Disclaimer: This chapter will begin happily, but the other half will involve a bit of pain and loss before continuing with the field trip. Don't hesitate to tell me if I went too deep. Hope you like reading this chapter.

Chapter 4

About an hour before the party, Ms. Frizzle's class was treated to a few additional adornments. Tim, Carlos, Ralphie, and Arnold were given armbands and bracelets of gold, and collars of golden and jeweled beads as they were the pharaoh's guests of honor. Phoebe, Keesha, Wanda, Dorothy Ann, and Ms. Frizzle were given the same jewelry as well as cones of scented fat (which the Egyptians used as an ancient perfume). The scent it left was remarkably sweet, and then the Friz and the girls were given crushed mulberries to redden their cheeks as this was part of preparing for special occasions at the time.

Eventually, the group met up again to head to the banquet. They were chatting excitedly about trying ancient Egyptian food and the opportunity to meet Rameses' family. Then Ms. Frizzle said softly, "Come along, class. We don't want to keep the pharaoh waiting."

With that, the group went down to the first level of the palace and when they entered the banquet hall, the pharaoh's stewards escorted Ms. Frizzle and the class to join Rameses and his family at the end of the room. They were seated on fabric pillows and Rameses introduced them to his sons and daughters. The class started to converse with the royal children, and Carlos, Ralphie, and Tim made an acquaintance with the pharaoh's firstborn son, Amun-her-khepeshef. Arnold was a bit nervous, but Amun seemed friendly.

"Father tells me you and your friends are from a far-off land," said the Egyptian prince.

"Yes. Very far-off," replied Ralphie.

"You might say it's beyond the reaches of your father's empire," Arnold added.

Amun was fascinated by the boys' explanations, and Carlos and Tim easily impressed Rameses' other sons with humor and Tim's skills at art. Meanwhile, Rameses' daughters were quickly befriending Wanda, Keesha, and Dorothy Ann. Phoebe was feeling shy, but with a little encouragement, she quickly became acquainted with the pharaoh's daughter Meritamen.

"Your name is a beautiful one, Phoebe," the princess said to her. "And your friends, they are delightful."

Phoebe smiled and said, "Thank you, Meritamen."

Then Meritamen said to D.A, "I must say, Dorothy Ann, your knowledge is impressive. Only girls of noble birth are schooled and most learn at home."

"Back home, nearly everyone is educated," Dorothy Ann said with a giggle. "Children are taught to read from an early age and their education continues from there."

Meritamen simply smiled and said to each of them, "Yours must be a blessed land, my friends, where provision and prosperity are freely given to all."

Eventually, Ms. Frizzle directed her class's attention to the rest of the banquet hall, where the pharaoh's guests were assembled. As soon as everyone was seated, Rameses declared, "Let the feast begin!"

With that, the pharaoh's musicians began to play, and the food and drinks were served. Ms. Frizzle said to her class, "Enjoy the meal, class. As my great-grandmother Cleo used to say, 'Be glad for every meal, lest you pass the night in hunger.'"

So everyone dug in and enjoyed the food, and Phoebe was amazed to see that a lot of it was not so different from back home. The main course consisted of beef, fish, grapes, apples, figs, lettuce, cucumbers, and some exotic foods such as waterfowl and pomegranates. Everyone was having a good time, and even Arnold enjoyed the feast. Then Carlos noticed another guest entering the chamber: a royally dressed woman who was some years older than Ms. Frizzle. She embraced the pharaoh, who seated her beside him. Rameses then said to the class, "Children, this is my mother, Queen Tuya."

Ms. Frizzle gave a graceful half-bow. Tim, Carlos, Ralphie, and Arnold gave the dowager queen a bow of their heads and Phoebe, Wanda, Keesha, and Dorothy Ann curtsied while on their knees. Queen Tuya smiled at each of them and said to Rameses, "Your new guests are too kind, my son. They enrich us with their presence here."

"Thank you, Your Highness," the children said to her.

Then Ralphie noticed dancers coming before the pharaoh and said, "Guys, look! We're getting dinner and a show!"

The others turned around and saw Ralphie was right. Dancers clad in ribbons and veils of red, blue, green, and white now performed acrobatic dances for the pharaoh and his guests. The class was amazed at the grandeur of the celebration, but then Phoebe noticed something that gave her puppy-dog eyes.

"They have performing cats here?" she squeaked.

"Well done, Phoebe," replied the Friz. "The ancient Egyptians had trained cats at parties, all right. No Egyptian banquet was complete without party animals."

"In the literal sense of the words," joked Ralphie.

As the class watched the entertainment, they noticed the cats leaping on their hind legs and some of them thronging at the feet of the guests. Liz hopped off Ms. Frizzle's shoulder when one cat drew near and the gray feline looked curiously at her. Then a tawny cat with a flower tucked behind its left ear approached Phoebe and to her great surprise, leapt into the girl's arms and slowly began to recognize her as a friend. It was like she was holding Mittens, her little cat from back home.

"Come here, little kitty," Phoebe said sweetly. The cat purred contentedly in her arms and mewled a bit as she stroked it lightly. The others all smiled, and Rameses said, "I believe Phoebe is liked by all she meets."

