Chapter Two

"Secrets in the Palace"

Seti's Palace

Thebes, Egypt

1298 BC

Nine years had now passed since Imhotep's first day as an official priest of Osiris and due to his father's recent passing, he was now the newly appointed High Priest.

Twenty-three years old, he was now six foot one, strong, and even handsomer than before. He donned the long, black robe, which was expected of a high priest to wear, which hung open in the front, revealing his chiseled chest, upon which laid the amulet of a scarab beetle, the symbol of creation and rebirth. Around his waist he wore the usual black loincloth. It fell just so, so that his toned thighs were revealed and bulged with every step that he took with his bare feet.

The morning had consisted of the usual duties at the temple, but now he was on his way to visit with his friend, Asim. After all these years, the Med-jai was still assigned to guarding the Princess Nefertiri and although he seemed to complain quite profusely, especially for a Med-jai, he seemed to have grown quite fond of his job, that, or quite fond of the princess. Imhotep was not quite sure which. The only thing that he knew was that his friend had asked to speak with him today as soon as possible.

Imhotep made his way through the palace. Commoners and workers stopped in their tracks and turned to give him a nod of respect, after all, he was now the second most powerful man in the kingdom, and the richest. Being keeper of the dead and the Black Book of Osiris also helped in that respect. It was almost as if they considered him a god. The thought seemed rather silly to him, but yet at the same time he found great pleasure in it; however, as of late it did not please him so greatly.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but lately he had been feeling somewhat restless. It almost seemed as if something was missing from his life, a big part of himself. He could think of no explanation either. It made him wonder if he would ever find out what he was looking for.

He shook the thought from his head and saw that Asim was just up ahead, standing at the doorway to his quarters. He waved his hand frantically to get Imhotep to hurry up. It was obvious that there was something important on his mind.

Perhaps the day won't be so boring after all, Imhotep thought with a smile.

When he finally reached his friend, they both slipped inside the room undetected and Asim closed the doors behind them. He turned to Imhotep and was about to speak, but seemed to lose his nerve very quickly and decided to pace instead, nervously rubbing his hands together. His black robes flowed with his movements.

Asim was now a very respected leader of the Med-jai. He had the tattoos upon his face to prove it. He was very tall; he even made Imhotep look short beside him. His dark eyes seemed lost in thought as he continued to pace. Imhotep sighed. This was going to take longer than he thought.

"Things might move along more quickly if you-"

But Asim quickly cut him off, blurting out exactly what was on his mind and to Imhotep's relief, making things a lot easier than expected.

"Imhotep, I am in love!"

Imhotep's eyes widened at this and he found himself trying to keep from falling over at this complete loss of control in his friend the Med-jai. He froze for few seconds as this news began to sink in and gradually a grin began to spread across his face, his eyes becoming soft with that certain little twinkle that they got when they knew something so special. So he was in love with the princess after all.

About to reveal this thought, Imhotep suddenly held back. It would be better for the both of them if he let Asim say it for himself. The Med-jai were well known for being a group of secretive and cunning warriors, if Imhotep were to reveal that he had seen through his friend's facade, it would definitely cause some unwanted trouble between them. Instead, he said with much shock,

"In love? You? You must be joking!"

Asim began to pace even faster. "Yeah, well believe it or not my friend, I AM…deeply. She is just so, so…"

He trailed off, trying to find the words. He had never been too good at finding the right things to say and being in love didn't help his situation any. Imhotep jumped in for him, anticipating what his friend might be feeling.

"Beautiful, lovely, and sweet with a voice so wonderful that it could send the gods to tears?"

"Exactly!" stated Asim, waving his hands about for emphasis. "All that and…more…"

"Sounds serious," said Imhotep with another one of his grins. "And just who is the lucky woman?"

Asim finally stopped pacing and looked Imhotep in the face. He looked nervous, almost scared for his life. He must have been thinking of what Seti would do to him if he knew that his daughter's bodyguard was in love with her. Seti had always only wanted the best for his daughters and anyone below royalty he was sure he would never accept, especially for Nefertiri, his favorite.

"We have known each other forever, right?"

Imhotep nodded, he was practically ready to blurt it out for his poor love struck friend, but somehow restrained himself. Must be a priest quality, he thought to himself.

"So I can trust you not to let anyone know?"

This time, Imhotep gave him a slightly annoyed look.

"Okay, okay! It is the Princess Nefertiri!" he said very quickly, waving his hands about again in frustration.

"There, now was that so difficult?" asked Imhotep with a playful grin. Asim just gave him a look.

"Oh! Why did I even bother to tell you? You cannot even take me seriously! How could you possibly know what it is like to be in love with someone that you know you could never possibly possess?" Asim walked over and sat down on a nearby bench overlooking the kingdom below. He looked out with a sadness in his eyes. Imhotep slowly walked over and placed a hand upon his poor friend's shoulder.

"Alright, I am listening. Tell me about it. How does she feel about you?"

Asim took a deep breath and shrugged, he seemed even more saddened by Imhotep's question.

"To tell you the truth, I do not know. She is so feisty and headstrong. We have little spats almost all the time, just batting witty remarks back and forth. She has got such a fire in her…and her eyes…"

He trailed off again, but this time lost in deep thought. Imhotep smiled, it was nice to see that something could actually break down his friend's tough exterior. He was sure that things would work out for the best. In a way, he envied him. He himself had never been in love.

"My friend, I suggest that you talk with her. Find out how she feels. I am sure she would not turn you over to her father for the kill," assured Imhotep with another one of his sly grins. Asim gave him a bewildered look.

"What makes you so certain?" he asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow. Imhotep smiled again and put his arms out before him in a very, "Hey, it's me!" fashion.

"Because, I am the High Priest," he said before adding in a more suggestive tone, "I hear things…"

And with that, Asim's face lit up with intrigue.

"You do?"

Imhotep shook his head and chuckled as he prepared to answer the barrage of questions that were no doubt about to befall him.