Chapter Four

"A Heart Locked Out of Heaven"

Seti's Palace

Thebes, Egypt

1298 BC

Almost everyone had gathered into the throne room for the night's celebration. Guards, priests, Med-jai warriors, servants, and Seti's many children filled the room. Several torches encircled the outer ridges, giving the place an almost eerie glow. The occupants were eagerly awaiting the festivities to begin, well almost everyone…

Imhotep stood atop the steps just to the right of the throne. He had now changed into his cheetah-patterned loincloth, which he, unlike the other priests, was permitted to wear. It fit tightly around his waist, revealing his navel and the subtly toned muscles of his abdomen and sculptured chest. Around his neck he wore a golden collar, accompanied by his usual scarab beetle amulet. Upon each forearm rested a golden wristband, extending from his wrist to just below his elbows.

Seti had seated himself comfortably upon his throne and was quite confidently surveying his people before him. He wore a smug smile. He was obviously very proud of himself.

Below him, sat his four youngest daughters, Safiya, Ife, Nuru, and Jamila, all neatly dressed in their ceremonial gowns. They were seated upon the steps and eagerly chatting with each other about the various "handsome" men that were attending the ceremony. Seti smiled at them, they were growing up so quickly.

Nefertiri stood opposite Imhotep, to the left of the throne. Being Seti's eldest gave her that right over her younger siblings. She watched her sisters' heated discussions with a smile upon her face. They were quite amusing. She wished she could join in their conversation. Watching them made her forget about her troubles for the moment.

Asim stood slightly off to her side, guarding his princess as usual. He stared at her rather openly, seeming to have forgotten all about his duties and the fact that he was in public and standing beside The Pharaoh.

Nefertiri turned around to give a quick glance to her faithful protector, but it wasn't quick enough. Imhotep caught the slight smirk, which passed between them. It was definitely obvious they'd had that talk…and apparently it had been successful.

Nefertiri quickly spun back around; she didn't want to risk getting caught. She leaned over to give her father a kiss upon the cheek. Seti smiled back up at his daughter, giving her arm a light squeeze. He was quite proud of her; she would make a great queen someday.

Nefertiri returned her father's affections. She had always been approving in all the decisions he made, never complaining or disagreeing with him. She was always quick to defend too, especially when she heard any horrible rumors about him having murdered her beloved mother. She would become furious and immediately make known to them the truth: he was a kind, sweet, gentle man, and had loved her mother very much. She could not understand how such things could ever be said about her loving father.

However, tonight she found herself questioning his better judgment. This new girl, the one, which he had chosen to be his new "untouched" mistress, was not, in her eyes, the wisest of choices. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this "Anck-su-namun" did not strike her and the fact that she would be learning to fight from this girl did not make her any happier.

Her mother had been her teacher from the time she could walk and hold a weapon and she had treasured every minute of it. Nefertiri had refused to continue with her lessons after her mother's sudden and mysterious death, it had been just too painful. But, now with the approaching day when she would be forced to prove herself worthy to the palace to guard the Bracelet of Anubis, it was no question that she would have to start practicing once again.

Her father had been overly impressed with Anck-su-namun's skills and grace during her own lessons and had deemed her worthy to teach his most prized daughter. Nefertiri felt differently, of course. Something told her that this girl would be more interested in making her life a living Duat than being her teacher, or friend. She glanced back at Asim. He would protect her, she was sure of that.

The musicians suddenly began to strike up their instruments. Playing the traditional song for the occasion. The melody was dark and mysterious, almost as if it was drawing one's very soul into its melodious grasp. Servants quickly rushed to destroy the flames of the burning torches. The room was suddenly transformed into near darkness. Onlookers fell silent as the curtains from the side of the room slowly began to be pulled back. All that lit the room were candles upon the floor.

Imhotep could feel a nervousness welling up in the pit of his stomach. He was afraid of the feelings that would most likely be returning to him, the forbidden ones. He held his breath and braced himself for the attack, willing them to stay away. He was sure he could do it. He was a strong, intelligent, grown man. He could control his emotions.

