After taking a bath in flower petals and something that I think may have actually been milk, I got into yet another dress and followed my maid friends out to wherever I was being taken.

I think now that the four girls were getting more and more comfortable with me, they were letting me handle myself a little more... which made me happy. I rather scrub the dirt off my own body than have someone else do it for me.

As we walked towards wherever, I noticed how similar the inside of this palace was to Atem's. Almost identical, to be honest. Except the walls had different paintings and I'm sure that if I could read what it said, it said different things.

"How do you four know your way around here?" I asked the girls, wondering if it was because all these palaces were meant to be the same.

"The four of us come with the queen all the time," Kiki said to me. "And Siti, Nauni and I actually lived here prior to coming to Thebes to be maids."

"Oh! So your family is here, huh?"

Kiki, Siti and Nauni nodded.

"My family is in Thebes," Aat added.

"So when was the last time you saw your family?"

Siti and Nauni sighed. "Aat is lucky," Nauni started. "Her family works at the palace so she gets to see them all the time. But we only get to see ours maybe once a year if we are lucky."

"Memphis is so far away!" Siti added. "Coming here on the Pharaoh's boats is the fastest way! But any other way can take weeks."

I felt bad for them.

It was so strange to hear this... especially since it's so easy to travel around the world back at home. Uncle Ethan can come and go to Egypt from where we live within a day!

Man... I wish I could help them invent a train. But I had no idea how trains worked... and who knows what kind of crazy damage would happen in the future if I helped the train be invented thousands of years earlier than it actually was.

"What about you?" Kiki asked. "Did you live with your family back at home?"

I shook my head. "I did until I was eighteen. And then I moved out, alone."

"Alone?" The four girls looked shocked as they said it together.

I nodded again. "My parents and I... well, my father and I don't really get along."

"Why?" Siti asked.

"He's unhappy with how I conduct my life."

"What do you do that is so bad?" Aat asked.

"Well... my father wants me to be a lawyer. I don't want to be a lawyer."

"Oh!" Nauni sighed in relief, "we thought it was going to be something horrible."

I let out a laugh.

"What do you want to do?" Kiki asked.

"I don't really know... my favourite uncle is a sort of teacher... and so was my favourite aunt. And I want to be like them. So I guess I want to be a teacher."

"That's a lovely idea," Kiki smiled. "Teachers are great and important people. It's unfortunate your father does not agree."

Before I could open my mouth to respond, I heard a couple gasps and I suddenly bumped into the butt of Nauni. The three girls in front of me were suddenly bowing and Kiki, who was beside me, immediately bowed too.

When I looked up I saw Atem leaning against a wall and looking in our direction. He pushed himself of the wall and started to walk towards me. "What took you so long?"

"No one told me to rush," I responded, walking around the girls.

He rolled his eyes but grabbed my hand and started to pull me away. I turned around to say bye to the girls but they kept their heads very low.

And then I remembered something. "Hey, 'Tem. I have a question," I said as I stopped walking.

He looked at me. "What?"

"Kiki, Nauni and Siti have family here. I wanted to let them go see them. And they can take Aat too."

I heard the girls gasp again. "Oh no–" Kiki started as she rose. But she shut up when Atem looked in their direction, and she bowed low again.

Atem looked back at me and then back at the girls and then sighed. "Fine."

I smiled and looked at the girls. "Go home and surprise your family."

All four girls got down onto their knees. "Thank you!" They said together. Even Aat, though she was just going to tag along.

I smiled and waved as Atem pulled me into a walk again.

When we were a safe enough distance away and the girls had run off in excitement, Atem looked at me. "You can't let them have too much fun, May. It's their job to be maids."

I rolled my eyes. "Those girls deserve it. I like them a lot."

He looked at me for a moment and then let out an annoyed breath.

After walking for another couple seconds, Atem pulled me into a room with a big table in the center of it. It could probably seat about twenty people but only Atem's brother, his mom and the court members were there.

Atem pulled out a chair for me closer to his brother, who was sitting at one end of the table, before walking to the other end of table and sitting down.

