Sands of time
Chapter Seven
Anzu ran off toward her new life and smiled, soon she would be a dancer. Everything was going to be perfect, well not until she practiced her dancing.
'The elders decided to believe in me and now I have to make them proud.' She thought and entered the tent of the Moon Dancers. "Hello? Mistress?"
"Here, dear. Ah, you must be the one, you are very pretty." The mistress said causing Anzu to blush. "Well let me see what I have to work with." She lifted her hands and made a gesture for the music to start. "Dance for me."
Anzu swallowed hard and prayed silently, not wanting to fail on her first day. "Yes, ma'am." She bowed slightly and held her arms down at her sides, her head facing the ground as her eyes closed. She began swaying her hips and smiled as the music grabbed her. She was no longer in control of her movements, no longer aware of her surroundings.
She gasped suddenly when a vision played out in her mind. A vision of a grand palace drenched in gold and riches beyond anything she had seen… or remembered. The vision swirled and she saw him, the most handsome man she had ever seen. He wore a short sand colored kilt and gold rings, armlets and other charms. His purple cloak hugged his perfectly toned form. "Who are you?" she whispered as she tried to reach out for him.
"Anzu!" The mistress shook her softly.
"Huh?" Anzu sprung back into reality with a jolt. "Oh, I'm… I am very sorry."
"That's alright, you are a wonderful dancer and I don't think there is anything I can show you. You are ready." She smiled, "in all my years I have never seen someone as skilled in the dance as you."
"Thank you; it is my goddess Isis that gives me the strength." Anzu smiled, "so, what do I do now?"
"Well tomorrow we go to the market place to entertain." She smiled. "Be ready an hour before dawn."
"Oh I will, I really will." Anzu bowed and walked out the door.
That night the prince of Egypt took a rest stop near the river and looked up at the moon. 'What have I done to deserve this? What lesson are the gods trying to teach me?' he wondered, "I will get her back!" he swore out loud and stood up to continue his journey.
"Prince," came a cheerful voice.
"Mana. What are you doing here?" Atem looked at her with mixed emotions of shock and happiness.
"Well Seto is pretty mad and I just came here to help. See Mahado and Seto were arguing about whether or not they should come find you so while they were fighting, I snuck out." She said standing tall and proud.
"Mana that wasn't a good idea, Mahado is going to punish you for that." Atem said regrettably as the question of her punishment was not within his power to decide.
"I know but you are my best friend and I am going to help you find Anzu." She smiled and jumped on his horse. "So why are you just sitting there, lets go save the princess."
"Right!" Atem nodded and jumped on before her and cracked the reigns and speeding off into the raising sun.
Anzu jumped up the moment the sun hit the sand of her villa and ran down to the center of the town where the goods to be traded were being packed. "I'm ready!"
"Good girl, now here is your outfit." The elder smiled and handed her the loveliest dress she had ever seen. "Change and get onto the cart with the others."
"You got it!" she smiled and did just that. "So how long is this trip?" she asked one of the other girls as she hopped onto the cart and started for the market.
"Not that long." The youngest girl smiled, "you are a really good dancer." She smiled.
"Thank you, umm… sorry I don't think I know your name." Anzu blushed
"Nefertari." She smiled, "I hope I can dance as well as you do one day. My mother used to tell me that I could be anything I wanted as long as I put my mind to it."
"She was right, you know. When I first came here all I wanted to do was dance and look now I am going to market to dance for people. It will be so fun."
"Have you ever been to market?"
"No. Have you?"
"Nope."
"Well we'll find out together then." She smiled reassuringly and looked out into the desert
"Look, Prince, look at all those carts." Mana pointed to a line of carts being pulled by horses.
"They are just going to the market. Hey, why don't we check at the market." He said.
"Why would she be there? She wouldn't be there, don't you think she would be trying to find her way back home?" Mana said. "She has to be in danger if she hasn't come back on her own. I know she loves you so much."
Atem looked down and nodded, "that's true but we have to try, maybe someone there has seen her.
"Right." Mana smiled, "and don't worry, Prince, we'll find her." She smiled and held on to him tightly as he cracked the reigns making the horse gallop faster.