"MASIKA!" her father broke down her door, to reveal her still sleeping in bed, face nuzzled in the cloak. Swiftly he made his way to her bedside, shaking her to wake up.
"Hmm? What? Dad? What are you doing here?" she rubbed her eyes.
"You're late for work!"
She shot out of bed jumping up, still dressed in yesterdays work clothes she decided against changing and followed her father to the shop.
"I heard you broke up with Kontar, why? You were such a nice couple," he looked with distaste, "Don't tell me it was your 'higher calling'."
"No, I just – it just wasn't working."
"You two looked fine!"
"Looks are deceiving, father, let's just drop it," she walked in the back of the shop, and instantly began to pick up tools.
"Not so fast, I need you to take a carriage up to the Palace," he placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Really? I thought Shudi did that," she blinked.
"He's sick," he thought to himself a little before shaking it off, "Never mind, he's the only one marked from our store to enter the Palace, I'll send a message and they can decide how to get it, or if it can wait until tomorrow.
A little dispirited, she resumed her work until an old man came and talked to her father. "Masi! Put that down, I have another job for you," he called her over.
"What is it father?" she ran over.
"I need you to go with Old man Akii, he needs help in his store," he introduced the old man. She ran out and followed him, wondering absentmindedly what Amun was doing.
"Pharaoh?" his dear friend, Mana questioned his glazed over eyes.
"Yes Mana?" he snapped back to reality.
"Where were you last night? Seto was looking for you, and you know how angry he gets when you run off."
"I just went out, I needed some fresh air," he tried to hide the truth from his clever friend.
"You met someone didn't you?" she smiled, poking him in the side.
"Hmm?! What would lead you to believe that?" his blush deepened.
"Ooh! You did meet someone! Why else would you be blushing? Besides, your eyes have never been so glazed over. You're thinking of someone!" she smiled, bouncing up and down. "What's she like? What's her name? Tell me!"
"Heh, you know too much already! You know I'm not supposed to leave the Palace at night! Or, at all for that matter, not with out guards!"
"Does she know?" she avoided his subject change.
"No, but she knows I live in the Palace."
"What'd you do? Walk up and say 'look at me! I live in the palace!'?" she raised her brow.
"No! I wasn't even wearing my formal wear! No jewelry, no trinkets, I looked like a commoner! I just told her that I do important work and I hardly ever get to walk around the village," he started to lower his voice.
"Is she nice?"
"Yes, she's very nice. She was very open too. There was a strange air about her, I was drawn to her," he started to glaze over again until Mana snapped him out of it.
"What do you mean!?"
"I mean, she was so open with me, but it was like she trusted me even though she had no real idea who I was. I mean, we went most of the conversation not even introducing ourselves!" he remembered the kiss they shared after that moment.
"You kissed her didn't you?" Mana saw the look in his eyes.
"What?!" he looked disheveled as he turned to Mana.
"You kissed her! That's why you're so infatuated!" she bounced some more at being such a good detective. "Pharaoh! You only just met her!"
'That's not all that happened. I still can't believe I fell in that pond. Imagine if the villagers knew, the almighty Pharaoh scared of a teenage girl no older than himself,' he shook his head in disbelief.
"What else happened?" Mana knew how to read her best friend.
"Nothing!" he lied.
"Don't lie to me! I know you better than that Atemu! I promise I'll keep it a secret!" she begged.
"Fine," he lowered his voice and began to tell the story from when she spotted him all the way to when she ran off – leaving her the most giddy she'd ever been.
"Oh my gosh! No wonder you two kissed! You practically stripped for her!" she eyed him.
"I was soaking wet, but she gave me the blanket to cover up with! Its not like she sat there and goggled at me!" he defended.
"You don't know she wasn't goggling," Mana poked him again. "Why did you tell her your name was Amun?"
"That's my public name. When I first decided to leave the palace one night I decided to go by that name. To protect my identity, that's all," he watched her nod in understanding.
