This is just a dream sequence – very short, I'm afraid.
The morning after Effie's visit, Ahkmenrah found himself dreaming. It was a strange one – a blend of truth from a life long past by, with an element of complete nonsense, as dreams often have. It moved quickly, as if time was somehow faster than usual, and was murky and unfocused, as if the young Pharaoh was viewing it through sticky honey. There was screaming – loud and agonized screaming, and Ahkmenrah felt distinctly impatient and anxious as he waited for the screaming to die down. Then the dream skipped, like chunk of it had been removed, and the King could just make out the form of a woman swimming and contorting in front of his eyes. Splashes of red patched across her clothing, and she held a small and wriggling newborn bundle in her arms, covered in a pungent gloop and traces of blood. The woman pulled back the linen blanket swathing the child, and Ahkmenrah found himself leaning forward – peering down.
And then the dream took a turn for the extraordinary. The face of the baby – and the face only – morphed slightly, the features visibly altering – ageing. It opened up to reveal a pair of very clear and very sad brown eyes – much like the Pharaoh' own - gazing up at Ahkmenrah with a mixture of plea and pain.
"Help me!" It begged him then, in the clear tones of a young girl, so strangely mixed with the infantile form. Blood began to seep rapidly through the linen surrounding the babe, from some unseen wound, and the young king tore it from around the child in alarm.
"Help me, my father!"
And then when the last of the blanket had been pulled away, and the babe lay fully exposed, Ahkmenrah noticed the knife lodged into its heart.
Yes, it's short, and yes, you are all going to hate me, but I swear to god I'm working on the next (full) chapter as we speak. I'm sorry, but it's been a long time since my last upload, and I was desperate to get on with the story. I was at a loss to come up with an effective link to the rest of the story whilst having it as a full chapter, and so I decided to just end it here. I'm sorry that it's so so so so short, but I swear there is more to come soon.
And I'm sorry for the long break – it's been pretty hectic. I started back at school last week – my week being from Sunday to Thursday (I live in a Muslim Country) – and I've had a lot of catching up to do, as well as drama to sort through. Please forgive me….
Shoutouts for those of you who reviewed last time:
MamaLita: I'm glad you liked it! Some Jed dialogue soon, I promise :)
TTCyclone: Haha yes, poor Ahk indeed! Effie can be quite irritating at times.
Rumble-roar's apprentice: Ouch! A test in almost every class! I would honestly hate your teachers. I hope it's gotten better!
Pinkxjellybean: I replied to yours by messaging :) I will add however, that the common view amongst the English peoples is that Americans called it Soccer for the reasons in the last chapter. We all call it football. We're obviously not very good at our football history that doesn't involve actual matches. Thanks for pointing it out :) I might change that in the chapter later, as Effie is supposed to be intellectual.
Ballad of the fool: I'm glad you liked that part! I liked it too!
Wow – I'm certain my A/N was actually longer than the chapter… SORRY! I promise the next part will be up ASAP!
Rage xx