The Princess Of Egypt

20. Home Truths

After an extemely difficult today, Anai went to bed, praying that Moses curse would be gone by the next morning.
Unfortunatetly when she got up she found that her body was still covered in boils. However, they were smaller and a lot less painful than the day before.
There were still a small number of flies in the city, and the itching in Anai's hair let her know that the lice were still hanging about. But there were nowhere near as many insects as there had been on the days when they had first arrived.
The Nile was still a river of blood, so everyone was avoiding going near it, which restricted movement. It also meant that all water had to come from wells, since there was no water in the Nile anymore, just thick, red blood.

Due to all the devastation that had happened, Anai decided to go against Rameses orders and speak to Moses. She had also heard that her mother wanted to talk to Moses as well, so she decided to set up a meeting.
Anai managed to get word to him through several of her contacts, and even though she wasn't sure if he would actually turn up, she was hopeful that he would, and that she would be able to sort out the mess her brothers had caused.
Even though she still felt ill, she knew that she had to leave her room, as she had arranged to meet Moses downstairs on the steps of the palace.

The streets of Egypt were quiet as Rameses had instructed everyone to stay in there homes. Which is why Anai saw Moses coming from quite far away.
"I wasn't sure if you'd actually turn up" admitted Anai cooly, when Moses reached her.
Moses went to hug her, but stopped when he saw the angry look on her face.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you had been infected" he apologised.

"Well, now you know... We'd better get inside in case someone sees you" admitted Anai, as she gestured for him to follow her inside.
"What's it been like for you here?" Asked Moses.
"Horrible. But I guess you wouldn't know that, since it's only Egyptians who are being affected by what you are doing, and not Hebrews. It's quite obvious that you don't care about what happens to us anymore".

"This isn't what I wanted" insisted Moses.
"Then stop. Because I don't think there is anything you can do to change Rameses mind. All you are doing is making his heart harder" admitted Anai.
"I can't stop. Not until my people are free" replied Moses.
"Then you are going to be waiting quite a while"
"I wouldn't be so sure. God has a lot more in store"
"Oh goody, I can't wait to see what happens next"
"Anai, despite everything that God is doing in my name, my feelings for you are the same. You are my sister, and I care about you. Which is why it kills me to watch you get hurt in the middle of it all".

"Yeah, well if you really cared about me, then you would've spoken to your God and asked him to exclude me from his curses. But you didn't" said Anai.
"I couldn't say that to him, he's a God" gasped Moses.
"You could've at least asked, but you didn't" replied Anai.
"Well if you had convinced Rameses to free the Hebrews by now, then none of this would have happened"
"What do you think I've been doing every day since you turned the Nile into blood? I've been fighting for you, but nothing I say to Rameses has had any affect. He doesn't want to be the weak link in the chain, and give in to you".

It wasn't long before the two of them had reached the old pharaoh's chambers, where the queen mother lived.
"Mother hasn't left this room since father's death. She's not all that well mentaly, so try not to say anything that will upset her" warned Anai.
"Are you not coming in with me?" Questioned Moses.
"No, I don't want to overwhelm her, by having two of us in there at once. Besides, I think it will be best if you talk to her alone. But if I think she's getting too aggitated, I will intervene" replied Anai.
She then knocked on the door, before pushing it open, and encouraging Moses to go inside.

"Moses, you came" said Tuya weakly, as Moses made his way over to her, while Anai listened from the other side of the door, which she had left slightly adjar once Moses had entered the room.
"Of course I will come if my mother summons me" replied Moses affectionately.
"You came back?" Questioned Tuya.
"I came home"
"Moses, promise me that you'll make peace with your brother. Promise me"
"I- I can't promise you that mother".

"I gave you a home, my son. Not just me, so many people loved and cared for you while you were here. Our love for you was so strong. And now you've come home to us. But to those who loved you, you do us all such wrong. You are hurting all of us with this... And it breaks my heart to ask you, did you hate us all along?" Asked Tuya, who began to cry.
"No! I- I" but Moses didn't seem to know what to say, as he had no comforting or reassuring words to offer his mother.
Anai didn't want to distress her mother any further, so she marched into the room and pulled Moses out.
"Perhaps that wasn't such a good idea" she sighed as closed her mothers door, and began to walk back through the palace.
"It was hard seeing her like that" admitted Moses quietly.

"That was hard? Me and Rameses have been facing that and worse for years. We had to bury our father without you when I was just 14. And Rameses had to bury his wife and raise their son alone. Rameses had to become the king of Egypt when he was 17. And I was forced into a life of servitude to the gods. So don't even talk to me about hard!" Preached Anai.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here. I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye. And I'm sorry that I'm the one who was chosen to free my people. But I can't change any of those things" admitted Moses.
"You can. You can stop. Or make a deal with Rameses that benefits you both"
"I can never make a deal with Rameses, not after he broke the last one. I'm not the bad guy here. This is Rameses fault. If he had freed the slaves like he promised, then none of this would've happened".

"This is not his fault. You didn't really give a choice. He couldn't have freed the slaves, like you asked, even if he'd wanted to. He would've needed support from the priests and lords, which he wouldn't have got. Rameses may be the pharaoh, but he doesn't possess as much power as you think" admitted Anai.
"He still broke his word, and he has refused to free the Hebrews, every day since then... What happens next is on him, not me" Moses said quietly.
"What comes next?" Asked Anai nervously.
"You'll find out soon" sighed Moses, as he walked out of the palace, leaving Anai alone to worry about what was coming next.