Chapter Six

"Cries in the Night"

Seti's Palace

Thebes. Egypt

1298 BC

The palace corridors were dark, but lit by many crackling torches along their walls. They glowed in an almost dim, foreboding manner, each one flickering slightly as the high priest of Osiris passed in his long, black robes, still flowing loosely behind him, floating like some ghostly specter through the night.

It was deathly silent as he trudged on to gods knows where, making his footsteps all that echoed through the desolate corridors of the palace; however, Imhotep heard none of it. Instead he heard more torturous unrelenting sounds within himself that were almost too much for him to bear.

He was in absolute agony. His thoughts dwelled upon Anck-su-namun. Though he could hear her no longer, in his mind it was as if he had never left her. Her screams felt louder than ever. He could almost still feel them upon his ears, pounding and tearing through his mind over and over until there was no hope of ever silencing them or releasing him from his nightmare, nor of the one that he was unable to rescue Anck-su-namun from.

It was unbearable and he could not make it stop, no matter how hard he tried. He could not figure out what was going on. He had always been able to control his thinking. He felt completely lost, as if he did not know himself anymore.

He wandered aimlessly through hallway after hallway on the way to his chambers, taking any route, not really realizing where he was going. All he could see was Anck-su-namun; her beautiful, pleading face up on that balcony; like the one of the helpless little girl she had once been; begging with him to save her by just a mere look, just as she had then, she had the most powerful eyes…

That look had shot straight to his soul. He could not even begin to describe how it had made him feel that all he could do was just stand there like some lifeless statue and look at her. He would have died right there below her if only he could have helped her and he would give anything to have that moment back, to change the wrong that he had been done.

She had looked at him with so much longing and fear. She had needed him from the bottom of her very soul and he had let her down. His heart ache increased at the very thought and image of her sweet, innocent face in all that pain, her tear streaked face and her hand, reaching out to him that he had so wanted to hold in his own.

Imhotep began to feel his eyes tearing up once again and he felt a lump forming in his throat. He felt completely helpless and even lower than the pharaoh himself. If only he had done something. Then she would be safe and free from that Hell.

Incredible, unbearable guilt suddenly flooded through him, filling his soul. He brought his hand up to his face to wipe away the tears before they fell, but it was useless.

What was the matter with him? What he was thinking and feeling were treacherous, blasphemous thoughts. He had even cursed the gods in a moment of desperation and weakness. And not just any gods, he had cursed his god, Osiris. The one he had been loyal to since childhood and had served without question. He was truly losing himself and to what he did not know. What was Anck-su-namun doing to him?

Imhotep took a deep breath and tried his best to relax and fight back the tears as he turned the next corner. He was desperate to calm himself and escape from his mind. Perhaps the gods would forgive him if he went straight to bed to pray, making him wake up with this night being forgotten forever?

His insufferable pain only heightened after this thought. He knew that that was absolutely impossible. Nothing could ever make him forget this night…no form of magic, not even the gods.

He realized then that no matter what he tried to tell himself, there was no escaping these feelings, no escaping her. Something had happened between them that night, he still did not know what it was, but it had made him connect to her in a way that he could never have dreamed possible.

His feelings had risen to such an intensity he had never known before that he had fallen to the ground and begged for mercy, not for him, but for her, something he had never done before in his entire life. He had never cared so deeply for anyone. It was almost as if it had come from his very heart, every word of it. She made something happen inside him.

He felt so lost and afraid. Why had he done that? He could not explain it. The answer escaped him. It had happened so fast. He didn't even have to think about it. Not a single thought had gone through his mind except that he needed her to be okay at any cost. It had taken every bit of his self control not to rush up there to her and rip her out of Seti's vile grasp.

Why did he care for her so much? What did all this mean? These feelings were frightening and dangerous. He was not suppose to have them for many reasons: she was Seti's, he was the high priest, unable to have such feelings for a woman, and plus she was forbidden to be touched by any man, no matter his stature. Even if Imhotep had not been the high priest, he still would have been forbidden to have such feelings for her.