Atem's mother was sitting across from me and most of the other court members were standing around, except for Lady Hema who was sitting right next to Atem's mother.

When I turned to look at Atem, he jerked his chin in the direction of his brother, "tell him what happened."

"You want me to tell him?"

"I've already told everyone the story. I'm sure the Royal Court would rather be entertained by your perspective of the situation."

"I don't know the story at all," Atem's brother said. "Aside from some of the rumors that I have heard."

I looked at him. "Well, it's a long story."

"We have time," he smiled. "The celebration isn't until this evening, so please, go ahead."

I took a breath. "Well... it all started on my eighteenth birthday. Atem literally appeared out of nowhere and I thought he was just some crazy guy because he was dressed weirdly and spoke weirdly and he had a sword–" how could I forget the sword? "–but I took him to my place instead of leaving with the authorities because I had a weird dream. My aunt, the owner of the ankh necklace which Atem wears now, warned me about what was going to happen... and I didn't believe in magic or anything like that back then but when he appeared in front of me, I just felt like I had to help him–"

"So you are truly from the future?" Khamenatem asked.

I nodded.

He shook his head in amazement. "Alright. Continue, please."

And so I went on with my side of the story.

I told them about how my aunt studied the fall of Egypt and how the wizard tried to attack me at some point and also how I taught Atem how to read and write. I told them everything that I could remember.

Atem chimed in here and there to correct me on certain things and to disagree with me about others. But for the most part, he stayed silent.

And when I figured I was done and completely caught up, Khamenatem shook his head again. "That is remarkable... a full year had passed in your time... yet only a few seconds had passed in ours. No wonder my brothers change seemed so sudden."

"Yeah..." I guess it wasn't exactly sudden. When he was with me... it felt like it took forever.

"And no wonder my brother was so happy to see me," he said, looking at Atem. "You are quite certain that I was murdered in this alternate reality?"

Atem nodded, "they ran their sword right through your head. It went in through one end and out another."

Atem's mother put a hand over her mouth and Khamenatem raised his brows. "That... is horrible," he looked at me. "Not exactly a pleasant way to die."

"My uncle said you died honorably, though. He said you took it like a man."

"Took it like a man?" He repeated, "well, I am pleased to hear that much."

"Let us stop talking about such things," Atem's mother said. "I will not allow for such a fate to fall upon either of my sons... I will pray till the death of me–"

"I know you will," Atem said as he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Which is exactly why I ask that you stay away from temples until the battle is over."

"What?" His mother scoffed.

"I already told you how you died, mother."

She hesitated.

"If keeping you away from the temples will prevent that then so be it. Feel free to pray at the palace, though. Under the protection of as many guards as I decide."

His mother let out a breath, but didn't argue with him.

"So, my Pharaoh," Lord Ahmose started, "do you really believe that we can alter the fate of our nation? What if this was what the gods wanted?"

"There is no need to be so negative, Ahmose," Lady Taka said.

"I agree," Lord Hepu said. "We must fight to protect the people of Egypt and maintain order. I believe that the situation in this alternate reality was a punishment from the gods for not maintaining maat as we were supposed to. However, our Pharaoh has repented and has chosen to make up for what he has done. The gods will appreciate that much."

Atem let out a breath. "Let's hope so."

"I just hope that whatever solution that befalls us will not involve a knife piercing through my skull," Khamenatem said with a light-hearted chuckle.

I smiled at him. It was nice that he wasn't freaking out about the whole thing.

He smiled back at me before looking at his brother. "With regards to the attack," Khamenatem started, suddenly getting serious, "do you have any updates on the soldiers from Upper Egypt?"

"Still marching towards Memphis, my Prince." Lord Renefer answered for Atem.

"And what about here?" Atem asked, "have your soldiers began their march north?"

Khamenatem nodded, "as soon as I got the order from the capital, brother, I sent them off. They arrived two days ago and are intensively monitoring the coast. I have ordered that any ship seen in the horizon should be seen as a threat and we are to be notified immediately."

