"Do not fuss, little Meryatum, go to sleep now," Ramses hummed as he rocked the infant in his arms.

The Queen had regained enough of her senses to hold her child to her bosom for a short while, but her exhaustion had once more overcome her. Though the priestesses had offered to take the new prince, Ramses refused them, for the child's life had nearly been taken and he wished to cherish their miracle.

Despite the early onset and arduous birth, the child was spirited. His mother, however, was in a grave state and her life was now within the hands of the gods.

Tears once more began to well in the Pharaoh's eyes as he looked down at his beloved Queen, her breathing laboured. She had endured much that day and silently her husband prayed for her to not let go. To see her life teeter on the edge of the Duat caused his heart to ache immeasurably.

The emotions coursing through his body induced a sob, and he turned his face away from the priestesses still present as his pain began to cascade down his cheeks. Yet, they had already seen the glimmer of the tears that stung at his eyes.

"I will go to the chapel to pray to the gods for mercy and guidance. Please take the prince. Let me know immediately if there are any changes in their conditions," he stated as he passed the now sleeping babe to the midwife.

"Of course, great Majesty," replied the woman. "The gods favour the great house of Usermaatre Setepenre Ramses. His Majesty is Horus upon the Earth and they will not abandon he who has been so faithful. Pray, and confide in them. But then you must rest."

As the Princess' had expected, there was not a soul within the chapel now, for the stars shone brightly in the night sky, bidding those within the holy city to slumber under their shimmering caress.

With the reluctant help of Princess Henutmire's younger suitor, they were able to bypass the guards on their way to the palace chapel. Wisps of kyphi smoke swirled around them as they entered through the cedar doors. Heady aromas of frankincense, myrrh, juniper, cinnamon and mint filled their nostrils as they made their way silently to the altar. There, seated upon their thrones sat Amun with his consort Mut, their arms in a gentle embrace around an effigy of the Pharaoh who sat between them. Surrounding them stood other deities important to the royal family. Each had been dressed in the finest linens of the land and offerings of fruits, flowers and vegetables still lay before their feet.

Kneeling upon the cushions before the altar, the two women raised their arms in reverence and began to pray for the god's benevolence.

So long they had been praying the smoke of the incense ceased to waft about them. Sighing, Henutmire lowered her arms and rose slowly from her position.

"I shall go retrieve some more," she announced.

Malawashina blinked hard to release her mind from the trance-like state she had been in.

"Wait... apologies, what did you just say?"

Henutmire chuckled and sighed. "I shall go and retrieve some more incense," she stated.

"Oh, would you mind showing me where they are kept? I have yet to be shown."

"Of course, just through that entrance over there. Come, let us find a more uplifting scent to invigorate the gods and ourselves."

Not but a few moments passed when they heard the great doors of the chapel wing open. Staring at each other in a sudden panic, they crept to the wooden partition which hid the entrance to the storage room. They witnessed Ramses push open the doors almost forcefully, wiping tears from his eyes with his free arm.

They could see from their little vantage point that his despair was flooding his heart and mind like the inundation of the Nile.

Of all the blessings he had received in his life, why had the gods decided to abandon him then? They heard him cursing Isetnofret and her rancour as he fell to his knees before the altar.

"For whatever I have done or committed that has displeased you, oh great Amun, Lord of Heaven, please do not punish Nefertari. I beg you to spare her and have mercy upon her. She has been nothing but a pious and devoted wife and mother. I will gladly give you my life in exchange for hers for I am nothing but a mere hollowed shell without her," He pressed his head to the foot of the altar and wept.

Both of the princesses' hearts filled with compassion as they witnessed him in such a state. Malawashina immediately began sobbing into her hands. From his despair she truly understood how much he loved the Queen and in extension, his other wives and his children. Her heart broke to a thousand pieces at his plight.

"As his sister I will go to him. You stay hidden for now, it would be for the best," Henutmire instructed with a gentleness to her voice. Without waiting for Malawashina to reply, the older princess stepped out into the chapel and approached her brother with caution. "Ramses? Brother?" She called as she reached out a tentative hand. Ramses' head snapped up in surprise as he stared up at her, dazed at her presence. His mouth parted to speak, but no words could form, only a hiccuped sob. Henutmire reached down and stroked the tears from his cheeks, her demeanour pained at the sight. She had not seen her younger brother in such anguish for many years.

"Henutmire," he whimpered as he slumped forward against her legs. "I nearly lost them... Nefertari... She might still..."

Henutmire crouched down to embrace her brother. "She is in the hands of the gods now. They will be gracious to our most devout Queen."

His only answer was to continue to weep against his sister's consoling shoulder.

"I would rather die and leave this kingdom, than be without her," he sobbed eventually.

"I understand how you feel..." Henutmire's embrace tightened as she kissed the crown of his head. "After my own losses, I continued on even when I had no other reason to do so. You, though, my beloved brother, have your many children and your wives to live for. Our people love and adore you too, Ramses. Is it not evident enough through your legacy that they venerate? You have continued our father's inheritance of rebuilding this nation from the ruin the heretic had wrought and your many accomplishments are attest to that. You cannot allow all your hard work - all our father's hard work - to fall back into ruin. Nefertari would not want that."

