18 Sarcophagus

"My name is Azar, Princess." He said taking a step forward bowing his head to the little princess.

"B-but how haven't I seen you before?" she thought long and hard, but she still doesn't have any memory of seeing this face before.

"He is still under training Princess. He will complete his training once we go back." Jaffar said eying Azar. He could swear that he felt resentment in those eyes.

"Well anyway," Tari shrugged, "welcome to the family!"

"Yah! Tari let's go!" Min Jun called out from behind her. They were all ready to start another adventure today in the city with no distention.

"I've to go now." She waved the two older men a goodbye before dashing over to her friends that were on the wait for her.

"She is cute." Azar said with a soft smile, it was the first time for him to see the Princess and he could see the strong resemblances between her and the Pharaoh.

Same midnight black hair and the beautifully brown-tanned skin. He wondered from whom she got her silver colored eyes. Maybe her mother? He thought. Where is she? He didn't even hear a hint of her being mentioned.

"Captain, where is the Queen?" he asked rubbing his chin between his fingers.

Jaffar was silent. Well, he was always silent, but this was the awkward kind of silent. The one that sends chills down your whole body.

"She is no longer around." Jaffar said not sparing Azar even a glimpse.

"O-oh," Azar stuttered, "how though?" he couldn't help the curiosity that was hitting him head on.

"If the Pharaoh wishes for you to know, he will tell you himself." He said coldly. Yet again, he was always cold.

Azar only hummed in response. Looks like this is sensitive matter he said in the back of his mind. He sensed that it was better for him to stay quiet, the aura that was radiating from his Captain was a killer's aura.

He wanted to keep his head.

Especially their little talk from earlier this morning after Jaffar came out of the Pharaoh's chambers.

"His Holiness wishes to keep your identity a secret." Jaffar said after he shut the door behind him with the same blank expression that showed no sign of life whatsoever.

"Already embarrassed of me, hmm." Azar sighed tangling his fingers behind his head.

"I don't know what motives you've behind this but," he paused in his pace, "if it's the Pharaoh's wishes that you serve him, I won't object."

"Huh?" Azar scoffed. "What motives?"

Jaffar didn't look at him ones, let alone give him an answer. He shrugged it off, not wanting to keep this conversation going any longer. It was suffocating.

"I don't trust you."

Oh, would you please stop doing that! Azar yelled internally. He hated how one man can make him tremble from one sentence. That was the effect Jaffar had on his allies.

He didn't even want to imagine how he would be with his enemies. The thought alone makes him shiver.

"W-what?" Azar said when he noticed that he was talking to himself this whole time. It's most probably a bad idea to keep that man waiting.

"I've no knowledge on why His Holiness accepted you so you will have to earn my trust." He said making it sound almost as a challenge to Azar.

"I'll work hard to gain your trust sir Captain!" Azar straightened his back involuntarily. His honey eyes glowed showing that he accepted the challenge but of course, Jaffar didn't even look at him…

Now here he was walking past the princess after that killer of a conversation.

Jaffar might seem cold-hearted but it was the opposite. His loyalty and passion towards the Pharaoh are the reason why he was acting this way. He doesn't want anything to mess with his king. Who wouldn't want to do that for king?

He was his oldest knight. Even before he took the throne. He has always been there, he saw everything. He witnessed everything, the happiness that Akhenaton felt when he was just a prince, the pain that he felt not long after that.

Poor boy his happiness never lasted he always told himself whenever he would recall the past.

The memory of him walking behind his king in Cleopatra's funeral is something he would never forget. The dullness that he saw over Aton's face, his eyes were out of focus. His mind was clearly not present.

He was an empty vessel.

Akhenaton was literally dragged out of his room that day. He wasn't resisting no, he was unmoving.

"Pharaoh, we should send her off. I'm sure that's what she would want you to do." Jaffar said as he stood next to door. Akhenaton sitting in the chair beside the window, eyes blank empty after all the tears that were shed.

"She always liked to sit here Jaffar because it overlooked the whole city. She always liked bright places." He said voice so weak yet so firm. "How can I just let her go to that dark place which he hates?"

"Pharaoh, if she is not sent off her soul will forever be wandering." Jaffar said making his voice as gentle as possible, he was breaking inside too.

He did not reply but turned his head to look back through the window. Jaffar took careful steps towards him as if he was a child. He kneeled in front of him making Akhenaton turn to look at him.

"Please Aton."

That name that he used to call him with all the time. The name that she gave him.

As he heard that name, a lone tear fell down his cheeks all the way to his jaw followed by countless tears after that.

"Go give her your last goodbyes. She will forever be in our hearts." Jaffar pulled Aton's head to his shoulder, letting him weep in mourning over his shoulders.

The screams could be heard all over the palace. The whole palace was crying in grieve.

After Jaffar helped him get ready for the funeral they headed out. Aton was leading the crowd of royals that gathered to attend the funeral.

Behind him was his wife's sarcophagus carried by 4 Royal Guards, Jaffar among them. His eyes watching his Pharaoh as he staggered his way through out the way.

Nefertari was being carried by one of the maids, she was crying. Her cries were silenced by the howl of the horns being blown by the guards on either side of the gate leading to valley of Queens where she will forever rest.

The crowd stopped at the gate allowing only the guards and Aton to pass. Walking through a narrow hallway curved inside earth till they reached the serdab that Cleopatra's sarcophagus was going to lie.

"Leave." Aton said for the first time since he left his room.

Jaffar gestured for the men to leave. He took one last look behind him to see Akhenaton running his hands delicately over the sarcophagus before slowly falling to his knees. And with that he left after his men, hearing the faint sobs and sniffs echo through the narrow hallway.

"You will forever be in my heart." He whispered in the dimly lit chamber.

"I'll draw your image in our little girl's mind." He said, "You didn't get your portrait done yet." He could no longer shed more tears. He didn���t know how long he has been there anymore.

"I doubt that I need a portrait anyway. Because there is no way that I could forget you." Her image came crashing down on him, those winter gray eyes and tinted lips smiling at him for as long as he can remember.

"As I promised you before…" he stopped running his finger on his face, tears. Despite all the tears he let out, somehow more came out.

"I'll protect our little girl."

"I'll live for her."