Disclaimer: Let's just say if I owned Harry Potter then I wouldn't be writing this stuff.
A/N: What was WRONG with the site? I couldn't upload everything that I had written for a few days. . .as a result I have many chapters to upload but I won't be doing that all at the same time. Yes, this is a ploy too get more reviews. REVIEW!!
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After a few more days on the Nile the visitors from Thebes were at the capital of the north; Memphis. The palace at Memphis was ready to receive their pharaoh and the priest of the respective temple and the population gathered at the banks of the Nile to greet their ruler; Norfret managed to slip away before all the ceremony started to her father's estate at Memphis. As soon as she had got to her room in the mansion, she dismissed Ita and took her jewellery box out. Laying it carefully on the bed, she sat crossed legged and opened it searching for her ivory pin, she found several and lay them out on the bed one by one. Although she never wore the bracelet in public and constantly reminded herself that it meant nothing, it had become her habit to take it out and wear it and transfigure it back to a pin everyday. And now, she was doing it again. The ivory pin turned into the brilliant pink bracelet that is was cool and heavy in the palm of her hand. She let it slide around her wrist and clasped it. Smiling subconsciously, she walked around her room gracefully skipping a few times and raising her arm up to inspect it.
"This doesn't mean I like him." She told herself.
"He's still trying to trick me. I am not going to fall for it."
After a few more minutes, she returned it to its pin form and put in carefully in her box again. She knew that she would have to be more cautious in Memphis – everyone knew the gossip here was lethal – the many lesser wives of pharaoh and their children resided in Memphis and they had nothing better to do then to chat.
***
A woman was usually not expected to join in a royal hunt but Norfret had always accompanied her brothers in their chariots and this year would be no exception. Although she never caught anything and her set of bows and arrows were the lighter variety, she enjoyed the rush of charging around in a horse driven chariot. This year pharaoh and his sons were especially delighted that there had been several lion sightings in the area out in the dessert. A lion was always the most prestigious and wanted game for the royals. Norfret's mother immediately vetoed Norfret's going along on the hunt and had instead wanted her to join her and the other royal ladies in luncheon but since the two princesses' were going with their brothers, Lady Heseret grudgingly allowed her to go warning her not to make any unwanted public displays of un – ladylikeness or clumsiness. The hunt was only a select group of pharaoh's personal body guards, his sons and a few of the other courtiers and their sons. Pharaoh's two Hyksosian brides had come along, as their women were as fierce as their men, and Norfret, Merykara and Benia. Although she would have very much liked to drive the light chariot by herself, she was obliged to accompany her elder brother, who complained greatly at having to baby-sit her.
"Well if you do not like it, you and go join Ay on his chariot." She snapped.
"I can't. Mother would be furious if I let her baby girl drive a chariot all by herself."
"She doesn't have to know. Besides, I can drive a chariot as well as you or Ay, if not better."
Her elder brother Curfay snorted loudly. "Do you even know what the reins are?"
"Yes I do." Norfret narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Besides, if all else fails, I can perform a freezing charm on the horses if things get a little out of hand."
"And what if a lion were to approach you?"
Norfret took out her wand and waved it around obviously, giving her brother a look that said, I – know – how – to – use – this – and - I – will.
"Are you sure you are going to be alright?" Curfay asked seriously. Norfret could tell he was heeding an enormous amount of self control to not break into a total grin and jump off their chariot.
"I'll be fine. I'll call for you if I have trouble."
"Mother does not hear about this?"
"No. She won't."
"Thank you sister." Curfay ruffled her hair and jumped out of the chariot and jumped into his brother's. Frowning, Norfret flattened her hair and straightened her linen kilt.
"Norfret! Glad you could come!"
Princess Merykara and Benia drove next to her. They were on a bigger chariot driven by one of pharaoh's body guards.
"Why are you all by yourself? You know you can't hunt and drive at the same time!"
"I wasn't planning to hunt. I just came to tag along."
"We'll keep you company!"
The local villagers had spotted a male lion with a magnificent mane only the day before and pharaoh was anxious to hunt for it. Liking to command the hunt like his troops, he split them into groups; the principal group was him and his older subjects while the other were his children. The third group were his scouts who were commanded to report back to him immediately if they were to spot any signs of the lion.
Norfret was with pharaoh's offspring and the two Hyksosian princesses who looked ready to spill blood.
"Why are you all by yourself?" It was Ahmenhotep. Norfret tried not to blush and answered back as indifferently as she could explaining her brother's desire to join in with the hunt seriously while she was just there for a ride.
