Takmet sighed. “That was rather harsh, Rei,” he said.

“Believe me, she deserves far worse,” Rei replied as she sat down and continued eating her food.

Sasaki relaxed noticeably when Yakumi left, and she was at least eating a little of what was on her plate. “What do you mean by that?” Sasaki asked Rei.

“I’ll tell you later.”

“What was all that?” Seti asked, a bit lost as to what was going on around his palace these days. “Why were you so rude to her?”

“I refuse to say any more about it in an unprotected room.” Rei quietly sipped her drink, oblivious to any other questions concerning the recent events.

Sasaki continued to eat sparsely, hunger not managing to impact her appetite at all. It was a combination of anticipation, nervousness, worry, and fear that kept her from eating. Anticipation having something to do with Yakumi, nervousness because of the proximity to her mother, worry for her friends, and a fear that came from somewhere she didn’t know. She only knew that it had grown swiftly when Yakumi had arrived.

Takmet watched Sasaki, worried that she was not eating. She would faint again if she didn’t eat and rest. He saw Sasaki put her head in her hands and her utensil drop from her fingers.

Rei stopped eating and caught the girl as she lost consciousness.

“Poor thing,” Rei said, shaking her head. “She can’t even stay conscious to feed herself.”

Takmet hated being right. “Take care of her, Rei. Please.”

Ami looked worried. “She’ll be all right, though. Won’t she?”

Mandi smiled at Ami. “Of course she will. She’s just tired from today. Besides, she’s one tough cookie. She’ll be okay.”

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed. “She just needs to sleep.”

Rei began to get up from the table, shifting Sasaki so she could carry her. “She doesn’t weigh much,” Rei said. “Has she been eating?” She glanced at Takmet.

“As far as I know,” he replied.

“She probably hasn’t had much today, then. All right, time to go, Sasaki,” Rei said as she walked away from the table.

Suddenly the pharaoh’s mother stood up as well. “Allow me to help.” Rei stopped walking and turned to the pharaoh’s mother. Rei had an approving expression on her face.

“Mother?” Seti asked, making sure she thought about what she had said.

“I need to help her, Seti. I seem to be part of the source of her distress.” She gave him a look that told him he would understand later.

The pharaoh nodded. Then Rei and the pharaoh’s mother walked out of the dining hall towards Takmet’s room.

* * *

Rei smiled at the pharaoh’s mother. “You made a wise choice to keep your daughter company, Your Highness.”

Seti’s mother looked mildly shocked at Rei’s comment. “So you knew?”

“So does everyone else at that table except your son and his wife. I’m sure even Yakumi suspects.”

“So Seti does not know? I suppose it is better that way for now.” The ex-Queen sighed.

“He does have a soft spot for his lost sister, who seems to no longer be lost. He is extremely protective of her memory. I shudder to think how protective he will be to the real thing.” She paused. “But I did miss her ever so much. I’ve been waiting for the day I would see her again. She’s grown up so beautifully, even though it was in another place.”

“She is already fulfilling the prophecy, Highness.”

“Her power is emerging then?” The thought brought a bit of fear to the heart of Sasaki’s mother. This quickly the prophecy was being fulfilled.

“Somewhat. But that won’t help us if she doesn’t get well,” Rei smiled.

“True.” The pharaoh’s mother was pensive. “And what of Takmet? I can see the heartache taking its toll on him already, mush as it did with Kehsat. His eyes look heavy with grief and his heart ridden with the worm of worry.”

Rei sighed. “He is hopelessly lost in that respect. No one can keep him from worrying about Sasaki. He’ll hold together.”

“For their sakes and ours, I do hope so.”

When they arrived at Takmet’s room Rei placed Sasaki on the bed. Sasaki slowly regained consciousness. She sat up slowly only to be pushed back by Rei.

“Hey, what are you doing Rei?” Sasaki protested as she tried to sit up again.

“Trying to keep you from killing yourself with exhaustion, what do you think?” Rei answered seriously.

Sasaki saw her mother sitting next to Rei and stared.

“You need to stay laying down,” her mother said. Sasaki stopped struggling against Rei and settled back on the bed, half propped up on pillows.

“Sure,” Rei huffed. “She listens to you!”

“Inherent desire to please a parent,” Sasaki mumbled.

Rei took in the following silence with uneasiness. “Well, I’ll just leave you two alone,” Rei said as she backed out of the room quietly and turned around the corner.

A horde of feelings was running around Sasaki’s heart. She didn’t know where to begin to express herself. Tears appeared at the edges of her eyes and she sat up to embrace her mother who gave no objection. Sasaki cried out loud, without restraint, for the first time in a long time. She didn’t care who heard. She was so relieved to have a family again.

“Why?” Sasaki sniffled. “Why did you send me away?” She continued crying into her mother’s shoulder.

Her mother’s eyes were overflowing at the joy of Sasaki’s return as well as the pain in her voice. “To protect you, and thereby the welfare of the whole of Egypt. It was not by choice that we entrusted you to the care of the mage and another family in a foreign land.”

Sasaki continued crying softly. “Why was my whole life made a lie? My family, my friends, even my name… all of these are not my own!”

“But you are here now, and that is better than never knowing who you really are. Take heart, my Nile flower. You will realize the truth of everything in time. Cheer up.” She pulled Sasaki away from her and held her at arms length. “What a beautiful young woman you have grown into,” she said as she moved a strand of hair away from her daughter’s face. “No wonder Takmet is so smitten.”

Sasaki blushed feverishly. “Even you could tell.”