"Good. And nothing so far?"

"Nothing at all."

Atem nodded again.

Khamenatem suddenly stood up. "Though the situation may not call for it... I insist that we all enjoy ourselves tonight. Let us put aside our troubles while the Lord Atum descends into and passes through the underworld. Once he rises again in the morning, we shall continue with our plans."

I knew what he was talking about.

Atem had told me this story on the boat.

Khepri, Re and Atum are all the sun. Khepri is the new born sun in the morning, Re is the sun throughout the day, and Atum is the aged, old sun that sets and passes through the underworld. With the help of Seth (yeah, the evil uncle of Horus), Atum is able to defeat Apep and then rise back again in the morning as Khepri.

Yeah, I was Egyptian smart now.

"Come now, let's celebrate my brother's rebirth."

Atem smirked at that but stood up too.

Atem and Khamenatem walked ahead while I stayed back walking with Atem's mom. I had no idea where we were going and I had no idea what it meant to have a party here. So I was kind of excited and kind of nervous.

The four maids had kind of dressed me up a little fancy though. I had the eyeliner and the heavy headdress and lots and lots of jewelry. I kind of felt overdressed at first, to be honest.

But after walking a bit, Atem turned the corner and left us.

"Where's he going?" I asked as Khamenatem waited for me to reach him.

"A Pharaoh doesn't come to a party without dressing up properly," Khamenatem said. "He is going to get dressed. He will be joining us shortly but for now you are stuck with me."

I smiled and when he held his arm out for me to take, I took it. Boy, was this guy a gentleman.

When we got to a big hall, I was surprised by the number of people that were there. To be honest, I thought it would be a party with just a couple people...

But there were a lot of people.

As soon as we walked in, everyone bowed for a moment before Khamenatem raised his hand. Then, music started play and it suddenly looked and sounded like a party.

All of the court members, Khamenatem and myself made our way to a giant table at the end of the room. There was one big seat that was left empty beside me and obviously that was Atem's.

And while Khamenatem explained how parties here worked, I marveled in awe at the music.

There were these women who played these massive harp like instruments, and there were drums and these strange looking clarinet-slash-trumpet things. There were some tambourine-ish instruments too and something that looked like a banjo.

It was fantastic.

According to Khamenatem, we would wait for Atem and once he arrived, ready, we would eat and enjoy the performances of the dancers and the musicians.

"Do you dance?" Khamenatem asked me.

I shook my head, "nope. No. I do not."

He chuckled, "why do so many girls say that?"

"Probably because they are confident that they can't dance?"

He chuckled again. "Well, there is no way you can enjoy an Egyptian party without dancing, my friend. So before the night is over, you must dance."

I just shook my head continuously, making he laugh.

Something I realized then was that Khamenatem was probably the same age as me. What was strange, however, was that he acted so much older. His speech was so eloquent and his attitude was so mature. You couldn't always find nineteen year old guys like that back at home.

Plus he was super cute.

And considerate.

He talked away explaining lots of things to me and totally understanding that there were a lot of things I didn't understand about this place.

He told me what kinds of foods they would serve and how there would be lots of beer. And when I told him that I didn't want any beer because I heard it wasn't that good, at least back at home it wasn't, he assured me it was.

And as he talked, Atem finally walked back in.

I knew he was there when everyone silenced and the music stopped and everyone at my table stood up while all the musicians fell flat onto their bellies in a bow.

When I looked over at him, I had to admit, he looked pretty awesome. He looked like the classic representation of a Pharaoh with the nemes headdress and all the jewelry and the super nice, colourful looking shendyt, which was, according to Atem, the skirt thing.

He looked awesome.

He didn't stop walking, continuing his way towards us, but he did wave his hand, which made all the bowing people stand up and continue on with the celebration.

When he sat right next to me, the first thing he said was, "I want food."

I rolled my eyes.

Khamenatem, however, laughed, "it's funny how much you've changed, yet you haven't changed at all."

