Along The Nile

Chapter Eight

"Sometimes life is pain,
Loss follows learning,
Follows love,
And forever must end."
-Christen Rodgers

The weeks that followed flew by like storks migrating North, never to be seen again.

Ket and Teremun slowly got used to each other from this new and shiny angle of mutual love. It was as if they had switched houses. At first, they were shy. They tiptoed about, not sure if they were allowed to go into this room or wander to that floor, but soon they settled in. Soon, they moved about with ease. It was obvious through every longing glance, stolen kiss, or brushed hand that the two of them had found something special within one another that they never intended to let go of.

Despite the overall innocent approach to love and their attempts at secrecy, others noticed. Teremun's sisters' regular gossip topic was the two of them. Ankhesenamun's favorite pastime now was giving Ket love advice. Melis ate with them everyday, and everyday he found himself grinning from ear to ear. Teremun's mother approved, and some days would even call Ket in to dine with her. But it wasn't them that Teremun and Ket had to worry about finding out.

"Tut says that the officials keep bothering him about it," Ankhesenamun said with a sigh. "They know Teremun favors you. They're terrified of the day he asks Tut for permission to marry you."

"Why do they care so much?" Snapped Neferneferure, Ankhesenamun's younger sister. She gently stroked the head of the baby gazelle in her arms, and the creature made a pathetic little sound. "It's not like it's their business anyway. They're probably just jealous because the only women that would ever love them are their mothers and prostitutes. Knock it off, Ankhesenpaaten! She doesn't like that!"

The young daughter of Ankhesenamun stopped poking the gazelle in the stomach and looked up at Neferneferure like she had slapped her. Tears welled in her eyes. "I just wanted to pet her!"

"Nef, come on, just let her pet it," Ankhesenamun sighed.

"No, she doesn't know how to pet her," Neferneferure snapped in response. "She's going to kill her."

"No, I won't!" Cried Ankhesenpaaten. "I won't, I won't!"

"Patty, stop crying," said Ankhesenamun as she grabbed her daughter and pulled her into her lap. "You shouldn't pat that thing anyway. Nef probably taught it how to bite."

"I'll bite you," Nef hissed back, snapping her jaws at her sister. 

Ankhesenamun let out a beautiful laugh. Her daughter watched her do so, her frown melting into a smile. Then, she also burst out laughing.

"Neffy's a crocodile! A big, mean, ugly crocodile!"

"Well, this crocodile is going to eat you up!" Exclaimed Nef as she stood up, plopped her gazelle into Ket's lap, and charged after Patty. Patty squealed with glee and took off running. Laughter trailed behind them both. It rang pleasantly through Ket's ears as she watched them play with a slight smile.

She loved Teremun's family with all her heart. She still remembered the day Teremun took her into the palace, and how they doted over her, giving her clothes and food, how they sang to her whenever she missed home. Meritaten, Teremun's oldest sister, used to tell them exciting stories about war and love before bed, then would stay by Ket's side all night in case she had night terrors and needed be to soothed back to sleep. Even Neferneferure, who was known to hate every girl that dared get close to her beloved brother, had shown her kindness by giving Ket her favorite blanket. Despite the royal sisters going through so much with the death of their father, then the death of their uncle Smentkhkare, and then the death of their two sisters, Meketaten and Setepenre, they never left Ket out of anything. They shared love and pain with her, just like as if she was apart of their family. For someone like Ket who had lost everything, what they did for her meant the world.