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The Cursed Mirror | DontxBlinkk et Kathria

Kathria

Kathria

Super-Earth
Joined
Oct 24, 2012
Every year her college went on the same field trip to the same place in Egypt to the same museums. It was the most boring trip of the year, yet Annette always found the trips exciting. It enticed her, the museums they had filled with the old pharaohs and their things. This museum that they came to every year had a new exhibit of a unnamed pharaoh that had been discovered in the sands with his things. Annette was the first one out of the bus and running with the stairs into the museum. She had seen everything in these halls, time and time again and now there was something new to look at that she couldn't wait for.

"Annette slow down you hopping bunny of energy!" Her gay friend Star had called to her. Annette paused at the top stairs of the museum looking down at the dyke and smiled as she took her long red hair and began to braid it before pinning it up. She straightened her pale teal top and fixed the belt around her pants that held them up. Annette bent down to swat the sand off her combat boots as Star finally met her at the top of the stairs. Star weaved her arms through one of Annette's small pale one as they busted through the museum doors. "Ah don't you just love the smell of the undead Annette? Of course you do...I can see that twinkle in your eyes." Annette rolled her eyes.

It took then a couple minutes to go through the museum until they finally were at the new display. Usually there was guide to tell them more about the display, but there was nothing really special about the glass case. Star took one look at the case, huffed and pulled away from Annette before going to the other exhibits. No one really seemed interested in the case but Annette wanted a closer look. There were two cases in the middle of the room. One with the sarcophagus of the pharaoh and the other with the things they had found, or at least some of them, in a standing up glass case. There seemed to be a few things for a woman looked in the case, hair pins, jewelry someone of that time might wear, and a mirror. "None of these things look like things a pharaoh would have.." Annette muttered to herself as she examined the mirror closer. She crouched down, crossing her arms over her chest. The mirror looked brand new, and it glistened as she glimpsed inside of it. There were jewels embedded into the mirror, gold spun around the handle and Annette placed her hands against the glass case. She wanted to touch the mirror, to examine it and see if maybe a name had been inscribed on the back. Instead the mirror shinned and rippled and Annette's brows furrowed in curiosity. She pressed her face closer to the glass as the case started to shake. "Hey Star! You have to come look at this!" As she got to her feet the room started to shake and it was like Annette had been drugged as she tried to move, the room was spinning around her and before she could even think to yell for someone again she had hit the ground.

The noises came first to her ears, but there was only black on the back of her eyelids. Annette rolled on her back. Maybe Star had heard her calling for her and came into the room, but the ground felt funny. Was she...on sand? She moved her fingers around, pushing the sand around her fingers hit something metal before she slowly began to open her eyes. She saw the sky first before she heard the native tongue of the land being shouted out amongst the streets. Annette sat up roughly, her hands grasping whatever they had found in the sand. She picked it up clutching it to her chest as she pushed her back against the wall of a building. She was in an alleyway..but it was like she was on set for a movie. Was she dreaming? Was someone playing a bad joke on her? Annette looked down in her hands at the item she clutched..it was the mirror in the case and it was glistening at her. "How the...what the fuck is going on?" Annette almost screamed.
 
The streets were bustling in the large Egyptian city. Then again, there was rarely a slow moment in the busy river port. Business, visitors, mothers and their children walked the sandy roads, negotiating and buying up whatever items they needed to make their lives complete. It was clear that this city was at the top of the economy and more importantly the top of the chain of command. If the amount of people didn't give it away, the large statues of a pharaoh would have, especially for a woman like Annette. No one seemed to notice her at first; after all an alley wasn't the first place people would look. Business around her continued as usual until one of the young children came up behind her.

His young form froze as his eyes landed on her, taking in the shocking clothes and her rare appearance. He didn't stay silent for long. With a loud cry, the boy alerted the citizens outside, startling them within seconds of his words. Several people seemed to dart away from the call and the open passage, attentions turning with curious looks. The boy whipped around Annette, nearly knocking her over once again and onto the ground, as he reentered the busy path, still calling out in shock a mix of words that no one could truly understand. But it was clear something important, and possibly dangerous, was going on.

The mystery was soon discovered thanks to the help of the city guards. Without giving Annette a chance to respond, the pale woman was dragged out of the alley with a sharp, harsh voice filling the space around her, demanding several things at once from the poor woman. "Who are you?" the dark-skinned man demanded. He wasn't about to put up with her being around without knowing important information from her. And the questions only continued. "You! Where did you come from? How did you get here?" Another question was about to come when there was a sudden stop, followed quickly by a sharp call.

"My father's mirror!" the boy stated, pointing towards the item gripped tightly in the red head's hands. "Thief! She's a thief!"

'Thief' wasn't a word the guards enjoyed hearing. The taller of the two wasted no time in tossing Annette to the sandy ground before he and his fellow guard both removed long, curved daggers from the leather sleeves behind their backs. "You have stolen from the gods," the second man informed her, not waiting to hear another answer or allowing her to reason with them. "Accept your punishment. Prince Osaze?"

The raven haired boy gave the guard a nod, silently instructing him to continue on with what needed to be done, barely giving the woman a chance to argue or attempt to explain herself. Only a slight moment of hesitation from one of the guards gave her the opportunity to do so.
 
Annette's blood ran cold when she heard the little boy's screams. Her head turned slowly to face the boy and the people that stopped in the middle of the streets to stare at her. She examined their attire, the way some of them were half naked from the hot sun and some carried baskets on their head for trade. Obviously, this wasn't home..but all Annette's brain could manage to click into place was that she was sleeping and she needed to wake up.

The guards came before Annette could even think to speak, she could understand the boy until he started screaming gibberish and ran away before nearly knocking her back over. Annette held tightly onto the mirror as they appeared, the two guards and picked her up. She squirmed, kicked and pulled back trying to get out of their grasp as they tugged her out of the alleyway. Their questions started immediately, but Annette didn't know what to say. "I-..I'm.." But before she could actually form a sentence she was brought out to the street...and more things ensued.

Their was another boy, who pointed to the mirror in Annette's hand before calling her a thief. The mirror was his father's mirror? She really must be dreaming if that was the case...It would make sense after all. She had a dizzy spell while looking at the mirror in the museum and she fell and hit her head, she just hadn't woken up yet. Annette opened her mouth to protest, but the guard shoved her to the sands floor. Her face hit it and it gave her clear view of the statue of the pharaoh. Was this...was this really happening? It was too realistic to be a dream. She rolled on her back to watch the guards unsheathe their nasty looking daggers, but the daggers weren't aged like they were in the exhibits...they were new and sharp, ready to kill. Annette gulped as the man spoke about punishments to the gods for her crimes and she shook her head. She wasn't ready to die. At least not for being a thief when she was not one.

Annette jerked her head back to watch as the boy nodded his head clearly wanting to see her blood stain the sands, she yelled as the knives came down before rolling away. Her grip on the mirror was gone and she released it in the sand before she scrambled to her feet. The guards were slow, they had hesitated and given her time to react, and Annette was taking that time to start running. She pushed through the crowds and with a holler over her shoulder "I'm not a thief!" Annette was off and pushing herself through the market. Her head was dizzy from taking in the whole scenery. Was she really here in Ancient Egypt? Or was this just some really bad realistic dream she could not wake herself up from.
 
