The Solar Princess

Always for you, my queen.

As soon as the sun rose, Farouk was out of bed and dressed. To the horror of his doctors. They were so outraged that they even called for Charles in hopes that the British man could talk some sense into him.

Not that he could have stopped Farouk at that point.

Yes, he was in pain. Yes, it hurt to move or wear clothing. However, Arsinoe would always be his greatest priority. She tried to hide her pain and her panic once she understood. Still, he knew her better than that.

"What do you think you are doing?" Charles barged in.

"We need to go to the tomb where Arsinoe was discovered." Farouk pushed.

"No. You need to rest and heal." The older man pushed back. He raised a hand as Farouk opened his mouth. "No. I finally understand why you had always been such a bright boy when it came to Egyptian artifacts, especially those of the Ptolemaic era. You knew it. You lived it. Carrying memories of past lives. And I accept that I am clearly not qualified for the vast majority of this adventure. However, I am here, because despite all of your knowledge, you still don't have the credentials to get there on your own."

Well, that certainly raised a valid concern.

"Charles, we need to go." Arsinoe begged, the pain seeped through her voice.

The man's face softened as he realized that something was wrong. "I will call for a carriage. Though, I'm not sure either of you would be comfortable in the transportation given the pain I see in your faces."

"A carriage?" Arsinoe looked at Farouk.

"It is like a chariot that you sit in. The bouncing against the seat may add to your pain." He turned to Charles. "We will have to suffer if it means getting there faster."

*****

Arsinoe had never hated the idea of a seated carriage more in her life. The rough fabrics of the clothing she had been given, the loose scarves over her head, the hard wood of the seat barely cushioned by leather... all of it irritated her sensitive skin as the gods called out for their release.

Given the distance they needed to travel, she didn't even want to ride in a proper litter. The idea of having slaves carry her that far while in pain, it simply would have taken too long.

Oh, how she wished for a good Greek chariot, or even an Egyptian one. Something fast, without the added pressures to her body.

Yet, looking over at Farouk, she could see that he was in more pain. Pain that he bore without complaint. All to get her to that tomb. To do anything possible to ease her pains. She didn't deserve such devotions.

Watching his sacrifice finally broke her last resolve. He had always been her Ankhmakis. And despite her anger at his fighting against her son, she would always be his.

When they arrived, she was impressed by Charles. His command and authority reminded her briefly of Sosibius. If only she had a man like Charles within the ancient palace. Could the politics have turned out any differently had she been surrounded by such kindness? Or would someone like Sosibius and his puppets have crushed a man like Charles under their heel and taken the power anyway? She would never know. Though she was grateful for his assistance at that point in time.

The guards had not allowed anyone into the tomb since Charles took over, so things remained mostly as she had left them.

Honestly, Arsinoe barely remembered the room. Still, it made her stomach feel sick to walk back into it. The memories of her fears, the pain and confusion that started in that room. Knowing that the mummified body of Ankhmakis still remained.

Farouk stood behind her. "Please keep going. This is the only way that I can think of to stop your pain."

"But what about your pain? You should be healing, not forcing yourself to do this now. Not because of me."

"Always for you, my queen." His words carried so much sincerity that she nearly collapsed at his feet, professing her lack of worth.

Still, she moved. She would not let his sacrifices be made in vain. He had pushed to get there, she had to see everything through. No longer for her own respite, but in honor of his sacrifice. He had always been her strength.

The trio searched the tomb for anything that looked to be ceremonial items. It had been left so barren, she feared that they searched the wrong location.

In confusion and emotional turmoil, Arsinoe finally made herself look to the body in the sarcophagus. Ankhmakis.

His body had been mummified and placed with hers. Unlike what she had seen of mummification practices of the Egyptians she had grown up with, his arms were not bound to his body to safeguard their eternal protection. No. One arm appeared to be broken, flung wide to the side of his body, where hers once rested. The other dangled as though it once held something. His head turned toward the empty space beside him.

Even in death, his brother paid honor to his love.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

How could they have found a love so consuming? Only to have suffered so much?

The salty moisture tracked it's way to her lips as a sob broke through.

Farouk was quick to pull her into his arms. Strong, youthful arms, so unlike the older warrior placed in the tomb at her side. They had thirteen years together. She was thirty one when she died. Yet, he lived many more years and died in his fifties. The man beside her was still in his late twenties. It all just felt so... wrong.

Blinding pain spiked as the gods demanded their focus. Arsinoe moaned out as she collapsed to the floor at the foot of the sarcophagus.

Farouk was quick to try to comfort her. However, it was there, on the floor that she noticed the subtle signs of lines cut into the stone. Hidden by the lines of text placed by the priests, the cut marks appeared below the level where the bodies were laid out.

Charles quickly set to work to pry the stone slab away from the sarcophagus, to reveal a small cache of items. Exactly what Farouk had been looking for.

Gold glinted off of the collection.

"My love, I will need to see those spells again."

Arsinoe nodded at her... new lover? She didn't quite know what to term him yet. They had not crossed those lines.

As her hands moved to remove her clothing, Charles blushed and turned to face the door and make sure no one else entered the tomb. Arsinoe turned to face him as well so that Farouk could read the spells and offer the chants to the gods.

It was an awkward experience to remain naked in such a location with another man present, even if he was honorable not to try to turn and look.

However, all sense of honor and decency drained away like wine spilled in the dirt.

The sudden gasp of breath from the mummified remains of Ankhmakis drew all of their undivided attention.