Chapter 36:

Sorry guys for the long wait, but I've been busy. School this semester's been rough, I have a paper due every week. :(

After my confrontation with Ra, I decided it was time to go to the temple to find Samira. As I walked through the Palace I could still feel his eyes on me. I wondered if this is how it felt for her everyday with Isis always on her shoulder. She had her goddess to guard her, and apparently now I had a god of my own to guide me in the right direction. What he had said kept me thinking: "You may not have been born on our land, but you are as much a part of our people…" How? I was a Gaul, born in Gallia to Gaul parents, there wasn't an ounce of blood flowing through me that wasn't Gaul. It made no sense. Did he mean just because I married her that they had in a way adopted me?

I decided the answer to that was no. He meant something much deeper.

I stood in the doorway of the temple and watched her sitting on the floor with candles floating all around her as she meditated praying for help. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw someone sitting on one of the statues, but when I turned to look there was no one there. I swore I saw a woman.

What? Now that I saw one for myself, I could see them all? Or was I driving myself insane?

I didn't want to interrupt her, but somehow I doubted I would. She was good at multitasking. So I stepped forward coming into the place I never felt comfortable, and it was different. I could still feel them watching me, but it was warmer. I felt welcome.

"Why can gods never give a straight answer?" I asked standing behind her. "They answer in riddles maddening us to the point of insanity as if it's entertaining."

She stayed focused on what she was doing – chanting in whispers, but I could usually hear her answer in my mind. Yet it was empty. She was still upset with me and this was my punishment – silence.

I had to admit it in order to get her attention. She would be intrigued to know they actually spoke to me, let alone I actually saw one. "He came to me." I told her as I looked up at him. "I asked for answers and he was less than helpful."

I was right. Her eyes opened and the candles fell to the floor. She turned around to stare up at me in surprise, but at the same time she was studying me to see if I was lying. When she realized I was telling the truth she stood up. "Ra? You saw him?"

"In the basement. He's the one who gives you the visions, so I had hoped he would explain this one. But all he could say was "Do you trust your wife?"."

"And?" She crossed her arms over her chest waiting impatiently for my reply.

"I do trust you. I always have, you know that. But you know as well as I do that I am incapable of putting a son in you." If I could I expected it would have happened by now. "And there is only one other man on the face of this earth that you love. I see no other option than he is Bakari's son."

"That's what logic tells you." She replied. I had expected to be slapped or cursed at again. She looked up at me with those big chocolate eyes that sparkled like the rest of the gold in the room. Her hand came to rest on my chest over my heart. "But what does this tell you?...You always listen to your head, my love, and think logically, but in our world few things are logical."

I hated it when she was right. "Forgive me." I pleaded softly looking into her eyes.

To my surprise she pulled me close and kissed me hard as if she had missed me when we were only separated for half an hour. "What if you are wrong?" She asked when she finally pulled away. "What if the gods have just waited until now to answer my prayers? We are finally safe here. To bear a child when we were running for our lives every day would have been cruel. But now we have a home where we are happy. Where else would be better than here to have a child?"

She made a good point, and I wanted her to be right. I wanted her to be happy and to have what she had been praying for for a hundred years, but I couldn't shake this feeling that he wasn't my son. He looked nothing like me, and he was far too powerful to come from a worthless, giftless monster like me.

Then she asked, "Would you want a child?"

Being a father was never on my list of things to accomplish in life, probably because physically I never reached the age in which men usually got married and started a family. I was still young, and then I became what I am and such things weren't an option so why bother thinking about them? Now that I was thinking about it I was petrified. What kind of a father could I possibly be? How could anyone, let alone an innocent child, look up to me? Did I want him to be my son? Yes. Somewhere where my deepest dreams rest I had hoped.

"Then maybe all we have to do is try." She suggested. "Let them know we are ready and see what happens."

She was so full of hope it was like looking into a child's eyes. The innocent dreams they always have. And I didn't want to crush it and break her heart, but I had to be the voice of reason. She had to understand it might not work. Somehow I knew it wouldn't work, but I would give in and try like she wanted. "Love, I want you to be right as much as you do, but you have to remember what I am. If this does not work…" I could barely bring myself to say it, because I know the thought alone of that child we saw not being mine would break her heart.

"It has to." She whispered. "We saw him."

She kissed me again, then pulled me down to the floor. She laid down pulling up the skirt of her dress exposing herself to me invitingly.

"Here?"

"Do you know of a better way to prove to them we are ready?"

Weren't there rules about doing such things in holy places? Wouldn't they be offended? She didn't think so apparently, as she reached up to pull me close.

"Please." She begged against my ear as she reached between us to free what she wanted from my pants.

I kept waiting for one of them to stop us, but nothing happened. Even when she rolled us over and started making love to me nothing happened to stop us. I wanted to protest until I was inside her, then my mind went blank. All I could think about was her, giving her what she wanted, pleasing her in every way. She begged Ra to allow this to work, but I knew the answer.

We made love in front of them until we were spent. I felt like I had spilled all the seed I had in my body. She had been more vigorous than usual, which was exciting, but it only went to show how badly she wanted this. That's what worried me. Did she want it bad enough that she would go to Bakari, and that I would let her just to make her happy? Ra said I had nothing to worry about, but that's what I was best at.