He felt so frustrated that he felt like pounding his fists into the walls until he could pound no more. He wanted to make the memories of tonight gone from his mind forever. He could not bear the image of her on that balcony any longer. It was tearing him apart. He wiped more tears away from his face, about to lose his mind at any moment. He turned the next corridor and faint sobs floated into his ears coming from a balcony in the halls…

He turned to look, stopping in his tracks. He was in the same spot he had been earlier when he had spoken to Anck-su-namun for the first time. He felt his very breath leave him. Was it her? His heart sped up as he tried to get a better look, his apprehension growing. He felt it coursing through him at unknown speeds, making him to the point of almost lightheadedness. He drew in deeper breaths, part of him wished it was her and part of him prayed it wasn't.

At first, he could see no one, but then as he looked down towards the ground before him, he could see a tiny figure sitting with their knees pulled up to their chest, burying their face into them, quivering, and weeping uncontrollably. Long, black hair fell loosely around them, almost concealing the whole top half of the figure's tiny body. A torn, white robe was all that clothed the figure, but barely covered anything in its poor state. It was practically destroyed.

His heart stopped. He couldn't move and he couldn't breathe. It was Anck-su-namun, just as he had feared. All his feelings from earlier intensified as he looked at her little, nearly, naked form.

Another tear rolled down his cheek. An incredible feeling to hold her ran through him, but he fought to resist it. His heart cried out in utter anguish. He felt unbelievably sorry for her. Why hadn't he done something? He should have been there for her! His body tensed with emotions from the sight of Anck-su-namun.

Her sobs continued and became more and more audible, flowing straight to his heart. She did not know he was there. He could still leave if he wished, but her tears nearly consumed him. He closed his eyes tightly to try to fight back the pain and decided right then and there that he would not let her down again. He had not been there for her before; he would be there for her now. He would do whatever it took. There was no way he could leave now.

He opened his eyes to her before giving a quick glance down the halls to make sure that no one was around. Slowly, he approached. He knelt down before her, still going unnoticed. He had always had the ability to sneak up on people when he did not wish to be seen and right now, startling her was the last thing that he needed.

He watched her closely, wanting to reach his hand out to her to run it through her soft, dark hair, to let her know that he was here now and wasn't going anywhere. He was close enough to actually touch her, but he only stared, afraid to come any closer. His heart was bursting with emotions and his soul was torn in what to do.

Slowly her sobs ceased as she began to feel that someone was watching her. She let out a small gasp and held her breath, lifting her head very quickly. Her eyes met with Imhotep's. She looked at him in surprise, dropping her knees from her chest and trying desperately to cover her shaking body with what little bit of the robe she could. Hastily, she fought to scoot herself away with any remaining strength that she could muster, but it was of no use.

Imhotep watched her in agony as she tried to depart from him. He could see by her face as she struggled to move that she was in absolute pain and that her strength was gone. He wished for her to stay still. She mustn't be moving. He began to panic.

Her eyes were red and her face was soaked. Her lips and face were cut and one of her eyes was becoming puffy and not just from her tears, which were already causing her eyelids to remain half open. There were the beginnings of bruises here and there on her that he could see through the moonlight and torn robe.

He could not help but stare at all that Seti had done to her. It was the most horrifying, despicable thing he had ever seen, and he who looked after the dead! It was unbelievable. He tried to reach out to her to get her to stop, but his eyes fell down upon her legs, which were kicking rapidly and suddenly his heart and stomach dropped from what he saw.

There was a trail of blood along the inside of her thighs and most of it was still fresh. Imhotep's jaw dropped and all he could do was stare. Who could have done this to such a princess? He was in absolute shock.

Anck-su-namun gave up all attempts at fleeing and began to sob even harder as she noticed what Imhotep was looking at. She covered her face with her hands and cried louder than she ever had in her whole life, losing all control and forgetting where she was. She no longer cared anymore. Her face burned, she most likely had given herself a fever, but that was the last thing on her mind. If she died, so what?

