Ancient Love

Chapter 5: The Following Day

When I awoke the next morning, I was greeted by the face of Ahkmenrah, who was still sleeping peacefully beside me. I closed my eyes and a few moments later I felt something nudging itself in between Ahkmenrah and I. When I opened my eyes, I saw Craig with one hand holding Ahkmenrah's hand in one hand and his other hand was holding mine. "Good morning my love" I heard Ahkmenrah mumble in a still asleep voice. "Good morning my dear" Craig replied back to Ahkmenrah in a playful yet high pitched voice as Ahkmenrah suddenly opened up his eyes. He then looked down at his hand to see that it was intertwined with Craig's hand. He then looked up at Craig and scowled. "Craig!" Ahkmenrah yelled at him as Craig tossed my beloved from our bed. "Craig!" Ahkmenrah yelled again as he stood up revealing his shirtless body. "What in the name of the gods are YOU doing in my..." I coughed to remind him that I was here too. "I mean OUR room?!" Ahkmenrah yelled at him again. "I got oh so very lonely and the sky's awake, so I'm awake, so now you have to be awake since I'm awake!" Craig said as he sat up in the bed and pushed me off of the bed. Just before I fell off the bed, I quickly grabbed the blanket to cover myself. "Oww" I groaned in mild pain as I hit the floor. "Are you alright my love?" Ahkmenrah asked me as he rushed over to my side to help me up off of the floor. "I am okay" I said as he helped me to stand up while keeping me covered up with the blanket. Ahkmenrah then looked at Craig with a furious look on his face. "For the last time Craig. Get. Out." He yelled through gritted teeth as he held me protectively in his arms. "Fine then." He said as he got up from our bed. "SOMEONE clearly needs to get some more beauty sleep next time" Craig said as he exited the room and a bunch of servants came rushing in. "Good morning your highness. You are up early this morning. Did you sleep well last night?" Anuktata and Ubaid said as they greeted us. "Yes I did thank you" I replied to her as she took my hand to take me to get undressed, cleaned up and ready for the day. "We will meet you in the dining hall!" I yelled out to Ahkmenrah as Ubaid was escorting him to his bath chambers to get him ready for the day.

After Anuktata and the other servants got me cleaned up and ready for the day, they began to put a long, dress-like tunic on me and proceeded to decorate it with golden accessories. "Your highness, are you ever planning on taking this thing off?" Anuktata asked me as she was grooming my hands and motioning to the bracelet that Ahkmenrah had given to me that fateful night. "No. Never" I replied as she finished drying my hand off. "Say Anuktata, have you seen Sharifa anywhere by chance?" I asked her as she cleaned my other hand. "No your highness. Not since the other night when I saw her with the other prince and Atsum. Try not to worry your highness, I am sure she is just fine" She replied as she cleaned my fingernails and then dried them off. "Come now" She said as she slipped a new pair of gold sandals onto my feet and strapped them in place. "Come now your highness. Everyone is waiting for you" She said as she combed my hair back and proceeded to put a new beautiful golden headpiece onto my head. After she made the final adjustments, she and my guards escorted me out of my room and as we walked down the many halls and a large flight of stairs, I couldn't stop thinking about how the the mystery man that I used to fantasize about running away with, was the man that will soon be my husband. "Your highness is everything alright?" Anuktata asked me when we finally reached the dining hall. "Yes, everything is fine. Just lost in thought" I replied to her assuringly. The guards then opened the large double doors to the dining hall where Ahkmenrah, his parents and Craig were waiting for me. "Good morning everyone!" I said as I entered the room and bowed my head before Ahkmenrah and his parents. "Good morning Irissia" Shepseheret replied to me as she got out of her seat and hugged me. "You look beautiful!" She added as we pulled away from the hug. "Thank you! You look quite exquisite this morning!" I said as she went to go sit beside her husband. "Now that everyone is here, we may all eat in good company!" Merenkahre said proudly as he adjusted his seat position at the head of the table. I took my place beside Ahkmenrah and Craig on the other hand, ended up sitting across from Ahkmenrah and judging by the unamused and annoyed look on my beloved's face, he was trying to play footsie with him under the table.