NEFRET

vii. {ba}

1280 B.C.

19th Dynasty

Waset, Egypt

********************************************

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..."