She felt so sick and vulnerable, at the mercy of all that surrounded her. She deserved to be wiped from all existence. Why did Imhotep have to see her like this? Her head pounded, she could hear it loudly in her ears. She felt lightheaded and she could not see straight. Her face was hot; her eyes ached and burned, throbbing madly. Her throat and jaw felt as if they were about to fall off from all the wails and she felt completely drained of all feeling, nearly numb to everything physical.

"Get away from me!" she ordered through her hands, sounding muffled and almost drowned out from her sobs. She could not move. She trembled and pressed her face harder into her palms. Why did he have to show up now? She wished she could just disappear.

Imhotep looked back up at her as he heard her words. How could she say such a thing? He felt as if he had just been stabbed through the heart. It hurt him beyond comprehension that she did not want him to be near. How could he ever walk away from her? After what Seti had done to her? He would never have the strength to do such a thing. There was no way that he would leave her alone like this. Not now. She was in no condition to for such a thing.

It made him sick to see her in this way. He couldn't even imagine the full extent of pain and abuse that she had endured. Her commands had to have been out of fear and anger. She was irrational and lost, desperate to get away. Her mind was gone. She was trapped and alone, walking through a never ending Hell, no doubt because of the unrelenting, heart wrenching flashbacks that had to be replaying in her mind. Her spirit had been broken...Seti had found a way afterall…

His anger raged and he bit his lip, turning his head away from her, but suddenly those feelings were taken over by indescribable guilt once again. He felt the lump in his throat become bigger and he had to fight back the urge to burst into tears along with her and hold her in his arms, never letting her go for the rest of their lives.

He wanted to take her away from here, care for her, wash away her pain, her memories of what had happened, and make sure no harm ever came to her again. He squeezed his eyes shut and placed his hand upon his face, his thumb and fingertips resting at the corners of his eyes. What could he possibly do?

Anck-su-namun began to shake more rapidly the longer she cried, still asking him to go. Rambling on as if that were all that she could say. Imhotep opened his eyes to look at her. She gagged from the sheer amount of tears and grabbed her stomach from the pain of every cough. She was literally making herself sick. If she did not try to calm down, he was not sure what would happen to her. He had never seen anyone like this. She was hysterical. He must do something!

Imhotep instantly removed his robe and placed it around her. Wrapping it carefully around her shoulders, anything to try to stop her shaking. He had to make her relax. Anck-su-namun slowly removed her hands from her face and looked up at him in surprised confusion with the tears glistening off her beautiful cheeks.

Imhotep stared back at her, still holding onto the opening of the robe. He was frozen. He did not know what to do. He was caught in her gaze. Tears began to stream down his own face when he saw the pain that was looming behind her eyes, ones that were too beautiful to possess such a thing.

Anck-su-namun looked at him with an open mouth in disbelief at what she saw. He was crying. The high priest was crying for her. Her heart began to race and she began to feel uncertain as to whether this was real or not. He was covering her up…and looked as lost as her…

"You are safe with me, Anck-su-namun," he said quietly without thinking, only staring into her eyes.

She lost it.

In an instant, she had thrown herself against him. She placed her head upon his chest and cried as hard as she could, clinging to him as if for dear life. No one had ever spoken to her like that. It was the best, most meaningful thing anyone had ever said to her.

Imhotep felt her practically convulsing with every cry against him and felt the wetness of her tears upon his chest. He didn't know how exactly to react. He felt afraid to touch her, afraid of what he may feel if he were to seal the embrace, or afraid to frighten her, but automatically went with the first reaction that his heart told him to do.

Cautiously, he placed his own arms around her, pulling her close. The feel of her made him cry even harder. He wished he could do more for her. Somehow this didn't seem enough to make up for his leaving her, or for her pain. She deserved so much more.

Anck-su-namun flinched and immediately tensed as she felt Imhotep's arms wrapping around her shoulders. She could feel the warmth of his upper body against hers. In an instant, memories of Seti flooded into her mind and she felt completely ill.

She could see it all before her as if it were happening all over again; feeling him holding her down, twisting her wrists to the point of burning, and gripping onto her arms so tightly that she had expected them to fall off at any moment; his sweaty body on top of hers, breathing his hot breath down her neck and trailing his nauseating tongue along her body…

She cried out and instantaneously pushed herself out of Imhotep's arms, covering her face once again with her hands. Imhotep's heart nearly broke. Had he done something wrong? He watched her in complete silence. He could see that her chest was heaving up and down as she fought to push away her visions. This just was not right. Not even his touch seemed to do any good. What had that snake done to her?

