Sands of Time:
Chapter Eleven
Nefertari smiled as the other girls decorated her skin with glittery oils and shimmering jewelry. "I am so happy that I get to be the prince's wife." She beamed.
"Me too, I think you'll be able to cheer him up. He really misses Anzu." Mana stated. "But that's enough about that. This is your day." She smiled and placed a tiara on the young dancers head.
"Glad to see you are back to normal." Seth smiled over at Atem, "your new queen is a sight to see, from what I heard from the queens on one of my daily walks."
"Well, I thought it was time to think of Egypt and she really is pretty." Atem smiled. "Anzu's been gone for several months now and I just don't know if she'll come back." He sighed, "Seth, I've lost all faith in her return. I'm I just so horrible?"
"No, Frankly I think you should have given up on that a long time ago." He told truthfully. "I do wish to see you happy, make no mistake about it. It's just you have to focus on Egypt first and foremost."
"I know." He smiled. "But sometimes I wonder what she's doing." He paused, "if she's even alive."
"Prince, enough playing around. It's time!" Mahado called, "and might I add the Young girl is very beautiful."
"Oh, now I really must see her. It seems I have the most beautiful woman in that land as my future queen." Atem beamed and blushed at the same time. "How lucky am I?"
"Very lucky, Atem." Seth rolled his eyes and walked along with the Young prince toward the throne room.
That afternoon Atem and Nefertari lay lazily under a palm tree in the garden. The wind was soft and made the afternoon heat somewhat bearable. Nefertari looked up at her new husband with bright eyes of admiration and love. "I never thought I would be so lucky as to have you as my husband." Atem smiled and looked down at her. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you, too." He tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek softly.
"One thing bothers me though." She sat up.
"And what's that?" Atem said somewhat defensively
"Remember that day when you saved me?" he nodded, "you were there for a reason. To find someone right?" he nodded again. "Did you ever find that person?"
"Aaahhahaha." A delicately deadly laugh rang through the little village, "You people are so pathetic. Now had over your most precious possession or I will kill your village elder." She yanked at the old woman's collar and held a knife to her throat.
"Please don't hurt her. She had done nothing to you!" Spoke a young girl about twelve years of age. He black hair was cut short and jagged as if it had been done in the dark and her clothes were torn and dusty. "Please! That is my Grandmamma, you can't do this."
"My dear sweet child I can to as I please. Give me the Necklace of Isis and you can have her back. Simple as that!" She smirked.
"But we do not have it." A middle-aged man spoke up. "It was tossed into the Nile with the Crocodiles so it would be safe from people like you."
"Well! I guess I'll have to send each and every one of you in there to fish it out."
"But the crocodiles will eat us."
"I don't care. Get me that Necklace!" she shoved the old woman to the ground and placed her foot on her side. "NOW!" The villagers ran off do to as they were told.
"What?" Atem blinked.
"Did you ever find…" she trailed off when she noticed that Atem was looking alert and turned to see. "What is it?"
"I don't know. The guards over there are running. I wonder what's happened." Atem stood up. "Go back to your room, I'll come to see you later." She nodded and ran off as he ran toward Seth and Mahado. "What's happened?"
"The Nile." The two spoke in unison
Atem instantly froze, "what about the Nile?"
"It's running as blood." Seth said and came to a stop at the water's edge and looked away. "It really is."
Atem looked down and noticed that the water was stained red with blood and looked down, "it runs this way for miles. Only the death of thousands of people could cause this. The god must be angry."
"There have been reports of a group of renegade bandits that love to kill innocent people. Perhaps this is their work." Mahado spoke.
"I don't know." Atem sighed, "Why would they do that? Who would do that?" Atem slumped down on the sand and looked away.
Anzu smirked and looked down at the old woman at her feet, necklace in hand. "You can go now, though there are no more of your people to watch over. If you ask me nicely I'll end your pathetic existence quick and painlessly." The old woman shook her head and wept as Anzu rode away.