No one believed her, but no one was ready to get in her way. Crowds parted a few feet if they realized she was nearby, giving her plenty of space to run and get away from the guards. But as she entered the denser marketplace, it became harder to move and Annette's escape didn't go as well as before. People hadn't heard about the incident nor did they bother to look at her, barely noticing that someone new entered the area. Until they started to notice the colour of her hair... and her skin... and the awkward clothing she had on over her body. While most of their own clothes were not crisp or clean, it was clear they were once white and they certainly didn't cover as much as hers. As she became more apparent, more of the city-dwellers turned to look at her, but never bothered to get out of her way. There was no place for them to go, let alone her.

A firm grasp to her arm pulled her to a halt, only to have a second join her other side. By the size of the hands and the hold on her arms, it was clear a man had grabbed her, pulling the girl tightly against his chest, forcing her to stand against him for a short moment before he let a few inches move in between them. "Shh shh shh," he whispered in her ear before letting her slid away yet still keeping contact with her. The crowd seemed to freeze, waiting as all their eyes fell onto the stranger.

From behind the red head, the voice continued, ignoring the looks he was getting from those around them. The man stood just under six feet with what seemed to be an average build for the modern day. His body was toned from both his natural colour and the daily dose of sunlight everyone in the city seemed to get. His dark, raven black hair had been slicked back with water earlier that morning and was still recovering from the light styling it got from the liquid, which only brought it forward, lightly falling over his eyes. Like so many other men, this one wore just a simple robe, which he had conveniently wrapped around his waist to keep it off his shoulders and out of the way of what he needed to do. But it exposed the light layer of well trained muscles over his body, impressing anyone who dared to look at the prince.

"I'd watch yourself if I were you," he warned, raising his well manicured eyebrows enough to signal that the guards were beginning to catch up. They came to a stop, along with new guards behind them, dropping their gaze for a moment in respect before turning back at the accused thief. "What did you do?" the prince continued, bringing her forward towards the line of men.

"She stole from your father, Prince Sebak," the leader began to explain, holding out the mirror for the man to see. "And escaped her punishment."

The man, Sebak, raised one eyebrow, turning to look at Annette with his chocolate brown eyes. He gave her a long, lingering look over, finally noticing what she was wearing and the woman's true looks. "I don't see her with it," he commented, grabbing her hands to take a good look at her, moving closer than what she may have been used to. "She doesn't look like she is from around here. What area are you from?" His eyes met her before he slowly raised an eyebrow again, judging her with just one look. "Certainly you couldn't be sent from the gods... They would never send a woman like... you."
 
At first, she had thought she had taken the right turn in the direction of the market. Instead, she had found the streets getting more narrow and less people parting to let her through. Some of them barely noticed the small thing running, trying to avoid the guards. It was hard to hide in the crowds when everyone's skin was dark and their hair was black. Her pale skin and red hair made her stick out like a sore thumb and her clothing compared to their own made it so much worse. Annette was slowing down, running out of breath and running out of options to turn. It was apparent she had no idea where she was running and she was running aimlessly into the crowd of people. Then..the hands came.

Her body tensed, and she couldn't scream or look back to see what had grabbed her. Her heart was thundering in her throat and all she could think about was the guards with those nasty looking daggers..daggers she had often spent too long examining in the museums now wanting to slice into her skin. At that thought Annette was squirming, trying to get out of the stranger's hold as he pulled her towards him and then, he tried to sooth? To calm her? Annette's head slowly turned to look at the tanned figure so..well put together in comparison to the people around them. She gulped. Maybe, it wasn't so lucky that he caught her. Not by the way the crowd was staring at him and her.

Annette tilted her chin up when he warned her to watch herself. How was she suppose to watch herself when she knew nothing about where she was going or who was really chasing her? They didn't want to listen to her plead that she wasn't a thief instead they wanted to spill blood. She looked as the guards came their way and Annette tried squirming out of the man's hold banging her fists on his chest. She wanted to run, she knew what they would do if they caught her.

The guards didn't snatch her up from the stranger, instead they bowed their heads. Confusion struck her. If he wasn't a guard, and he wasn't trying to harm her, then who was he? When he asked what she did Annette glared at him. She had done nothing but show up and been confused and people had started to scream at her and accuse her. Instead of replying, angrily she snapped her jaw shut only continuing her glare. The guards answered her question on who the man holding her was and Annette tried to squirm away again. Another prince? No doubt he would place the same judgement his little brother had put on her.

"I didn't steal anything!" Annette finally snapped at the guards angry with their accusations of her. The prince, Sebak looked at her curiously and it made her sick. She was trapped between men and she wanted to scream and punch them all, but instead she listened to his words. She looked at him curiously when he said he had not seen her with the mirror before pulling her hands and presenting it to the guards. Annette growled, angry that he was pulling her around like a puppet. "Let go of me!" The distance he shortened between them made her tense even more. It as awkward and he was a stranger, not even some of her closest friends got this close to her. Eagerly Annette stumbled away from him as best she could. Her eyes resumed glaring when he asked her where she was from and then mentioned the gods could not have sent her. If this really was Ancient Eqypt, America would not have been formed and Annette was almost at a loss of words...almost. "Your worst nightmare." She hissed unable to come up with another answer but an angry one. Putting her on the spot, one brother claiming she was a thief now this one pretending like he had seen nothing and getting all too close to her. "Who says your bloodied Gods haven't sent me? Do you hold the stick that tells them no?"
 
"My nightmare?" he repeated, questioning the girl in front of him as he kept his grip on her wrist. He wasn't about to let her go until this mess was sorted out. Sebak couldn't risk having a true thief running around the city, especially one dressed like she was. His father wouldn't stand for it and just like every other member of the city, Sebek was held to the same rules as them, first son of the pharaoh or not. If he messed up, it was his back that would meet the whip just as quickly as a servant's would have. The only difference was the amount of times he was hit and the treatment he was given afterwards. That was not of importance at that moment though. He had, in his grip, a mysterious woman who was claiming to be from his nightmares. While he could never admit what those fears were, he doubted that anyone could be from them. They were simply to unreal and this woman in front of him seemed quite... well, real. She continued to speak, this time daring to mention their gods in a way that clearly surprised the people around them.

Sebek's hand tightened as he pulled the woman closer to his form once again, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked her over again. "You seem weak," he admitted, beginning to explain the logic behind his reasoning. "Hathor may have favoured you in the past by letting you survive, but my father is not as kind. Your skin is quite pale." Only recently had they found people with lighter tones than that of the typical Egyptian and it was rare. Extremely rare. Annette was nothing like that; her skin was even paler than a fresh sheet of papyrus. Sebek found it impossible, but he was even more curious now that he was speaking his thoughts aloud. His eyes never stopped wandering, trying to take in as much as the woman as he could despite her clothes; they were far more form fitting than he was used to seeing and made from strange fabric and colours he had only seen on the walls of the temples and the jewels in the palace.

