In Thebes Egypt, the Year 1290, The Pharoah Seti the first ruled over Egypt. Many know his tale by now, and how his life was ended by his own High Priest Imhotep. But what many do not know, is he had a younger daughter named Hena that had died five years prior to his death. The Flower of The Desert, as many called her. A pure soul, too kind for her own good.
Among the Palace grounds, Hena spent most of her sheltered life. Delicate and graceful, intelegent. But not the fighter like her sister. She was into poetry, history, and the idea of traveling the world. Her purity was why Seti demanded guards to follow her whenever she was not in the Palace. And when within the palace walls. She was followed by her loyal slave Rugnak.
Or, so he seemed loyal. What the Pharoah failed to realize was the slave was a thief. And would even steal from the princess herself. And on ocassion Hena had wittnessed the thefts. But stayed silent, out of compassion and fear for the man's safety. Rugnak spent the days serving her, and telling her stories of his life in Greece, before he came to Egypt. A thief, who was spared life imprisonment in exchange for slavery. He and his brother both now worked in the Palace. Though his brother had more freedom, was still considered a slave.
At nights Rugnak would help the princess gather flowers before bed. And while she slept, he would remain within her chambers. The nightmare began, in the year 1295. When the Magi went to the Pharoah's chambers.
Five Magi enter the Pharoah's chambers, as the Seti was getting up. "What is the meaning of this, why do you barge in without asking?" He asked the leader of the group. "It is your youngest daughter, Hena. She is nowhere to be found. And, we found this on her bed." The Magi said, handing a note over to the Pharoah. Seti's dark eyes read the letter over, then widened in horror.
"By midnight tonight, bring Hena's weight in gold to the Temple of Isis, or your daughter's blood shall stain the floor." The note read, in an odd mix of Greek and Egyptian. "What shall we do your highness?" The Magi asked. "Collect the gold. Bring it to the Temple by Midnight as the note says. When we hand the gold over to the treacherous snake, and Hena is safe. We kill him." Seti explained.
The Magi bowed, and gathered the gold for the ransom. Five minutes before Midnight the Pharoah entered the Temple, with slaves waiting at the door with the gold. As he entered, he paused at the horrific confusing sight before him. His daughter's bloodied body laid out on the floor. The blood pooling around her, as her hand clutched a flower tightly, as if in her last moments it was the most important thing in the world to her.
On his knees by her body, was her once loyal slave Rugnak, with a dagger. The slave was furiously stabbing into the stone floor, while saying words the Pharoah had never heard muttered before. A ritual, the slave was preforming some form of spell. "Seize him!" Seti yelled in anger, as the Magi rushed in, grabbing the slave as he stabbed the floor once more. Finishing carving runes into the ground.
They pulled the slave to his feet. "What have you done to my daughter?" Seti asked, glaring at the slave. Rugnak refused to respond, and continued muttering strange words. "Silence the spells. Seize his tongue if you must." Seti declared. The Magi nodded, holding the slave.
"Not curse nor spell. Prayers." Rugnak whispered, before going silent as he noticed one of the Magi approaching him with a knife. And realized if he continued, he would lose his tongue. "The runes are some form of rebirth spell. To ensure his return. He must have known he was soon to be caught and killed." The head Magi said looking at the runes. Unable to make them all out, but understanding some.
"He once claimed to your daughter he was a priest in Greece, before becoming a thief. Makes sense he would know such things. How shall we handle this?" The Magi looked at the Pharoah. "Kill him. But do so, to ensure his soul cannot return. I do not want this, thing to ever find peace, nor a next life." Seti demanded, glaring at his daughter's killer, then looking at the slain body of his sweet flower.