MBooker...I LOVE YOU!!! You are the bestest reviewer in the whole wide world:):):)

Also many thanks to all of my loyal fans:)

Tigerwolf, I'm disappointed;)--it was the arms reference in chapter 2. I'll let you know if I put in any more:)

You guys, stop worrying. Do you really think Achsu-rai would just cold-bloodedly kill his one true love? There's gotta be extenuating circumstances...but Nefertiri's murder is not going to happen for a long, long while, so just calm down and enjoy the story. Bwahahahaha, I'm just evil, ain't I? (but not that evil;)

Chapter 4

Fool Me Once

By the next morning, Nefertiri had grown tired of dwelling on Achsu-rai and decided to seek out her father. This was not necessarily an easy task, potentially requiring several hours of one's time. Seti loved the natural light and so moved his entourage of servants from one room to another throughout the day, making it very difficult to track him down. She finally found him tucked in a far corner of the throne room, pretending to study a daily report from his general but really only contemplating the pattern of light the crystal goblets created when set on the windowsill. Nefertiri gave her father an affectionate kiss on the cheek and remarked, "What an easy hiding spot you have chosen today, father."

"Ah, daughter, what a delightful surprise. Walk with me."

Nefertiri took her father's arm and they began to amble slowly out through the balcony and into the morning sun.

"Father, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the honor you have bestowed on me. I will not let you down."

"I know. I trust you will train hard."

"Yes, father."

"Nefertiri, I have another matter to discuss with you. About this little hobby of yours, the books?"

"What do you mean?"

"You need to be concentrating on your training, not losing your head in silly fantasies."

"It's not all fiction, father, mostly it's history!" she protested.

"Still, I want you to stay out of the library. From now on you are to focus on your duties as my daughter and as the protector of the Bracelet."

"But father--"

"No buts, Nefertiri, I have made my decision. Now, I also wanted to ask you, that servant of yours--oh, what is her name?"

Nefertiri barely comprehended her father's words as she withdrew her arm from his and raced away from him. Not read? How could she survive? How was such a thing possible? The written word was like a lifeblood to her, like air, like water. It allowed her an escape from the tedium that consumed her days and the agony that marked her nights. Why, the first thing she'd done upon speaking with Achsu-rai about the Bracelet was to go to the library and devour every manuscript she could find on the subject. Nefertiri had never been one to defy her father's commands, but despite her good-girl nature, she felt a rebellion rising inside her. Seti couldn't do this to her, he just couldn't...

A whirl of flashing gold and bronzed skin fought its way across the long room, pausing every so often to shift the advantage from one to the other, only stopping when they'd reached the far wall. The taller one quickly tripped her opponent and deftly maneuvered the tridents out of the younger girl's hands.

"You are too fast," the loser panted as her teacher offered a hand to help her up.

"So be faster," Anck-su-namun replied cryptically.

"That's your lesson? Be faster?"

"I know you can do it, Nefertiri. Stop letting your emotions show in your fighting. I could tell you were mad about something. You must be calm. Only then will you be able to beat me."

"Thanks, teach." The princess spotted her father on the far end of the room. With an icy smile she acknowledged his presence as he clapped enthusiastically for their performance. "Bravo!" he shouted, giving his daughter a cheerful wave and exiting the training room, a trail of servants and Medjai following close behind. Nefertiri noticed with unease how her father's eyes had lingered on Anck-su-namun as he passed. What was it about that the woman that men found so fascinating? First Imhotep, now the pharaoh...Nefertiri dismissed these thoughts quickly. With a genuine smile she noted that Achsu-rai had also attended the practice. He hung back from Seti's entourage, throwing a charming but somehow tense smile her way as she and Anck-su-namun gathered their belongings.

"You haven't been sleeping, have you?" Anck-su-namun asked the princess, drawing her attention away from the Medjai.

"How can you tell?"

"Please, Nefertiri. You snap at everyone, you're always complaining that you're tired--"

"All right, all right. What's a little insomnia?"

"I can mix something for you if you like," Anck-su-namun offered.

"Please, Anck, you know I don't hold with your silly herbal concoctions."

"Suit yourself," Anck-su-namun shrugged. "Just don't come crying to me when you doze off in the middle of practice and fall on your own sword."

What was it about the princess that he found so mesmerizing? Achsu-rai asked himself as his eyes tracked the princess and her servant 'til they were out of sight. He was glad the training session was finished; he got nervous what with those deadly blades flashing so dangerously close to Nefertiri. It was a good thing the two were friends, he reflected. Achsu-rai knew Nefertiri let her emotions rule when she fought; he could only imagine how badly the pair might injure each other if they were ever angry.

Imhotep appeared suddenly out of the shadows, wearing the deep lines of a scowl on his handsome face. "I hear that you suggested the princess as the next protector of the Bracelet of Anubis," he said without preamble. "Are you sure that was a wise decision?"

"What's it to you?" Achsu-rai asked suspiciously.

"I would have liked to be consulted, that's all. The princess is so young--"

"Exactly. What's she going to do, hunt down the Scorpion King? I believe it is safe in her care."

"You'd be surprised, Achsu-rai," the high priest hissed, "at how wrong our beliefs can sometimes turn out to be." Imhotep shot the Medjai one last dagger-tipped look and fled the room.

That man could make a living out of dramatic exits, Achsu-rai thought wryly as another form joined his side. "Brother," it said angrily, "where the hell have you been? I waited for two hours."

Achsu-rai sighed as he contemplated Khalil. He had once been that arrogant, carefree youth, he reminded himself. His brother would grow up someday, Achsu-rai was sure...almost. "I was busy," he snapped. "My obligations are more important than yours."

"Oh, forgive me, I can see this was incredibly important," Khalil said with a mocking nod of his head. "It's not everyday you see this sort of thing. Why, I believe the last time the princess had a training session was...wait a minute, yes, why...it was yesterday!"

Achsu-rai tried to think of something authoritative to say, but after a few moments of silence resorted to brotherly tactics and shot back, "Shut up!"

"Achsu-rai, you told me you would come look at my work today. Remember, you said you'd talk to Seti about putting me on the art committee as soon as--"

"Khalil, I'm working on it, okay? I have more important things to worry about right now."

"What could be more important than your own brother?"

"Fate," Achsu-rai replied simply. Love, he could have added, but chose to keep mum on that particular subject. Hell, for all he knew, it was merely an infatuation...

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