Just to make it clear this story is set in 2580 BC. Family tree is above. Everyone where actual historical figures except for Kahmun, Ahk, Merenkahre, Shepseheret, Ismara, Hetepheres (Merenkahre's Sister), Kawab, Ramses and Merenkahre's parents.

Some people where confused about who Enlut, Shet and Bukhet are. They were the bandits that attacked Ahkmenrah and they are Khufu's minions. Enlut had gotten the cobra, Shet got the poison and Bukhet had the gotten the knife.

Please proceed reading.

-----------------------------------

Sabra was ready. She wore her a simple linen tunic down to her knees that gathered at her waist. Over that she wore tightly bound thick leather armor over her chest and upper ribs. She wore leather sandals, weaved between the straps were her favourite daggers. She had even named them. Lilith the left dagger and Raaya the right dagger. A gold plated belt, encrusted with emeralds adorned her waist. It held her sword. The Punjabis called a sword a 'Kirpaan', so that's what she decided to call it as well.

She looked good. But she dreaded her job. It wasn't that she didn't like Ahkmenrah; it was more about what he knew about her. He knew she was that 'Arab'. She could fight. Everyone knew that. But there was something that she had shown during the fight that she wasn't meant to show. It was that she fought differently, in the Gatka style of Punjab rather that Egyptian style. Gatka was more graceful and fast. Also her clothing was white. Put the two and two and two together might as well give her history away... a history that not even Seknut knew about. Hopefully Ahkemnrah happened to be as idiotic as he acted. Why did her aunt have to know Ahkmenrah anyway? If Seknut hadn't known him maybe her secret wouldn't be running the risk of being revealed.

"Stupid eyes!" she muttered. Out of all the people in the world why did the Lord have to give the most unusual eyes?

"Sabra the bread is getting cold. You better come if you want any breakfast." Called Seknut.

Adjusting her belt for the one last time before she left she mentally remarked on how much the emeralds looked like Ahkmenrah's eyes.

----------------------------------------

Kahmunrah had left early that morning to his architect duties. Leaving Ahkmenrah to walk down to meet his guard himself. He walked down to the barracks where he knew Sabra would arrive taking her orders. But the important thing was he needed to get a confession out of her. With her white clothes and fighting style one might think...but no it couldn't be. She wouldn't be so nice to him if that were so.

Hopefully no one had done anything lecherous towards her yet. The guards can be worst than his brother at times, at least when a woman would ask Kahmunrah to stop he would. These guards were another story.

He looked up at the sky and mentally remarked how they can't match the brilliance of Sabra's eyes.

When he arrived Sabra was talking cordially to the captain, a stern bulky dark man by the name of Shishep. Putting on his signature grin Ahkmenrah walked over to them and gave the captain a salute.

"How are our fine troops this morning, Captain?" asked Ahkemenrah in a mock stern voice.

"Very well soldier. In fact I was just giving our new recruit here her first assignment." Said the Captain

"Is it a hard assignment, Captain?" asked Ahkmenrah.

"Well judging from what the Captain has told me it is impossible. But really I find the greatest pleasure in life is turning impossible into a possibility." Said Sabra.

Just like my brother thought Ahkmenrah Always manages to make up deep sayings.

"That's the spirit! If only you had spirit like that soldier." Remarked the Captain to Ahkmenrah.

Ahkmenrah responded with a grin.

Final salutes were given and for the first time in his life Ahkmenrah had a guard. And for the first time in the history of Egypt a woman had been given warrior status.

Sabra took her position a few paces behind and slightly to the right of him. She looked straight ahead and at the same time sensing his every movement. He moved forward she moved with him. Ahkmenrah now knew she would protect him with her life. He didn't want her to die for him but it felt reassuring to know someone was looking after him that wasn't his brother. Kahmunrah wouldn't always be there for him.

-----------------------------------------

Kahmunrah wondered why his eyes weren't dead yet. He had pretended to sleep last night. When he was sure Ahkmenrah was asleep he had gotten up, lit a candle and started working on the Pyramid design. He needed it to be perfect or else the whole family's afterlife wouldn't be worthwhile.

At the moment he felt like a dead man. His body moving unconsciously. He desperately needed sleep. But he won't be able to. He had so much work to, which included overseeing the ships and their packing for their journey along the Nile. Taking a small nap wasn't an option either. It disturbed his whole body's structure and routine.

"Stupid trip" he muttered to himself.

Rubbing his eyes he got up, yawned and rolled up his scrolls. He needed to find Ahkmenrah. He definitely knew how to lighten the mood. He walked outside and looked at the position of the sun. Two hours after noon he calculated.

At this time Ahkmenrah would probably be in the riding arena. Sabra would probably be there too, he realised. Today was the day she started her job as a guard. He stretched, giving him a short burst of energy and walked leisurely to the arena.

----------------------------------

First day of the Trip

People cheered as the barge set off upon the Nile. The route of the trip was to go up north for a while, sail upon the sea for a short time then go south down the whole of the Nile. Hopefully nothing would go wrong.

