A/N: May I just say thank you to everyone who read and reviewed my story. I am very proud to say I have reached over 100 reviews! Wow I am just blown away.
Thank you guys so much. I could not have gotten this far without you encouraging me on.
Please enjoy the next chapter, everything is going to start making sense soon. This is only just the beginning of a mysterious plot unravelling.
The world throbbed. The sound of blood thumping the worst of tunes on her ear drums. Eyes burning against timid sun beams that tiptoed across her room. She groaned. The maids were bustling about their business chatting far to happily her way. The sounds screeched. She did not want to hear it. She wanted the world to leave her alone to die in the aching reminder of the night before.
So many bad decisions Evelyn, she groaned. The memories twisted her mind as well as her stomach. She got so consumed in what she needed that she forgot how to act. So undignified! What the dickens were you thinking?
Turning her face down in the sheets she paused to question everything that happened. How has she ended up in bed? Why was there bits and pieces of last night's events that she could not recall for the life of her?
"My lady, your bath has been drawn."
Eve hummed in approval. There was an ache that reached down to her very bones. Yes a long bath will do her good. "Thank you. You all may leave now." At first they were hesitant to do such things, but after weeks of insisting for independence they finally obliged. It must have been an oddity. Suddenly their royal charge suddenly rejecting there responsibilities. It was look down on without question, but Eve could not bring herself to use status over these people to get her way. It felt wrong.
Slowly she drug herself from the bed. Body trembling to reject to proposition. A sigh weaved through her chest as she forced her eyes open. Though she could only manage a squint she managed to take a look about her room. Long gone was the bottles of alcohol and the glasses had been renewed. Her cloth and messy settings refreshed.
She should my have drank. She could not hold her liquor. That was something she always knew and had been weary of, yet lastly night she tossed aside all of her worries and did so anyway. She ground her forefinger and thumb into her temples. She remembered drinking with... Rick? She shook her head. No. His name was... was. She paused. Well it was something else. Gods, she wanted to smack herself.
Had she truly thrown herself at him like that and not have the decency to remember his name?! How embarrassing! How was she ever going to face him again? She stilled mid stand. Oh no. What about Imhotep? What about the concubine? Could she honestly spend all day trying to avoid all three and be successful?
Most likely not.
She used a stiff hand to smooth out her creased brows. Teeth clenched tight. She tossed a look towards the dedicated bathing area and allowed her gaze to become glowered. She found herself in the same situation as last night. All the things she desired always found themselves just out of reach, men included.
She consented to the lazy stroll; she was in no hurry to reach the waters edge. She almost did not care if the water chilled on her way there. Her body felt like a thick molasses trying to run against a cold English morning. She silently hummed in approval when she manage to get to the bath water. It was a more difficult act to accomplish then she recalled. A smile bloomed across her lips as she shrugged off the loose dress that she forget to shed herself of the night before. She kicked it aside along with the rambling fog of her memory. She did not have the energy to deal with sorting out the pesky memories.
One step at a time she sank into the bath. Taking each step into its oily waters. Flower petals decorated the reflecting surface and driblets of oil skating across the surface. They swirled against her skin, fallowing in a swift line behind each passing movement. She slowed herself to fall forward slowly until all but her eyes sank beneath the surface. The heat beaded against her flesh until it flushed. It was hot. So wonderfully hot.
Luxuries of being royalty she assumed. Hot water was not easily come across in this era. She smiled to herself. This was one thing she allowed herself to not feel bad about. This complete relaxation. This moment where she had no cares and no responsibilities.
Her mind blanked. Did she have responsibilities as a princess? Well... Obviously she did. She took fighting classes. There had to be other classes right? Why has she not caught up yet? What was even expected of a Princess? Her mind whirled into a fit of panic. The Liberian in her was scanning through the internal index of royal teachings she may have found in books but found none present. There was so little known of the royal teachings, specially of princesses! She knew that it was looked down upon for a woman to rule and that she, at this moment, was the only heir. Meaning she may be expected to marry and produce the next heir eventually.
