A/N: Well...new year, new chapter? Too long, I know, and I may have lost a few of you. But, I want to continue writing for those of you who still read. My first semester of my sophomore year has been hell, since I am basically taking all junior classes, and the same amount of APs last year. But, I'm gonna do a lot better if you give me the chance.
Bastet
While Horus had left with a reassuring tone, several days later I almost did wish he had taken my dear twins. With Prince Matiwaza gone, I felt a strange sense of being unguarded. I wished, against my mindset, that someone would hurry and finish this so I could be back in Memphis, far away from any harm that could hurt my Seti and Nephtys.
The dagger was still some reassurance, enough to know they would be safe from one, but not enough to make me comfortable in the middle of a battle.
Whether or not I was uncomfortable, my fears were at at the steps of the city within a week. Prince Matiwaza arrived back once again, calling all of the women of the harem together.
"You are all free to go. Where I am going, I will not need a woman." He announced. I strode up to him quickly and grabbed his arm, amid whispers of unsettling questions.
"Your Highness, I beg you to take me with you!" Nadia shouted.
"The Hittite queen is your older sister, No? Get comfortable with a Hittite, that is what you do best."
"You're being cruel!" Yuri told him, but I knew that would not hinder nor harm him. "What woman wounded you so badly that you cannot imagine showing any others kindness?"
A silence at her words roared around us. I finally came to my senses and punched her in the arm.
"Ow!" she shouted "What was that for?"
I sent her a look that said I'll tell you later.
"Where is this place you speak of? What happened?" I asked quickly, changing the subject.
"They tricked us. As of right now, the Hittite's two separate armies are rejoining, along with the Egyptian army." He replied, stoic and stony-faced. He turned on his heel, the cape behind him struggling to keep up. Yuri ran after him, and I followed stubbornly.
"You didn't answer my first question." I began.
"I was not planning to."
"Don't close me out. Tell me what's really happening." I struggled to stay with him with Nephtys and Seti strapped to my chest.
"I have to get the King out of here." he muttered.
"Then let me help you. I may want to leave, but I do not want your country to be annexed any less than you do." I insisted. Yuri stayed quiet by my side.
"Fine," he snapped, "just stay out of the way."
He opened the doors to his father's chambers.
"Your Highness, we must leave." Matiwaza said in a rushed tone. The king looked up from his desk in surprise.
"For what? We can simply ask the Egyptians for their aid."
"The Egyptians are the very forces trying to destroy you." I explained. He raised an eyebrow.
"And how would this woman know?" he asked bitterly.
"This is the personified Egyptian goddess of warfare, and the head archer of the Egyptian army." Matiwaza replied.
"I know the army I come from better than anyone else." I interjected.
"We don't need to go!" His Majesty insisted. Matiwaza finally lost his patience, and called for his men.
"Take him to the carriage." Matiwaza snarled. The king hung his head as he was taken away.
Several more guards rushed into the room. "Kail Mursili is at the gates!" One announced. In another flourish, The Dark Prince was running out of the room, with Yuri sprinting out and me attempting to follow without jostling the twins too much.
As we reached the gates, Yuri surged forward, and I knew that Prince Kail was the only one on her mind.
And then, all her illusions were shut down.
The guards stopped her from leaving, pointing swords into her surprise-stricken face
"What is this?" Yuri asked, turning to Matiwaza.
"You cannot leave this seraglio. You and Bastet leaving here without a fight is a sure admission of defeat in the eyes of the Hittites." Matiwaza explained, a terse expression on his face.
"Your pride will deprive two people of true love?" I asked.
"No. My obligations. Didn't yours as well?" he countered. He was, of course, right.
"Then let Yuri go. She has nothing to do with this." I replied, voice rising.
"This isn't revenge, silly girl." he said, almost joking. I stared at him in disbelief, then formed a steely resolve.
I grabbed at my dress, searching for the holster of my dagger, and held the blade to his neck. He backed up, surprisingly unaware that he was backing into a wall.
"Walk away from this place, guards. Or I kill your prince." I wasn't meaning to do it. I had no idea of what had come over me, but suddenly, I was threatening the man I loved.
Matiwaza, who rarely showed any signs of his thoughts, turned his eyes to stare at me. He looked at me, and the look he gave me hurt my heart, smashed it into tiny little pieces.
Yuri gave me a contrasting look of extreme gratefulness. "I'm coming back for you." she promised. I nodded as she climbed to the top of the gate, turned back one last time, and jumped over. I heard the sound of hooves as she escaped.
As I turned back to look at Matiwaza, I saw his expression had changed to pure rage.
"How dare you." he said, voice rising.
"You know I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't made me! You are not thinking straight. Think about your kingdom, your people! They are fighting a battle as we speak, a battle you are losing, badly." I yelled at him.
Before I could catch up with his train of thoughts, he had grabbed the knife from my hand, and had my back to his chest and my neck in a hold.
"If I cannot reclaim my city with Ishtar, I will reclaim it with you." he whispered to my ear.
"I would go with you willingly; just get that blade away from Nephtys and User, please." I whispered back. The twins were still quiet, always blessedly silent in these kinds of moments (moments I need to greatly reduce my involvement in). He gently pushed me away from him, and instead put the knife at my back.
"Make a move, and now I'll catch up with you." Matiwaza warned. I nodded. "Head to my chariot. We are going to visit your true love." He said, sickeningly sweet.
I clutched the babies close to my chest as the chariot began moving.
"This is your last chance at staying with me." he told me, a sense of finality, as if he knew he would be defeated. My heart sped up at the thought of seeing Ramses again. Would he still be an ass? I was infuriated with the little contact I had had with him during my captivity.
"My obligations are somewhere else." I said quietly.
"But your heart is here, with me." He clarified.
"My heart is in Egypt's welfare, in Seti's advancement." I paused at my choice of words. Wasn't that Nakia's reasoning for torturing Yuri? To advance her son?
I realized how wrong I was. I had to go back because of how conflicted my feelings were, and I had to admit I still loved Ramses. It was a strange thing to realize; I had been completely against the belief of loving more than one person. Nonetheless, it was true, and at that point I had no idea how to deal with them.
He knew I had something else to say, a rebuke of my earlier statement, but the words, thick and bitter, bubbled up to my throat and never left my body.
Thanks a lot for continuing to read! Please review, as usual!