Sands of Yore **COMPLETE, being re-written**

Chapter Nineteen

The sun was high above the city. The Egyptian heat always was unbearable to Bailey, though today it seemed as though everyone was suffering from the heat.

Bailey looked to the servants who were running around the palace doing their chores, sweat pouring down their faces as they worked, some looking ready to drop. Pursing her lips she looked over to Bes. "They've been working hard for the past few hours. They need to have some sort of break, Bes."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "They are expendable. They can be replaced. "

"Expendable?" She exclaimed, barely believing the words that Bes had just uttered. However, knowing what the historians said about him, she knew that he really didn't care. Yeah, he wasn't named the merciless Pharaoh for nothing.

Oh, but did she ever want to change his way of thinking. Come to think of it, even his attitude needed a complete overhaul. One way or another Bailey knew that she had to do something.

"They are not expendable, Bes. They are human beings who, as such, deserve to be treated as such." Her eyes narrowed on him, "Either let them take a break or I will."

He rolled his eyes. "You are so commanding—"

"When it comes to the well-being of your subjects someone is going to have to step up and help them as much as possible. And if you're not then I will. Allow them to have a fifteen minute break every few hours and I will time them. " Bailey shook her head, feeling her temper rising slightly. "Trust me when I say that collapsing from heat exhaustion due to working in hot and humid weather without taking a break is of no laughing matter, Bes."

Bes sat up straighter on his throne, studying her for a moment. "Are you speaking from experience, Bailey?"

"Back in my own time, yes. I was fourteen and my parents and I were out helping my grandparents clean up their fields. It just as hot as it was today. I was told to take a break but being that age I felt as though I knew everything, so I ignored my parents' pestering about coming inside." Bailey laughed, shaking her head. "Fuck. Was I ever stupid. Passing out then finding myself in the hospital with cold, wet towels all over my body, fans blowing from every which direction and finding out that I was suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion was not fun. It was the worst experience of my entire life."

The Pharaoh's mind contemplated her words, cursing himself for allowing the woman to worm her way into his heart, for allow her to have some say over how he reigned. He hated the fact that this woman was changing him. No. Correction—had changed him. At the same time, though, he loved every single moment of it.

He sat back and waved at her. "Very well. Every few hours a fifteen minute break as you put it."

She smiled, and felt pride over the small victory she had just made, and just like a little kid she jumped off the steps leading up to the throne and skipped her way over to three of the female servants who were currently on their hands and knees scrubbing the dirt from the golden floors. As soon as they saw her they quickly stood up, almost to attention.

All three of them bowed. "M'lady."

"Uh," Bailey's face flushed, not feeling entirely comfortable with people being so formal, so polite. Even though she should be used to it, considering it had been at least weeks—perhaps months—since she had been transported to ancient times she highly doubted she'd be able to ever get used to it.

She shook her head. "Please just call me Bailey."

"As you wish, Miss Bailey. What is it that you need of us?" The older woman, probably in her mid thirties from what Bailey could guess, asked as she shifted from one foot to the other.