The flashback of Seti dissipated slightly after a few moments from Anck-su-namun's mind and she seemed to be as calm as she was going to get. Imhotep decided that he had better try again. She needed his help, needed to know that she need not be afraid of him.

Cautiously, he gently lifted his hand to her chin and brought her eyes up to meet with his. His hand shook all the while, praying that she would not have a relapse from his touch. He would show her that she could trust him if no one else. He would never give up. He filled the look he gave to her with as much care and tenderness that he could muster from his heart.

Anck-su-namun was frightened at first, and slightly resisted his pull, not wanting to be near him, but soon could not help herself and found that she was being drawn into his gaze. She saw again within those dark eyes of his just how much he truly cared for her.

Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell onto her legs, wetting some of the dried blood. She felt suddenly that she wanted to hold him, have him make everything go away, make her world go away, but was afraid of those images and sensations returning if she were to be so close to him once again.

More tears fell. Her heart wanted one thing and the rest of her another. She didn't know what to do with herself. She wanted to be in his arms. He would protect her, she could see that, but then she had this overwhelming fear. She continued to look into his eyes, searching for an answer. Every emotion that she was feeling was practically written across her face and it worked its way into Imhotep's heart. She looked so lost…

"Anck-su-namun…Do not be afraid…You have nothing to fear from me…I would never cause you any pain…" he whispered tenderly, trying to search for what to say. This was the most difficult moment he had ever experienced.

"You are a blessing from the Heavens above, Anck-su-namun…The snake that did this to you deserves to be-"

Imhotep cut himself off, realizing that he had said those last words with an almost hidden ardency and determination. His words were frightening and surprising to him. He could not believe that he had just said so openly such a treasonous thing about his pharaoh…but the more he thought about it, it didn't matter. The man needed to be damned for all eternity for his actions; the hom-dai would not even be fitting enough a punishment for him.

He looked back at Anck-su-namun and froze upon another realization. He had released some of his hidden feelings for her as well without any knowledge of its happening. A tear rolled down her cheek. She was speechless. His words were like kisses from the Heavens, breathing new life into her dying heart. He had said it with so much feeling and…love?

She looked down at the fingers that still touched her chin and suddenly realized just how much his touch soothed her. She leaned in closer to him, keeping her eyes locked on his before she placed her arms back around him. She squeezed him tighter than before. She needed the comfort. She needed someone to hold and to hold her, and this man seemed to care for her so much that it nearly took her breath away.

She knew that she was safe and that he would not tell of this. She needed him. She wanted to stay in his arms forever. She felt so protected, so at home. These thoughts confused her to no end and she let out all her tears.

She tightened her grip upon him and pulled herself as close to him as she could be. His touch was relaxing her. She could hear his heart beat resonating from within his chest. It pounded loudly in her ear, calming her more and more with every new beat. She heard and felt it quicken within him and felt hers seem to come in tune with his, making her feel almost as one with him. His scent filled her nostrils. He smelled like the temples, like the incense they burned, so sweet.

Imhotep felt another tear or two escape him as he held Anck-su-namun in his arms and breathed her in. It filled his soul with joy to be holding her once again and he could hardly believe just how tightly she clung to him, causing him to hold her tighter as well. To be as near to her as he could, if only to make her happy.

It all seemed so right and he forgot all about the fact that she must now know how he felt. He felt her body relaxing in his arms and her sobs slowly quieted more and more. It felt wonderful to know that he could make her relax like this, to be there for her at last. He could feel her hair tickling his chest as she sobbed quietly and nuzzled against him.

He brought his cheek down upon the top of her head and closed his eyes, whispering softly to her while stroking her hair, what was in his heart, his voice filled with emotion.

