Chapter 3 Ancient Egypt
Lily's POV
I read in my mind what I knew was a spell and the Necklace shimmered a blinding light that even with my eyes closed, was as bright as the sun. I could hear my dad and sister yelling my name, but as I turned my face in their direction, they were gone.
Fear struck me as I began to take in what had just happened. My hand was shaking as I brought it up to my neck where my necklace was.
"What just happened?" I whispered to myself as I turned around a few times—still feeling disoriented from the necklace's glow.
"What happened to my father and sister?"
"Dad!" "Roxy!" I yelled as I walked back down the corridor we had just traversed.
But I stopped again as something looked different.
As I was looking around for my sister and dad, I noticed that the Palace looked different. What I saw took my breath away. The Palace that I had just been in with my dad and sister had been run down and falling apart. What I was staring at now was standing tall and full of people.
The walls of the Palace were now intact. The plaster was smooth and new and the torch holders that were decrepit and empty were now shining bright with the fire of oil lamps.
Actually, everything looked different. It looked like I had stepped back in time but I knew that to be a mistake. I looked around the Palace again as I tried to make my way through the halls of it so that I could get outside to the courtyard.
As I was looking around for a way out of the Palace, I saw that there were some people that were coming out of one of the main entrances, and walking towards where I was half-hidden. I pulled back even more so that the shadows would hide me.
As I stood in the shadows, I watched as a girl around my age maybe a bit younger with black curly hair and what looked like sea-blue eyes, came out of the palace with a young boy in a half- pleated kilt that was wrapped around his body with a pleated end down the front. He looked to be about 14, but I wasn't sure about that.
I moved quietly but quickly through the shadows that belonged to the trees within the garden, so I could get out of the palace and into the grounds where there should be a bit more coverage where I could hide. I needed to try to get to the gate that would take me to the village of the Palace but the thing was, the gate but it was in the middle of the wall and was in view of everyone.
I knew I would have to wait for nightfall before I could leave but I also knew that if I stayed here much longer than I would be caught. And now I had no idea what I would say if asked about how I came to be here in the palace gardens, which I knew to be only for royalty.
As it began to get dark, I began to move through the shadows of the trees again, but each time I saw what looked like a guard, I would stop and hold my breath just in case I was found.
I had just got close to the lower wall where I knew the gate was, but I stopped when I noticed that there were guards at the gate and I wasn't sure why or how I was going to get past them.
"What should I do and how do I get past the guards without them seeing me?"
It felt like I had been hiding in the shadows of the trees for hours when I saw my chance to try to move a bit more towards the gate. I got closer to the edge of the trees when I saw something in the corner of my eye.
I stopped as I turned to see what it was. I found myself breathing in deeply as I saw the Queen of Egypt walking right towards me. I went to pull back but something had grabbed me and stopped me. I was too scared to look behind me to see what and who it was.
"Quietly move forward with your hands where we can see them, young miss," said a deep voice in my ear I sucked in a deep breath. I let my breath out slowly as I moved forward out of the trees and stood before the Queen of Egypt.
"Who are you and how did you get into these gardens?" the Queen asked as she stood in front of me.
As I came out of the trees I kept my eyes to the ground as I knew from when I was in school that you never look the royals in the eyes.
"My name is Lily Ross and I'm not sure how I came to be here in your gardens as the last thing that I remember is being with my father and sister before this bright shimmering light began to shine from my necklace then I was here," I said as I placed my hand to my neck where I knew the necklace that my mother had given to me when I was little was nestled.
"Look up child, you will not be in trouble if you look me in the eyes," the Queen said as she raised my head up so that she could see my face.
"Of course my lady," I said as I raised my eyes from the ground and got the shock of my lifetime. The Queen was very young and had the same colour eyes as me.
"How did you know that I was a queen and not a servant that works in the palace?" Queen Tamara asked as she looked at me with a surprised look on her face.
"Where I'm from I did a history report on the Queens and Pharaohs of Egypt," I said as I was made to walk beside the Queen as we made our way back into the palace and towards the throne room.
I have been stuck in ancient Egypt for a few months now and everyone has been nice to me even the Queen has been great, but as the days go on, I miss my family more and more every day thinking about my dad and my sister asking myself 'are they okay,? are they back home trying to figure out what happened to me,? are they trying to find a way for me to come home to them?.'
While I've been here in ancient Egypt the Queen has allowed me to live in the city and come up to the palace so that I can use the library which I have been doing almost every day and today was no different. The house that I now live in is near the edge of the city and close to the market which is perfect for me when I have to get food.
I was in the city one day and making my way up to the palace when a young boy and girl came running into me and knocking me down.
"Oh, my I'm so, so very sorry miss are you okay,? Melinda I've told you not to run off this is what happens" the older sibling said to his younger one "oh no it's fine I wasn't watching where I was going, since I was lost in my own thoughts just be careful next time okay" I said as I helped the young child up off the ground.
"Yes miss, Aron do you know who that is,? I've never seen her before," Melinda said to her brother as they both watched me walk off towards the palace.
I had heard what the brother and sister had said to each other as I made my way up towards the Palace as I was needing to speak with Queen Tamara about something that I could not shake off and I also need to see if I'm still able to use her Library as I have a feeling that not everything was true about my mother's family .
