I don't own Night at the Museum

Ancient Egypt 1991 B.C.

Neferet had lost count of the weeks when she had last seen Ahkmenrah. With each passing day, the young pharaoh-to-be had been busy with various appointments from dawn until dusk. The only time that the two of them had a chance to see one another was when Neferet was asleep and she didn't consider that as a moment that they spent together. She couldn't imagine how tiring it was for Ahkmenrah to go through meeting after meeting or even sit there through his father's lectures. However, Neferet felt that whatever she heard she ought to be as attentive as Ahkmenrah was. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked at her reflection for the fifth time as she sat by her vanity. Sure Ahkmenrah was busy with his royal duties, but spending the day in her room with Zhara had been very monotonous for Neferet during these past couple of weeks.

"How about a game of Senet?" Zhara suddenly suggested and broke Neferet out of her thoughts. Neferet had constantly played that game during her spare time and the game itself had lost its magic.

Neferet replied with a shake of her head. "No. I think we have used every strategy we could in that game and you always seem to win." A chuckle escaped her lips as she rose to her feet and Zhara mimicked her action. "I think I shall head over to the gardens." The afternoon sun looked very welcoming out from the balcony and Ahkmenrah was usually finished with his royal duties during that time.

Zhara gave Neferet a nod of her head. "Some fresh air is needed," she said to her. "Would you like some company?"

Neferet greatly appreciated Zhara's companionship. Aside from the royal family, she had been one of the servants that had done the most that she could do to ensure that Neferet was comfortable from the clothes that she wore to the food that she ate. "Actually," Neferet said, "I would like some time to myself. Why don't you take some time off? You deserve it."

Zhara gently bowed before Neferet. A part of her had hoped that Neferet would let her go for the afternoon for she had another important duty to tend to. "Thank you Your Highness," she said to Neferet. "When would you require my presence?"

Upon that question, Neferet debated whether she ought to bring Zhara back to her chambers after her afternoon leisure. She could see that there was something troubling her servant and that look in her eyes had been lingering for weeks. "How is your mother doing?" Neferet asked her.

Zhara looked up at Neferet and slowly shook her head. Ever since a horned viper had slithered into the kitchen where her mother was cooking and bit her ankle, she had not been doing too well. "It has been very difficult," she said, "there have been days where we thought she'd get better and then she would regress back to being sick. The swnw has tried any remedy that he could think of but..." she paused and shrugged her shoulders, "those remedies have only been keeping her alive, but she's still not cured."

It was an unfortunate circumstance at what had happened to Zhara's mother. Neferet couldn't imagine the pain that she was going through after being bitten by that snake, let alone Zhara who was trying to perform her duties and yet her mind traveled back to her mother's illness. "I want you to take the rest of today to yourself," she said to her, "your mother needs you more than I."

"But..." Zhara began, "what about before you go to sleep?" she asked her.

"I will ask another servant," Neferet said to her. "Now go, your mother needs you."

Relieved and slightly happy with Neferet's orders, Zhara gave her another bow and headed out of the chambers.

Neferet organized the makeup on her vanity and proceeded to head out to the gardens. The gardens offered her some form of peace, as if she was in a world of her own and away from the palace. Sometimes she wished that it was just her, alone in a great palace without having to worry about a single thing but she knew that Egypt wouldn't be able to survive that way. However, if the gardens were the one place that provided her that inner peace then she would greatly accept that any day. She suddenly looked at her feet when something soft and furry rubbed itself against her legs and she smiled at the sight of her cat.

"Where have you been Kha?" she giggled as she scooped the feline in her arms and held him in front of her face. Those green eyes stared back at her before he let out a small mewl and wiggled out of her grip. Neferet placed her cat back on the ground and continued her way but she could feel her cat following after her. There was nothing that made her feel more at ease than having her companion by her side.

She walked over to a tree and rested her back against the trunk and allowed the leaves of the tree to shade her from the bright sun. The water lapping from the pond made a gentle sound that put her mind at ease and at this moment, she believed that she had found complete serenity. Kha sat down by her side and remained as still as a statue. Neferet bought her hand up and gave the feline a light scratch behind his ears before her hand slipped to the ground and her eyes shut.

Neferet didn't know how long she had been sleeping. She raised a hand and rubbed her eyes, smudging a portion of her kohl eye makeup. As her vision cleared, she caught sight a small scaly face staring back at her. Before she understood what was on top of her, a forked tongue slithered out of the animals mouth as it continued to stare at her. Neferet felt as if a portion of her soul had left her body and bit her tongue from letting a scream escape from her mouth.