Without a word, he took a closer look at the woman's hair, pulling it over her shoulder, letting his fingers run over the texture as he seemed to be admiring the colour. Or debating if she was some sort of witch. It was hard to tell from his face. The others around them had seemed to freeze, all eyes on the prince and his new 'friend'. "Perhaps Bastet sent you?" he questioned. "She is friends with the fire, after all." Red hair, fire was red... it made sense to him. Either way, he took in a deep breath and turned towards the closest guard. "Bring her to the palace." With a forceful push, he sent her towards the man, who quickly caught her, forcing a tighter grip on her arms, refusing to let her get away. "If the gods did send her, our priests would know. We'll bring her before the pharaoh." Again, with no time to waste, the guards were off, allowing Annette a bit of wiggle room to move and speak, but not enough for her to begin to get away.
 
Annette figured her razor tongue would have gotten her into more trouble than gotten her out of it. In all reality, it always did and this was really no other situation..well besides being in an area she was unfamiliar with and being the only person with pale skin. There were no other students around like her, nothing that she could see and why would the Pharaoh's statue be up and new looking? As well as these people were dressed too weird for modern Egypt. Annette was lost in her thoughts as her eyes scanned the crowd hungrily, hoping maybe she could find Star amongst them pointing and laughing at how frightened Annette really was. It would have relieved Annette if Star busted through them hollering a laughing and falling on the ground at Annette's sight. Maybe a few words like "Did you really think you were in Ancient Egypt? Or dreaming?" Would bring Annette to relax.

She gasped and cried a bit in surprise in protest when the 'prince' brought her closer to him. She didn't like being this close to strangers, especially ones that were literally half naked and flattening their figure around like they belonged. Her golden hues glared at him as he stared her up and down. It was something odd to her, he wasn't trying to hide it like most men would around her. He sure must have gotten a good look at her curves through the tight clothes. Her breasts being held down by a sports bra but still revealing how big they were under her top. She had a tiny waist but her hips were large. Normally her attire would not have been as tomboyish, but they had been on a trip to explore and Annette had seen no reason to get dressed up for it.

Annette was pulling on her wrists, trying to make him let go of the small things before he pulled on her hair that had been pinned up in it's braid. She yelped a bit when he pulled out the pins and brought the long braid up to look at it. She watched him carefully as he ran his fingers over her messy braided hair. It was like he had never seen hair like hers. Then again, her hair was extremely red for even modern days, but it was natural. She scrunched her nose which only had a few freckles on it that could be noticed up close as he tried to pin together with which God actually sent her. Was he for serious? Was this really not a dream? He mentioned Bastet, the goddess of fire, cats and pregnant women. Well she definitely wasn't pregnant or a cat, so he believed her to be some kind of fire demi-god that Bastet had sent? Annette was about to answer when Sebak took in a large breath of her flowery scent and made her muscles tense in reaction. Then everything happened fast. The way he turned her towards to the guards and ordered them to take her to the Palace before shoving her forward. Annette was free for a moment, but stumbled easily into the guards grip. She growled at him, angry at how hard his grip was on her arm. Annette was so lost and confused when Sebak mentioned the priests and the Pharaoh. She had to make a move as the guards started moving and tugging her along, but they gave her no room to run away again. They had learned their lesson. "F-Fine! Bastet me! So what of it?" Annette spoke, it was the only thing she could think to say as the guards looked at her and paused a bit. They had been taken back by her words, but it would be the priests who would really judge her...and a Pharaoh if she really had gone back to Ancient Egypt.
 
The prince stopped and turned back to the woman, giving her one more look over. "Then my priests would truly enjoy seeing you." He wasn't going to let her go that easily. The guard loosened his grip on Annette but instead was making sure she didn't get lost in the crowd while they started back to the large palace located quite close to the grand Nile river. Word began to spread around the city of the strangers arrival and groups of people began to gather at the roadsides, doing everything they could to see the woman as she passed with the guards and their eldest prince.

It didn't take but a few minutes to get to the large home. Lined with white marble pillars made by the greatest craftsmen in the trade, it was clear who lived there. As the group approached, the sound of the sandals began to echo through the open halls. Guards lined the opening, staring ahead of them like tanned statues. For any fan of Egypt, this was a true blessing; if they could believe it. The group lead Annette deeper into the palace, past large, extravagant hieroglyphs and artistic descriptions of those who lived there in the past. Several were the exact pieces that were in the same museum Annette had just come from. Portraits of the gods and goddesses were decorating the walls leading the way towards the large room used for several reasons, from a throne room to a dining hall for large, important parties. It was, in a word, stunning.

Outside of the door stood two guards, ready to open the entry way into the sparkling room. Sebek continued inside, not bothering to glance back at the men behind him or the woman they were presenting to the pharaoh. At the head of the room sat a man in a large backed chair which matched the stone of the rest of the room. He was dressed in a traditional outfit for a powerful pharaoh with several women surrounding him on either side of the chair. Two women seemed to have taken the head positions; one was obviously his queen while the other looked to be her handmaid. Both were proud of their positions and made it apparent to those around them. Somewhere during the walk, the young boy from the streets had joined them and dashed to the side of his older brother, making sure to tug on his arm enough to get his attention.

"Not now, Osaze," the man demanded, nudging him away in a brother-like fashion. "Go to your mother." The young man's eyes narrowed before he looked back at their female guest and ran up the stairs to the queen of the Nile. Once they came to the foot of the steps, Sebek dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "Great pharaoh of the Nile," he began, giving the guards time to drop to their knees and pull Annette down, if it was needed. Finally the prince raised his head. "Bastet has sent us a gift. A woman with hair the colour of the brightest fire from a land far beyond."

The pharaoh lifted his head from his balled fist, raising an eyebrow. "A gift?" His eyes began to search over what he could see of Annette. This man fit no description of any pharaoh that had been found yet. But several of the items he wore matched exactly what the red head had just left. The lost pharaoh Yahya sat ahead of the woman, living and breathing just as she was. She certainly was in Ancient Egypt. There was no denying it.
 
Expecting to be treated better after shouting Bastet had sent her should have been the least of her concerns. In all honesty she had expected them to treat her better, not like a prisoner. Instead they only loosened their grip, but that was when they got closer to the crowds and were pushing through them. After all, Annette was not that tall. She only stood at 5'2 with her shoes off and the boots only added an inch or two to her height. It was nothing extraordinary like heels might have done for her. Then again she was thankful she was wearing boots when she had been running. Running in heels was easy, but running in heels in sand? She would have fallen flat on her face before she had even started to run away. Annette had expected the prince to run along ahead or finish what he was doing. Instead he had decided to stick close, to go with them to present her himself.

