"His name is Jono, he is the best friend of Atem, and I can see he is quite the jokester. That is all I found out, well, for the moment." Teana paused and noted that Shukura was oddly silent. "What is wrong? I do not think you are romantically interested in him are you?" she asked.

The girl quickly shook her head. "No . . . Teana, do you remember when I told you the story about my family, more specifically, my brother?"

Teana nodded. "Yes, you said you were both separated."

Shukura nodded. "Yes, well, I think . . . I think Jono could possibly be my brother." She said softly, as though it might not be true if she said it any louder.

Teana blinked before taking a second to think about this as she did not see many similarities between Jono and Shukura, appearance wise that it. "Are you positive, Shukura?" she asked, leaning in closer to her friend.

The handmaiden finally frowned. "I do not know, but something is . . . familiar about him. He did look like an older version of the brother that I remember with that dirty blond hair of his, those warm brown eyes..." she was more so talking to the ground, as though it would reveal all to her. Then her eyes brightened. "You did say he liked to joke around, right?"

"Yes."

"My big brother always liked to joke and play around with me. It would be so wonderful if he is my brother." She said but then doubt wormed its way into her mind. "But if it is not him . . ."

Teana shook her head, hating the hopeless look on her friend's face. "You do not know until you ask, Shukura! Besides, even though I didn't find much, he's kind like you are, not to mention I think you two share a nose or something." Teana giggled.

Shukura blinked and looked down at her own nose, going cross-eyed in the process. "Really?" Teana smiled. "If it is true then I may be able to be with my brother after all these years!" Shukura squealed.

Teana laughed at the silly grin that had grown on her friend's face. "Yes, it seems it is too much of a coincidence if this boy has the same name and appearance of your lost brother." Teana paused."But before we jump to any conclusions I will get more information from Atem about Jono, when it is appropriate."

Shukura nodded, a bit anxious, but at the same time pushing herself to remain patient for her own sake.

"I apologize for delaying our time together; my duties ran a bit longer than expected today." Atem explained to Teana as he walked alongside her in the palace hallways.

Teana nodded, understanding his situation. "Of course, often times my father's duties ran a little late as well." Atem smiled and held out his hand.

"May I show you something?" he asked.

Teana blinked. "Of course." He surprised her by grabbing her hand and gently pulling her in another direction. "Where are we going?" she asked as they turned down another hallway. She had expected the Prince to cancel their time together since his duties went on a bit longer, but this was not what she had expected at all as it was dark out, the day was done.

Atem looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Though it is a bit dark out, the courtyard is beautiful in at this time just as it is during the day. I do not believe you have seen it yet so I hope that you find it just as beautiful as I do."

"Oh, well, okay then." She said, not sure what Atem was planning.

Atem turned into another hall but unlike the others, this one ended with an open door at the end with two guards silently watching. Atem waved them aside so they could walk through and they stepped outside.

Teana was quickly hit with the cooling night air as she was lead carefully to the courtyard. The next thing she heard was the sound of water splashing and a bird she had never heard before sing its sweet song. Atem stepped aside, allowing her to see what would probably be her favorite hiding place in the palace.

It was a garden, a grand garden for sure, with thick trees and palms that were low to the ground. The grass was lush and thick like a carpet. Some bushes had buds and blossoms of different colors. A little pool of clear water had blue water lilies floating on its smooth surface. A pomegranate tree was close by, its branches heavy with the fruit that was almost ready for picking. Soft pink, white and even surprisingly blue rose bushes were about, their blossoms filling the air with its perfume, joining the roses were jasmine, poppies, anemones, chrysanthemums, and the daises. The moonlight shinned down upon the massive courtyard, reflecting off the water's surface, adding an otherworldly element to the beauty.

In a very soft voice she turned to Atem, smiling. "It is . . . breathtaking, how can this be simply so beautiful?" She wondered for a moment as she walked around trying to take it all in. "Am I really In Egypt?"

Atem smiled as he walked toward the pool of water. He looked around in the grass before sitting down on a bench that was conveniently placed there. "This is why I did not mind bringing you here, it is a place I can come and simply be me for a while."

Teana nodded. "I can see why." She leaned in to smell one flower, one which she did not recognize. Atem watched as she fought with the stem to try and get the rose but she hissed and quickly pulled away. He guessed that she had found the thorns. "Ow."

He laughed and turned to look around for something that would be a better option. He then reached for an exotic blue rose. "That flower would suit you, but in my opinion, a blue rose of this color would be better." He said, tucking the blossom behind her ear. "It brings out your eyes, and it exotic, just like you." He said with a soft smile. Teana blushed brightly. Thanking that it was night and the garden was lit with only little oil lamps and moonlight, she returned his smile.

"Thank you." She said softly.