And with the Pharaoh's orders, food was served to everyone, the music became louder and I guess the party officially started.

The food was great. I mean, of course, there were some things I didn't like, but for the most part I liked it all. They even served those honey balls that Atem made for me a while back. And they were delicious. The ones Atem made for me tasted a little different, but good nonetheless.

Both Atem and Khamenatem forced me to drink the beer. It smelled awful and I didn't want to touch it, but they forced me to drink it. Atem mentioned that this was pretty much what everyone in Egypt drank on a daily basis so I would have to get used to it.

So I drank it.

And though it smelled awful, it didn't taste as bad.

I mean, it wasn't great... but it was tolerable.

So I drank the beer. I definitely didn't drink a lot, only half a cup... but it did seem to do the trick.

Eventually, when the world began to spin just slightly. Khamenatem stood up. "Let us dance!"

I looked up at him, not realizing he was talking to me.

He then looked at Atem, "you wouldn't mind me dancing with your wife, would you?"

"Go right ahead," Atem said. "But let me warn you, she isn't good."

I smacked him really hard against the arm, making him wince.

"Ow!" He hissed.

I realized then that if anyone had seen that then that would be bad. I just hit the Pharaoh.

I blame the alcohol.

Khamenatem however, burst out laughing. "She just hit you!" His voice raised a couple pitches as he said it.

Atem frowned, but I noticed all the court members turn and look at us.

Oh man.

But Khamenatem was dying of laughter. "Oh dear Ra!" he laughed, "what has the world come to? My brother allowing a girl to hit him? Remarkable!"

Now I smiled.

I guess I wasn't in trouble.

Even some of the royal court, except for Lord Renefer, started to chuckle.

Atem rolled his eyes, "just get this nuisance away from me."

"You cannot talk to your wife like that, my son," his mother, who was sitting on the other side of him, said.

Atem turned and scoffed at her, "she hit me."

His mother chuckled before wiping her lips, "that doesn't matter. You must always speak to your wife with respect."

"Yeah," I agreed.

Atem rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Just go. Go dance."

I still didn't want to dance though, but Khamenatem had grabbed a hold of my arm. "Wait, wait!" I started, "I'll only dance if Atem dances."

I knew Atem wouldn't dance, which is why I said it.

"My brother doesn't dance," Khamenatem said.

"Well force him to come."

Khamenatem let out a short laugh before rolling his eyes. "I cannot do that, he is the Pharaoh! You cannot force the Pharaoh to do anything." He was already pulling me away from the table.

"Exactly!" Atem said after us. "You should learn a thing or too from him, May."

My drunk self stuck my tongue out at him, making the court members gawk. But they all started to laugh... even Lord Renefer broke out into a smirk this time around.

Well, this wasn't so bad, I guess.

When we got to the "dance floor," Khamenatem and I were joined by a bunch of pretty much naked dancers. They all did some crazy acrobatic dances that I could not even imagine doing. And the fact that they were all naked didn't help the situation.

"Show me a popular dance in your world," Khamenatem shouted over the music.

I felt my cheeks heat up like crazy, there was absolutely no way I was going to twerk.

So I started with the classic "raise the roof" dance before shifting to an awkward wiggle.

Khamenatem burst out laughing.

Then he, along with the dancers, taught me the moves of Ancient Egypt.

And I guess it was kind of a blast.

I spent most of the night dancing to the loud music and it was so much fun! It was so different to clubs at home. The music wasn't pounding in my ears... it was more so a pretty sound. And there were no guys who come out of nowhere and try to rub up against you.

But I was dancing with this one girl who was super pretty but also an amazing dancer when I suddenly began to feel sick. I stopped dancing and held her hands, thanking her for dancing with me before turning towards Khamenatem.

When I got to him, I opened my mouth to talk but felt it coming. So I covered my mouth with both my hands and held in the puke.

Guess even the small amount of beer didn't settle.

Khamenatem seemed to understand immediately.

