✈️ From Connecticut To El-Aaiun, Western Sahara ✈️

Ben and his father took their seats on the crowded plane. Ben leaned his head back and covered his eyes with his leather fedora like he had seen his father do many times. This was going to be a long flight.

Ben stood on a balcony overlooking the starlit city of Cairo. He was no longer wearing brown the suit that he had been wearing only moments before, instead, he was wearing traditional Egyptian clothes.

He looked out over buildings, this was the most beautiful place he had ever seen.

He felt a gentle touch on his shoulder and turned to see a beautiful young woman. Her dark brown hair hung loosely over her shoulders.

She wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Ben looked down at her for a moment before he rubbed her back tenderly in response.

Ben jolted awake as he felt his father tap his shoulder.

"Look at this, kid." He pointed to the scroll that Dr. Anderson had given him, the one that contained the location of the tombs of the twin queens. "It says that the queens were erased from the line of pharaohs to prevent the location of Queen Uadjit's tomb from falling into the wrong hands."

Ben nodded, groggily. "So that's why everyone thinks that they're just a myth."

Indy nodded in agreement. "Maybe you were right about the twin queens after all. Maybe they do exist."

"Did you just say that I might be right?" Ben smirked.

"Yeah, but don't get the big head about it kid. Besides, these scrolls could have been written more like a fairytale than a historical document. Remember what I've taught you, you can't jump to conclusions just because it's what you want to be true."

"I know father, it's just that your legacy is a lot to live up to. You've found so many amazing things and I've found nothing but a little bit of gold and a few idols."

"Ben, don't sell yourself short, the things you found are what funded this trip. Sometimes you have to start small. I did find a lot of great things in my life, but I wouldn't trade any of them for you. You are my greatest accomplishment, I couldn't be more proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad," Ben replied.

Indy nodded, he had always been worried that Ben would grow up feeling the same way he had, that people and things from thousands of years ago were more important to his father than he was. Which was why he had let Ben start coming with him on adventures the moment he was able to talk his mother into it. He'd taken Ben out of school when he was ten and started teaching him himself, which was why he already knew so much about history at nineteen.

Indiana continued to read the scroll. His brow furrowed as he saw a symbol that he didn't recognize at the bottom of the scroll that he had never seen before. "Ben, look at this symbol."

Ben leaned over to look at the scroll.

"In all my studies, I have never seen this symbol before. I don't even know if there's anyone alive who could translate it," Indiana said.

Ben felt excitement fill him as he looked at the elaborately colored symbol. Parts of it were colored in gold, which looked like actual melted metal that had been painted onto the scroll. It duplicated a golden sun and a silver moon on the Egyptian symbol for eternal life. Around it was a serpent with two heads, one blue and one red.

"I know this symbol," he whispered.

"How?" Indiana asked.

"I've never seen it, actually no one has ever found any actual image of it. But I've read a description of it. It's not actually a word or a symbol. It's the seal of the twin queens. One queen brought life to the land, the other brought death. The gold sun is a symbol of the light that Queen Khepri brought to Egypt. The black moon represents the darkness that Queen Uadjit brought. As you know the serpent usually represents Ra. But on this seal, it actually represents the Nile River. Blue represents life, red represents death. It was actually because of the ten plagues when the water was turned to blood. To them, it became a representation of death."

"You really know your stuff," said Indiana.

"Of course, I had the best teacher in the world," said Ben. "This scroll is incredibly rare. No one has ever found any evidence that the twin queens ever existed."

"Well if this is their seal, then it is possible that they could have existed. But the story was probably greatly exaggerated."

"Didn't you say that about the holy grail?"

"Well, there's a lot less evidence to prove this one. I mean, you're one of the few people who's even ever heard of them."

"I know, but I almost feel like it's my destiny to find their tombs," Ben answered. "I keep having these dreams..."

Indy laughed. "You've been reading too many legends, kid."

Ben nodded. "You're probably right."

"That's one way that you take after your grandfather."

Ben nodded, besides Egyptian history his favorite thing, much to his father's annoyance was the legends of King Arthur. But Ben liked being able to talk to his dad about Egypt and history in general and being able to talk to his grandfather about Arthurian History. He didn't want to just stop at the holy grail, he wanted to find the round table and even Excalibur itself.

"I guess you're right," he agreed. "But over the centuries the lines between history and myth are blurred and the only way we can find the truth is by studying, and looking for artifacts that tell the stories, right?"

Indiana nodded. "Exactly, I mean King Tut's name was erased from the records, maybe the same thing happened with your queens."

Ben nodded. "If not, I'm turning it into a novel. I've already started piecing everything I know about them together to make a story."

Indiana smiled. "Well if you don't become a famous adventurer, maybe you'll become a famous writer."

Share your thoughts...

𓅓 do you think that the queens are just a myth?

𓅓 what do you think Ben's dream means?