It was a long time before Aaron began to feel out of harm's way, and
he began to relax. He knew it was essential to get Nefertiti to her
mother, Ebonee securely. He stole a glance at the sleeping princess. She
looked so peaceful with her dark hair falling across her facade. She was
truly gorgeous. He smiled to himself as he saw a hint of sunrise in the
distance. Traveling in the desert was not an easy mission. He sighed,
knowing they still had a ways to go.
"Where am I?" Nefertiti sat up, and rubbed her eyes. Aaron glanced over at her, and pulled his horse neared to her, and handed her a jug of water.
"We're in the Sahara. It's all right. you're safe now. You'll be with your mother soon." He watched her drink thirstily. She finished, and handed the jug back to him.
"Aaron, tell me about my mother." She cocked her head in an innocent way that made him laugh to himself.
"Well. she is a wonderful woman. Beautiful. too, like you." He smiled at her, and she blushed.
"No, I mean. why did she leave me?" Her eyes stared at him intensely, with obvious great interest. "And. why did she send you? She doesn't know me."
"Well, your don't need to know someone to love them. You're her daughter, and she loves you." Aaron shrugged. "She left. because they were going to kill her. Didn't I tell you this last night?" Nefertiti nodded.
"Yes. but I was too tired. I can't remember all of it. Please, tell me again? From the beginning?" Aaron smiled, and nodded.
"All right. I'll at least tell you what I know." He paused in thought, remembering what he had been told. "Well, it all started when you were born."
A beautiful longhaired woman walked barefoot in the sand. She was holding a small bundle in her arms. She pulled the tip of a royal purple blanket back, and gazed into the face of her baby daughter. She giggled, cooing to the baby softly.
A man strode out with an angry expression on his face. He grabbed hold of the woman by the arm, causing her to jerk, and almost drop the baby.
"Pharaoh!" She exclaimed, willing herself not to strike him in her anger. "Please. I almost dropped." She paused, and pulled back the blanket for him to see. "Our daughter." She smiled up at him with pure joy, as his anger flared.
"What, you think I would care, Ebonee? We already have a son. I wish you would drop her on her head, and kill her." He reached for the baby, but Ebonee turned, and pulled away.
"Please stop. She is our daughter, and we need to cherish her, and her life." She forced a smile, and kissed the baby's forehead lovingly.
"Fine. What is the name of our precious baby?" He said mockingly, crossing his arms, and glaring at Ebonee.
"Nefertiti. Her name. is Nefertiti."
Aaron shrugged and laughed as he noticed Nefertiti's deep gaze, and strong interest in her past.
"So. I was the baby?" Her dark eyes clouded. "And. the pharaoh was my father." She looked down. "What happened next?"
"Well." Aaron shifted his position to be more comfortable, and continued with the story.
Ebonee walked into the nursery cradling the baby in her arms. She looked around, and saw her son standing in the corner. She smiled at him sweetly.
"Imhotep, come and meet your sister, Nefertiti." The young boy approached and touched his sister's delicate hand. He looked up, his eyes widening. He scurried out of the room, and Ebonee turned I confusion. "Imho- ah!" She screamed as she came face to face with her husband who was holding a sword over her head. She darted out from under it as it crashed to the floor.
"Ebonee!" He dropped the sword, and ripped the baby away from her. He cradled it in his arms and walked over to the balcony over the river. He held the tip blanket, which held the baby, and held it over the edge.
"Pharaoh, no! Wait!" Ebonee reached out to him with tears of pain, and fear streaming down her face. "Please, no, let her live. At least until she is sixteen, please I beg of you!" She fell at his feet, terrified.
"And, what if I do this for you? Let you keep your daughter until she is sixteen?" He pulled the baby back over the side of the balcony, and she snatched it away.
"Then you will have done something good, for once in your life." She pulled away, trying to comfort the now crying child. The Pharaoh lunged at her, and threw her into a planted pot, as she winced in pain as the pot smashed into pieces.
"Either you give me something in return, or your life and your daughter's life will both be terminated." He growled at her. Ebonee stood bravely and looked hm in the eye.
"You let me keep my daughter, and I will let you keep your son. If anything happens to Nefertiti, I will murder, your son." Ebonee stood up straight, and glared fiercely at him. He smacked her, causing her to fall on her back, and cry out in pain again.
"All right. I will let your daughter live, no longer than her sixteenth birthday. BUT. I will teach my son to despise her. Then, I will take your life in her place. Do we have a deal?" He stood over her, twirling the sword with one hand. Ebonee nodded with a whisper.