"Pharaoh! I have news from the town! The shipment we requested cannot be brought in due to the carriage driver's illness," Priestess Isis burst out with the news.
"Can they not send anyone else?" he asked knowing the answer fully well.
"No, and you should know why."
"Yes, I understand, Mana and I will go get them," a strange look found its way to Isis' face at his comment.
"Not without guards!" Isis replied. Mana now staring at the Pharaoh with utter disbelief.
"One guard, that's it," he ordered.
"You're being absurd my Pharaoh!" Isis seemed to be at a loss for words.
"We will be fine, there's no need to concern all the guard with one public visit of mine."
"I'll send three, they'll be needed to carry the crates as well," Isis rolled her eyes bantering on to herself about how she's actually agreeing to this.
A smile graced the Pharaoh as he looked to Mana.
"She actually agreed? What are you thinking Pharaoh?" Mana eyed him.
"Remember? She works with her father at the jewelry shop we buy from!" he smiled mischievously.
"But you never told her you were Pharaoh!" she tried to reason, and his spirits dropped.
"That's right. I don't care though, I just have to see her again," his eyes turned to Mana, desperate.
"You don't care if she knows that she made out with the Pharaoh last night?" she asked blatantly.
"No."
"Okay… You really like her don't you?"
A nod came as his eyes favored the ground.
"That's all, thank you Masi, I'll pay you tomorrow," Old man Akii shook her hand. She bowed gently before turning and heading back down to the jewelry shop, how long had she been helping him? Too long? Not long enough? She had no desire to go back to her family, knowing she'd be hearing more about her dumping of Kontar. She sighed heavily, lowering her head to the ground watching her feet before lifting her head to the sky. 'And so begins a new chapter in life,' she allowed herself to smile. That was over and now she could continue her journey.
"He's coming!" a villager shouted behind her, as she turned she saw everyone scurrying around trying to make themselves presentable; the Pharaoh was coming. Under normal circumstances she would have made a mad dash for the shop, but being in no real hurry to go back, she pretended to be in shock as everyone scurried about – until she saw the Pharaoh and four followers approaching. She started a brisk walk back to the shop; it wasn't far, maybe twenty meters at most. She snuck in the back and helped her father carry the crates to the back of the shop – seven in all.
The Pharaoh made his way to the jewelry shop talking to Masi's father. 'I can't believe it! My dream came true! The Pharaoh actually came to the shop!' she smiled walking to the front of the shop, noticing how vaguely familiar he seemed. A fresh scent of foreign flowers and fruit washed over her and she remembered the previous night. 'Oh Ra! Please tell me there's a look alike in the Palace! There's no way I kissed the Pharaoh!' she nearly fainted as everything fell into place in her mind. Everything made sense.
"Masi," her father began, a glint catching in the Pharaoh's eyes as he turned to see her, standing in shock.
She couldn't move.
"Masi! Don't be rude to the Pharaoh," he walked over to her, shaking her. "I need you to bring the boxes out to the Pharaoh's guards, can you do that?"
A slight nod came as she kept eye contact with the man she knew as Amun. She turned and went to the back of the shop.
"I think you're busted Mr. Amun," Mana whispered, poking him gently.
"I think so too. She's really bright, to catch on so swiftly," he smiled to himself.
"Maybe it's because you do a terrible job of cloaking yourself."
"It wasn't my fault I fell into the pond!" his words met her ears as she appeared behind them.
"Good afternoon my Pharaoh," she bowed, handing two boxes off to one guard.
"Good afternoon," he smiled, butterflies catching him.
She turned back to go get more crates.
"I think you are dead," Mana whispered, comprehending what Masi must be feeling.
"I wouldn't be so sure," he winked to her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Masi mumbled rudely, making sure Pharaoh heard.
"You should be killed for talking to the Pharaoh in such a manner!" the guard who was receiving the crates looked down at her.
"No, she's fine." Pharaoh dismissed his words, watching her turn around to get more crates.
"Pharaoh, you're digging yourself in a whole," Mana sighed.
