Chapter 5

Ramses,

"Are you mocking me, Ramses? Or this is your attempt to humiliate me?"

Annipe, the queen of Egypt, stormed inside the king's study, fuming.

Ramses pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, sighing.

His minsters looked at his sister in surprise, then averted their gaze.

His advisor stood up and bowed respectfully to the angry queen and addressed her.

"I beg your pardon, your highness. The king has an important meeting with his ministers. After he is done, he will attend to you."

The queen sneered at the king's friend and walked toward the king, who was still refusing to acknowledge her.

"This is unacceptable Ramses, I Am The Queen Of Egypt, I am still your sister. I am too a descendant of the gods. I share their blood. How dare you put me on the same level as a common woman? She is the low of the lowest. How dare you compare her status to mine?"

The pharaoh rose up abruptly and stood to his full height.

"The one who forgot his status must be you Annipe to barge in like this and address me with my bare name. Your status is nothing compared to mine and in this palace, you are nothing but a female. A female who isn't capable of giving me an heir. SO spare me all this nonsense and heed my first and last warning. Remember who am I and how replaceable you are."

The king's roaring voice echoed throughout the stone walls even the ministers flinched away.

At this moment, he didn't look human. His eyes shone with rage and his body grow wider. He seemed different.

But again, the queen was blinded by anger to see any of these changes.

Someone approached the couple and bowed their head.

"Forgive my intrusion, your highnesses but yesterday I had a vision even though I shouldn't call it that. It was much more. It was a blessed visit from the great Ra himself."

Ramses turned to his right to snarl at the woman who dared to interrupt him, but he scowled when he saw the high priestess, accompanied by another female.

A woman who wore heavy eye makeup and red robes bowed to the glaring king.

She then smirked at the queen before addressing everyone in the room.

"As I was saying, your highnesses and dear lords, I had a vision. The great God told me that this royal blood was cursed and needed to be cleansed. This all started when the late king was betrayed by his own flesh and blood and then died after. You shall not conceive, my queen, not until another blood nurtured the first seed."

Ramses looked at his friend, then the high priestess, in confusion.

"What does that supposed to mean? And who is this woman?"

Everyone in the study shook their heads and looked at each other. Still, no one answered the king's question.

"Let me introduce her, my king. This is Heqet. She is a wanderer who was blessed by the gods. So they show her things when needed. She is a seer."

The queen laughed humorlessly after this brief introduction. To her, this was another ploy.

"So the great god told you that the king needs to slum it with some filth so I can get pregnant? Do you take me for a fool woman?!"

The seer smiled at the queen's outburst and then faced the king. Her voice was serious even though it was melodic and sweet.

"Then it is settled, my pharaoh. The next queen shall be that girl whose eyes are as green as emerald and hair as gold as sun rays. The god never told me the next wife's name, but he said the queen will name her to me."

Ramses couldn't help it and burst out laughing. This was an odd turn of events.

This morning he was considering letting the girl go, but it seems it wasn't his choice from the start.

One of the ministers charged at the strange woman and almost hit her, if not for the king's icy glare.

"This is ridiculous. What you are saying is that our daughters have no chance in front of this street girl?"

The man's face turned red as his anger rose. He was angry because what this woman is saying was robbing his chance to hold more power.

"King Ramses, you can't actually consider this. When we suggested this small event, we knew that you will be fair and just, but this isn't acceptable."

The king almost groaned in annoyance, but he restrained himself as he walked back to his chair.

"This doesn't mean anything at all, minister. This thing will be done as I stated that day and all the girls will have equal chances. After all, this thing only started for the good of Egypt and securing an heir to its throne."

He said, smirking at his wife. This was his chance to rile her up further. He had never thought that she would care that much.

"You might be right, my king. Still, I have my royal pride and for this humiliation, you will pay in heaps, mark my words, my dearest pharaoh."

And with that, the queen stormed out, leaving the men gaping at her retreating figure.

Ramses chuckled loudly for the first time in months. This entire ordeal was so amusing to him.

"Please leave. I need to be alone for the time being."

His visitors took their leave and Ramses sighed tiredly. He needed to leave the palace for a while. Because this was stressing him in addition to Egypt's matters.

He opened his eyes slowly when he heard the seer's jewelry jiggle as she moved toward him.

"What are you still doing here, female? I asked all of you to leave."

The woman said nothing as she crouched at the king's feet. Then she kissed them, making him flinch.

"The great god asked me to tell you to be strong, my lord. And to have an open mind, the most precious gem is buried in dirt and mud with some love and care, it shines the brightest. Fear nothing, beware of everything and be alert to everyone's motives. Don't even trust the gods because this girl has caught one's attention. This girl will bring death as well as flourish and prosper. She is the sweet poison that will end your suffering and life."

The woman kissed his feet again and left him to his worry. What in the gods name did she mean?

He stood up and tried to search for the only man he trusts. He sped his pace when he saw him talking to Omari.

"Your highness, why do you look troubled?"

Babu asked his king when he saw his flushed face and dark features.

"Where is your daughter at the moment?"

The man scowled at the king's question, but he answered it nonetheless.

"Heba is back home, my king. She cut her hunting trip short when she heard that I wasn't feeling well."

The king nodded his head and walked in front of the two men, who followed him silently as he headed to the east wing where the girls resided for now.

He stopped when he reached the small garden because there he had found what he was looking for.

The girl, whose name is Akila, was sitting on the ground beside a small bed of red roses while the other six girls were laughing and chatting.

"What do you think of her, Babu?"

The man gazed at the girl in question intently with a firm mouth and narrowed eyes.

Ramses knew what he saw: old faded clothes, a dirty face, and vivid green eyes.

The girl insisted on wearing her clothes so far and still smudged her face with dirt. She looked the same as that day.

"She looks like a rough emerald that will shine when polished. All it needs is some love and care."

Ramses gasped silently and stumbled backward after hearing his father figure say those words.

They were almost the same words that the seer had told him.

"I want you to be her guardian, Babu. I want Heba to be with her all the time. She has no one here, no noble blood, no prominent title or name. I want you to be her sponsor and give her the protection that your family name offered."

The man's eyes widened at his king's words. What he was asking him was to adopt this low-born girl and basically make her worthy of being a second queen.

"I take it that you have chosen my king!"

Ramses gave them his back as he stared at the girl that was looking at him with hatred written in her eyes.

"To be honest with you second father, I'm not sure yet."

He said faintly and Babu's heart gave a lurch. It always did when the king called him that in private.

"I will obey your commands, your highness. And even though I'm not like the other nobles and even though my name holds no power because I'm not Egyptian, I will do my best to follow your orders."

The king swallowed harshly and willed his voice not to crack when he spoke.

"Thank you, second father. I only trust you, and I think you will protect this girl after I have doomed her."