His eyes trailed to the left. Curious, she looked over to see a bright flower made of yellows, oranges, and reds. Mouth slightly open in shock, she studied it and then went on a search for more 'treasures' that this garden hid. Atem leaned against a tree and watched her. When she was walking back to him he watched as she looked up, softly gasping and covering her mouth. He did the same to see the stars like always, glowing brightly above him, winking their greetings to those who could see them. "I do not know which is prettier, the sky or garden . . . perhaps both since I am seeing them at the same time," she turned to Atem and softly laughed. "I cannot decide!"

He smiled. "A fate that many share, not even I can decide." Teana smiled and proceeded to walk over to and sit next to Atem on the bench he was presently seated at. Both silent as they looked upon the sky.

Atem licked his lips nervously. "Teana . . . do you like it here, in Egypt?" he asked timidly as he looked over at her.

She blinked and frowned, thinking. Suddenly he felt he should not have asked her. "I like it here, but I suppose I just miss being home, where I grew up. My father . . . my mother. Egypt is similar to Nubia, but it is not entirely like it. It is something that is simply new to me." She said truthfully as she fiddled with her fingers, putting weight on her hands to support her on the bench. Atem nodded, knowing that he would probably have had the same thoughts had he been in her situation.

"Oh well," she sighed. "I have to get used to it since I am going to marry you." Atem fell silent, not knowing how to respond. Maybe he was not alone when it came to objecting to the marriage, perhaps she did not want to marry him either . . . but the question was, would she marry him? Knowing her a little bit more, the betrothal did not seem that awful.

While thinking, there was silence with only the sound and lulls of nature to break it. He was thinking of how he should respond to her when he noticed her shiver. "You are cold." He stated.

She shook her head. "It is nothing."

Atem ignored her. "It is, I should have told you where I was planning on taking you outside." He said removing his dark purple cape and wrapping it over her own shoulders. His hand lingered on her shoulder for a moment, and even though it was small touch, it still pleased him when he felt that she was not discomforted by it.

Teana really was very cold. Egypt, her father explained once, was a bit tricky. By day it was so hot a man could die, but during the dead of night, it could become so cold. Her clothes were certainly not helping as the violet dress she wore was sleeveless. She involuntarily leaned more into Atem as she shivered again. She felt him hold her much more tightly as his other arm wrapped around her, as though he were trying to shield her from the cool air. 'He's so warm.' She thought as she suppressed the urge to snuggle into his chest.

She looked up again and noticed the moon. "The moon and stars are so bright tonight." She whispered.

"Yes . . . yes they are." He said just as softly, not daring to raise his voice as she carefully spun around in his arms so she could lean back against his shoulders to continue looking at the sky. Though he had to agree, his heart told him it was Teana who seemed far more beautiful in the moonlight, not the stars or the moon. She was smiling, her eyes glowing softly with wonder and awe, a sight that made his heart race suddenly, as though he had run clear across the desert.

How could she not hear it? It was like someone had placed a drum within his chest. It baffled him how she made him nervous by simply being around him, it left him stripped of his power almost. He was the Prince of Egypt! He was being brought down and made nervous by his feelings for a pretty girl! A really gorgeous girl, mind him, who was his fiancé.

He continued to observe her, making sure that if she looked back he would quickly look up again. With the moonlight falling upon her form, almost turning her to silver he could have sworn that he was holding a goddess in his arms.

Teana was content in Atem's embrace that kept her warm. She realized then that Atem had opened up to her. This was his place, a place where he could be alone and simply be himself, a place where if no one could find him anywhere else in the palace, this was probably where he was. She once again realized that Atem was a young man made of layers, to protect himself, or perhaps to protect his feelings, but he had willingly revealed a layer about himself. Teana wondered when she would get to his true self; she could only hope that he would open up more and more to her.

'But for right now,' she thought. 'I shall enjoy this moment.'

Atem held her just a little bit closer, feeling completely content as he rested his chin on top of her head. This feeling was odd but he strangely liked it.

Finally some long awaited romance! There will be much more romance later on too. Sorry for the late update guys, I know a lot of you guys were a bit impatient. I had a lot of trouble with this chapter and Germantownmaiden (many of you may recognize her pen name from all the amazing AtemxAnzu stories she's written) helped me totally revamp this entire chapter! This chapter seriously turned out amazing all thanks to her! Thank you so much!

*I just wanted to let everyone know that if I am a little late in updating to not worry that I have discontinued, I have every intention to finish this story. If anything ever is temporarily discontinued the summary will say so. You can also always PM me if you have a question.

* I also suggest you should check out the profile and stories of my beta Akai22878 who also has really amazing AtemxAnzu stories if you ever want some more stories to read for this couple while in between updates! She's been a big part of this story helping me out with so much of it and I'm sure you'll really like her stories as well ;) Be sure to look her up!

Until next time! :)

~Startistica