Ahmenhotep and Ahmeni were sharing a chariot, both carrying big war bows and two quivers full of arrows.
"Oh well, you could help us; we'll use you as bait." Ahmeni joked.
Norfret narrowed her eyes. "You two aren't thinking of hunting a lion down all by yourself, now would you?"
"Of course we are."
Norfret sniggered.
"Why?" The two brothers asked indignantly.
"You two could barely lift those bows let alone shoot arrows with them."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Ahmenhotep said confidently.
There weren't much more opportunities for chatting now that the hunt was well under way; the scout guided the hunt groups leading them to game. Several of pharaoh's hunting falcons were already in the air.
***
After a few hours with absolutely no sign of the lion, the two princesses got bored and the pharaoh's Hyksosian wives and sons got restless. Norfret however was enjoying the quite and deadly beauty of the dessert. The dessert lion did not appeal to her very much and she was intrigued by the wilderness of her surroundings. She had read in the palace library that some of the caves out in the dessert were sites where the dark wizards and witches, the followers of the God Seth performed their dark magic only a few decades ago. She wanted to explore more but was constrained with the rest of the hunting party. Merykara, her and Benia had run out of things to talk about and even the princes had lost their enthusiasm. According to the messengers, the other party had so far had no luck.
"This is the most boring hunt I have been on." Ahmenhotep grumbled.
"I am going to explore the caves on the face of the cliffs." Norfret told no one in particular, gently pulling on the reins urging her horses forward. Ahmenhotep frowned.
"That's too far away, you know that we shouldn't separate."
Norfret squinted in the bright sun and looked over her shoulder at him. "I'll only be gone for less than an hour. Beside, there is nothing here to divert me. I can already see the others settling down for a rest." Norfret stopped her horses and picked up a water skin and her head shawl. The sun was beating down relentlessly on them.
"I'll go with you."
That was certainly not expected.
"What? You don't have to come with me. I can protect my self."
"Who said I was going to protect you?" Ahmenhotep asked snidely.
Norfret coloured and swirled around and marched towards the caves, making deep footprints in the sand. Ahmenhotep jumped off his chariot and followed her.
"We are going to give the horses a rest now." Ahmeni told rest of the party.
***
Norfret tried to loose him but he was already walking beside her, swinging his long arms while walking at his comfortable pace.
"You don't have to come." She told him coldly.
"I know."
Norfret raised her eyes to heaven. Why did he have to follow her? The cliff was quite a walk from the chariots so Norfret quickened her pace, she didn't want to keep the other impatient hunters waiting for long – Ahmenhotep followed effortlessly. He made light conversation and asked questions, some of which Norfret chose to ignore. Both she and Ahmenhotep dodged around the subject of the bracelet or the awkwardness between them. Norfret desperately wanted to know whether he had heard the court rumours but decided that would make the situation even more difficult. The face of the cliff became larger and larger; they could tell that it was actually the side of a huge dune – excited; Norfret ran the rest of the way, the fine sand slipping in between her toes in her leather sandals. They had reached the side of the cliff but the caves were too high for them to climb and explore.
"Why don't we check the other side, there might be more caves." Ahmenhotep suggested, already jogging past her.
Sighing, Norfret changed her direction to go over to the other side; she climbed over some rocks and sparse vegetation to the other side of the cliff. Once they had reached the other side, the two immediately noticed something was amiss.
The air was different.
It felt different.
"Something is not right." Norfret whispered.
Then they saw it, a huge wall of airborne sand, coming at them with a low whisper and a promise of death.
"Oh no."
"Come on, run for it!" Norfret said irrationally, grabbing Ahmenhotep's arm with a strength she did not know she possessed.
"NO!" he pulled her back to him. "We can't go back to the chariots, it's too far away!"
***
Merykara took her water skin and sat on the back of the chariot, enjoying the feel of sand between her toes. She raised the water skin to drink it; it certainly was a hot day! Next to her Benia gripped her shoulder tightly, causing her to spill some of the water down her front.
"What is it?" Merykara asked irritably.
Wordlessly, her mouth open with horror, Benia pointed to the wall of airborne sand in a distance. It was heading straight of the dune and the caves!
"Ahmenhotep!" Merykara dropped the water skin and ran to Ahmeni.
"Ahmeni! Ahmeni! It's a sand storm!"
They could see that it was far away but it was definitely heading for them.