Her golden hues rested behind long thick black eyelashes and she scanned the Palace as they got closer to it. Her long red braided hair, now pulled down from it's pin, reached a little past her butt and swayed as she moved along with the guards. She looked at all the people staring at her, muttering and pointing at her hair and skin. Annette wanted to run, but she couldn't get out of their grasps. There were guards behind her, just making sure if she did get loose she could not run too far from them. Still, it surprised her that a little thing like her had out ran them. At least until the prince had picked her up and caught her. She was cursing in her head. If he had not caught her she probably could have hide and gotten away and then figured out what was happening...and why that mirror had been in her hand when she woke up.

Annette's eyes fell on the hieroglyphs on the walls that she had seen only moments before in the museum. Her lips parted in wonder. She knew those stones from years of going to the museum, but not they were on the walls and not in glass cases and broken. They stood on the walls as though they had been just recently repainted for the palace and this caused Annette to gulp. Things only seemed to get worse from there. She was being taken towards the guards that stood in front of large doors. Easily they pushed them aside for the prince, the guards and her to pass through. Annette's eyes really got the scene then and she was awestruck by the sight of the pharaoh.

Her golden hues paid attention to the prince as he pushed his little brother away. Only to see his brother huff as they got closer to the throne. There sat the Pharaoh with the many women surrounding him. She could only depict two of the women who looked the happiest about their position. One more well dressed than the other had to be the queen and the other had to be her servant. The jewelry that adorned the pharaoh's neck made Annette gulp. Only a few seconds ago she had seen those in a glass case with the mirror next to a sarcophagus and now here they were around his neck brand new and unharmed.

Annette had not realized how lost she had been in taking all of this in until Sebak was bowing before his father and the guards pulled her on her knees to bow before him. She huffed not pleased, but bowed her head anyways. There was no more denying it. This was ancient egypt, and that was the unnamed pharaoh before her in real life. The only questions were. How did she get here? How does she get back to modern time? Annette's thoughts were cut short as she listened to the prince announce who she was before the pharaoh dismissed it as a joke. He looked at her as though this was some form of mockery, or at least that was how she took it. He didn't believe her, or he probably wanted proof. Her hair was the only thing that gave her any proof. She did not have special powers like their gods, and there was nothing extremely out of the ordinary she could do here. Annette closed her jaw, knowing it was better not to speak and let the two of them handle it. She knew all too well what happened if someone got out of line and now she was stuck in the past fearing even more for her life than before. What was the pharaoh going to proclaim? What would he do with her? Annette tried her best not to think about it.
 
"Osaze found her in an alley way," the prince began to explain, continuing on about what had happened up to the point that they came into the palace to meet with the leader. The whole time, the leader was shifting from one arm of the chair to the other, resting his chin or cheek on his fist while he listened. His attention didn't seem to waver from the moment his son began speaking. With a soft, thoughtful hum, the pharaoh sat forward, allowing his eyes to trail over the woman once again.

"You, the so called gift," he began, waving his hand out to signal the woman closer. "Come here."

Two of the guards beside her raised themselves up from the ground, ready to pull Annette up if she didn't move on her own. When the pharaoh spoke, everybody listened and did just as he said. There was no debating or arguing. It was impossible for anyone to not want to follow the man's lead anyway. The pharaoh was charismatic, when he needed to be, and many of the people followed his lead without hesitation. And if Annette was truly a gift from the heavens, she would know that from the very beginning. There would be no doubt in her mind who was in charge. This was partly a test for her to see if the story was true. Even a pharaoh could challenge a god when he felt it was right. They were, after all, hand picked by them.

"Father," the younger prince began. "She stole our mirror... I saw her with it in the streets."

Instantly, the man's expression changed. "You are a thief?" he questioned, standing up from his throne. "Is that true?"
 
Annette listened quietly as they spoke to one another. Sebak telling his father on how his little brother had found her. She wondered if for a moment they might listen to her, or question her without end. She had read too much in their old ways of torturing and Annette did not want to experience them first hand. It seemed like the pharaoh was taking this all in, every last word to be exact, but he wanted more than just words he wanted a closer look.

She knew better than to fight when the guards jumped to their feet. Annette rose as they held onto her arms giving her no way to run. They strolled forward almost dragging Annette behind and up the stairs closer to the pharaoh. Annette stiffened as she was so close to the pharaoh. There was no mistaking that this was real. That he was real. That anything she said would be very real to them. It was only then that the little boy chimed in about how she had his mirror earlier and Annette froze. How could she explain that to them? Surely she had not had the only mirror in her possession? Maybe he would find that there were two of them...or maybe she had the only mirror in her possession and now they thought her a thief.

Annette watched the hard line's in the pharaoh's face go from amused to anger. She gulped as he asked if she was a thief and Annette shook her head. "I can't tell you how I got it..I just know I woke up and it was beside me." Annette admitted. Maybe telling the truth would get her somewhere with these people. After all, she was not the best at lying. "I don't know how it got there but I know I did not steal it!" Still the little prince seemed unsatisfied with her words and his brows furrowed. She wondered if the pharaoh might still call her a thief even if she had just told him the truth. "Does it really look like I could come into your palace unnoticed and steal a mirror? Then suddenly be outside with it on the streets?" Annette asked the pharaoh. Her hair would have given her away, or her skin if she really was a thief. There was no way she could slip in and out of the palace unseen.
 
The pharaoh's expression barely changed. Anger had been etched into his features and even her words couldn't begin to change what he thought about the situation. As she spoke, he lifted a hand and waved the first two fingers towards a doorway, sending a nearby guard through it for several moments, giving Annette enough time to speak. He knew straight out that his younger son didn't trust the woman while his eldest was curious. She would have been killed on the spot if he wasn't interested in finding out more. As for the king himself, he was willing to listen, in case she was sent from the gods above. Folding his hands behind his back he waited for the final explanation before bothering to speak. His thin sandals hit the stone with each slow, thoughtful step.

"If what you say is true... then I can not hold you here." Sebak made a sound to speak, but it was quickly silenced by his father's hand. The man turned his gaze onto his son as he continued on. "If my guards find though that you have stolen from me, your punishment will be--"

The guard returned to the room, calling the pharaoh's attention to the side as his words ended in an instant. "It's missing," the guard informed him. There was a moment of silence before the pharaoh wheeled onto Annette. "Thief!" he cried, sending a pulse of burning rage outwards from his throne. The women around him seemed to back away all at once, followed quickly by Osaze.

Sebak jumped to his feet, not waiting another minute. "Call the priests!" he called, doing what he could to calm his father down.

"There is no time for that!" The palace guards grabbed the woman once again, tossing her onto the stone ground while they made sure to keep her in one spot. "You have stolen from the pharaoh of the Nile. For that, your death will be swift. I demand to know the location of what you have stolen from me. Each and every item."

"But what if she is from the gods," the prince continued, approaching the scene cautiously, daring to speak over the king. "Give the priests a chance before you feed her to Khnum! The river is upset as it is, another sacrifice will not help control her or Khnum's wrath."

Yahya paused for a moment. His son knew exactly where to poke and prod to make him stop. His eyes turned to the man before narrowing once again, debating inside of his mind of the proper steps to take.
 