This snake was not the cobra that was worshipped, then again Neferet wasn't too fond of that sort of snake either. This snake had two small horns sticking out of its head and from what Neferet had heard, it could attack when provoked. She tried to calm her breathing but the more she looked at the snake, the more fearful she became of it. She slowly turned her eyes to the side and noticed that her cat had fled her side and she was grateful for that. The last thing she wanted to see was her cat fighting against this snake and she didn't want to fathom what would have happened if her cat had lost the battle.

"Remain still," a voice suddenly said from where she sat.

Catching her off guard, Neferet gasped and she turned her head to see whom had spoken to her and the next thing she saw, a khopesh slashed through the air and against the horned viper head. The snake's head flew through the air and landed a couple of feet away from Neferet and the rest of the snake's body fell onto her. "Oh my Gods!" Neferet exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and took notice of the blood that had spread from abdomen and slid down her linen dress. She looked back at the decapitated snake and quickly averted her eyes before coming face to face with Kahmunrah who stood there casually wiping the khopesh from the viper's blood.

"You...you saved me," she finally found her words as she looked at him.

After he was finished cleaning his weapon, he looked back at her. "A mere coincidence," he answered her, "I happened to be walking by the garden grounds." He then looked at her up and down and motioned with his khopesh to the blood stains left behind from the viper. "You ought to change or Ahkmenrah would think you got into a battle."

Neferet glanced down at her robes and was in agreement with him but that was the least of her worries at the moment. "What were you doing here?"

"Might I ask you the same question," he said to her as if he was taken aback by her question. This was his palace and he felt that he could roam wherever he wanted without being questioned and yet, this woman had the nerve to ask him of his whereabouts.

Neferet almost let out an annoyed sigh at that response. Trying to have a conversation with his man was almost impossible but she responded to him with a smile upon her lips. "I just needed some fresh air," she said to him, "and it seems that I had fallen asleep before you came."

"You ought to take precaution at these sections of the garden," Kahmunrah motioned with his khopesh, "snakes can easily slither in."

And no more falling asleep around here either Neferet thought. She was about to turn her head to look back at the decapitated snake but tried her hardest to push away that curiosity. Instead her eyes fell onto the khopesh. "I see that you're training again."

His griped tightened on the handle of the khopesh and held it up. "Wise observation," he responded, "the statesman suffered a mere scratch from our training and had to retire for the night. We still had a couple more hours to practice but he couldn't continue. Such a pity."

"Oh," Neferet gently shook her head when she heard that, "I hope it wasn't a serious scratch if he wasn't able to continue."

Kahmunrah rolled his eyes at that remark. "Mere scratch or not, a battle still continues until one person is left standing." And I would rather not continue my training with a statesman who faints at the mere sight of blood he thought to himself.

Taking a look at the weapon once more, Neferet remembered when she had taken a hold of the khopesh and how it felt heavy in her grip. As heavy as the weapon was, she was intrigued at how this weapon was used so skillfully in parleys and from what she remembered, Kahmunrah had made it look so easy when he was fighting the statesman. "If I may ask," she suddenly spoke up, "would it be possible if..." Why do I feel so silly asking this question? she thought to herself. She adjusted a piece of her hair behind her ear and looked up at him through her dark eyelashes. "...if I can learn how to fight?"

Here it comes. He's going to laugh in my face she thought, bracing for the laughter to come towards her ears.

"You want to what?" was what she suddenly heard coming from Kahmunrah.

"I want to learn how to fight," she said, "I still remember seeing you fighting with that statesman. It was very..." she paused and tried to find the proper word that she could say to him. He had been quick, agile, had premonition of the next attack, and just had good physique when he fought, "...strategic." She felt a slight blush coming to her cheeks for saying such an elementary word when she had been thinking of another.

"And why is that?" he then asked her, "what is the reason that you wish to learn this?"

Neferet leaned against the tree. A part of her felt that it would give her something to do in her spare time when she waited for Ahkmenrah to return and perhaps get to learn more about Kahmunrah. He had been a man of mystery ever since Neferet had become part of the royal family and yet, she didn't know a thing about him other than his distaste for his brother. "What other reason is there?" she asked him, "what if I ever need to protect myself against another snake?"

He rose an eyebrow at her remark. "Snakes should be the least of your worries. It's the thieves you ought to be careful of."

