Daylight played over the aqua stained sky, enriching the sand with an ungodly heat. Although it might have seemed as though no creature or being to live through such drought-threatening conditions, the inhabitants of Egypt had no problem with it. Tanned skinned, dressed down to the lowest key of ponchos and rags, villagers milled about a full market, ready with the day's pickings of fresh fruit, vegetables and trinkets, not to mention those of pick-pockets. This was one of many towns centered around the Palace of the Pharaoh, blessed with a son of seven years, little Prince Atemu.
Wandering freely through the outer courtyard, Prince Atemu, however young he was to understand how most people felt, knew that he was bored. His leather sandals scuffed idly at a pebble, missing the first few tries until successfully hitting it a few feet away. A sigh escaped his lips unintentionally. He didn't mean to be such a hard case with his father when it came to manners, but quite frankly, there wasn't much to do when your Prince of Egypt and forbade from leaving the palace grounds unless accompanied by at least six or seven bodyguards. He finally sank into the dull feeling of nothing to do and fell back onto his butt on the sand. It only then occurred to him just how hot it was out in midday, which relaxed him into a fleeting comfort. His eyes played battle for a time until they were about ready to end in a shut eye stalemate...
"HEEEEY!! ATEMU!!! What are you doing?!" a shrill voice quickly knocked him back into reality. He chuckled silently to himself and craned his neck back to gaze behind him.
"Ah, hello Nef," he played in return, smiling to the girl above him on the courtyard steps.
Neferketi, a girl no more his age stood in a scolding posture, hands on her hips, her feet apart, and her head cocked to one side. Her attire was that of a couple layers of gold and silver laced tunics and dresses. Around her neck a gold-plated necklace covered her lower collar, as did a few bracelets dangle loosely from her wrists. Warm chocolate eyes gazed at the boy with a playful look of scorn. She took a booted step forward.
"How many times do I have to tell you, that's not my name!" a small childish growl came in response as she hopped the steps down to the ground, reddish-golden hair tied behind her head bobbing, sand spewing up over her feet on her landing.
Atemu, in turn, did the gentlemanly thing and aided her dramatic landing with a swift blow of breath, sending clouds of the desert dust crawling over the girl's formal dress-wear. This left the once pearly white clothing of shining silver to the image of a poor child just uncovered in a sand storm.
She gasped at his action, flinching back with a squeak, "Waiii! I love it, thanks for booting that prissy-ness out of me! I dun' wanna be lady-like yet!"
In the end, both were laughing, Neferketi having gotten back at the boy by piling handfuls of sand on his head, then proceeding to stick a twig in his messy hair and calling it "Palace Atemu".
Soon though, both were called inside, their answers being suppressed whimpers and moans of disapproval with every step they took back inside the much cooler palace.
Inside, the two friends were seated at a small round table, covered by a blood red tablecloth, in the center a glossy crystal ball sparkled on its mini pedestal. Moments later, a tall woman with the everyday tan complexion and long black hair entered the room. Her hanging garments of capes and veils fluttered behind her steps as she stopped next to them, smiling down at her future pharaoh and his childhood friend. Jaded green eyes gazed across the table, more directly to the crystal ball set between them. Pulling out the last chair at the table, she too, sat down. She glanced at the two of them with warm greeting in her gaze.
"Good afternoon, Prince Atemu, Neferketi. I hope that your day has been well," she spoke crisply, breaking any silence that had filled the room as far. The children, having been used to the teachings of their guardians about giving respective beings the attention they deserve, stared blankly at her.
Atemu sighed in pure boredom, having forgotten half the rules of manners on purpose, before he was immediately elbowed in the side by the young girl next to him, shooting him a warning glare. She of course, was answered back in the same terms.
"Yes, thank you Miss Ishizu," Neferketi giggled in a false manner, rubbing her side gingerly.
"I have come to give you two your yearly prophetic insight, be it past, present or future. Mind you, make it at least somewhat important, unlike last time," Ishizu sent a disapproving gaze towards the young Pharaoh at this point, the boy drawing back and flushing in the cheeks.