As I got to the gate of the palace I stopped to try and clear my mind of everything about my family because part of me didn't want to find anything out but I knew that I needed to get back home to my dad and sister allow I do miss Roxy a lot but until I know how to get back, I will just have to stay here.
"Good morning Miss Lily, how are you today?" one of the guards asked me as he opened the gate so that I could enter the courtyard "I'm good, I'm just here to see the Queen about a few things and hopefully use the Library as I want to check a few things" I said as I made my way into the palace I stopped to look at some of the drawings on the walls before moving on again but stopped again as I had just realised that I didn't know where the throne room was or if the Queen was even there.
"Excuse me but could you tell me the way to the Queen's throne room," I asked one of the servants within the palace.
"Of course mam if you just keep going straight then take a left it's the second door on the left and the only one that has guards outside it," the young servant girl said, "before I go what is your name?" I asked as I looked at the young girl in front of me
"My name is Melody, Melody Muto"
"Well thank you, Melody I best get to the throne room," I said as I made my way down the hallway that Melody pointed to.
I was two feet away from the doors of the throne room when someone knocked into me and knocked me down as I falling forward I put my hands out in front of me to stop myself from falling I looked up to see a young boy around the same age as me.
"sorry" he said as he walked into the throne I sat there on the floor fuming 'sorry is that all he has to say to me when he just knocked me down and didn't even help me up before walking off, but I do wonder who he is' I thought to myself as I got up off the ground and walked towards the throne room door and knocked before entering
"Your Majesty may I speak with you," I said as I walked forward before dropping into a bow
"Of course Lily but first I would like you to meet my husband and the Pharaoh Akhenaten along with my sons crown prince Atemu and Prince Alexander," the Queen said as she pointed out each one and stood from her throne and walked towards me.
"I'm very pleased to meet you my Pharaoh and Prince Atemu and Prince Alexander, I'm Lily Ross and I've not been here long but I do love it, it's such a beautiful city Egypt and one that I have come to love," I said as I gave a bow to the Pharaoh and the two princes.
"My Queen I was wondering if I was still allowed to use the library as I have a few things that I need to check out that I didn't the last time we spoke before I moved into the house in the city" I said as I looked at Queen Tarma, but making sure that my eyes where not looking right at her as I knew the laws from this time when commoners spoke with the royal family they were never to look the royal family in the eyes as it could mean your death for it.
"Of course Lily come I'll take you to it Atemu, Alexander, you both come with us as well since you have lessons to do with your magic"
"Yes mother," both boys said as they followed their mother and myself out of the throne room "Tarma" I heard the pharaoh say as he walked towards the Queen who was standing to the right side of me.
"yes Akhenaten," the Queen said as she turned towards the Pharaoh
"may I have a word with you,? I'm sure the boys can show young Lily to the library while we talk,?" Akhenaten said as he came to a stop just to the left of me and Atemu
"Of course dear," Tarma said as she looked at the Pharaoh before turning to Prince Atemu "Atemu, Alex would you mind showing Lily to the library for me and give her a hand if she needs it while she looks for the things that she needs," the queen said before walking off with the Pharaoh towards what I thought to be his office
"Well we may as well show you to the library, but what is it that you're looking for," Prince Atemu asked me as the three of us walked along the hallway, "has the Queen told either you of the Pharaoh on how I came to be in Egypt Prince Atemu" I asked as I kept looking forward.
"I think mother mentioned that she has her personal guard found you in the gardens and that you told her how you came to be here something to do with a light and your necklace," Prince Alexander said as he turned his head to look at me and pointed to my necklace that was around my neck
"Yes you see I'm not from this time to me this is the past of Ancient Egypt the time I'm from there is not much left of this Palace, while I was with my dad and sister help him research the runes of the palace for a story that he was working on for his job my sister found what looked to be a spell of some sort, as I was saying the words a bright light came from my necklace and the next thing I know i'm in a palace that looks rebuilt so I had made my way outside to the gardens and hide in the trees to see if there was anything that could help me that's when I saw the Queen, who by the way I was shocked to see that I looked similar to her" I said
"Yes mother was very shocked and so was our father and our self when she told us about you, but you still haven't answered my question on why you need to go to the library," Prince Atemu said as she turned to look at me.
"Well I want to see if there is any way for me to go home to my dad and sister and it's not that I don't love it here I do but this isn't my time and I missed my dad and sister their all I have right now as I don't know who or where my birth mother is and my stepmother was killed before my sister and I left for Egypt and before I found myself here"
"Lily why do you not look at us when you speak with us," Prince Alexander asked as he looked at me then at his brother then back at me "Is it not forbidden to look you in the eyes"
"Yes it is," Prince Atemu said
"then that is why I do not look at either of you when speaking"
"But if we were to give you permission to look at us," Prince Alexander said
"then I would look at you but as you have not given me that permission I will not," I said and kept walking
"Atemu should we not give her permission to look at us when speak because I noticed that when she was speaking with mother Lily was facing her but her eyes would not look at mother and I think it was in case father said something"
"Your right Alex I know when mother told you father and me about lily she did say that she had given Lily the permission to look at her.