It is only a meaningless attraction, Imhotep, nothing more, he though to himself. Besides, it is not like you are going to fall in love with this woman! he reassured himself as he took a deep breath. He would be doomed if he did.

A leg slowly emerged from the dark opening of the curtains. It was painted completely gold with black lines trailing it up and down in a mesmerizing pattern. The leg was slender and muscular from the years of training for this night, yet also delicate, its naked foot pointed in a seductive pose. The golden anklet, which wrapped around the ankle added to the alluring effect.

A hip soon followed from behind the leg and finally brought with it Anck-su-namun.

Imhotep's mouth dropped and his heart stopped when he saw her. He couldn't breathe. He could feel her igniting something within him that he had never felt before in his life and he could not bear to look away for fear of missing a single second of her beauty, but he forced himself to fight it nonetheless.

Anck-su-namun was completely painted in black and gold from head to toe. Many patterns covered her nearly naked body. An almost scale-like design engulfed her breasts and danced in a hypnotic pattern to her pelvis. Around her waist she wore two golden chains, from which hung a small, copper cloth, not leaving much to the imagination. An even smaller, yet much longer, red sash was also tied around her tiny waist, hanging down between her legs in a very tantalizing display.

Around each wrist she wore a small golden bracelet and above those, she wore her phoenix amulet, except now the first was accompanied by a second upon her left arm. Her long, black hair glistened from the light cascading off the flames of the candles, making her look almost ethereal in their light.

Imhotep found it harder and harder to resist her beauty as he watched her dance. He could feel some part of his mind telling him to turn away and to stop this madness, but for the moment that voice was sounding farther and farther away. He felt himself losing all control and he could do nothing but stare. He was literally entranced. Everything around him disappeared from sight, there was only her. A goddess trapped among humans. She was just incredible, so beautiful, so delicate, so innocent… He held his breath and flinched upon this thought. She was innocent…but not for long…

The pharaoh chuckled to himself as he eagerly watched Anck-su-namun perform her dance before the court. Imhotep looked at him out of the corner of his eye. He appeared to him in the image of an evil imp. Imhotep suddenly felt a surge of anger run through his body. He almost felt like decking the lustful pharaoh, but knew that wouldn't be the best of ideas.

He had to remain calm. He began to wish that he hadn't have come. He should have known this would happen. How could he be so foolish as to think it would simply go away? Obviously he hadn't prayed to Osiris long enough before the ceremony. These new feeling were driving him mad. He didn't know what to do, but he knew he had to vanquish them somehow, drive them out.

He turned his gaze away from Seti in an attempt to squelch his anger. Unfortunately, he turned in the wrong direction. His eyes fell upon Anck-su-namun.

His rage began to increase toward Seti with enormous speed, and to whichever god had woken up one morning and found it an amusing idea to place these accursed feelings upon him.

Though as Imhotep gazed at Anck-su-namun, his anger also subsided a bit and began to turn more into sorrow. He could tell see was crying on the inside even though she wore a look of seductiveness. He watched her dance across the floor with perfect grace. It nearly broke his heart to watch her and having his psychic ability didn't help him much. It seemed to be drawn to her, causing him to feel her pain. He had always been able to sense things, emotions, events, and sometimes even the future, but this was the first time he had actually felt like he was living these feelings along with the person. It was almost as if they were connected in some way…

He looked back at Seti. The man wore a devilish grin upon his face. It was absolutely sickening to him. How could he look at her in that way? How could he be doing this to her? There were plenty of other girls he could have picked. Anck-su-namun was too good for this, too good for him. There was more to her than Seti could ever allow himself to see, Imhotep could feel it in his heart. She had the most enchanting spirit he had ever felt. It made him so angry that Seti would never fully appreciate her for who she was.

Imhotep suddenly caught himself. He had let his emotions get the better of him for the moment. He couldn't, he wouldn't allow it to progress any further. It had to stop. He found himself desperately trying to reason with himself and he closed his eyes.

For the love of Osiris, Imhotep! What is the matter with you? She belongs to the pharaoh. Stop it! Stop it now! You are a priest, you cannot be with her, you cannot be with anyone and she cannot be with you. It is hopeless! It is not meant to be! Besides, who could possibly appreciate her more than a pharaoh? You?