"I am sorry, Anck-su-namun…I wanted to help you…I truly did…Please forgive me, …Such a repulsive act should not have befallen you…I should have done something…"

Anck-su-namun felt her heart melt by the way his voice filled her very being and she began to sob from the overwhelming emotions it inflicted her with. She remembered calling out to him on that balcony. She remembered him whispering to her, him reaching out…Pain filled her again, but his words from a moment ago echoed in her mind. His voice was almost melodious and it soothed her more than she could have imagined, so quiet and tender, but yet it also made her sad and more confused.

She could not believe that Imhotep was apologizing for this. There was nothing that he could have done. It touched her so deeply that he had wanted to help her so much…That he had wanted to be there…It made it feel as if he actually loved her…which she was beginning to wonder about…She removed her head from his chest and looked up into his eyes, the care she saw in them was unbelievable. Chills filled her very being and she became shaky with uncertainty of her own feelings.

"It is not your fault…There was nothing that could have been done…I should not have asked…" she whispered, finding herself trying to comfort him. She watched his face very carefully. She studied every feature. She had never been this close. This man was so special. The very gods must have sent him to her. How could anyone care for her in such a way?

She did not know what she would have done had Imhotep not come along when he did. Had he been much later, she would have surely plummeted to her death off this very balcony. A tear rolled down her cheek and she connected with his eyes.

"Thank you…" she whispered with a small, thankful smile with her sad, exploring eyes. Imhotep looked at her in confusion, feeling her boring into him with her eyes.

"For what?" he asked, stroking her face free of tears.

She smiled a little bigger and held his gaze, not sure of how to answer, but somehow the words came out on their own.

"For you…" she whispered and quickly placed her head upon his shoulder. She could not look at him any longer. His eyes overwhelmed her with immense confusion and agony. She felt torn into a million pieces. A couple tears continued to fall from her from all that was happening, but yet somehow, she was happy to just be in Imhotep's strong, loving arms. What was going on?

At the same moment, Imhotep suddenly felt the strangest feeling within his heart. It started out small and then spread, growing bigger and bigger throughout his entire body. It was warm and peaceful, yet powerful, feeling like ripples through his chest. It almost seemed as if it were his soul, awakening from a deep sleep. He felt it traveling through him with no signs of lessening. It was incredible…and then he stopped. He knew. He finally knew what all his new feelings were and what his heart had been trying to tell him all along…

His mouth dropped and his heart rate quickened, causing him to take deeper breaths and no doubt lose the color in his face. He looked down at the princess in his arms and moved them all the way around her so that she was as close as she could be, bringing his head down upon her shoulder, tears falling from his eyes.

He loved her. He loved Anck-su-namun. He loved her to no end with all of his heart, all of his soul. The realization of this scared him out of his mind, but at the same time made him happier than he had ever been. How did this happen? For what purpose? The questions in his mind were endless, but he chose to ignore them. He knew there was no explanation for them. Only the gods knew. All he knew was that his heart had chosen Anck-su-namun.

He saddened. His heart had chosen her, but he could never tell her of it. He could not be with her. It was out of his hands. They were destined to be apart. Fate had thrown him a cruel trick. He could almost feel it laughing in his face. He held onto her tighter, afraid she would vanish from his arms because of this fact.

Anck-su-namun felt confused the longer she was held in Imhotep's embrace. She was having many mixed emotions, more so than before. She was beginning to feel incredibly frightened to the point of sickness by his touch due to what had just happened to her and the new feelings she was seeing in Imhotep's eyes and voice, but yet at the same time, longed for it even more. And these feelings would lessen and worsen without cause. What was the matter with her? Her head was spinning out of control.

Imhotep somehow gave her hope and eased her mind, but she was so scared to let him know. She did not want to go through… "that" again, unsure if all men were like that now in that area, and plus she did not wish to get him killed over her. He was too good for that. If he did love her, she prayed that he would stop. She began to cry harder once again, tears now full fledged.

Imhotep pulled her back to look at him, startled that she was now getting worse. He studied her every emotion and feature. There had to be something that he could do! What was the matter now? He couldn't bear to see her like this. It broke his heart. He wanted to make her happy and make her forget this night forever. He loved her!