Her face fell heavily. Did everything have to come back to sex? Obviously yes. Yes it did. Dropping the subject she began to smooth the oils up her arms. Working timid fingers into tense muscle. Her head fell back adoringly, exhaling into the tender movements.
Her skin gripped to the waters edge as her body descended further into the liquids below, continued until the rest of her face became submerged. A hallowing silence fallowed; singing into the essence of her. She embraced it like a mother taking hold of her young. Willing the humming emptiness to clear her minds eye and drag her into its peaceful wake. It was a heavenly silence, one that made time slow within its magic voice. It made her body sluggish, her mind empty to explore the worlds beyond her own.
There was a ting of metal clattering against stone. A surge of water against someone's rushing body. She could not find the energy to see whom ever disturbed her beautiful silence so instead she laid in wait, gazing into the milky wake of her watery wonderland. It painted pictures of things to come; things her mind could not quite understand. Instead they flashed by like a blue haze to her unknowing eyes. A forgotten word at the edge of her tongue. Something important forgotten that she must remember.
A blade.
There was hands coming to grip her dragging her from the emptiness. The world remained whitewashed, aqua that refused to leave her sight. She shook her head lethargically. Someone was yelling. Their voice was lost amongst a blazing whistle of her slumbering mind.
"Evelyn." She blinked. Brows threaded themselves together as his voice called her back to reality, reminding her hoarsely that she had been hoping to avoid him all day. "Return to the land of the living."
"What on earth are you talking about." Realizing she sounded ragged Eve's pulse began to race. Something was wrong. Her vision was still distorted, her mind slow.
She found fingers tracing over her features slowly before bringing her trembling eyelids to a close. "Your vision will return to you soon. Do not panic." She jolted back. How had he known her vision was not right? What was happening. She could feel one arm wrap around her shoulder and pull her into his body. She stilled there, unsure on how to react. "Be still, all will pass. I will summon your father, and announce the situation properly."
She could feel his retreat causing fear to colloid with her brain. She clung to his side. "What situation, what's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong princess." Her lips tightened at the sudden loss of her name. She disliked when people choose the honorific choice rather then just 'Nefertiri' or 'Evelyn'. Though she found Eve was the most pleasant choice at one time. The Priest was the only one who knew her real name anymore. "When your mind clears we shall speak of what you saw."
She flinched when her mind began flashing with things she had no words to describe. A hiss slipped from her lips. This was not helping her hangover by any means. "I do not know what you are talking about."
He laughed then. Musical. "You are a horrid prevaricator."
She glowered in his directed from behind closed eyes. "Why do you assume that I am lying?"
"Your face falsifies your words." The corner of her lips pulled to one direction. It must have something to do with her eyes; curiously enough he continued to pat them softly. Her mouth opened to ask but faltered when his arms hooked under her knees. He lifted her into his arms slowly and separated her from the water.
She could not understand. Why had her vision become so distorted? What were those images that plagued her sanctuary? The only thing she could remember was the blade laying lazily on a red silken thrown. It twinkled devilishly with a hungry gleam in its red orb; Its blade tainted in a sheen of unknown substance. The room around was fuzzy. To unclear to make out anything then more then a golden hue. The silence of her mind to loud to hear anything more but the hum of human tones.
The blade. It had to be the Eye of Ra that was used to bring them here. It was too similar to be anything else. Her mind throbbed once more. The rest of the images were too powerful for her mind to comprehend.
Imhotep dropped her softly on the bed before disappearing. Slowly she temped to open her eyes only to assaulted by a blinding light. She groaned into the pain, eyes slamming shut once more. It was this mornings events all over again; except worse. Was that possible? Apparently so. Her fingers dashed to rub the outer layer of skin protecting her sensitive vision.
"Attempt not to aggravate them more." His voice trickled her way silently, drawing closer with each word. She drank in his masculine vocals with far more delight then she should. A smooth fabric found itself around her shoulders, caressing her skin provocatively. Fingers teased the tip of collarbone before the dress fell to cover her body.
A wave of heat flashed over her in that instant. Her mind shifting into reverse as she realized what he just did. She had been naked. Skin trembled with embarrassment. Her spine stiffened and teeth sunk into her lower lip hastily. After last night the last thing she needed was to parade herself around naked. Gods, her honour was sullied enough as it was!