"I know, I just – I had to see her again," he whispered, unaware that Masi could hear him.
A blush graced her as she passed off the crates, "There's only one more." She turned to get it, thinking all the while, 'He came down here in person because he had to see me? And I just snapped at him! What kind of a cruel person am I? Can I blame him from hiding his identity from me? I wouldn't walk up to a complete stranger and say 'Hey! I'm Pharaoh!' I should apologize.' She passed off the last crate and looked to the Pharaoh, apparently appearing more apologetic than she imagined as an understanding smile came as a reply.
"I apologize my Pharaoh," she started – bowing – realizing that it was too public for her to state everything bluntly, "that you had to come here in person, I'm sure it was a great bother for a busy person such as yourself to leave the palace and come here."
A glint sparked in his eye, he knew what she was playing at, "It was quite alright, it's good to come and visit my good people every so often, like my own oasis, this village is my happiness."
She sparked, 'He got it! Yay!' Bowing once more she smiled, "Thank you for visiting Pharaoh."
He winked to her and left on his way; Mana poking him all the while asking what in the world just happened.
Masi let her breath pass, how long had she been holding it? Things went so fast she didn't seem to notice anything. She just made an arrangement to meet the Pharaoh again.
"Masi! What was that display?" her father demanded once she was back in the shop.
"What do you mean? I was just giving them the crates!"
"Why did you talk to the Pharaoh in such a rude manner?"
"I don't know what you're talking about! You're just angry because I broke up with Kontar!"
"There's someone else isn't there?" her mom asked from the back.
A deep red flushed over her, "No! Why do you think that was the only reason I broke up with him?"
"There is! You're turning red!" her mom jumped from her chair. "Who is he?"
"There isn't someone else! I never really liked him in the first place! I just agreed to it because you guys wanted me to!" she resumed her work with no more questions asked or answered. 'Okay, so maybe there is someone else, but I can't tell them that I've fallen for the Pharaoh! Then they'll make fun of me and say that it's my stupid idea of 'higher calling' and that I should go apologize to Kontar. They'd never believe me if I told them about last night. Never! But I'll see him tonight! I can't believe he came here just to see me!'
"Atemu! You must explain what happened!" Mana whispered, she didn't want the guards to hear.
"We're going to meet again tonight, that's what. And as far as I can tell she's okay with me being Pharaoh. I told you it wasn't as bad as you made it seem!" he smiled, poking her for once. They entered the palace, instantly returning to their normal duties of the day as the guards carried the jewelry to Isis.
Masi returned home relatively angry, her parents constantly questioning her, over and over about this unknown man that made her leave Kontar. "Will they ever understand?" she asked the air as she slammed the door behind her.
Realizing that they never would she headed for the kitchen, hoping for food.
"Didn't think you could get rid of me that easily did you?" Kontar's voice chimed in her ears.
"Kontar?" she looked up, unsurprised. "What do you want?" she pushed past him to grab dinner.
"I want to know the real reason why you left me! Your mother says there's another guy, is that so?"
"You don't believe me when I told you last night? All day yesterday I was thinking about it, I've been thinking about it for a long time, last night I found the confidence to tell you," she made contact with his eyes.
"Who's the other guy?"
"What other guy?!"
"You didn't deny him so I know he exists!"
"Look. There's no other guy, even if there was, my reasons for leaving you are still the same!" she didn't want to bring her higher calling, or the Pharaoh into this.
"There's something else. Does this have to do with 'higher calling'? Your father told me about it, he said that's what guides you in most of your decisions."
"Only partially does this have to do with that. I can't believe he told you! But either way, my reasons for leaving you are just, and that's all!" she turned to grab her cloak. The Sun had only begun to set, but she didn't care.
He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her around, "No, you're going to explain all of this. What about your higher calling?"
"I just – It didn't feel right, it wasn't right. You and I both know that there was something wrong. I stayed in it because my parents wanted me to, and you're here for the same reason. My parents asked you to try and win me back. You know –"
"Win you back? There's another person!"
