent. And it seemed, for a moment, that she was alone…But there was a murmur that was quickly growing more violent. She stopped, wondering if it was just her imagination…

It grew louder, and even from her position she realized they were talking about the Pharaoh…

"It won't be hard," One hissed, "The guards will be distracted; he'll be unprotected."

"And we'll hang!" The other protested.

"They won't catch us." That was a third voice, harsher than the others.

Nathifa backed away, intent on reaching the guard detail before they did. But as she did, her ankle collided with a clay jar, toppling it. It split with an almost deafening crack. She inhaled sharply in her alarm, unable to suppress the knee-jerk reaction.

"What was that?" One of the men snapped.

Three figures appeared from the darkness, slender daggers gleaming in the moonlight. They wore ugly expressions, their lips split with sadist grins.

"It's a woman." One smirked.

"And an annoying one at that." His companion replied icily.

"But if she's a good girl, we might let her go…for a price, of course." Their comrade leered.

"You intend to kill the Pharaoh and you would have me hold my tongue? Isis help me if I fall to your lowly form of 'persuasion.'" Nathifa's hand fell to the dagger at her hip, though she knew her chances of besting three men were poor at best.

"What a shame." The first replied.

The first lunged at her, but she was lighter and therefore faster. She easily avoided him by stepping to the left. As she did, the second one came at her. She lifted her dagger, fending his off. But the evil glint of metal filled her peripherals from behind.

"Nathifa!"

Omorose's scream as she turned the street corner was drowned up by the sudden beat of hooves against the baked ground. Something massive and white slid between her and man at her back. The grating pitch of metal on metal filled the air. The younger Mubarak sister felt something come around her waist, and even before she recognized the pull above her hips, she had been lifted from the ground.

Her eyes flickered up and she realized who her savior was: The Pharaoh…

His eyes were liquid fury as they fell on the trio of traitors. His sword shone with a faint halo of reflected moonlight, bathing his body in silver. A gold ornament, an inverted pyramid, hung from his neck.

More noise assailed the once quiet section of street as the royal guard swarmed and surrounded the collaborators. In a single, practiced motion, fifteen spear heads fell, forcing the three back to back. And more were coming, filling the street from the side paths like water flooding the fertile Nile.

The Pharaoh's wrathful gaze fell on them and he spoke: "Take these three away."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The replied was instant, unanimous.

He then turned to the woman in his arms and smiled, "You have shown remarkable loyalty."

"It is not my place to question the gods that would have you ascend the throne. May you live, prosper and be healthy." She replied.

"Nathifa!"

The young woman glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes fell on her sister, blocked by the procession of royal guards. "Omorose!"

She tried to push through them, but a hand came down on her arm and pulled her back. She spun on her heel, coming face to face with the High Priest.

"Release me!" The red haired female demanded.

"Wait." He replied icily.

With a practiced twist of her body, she slipped from his grip and through the crowd. She didn't see the shadow of astonishment cross his angular features. After all, no one had ever before escaped his grasp.

"Sister!" Nathifa cried as the elder Mubarak approached.

The Pharaoh eased her down, watching as the sisters embraced and fell to their knees in front of him. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for guarding her." Atemu just smiled, nodding as he turned his horse around and began back down the street.

Omorose pulled her sister from the ground, holding her and quietly reprimanding her for getting into such trouble. To which, of course, Nathifa replied pointedly that she, too, had been out in the streets after dark.

"Troublesome child." The elder smiled.

She took Nathifa's hand as they walked away from the thinning clot of guards and priests. But as they passed a certain High Priest, Omorose couldn't help but shoot him a rather sharp smirk. She found it amusing that she had so easily slid from his fingers.

And he couldn't help but watch her as she turned the corner and disappeared.

TBC