"You must tell me of what you saw." He pushed again.
"First tell me why." She could feel the room sink with dread. It was something he obviously did not wish to speak of. The was a long moment of nothingness before she heard him take in a deep breath.
"You had a vision of some sort," The way his sentence ended made her realize that there was more to say but reluctant to finish. "Have you seen anyone Princess, anyone spoken to you while you dreamt?"
"Spoke to anyone while I-?" her words started out as a harshly thrown question but came to a sudden halt when memories of her encounter with Ra flooded her mind.
"What is it?"
"I..." She hesitated. "Well, not this time no; but when I reopened my wounds I encountered someone."
There was rumble within his ribcage that reminded her or something more animalistic then man. "Describe them to me."
"I could not see his face, it was far to bright." She was beating around the bush. She knew who it was she spoke to. It was hard not to know. He was so damn flamboyant.
"Ra?" His voice was sorely low. The flinch of surprise was hard to suppress. He snagged her chin between his thumb and for finger and gave a hard yank. "Princess, you must tell me what it is you saw."
"H-he had asked for the return of what was his." A shiver surpassed her lips, chattering her words. Slowly she opened her eyes and return they snarled at the process. She continued on, the need to look upon her Priests face was almost overwhelming. The edges of her videos blurred but she worked hard to focus. She caught a glimpse of those Amber eyes slipping shut, his head falling into a soft shake.
"I do not ask of what he spoke; it is not my place to know." Momentarily he lost contact with her. His fingers shimmied up her cheek bones until his thumb pressed gently between her brow. "I only ask of what was shown to you."
She realized what he spoke of, but these were things not even she could explain. Voices with no sound. Colour without vision. Her mind faded into a whitewashed wasteland where nothing could coexist. She cast her sun spotted gaze downwards, searching her fingers for the answers. She could only glare at the fuzzy outlines that she discovered instead. "I do not know what it was I saw. It was unclear what my mind was showing me." She sucked a lip between her teeth. There was a whisper in the back of her mind that told her not to speak of the blood riddled blade in the thrown room or the voices that chimed remembrance but inept for the ears to comprehend.
The sigh of annoyance was hard to miss. Her gaze flickered his way regretfully. "Forgive me. I should have expected that answer." He swept a hand down her damn hair. "It is not often that the mind can instantly grasp visions from the netherworld; it is a process needed to be taken in with time." Imhotep stood then. Tall and proud; a mask of unreadable expression to fallow.
"W-wait!" Eve pushed herself to stand next to him, stumbled on how week her legs felt. "You still did not tell me what on earth is going on. Why would I have a vision?" There was a time she would have allowed an unmannered eye roll at the idea. Magic. Vision. Gods. To her they where all once nothing more then poppycock. Had she not experienced a little more then she would have liked to in, all those subjects may she add, she would still believe it was all silly drivel. Stories in books with nothing more then words to back up their tales.
That was when his gaze turned to stone. Hard and rough like sandpaper against her skin. "You have been chosen, like I have been chosen." Her brows raised at the statement. It was no where closer to explaining what the hell was happening. "I must inform your father. I will send for your hand maidens and they will bring you to the temple for further instruction." His arms folded behind his back stiffly before sending a quaint nod her way. "Till then, Princess."
He had turned on heel before she had chance to utter anything in return. She stood in a stunned silence at the edge of her bed, still dripping from the bath waters.
She mind wrapped around his meaning. Chosen like him, As in chosen by the gods. She shuffled a snort. Right, because of all the odd and complex things in her life were not enough.
Something from her darkness slivered its way back into her minds eyes. A dance of fire and life. A blade twisting into the winds. Black hair twisting around gold painted skin. Liquid copper spilled across the sandy floor. A silk thrown sprawled in the colours of open veins. Her head throbbed and her vision swayed under the pressure. A betrayal. Lies shown true. Death. Her mind seethed. Could the vision really be showing her the Pharaoh's death? Why? They had come to this time to prevent it from occurring. Why show something she already knew? Perhaps it was different, maybe Something changed?
