Daughter of the Nile

Chapter Five

The next evening, Larry let Bek out of her sarcophagus just as the sun set. As the pair made their way toward the Egyptian exhibit, they met Teddy, who was jogging in their direction with a look of deep concern on his face.

"What's wrong, Teddy?" Larry immediately asked.

"I think the princess had better make her way to our pharaoh's tomb immediately," He said. "The lad is caught up in a nightmare, and I cannot wake him."

"When he was very small, only a few years of age, Ahk was prone to terrible dreams. He often came to me on those nights, fearful of waking our parents." Bek took off down the corridor, quickly finding her brother's tomb. They could hear his moans from outside. The jackel-guards tried to deny Bek entrance, but a quick, frustrated phrase of Egyptian had them unblocking her path. She dashed right to Ahkmenrah's side. She took one of his hands in hers, and began stroking his curly chocolate brown hair back from his forehead. "Wake, Ahkmenrah! You must wake, little brother!" she firmly whispered to him. "Wake!"

Anhmenrah's eyes flew open, and he shot upright, panting slightly, his eyes darting all over the room as if he did not recognize anything. Bek slipped an arm around his shoulders and cradled his head with the other hand, gently hugging him to her chest with his head on her shoulder. After a few moments, the young pharaoh suddenly recognized where he was and slumped against her. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and turned his head, trying to bury his face in the crook of his sister's neck like a child would do. Ahkmenrah, the pharaoh of Egypt, had never seemed so...young...vulnerable...innocent...to Teddy or Larry before that moment.

"We will be fine here, gentlemen," Bek finally said softly. "I will look after him." Larry and Teddy know that she was subtly asking them to leave for the sake of Ahkmenrah's dignity. The pair nodded and left for the lobby. "Now, tell me, Ahk, what you dreamed," she whispered in his ear.

"I was trapped in my coffin again. Larry was there, but he would not let me out."

"You know he would never leave you trapped in here."

Ahk just nodded. By gently pulling him, Bek managed to get Ahk out of his coffin, and they sank down to the floor at one of the jackal's base. Bek sat with her legs extend out in front of her and her back to the statue. Ahk sat beside her, immediately lowering his head into her lap. She gently slipped her arm beneath his head so that it rest in the crook of her arm, and her hand against his chest. His hand came up to grip her forearm, as if to keep it there. With her free hand, she returned to running her finger through his curls because she knew that it calmed him.

"Here we are, just like when we were young," Bek softly commented.

"It has been many years since I have had so real a dream." Ahk answered shakily.

"I will sing you to sleep, just like I used to, and you will feel better when you waken." Bek murmured and began to hum his favorite lullaby.

An hour later, Larry came back from refereeing another soccer game to check on the two resident Egyptians. He found the pair at the base of one of the Anubis-jackels, Ahk fast asleep with his head in Bek's lap. The princess was softly humming and running her finger through her brother's hair.

"How's he doing?" Larry quietly asked as he sank down and sat beside Bek.

"He will be fine when he awakens," Bek softly answered. "He dreamed of a fear that I believe is great in his heart, for it is a terrible fear of mine as well," she sighed softly. "He dreamed of waking in his sarcophagus and no one being willing to release him."