A/N: I'm back! you all know the disclaimer so on with the story!

Chapter 2

"Will, dinner is being serve at this moment, lets go and eat, shall we?" The pharaoh said.

"Um, father, not to be rude, but I will not be joining you or our guest tonight. I'm very tired, and I would like to rest, if it's alright with you, that is?" Iris said, pretending she was tired.

"Very well, you may skip dinner tonight but you better come tomorrow. Now go rest."

Iris nodded, and walked away, with Rai next to her, Shani, Lei and Makoto right behind. As soon as they were out of hearing, the two guards started to laugh.

"Oh man, did you see Prince Seti's face?" Makoto said, through his laugh.

"It was so priceless!" Lei said, tears coming out of his eyes from laughing to hard.

"You two are so childish you know!" Shani yelled, while smiling.

"Than why are you smiling as well, Shani, my high priestess?" Iris teased, walking into her room.

"Will, I, um, uh." Iris started to laugh as her high priestess was speechless for once.

The princess sighed, watching the town getting ready to sleep, "what I would do to help my people."

Shani walked up to her princess and friend, "princess Iris, this is why your father is having this party on your birthday."

Lei walked next to her, "yes my princess, he wants you to pick a wealthy prince to rule with, so you can help your people!"

The princess nodded sadly, "I know Lei but why can't I just live my own life and marry the man that I love?"

"Because that is the way the kingdoms all around the world works. It's like a tradition, no! A religion, that every Prince, princess has to follow from the day they are born into royalty." Makoto said, from behind them.

"This is why I hate the princess life! I can't do what I want to do! I have to follow these stupid rules!" she yelled but than lowered her voice, "but I guess I have no other choice, do I?" She looked at her body guards, high priestess, and her friends.

"No my princess, you have no choice, I'm sorry." Shani sadly said.

Iris sighed, "will, you all better go to dinner. I know you're all hungry."

"Good night princess." they all said in union, leaving the room.

Iris sat on her bed, Rai jumping next to her. She smiled and petted his head, "lets go to sleep, huh boy?" Rai gave her a stretch in response. She chuckled and went under the covers and closed her eyes.

'I need to get out of here! At least before the party and make my decision. I know, I'll sneak out tonight, when everyone is asleep. I'll follow the river to another town.' with that last thought, she fell asleep.

Iris woke up in the middle of the night. She carefully got out of her bed, trying not to disturb Rai from his sleep. She grabbed her cloak and put it on, she also took out a bow and a bag of arrows that were hidden inside a wall that was loose. She also took a belt, that had a knife on it, a smaller knife, hiding it in the side of her skirt, and a bag full of money.

She wrote down a note and attached it to Rai carefully. She than walked up to her balcony, looking back at Rai, she whispered, "I'll be back Rai, behave with the guest who are coming later on today." Than she looked down for any guards before she jumped down as smooth as a cat. She than ran to the same place were she escaped that afternoon.

Once she was out of the palace walls, and half ways out of the town. She looked back, "don't worry father, I'll be back before I make my decision." and with that she put on the hood and started to walk once again.

She saw a small wagon going in the same direction as she was and a jet-black horse tied at the back of the wagon. She ran to catch up to it, "excuse me, may I please have that horse in the back of the wagon? I will pay you whatever amount you say."

An older man stop the wagon and looked at the princess, "may I ask where you are going?"

"I do not know sir. I'm just following the river to the next town."

The man nodded and thought for a while, "I'll give you the horse, no need to pay me anything, I'm just going east from here."

"Thank you sir." Iris went to the back and untied the horse, she got on it and rode up the old man, "thank you sir, I promise you that I will take care of him. Does he have a name?"

"Yes, his name is Shadow Dancer. The fastest horse there is."

Iris nodded, "thank you, it was nice meeting you sir. HA!" Iris put her heels into Shadow Dancer's side, making him start running.

~Morning, Palace~

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE LEFT?!" The pharaoh's voice was heard every inch of the palace.