Perhaps that voice whispering aimlessly into her ear spread warning. Do not tell the Priest, it cooed. He is still involved. Her lungs swelled, expanding until there was no room for anything else. She swallowed numbly. Imhotep knew the consequences; surely he would not do something as foolhardy as fallowing the same never ending path that got them there.
Forcing herself from the bed Eve went for the door. Her mind set on a particular thought. She had to find the dagger; if she returned it like Ra had asked of her then there would be no dagger. With no dagger there would be no murder. Right? Hopefully.
Her naked feet clapped against the stone below at an accelerated pace. Her body dawn by an inner most knowledge of where to look. It hummed through her blood, stoking her limbs erotically with every strum of her heart. It compelled her forward with a voice like sirens, the sweet call of a sultry voice from beyond.
"Princess?" Hearing his voice was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her flushed skin. Shit she still didn't remember his name! She tossed guilty eyes his direction. Her Rick-like knight. He had a puzzled look upon his strong features. "Those drinks must have been stronger then I thought." He hid a humorous grin behind his hand.
Her head dropped to the side in wonder before she had the chance to realize he was talking about how she looked. She quickly gave herself a once over and cringed. Barefoot and covered with a loose, lightly coloured gown that had gone practically see-through from her damp skin. She knew her hair was more then likely a ratted wet disaster and she was too frightened to catch a glance at her face. She groaned. "Do not say a damn thing." She pointed an accusing finger his direction with harsh eyes.
He sucked his lips in with a suppressed laugh, clenching them between teeth before the sound had chance to embarrass her more. He cleared his throat trying to contain the building amusement. "Rough night?" His dark eyes gleamed.
"Ha ha." She drawled. "My mornings have seen better days, that is for sure."
"The High Priest did not punish you to harshly did he?" Eve winced at the way the concern filtered through his face. He drew close, towering over her her small figure. It was almost intimidating. "I know the whole purity situation is a pretty big deal for them. Priest Imhotep is a strict man so I cannot imagine he took the ongoings of last night very well."
She hummed. Oh he did not know the half of it. "Yes, nothing more then a tongue lashing." She felt herself sink into her shoulders. "At least, from what I remember... which is not a lot."
"Ah." One side of his face contorted as if she had just physically hurt him. "Well, that is my fault I guess. Should not allowed you to drink so much."
She waved the idea off. "No, no. I did it to myself." Warmth built in her lovingly. She remembered this. Sweet banter. How much he reminded her of Rick and how nice it had been in his presence. Reminded her of home. "I'm sorry if I pushed you into a uncomfortable situation. I realize there may be consequences for my actions." She found reason to cast her eyes downwards. Her toes wiggled in the wake of her timid sight.
There was a silence and it began to build a wall of uncertainty in her core. Inside, her inner-self was striking clean matches in hopes it might just swallow the demanding flames of old. She had used him as a new match. Pressed buttons that would give her what she wanted. Watched him erupt in a hot blur to only dimmer in her wake as she tossed him into her smouldering indignation towards the Priest.
"It was not entirely unwanted." There was a smile behind his words that caught her off guard.
Hesitantly she took in his presence. He was only a touch away, practically standing toe to toe with herself. Nothing about his stance was stiff or held any tension towards her. Gods; Her mind seized. Him and the Priest were like night and day. This was a man who would take her with everything he had to give; His heart and soul. The Priest only knew how to take her in hatred and pain; a body, his body, to be used as he pleased. Her thigh squeezed together. The flame of need raked forward. Clawing itself up her abdominal with angry claws.
Her mouth opened. So ready to allow herself this simple moment happiness; of potential. "I-"
"Well, well." Evelyn choked on her words. No. "Snare yourself a man indeed." A dark laugher danced from the concubine's lips and the sound made Evelyn's skin crawl. She gazed up at her Rick-look-alike with wide eyes. He too was taken back by the woman's words. He watched the soon-to-be wife of pharaoh with a distant glare. Stiff and noticeably angered. "Parushta are you not the ambitious one?"
