1280 B.C.

19th Dynasty

Waset, Egypt

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Nefret felt dizzy. She felt the room spin as her chest refused to breathe air. Her vision swam and thunder seemed to echo around. Her sight stayed glued to the royal family and the happy couple.

Lady Iset looked so radiant as she stood with a victorious smile wearing a blue iridescent gown and a circlet around her forehead to signify her royal status as the future queen. Ay... no, Ramses, sat with his own crown and royal necklace adorning his neck. His kohl decorated eyes looked formidable. He looked so handsome. He looked so far out of reach. Nefret stumbled, bumping into other people as she rushed her way out of the room. She could hear voices asking if she was well, the high priest and his reedy voice continuing the jovial announcements, and the cicadas sang like they, too, were celebrating the humiliation Nefret was feeling.

Nefret eventually reached a garden surrounded by four oblong pools ornamented with many lotus leaves and water lilies. The place was covered with trees of dates and acacia on both sides of the pools covering the star-filled sky and protecting the palace from the dusty wind of the desert. If Nefret was not upset, she would have stayed to admire how the leaves swayed to a silent song. If she was not sad, Nefret would have admired the reflection of the moon from the water and may have had fun placing a water lily behind her ear. But she was distressed, and the only sound she heard was her heart breaking into a million pieces.

Nefret tried to control her emotions and made sure the tears from her eyes did not fall. Why did Ay... no, Ramses, lie to her? Why did she have to find out this way? Was this his plan all along? To invite her and watch her fall apart? Nefret took a deep breath. The man she knew... he was good. She fell in love with that man, with his smile and laughter. Nefret sobbed, not wanting this sudden realization. She closed her eyes, clasping her chest, and when she opened them, she saw a figure behind her on the pool's reflection. She whipped around to find Ahmose looking at her with a blank expression.

Silence wrapped around the two who were standing still. It was thick with distrust and tension. Ahmose, not once, did he look away.

"Did you know?" Nefret asked softly, her voice shaking. "When you helped me prepare for tonight, did you know it was going to end this way?"

"Yes," Ahmose stated, as a matter of fact.

"Why?"

"I wanted you to see him for who he is. For who he truly is. He is not your Ay, your friend and companion. He is Usermaatre Ramses, the future king of Egypt. I wanted you to know who you truly are dealing with."

"And did he?" Nefret demanded. "Did he agree to this? Was this also his plan all along?"

Ahmose was quiet for a few heartbeats before his reply. "Ramses.... did not know you were coming. He wanted to see you after the party, to have his own conversation with you. I think he was going to tell you some semblance of the truth. He... did not want this."

"Then why did you do it?"

"Because there is no point in a relationship that is based on lies and deceit," Ahmose snapped, his eyes blazing. "I am his best friend, and in the future, I will be the right-hand man to the king. He might have forgotten due to his infatuation with you, but I have not. We have a dream for a bright future for Egypt and it did not involve a woman from low standings whose life involved the dead more than the living. You were a distraction. But..."

"But what?" Nefret demanded. "What else can you say that will hurt me more than you already have?"

"I predicted many events involving the two of you. But I did not predict he would love you, and that you would love him in return."

"Love? How could I love someone I do not know?"

"Do not lie to yourself. You know him. I asked if you love him before you attended the coronation. You did not tell me a straight answer. But I can see the truth in your eyes, the way your body always moved closer to him. I am sure you love him just as I am sure that the sun rises in the east and leaves in the west." Ahmose stared coldly. "Now I ask you again. I want you to look me straight in the eyes and tell me the truth. Do you love Ramses?"

Nefret stared back, clamping her mouth shut with indignation. The hurt still ached in her heart. Her lungs still not fully working. Nefret longed to say no, she wanted with all her ba, but her exhale betrayed her plan. "Yes," she whispered, looking down and hugging herself tightly. "I... I love him."

Ahmose stepped forward so that he and Nefret were only a few inches apart. "And do you love him because of who he is and what he is meant to do?"

"I love him regardless of who he is and what he is meant to do." Nefret stared back, defiant, and she saw Ahmose soften just a tiny bit, some semblance of his sympathy shining through the rigid control of his body.

"Then I give you my blessing and warning." Ahmose took a step forward so that his mouth is a breath away from Nefret's ear. He whispered, the wind covering the sound. "You must always remember that his love has a price. Love is fickle. Want is temporary. Your feelings will not be enough to keep you two together. You will need to give your heart and ba to be seen as his equal and, only then, will you be good enough for Ramses and for Egypt."

"Nefret? Nefret!" A voice called out, interrupting their conversation. Ahmose turned, before stepping away.

"He has come to find you, just like I told you he will. Remember this conversation, and despite my skepticism with you, you may come to me for help if you choose. And... I apologize for how I treated you in the past. I only want the best for Egypt. Whether or not the best choice is you would be up to you from here on out." With a nod, Ahmose walked away into the night, leaving Nefret silent and stunned.

"Nefret? Are you here? Please," the voice called out, nearer than the last time. A rustling from behind the nearest acacia tree was heard and Ramses stepped out of the clearing, breathing heavily, his crown and his necklace nowhere to be seen. "Oh, I thought you have left."

Nefret said nothing. Ramses gulped, his gaze not leaving Nefret. Ramses took a step closer, reaching his hand out.