Lei and Makoto stood in front of him, Rai next to them, "will, pharaoh Ay, this note was attached to Rai, saying that she has left town and to not look for her but she will be back the day of the party, my pharaoh." Lei said, he and Makoto were shaking, imaging what the pharaoh could do to them for not watching Iris carefully.

The pharaoh sighed, "If she said, she will be back, than we just have to wait for her."

"But father! We need to go and find her, bring her back, she just can't leave her duties as princess!" Nefertiti said, anger rising that her younger sister gets away for everything.

"Nefertiti! She did not leave her duties as princess! She is coming back in two days! You two go and find princess Iris but protect her from a far. I do not want any harm come to her, now go!"

"Yes pharaoh." both men said in union and started to walk away.

"Shani."

"Yes my pharaoh?" Shani came out of the shadows

"Go with them and take Rai too."

"Yes my pharaoh, come on Rai." she and the panther left.

~stables~

"So the pharaoh told you to come too?" Lei asked, as he saw Shani get on her white horse and Rai next to her.

"Yeah, I guess he doesn't want anything happing to princess Iris."

Both men nodded as they all started to go to the next town.

~Iris~

Iris rode into a town, a long ways from where she lived. The town was surrounded by a huge wall all around, people were coming in and out. She rode up to the gate, only to be stop by a guard.

"Stop, show yourself, what business do you have here?"

Iris hesitated at first but put back her hood, "I only came to rest for a while, I'll be leaving in two days."

"Very well, you may go in."

Iris nodded a thank you to the guard and rode inside. 'I guess this town doesn't know who I am. That's a good thing too.' she thought, riding to a small shop.(A/N: Imagine the town from the movie, Scorpion King.) She got off Shadow Dancer and tied him to a post near a fountain.

"Wow! It's bigger and busier than Dahshur that's for sure." and surely enough, she was right, nobody didn't know who she was. But just to be safe, she put back on her hood.

She walked around a bit, than she saw a huge crowd and a few people up on a stage. She walked closer, curiosity getting the best of her.

"See this beauty here? She is good worker around the house, and does anything you say, no matter what! Though she is a little Naive." a man said, who was up on stage, next to a girl with long blonde hair, and blue eyes. She was wearing torn up, dirty clothes.

Most of the men whistled, "200 silver!" one shouted.

"400 silver!" The other shouted.

Iris walked up to a woman in the back, "excuse me, what's going on?"

"They're selling some slaves. I just hope they don't buy my daughter or son." said the woman almost in tears.

Iris pity the woman and asked, "which one's are you children ma'am?"

"My daughter, maybe younger than you, is on the far left. Her hair is a brown color. And my son, about your age, is on the far right, his hair a blonde."

Iris looked for them and surely saw them, "I see them. How did they get into this situation, if you don't mind me asking."

"They were kidnap off the streets!"

Iris nodded, she saw the man bring the two children forward, "these next two are brother and sister, only 600 silver!"

"600!"

"800 silver!"

"No! My children!" The woman started to cry.

"1,000 silver!" A man in a red cloak, similar to Iris's, step forward.

"Going once! Going twice!"

Iris step forward, "1,000 silver and 1,000 gold!"

Everyone in the crowd gasped as they moved away from her.

"Sold! to the person in the dark blue cloak. That is all slaves for today, we'll be back in couple of days."

Iris walked up to the man, she paid him and grabbed the rope that hold on to the two kids. As she was out of sight, she walked up to the woman, untied the kids and said, "here you go ma'am. You two better be careful next time, I might not be around to buy you two."

The woman and children cried, hugging each other, "dank you miss, we don't know how ta repay you for returning me and my sis back wit our mom!" said the boy, looking at her.

"Will, there is something you can do. I need a place to stay for two days. Mind if I stay with you?"

"Not all! You are welcome, it's the least we can do for what you did." Said the woman and started to walk away from the crowd with her children, Iris followed them.

The man in the red cloak smiled, "I guess I'm not the only one who care about these people to be sold off as if they were nothing. But were did she get all that money? No one is that rich, unless she's a tomb robber!" He hissed, following her.

A/N: Oh! Who is this mysterious man in the red cloak? Will Shani, Lei and Makoto get to Iris in time? R & R to find out! Later!