Neferet knew that theft had become common through the last couple of years, especially when a royal member died. There had been instances when grave robbers had raided a tomb of a royal family and had taken their prized possessions. "All the more reason to learn," she said as she walked up to him, "I would rather depend on myself rather than anyone else."

"That's a wise outlook," he said to her, "if ever you find yourself in grave danger, your husband won't be there to save you." He smirked when he saw that vexed look in her eyes. "What? I am only speaking the truth. My brother is not a fighter. I find it rather interesting how you want to learn and he doesn't."

"He has other duties that he has to attend," Neferet said to him, "and shouldn't you attend those too? You are the vizier." When she said that, Neferet felt that she had crossed the line with such a question for she saw something come over his expression. She couldn't tell what it was for he quickly recovered from that slight...disappointment? Anger? She didn't know what it was.

"My royal duties are none of your concern," he said to her in a calm demeanor that he had before she asked that question.

An apology was right at the tip of her tongue and she didn't bring herself to apologize. If she kept apologizing, especially to a palace where they viewed her as a queen, how would the rest of Egypt see her? As weak? That was a profile that she didn't want others to see. She wanted to show that she could do this job. "Then you will teach me how to fight," she insisted.

"I shall do no such thing," Kahmunrah responded to her and held the weapon behind his back.

"I am the future queen and I demand that you teach me!" she snapped as she got closer to him and craned her neck to look up at him. She noticed a smirk had formed upon his lips when she said that.

Kahmunrah tried to hold back a laugh when she said that. Just because she was going to be the future queen didn't mean that she was always going to get her way and he felt that she was overstepping that position. "I don't give into anyone's demands," he said to her in a low voice. "What makes you think that by asking me I would willingly say 'yes?'"

"Because..." Neferet said as she stood her ground when he took a step closer to her, "other than being your future queen and you not performing your duties as a vizier, we both have enough spare time. You with your training and me practically walking around the palace like an akh. Not to mention I was almost attacked today and I would rather know how to protect myself, whether it be from a snake or thieves."

Kahmunrah remained quiet as she continued to speak her mind.

"Is it because of Ahkmenrah that you won't do it?" she asked him, "of what he would say if I am training on how to fight?"

"I could care less about what he thinks," Kahmunrah answered. He never went by anyone else's opinion but his own and thus far, he felt that he had made the right judgement on certain decisions.

That was an answer that didn't satisfy Neferet. "Then why won't you teach me?" she asked him.

"Why do you specifically want me to teach you?" he asked her.

"Because you're good at it!" she exclaimed. "I would rather it be from someone who is good at what he does then from someone who isn't." She knew that if she were to ask Ahkmenrah on teaching her how to fight, he wouldn't be good at it. He didn't have the same stamina as Kahmunrah had.

There was truth in her answer and it made him feel prideful. He deemed himself good in fighting and given the end result that had occurred with the statesman, Kahmunrah had shown no mercy when giving the statesman that 'scratch.' "Just be aware about something princess," he said as he leaned close and looked down at her, "I won't go easy on you."

Her lips tilted into a satisfied smirk as she stared back at him with a challenging look in her eyes. "I wouldn't want you to."

"Kahmunrah?" a voice suddenly same behind them and the older sibling turned around and saw Ahkmenrah standing there.

Oh look who's returned from his royal duties Kahmunrah sarcastically thought as he stepped to the side and revealed Neferet in front of him. "Brother," he said to him with a nod of his head. Before he was about to take his leave, Ahkmenrah stopped him from doing so when he ran over to Neferet and examined her.

"Why is she covered in blood?" Ahkmenrah asked, "are you alright my rose?" he asked as he took a hold of Neferet's cheeks and held them in her hands.

This sentimentalism is sickening Kahmunrah thought. "Look behind you," he said as he motioned with his khopesh to the decapitated viper. "You ought to do something about these intruders, brother. A servant was already attacked by this before, you're lucky it wasn't your queen."

Ahkmenrah was aware of what had happened to one of the servants and he knew that it was Zhara's mother. When it had happened, Zhara had been so distraught that Ahkmenrah had consoled her for it. That had delayed him in seeing Neferet, who had fallen into a deep slumber during that night. He turned his eyes over to the dead viper and looked at Neferet again.

"It's the snake's blood," Neferet assured him, "Kahmunrah killed it before it attacked me."

Ahkmenrah slowly closed his eyes and placed his forehead against hers. "Thank the Gods."