Annette could see the fear etching in every line of the Pharaoh's face. She gulped, noticing that the Pharaoh barely listened to anything she really said. He had waited patiently for her to finish explaining what had happened, but seemed more intent with seeing if she was telling the truth. How could he? She had not known if she had the only mirror or if it was another mirror and now he was threatening her life if he found his property missing. She wished she was at home, watching this as a movie, not actually being a part of it.

"I swear I didn't steal it." Annette had insisted furrowing her brows as the guard had come back to cut off the Pharaoh informing him that the mirror was definitely missing. The Pharaoh's anger really soared high then and Annette could see it to it's full extent. The women around him stepped back along with the little boy that had accused her and Sebak just stood there demanding for the priests.

Annette yelped when her back was thrown onto the ground. The guards held her in place waiting for the final decision of the Pharaoh as he spoke demanding things Annette could not tell him of. "I didn't steal anything from you! I told you it was there when I woke up! If I was really a thief do you think I would just drop my prize to get away when no one will listen to me?" Annette was almost screaming, she was shaking she was so scared and angry. They had just right out accused her of stealing and she had dropped the mirror hoping they would leave her alone. One of the guards chin tightened as he looked down at her. "I don't have the mirror! One of your guards should have seen me leave it the first time they tried to kill me! I don't want your things!" The guard slammed her head lightly against the ground trying to make Annette silent for a moment. It did cause silence from her and a ringing in her head ear as she glared at the guard who seemed displeased with Annette's words.

The words Sebak spoke went into one of her ears and barely went through the other allowing her to hear what they were speaking about. The nile, a goddess and her wrath. So they thought they had upset someone and now wondered if feeding her to the Nile would upset the goddess more. The prince was still insisting she saw the priests and the Pharaoh seemed to pause at his son's prodding. Annette was at least thankful for that, but what if the priests denied her existence? Then how would she explain herself. It was then that another guard busted through the entrance doors to the throne room. Bowing his head and coming forward to the Pharaoh. It had been one of the guards the young prince had told to execute her and now he strolled forward looking down at her before going up the steps to the Pharaoh with something in his hands. He presented it to the Pharaoh. It was the mirror she had been holding before and it seemed the guard had retrieved it. "Mighty Pharaoh, we found this in the sands when the woman fled." Annette wondered if that would make her look less like a thief, probably not with the way things were going. The guard presented the mirror with the backside up, showing that something had been etched into it. It was still hieroglyphs, but definitely not ones the Pharaoh might notice and it had a name in it. The name on the back wasn't an egyptian name, but Annette's name instead. At least Annette would have her answer as to what had been on the back of the mirror in the museum, but it wouldn't be the answer she would have thought.

The guard looked over at Annette who was pinned down to the floor. He was silent for a moment before looking at the Pharaoh. He seemed curious as well. After all, how would Annette have enough time to put her name on a mirror she had just stolen?
 
The pharaoh took the mirror, gripping it tightly as he looked it over, eyes narrowing further, staring harshly at the name scribbled on the back. "Explain this," he demanded, approaching Annette. One of the guards lifted her shoulder, forcing her to her knees to face the pharaoh properly. "You have done quite a deed for a girl of your size." He looked her over but refused to give her any sort of clue as to what he was choosing to do with her. The guards knew better; he was preparing to give his final conclusion. Death was in her near future. But the king held still, his eyes lingering over the girl held in front of him. "And that quickly. I'm amazed," he added, almost sarcastically.

{Ugh sorry small post. I'd like to bring the priests next, but Annette gets a chance to answer first. And if you feel like it, you can be one of them.}}
 
((I'll leave that part to you lol. I just figured the mirror part would be a good twist :p ))

Annette was completely confused as to what was going on as the Pharaoh returned to being angry. He seemed to grab the handle of the mirror before approaching her and the guards forced her on her knees. Everyone else was silent as Annette rose her hands up and shook her head as she got sight of her name on the mirror. It wasn't her handwriting, she knew that much. She had done hieroglyphs before and that definitely was not her scroll. "That's not my handwriting. I swear I didn't do it!" Annette cried shaking her head at the Pharaoh but in a way she knew he would not believe her, in a way she knew he just wanted her dead. She was telling the truth afterall. She had not taken the mirror, she had not written her name on it, but there the mirror had been in her position and there her name was on in. "You have to believe me! I'm telling the truth!"

((Annndd a short reply to your short reply lol!))
 
The doors to the room broke open to expose two shuffling bodies. One was tall, lanky and elderly while the other was an average height, curvy woman. While the man held the appearance of a stereotypical wise mage, the woman looked as if she had just stepped out of a 1950's pi-up magazine, complete with batting lashes and deep brown hair. The two were wearing similar ropes; white decorated with good and gems with thim emblems of the gods, displaying their important position in the pharaoh's court. The priests had arrived and all eyes turned to them as they came to the steps. The elderly man allowed his eyes to dance over the woman in front of the king while the woman didn't bother at first. It wasn't until they bowed that she turned her head towards the guest.

"Your highness," the man uttered, rising to his full height. "The gods have not told us of a visit from above. But they have surprised us in the past." He turned slowly to look at Annette once again, allowing his eyes to linger this tike around. The female priest took a few steps around the back of her, gesturing the guards away. The man continued. "Visitor... If I may be so bold, what is your name? And which god looked down upon us and invited you to join our most holiest of cities?"
 
Annette watched as the priests entered. The old man was not the first to gain Annette's attention, but instead the woman grasped it. She was stunning and often Annette had wished to be as beautiful as that. Annette kept her mouth shut as she watched them approach her. She wondered what they would say. Would they deem her unworthy of their Gods? They scanned her with their eyes making sure she was all there. Annette gulped wondering if they were going to say she was not from any God they knew.

Instead the priests surprised Annette stating that the Gods had surprised them in the past with their presence of things unknown. Annette relaxed as the guards had let go of her. Annette placed her hands on the ground of the Palace. Maybe it would be wise to come clean, she could not keep up this charade forever. When he asked her name Annette breathed in deeply before releasing her breath. "My name is Annette.." She closed her eyes and balled her tiny pale hands into fists as her long braided red hair fell onto the ground by her face and made a small circle. "I know your Gods, but I do not believe they sent me. I woke up in the alleyway and found the mirror. I was lost and confused but I wanted to return it, but before I could collect any of my thoughts people began to scream and accuse me of thievery. I am not a thief." Annette smacked her hand against the marble floor, frustrated with her words knowing she might be sentencing herself to death. "I don't know who left the mirror there, but I found it and I wanted to return it."
 
"Do not lie to me," the pharaoh demanded after a moment of silence. Just as Annette had read, the pharaoh's word was truly law. No one seemed to move but it was clear that they were now uncomfortable, caught between listening to the priests and the man they called their king.

The feminine priest slid forward, holding her hand out above Annette's head. "I may not allow this woman to be harmed," she began but there was no warmth to her voice. She was about as warm as the stone floor the so called thief was sitting on. "You know my position. My hands are tied. I apologize, my pharaoh." With another step back, she continued. "Perhaps though... she could be tested. Anubis may grant her another life if she is telling the truth."