I saw him make a gesture at Atem, who was watching us the entire time. Atem nodded, looking worried, but let Khamenatem grab my hand and rush me outside.

When we got outside, the cool night breeze hit me and it felt fantastic. It was enough to make me feel instantly better. Khamenatem told me to let it out though, and I bent over while he rubbed my back, trying to let loose.

On the floor, might I add.

But in the end, it didn't come out.

Thank goodness.

"I'm fine," I said as I straightened up, "thank you. But let me just stay out here and get some fresh air for a bit."

Khamenatem nodded. "I will wait with you."

"It's fine, go in! Enjoy the party."

He shook his head. "Trust me, I could use the air too, it's getting hot in there."

I smiled at him. The outside of the banquet hall was a long pathway that had one end open to the outside but a railing that blocked us from passing through. However, if we walked a couple steps to the right, there was an opening and a bunch of steps that led to the grounds outside.

The grounds looked kind of like a really big garden. It was super pretty and nice to look at.

"Do you drink a lot back at home?" Khamenatem suddenly asked.

I shook my head. "Actually, I think the first time I got drunk was with Atem." Not including that time my drink was spiked, of course.

"Really?" Khamenatem asked. "Did my brother drink a lot there?"

"No... he didn't."

"Good," he smiled. "He can get out of hand when he's drunk."

Now I laughed. "Really?" I asked. "When he got drunk with me he was really calm and quiet and ended up telling me he thought he was in love with me."

It was okay to say that to him, right? I mean, since I was technically Atem's 'wife,' I'm sure everyone already knew that, right?

Khamenatem laughed too. "He must not have been that drunk then," he said. "When my brother is drunk, he gets very aggressive."

I tilted my head slightly but then my heart skipped a beat.

That meant that he wasn't as drunk as I thought he was the first time he told me that he loved me. The thought was kind of nice.

Khamenatem then sighed, "it's so good to have him back... It's been so long since I've seen him smile."

"You really love your brother, don't you?"

"More than the world itself. I would die for him if I had too, which was exactly when he sent me up here."

"Really?"

Khamenatem nodded. "Every time he made a rash decision, I would bother him about it. I would continue to ask him to stop what he was doing. One day I caught him at the wrong moment and in a fit of rage he picked up a heavy statue made of stone and threw it in my direction. It didn't hit me, of course. But I think that moment made him worry for my safety. So he sent me here."

My eyebrows rose.

Atem hadn't told me that part of the story.

"I was furious at first. I thought of it as a banishment... but a year passed and I had noticed that maybe this entire situation was good," he started to smile. "After what had happened, my brother settled down a bit... probably realizing how out of hands his tirades were getting. So he calmed down... not enough, of course. But it was better than nothing."

"And you forgave him?"

"Yes," he responded. "Of course."

What he said made sense, since when I met Atem he wasn't that frightening. If I had met that version of Atem, he probably would have gone through with those threats he made earlier in our relationship and actually killed me.

"I do not blame him, though. He has gone through a lot. I was too young to remember much of it an any sort of detail... but my father's second wife and her family were not good people," he said.

I nodded. "He told me about her."

"My brother was a child when he went through all of that trauma. No child should ever have to deal with that... and no child should ever have to make such adult decisions."

"Your step-mother and brother are still alive, right?" I asked, "Atem said he kept them alive?"

Khamenatem nodded. "Imprisoned, but alive. My brother had given them the option of suicide... as death was the lawful punishment for treason. But they chose not to die," he said. "However, they were only given the option to live because my brother was smart. He knew that executing them could cause problems with the Hittites."

I let out a breath. "That sounds so scary."

"You have nothing to fear, trust me," Khamenatem smiled at me. "My brother has handled them appropriately and that part of our life is over. We must move on with clear hearts."

I nodded, looking at the garden. That was true. This part of Atem's life had passed. He could finally move one... well, at least after this whole Sea People thing is dealt with.

"And speaking of clear hearts... I must say that your entry into our lives has brought on my desire to clear my own heart."

I looked back at him. "Yeah?" I started. "What did you do?"