"How did you do it, sister?" Ramses asked so silently he almost whispered, as if he had no more strength left inside him. "How did you overcome Merneptah's passing?"

Henutmire's countenance froze and she felt a hot tear trickle down her cheek at the mention of her late beloved husband.

"The same as you..." Her voice bled with pain.

Ramses looked up at her then, befuddled. Her eyes had darkened and now glistened like obsidian from her reminiscing.

"I haven't," She looked back down at him, a weak smile upon her beautiful features. Despite her own agony, she was still able to warm others like Hathor's wings embrace. "You become numb to it. The pain is still there, dull... but like a cobra, it sometimes twists back to sink its teeth into you at full force to inject its venom."

"Forgive me, sister, I did not mean to..."

Henutmire hushed him with a gentleness only she could muster. "It is alright, little brother, I understand you. I always have. Thus I have been praying so that you do not need to endure such pain again."

"It is not only pain I feel. It is anger. It is fear. Desperation..." He lamented. "It feels like my heart has been ripped from my body and tossed to Ammit before it was judged. And I hate them for it."

"Them?" Henutmire asked, though she guessed from her brother's dropped tone who he was referring to. "It was only one of them who instigated this whole debacle, and you know it," she continued before Ramses could answer. There was no love lost between her and Isetnofret whatsoever and her punishment had been just. Contrary to that, Henutmire had grown fond of the Hatti princess and she was willing to do anything to nudge her little brother back into Malawashina's arms.

"There are always two sides in an incident," he struggled to find the right words. "But how can I forgive or forget when Nefertari's life hangs by a thread? Were it your child's life at stake, you would not think about opening your heart to the offenders any more than I am. If the Queen's life ends, then so shall theirs!" Ramses proclaimed, letting his broken heart cloud his judgement.

Hearing these words from him, Malawashina muffled a sob with her shawl. She did not fault him for feeling that way, but the weight of his words and the guilt she already felt wracked at her nevertheless. All she wanted was to go and wrap her arms around him and console him in his pain, yet alas she was a bringer of it. Squeezing her eyes shut she buried her face into her arms in an attempt to hush her sobbing.

Ramses' head snapped towards the murmuring sound that came from the storage rooms to the side of the altar. "I thought you were alone?" He looked at his sister, his features now appearing miffed as he stood, haphazardly wiping the tears from his eyes and face.

She went to answer, but he hushed her. "Who goes there? Show yourself!" He demanded, glaring towards the muffled sounds.

From his tone, Malawashina knew that if she did not make her presence known, he would most likely come in to drag her out himself. On her hands and knees she crawled out from behind the partition, immediately pressing her forehead to the limestone flooring at seeing the surprised expression of her husband.

"Malawashina?" His tone pinned her harder to the floor. "What are you doing here? Did I not order you to stay in your chambers?"

Malawashina raised her head slightly to answer, but Henutmire stepped forward and placed a hand upon her fuming brother's arm.

"I brought her here, brother."

He spun to glare back at her. "You? You dared defy the orders that I, your Pharaoh, gave?"

"I followed what was in my heart, Ramses. And that was to allow her to pray to the gods for forgiveness and to pray for the Queen and your child."

"She does not even follow our gods!"
"And you know her so well to tell what resides in her heart?" Henutmire pushed.

"This will be the last time you disobey me, Henutmire," He berated, ignoring his sister's jab altogether. "Brother or not, I am still your King and you will respect me as such, am I understood?"

"Completely," she answered, lowering her head. Before she could speak more, Ramses turned to the younger Princess whose head was again pressed firmly to the ground, her body quivering with sobs.

"As for you, Malawashina," he moved to stand a few feet from her. "This is the second time you have betrayed me."

"I...I'm sorry...I did not mean to...I did not mean for any of this to happen! I..."

"Enough!" He cut her off. "Your proclamation of innocence means nothing to me. The Queen is fading all because you could not swallow your pride and restrain yourself! You can beg for forgiveness as much as you like, but no forgiveness will you find from me presently. There are no words in either of our languages that can describe how utterly disappointed I am with you."

"I am ashamed..." Malawashina whimpered.

"As all of you Hattis are! A shame!" he snapped as he began to turn to leave. "Return to your chambers and stay there, lest you wish to have the same fate as Isetnofret!"

"No!" She wailed loudly at his threat. "I beg you not to send me away! Please..." She struggled to admit what she wanted to say for fear struck at her heart.

Yet he would not turn back to face her as he continued to the door.

"I adore you, Ramses..."

His legs rooted to the spot like they were tangled by Nile rushes, and his chest ached like he had been pierced with a spear. A flush of heat overcame his senses as he turned to look back at her with glittering eyes. Seeing her there on her now bloodied knees, her body bowed to him, her hair clinging to her face from the streams of tears that fell from her eyes, how could he not soften to her sincere plight? For the briefest of moments his heart begged him to throw out all other emotion but adoration and go to her. Alas, his heart was in a firm grip of Apep and thus his expression steeled as quickly as it had softened. Without a word to ease her anguish, he turned and walked away in silence, leaving both women stunned.