"Oh, this is nothing, Your Majesty. Phoebe has the biggest heart in our whole group," Arnold explained.

"She cares for friends, family, and any poor creature she sees," said Ralphie.

The royal family were all pleased with this, and Ms. Frizzle and the class spent the rest of the banquet enjoying the food and drink, the entertainment, and each other's company. At the end of the party, Rameses' children escorted the class to their quarters in the palace, and the Friz wished them good night before they went in to sleep.

…

The next few days passed with delightful activities for the class to enjoy on their extended field trip. Rameses told them about his acclaimed victory in battle at the city of Kadesh in western Asia and the great reign of his father, Seti the First. Ms. Frizzle showed them the pharaoh's chariot house, where Dorothy Ann explained how Egyptian chariots made them so successful in battle. Then the class got to learn about ancient Egyptian games such as senet (the game of chance at good fortune) and hounds and jackals, which Wanda thought bore a resemblance to chess. After staying a full week in ancient Egypt, the class had officially befriended the royal family and even Arnold wished that the field trip would last longer. However, not all was well on this field trip.

On the first evening of the second week of the field trip, Carlos and Dorothy Ann were on a balcony trying their hands at playing senet when Tim, Ralphie, and Phoebe came to see them, and they looked rather sad.

"What is it, guys?" asked D.A.

"Rameses has asked for our presence," said Tim. "His mother, Queen Tuya, is calling her family to see her and the pharaoh wants us there too."

Concerned, Carlos and D.A. postponed their game and went with them to join the rest of the class. Ms. Frizzle wore a solemn expression, which was exceptionally rare for the usually chipper teacher. She said softly, "Come along, class. We have some respects to pay."

So the class entered the chamber where the queen mother lived and found Rameses, Nefertari, and their children standing at Queen Tuya's bed. The kids took one look and realized why they had been called. Queen Tuya was sick and it was likely that she wouldn't live through the night. Rameses had his wife's hand in his own and he had a solemn air about him. Ms. Frizzle had her arms around her students and Rameses' sons and daughters were looking mournfully at their grandmother. Finally, Queen Tuya spoke.

"My family, my friends, thank you for coming," the dowager queen said in a weak voice. "I am preparing to go where all mortals must someday go. My time is near."

"Grandmother, you mustn't leave us now," Amun insisted.

"It is out of my hands, child," replied Queen Tuya. "After all, death is a natural part of life."

She looked over at Ms. Frizzle's class and said, "Dear children, I am truly glad to have met you. You've made my family the happiest we have been in a great while. I shall miss each of you."

The kids were moved by this as the class felt tears come and even Wanda, the toughest kid in their class, felt her heart warm up. Then Queen Tuya looked at Amun and said, "Care for your brothers and sisters, Amun, as your father cares for you. Remember, you are the firstborn of Pharaoh, the next heir of the royal house of the descendants of Ra, god of the life-giving sun. Strive to honor your father, the greatest of all the kings of Egypt, and he will deny you nothing."

Amun promised he would, and then Queen Tuya held the hands of her other grandsons and her granddaughters. Then she spoke to Meritamen last, though her voice was growing weaker. "Meritamen, it is time for you to guide your sisters as the brightest jewel of the Two Lands."

"I'm not ready for this," the young princess said sorrowfully.

"Do not despair, my darling," replied the aged queen in between short breaths. "You have all the guidance you need. Your older brothers will guide you, as will your father and mother."

Meritamen gave a sad smile and promised, "I'll do my best for them, Grandmother."

"I know… you will," Queen Tuya rasped. Then she gave a gasp and said as she breathed her last, "I love… you."

Ms. Frizzle and her class hung their heads as Rameses and his family said their final goodbyes. The pharaoh kissed his mother's hand and said, "Farewell to you, my mother."

Rameses' sons hung their heads and the younger ones embraced their mother, prompting Tim, Carlos, Ralphie, and Arnold to offer the Egyptian princes a comforting arm. Meritamen kissed Queen Tuya's forehead and said, "May the gods go with you, Grandmother."

Then as the other princesses bade their grandmother farewell, Meritamen took a step back and wept, and her brothers offered her their shoulders to lean upon. Phoebe saw her new friend's distress, and being the most compassionate member of the class, slowly approached her.

"I'm so sorry, Meritamen," Phoebe said in an empathetic tone.

Meritamen turned to look at the younger girl, then threw her arms around Phoebe and cried on her shoulder, and she replied, "Thank you, Phoebe."

The time to say goodbye went for at least an hour, and then Rameses and Nefertari brought the priests, who carried the queen's body from the room. Then Ms. Frizzle said to the class, "Now, class, are you ready to see the makings of the mummies up close and personal?"

Carlos and Ralphie were looking forward to going, but Arnold finally started feeling his usual field trip anxiety. If they were going to see how mummies were prepared, he would wish he had stayed home that day.

A/N: The latter half of this chapter was only made to set up the scene for Ms. Frizzle's class to share in the experience of mummification. The scene is inspired by the inaccuracies of the original show as Queen Tuya, Rameses II's mother, died in 1255 B.C. while the class arrives in Egypt in 1272 B.C.

I hope this chapter is pleasing to you all without being over-the-top in any way. Please feel free to rate and review.