Parushta; That is what his name was! Guilt pinged at her again for forgetting. "Your highness." The honourifics slithered bitterly from his lips. It perked a curiosity within Eve that she almost didn't understand.
The concubine glided closer to them, the tips of her fingers reaching out to trace Parushta's bicep. A flicker of familiarity in her sexualized gaze. "Found yourself a new toy have we?" The woman did not bother to acknowledge Eve further, in fact, she practically had shoved the princess aside as she encircled the guard.
He said nothing. Eve took in how strait his back was under the Concubine's lusty eyes, a timid worry pestering his hazel eyes. They would flicker the princess's direction momentarily. He was worried something was going to be said, or at least implied, that would damage their relationship.
She took in the situation with new eyes. The muscles in her stomach contracted. Something the Priest had said trampled across her happy thoughts with a gleeful chuckle. Anck-Su-Namun; Knows that like she, I too can take others into my bed. Her brows creased. Was it possible?
"Tell me sweet Princess do you enjoy my play things so much that you purposely seek them out?" Anck-Su-Namun dared Eve to retaliate. She noted the way her warrior silently questions the use of plurals. Eve's lips pulled into a snarl of her own.
"Well, in all honesty, who could blame me; I would have to leave the city before I could find someone who has not been stained by your paints." The words were venom on her tongue. Spit distastefully back in the concubine's face.
"You little bitch." Anck-Su-Namun came at the princess with raised hand. Evelyn did not bother to flinch. She stared the woman down with a murderous gaze reading herself for the blow that did not come. Though it stopped only inches from marring her cheek. Parushta had caught the assault just before it made its mark.
"I think that will be all for now your Highness." His voice was a low rumble against the hostility of the situation.
Ripping her hand free, Anck-Su-Namun huffed. She gave her stepdaughter a poisoned once-over before forcing a sweet smile across her face. "Another time then." She withdrew herself with a carnal sway. Sinking back down the hall like the demon she was. Eve shiver subconsciously. The bloody woman was a succubus.
"That was interesting." Eve turned accusing eyes at the Warriors words. He flinched slightly under her judgemental weight.
"You are fucking her too?" Anger clear cut a way through her mind. Uncaring how unladylike her acidic words were.
"To be fair my sweet Nefertiti, we are not fucking."
"I know we are not-" She huffed with rolled eyes. "That is not what I was talking about."
His brow raised in a slightly annoyed manner. "Ah, so this has to do with someone else who caught your eye does it?" Damn, She knew he caught the usage of plurals.
"Yes, but he is far to occupied in her bloody thighs to even-" She forced herself to shut up. How the words wanted to spill forth from her pretty mouth and cram themselves into someone else's mind for once. "You know what, It does not even matter. It seems like everyone I take interest in is far to occupied with fucking that stupid harlot. I am tired of this bullshit." She spun. So ready to race off with anger bleeding into her system. She snagged on his hand enclosing her own.
"Nefertiri, please do not run from me." His vocals were pleading for a mercy she was unwilling to give. "It is nothing more then playful ruts now and then."
Pain collided with her vocal cords. She shot a hateful look his direction. Playful ruts, is that what he considered it? What was she to him then? Had she painted him in this innocent wonderment because Rick clouded her judgement? She jerked her hand away from him as if it burned. "That makes it better?" Her nose wrinkled. "It is nothing more then playful ruts now and then." She mocked. "Good to know it is still happening."
"Nefertiri-"
"Do not." Her body quaked. The hatred was slowly turning into despair. It pricked with unwanted tears at her eyes. The happiness she once felt in his presence becoming tainted in a jealous flare. She could feel herself becoming seconds away from overflowing. A floodgate ready to burst.
Swallowing back the bitter pain she turned back to the path she walked. She knew he would not dare to fallow. She allowed the knowable call of an unknown location cloak her hurt heart. She gave way to it wrapping her wounded soul in a serine need to be of use. She would find that blade, stop the death of the pharaoh. Then she would ask her father to rid her of this place. That way she may fulfill her duties as princess once and for all.
A/N- Sorry I didn't get around to replying today. I wanted to get this chapter out to celebrate the 100 review mark. I Promise I will make up for it next chapter!