“Woman’s intuition, I suspect. And I see you are just as taken with him as he is with you,” her mother replied. “At least Seti is aware of that, even if he does not know you are his sister yet.”

Takmet walked around the corner and slowly into his room. He did not expect the scene that he beheld, thinking that they would have taken Sasaki to the physician.

“I love him, mother,” Sasaki said.

Takmet froze. She had used the word “love”.

Sasaki looked past her mother and saw Takmet standing stock-still. “Takmet!” she said, surprised.

Her mother looked at Sasaki’s face and then turned around. The young man’s face was still, but she saw his eyes were filled with a healthy satisfaction. She turned back to Sasaki. “Do not be embarrassed, young one. You have made him happier than you know,” the pharaoh’s mother said when she saw Sasaki’s shocked blush. She smiled knowingly and got up, letting go of Sasaki’s hands. She left the room.

The motion snapped Takmet out of his shock and he shook his head to clear it. “Your friends were worried about you when you fainted at the table. Rei suggested that you really try to eat something,” Takmet relayed the message.

“I don’t feel like it,” Sasaki said, turning away. “I have too many bad feelings that are taking up all the room in my stomach. I wouldn’t be able to keep anything down.”

Takmet sighed and looked at her pleadingly, walking towards the bed. “You think you are the only one who does not like to admit that they have weaknesses? Ever since you came here you have been hiding your own feelings to make way for everyone else’s desires. Denying that you were weak or in pain to calm our fears. Why can’t you just do something for yourself and stop worrying about everything? Just stop pretending to be strong. Please.”

“I don’t need any he--“

“Stop!” Takmet said forcefully. “Just stop it.”

Sasaki turned to him, a little taken aback by the authority of his voice.

More calmly he continued. “Sasaki, will you just stop? Don’t you want someone else to care for you instead of you having to worry about yourself all the time? Don’t you want me to do that for you?”

“Yes, but…,” she began.

“Then come eat something.” He said, with a hint of command in his voice. “If not for your own sake then for my peace of mind and that of your friends.”

Sasaki paused. He was learning how to manipulate her care for other people into care for herself. She smiled a half-smile. “Fine.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, only to waver dangerously as her vision blackened for an instant. “I’m fine,” she said before Takmet could ask.

He shook his head, wondering why she put herself through it all. “If you get tired, tell me.”

“I will,” she replied as she passed him on her way out the door.

Sure you will, Takmet thought. He followed her out of his room and back to the dining room.

* * *

Sasaki did indeed eat, but only to calm her friends down. She knew that Takmet was no longer worried because he had anticipated her reaction to his reasoning. Seti noticed that Takmet became quiet yet again when he sat down to finish eating and decided he would talk to him about it later.

After they were finished eating, the girls bid the pharaoh farewell until the next day. Takmet walked with them to his room. Mandi again insisted that they should not use his room, but Takmet stopped her argument before she could get very far. Rei followed her brother to his room and stayed with him to wish the girls a good night.

“Thanks again for letting us use your room,” Ami smiled.

“Not a problem,” Takmet said. “Goodnight then, ladies.” His gaze paused on Sasaki then he turned and walked out of the room. Rei quickly waved goodnight and followed her brother.

Takmet walked toward his temporary room while Rei walked behind him.

“Letting then stay in your room, huh?” Rei asked mishchieviously.

“Of course,” he replied. “They are my charge.”

“Could it be the idea of a certain brown-haired, amber-eyed girl laying on your sheets?” Rei raised her eyebrows encouragingly.

“Possibly,” Takmet answered absent-mindedly.

Rei was shocked. He admitted it out loud? What ever happened to Kehsat? She decided to keep that question to herself though and tease him some more about Sasaki, but before she could, Takmet spoke.

“She reminds me a little of Kehsat,” he said quietly.

“I hope that’s not why you love her,” Rei said, wondering if he would take the bait the way she wanted him to.

“By Ra, of course not. She is - What are you grinning at?” Takmet stopped when he saw the smile ignite on Rei’s face. She was awfully happy about something.

“Think about what you just said,” Rei smiled. “You didn’t negate my statement. In fact I think you were agreeing with it.”

Takmet was stunned. He did indeed agree with it. “I did…”

“Say it out loud. C’mon, you can do it,” Rei teased him.

“All right!” Takmet said loudly as he swatted at his sister. “I love Sasaki. Are you happy?”

Just then Seti came down the hallway towards the two siblings. “That’s good to hear!” he called.

Oh, the gods have got me, Takmet thought. He became very uneasy. “What is it, Seti?”

The pharaoh reached the pair and glanced at Rei. “Can I talk to you privately?” he asked Takmet.

“Of course,” Takmet said. He feared what was to come. He motioned Rei to stay behind and he followed the pharaoh into his private chambers. The doors were shut behind them.

Takmet nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

Seti stood in front of him. “What’s wrong?”

“Wrong? Nothing is wrong,” Takmet said, smiling a little.

“That is pure camel shit, Takmet. You’re never nervous around me, yet you have been since you came back from training the girls. Tell me, what is the matter?”

Takmet avoided his eyes. “I cannot. More than you know will be affected seriously if I say.”

“It figures you would be this stubborn if it involves Sasaki,” Seti said, crossing his arms.

Takmet winced.

“What about Sasaki?” Seti’s eyes narrowed, watching his reaction.

Takmet ran his fingers through his hair again.

“Takmet, please don’t let me have to order you,” Seti said.

Takmet sighed. “Sasaki….is your sister.” Takmet rested his forehead on one hand, waiting for Seti’s reply. The pharaoh was silent….