Imhotep opened his eyes and looked up at Anck-su-namun and for some reason an answer echoed in his mind, the answer to his question, Yes…

It was the answer he had feared. He quickly pushed it away. His thoughts and feelings were betraying him. He had to get out of there. He had to go to the temple. It was the safest place for him right now. Perhaps an extended stay would make him come to his senses before his feelings for her grew.

Anck-su-namun continued to dance in front of the many watchful eyes of the palace. She felt as if she were dying, in fact, she felt as if she already had. She was trapped in an endless nightmare and she was spiraling down into it further and further…and it was going to get much worse, she had seen the looks that The Pharaoh had been giving her. It made her feel nauseous. Her head spun and she felt like she had lost her very soul to Anubis.

She wanted to run away and hide, to cry her eyes out until she could cry no more. She wanted to get away from the eyes of these shameless followers of Seti's. She felt like an object, made just for everyone's pleasure.

All her life she had been ignored by everyone she met because of her status, and now that The Pharaoh had chosen her, she was suddenly getting all the attention in the world. She would have rather spent the rest of her life invisible at that very moment, than to live like this even for a second.

She noticed that the High Priest stood by The Pharaoh, watching her as everyone else was, but he did not look at her the same way. He looked at her in an almost a caring way, while everyone else looked at her with jealousy, hatred, awe, or lust. Why? Did he feel sorry for her?

She ignored the thought for now, and quickly finished her dance, landing herself in a very seductive pose as the music finally stopped. The dance had seemed like forever, but now that it had ended, it felt as if it had taken only a second to complete and she actually longed for that second to return.

The Pharaoh rose from his throne and took a few steps forward. There was a look of burning desire in his eyes and it frightened her. He raised his arms in the air and spoke to his people in a very gentle, yet powerful tone.

"May I present to you Anck-su-namun," he said, bowing his head in her direction as he applauded, giving her a big smile. The rest of the room followed in his example, even Nefertiri. Anck-su-namun forced a smile to her own face to return The Pharaoh's gesture, and everyone, but Imhotep felt it to be genuine.

Seti turned and motioned for his daughter, Nefertiri to come and join him by his side. She did so, putting forth her best look of approval that she could muster, so that no one would know of her dislike for Anck-su-namun, especially her father. She lifted her head to make known that she wished to speak. The applause stopped.

"I wish to announce that as of tonight, Anck-su-namun will take over as my official teacher in preparing me for the guarding of the Bracelet of Anubis in the place of my late mother," Nefertiri announced in her most regal tone, hiding all emotion. It pained her that her father had asked her to say it her herself, it almost made it sound as if she had chosen this girl as her teacher. If it were her decision, she would have her fed to the crocodiles.

Anck-su-namun bowed and gave a slight smile towards the princess. She wasn't very fond of her either, but still some part of her hoped that she may actually find a friend in her. Nefertiri did not smile back; however, as if to put Anck-su-namun in her place and she banished the thought from her head.

Seti quickly snapped his fingers and Anck-su-namun's maids hurriedly rushed up to his newest possession and began to lead her out of the throne room. Anck-su-namun's heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Everything was happening so fast. She wished it would stop.

The maids pushed her along and she turned around one last time to look at the throne before she exited even deeper into her nightmare. For a moment she caught the gaze of Imhotep. He appeared so sad. His look made her want to run to him. For a moment she wished that she were off to Imhotep's chambers instead of The Pharaoh's.

What am I thinking? she thought to herself. I am confined to the pharaoh. I should be honored...not every girl gets this privilege…

This thought made her want to cry and she would have completely lost control of herself if not for Imhotep's gaze. She stared at him as long as she could, until she had left the throne room. What was going on behind those eyes of his? Did he care for her? Impossible. She was nothing, but mere whore…

The rest of the room's occupants began to clear out as well and Seti, still wearing a very proud smile upon his face, turned to his most trusted High Priest.

"Imhotep, thank you for coming. I know that you are most always detained at the temple. It was a most pleasant surprise for you to join us," he said, giving a nod of respect. Imhotep returned the gesture.