"Don't," she snapped. Ramses froze, his eyes widening. "Do not come closer."

"Nefret," he started, his voice full of pain. "I am so sor – "

"I do not have a need for your apology. I want an explanation. For all of this. Why?" Ramses flinched from her tone, his gaze lowering to the floor. Nefret softened, never wanting to hurt him despite everything. "Why did you lie about your identity?"

Ramses swallowed nervously. "When we met, I had no intention to. I was merely exploring the desert and did not predict to meet someone like you. I was restless from my grandfather's burial and only wanted to see the necropolis I heard so much about. But you met me, you hit me, and you were so glorious. You stood with such confidence. Like you knew your place in the world and damn everyone else for thinking otherwise. I looked at you, and I saw a woman who was strong and determined. When you looked at me, I, too, felt that strength and determination like never before. You looked at me and saw a man without crown and royalty. You saw me as only a man. And you enjoyed my company as only a man. I... I was too selfish. I did not want to lose the easiness of our relationship. So I lied."

Nefret closed her eyes, swallowing the sob that wanted to burst from her throat. "And you think that comfort you felt was worth the hurt you forced on me?" Ramses widened his eyes and took a step forward, grabbing her arms intently. He desperately wanted to convince Nefret otherwise.

"No!" Ramses pleaded. "Gods, no. I never wanted to hurt you. Please, you have to believe me. I wanted to tell you the truth tonight. I invited you to share my whole self. I did not mean for things to happen this way."

"Which things? When I found out you were royalty and lying to me? Or when I found out you were royalty who was already betrothed to another woman?"

Ramses looked down. "Both."

"You... you almost kissed me!"

"And I still want to!" Ramses shouted. "I love you!"

Nefret gasped, the heaviness and seriousness of the phrase embracing the two with thick tension, desire simmering on the surface. His eyes, so warm, blazed with intensity and longing. Nefret looked away, unwilling for Ramses to see the same emotions in hers. She attempted to break away from his grasp but his grip tightened, not painfully, but tight enough for Nefret to realize the sincerity of his emotions. But didn't Ahmose say love is fickle? Was he not the one who told Nefret that love will not be enough for their relationship to survive? Nefret closed her eyes.

"What do you want me to do, Ramses?" Nefret asked, his name sounding foreign in her tongue. "What do you want me to say?"

"Say you love me, too."

"And then, what?" Nefret demanded. "Would that change our circumstances? Would that make our future brighter and more accepted? I do not wish for a crown! I do not want a life inside the palace walls. That is not who I am. I do not want people to think — "

"Forget what other people think! What do you think of me?"

"I..."

"Look me in the eyes. If you tell me you do not feel the same, I will let you go. I swear to Ma'at that I will never bother you again." Ramses stepped closer until their chests touched, both breathing rapidly. "But.... but if you love me, if you care for me, if there is one shred of hope I can latch on to in order for you to stay then..."

"...Then what?" Nefret whispered. They gazed into each other's eyes. Ramses reached out to cradle Nefret's cheek and Nefret flinched at the sudden warmth that enclosed her chest and traveled through the tips of her fingers. Ramses grazed her lips with his thumb, her mouth opening slightly as a silent gasp escaped her.

"Then I will fight for you until Anubis takes my ba to the next world, and I will wait for you then."

Nefret finally sobbed, tears leaking from her eyes. She loved this man. She told him so, her voice shaking with an emotion she had never felt before. "I love you," Nefret replied, and the smile that adorned Ramses' face almost made everything worth it. "But I love Ay, not Ramses." His smile waned.

"I am Ay! I am the same person you fell in love with!"

"You are a prince," Nefret uttered the word like it was a curse. "I know Ay the palace guard. I fell in love with a palace guard. But I do not know Ramses the prince. How I can love someone I do not know?"

"You know me. You look me in the eyes and I am the same within. You love me. And if you are willing, I will show you everything I am so there is nothing about me that will be kept from you, so gods be the witness." Nefret cried, and nodded. She, too, placed a hand on his cheek and cradled his face like it was something precious because, for Nefret, he was. "Please."

Nefret swallowed, her voice softly echoing under the acacia trees. The cicadas still sang around them, like a symphony in tune with their emotions. "Then... then allow me the privilege of loving you. I will fight for you until Anubis takes my ba to the next world, and I will wait for you then."

Nefret and Ramses embraced fiercely, their lips meeting for the first time. It was a sweet kiss, their first, full of promise and hope. They kissed like the other person was a treasure they gingerly held on to. Nefret did not know what the future would bring, or how their relationship would work. But she knew it was the first time she ever felt safe in a man's arms, and she knew the fire within her stomach was set ablaze whenever Ramses touched her skin. Nefret felt dizzy. The future was full of the unknown, it was true, but she was not afraid when Ramses had her hands to hold on to. And at that moment, Nefret embraced love like an old friend._________________________________

ba = soul

A/N: Hey everyone! I wish all of you a happy September! May September treat you kindly and become a month full of growth. I meant to upload this chapter next week but since I already finished it I figured you'd appreciate an early update! A personal update from my life is that I got a TV and a Roku so now I can continue procrastinating but on a bigger screen and on HD quality lol

Please vote and comment on what you liked about this chapter best! I love hearing from you :)