"Ra help you! I mean you have to win me back to your side; to make me love you!"
He blinked, trying to put two and two together.
"Either way, I don't love you, I never did."
His face flushed he didn't seem to have anything more to say.
"I'm sorry, but I can't be with you, and don't go thinking that it has to do with another person," she started trailing off – lying wasn't her best quality.
"Now what?"
"Nothing!"
He groaned in frustration.
'It wasn't about another person until last night! I didn't love someone else until last night.' She shook her head, pushing those thoughts from her mind.
"Last night, when I went on my walk I was thinking about how to break it to you, and apparently no matter how I put it, you don't seem to believe me." She noted the sun had set not too long ago; she may be late to meeting the Pharaoh.
"If that is the truth, then fine, I will leave and not request your heart any longer." He took his leave.
She fell to her bed, sighing deeply as she did so. "I only partially lied, right? It was never about another person until last night. Who would have thought?" she sighed happily, remembering her Pharaoh's masked identity. Suddenly she didn't feel quite alone, "Hmm, I don't know – I didn't want to hurt him, I've had such mixed emotions about this. I need to go somewhere to think." She grabbed her cloak and headed out the door, catching the sight of Kontar sitting on the bench beneath her window. He'd been listening in on her. "There is another person!" he almost mauled her.
"But when I made my decision there wasn't! It wasn't until after that fact that I met him," she defended Pharaoh.
"But there is still another person! Who is he? Who has stolen your heart?" He nearly shook her, seeming relatively protective.
"Like I would tell you?"
"I'm not going to kill him! I'm just watching out for you!"
"I don't know his name! I just met him as a stranger last night," she shook herself from his grip.
"Hmm," he could see she wasn't lying, so he let her go. "Are you going to go see him?"
"No, I don't even know if I'll ever see him again. I just need to clear my mind. Now if you'll excuse me," she passed him walking briskly.
"Be careful!" he called a generous warning. He seemed to accept the loss of her heart quite quickly and he turned for home, watching her walk off into the distance.
"Okay!" she called back, turning these strange events over in her mind. She sprinted merrily to her oasis running up the mound only to flop down on the sand. She beat the Pharaoh, but that was well. "How amazing is it that I met the Pharaoh yesterday, and I didn't even recognize him? I bet its not very often he gets treated like a normal human being instead of some God. Maybe that's why he wanted to change lives."
"Am I really that easy to read?" he announced from behind her, wearing his same garb as the night before.
She laughed running down to the bottom of the mound to greet him as a Pharaoh, a polite bow and gentle praise. However, when she bowed she found a hand on her shoulder.
"There's no need to bow to me. I do not wish this to be a formal meeting, but a casual one. As normal villagers."
"But you're not a norma—"he cut her off, placing his finger to her lips.
"No one else needs to know that," he smiled.
A smile and red blush grew on her delicate skin. It was a secret between the two. "Alright. But I have a question," she raised a finger, as though she was back in school.
Taking her hand in his own and lowering it to her side he nodded, motioning her to ask.
"What am I supposed to call you?"
He blinked, thinking. "If anyone asks, Amun. In fact, it would probably be safer for you to always call me that. You never know how well secluded you are."
She nodded, blush deepening now that not only was he holding her hand; she had her own name for him. An awkward, yet perfectly calm silence passed between the two as they stood there, eyes locked in the other's longing gaze. It had only been a day since they'd seen each other, but how she had missed him.
"I'm sorry," he whispered cupping her cheek in his hand and pulling her into a passionate kiss. Allowing it to deepen he broke the grip on her hand he had, using that hand to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him, her own hands wrapping themselves around his waist as the kiss continued.
They slowly pulled from it, regaining their breath once more, "Why are you apologizing?" she asked, arms falling limply to her side.
"For being so abrupt," he bowed slightly to her.
"You needn't bow, nor apologize," she smiled, walking over to the waterside. He joined her soon after, laying his cloak for the both to sit on.