The young man let out a sigh before smiling. "I've had a secret that I've been keeping from him... and I hope to reveal it to him now that he's a better man."

"A secret, huh?"

He nodded.

"Well, I'm sure you shouldn't worry. Just let it–"

"What is taking you two so long?"

Both Khamenatem and I jumped at the sound of Atem's voice as he exited the banquet hall and walked towards us.

"I hope that I can trust that my own brother isn't trying to mess around with my wife."

My heart skipped a beat when he said wife, but I slapped his arm with the back of my hand.

Khamenatem just laughed.

"Actually, Khamenatem does have something important to say to you," I said.

The younger brother looked at me with shock, before looking at his older brother.

"And what's that?" Atem asked.

He stared blankly for a moment before swallowing back what I assumed was his nervousness and looking down at his hands. "You must promise me not to get mad, brother."

Atem crossed his arms and leaned against the railing next to me. "Tell me what it is first."

Khamentatem let out a sigh. "There's something that I've kept a secret from you for some time now–"

"Have you, now?"

Khamenatem nodded, suddenly reminding me of a little boy.

"What did you do?" Atem asked, sounding a little worried now.

Khamenatem took a deep breath before he spoke. "There's... a girl."

My eyebrows rose up high on my forehead.

"A girl?" Atem asked, probably even more shocked than I was. "Why are you so frightened to tell me about a girl?"

"I'm in love with her," Khamenatem said, looking straight at his brother's eyes.

"And? So?" Atem narrowed his eyes. "I still don't understand why you were so frightened to tell me something like that."

Khamenatem's eyebrows scrunched together. "She's... a maid..."

My hands flew to my cheeks right before I started to "awww."

A prince.

In love with a maid?

Classic!

But romantic nonetheless.

However, though I was 'awww-ing,' Atem stayed silent.

The silence was strangely long as both Atem and his younger brother stared at each other for a bit.

Obviously, I stopped my awing and found myself standing there awkwardly.

"A maid," Atem said.

"Well, she makes medicines and collects herbs–"

"But she is a maid."

"Yes..."

"Khamen–"

"I know what you're thinking," Khamenatem started, holding his hands up. "Which is exactly why I kept this from you... but you have to trust me, brother. I kept this a secret because, before I met May and saw how much you've changed, I knew you would have had her jailed in an attempt to protect me from your worst fears... I know that you wouldn't have even given me a chance to explain myself–"

"Then explain yourself."

For some reason, though I was a little annoyed with Atem's exaggerated response, Khamenatem looked hopeful with his words.

Maybe it was because Atem wouldn't have even bothered to let his little brother explain back then.

Maybe the fact that he was asking for an explanation meant something.

"You have to trust me." He repeated. "I know she isn't using me... She is a good girl and she is devoted to you as our Pharaoh. I swear it."

Atem narrowed his eyes.

"One of the men you had executed a over five years ago... he was the rapist and murderer of her eldest sister. He initially got away with his crimes, however when he was caught a second time, your actions brought comfort to her family and she prays her thanks every day, brother."

Atem looked slightly taken aback.

"I have known her for three years now, brother... and I have realized my love for her for two of those three years. She is very humble and very noble and she has asked for nothing from me. Not a single gift. She even refuses to take an extra loaf of bread simply because she knows it's not her place."

My heart skipped a beat at his sweetness. Man... was he really into this girl. And I had to admit, the girl sounded great too.

"If you would just meet her... you'd understand what I'm saying. I'm sure you'd like her, brother. You'd like her a lot if you got to know her... I'm sure of it."

Atem just stared at his brother, clearly thinking about it. And when Khamenatem shared a glance with me, the hope in his eyes was unbelievable.

And suddenly, Atem sighed. "Is it my approval you're seeking?"

"Your approval is what I'm always seeking, brother," Khamenatem said. "Once father died, you are the one who took his place in my heart and you know that."

Awww, that was sweet.