"Yes." She lowered her head, as maids suddenly surrounded her, taking her baby. "Wait. " She called out, but they were gone, and she was left sitting alone in the nursery.
By this time, tears had filled Nefertiti's eyes, as well as Aaron's. He had heard the story many times, but never met the girl that Ebonee had fought so hard to keep.
"My father, hated me. that much? So much that the only way I could live, was to kill my own mother?" Her hand clasped over her mouth. "Imhotep was taught to hate me." Tears trickled down her cheeks, and Aaron looked down.
"But. your mother didn't die. She escaped." He looked back up at Nefertiti, and handed her a fragment of cloth. "Would you like me to continue?" Nefertiti nodded, and Aaron continued the story.
Ebonee ran through the gardens with her daughter in her arms. She stopped near the wall, tears in her eyes, as she gazed down into the small bundle, her daughter. Crying softly she kissed her daughter's forehead. She was just about to open the secret passage, when guards surrounded her with their swords raised. She gasped in fear as one without a sword stepped forward.
"The child lives, but your life is ours to take." He sneered angrily. "Hand over the girl." Tears ran down Ebonee's face, as she pleaded with the guard.
"Please, can I tell her goodbye?" He sighed, with a nod. She knelt down on the ground, with one hand on the Nefertiti's small cheek, and the other on the brick, which would reveal her exit. "I'm so sorry.I love you so much. Never forget me." She kissed the baby's forehead, knowing that the guards would never admit to have letting her get away. But if they had the baby, they could say that they had killed her, and they would both be safe for the time being.
"All right, hand her over." The guards raised their swords, and Ebonee's hand tightened on the brick. "NOW!" The guards snatched up the baby, and Ebonee pressed the brick. She rolled out, and pressed the brick on the other side, and the wall closed, safely behind her.
Nefertiti's eyes were now large in amazement. Aaron smiled and looked up at her. He chuckled, and looked off in the distance, squinting to see the town.
"So?? What happened?" Nefertiti watched him nervously, ready to fall off her horse or something. Aaron smiled.
"Well, the guards didn't know about the secret passage. So she escaped, and took a horse from town. She rode out here, and nestled down in a town. Right there." He raised his hand, and pointed to the slowly approaching town. "We're almost home." He smiled at her, and tapped his horse in the sides, ready for the journey to be over. It was time to reunite mother and daughter. it had been too long.
"Where am I?" Nefertiti sat up, and rubbed her eyes. Aaron glanced over at her, and pulled his horse neared to her, and handed her a jug of water.
"We're in the Sahara. It's all right. you're safe now. You'll be with your mother soon." He watched her drink thirstily. She finished, and handed the jug back to him.
"Aaron, tell me about my mother." She cocked her head in an innocent way that made him laugh to himself.
"Well. she is a wonderful woman. Beautiful. too, like you." He smiled at her, and she blushed.
"No, I mean. why did she leave me?" Her eyes stared at him intensely, with obvious great interest. "And. why did she send you? She doesn't know me."
"Well, your don't need to know someone to love them. You're her daughter, and she loves you." Aaron shrugged. "She left. because they were going to kill her. Didn't I tell you this last night?" Nefertiti nodded.
"Yes. but I was too tired. I can't remember all of it. Please, tell me again? From the beginning?" Aaron smiled, and nodded.
"All right. I'll at least tell you what I know." He paused in thought, remembering what he had been told. "Well, it all started when you were born."
A beautiful longhaired woman walked barefoot in the sand. She was holding a small bundle in her arms. She pulled the tip of a royal purple blanket back, and gazed into the face of her baby daughter. She giggled, cooing to the baby softly.
A man strode out with an angry expression on his face. He grabbed hold of the woman by the arm, causing her to jerk, and almost drop the baby.
"Pharaoh!" She exclaimed, willing herself not to strike him in her anger. "Please. I almost dropped." She paused, and pulled back the blanket for him to see. "Our daughter." She smiled up at him with pure joy, as his anger flared.
"What, you think I would care, Ebonee? We already have a son. I wish you would drop her on her head, and kill her." He reached for the baby, but Ebonee turned, and pulled away.
"Please stop. She is our daughter, and we need to cherish her, and her life." She forced a smile, and kissed the baby's forehead lovingly.
"Fine. What is the name of our precious baby?" He said mockingly, crossing his arms, and glaring at Ebonee.