"Anck-su-namun…Do not cry…please…The Heavens would collapse at such a sight… For you are not alone, My L-" he stopped and swallowed back the word. It could have been disastrous. No, he could never say it, no matter how badly he felt he should. No matter how compelled. His heart screamed at him, but he ignored it, finishing what he was going to say,

"If you ever need anyone…you can come to me…For I will always listen…" he whispered lovingly, wiping away the tears with a gentleness that he had never known he had. Even if he could not tell her, he still could not bring himself to not touch her sweet face. She was a princess. Oh why did it have to be this way? He wanted to give her everything!

Anck-su-namun only stared at him. His words meant everything to her, she could barely feel him touching her face. Another tear fell. She wondered what it was that he had started to say to her, a part of her knew, but she pushed the idea out of her mind. She was too taken away by everything that he was doing for her.

"High-" she tried to say, but Imhotep raised his hand for her to stop, smiling slightly, and spoke soothingly to her.

"You do not have to worry about rank at the moment, Anck-su-namun...Never when you are with me…" he said, looking her in the eyes, those beautiful eyes...like the stars above. He shut his eyes for a second.

What am I doing? he thought. If he kept staring at her so, she would certainly notice and most likely become even more frightened. He practically was holding up a scroll to her that said "I love you, Signed Imhotep, High Priest of Osiris" in big hieroglyphics! This in no way could help her.

Anck-su-namun blinked. She was speechless for about the hundredth time with him. He never ceased to amaze her. She swallowed, wiping away a few tears as she looked him in the eyes nervously.

"Imhotep…" she whispered for the first time, not believing that she was actually saying his name, and to him! Something about it made her heart fill with emotions and Imhotep's as well. It sounded so beautiful coming from his princess, as if it had never had any true meaning before it had graced her lips. He had to steady himself.

"Yes?" he inquired, curious to know what she had to say to him and hoping to the gods that she was not picking up on his emotions.

She took a deep breath, readying herself for her question and wrapped the robe more tightly around her to block the draft that she had been feeling. It smelled so good, like Imhotep.

"Why is it that you are always wishing to help me?…I do not deserve such things…" she whispered, moving her eyes to the floor, unable to look at him. She felt a lump in her throat and her body was trembling in wait of the response. Please don't let it be that he loves me, she thought. She could not take it, even if a part of her wanted it.

Imhotep did not know how to answer her. His first thought was to tell her the truth, everything, but he pushed it aside with all his power, paining him as he did so. Why did she have to ask him such a question? He felt so torn between his heart and his duties. Yes indeed, fate had played a cruel trick.

Slowly, he took a deep breath and choosing his words carefully, he began to speak. "Never say that…Anck-su-namun..." he said softly, hurt that she thought of herself in such a way. She deserved everything and anything that she wanted.

He reached out and lifted her head with his fingertips once more. Why did she always have to look away from him? His whole body felt limp suddenly as he looked into just how deeply her eyes went for the first time. He wanted nothing more than to blurt it out right then, but fought it with all his might. His heart felt almost suffocated by him holding it all in.

"…No one, not god, nor man has the right to do such an unspeakable act to one so special as you…especially on the night of your birth…" he finished, accidentally no doubt, revealing to her some of his feelings toward her. He held his breath. That was not a good choice he had made there. His heart pounded loudly in his ears.

Anck-su-namun let out a breath and smiled in disbelief. Special? Without thinking, she suddenly leaned over and gave Imhotep a soft kiss upon his right cheek. He stiffened and felt his very breath leave him. His eyes widened at the touch of her warm lips. He felt peaceful and relaxed. A warm feeling passed through him. He felt his skin become hot. He closed his eyes as she moved away from him.

This couldn't be real. Slowly, he reopened them and to his surprise she was there. This was real. She had kissed him. He could only look at her in admiration. What had made her do such a thing?