"If you tell me to end it... I will. You know I will. I will always do what you tell me to do because I know you only mean well for me," Khamenatem said as he looked confidently into his brother's eyes. "But I just wanted to explain it to you from my perspective. I wanted you to see it the way I'm seeing it."

Atem let out another breath. "Fine," he said, and almost instantly, his brother's eyes lit up. "But I will not accept it completely yet. Bring her to me in the morning and I will judge her for myself. Do you understand?"

Khamenatem hugged his brother tightly, surprising him.

And I laughed.

Now this was sweet.

"Thank you, brother!" Khamenatem said happily as he pulled away. "She won't let you down. I swear it!"

"I hope not," Atem said, firmly. "Because if she does, I will not hesitate to send her away from you."

Khamenatem didn't seem phased by that. He must have been really confident. "I understand." He was already walking away.

"Where are you going?" Atem asked.

"I'm going to go tell her the great news," he was already running off and I was laughing. "She will be ready to meet with you in the morning."

Atem took a deep breath and when his brother was out of sight, he turned to me. "You knew about this?"

I shook my head. "He told me there's something he wanted to tell you. But he didn't tell me what it was."

Atem sighed once again and rolled his eyes before walking off.

"Why are you so upset?" I asked, following him. I was still a tiny bit tipsy so I had to watch myself.

When Atem reached the staircase that lead to the garden he sat down on the steps. "This isn't right–"

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting next to him. "You just made your brother so happy."

"But she's a maid."

"And he's confident that she isn't a bad person," I said. "Isn't that all that matters?"

"No," Atem said, firmly. "That is not all that matters. If something were to happen to me... Khamen is meant to be the new King and having a servant as his bride would disrupt his claim to the throne and–"

"Whoa," I started, cutting him off. "Hold on."

He looked at me.

"If something were to happen to you?" I asked, getting mad. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We may have to fight a war with the People of the Sea. I must be prepared to–"

"To what?" I asked. "Die?"

"Yes. This is a war–"

"No way, Atem," I scoffed. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. I am."

I narrowed my eyes. "Dying is out of the question!" I practically hissed. "That isn't even an option."

He looked confused. "I have to think ahead–"

"Yeah. And you aren't going to think about dying. That's not an option," I repeated. "It never was and never will be. Nothing is going to happen to you."

He just looked at me.

"If you were to die, then what on earth would happen to me?" I asked. "I may not have admitted it to myself yet but let's be serious... I'm stuck here."

I think he was starting to get it now, because his expression softened slightly.

"And yeah, your family and all your friends are great and all but I don't know any of them. If you were to die, there would be no one left here for me to live for. So if you are going to think like that then I suggest you hurry up and find a way to send me home before you head off to war."

"May–"

"If not, then you dying means I'm coming straight after you. And I'm sure that that's not what you want."

He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.

And when he opened his eyes he was startled by my pinky finger in front of his face. "What–"

"Promise me you will not die," I asked... no, practically begged. Though I was initially mad at him, when I said this I felt my voice crack.

He looked at me with surprise.

"You told me that after all of this was over that you would do everything you could to keep me happy. You can't keep that promise if you die. So pinky-promise that you won't die."

Atem let out a short laugh before reaching out and entwining his pinky with mine. "Fine."

He had made pinky promises with me before and always complained about how ridiculous the entire tradition was. However, despite his complaining, he always did it.

Just like now.

When I pulled my pinky away, I hugged my legs and frowned. "You are such a jerk."

"I did the pinky-promise, did I not?" he argued back. "What more do you want from me, woman?"

When I didn't say anything back, he put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. After a moment, he sighed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I did not mean to upset you. I was just trying to make a point that–"

"Whatever. And besides... I'm sure it's not as bad as you think," I said as I hugged his arm and rested my head on his shoulder. "If you really think about it, technically I'm low in social status too. I bake cakes for a living, which seems to be a maid-like job. And on top of that, I'm a foreigner."

Atem nodded. "That's true."

"And your court let you, the Pharaoh of Egypt, marry me, didn't they?"

"That is true," he repeated.