In the evening Kahmunrah had just woken up below deck from a sweet well-deserved slumber. He had slept from last night when they departed from Ineb-Hadg till evening the next day.

"What time is it?" he asked whilst yawning. He didn't need to ask, his body felt messed up meaning he had slept longer than what he should have.

"Dinner time and we are late," replied his brother.

"You should have woken me up"

Ahkmenrah shrugged his shoulders. He took out some random clothes from his brother's clothes chest and threw them at his lap.

"You better change quickly Kahmun" he announced. Then he looked inquisitively around outside the door. Sabra wasn't to be seen.

"Have you seen Sabra? She was here a minute ago."

"Don't ask me Ahk. I was asleep."

-------------------------------------

Sabra had been leaning against the door of Ahkmenrah and Kahmunrah's cabin when she saw a man. He was small and waifish. Where his ear should have been there was dried blood glimmering grotesquely in the torchlight. She had pretended she didn't notice him and as he left for the upper deck where the banquet was to be served she followed him, knowing that his movements were suspicious.

She saw servants clambering about happily chatting. She was glad Merenkahre treated his servants with care, in fact he didn't have any slaves to row the barge he used the sails and the winds.

She finally saw the man dropping some sort of liquid into the food at where the king and his family would be sitting. Poison no doubt. She had heard of assassination attempts against the king. The king wasn't going to die, not tonight anyway. And she was going to make sure of that.

--------------------------

Merenkahre arrived with Shepseheret and his sons. It was a small family meal. Only Khufu, Sabra, two other guards, two servants, Ismara and the royal family were present. Merenkahre sat at the head of the table he was just about to take his first bite of Ru'a'bil-l-lahma (Crisp Pastry with Meat Filling) when Sabra knocked it out of his hands.

"Don't eat. The food is poisoned." She ordered. No one had eaten. Merenkahre looked at her in confusion. He recognised her as the guard he recruited, Sabra if his memory proved correct, to protect Ahkmenrah.

"Please explain yourself Sabra" he said calmly.

"The food is poisoned your highness. I saw a man pour poison into it with my own eyes. If you don't believe me, I will taste the food myself." She announced boldly.

Truth glittered like icy fire in her brilliant blue eyes. With her boldness she clearly outshone all. She shone brighter Ismara with glimmering jewels at every inch of her body. She wasn't over emotional like Shepseheret, being as resilient as a rock. She was braver than Ahkmenrah and Kahmunrah combined. She had more majesty than the king. She was ten times cleverer than Khufu. In her flash of boldness all of this was revealed. She clearly was something else. She was not an ordinary woman. One would be a fool to doubt her honesty and the king was no fool.

Merenkahre nodded ordered the food to be thrown overboard.

"We shall fast tonight for I am afraid we may lose our supplies if we prepare another lavish meal like this." He said. Then he turned to Sabra, he pulled a medal from the linen vest of his chest and ushered her forward. She knelt her head bowed he pinned the medal upon her armor "Egypt is blessed with guardian like you" he told her. Sabra hung her head lower as sign of respect. She rose with her head bowed, humbled yet prideful at the fact that the king was in awe of her.

Ahkmenrah gave her a smile of congratulation as she took her place beside him. She returned it without hesitation. Kahmunrah gave her a respectful nod. Shepseheret beamed with joy. Isis had answered her prayers. She had brought them an angel as the Jews had called the holy creatures of God. Sabra gave a prayer of thanks to God, this feat was not hers to credit. God made everything happen for a reason.

Ismara felt a pang of jealousy. She desperately wanted to put Sabra in her 'rightful' place, but couldn't figure out how. But all the same she couldn't let this inferior, masculine, grubby guard outshine her. She wasn't even that beautiful.

Khufu tried desperately to hide his rage. He excused himself from the table and made his way to his cabin.

----------------------------------------------

Shet was the man who had poured poison into the king's food. He waited silently for his master and his knife in his master's cabin. He failed and he would soon die.

Khufu did eventually arrive but he had not a knife with him but a blindfold. The blindfold soon obstructed Shet's sight of vision. His hands were then bound. He did not how long he waited until he was led out of his master's cabin, but he knew by now every one aboard the cabin was asleep. He stumbled this way and that. All he could see was a void of blackness. Fresh air hit him. He felt himself being dragged towards the railing of the ship.

This was the last time he would he feel and he knew it. There was pressure on his chest he felt the world disappearing from beneath him. He was toppling overboard now. Then his body hit the water. He could swim, he tried to swim upwards, his lungs bursting. Then at his right leg he felt pincers digging into his flesh. He tried to swim faster but pincers were now digging in to every part of his body. Crocodiles he realised, only half conscious. The pincers were teeth.

It was now time for the roll of death. The crocodiles spun. Shet could feel his flesh twisting and tearing away from him. The pain was far worse than anything he could have imagined. It was excruciating. When he finally broke through to the other side he was never so relieved in his whole life.

----------------------------------------

Khufu watched with vulgar and malicious delight as dark blood coloured the moonlit water of the Nile. They had failed. He was still angry. But he had plans. Plans within plans. He would let the royal family enjoy this trip.

This was only the calm before the storm.