"That is barbaric," Sebek rebelled, stepping forward onto the steps, wedging himself between his father and the priests. "And if she is, we will loose the gift from above."

"But if she is not, young prince..." The priestess wasn't about to let this up. She knew where she stood and was going to fight for it for as long as she could.

"Feeding a girl to Ammit is cruel!" he argued, turning his head towards the man at the top of the steps. "Would you truly allow this to happen in front of you? You can't even be sure she wrote on the mirror." The prince reached forward and took the mirror from his father, turning it over to look at the handwriting on the back. He paused, looking over the shapes closely. "This piece..." Something had him shocked, but even he was unsure as to what it was. "... isn't important enough to risk someone's life over. I am sure you can find another mirror like this. Even greater possibly."

His father took it back, gripping it tightly. "I believe Anubis can tell us our answer."

"No! Father, don't allow this!" Sebek stepped forward once again.

"It is not our place, Sebek," he informed him. "Those above will judge for us."

Sebek needed to think quick on his feet if he wanted to keep this woman alive. She had a chance to speak and argue her case before the prince began to speak again. "I want her," he demanded, drawing not only his father's attention to him but as well as everyone's in the room. "I want her," he repeated. "I am missing a servant since she is now carrying your child... I'll make sure she never takes from you again. And if the gods see it fit to judge her, then let it be. They will in time. But until then, make her mine."
 
Annette listened to them converse, never once allowing her eyes to open. She did not want to open her eyes, to truly see what was going on or where she was. She knew all too well where she was and what was happening. The Pharaoh was still angry with her, still assuming she was lying, but she had told him all of the truth. Annette stiffened when the presence of the priestess came closer and her hand came above her head. She gulped when she heard the woman's words, a death sentence nonetheless. Annette breathe heavily knowing she had been expecting this much. She dropped her head letting more of her hair hit the ground as her hands balled up again.

She listened to the prince protest for her. Really not knowing why he was doing such a thing. He still thought she was a gift from above. Annette was not that special. She was clumsy at best, she knew how to cook a little, she could sing , play music, do a little art, but she really wasn't that extravagant compared to other women in her day and age. Then again, this was not her day and age and her skin and color of her hair made her stand out, that was about it. Annette shook her head, if that was the only reasons he wanted to save her, then it wasn't reason enough. She just wanted to go home. How had she gotten here to begin with? It was all such a blur.

The priestess sure believed her not to be a goddess and Annette definitely was not one. She had lied about being one, sent from the Gods and now she had confessed. Still the prince Sebak seemed content on saving her life and Annette sighed shaking her head more as she listened silently. Annette listened as the boy started to fight with his father before he did something, pulled something from his hand and examined it. It was then that his sure voice faltered and caused Annette to bring up her gaze slightly to see what he was staring at. It was the mirror. He was staring at the back of it like she had been, but he seemed almost pale by examining it before speaking and saying it was unimportant. Maybe it was, maybe it was all a trick, or maybe he had seen something that had startled him. It had startled her seeing her name on the back, but she had known straight away that it was not her handwriting. Annette watched, trying to refrained from laughing as she watched the father and son fight a bit. It was amusing and she would have busted out laughing if she was not fearing for her life. Instead she dropped her gaze again and stared at the marble.

Annette was at a loss for words. There was nothing she could figure to say anymore that would save her life. They had already made their decision and she was just waiting for them to do it. Annette was silently praying to herself, trying to calm herself as the prince startled her thoughts and everyone in the room. Annette's eyes snapped open and her head jerked up to stare at him. At first she thought maybe she had been hearing things as he demanded her but her lips parted when he continued to demand for her. Annette learned more about the Pharaoh then. How he had taken one of Sebek's servants to bare a child with and Sebak wanted her as a servant. Annette would be a terrible servant though, if only he knew that. Still she was quiet, too awestruck to say anything. Even the priests seemed baffled by his words, the women stayed still and his little brother blinked, but Annette's brows furrowed in wonder. She wondered what the prince had seen on the mirror that she had not seen before the Pharaoh had snatched it back away. Maybe that was why he wanted her now? Or maybe he just wanted her? After all, he had seemed so interested in her in the bazaar and now he had the perfect opportunity to claim her. Annette couldn't help but find herself mutter a surprised, "Wh-what?"

The old priest stumbled forward shaking his head. "Dear prince you must think this through. What if she is more than a thief. She could be sent by a God, but not by a God you want to keep by your side." The priest didn't venture too close to Annette but he was still startled that the prince had jumped to claiming to her, that he said he would keep her in line and if she needed to be judged by the Gods he would let her. "What if she was sent to kill you?" The priest muttered bringing his old hands to his lips. It was just an irrational fear the priest had, but one he had spoken out loud. He turned to Annette then and pointed at her. "Are you here to harm the prince?" Annette could only stare at the old man, still in shock by the prince trying to claim her. No one knew her. Knew that Annette fainted at the tiniest sight of blood. No one knew she would scream at the first sight of a bug. She could only shake her head. "I suppose you'll have to test her like you want young prince. I suggest you watch her closely incase Anubis has sent her to destroy you."
 
Sebek turned to the priest giving him a slow nod. He hadn't thought about that option but he needed to keep his word. He didn't want the woman to die over something that couldn't be proven. "If she was sent for that reason then the gods must have a reason for it. I can not work against what they wish, you know that more than anyone." He slowly turned to look at the strange woman. "My servants will take you and do what is needed. Be prepared by this evening to work. I expect from you what I expect from the rest of them." He waved a finger towards a guard by the door to fetch the head of his maids. The man didn't waste a second.

The pharaoh returned to his seat and looked over the back of the mirror, looking quite cross. "I hope your son knows what he's doing, Naeem," he commented, looking up towards his son. The maid of the queen lifted her head to look at the two men before lowering it once again. "I trust he does, pharaoh," she responded calmly, narrowing her attention onto the prince some several feet away from her. The prince, on the other hand, didn't bother to look at the woman that was just addressed. Instead he stepped towards Annette, finally taking a moment to look the woman over. They were off the streets, in an area that she couldn't run from. It all made sense for him to do something like this now.

With a firm hand, he lifted her chin, looking carefully over her face and hair, checking the texture and the length along with getting a better look at the colour. Next, he placed his hand around her chin and continued the look over, checking her face and skin, making his own silent judgement as he did so. She was strange, with the light dotting on her skin, the red colour in her cheeks... Sebek trailed his fingers along to her ear, over her hair once again then down her neck to the strange cloth covering her body. He gripped the shoulder of her shirt, pulling it away from her skin for a closer examination. "This won't do," he thought out loud. A new woman came up beside Annette, with a motherly disposition, salt-and-pepper-coloured hair and long, loose robes. She came to a stop, facing the prince without an ounce of fear but all the respect in the world. "Zaliki, take care of her for me," he instructed. "Have her prepared for dinner. Ife was a wine server, was she not? Give her that position. We'll work out more later. New clothes, bath, proper look..." He turned towards the woman with a small smile. "I trust you can do that all in time."