I fell asleep worrying about it. In my dreams I saw that damn boy again. This time, though, we were alone. He was only about six or seven years old, no taller than my waist. His curly hair sat atop his head like a bush. I was sitting under a tree staying out of the sun as much as I could while I drink blood out of a goblet – probably Samira's to keep from being burned up. He was running in circles playing, and laughing, with no care in the world. However, he was supposed to be paying attention. I had a book in my hand, one I had seen before. The golden book of Amun-Ra. Bastian kept it in safe keeping, along with the Book of the Dead, and many other ancient works of importance. He even had a copy of the oracle bones from China.

I was getting frustrated with him and told him to stop horsing around. "If you do not read at least one page of this before your mother gets back, it will be your hide, now come here."

"Why can I not do it later?" He whined. Somehow I knew it had been rainy season, so he had been stuck inside for a while, and he loved playing outdoors. That's all he wanted to do. "Please, it (aht)?"

Instantly, after hearing that one word, I woke up with a start. It meant Father. We were still lying in the temple of all places still stark naked. I looked around, and at first there was no one there, but I could feel him watching me. I looked down and she was still sleeping soundly, though she was moaning in discomfort. Whatever she was seeing was unpleasant. She hadn't shown me that dream. Then… I looked up one more time to see him standing there eyeing me curiously.

"I see you enjoyed yourself." He stated as he came closer.

I quickly jumped up to put my clothes back on. My pants at least. I still didn't dress like an Egyptian. I was used to what I had worn for so long.

"It is true that she did not see what you have just seen. What I am showing her is somewhat darker. I grow tired of your incessant worrying, Godric. I know Samira, as she is my flesh and blood. She would never betray you."

"So he is my son?"

"Yes and No."

"Beg pardon?"

"You are as blind as you always were." He muttered under his breath. I could barely hear him. "The boy will be your son. That is all I can tell you…Just trust her, will you?" He asked before vanishing.

As soon as he was gone, Samira woke up with a moan. She always made that sound when she awoke. It made me wonder if that meant whenever she had a dream of the future that he was there watching her. Had he been there the whole time?

"Godric? Who were you talking to?"

"No one." I lied. I felt a quick pain in my skin like someone had pinched me. He wanted me to tell the truth, which I would, just not here.

I helped her up and we returned to our room. On the way there we passed by Bastian who was now awake.

"Godric, I did not except to see you in the temple."

"Some things change." I told him. Much had changed. But apparently some things never changed, as Ra had said about me being blind.

"Indeed. The Europeans were safely removed. Bakari and the others will be back within hours."

That was good news at least. I had been so worried that they would wake up before reaching the border and a fight would break out. So many scenarios had been playing in my mind.

Bastian started to go on his way again, but I stopped him. I told him I wanted to talk to him for a moment and then I told Samira I would meet her after. She trusted me and went on her way. I followed Bastian down the hall towards the throne room.

"I have a question."

"I'm listening."

"Is it possible, do you believe, for an outsider – someone without an ounce of Egyptian blood, to have a connection to your gods?"

He stopped then and turned to face me fully. He was reading my mind, I could feel it. I had hidden it away to keep Samira from knowing, but he found it. He saw it. He saw Ra. I could almost see his reflection in Bastian's eyes.

"You saw him?"

"Twice now. What I do not understand is how. I may be the husband of an Egyptian, but that is my only connection. Yet he said I am as much a part of your people as Samira, and in time I would see just how much. What could he possibly mean by that?"

"I wish I could say." He replied. He was just as confused as I was. He was in awe. "I have never heard of any god, let alone Ra, showing himself. Even I have not seen one face to face."

"Then why me?"

"Because you asked." Bastian stated simply. "You were not a believer, and when you went into our basement you were asking for proof, for answers. Perhaps, that is all he wanted to instill in you – faith."

I thought for a moment, then agreed saying, "Perhaps." Bastian went on his way again and I returned to Samira. She was taking a bath and rubbing her belly. I didn't have to be able to read minds to know what she was thinking. She wanted to believe that after all the love we made earlier, that that boy was in there.

I joined her, slid in behind her to hold her against me. "I love you." I whispered kissing her ear. I didn't say it enough, I knew that. She deserved better, but she would never find anyone more devoted to her. No man could ever love her more, I was sure of it.

She turned her head to see me and smiled. Then she kissed me softly. "I love you."

She rested against me, letting her body relax and lean rather than sitting up straight. Meanwhile, she held the sponge and began washing her skin, whilst humming to herself. She did that when she was happy.

"I have to tell you something."

She stopped humming.

"Do not worry it's nothing awful. In fact, you might even say it was a miracle."

"What?"

"Earlier when you asked me who I was talking to…"

"Yes?"

"I lied…Before I found you in the temple, I went into the basement." I waited for her to say something against me being down there, but she said nothing, so I continued. "I honestly do not know what I expected to happen when I went down there, but certainly not what I found."

"Godric." She sighed. "I know wealth intrigues you, I mean you grew up as a slave…"

"No, not the gold, that's not what I meant." I interjected harshly. "Samira, I saw…I saw…"

"You saw what?"

"Ra."

She turned quickly in my arms to face me. "You saw a god? And not just any god, you saw the king of the gods?"

I nodded. "Then again in the temple."

"What did he say?"

I didn't quite know what he meant when he said "yes and no" but it wasn't what Samira had hoped either way. I couldn't break her heart just yet, so I only told her half the story. "To trust you."

She smiled realizing I had had an epiphany and I no longer worried about it. I had no reason to. He had assured me that at least she would be faithful even if I told her she could just to give her what she wanted. Only time would tell what was going to happen, so now I just had to be patient.