"Nefertiti. Her name. is Nefertiti."
Aaron shrugged and laughed as he noticed Nefertiti's deep gaze, and strong interest in her past.
"So. I was the baby?" Her dark eyes clouded. "And. the pharaoh was my father." She looked down. "What happened next?"
"Well." Aaron shifted his position to be more comfortable, and continued with the story.
Ebonee walked into the nursery cradling the baby in her arms. She looked around, and saw her son standing in the corner. She smiled at him sweetly.
"Imhotep, come and meet your sister, Nefertiti." The young boy approached and touched his sister's delicate hand. He looked up, his eyes widening. He scurried out of the room, and Ebonee turned I confusion. "Imho- ah!" She screamed as she came face to face with her husband who was holding a sword over her head. She darted out from under it as it crashed to the floor.
"Ebonee!" He dropped the sword, and ripped the baby away from her. He cradled it in his arms and walked over to the balcony over the river. He held the tip blanket, which held the baby, and held it over the edge.
"Pharaoh, no! Wait!" Ebonee reached out to him with tears of pain, and fear streaming down her face. "Please, no, let her live. At least until she is sixteen, please I beg of you!" She fell at his feet, terrified.
"And, what if I do this for you? Let you keep your daughter until she is sixteen?" He pulled the baby back over the side of the balcony, and she snatched it away.
"Then you will have done something good, for once in your life." She pulled away, trying to comfort the now crying child. The Pharaoh lunged at her, and threw her into a planted pot, as she winced in pain as the pot smashed into pieces.
"Either you give me something in return, or your life and your daughter's life will both be terminated." He growled at her. Ebonee stood bravely and looked hm in the eye.
"You let me keep my daughter, and I will let you keep your son. If anything happens to Nefertiti, I will murder, your son." Ebonee stood up straight, and glared fiercely at him. He smacked her, causing her to fall on her back, and cry out in pain again.
"All right. I will let your daughter live, no longer than her sixteenth birthday. BUT. I will teach my son to despise her. Then, I will take your life in her place. Do we have a deal?" He stood over her, twirling the sword with one hand. Ebonee nodded with a whisper.
"Yes." She lowered her head, as maids suddenly surrounded her, taking her baby. "Wait. " She called out, but they were gone, and she was left sitting alone in the nursery.
By this time, tears had filled Nefertiti's eyes, as well as Aaron's. He had heard the story many times, but never met the girl that Ebonee had fought so hard to keep.
"My father, hated me. that much? So much that the only way I could live, was to kill my own mother?" Her hand clasped over her mouth. "Imhotep was taught to hate me." Tears trickled down her cheeks, and Aaron looked down.
"But. your mother didn't die. She escaped." He looked back up at Nefertiti, and handed her a fragment of cloth. "Would you like me to continue?" Nefertiti nodded, and Aaron continued the story.
Ebonee ran through the gardens with her daughter in her arms. She stopped near the wall, tears in her eyes, as she gazed down into the small bundle, her daughter. Crying softly she kissed her daughter's forehead. She was just about to open the secret passage, when guards surrounded her with their swords raised. She gasped in fear as one without a sword stepped forward.
"The child lives, but your life is ours to take." He sneered angrily. "Hand over the girl." Tears ran down Ebonee's face, as she pleaded with the guard.
"Please, can I tell her goodbye?" He sighed, with a nod. She knelt down on the ground, with one hand on the Nefertiti's small cheek, and the other on the brick, which would reveal her exit. "I'm so sorry.I love you so much. Never forget me." She kissed the baby's forehead, knowing that the guards would never admit to have letting her get away. But if they had the baby, they could say that they had killed her, and they would both be safe for the time being.
"All right, hand her over." The guards raised their swords, and Ebonee's hand tightened on the brick. "NOW!" The guards snatched up the baby, and Ebonee pressed the brick. She rolled out, and pressed the brick on the other side, and the wall closed, safely behind her.
Nefertiti's eyes were now large in amazement. Aaron smiled and looked up at her. He chuckled, and looked off in the distance, squinting to see the town.
"So?? What happened?" Nefertiti watched him nervously, ready to fall off her horse or something. Aaron smiled.
"Well, the guards didn't know about the secret passage. So she escaped, and took a horse from town. She rode out here, and nestled down in a town. Right there." He raised his hand, and pointed to the slowly approaching town. "We're almost home." He smiled at her, and tapped his horse in the sides, ready for the journey to be over. It was time to reunite mother and daughter. it had been too long.