"But I must. And I must also apologize for last night. And today."
She found herself confused. "Why are you apologizing?"
"I kissed you last night, knowing you had a boyfriend, but I allowed myself to become so attached to you. And today, I felt I just had to see you, so I went to town to get the crates. Mana tried to tell me that you'd be angry when you found out that I'd lied to you."
She placed a delicate hand on his shoulder, "First off, I broke up with him, but I'll explain that later. Second, I wasn't angry, I was shocked. I always wanted something spontaneous, but you can't get much more spontaneous than kissing the Pharaoh under moonlight! I was shocked! Here I was just thinking about whether to come back tonight in hopes of you being here, and there you are! Right in front of me, and I froze."
"You seemed so angry, when you spoke," he favored the ground again.
She thought back and remembered her hissing comment, "I apologize for that Pha—Amun. I was so overwhelmed I wasn't thinking. I was more thinking 'why didn't he tell me this before I kissed him?' rather than 'he had every right to keep himself hidden.' So I apologize, I was in the wrong."
He greeted her with a calm smile, but unfortunately, she was now favoring the ground with guilt. Placing a hand gently on her shoulder caused her to regain eye contact with him. "Mana was right, I should be a little more open about myself."
"Who is Mana exactly?" she questioned.
"Mana is the girl that was with me today," he seemed to catch on that he wasn't answering the way she intended him to, "oh, she's Mahado's apprentice in the Palace, and a childhood friend of mine."
"At least you grew up with friends, I kind of wondered if the Pharaoh's kids got lonely ever."
"Indeed, I did, but Mana's hyper disposition made things a little easier, she's a great person she really is, but she likes to gossip a lot," his face screwed up a little.
"That's why she knew about me. Okay, that makes sense," she smiled.
"Your father seemed angry at your speaking to me. I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble."
"Not really, he just yelled at me for talking to you that way, and then he went back on to his whole 'Who's the guy you like that made you break up with Kontar' rant," she sighed.
"I don't mean to get you in trouble," he sighed, mumbling to himself, "this may be a difficult relationship."
"What was that?" she still heard him.
'Great! She heard me!' he mentally slapped himself, "What was what?"
"I heard you Mr. 'difficult relationship'. And let me tell you," he was prepared to be slapped, "difficulty just makes things more fun!" She smiled brightly at his stupefied look.
"Are you saying yes?" he questioned wondering when exactly he asked her out.
"If your intention is how it sounds, yes." She smiled. His hand that rest on her shoulder fell limp at his side as he sat in shock. She looked at him oddly, wondering if he was okay.
"If this is just beca—"
"No, it's not because you're Pharaoh and I want some 'higher calling'. My intuition tells me that it's okay. And not to mention, since last night I haven't been able to get you out of my mind," she placed a finger to her chin, as if thinking back.
"So this has nothing to do with—"
"NO."
Disbelief still evident she heaved a sigh before locking their lips in another kiss, a softer, gentler one, lasting only a few seconds. "Okay, I believe you," he smiled, pulling her into a hug. She laughed at his actions but sank into the embrace nonetheless.
"I can't believe this."
"I know, everything is moving so fast. I just-"
"I can't-"
"I have to be with you," they stated at the same time, causing laughter to erupt from them both.
"It's amazing, we're still practically complete strangers, but at the same time, we know so much about each other," she smiled, being turned around in his lap as he held her.
"I guess, around you, I feel so open. Like I can tell you anything and you won't judge me. And you'll still treat me like a normal human even though I'm a Pharaoh," he whispered into her ear.
"As I felt that great trust in you last night. Very few people know about my whole 'higher calling' thing, because I know most people will just say I need to accept my place in society and move on with life. I just- I can't. I can't accept being a jewelry maker when I feel something stronger calling me. If I hadn't have followed that calling, I never would have found this place, and I never would have met you the way I did. I feel I can trust you with anything. And I felt that way before I knew who you were."