"Yea, Atemu! Since when does someone ask if their pet cactus made it safely to the Afterlife?!" Neferketi cackled, both in amusement and in irritation. To emphasize the moment hilarity, the girl stood on her seat, pointing at him. The year that followed was a complete waste of karma after that brainless question. Of course, bringing back the memory of it made him blush even more.
"S-so?! Then you ask the question if your so smart!" at this point, the Prince was already seeking refuge under the table cloth, hoping to hide from his own embarrassment. Neferketi snorted in response, crossing her arms dignifiedly, pursing her lips and scowling down at him.
"Fine! I will!" her attention quickly drew to the Priestess next to her, a minute of silence following while she thought of a reasonable question. Soon enough, though, her screwed up expression was replaced by a look of successful conquest, she beamed at Ishizu.
"Okay, tell us something about our future! What will we be doing, the both of us, a while from now?" Neferketi smirked down at Atemu, who was crossing his arms and glaring ahead in annoyance. She really had thought of a good question!
Ishizu in turn, nodded. "Hm, a while from now... "A while" as in years? Alright..."
The older woman then closed her eyes, the rest of the room enveloping in silence as she did so, whether it be for effect or because neither children knew what to talk about at that given time. They watched her as her fingers touched together above the table, the shape of the connected fingers forming a crude triangle, and her Millennium Necklace followed its keeper's command. Within seconds, the table was shrouded in the ancient light of the Millennium Necklace, a hollow humming vibrating the air. The two children only gazed on, staring wide eyed at the mini light show in front of them; a shimmering, golden light show they only saw once a year. The keeper of the item's eyes twitched, as if trying to keep hold on what she was seeing. Truthfully, the children were skeptical of her prophetic abilities, wondering more if she over dramatized the event or if the item was simply too much for Ishizu to handle. As they thought about it, the glimmer of the necklace flickered, eventually snuffing itself out like a flame dimming away at the bottom of a melted candle. They smiled as Ishizu's eyes slowly opened to the real world around her, knowing that she had finished. The two leaned forward, anticipation clear in their eyes.
"Well? What did you see? Huh? Huh?!" two children chattered in unison, tripping over each other's words, trying to get their sentence in before the other. Their ecstatic smiles could've lit up the countryside in their eagerness. Ishizu held up a ring worn hand, silencing them almost instantly, although a smile still remained on her lips.
"What I saw was something very interesting. Very well awaited and also pleasing...however..." she trailed off with sudden apprehension, her eyes falling to a crack on the floor. Something she had also seen had thoroughly disturbed her, but her gaze quickly snapped back to the children, lightly shaking her head, her smile returning to her façade, "No, I will not spoil your question with further detail, so I will tell you what you, Neferketi, wished to know."
Neferketi and Atemu, even though they had seen the Priestess's actions, did not question her hesitation, instead shaking their heads in quick agreement. If the news she had seen was bad, neither of them wanted to hear it.
"Well, I saw something, as I said of the greatest happiness. In the future, you two will gain a great friend. You and the Prince shall also be wed!" She placed a simple grin on her face, drowning out any last traces of fear on her face.
Atemu gasped, staring at the woman.
Neferketi, on the other hand, seemed thoroughly unimpressed. She fell back into her seat, crossing her arms.
"That's it?! Everybody knows that, that fact was a given!! It's good to hear we're going to meet someone that we'll like later on, but come on! Next time, tell us something we don't know!" suddenly shouting and leaping from her seat, Neferketi tugged on Atemu's arm before running out of the room. The boy, understanding the action, quickly followed suit.
Only after the doors to the inner chambers had been shut did he cast a wondering eye back in the direction they had come.
What was it that she saw? She seemed so...frightened. Does it have something to do with us and everyone we might know in the future? Hmm...
"Atemu!! Hurry up! Let's go back outside and play before the sun goes down!!" Neferketi yelled from the doors leading into the warm afternoon sun, waving a tan arm exaggeratingly over her head. Atemu's thoughts were wrenched back into the bowels of his mind, throwing in speculation and instantly smiled back at her. He took a few steps forward before darting into a run.
Oh well. Whatever it was, the future can wait.