"It was my pleasure," he lied, still feeling the fire of hatred igniting in him for his pharaoh whom he served so loyally.

Seti smiled at his priest, but then turned to his daughter, and embraced her. Nefertiri returned the embrace, but kept her thoughts to herself about what her father was about to go do.

Asim still stood back behind the throne in wait for everything to finish.

The Pharaoh then left on his way through the palace, followed closely behind by his sacred bodyguards. As soon as he was out of sight, Asim made his move, making his way over to Imhotep.

"Imhotep," he said with a very big grin, "I wish to thank you for earlier, for what you said to me. You were right." He continued to glow like a young boy and looked back over his shoulder at Nefertiri. She grinned and let out a little chuckle, momentarily forgetting about her father's engagements for the evening.

"Yes, thank you, Imhotep. It is about time that he realized."

Imhotep nodded his head, but did not say anything. He looked as if he were in a hurry to leave. His two friends seemed concerned. He always seemed to enjoy speaking with them, why was it now that he acted as if he wished for them to go? Shouldn't he be happy that he had helped get his friends together?

"Is everything alright, My Friend?" asked Asim, placing a hand upon Imhotep's shoulder. Nefertiri waited for the answer herself. His behavior was quite distant, even for Imhotep.

Imhotep only smiled and shook his head, "I assure you, it is nothing, My Friends. I am just not feeling very well tonight. Headache."

He looked at them, hoping that they would accept his answer and let it be that. Nefertiri looked at him rather suspiciously to his dismay.

"A headache? Are you sure? Come now, you look in perfect health, Imhotep. I know a headache from a problem," she lectured him. Asim felt himself that something else was definitely wrong besides just a headache, but he didn't know for the life of him what that could possibly be.

Imhotep smiled once again to reassure them.

"It is nothing. I am sorry to trouble you. It is a headache, nothing more. Now I must be going, I have a lot of work to do back at the temple. I will be seeing you again, I promise," he answered, trying to sound as convincing as possible before turning to leave the throne room. Imhotep felt bad about the lie he had just given to his friends, but it could not have been avoided. He had enough problems as it was. He wished to just go to the temple before anything else happened and Osiris wiped him off the face of the Earth for his betraying thoughts.

Asim and Nefertiri watched him walk away, still not fully believing the excuse he had thrown at them.

Nefertiri saw the look of concern in Asim's eyes. He was obviously more worried about his friend than she and for good reason. He had known him much longer. She had only spoken with Imhotep during certain occasions and had not yet gotten as close to him. She just now only recently started speaking with him when she had gone to him for counseling on what to do about her tongue-tied Asim.

"It is all right. I am sure it is nothing, My Guardian. He will be alright," she said and pulled him into her arms. The feeling it gave was absolutely heavenly. She loved this man to no end.

He reacted by placing his own upon her tiny waist. He looked down at her; she was so small compared to him, coming up only to his shoulders. He smiled. He couldn't believe it had taken him so long to reveal his feeling for her. He was forever in Imhotep's debt. He loved this woman so much it nearly made him cry, he would do anything for her.

He leaned in and placed a kiss upon her soft lips, gradually increasing the intensity.

"I love you," she whispered when they finally broke apart. She looked up into his dark eyes with an angelic smile and whispered once again into his ear, quite innocently, "Would you like to know what Heaven looks like?"

Asim felt himself melt and he couldn't help, but to kiss her once again.

Unknown to them, Imhotep had stayed in the doorway, concealed behind the curtains. He had stayed to see if they had bought his excuse, just to be sure he was safe, at least with them, but as he began to watch them express their love for each other, he had somehow found it impossible to turn away.

He was deeply saddened by the sight of them. He was happy they had each other, but there was something else that made him sad about it. He didn't wish to acknowledge it, but he felt envious of them, jealous even, for he would never know what Heaven looked like…

His thoughts dwelled on Anck-su-namun and he quickly left to go ask forgiveness from the god which whom he served so faithfully, in hopes that he would grant him the power to forget her before his heart took over.