"That may be why I regard you so highly, you showed me trust and honesty and devotion before you even knew who I was," he left a kiss gently on her neck, making her twitch as she was ticklish.
"Either way, I am very glad I met you, and in an informal matter. Though I am still very sorry that you fell into the water."
"It's okay, according to Mana, it was no wonder that we were so fond of each other. She said I practically stripped for you," he laughed, resting his chin to her shoulder, her cheek pressed to his, he felt it get warmer.
The deep red flushed her whole face.
"Were you goggling?" he hinted playfully.
She turned her head away, to the ground a "maybe" passing her lips.
He laughed, tightening his embrace, "I guess Mana was right."
She couldn't help but laugh with him as he played around. Had they been sitting on the mound as they were the previous night, they may have noticed the man approaching them, but as the mound was directly blocking view of the village, they didn't notice his presence as fast as they could have.
Suddenly the Pharaoh stopped laughing, loosening his embrace on her as he stood up.
"What is it?" she whispered, seeing him raise a finger for her to be quiet.
"MASI!" the angry voice came; her father's voice.
"Dad?" she lipped, scurrying around on the cloaks freaking out. "How'd he find me?!"
Pharaoh turned to see her freak out trying to calm her with hand gestures, but failing.
"Masi!" he called again, closer to the mound this time. "I know you're there."
"Shh," Pharaoh consoled her, "I'm not here, okay?"
She nodded, still scared to death before running to the top of the mound to see her father approaching. Running quickly she sprinted over to him, stopping him in his tracks. "What is it Father? How do you know about this place?"
"We need to talk."
"Not until you tell me how you found this place," she stood he ground.
"I saw you playing on that mound one day when you were a kid, now come on."
"You can talk to me right here," she stomped her foot. "There's no one out here."
"Kontar told me everything," he grabbed her wrist.
"Good. I broke up with him because I didn't like him, I didn't love him."
"He told me there's someone else. You know the rules of this family, we have to approve of him before you date him!"
'Oh yes, I can totally see Amun coming up to my father saying 'I'd like permission to date your daughter'. Like that'll ever happen!'
"You know that, where is this boy? I want to meet him! He said you were probably going to come meet him as you ran off so happily."
"I didn't come to meet him! I needed time to think everything through; besides, he lives in the palace so the chances of you ever meeting him are abou—" his grip on her wrist tightened.
"The Palace?!"
"Yes."
"How do you know? Did he tell you?"
"Well, yeah, bu—"
"You know that's illegal! The Pharaoh would have your head!"
At this both her and the eavesdropping Pharaoh had to suppress a snicker.
"Father, he knows full well what he's doing, besides, I only met him last night. I haven't seen him since."
"But you still like him!"
"Father! A teenager has her crushes! You know that!"
"But if you get caught with that boy, you'll – I don't want to lose my daughter. If you meet with this boy and you start being with him, if you get caught, its no simple crush, it's life and death!"
"I understand that father, but I don't believe I'll be seeing him anytime soon."
"Not to mention, you lied. And you disrespected the Pharaoh today! Under my rule you'd be grounded!"
"Too bad I'm not! I'm in charge of my life Father! Have more faith in me!"
"I don't want you getting in trouble because of your stupid 'higher calling' deal."
"It's not stupid!" She broke from his grasp and backed away. "Some people are meant to be great. If I feel something calling me, I'm going to listen to it. I seem to be doing just fine listening to it so I don't care what you say about it. Father, if I want to see some boy and I don't consult you about it first, it may be my best decision yet."
"Don't you talk to me like that!"
"I'm sorry Father, but ever since I left you to pick my boyfriends I've only had more and more pain and less actual happiness that is supposed to come from a relationship. I'm leaving the decision making up to my own heart. It's gotten me this far," she turned ready to go back to the mound; to Amun.
"Fine. Don't come to work tomorrow. Until you learn to respect your family, I want you to stay away from us," he turned and left, not caring anymore.