He noticed she was avoiding his gaze, as usual in her little timid way and clinging tightly to his robe. She was obviously embarrassed and most likely also scared for what she had done. No doubt, her feelings were confusing her. Which meant, he had reached her. That kiss had proven that much. He had helped her in some way. He smiled at her and felt himself longing to kiss her back upon her own soft cheek, to let her know that he felt the same. Just one little kiss…

He started to lean towards her, but hesitated. He couldn't. There was no way, especially with what she had just been through. It wouldn't be right, but he had to do something to express his feelings. Something that would not reveal his love, but calm her at the same time. The last thing he wanted was to have her upset for showing him affection!

He lifted his hand and moved it over her face ever so gently, waving it passed, just far enough away that it did not touch. Her head followed as if it were being pulled and she looked up at him with a fearful look in her eyes because of the kiss. She was scared of his reaction, but then the corners of his lips formed ever so slightly into a smile when she saw that he was not going to do anything in return and she felt her fear dissipate and her own lips smile in return.

Imhotep sighed. If only she had known what that little gesture from him had meant…He held her gaze with his little grin and to his surprise, she was smiling back. It was a nervous smile, but a smile nonetheless and he could see a hint of joy within it, though ever so small. He also saw relief.

His heart suddenly became even more hers. The feeling he got from seeing that he could make her smile at a time like this was just so overwhelming. He would have never believed it possible. He could die right now. He was complete when he looked at her.

Anck-su-namun could feel her face was hot with lingering embarrassment from the kiss. Why had she kissed him? She felt scared and unsure. She had just done it…No thoughts, no worries, no anything, just the movement…Her heart beat quickened and she looked away.

"I had better get back to my chambers…" she whispered nervously. She needed to think. She wanted to go to her room and fall asleep for as long as she could.

Imhotep felt his heart sink at the thought of letting her go, that she wanted to go. He wanted to hold her once more, but knew that that moment had passed. It was over and gone forever and he would probably never have the chance again. He had to accept that. She was not his.

"Olabisi will be worried," she added. She felt that he did not want her to go and a part of her did not want to, but she was just so scared and confused and that kiss was reminding of earlier once more.

She tried to stand, but was weak and began to wobble as she fought to lift herself from the ground. She tried to grab hold of the railing for support for fear that she would fall, but missed and lost her balance, starting to topple over backwards off the balcony. Imhotep immediately jumped and lashed his arms out to her, pulling her to him in a panic. She was safe.

She clung closely to him at first, shaking from the shock and then the two of them looked at each other as she was now in his arms again. They could not believe what had just happened. They were both speechless and Imhotep was practically bursting to tell her of his heart's desires even more. He could not believe that he had almost lost her. His mouth opened, ready to say it.

Anck-su-namun could only look up at him, shaking. Her heart was racing. The closeness was frightening and her memories were returning once more from when Seti had first tried to kiss her, but yet the longer she looked at Imhotep, she had other feelings as well that helped to fend them off. Her feelings were practically fighting with one another for dominance. It almost made her sick.

"Are you alright?" he asked instead. Anck-su-namun's lips parted to speak, but she hesitated and stared at him, still in a state of awe.

"I-I am just weak, t-that is all," she said in a shaky voice.

Imhotep and Anck-su-namun continued to stare at one another. Their gazes were so deep that they penetrated each other's souls. Imhotep suddenly wanted to kiss her again, except this time not on the cheek. He felt her trembling in his arms, making him begin to tremble as well. He had never been so scared in his life. He reached down and took her hands in his, never breaking contact with her gaze.

A noise was heard from down the hall, coming from out of nowhere in the darkness of the palace. Imhotep felt his heart nearly stop and turned away from Anck-su-namun for a second to see what was the cause, to make sure that no one had seen, but the second that he let he go of her, Anck-su-namun felt her last remaining strength leave her. Her eyes rolled back and her body went completely limp.

Imhotep spun back around to her when he heard a slight cry escape her lips before she had passed out. He threw himself toward her and brought her into his arms just before she hit her head upon the hard floors. He looked at her carefully, making sure she was alright.

He noticed that she was still breathing and he gave a sigh of relief and held her close. Thank the gods! His eyes wandered their surroundings. What had been the cause of that noise? There was no one in sight. He felt his nerves rising. This place was not safe and Anck-su-namun needed medical attention. The best thing to do was to take her out of the halls before her situation and his became any worse.