The woman nodded as Sebek removed his hand from Annette. "We'll take care of it all," she assured him, setting a gentle hand on the red head's arm. "Come along, dear."
 
The priest seemed put off by the prince's statement of the woman. That if she was brought by Anubis to destroy him then there must have been a reason for it. The priest bowed his head and nodded, agreeing with the young prince. No one would question the Gods, especially not the priest. Annette was just sitting in place still shocked by all of this as the prince turned to look at her. She didn't know what to do or say as he told her that his servants would instruct her on what to do. Annette's attention followed his waving finger and the guard that disappeared behind a door to fetch something for the prince.

Her golden hues slowly turned back over to the Pharaoh as his sandals hit the marble and he returned to his seat. The Pharaoh seemed to address a woman and Annette searched amongst the women for which one he addressed. It had to be the queen, yes? It wasn't. Instead the maid of the queen spoke and Annette looked down. So he was royalty, but his mother wasn't queen. So his younger brother had more claim to the throne than he did. Ah, now she had remembered why she had been so amused with the many books of ancient Egypt. All the treachery for the throne, all that want and greed to be Pharaoh. Now Annette was sitting in the middle of it. It must have boiled in Sebek's blood knowing his younger brother would be crowned before him, but she was silent on the matter as the prince came closer. Annette wasn't really paying attention to the prince, too lost in her whole thoughts about the whole matter.

Annette was startled when the prince touched her and lifted her chin, she glared at him. Now he could see the finer details in her face. The way the little amount of sun had made her skin red, the shy amount of freckles. Her lips were full and she had a tiny little round nose with a soft jaw line and high arched thin brows that were actually darker than her hair, rare for a red head. Annette tensed when he trailed his finger to her little pale ear, exposing it and finding the little flower that was wedged into her skin as a piercing. Then his hands went further down her neck and Annette moved away but one of the guards glared at her. This was awkward, did he do this with every servant? He touched her shirt and exposed her pale shoulder, Annette looked at her shoulder. There on her shoulder was a scar from when she was little, one of her many adventures wet wrong and she glared at the prince before gripping the shoulder of her shirt and putting it back in place. It was then the woman came through the doors to come near her. Annette looked up at the woman who stared at prince Sebek almost with pride. Whatever their relationship was, it seemed to be she was very proud of it. Annette was listening to the prince's instructions to the women. The proper look eh? Did that mean they were going to cut and dye her hair to make her fit in? Annette was going to ask but she was just thankful when the prince pulled away and the woman's touch came. Slowly Annette got to her feet, still glaring at the prince as she nodded to the woman and followed her out of the room.

Annette's eyes were more focused on the tile than anything in the palace as Zaliki showed her around the palace. Her arms were crossed over her chest as they rounded a corner and found themselves at a door. Zaliki looked at her as she opened the door revealing the large room inside. "Come inside." She held onto Annette's arm guiding her into the room and moved as Annette stood still taking in the scenery. This was the first room she actually took time to look at since the throne room. The pillars had their hieroglyphs on them, gold strips every now and then into the marble. The floor was marble as well like everything else, but the scene in front of her was what awed her most. The floor moved out to the center before going down into steps into water which merged with the Nile River. The room in front was completely opened, pillars, four of them, holding up the room and giving them a view of the outside. The hills, the other side of the river, but the view was completely secluded. It seemed no ships ran past this room and the city was far away from this part of the palace. Annette was startled again as the woman came back to her picking at her clothes. She seemed to want to take them off, but like the prince was a bit baffled by them. Annette blinked stepped back and pressing her lips in a thin line as she smiled up at the woman. "Sorry..I can do it." Annette moved a bit away from the woman and hitched her pale fingers on the edge of her shirt before picking it up over her head. She exposed her stomach which was pale. Her hips were wide, her waist small, and as she pulled the shirt over her navel there was silver jewelry hanging from it. Annette continued to pull up over her chest which had been constricted by her sports bra, smashing her large d cup breasts against her chest and she held her shirt in her hands as she got it off over her head. Zaliki seemed a bit awed by Annette's appearance, probably the piercing on her navel and her bra but she took the shirt from Annette's hands and threw it on the ground. "We will worry about that later. Undress." The woman instructed as she went to go fetch something. Annette sighed before moving to undo the belt around her pants. She easily got that undone and took it off the loops before pulling her pants down over her large pale exposed cheeks. She still had her panties on of course, but it was a g-string, a lacy g-string and she knew in this time they would probably be so confused by it. So before the woman turned around Annette quickly pulled off the black g-string exposing her clean shaven crotch and discarded it onto the pile of clothing before she removed her bra - which took some effort and let her pale pink nipples hit the air. Annette wasn't really one for waiting for orders and instead of waiting for the woman to look at her naked she began to slip into the warm water of the nile. She stopped so only her breasts were covered and sat down rubbing the sand off her body as she moved to her hair to undo the long braid it had been in.

Zaliki returned a little later while Annette was rubbing off the sand. Annette rubbed her face with water and let her hair get completely wet before she looked at the woman who stood at the edge of the bath holding onto a pile of things. Annette looked at the pile of things, wondering if she really wanted to get out of the water to find what she would be wearing. "Come now child. Let us dress you." Annette treaded in the water a bit before she moved to the edge of the bathe and began to step out of it. She wrapped her arms around her breasts and crotch, embarrassed another woman was there looking at her. Zaliki seemed to smile at her handing her something to dry herself off with. It was not really a towel. More like linen and Annette sighed when she looked at it. Still she began to dry herself off before ringing out her long hair. Zaliki handed her a folded piece of clothing then and Annette smiled lightly thanking the woman. Annette pulled on the dress. It was just a simple loose white dress but she was thankful for it, at least she would blend in a bit more. "Are you..going to cut my hair and dye it? I really hope you won't.." Zaliki shook her head at Annette as she instructed Annette to turn around. Annette sighed doing as she was told then while Zaliki began to brush her hair. She wasn't very gentle with it, but then again she suppose the woman had never seen hair as long or the color like hers. "I will not cut much off. I will not dye it unless the prince commands it. I will only give you the proper look." Annette crossed her arms over her chest. She could hear the scissors in the woman's hand and she braced herself as she listened to her snip her hair. To her surprise it really was not that much, more just evening it out and Annette sighed in relief. Still Zaliki was not done and pulled on Annette's hair pulling it back over her shoulders. She let it hang down in the back, straight, but pinned the sides up in the back so they would not fall down in her face. She had placed little jewels, suitable for royal servants in Annette's hair around the crown and where she had pinned it up before patting her on the back. "Now. Let us go to dinner. Your job is to pour and fetch the wine. Understood? I will show you where the wine is." Annette looked at the woman who stared at Annette's face that had no make up. It seemed zaliki thought about putting makeup on her face, but she didn't know if they had enough time and instead turned to leave the room. "This way."