I looked up at him, still hugging his arms. "See, you have to think before you speak you stupid king," I said. "If you had thought this through you wouldn't have upset me–"

He cut me off by kissing my lips.

I kissed him back, but when he pulled away he gave me an annoyed look. "I said I'm sorry. Just let it go."

I rolled my eyes but didn't say anything back.

We stayed silent for a bit before Atem spoke up again. "Do you want to know something unbelievable?"

"What?" I asked, curious.

"All this time... I had no idea that I needed... to be saved," he said. "Even after all of this craziness happened. Even after everything everyone said... I didn't realize it until my brother said what he did."

I looked at him, letting go of his arm and watching his face.

He was looking out at the garden, probably at birds that still seemed to be awake, playing in the tree not too far from us. "Imagine if none of this happened... if I had continued on the way that I was going prior to meeting you."

I did. I thought about it.

"Khamen looks up to me so much, I am his father figure and I always knew that... But nonetheless, I would have, without a doubt, destroyed him. I would have broken his heart without meaning to."

"Well, at least you realize it. Now you can make sure you never make that mistake."

He nodded before putting his arm around my waist and pulling me even closer to him than I already was. "And you may deny it, May... but it is thanks to you," he said. "You have saved my life."

I felt my heart grow light as I smiled. I mean, it was weird when other people said it but it was kind of nice when he did.

You're welcome.

You're welcome for saving your life Atem.

I smiled some more.

I felt him kiss my temple, which made me smile some more. The amount of romance between the two of us had escalated a hundred fold since we got here and I was totally fine with that.

It was great.

I mean, yeah. I still didn't feel like we were actually married... but the romance that probably came with the title of a married couple was definitely a great bonus.

And that made me wonder if he would still have kissed me the way he did or touch me the way he did if we didn't end up getting married.

But as I thought, I realized the question was irrelevant.

I let out a breath to myself but kept smiling. Ro would have been so happy for me. If only she could know what was going on. That would be amazing.

And as I thought about all of those things while sitting comfortably in silence with Atem, I think we were both surprised when we heard the deep voice of Lord Renefer. "My Pharaoh."

Atem pulled his arm away from me before turning around and looking at Lord Renefer, who was walking quickly towards us with five men behind him. Four of the five men were very built and wore only white skirts and had hair that fell to their shoulders. They held a massive wooden shield in one hand and a tall spear in the other.

The fifth man also wore a white skirt but looked really skinny. He was tall and had a scroll in his hand. I could tell almost instantly that this guy was some sort of messenger, while the other men were soldiers.

"What's wrong?" Atem asked.

Lord Renefer let out a breath. "You were right, my Pharaoh."

Atem raised an eyebrow.

"This messenger has arrived from the delta. They have spotted foreigner ships."

Atem stood up. "They have... how many?"

Lord Renefer blinked before he spoke. "Hundreds."

My mouth fell open and my heart sank as I stood up too.

"They are still quite the distance away," Lord Renefer started, "but I think we should not waste any more time."

Atem nodded. "You're right. We should leave with the armies as soon as they are ready. The sooner the better."

"Should I send out the message to the generals?"

"Yes. Notify me as soon as the soldiers are ready to march. We must arrive at the delta early and be well prepared for their attack. If we can get to them before they land, then that would be better."

"Yes, my Pharaoh," Lord Renefer said as he bowed.

And with that, he rushed off with the soldiers and the messenger.

I looked at Atem, who stood there quietly for a moment. When he looked back at me, I could see the worry on his face.

This was it.

These were the people who destroyed Egypt... and if Atem played his cards right, he could prevent it from happening a second time.

He stepped towards me and kissed my forehead before speaking. "I will send my mother to take you to your room. You should rest, May. For now, I should end this celebration and pass on the news to the royal court."

Before I could respond, Atem began to walk back into the hall.

And as I heard the muffled music come to a stop, a horrible fear filled every inch of my body.

I guess the reality of all of this was finally hitting me. 

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Hey all!

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Luckycharms!