Imhotep stood and took Anck-su-namun into his arms. She was so light and small for her height. Her face was so beautiful in the moonlight as it danced across her skin. It left shadows and highlights, painting it with Silene, the goddess of the moon's beauty, but yet it also gave off a ghostly presence to it, that reminded Imhotep of all the horrors that had been done to her that night. She was truly lucky to be alive. He thanked the gods for that, even if they had not been listening as of late to his pleas. Apparently Hathor had had plans of her own...

Imhotep carefully positioned her into a comfortable position for him and for her in his arms. She moved her head towards him as he adjusted her, mumbling what sounded like his name. His heart jumped. He looked at her carefully and a small smile came to his face. What could she be thinking about? He noticed suddenly that she was trembling in his arms.

Using his freer hand, he covered her more with his robe that had slightly fallen off, revealing her skin. He gave one last look down the halls and gazed at the ground below. Still no one and if there was, he could do nothing about it now. Anck-su-namun needed his help. There was nothing he could do. If anyone said anything, he would say that he was only trying to see if she needed any help because of her poor state.

Imhotep turned and walked off in the direction of Anck-su-namun's chambers, careful not to walk too fast as to cause her anymore injury. He wanted her as comfortable and safe as possible. He needed to get her back to her bed. She needed immediate rest if she were to recover, hopefully Seti would not call for her again for quiet a while…

His anger rose as he looked upon her, not really paying attention to where he was walking. How could anyone do this to such a flower? His heart began to ache. If only he could take her away from this…If Seti touched her like this again, he did not know what he would do!

What was he going to do? He was completely, totally, and utterly in love with Anck-su-namun…and it was getting stronger every second…He had never wanted this to happen…

In the shadows of one of the corridors, Asim stood. He had seen the whole thing and he could not believe it. Imhotep. Imhotep and Seti's new concubine. Together in the halls. He would have stopped them sooner, but knew that the girl had been seriously upset so he had allowed Imhotep to comfort her, sure that his friend had known what he was doing, but when he had seen the looks those two began to give each other and the kiss which Anck-su-namun had placed upon Imhotep's cheek, he had had his doubts about his decision.

Had he not made some sound at the time he had, they would have surely kissed upon the lips, a most disastrous event. It was best this way that he save his friend from making such a horrible mistake. That girl belonged to The Pharaoh. Their lives were at stake.

Yet somehow, he felt sorry for his best friend. He had fallen in love with one even more forbidden than his own love for Nefertiri. The pain that his friend must be feeling, he didn't even want to imagine. Now he understood why Imhotep had been so upset at the ceremony. He had been in love.

He cursed himself for his earlier comment to him about that he would never know what it was like to love someone that he could never have. How that must have felt to him!

Suddenly, Nefertiri walked up behind him and he jumped at her unexpected words.

"There you are! I have been looking all over for you! I thought that you were only going to go check on Imhotep's health before coming straight back to see me?" she asked, rather put out. Why was her love just standing here in the halls? Imhotep's room was much farther off. There must be something wrong…One does not just stand in the halls, staring off at nothing for no reason…

Asim turned to her and smiled reassuringly. "I am sorry, My Queen," he said, throwing in his little pet name for her for good measure.

"I was only looking to the Heavens. Their beauty is much like yours and so I became lost," he said, meaning every endearment, but hoping to hide his friend's secret.

He knew that Imhotep would not act on his feelings. He was a smart man and would not do anything so foolish as to be with one of Seti's. He had just gotten caught up in a circumstance that would not happen again, anyone would react like that. He couldn't blame him for losing himself in the moment, especially when he seemed to love her so. Things would be fine from now on. He would talk with Imhotep later, but for now he trusted him and knew that nothing would come of it.

Nefertiri laughed and leaned in to give him a kiss, but secretly wondered why he suddenly was so poetic. It very was unlike Asim to be so articulate, but she was sure that he would tell her later.

"I do believe that I am going to have to tie you to me from now on if I expect you to find your way back," she teased. "Now come on…dawn is quite a long way off…" she said, giving him a sly grin, leading him down the halls.