Annette followed Zaliki down the long halls near the throne room to the a room next to it. There was a large cellar filled to the brim with different wines. Zaliki looked at Annette as she placed her hand on one of the small pitchers. "You fetch one these and bring them to the table. Only pour when you see the cup is nearly empty. Understood?" Annette looked at the woman and nodded her head. "Yes." Zaliki picked up a full pitcher of wine and handed it to Annette who gripped it with both hands. Zaliki placed a hand on Annette's face, holding her still for a while. She moved something black in her hand before bringing it up to Annette's eyes. "Don't blink." Annette froze as she looked at the black object a bit frightened by what the strange woman was going to to but instead she smudged it on Annette's eyes in lines giving her the same outlines the other servants had. "There. Now you have the proper look." Annette gulped nodding her head as the woman turned to leave throw the door motioning for Annette to follow. No doubt they had spent enough time preparing Annette that it was time for dinner, she just was not prepared for any of this. Or that maybe the prince was just thirsty. Annette's mind was completely blank, but she followed behind Zaliki who led her around the halls.
 
Zaliki wasted no time getting ready for dinner with Annette. She walked down a hallway, passing by what looked to be a kitchen full of well fed and healthy workers. They barely looked like they were Egyptian, other than the similar outfits and short haircuts; it was obvious to someone like Annette they were slaves. High paid, well kept slaves, but slaves none the less. The elder woman escorted her charge into another room, pausing for a moment outside of the door before she entered, making sure her footsteps were heard. Behind Annette came several woman with a tray of food each, typically small ones full of fruits and meat familiar to the Nile region. With the bread decorating the plates, it looked to be just enough for one person; perhaps another if someone was invited. Inside of the room was the same matching marble, floor to ceiling window-like openings surrounded with flowing curtains. Hieroglyphs were lining the walls but nothing seemed too serious. From the images, they were stories of the gods, more light hearted than what was found in the other rooms or even in the museums. Columns came up from the floor just as they did in the other rooms.

On the far side of the room was a large bed covered in blankets of the finest cloths, pillows scattered around it's surface and a canopy-like item suspended above it. Surrounding it was a deep purple curtain with bright red and golds stitched into the cloth, cutting off the bed from the other parts of the room, which held everything from weapons, both practical and display, a table littered with papers, brushes and ink and several large chairs set up around one of the wider tables. This was obviously some sort of meeting area for the prince who lived inside this room.

From one of the windows entered Sebek. Whatever else had happened in the room was now upsetting him, which was displayed on his face as the women were setting the plates down at the wide multi-purpose table. The scent of fresh water and spices followed him inside and didn't die as he began to strip himself of the gold decorations he had put on that morning. Two of the women approached him, hands out to take the items from him and put them in their proper locations. Without a word, the prince crossed the room and slid into one of the more comfortable chairs, letting his back sink into the pillow sitting against the back of the seat.

A sigh escaped the man's lips as his eyes sagged closed, allowing his head to fall to the side, using the back of the chair to hold himself up. In a word, he was exhausted. It didn't matter what time you were from, that look and body language could only mean one thing. After a moment of silence and shuffling of the gold carrying women, Sebek moved, resting his head against his hand as he held out his other, palm up, as if asking for something. One of the servants in the room took a golden glass from the table and set it gently in his hand before stepping back, giving a side look to Annette to help her along. They were all new at one point in their lives. No one had a reason to no help her, especially if they all wanted to have a pleasant evening.
 
Annette was silent as she followed Zaliki through the halls of the palace. She figured she was going somewhere where the prince. It would make sense, he had picked her as a servant and now she would do as his previous servant had done. So she followed every twist and turn of the halls until they got to the room with the servants. Annette's eyes looked over the servants in the room before going to the servants holding the trays. Annette followed behind them into the chamber behind the doors only to see the room inside. It was definitely someone's room, a royal room. She was awestruck by the beauty of it all, everything here was so beautiful. Then Annette saw him and saw whose room this was. She watched Sebek come to the table and sit down in a chair but she was silent as she watched the other servants do their business.

She could tell by the motion of his body how exhausted he was and she wondered what had occurred to exhaust him. Was it finding her in the alley? No he had seemed fine then. He had seemed fine a moment ago in the throne room. It had to be something a bit ago while she was getting redone, remade over.

Annette's train of thoughts were stopped as watched him hold out his hand and a servant instantly put a cup in it. At first she just stared at the cup for a long time before the servant that had placed the cup in his hand looked at her and edged her on. Annette moved over by Sebek before pouring his glass full of wine. She stood by him, bringing the pitcher back up to her chest as she looked down at the prince furrowing her brows. She was still curious, and she needed to know something.

"You saw something on the back of that mirror that shocked you..I could hear it in your voice...What did you see?" Annette knew she probably shouldn't have asked, but it was bugging her. She had seen the motion in the prince's body and the tone his voice had taken.
 
The pause between getting the cup and having it filled played with Sebek's nerves in an unwanted way, but it didn't last long. He soon heard the sound of wine flowing into his cup. He held his hand still for another moment, giving Annette a chance to back away. Or ask a question, that worked as well. The women in the room seemed to be caught slightly off guard, but not as much as others might have. Sebek was close to his servants in a way that they could speak to him without fearing they would be punished. On occasion, they could sneak food from his plate or even join him, if they played their cards right. It was a bonus for having a prince born of a maid just as they are. Sebek had no problem inviting them to his table for a meal if the mood hit him. Sadly for Annette, he wasn't in the best of moods and the other women knew that. They all straightened their backs in an uncomfortable way, giving the new girl a chance to deal with the prince on her own without their help.

Sebek lifted the glass to his lips, taking a drink of the liquid before setting it lightly on the arm of the chair. "Your name is..." Oh what was it... "Ann-at.... yes?" The prince could barely remember her name. It was awkward to say on his tongue but he managed from how he read it on the mirror. It was wrong, but he was trying. His eyes turned upwards to look at her for a moment before shifting in the chair and gesturing to the slight open space in front of him, between the table and his chair. "Stand there," he instructed, letting his legs spread slightly, giving her room to stand between them, allowing him to get a better look at her. "Let's see what Zaliki has done with you."
 
Annette could feel how tense the room got when she had asked him a question. Everyone had fallen silent and was staring at her. She held tightly to the pitcher in her hands as she watched how everyone reacted. The way they straightened their backs, the way the prince was silent for a while. She was expecting something of a scolding for speaking out of line without permission. It was only a matter of time before she did something like that of course. She was a free woman from the future living as a servant in the past.

Her eyes followed him picking up the glass and drinking it. She watched as he set it on the chair before he tried to say her name. It made her wince a bit at how badly he said it, but at least he tried. "Ann-ette." She said, not really trying to correct him just trying to tell him how to say her name properly, though he might take it as an insult. She blinked when he looked at her, not at all answering her question when he gestured in front of him. He wanted her to move in that small space in front of him? She was a bit confused, until he spread his leg to provide more room and he spoke again. Annette sighed before moving to stand in front of him. It was awkward to say the least, standing there in front of him. She dropped her gaze looking at the marble on the ground as she held onto the pitcher that was in front of her chest. He wasn't answering her question and it made her press her lips together to form a line. She wanted to know, but she wasn't going to press it..not right now at least.
 
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