She stood there, not turning around, not continuing forward, a tear forming in her eye. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to move. She had just had the worst argument with her father, and there was no amends for it. She had to live with it. A few moments later she forced her foot in front of her, making herself return to oasis. As her actions caught up with her, she could no longer control her tears from falling. She only made it halfway up the front of the mound before collapsing, crying her heart out. "I'm sorry dad," she mumbled incoherently.
"Hm?" Pharaoh heard her sobs, running up the mound he saw her slowly sliding back down. He ran down to her crying figure, helping her stand. "What happened?" He looked beyond her, possibly to find the one who made her so upset.
"I just had a really bad fight with my dad. Until further noticed, I'm fired," she sobbed.
"Huh?" he didn't understand.
"My family owns that shop, and I'm not allowed to even speak to my family until I 'learn my lesson'."
"Oh, that. I heard the whole thing. I know I shouldn't eavesdrop, but I couldn't help myself."
"It's okay, it saves me from having to explain it," she stifled back more tears. Gently he lifted her face, looking into her reddened eyes. He wiped the tears gently away, bringing a slight smile to her face.
"He's just worried about you. And I honestly can't blame him, it's not like he knows I'm the Pharaoh."
"I'm sorry I lied about you."
He gave her a strange look. Did she really have that big of a problem lying? "Its okay," he drew her into a fond embrace. Her tears fell harder now, how was she to find comfort from the one that just added to the stress?
'I practically just abandoned my family. But, there was truth in it! Wasn't there? I can't let him run my life anymore! Then it wouldn't be my life. I'm doing the right thing, right? I don't want him to angry with me though. I don't want my own family on my bad side. Ra, what do I do?' she questioned, tears falling freely onto Pharaoh's clothing. She felt a gentle pressure against her forehead, a kiss perhaps, regardless she pulled away, wiping the excess water from her eyes. "I can't go back to them. I'll have to open my own business."
"Huh?" he questioned, seeing no reason.
"My father is trying to run my life, he's making all the decisions for me, as though he were you. I can't let him keep controlling me. Its high time I make my own decisions. You saw me at the shop today, how he ordered me around. I'm seventeen by Ra! I have every right to make my own decisions," her eyes dried as she filled herself with confidence. He couldn't help but smile at her drastic mood change. She was definitely full hearted in whatever she wanted to do.
"Yes, but you must make amends. If he tries to control your personal life, tell him I personally said that you are of legal age and he has no right to tell you who you are and aren't allowed to be with. Only I have say in that."
"And when he asks 'You went to the Pharaoh with this nonsense?!' what am I supposed to tell him?"
"Yes."
"If I get beat?"
"You won't. But I can tell you this. If something should happen, any time you need me, come here. I have a direct view from the palace, I will come as fast as I can."
"So you're telling me," she almost laughed, "that I can just waltz up to my Father and tell him that he has no right to control who I am with or what I do because you said so?"
"Yes."
She dug her face into her hands.
"I am serious, and if he honestly must know who you are with, tell him. I understand you can't lie, but if you feel it fit, you may use my street name. Granted, I would prefer to stay out of this, but I know I can't simply because I'm the stranger you met last night."
"The last thing I want is him yelling at me for saying I'm with the Pharaoh. I'd really be shunned from my family then. I'll use your street name. Amun."
He held her in one last hug, giving her a chaste kiss to the forehead. "I must apologize, but it is late, and I should be going, before Seto gets mad at me again."
"I understand," she turned towards the village, walking slowly.
"Masi."
"Hmm?" she turned to face him, approaching with his horse.
"Allow me to give you a ride home."
"I don't think I can Amun. If anyone sees," she drifted off as he cloaked his face.
"No one will see," he extended a hand to her.
Taking it with a smile, she mounted the horse before racing down the streets. She showed him the way and he let her off at the door. "Thank you."
"My pleasure, until later. I can't tomorrow, maybe day after."
"I'll wait patiently."
A soft smile was her parting gift as he raced down the streets to the palace. One crazy Pharaoh was he.