"We must avoid it!" the Hyksosian princess cried, jumping into her chariot, pulling the other with her.
"Quickly, everyone in their chariots! If we race towards west we can avoid it easily!" Ahmeni ordered.
He grabbed his two reluctant sisters and put them in their chariot.
"NO! I am not leaving with Ahmenhotep and Norfret!" they both screeched. Ahmeni bit back a few tears, and glared sternly at the two.
"Stop acting so childishly. If you want to save the two if them then we must come out of this alive!"
"He's our brother!" they protested.
"I know!' Ahmeni snapped in frustration. "But we have to go. Now. This is the only way you'll ever see them again. Now move quickly!"
The party boarded the chariots and they raced to the west towards pharaoh and safety.
***
Norfret wrenched herself away from Ahmenhotep, ordering her paralysed legs to run. "It's coming straight towards us!" she screamed, bolting for it.
Ahmenhotep grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and shook her.
"The only chance we have is to take shelter in one of the caves. Come on!"
Ahmenhotep pulled her and began to climb, Norfret was already white with fear and she kept on misplacing her foot on the rough surface.
"Come on Norfret! Faster!"
"I'm trying my best!" Norfret looked over her shoulder and saw the storm some toward her with alarming speed. Already, her hair was blown violently, whipping against her face. She could feel the first grains of sand scrape against her bare skin. Biting her lips and summoning courage, she looked up and already saw Ahmenhotep disappearing in to a cave. She moved up faster.
"Come on Norfret!" she heard his voice above her.
"Help me!" she gasped, reaching up towards him. He grabbed both her arms and lifted her up to him with surprising strength.
She fell on him, his arms encircling her safely; he held her and gently stroked her hair murmuring endearments to her. She felt herself melt into him and her tense muscles relaxed at the touch of his skin. The dark of the cave covered the red of her cheeks. Then they heard the howling wind of the storm. They broke apart abruptly and crawled to the back of the cave; they could feel the hot sand blowing at them. Both lay flat on the floor of the cave moving in as far as possible. Norfret ripped her head cloth in two and handed a piece to Ahmenhotep.
"Cover your face with this. Don't open your eyes for you will not be able to see again. Breath carefully with your mouth or you will suffocate in the sand." Norfret carefully placed the water skin next to her and the wall of the cave; she needed to keep it safe so that it would not burst. Without it, they were going to the west and facing the God Anubis for sure.
Smiling, Ahmenhotep grasped her hand. "We'll survive this." He told her.
She squeezed back. Right then she didn't care about court gossip or innuendo. He was all she had.
"We'll return to Memphis and laugh about it."
She hoped so.
***
Pharaoh and his party were having better luck than the other group; they had located the lion and were moving stealthily toward one male with a magnificent mane. Pharaoh's well thought out and expertly carried out strategy was ruined however when a hoard of chariots leaded by the Crown Prince raced toward them as if in battle. The lions raced away from them alarmed. Pharaoh turned to his son sternly, still holding his bow.
"What is the meaning of this?" he roared. All his subjects trembled. Ahmeni and the other party however were too distressed to notice pharaoh's disappointment.
"Father!" Ahmeni cried jumping off his chariot even before it had stopped. He ran full force toward his now startled father.
"It's a sand storm. It was a sand storm!" he yelled, his complexion pale with fear and worry.
"What is it? Calm down." Pharaoh placed his hand of his son's shoulder and frowned. "Where is Ahmenhotep?"
"Ahmenhotep and Lady Norfret took a walk to explore the caves on the side of a dune when we saw it coming straight for us!" Ahmeni said breathlessly.
He saw his father's face crease with worry. "What?"
"Ahmenhotep is trapped in the middle of a sand storm!" Meryakara and Benia wailed loudly. Behind his father Ahmeni could see Norfret's two brothers blanch in fear and dread. Hardly anyone survived a dessert storm and if they did, they could never find their way back because all the tracks were cleared by the fierce winds.
"We cannot go back now." Pharaoh looked over his son's shoulder at the yellow mist at a distance. "We must wait for it to pass and we will dispatch an immediate search party."
"What can we do?"
"We can to nothing but wait."
***
A/N: Guess what I am going to say to you. Yep! You guessed right! REVIEW! For people who have wanted me to write longer chapters – is this long enough?
OOOHHH for the people who hadn't gone of amazon.com to hear the Harry Potter excerpt then go and listen to it! It's annoying though because it's reaallllllyyy short! Thanks UnderAppreciated.
