There were times when religion exceeded tradition, when faith in the almighty Ra was an invaluable asset in face of practices passed down from generation to generation. In most cases, morals enforced by Ra overruled everything else. If a follower were to sin, then immediate repentance was in order—that is, before the gods and goddesses bestowed their punishment.

Rayna had committed many sinful acts in her life but she was never burdened with regret.

However, in that very moment, the princess theorized karma was not on her side.

Kazue's eager gaze bored into Rayna as if she was the center, salvation, and truth of his universe. Of course, she could handle the intensity; Sphinx commoners and servants showered her with similar looks. It was the lack of ulterior motives lurking beneath that left an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach. The emotion filling her was guilt but—for the life of Ra—she could not comprehend the source of it nor how to suppress it.

How could one eradicate an emotion they barely experienced?

Besides the quick twitch of her lips, Rayna's demeanor remained graceful as she laid a hand upon one of the guard's shoulder and requested, "Leave us alone to talk, please. This poor child is confused and needs guidance. Sadly, I cannot overlook whatever crime he committed but I will see to it that his punishment is as lenient as possible." Rayna caught traces of a smile on the guards' faces before they bowed and left. As soon as the prison door closed, she brandished Kazue with an annoyed glance from the corner of her vision.

Reeling her shoulders back, she asked, "Can you be anymore idiotic, child?"

The insult had no effect on Kazue, which enhanced Rayna's ire. He answered without a missing a beat. "I'm so happy to see you, guardian spirit!"

Rayna's lips withered into a frown. She withdrew a key from the sleeve of her robe—her job required the item to be on her person at all times—and freed Kazue of his cuffs. She ignored his appreciative smile and said curtly, "Stop calling me that. I already told you that I am not and never will be your guardian spirit." Some of the street rat's optimism escaped him for a moment. Rayna could not have been more grateful, as she feared she would never weed a predictable reaction out of him. However, her relief was short lived when Kazue's eyes lit up.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Against her own accord, Rayna spat in barely veiled surprise, "My name?" Her finely plucked eyebrows furrowed. "I've been proven wrong. You can be more idiotic. How could learning my name benefit you at the moment?" She gestured at the boy's cuffed hands. "Do you not realize the situation you are in right now? I could sentence you to death if I see fit." Kazue hummed in blatant perplexity, as if he was struggling to solve an ancient enigma.

Finally, he pouted and said, "But I still wanna know your name! We're friends now, so I thought—"

"Friends?" Rayna hissed as she loomed over the boy. "You are a mere, lowly street rat. I am the princess of Sphinx Nation, capital of the greatest empire in the world. You are far too beneath me to be considered a friend." She spat the last word with disgusted finality.

The duo experienced a moment of déjà vu. Rayna kneeled before Kazue and ran a nail down his left cheek.

Her honey coated voice, his shaking frame, her daunting grin, his contracting pupils, her predatory cackle, his shallow breathing—the vivid memory unraveled into reality.

"I will only repeat this one more time," she whispered silkily, "I kill people, not protect. Meddle in my life and I assure you that you will die. One way or another."

Her warm throat, his delicate arms, the surprised gasp catching in her lungs, the forgiving smile planted upon his dirty face, the uncomfortable sensation prickling along her skin—Rayna returned to real reality and shook off Kazue's embrace.

Fury collected on the tip of her tongue. However, she could not react before the boy. "And I'll only re...reap? Reap this one more time!" he declared, "You wouldn't hurt me because you're my guardian spirit. And guardian spirits always protect. I won't die as long as you're here." Despite his failure to remember the term repeat, the boy giggled to himself, proud that he was able to use the princess's words against her.

Rayna answered with a blank expression. Her irritation danced with the idea of executing Kazue, while her pride refused to let his antics to affect her. Jaw clenched, she expelled her anger through a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We are off topic. What crime did you commit?"

Shame radiated from Kazue as he studied the stones beneath him. "I, uh, s-stole a few oranges from this stand—but I only did that so I could see you! I'm not bad, I promise!"

"No, you are just insane," Rayna countered with a roll of her eyes. This will not due, she thought.

There was no way Rayna could decide Kazue's sentence; at least, not fairly. She far from pitied the child but she was responsible for giving reasonable punishments. In Kazue's case, she had a bias mindset and would probably decree a sentence too harsh for his offense. It greatly agitated her to admit this but Rayna needed a second opinion and that could only come from one person.

Rising to her feet and sauntering down the hall, Rayna commanded in a level tone, "Come."

An excited squeak, bare feet pitter-pattered, then a body wrapped around her leg.

The princess froze.

As if a spirit truly was protecting Kazue, he retracted from Rayna, hands clasped politely behind his back. Gaze forced forward, she said in a low whisper, "Do not touch me, peasant."

"Yes ma'am," Kazue replied automatically.

†

A colossal man hunched over his desk and scanned through a daunting stack of paperwork. He sighed tiredly while rubbing the scar along his cranium, a tick that had stuck with his senses for years. His gaze briefly flickered to the heavens as he mouthed a prayer for Ra. Dado was a patient man but the very nature of his being screamed for activity and movement, to be freed from the confined space of his office. At the very least, he wished for a distraction from his duties.

Before Dada could bury himself further in torture, the double-doors of his private abode opened with a long, groaning creak. Guards stationed outside bowed as the answer to Dado's prayers entered.

Rayna's generous façade was as strong as ever.

Dado arched a brow at her unexpected arrival but it rose even higher once another presence caught his attention.

A thin boy swallowed up by Rayna's cloak stood next to her. In fact, much to Dado's bubbling amusement, he hovered dangerously close to the princess. His hair and eyes were Egyptian but his complexion intrigued the general. He has quite a light skin tone...If I had to guess, this child must be half Egyptian and half American. A rarity indeed. Not an ounce of malice was found in Dado's thoughts. The man was more liberal than the common Egyptian but he wisely kept his views to himself. In Egypt, Dado knew that survival overruled justice.

Dado signaled for the guards to close the doors. Once they complied, he traded a questioning gaze between Rayna and Kazue.

"Rayna, I was not expecting you. Is something on your mind?" he asked. His curiosity spiked when Kazue sighed in relief after Rayna dropped her mask.

Now that was an interesting reaction.

Dado inwardly smiled and thanked Ra for bringing such an engaging gift. The boy acts as if he is unaccustomed to Rayna's fake personality...Why would Rayna abandon the mask for him?

Before he could dive any further into musings, Rayna relayed, "This child stole from an orange vendor and must be punished. However, I do not trust myself to decide on my own since I would gladly decapitate the annoying pest." Dado cut his gaze to the child, worried that Rayna's words hurt him. To the general's astonishment, Kazue appeared unfazed and just hung onto the princess's every word. "So, I need your opinion on what I should do with him." Dado sat back in his chair and folded his hands upon his lap, analyzing the circumstances.

There were three courses of action he could take. He could simply let the child off with a warning. He could tell Kazue was starved and far too small for his age; hunger was not a force so easily defied. Or he could sentence Kazue to spend about a month in jail, maybe a little less. However, there was a third option...

Mischief twinkled in Dado's wise eyes and a smirk tugged the corner of his lips. "Well, since this child's crime is minor, a few months of service around the palace should suffice," he said. He then locked onto Kazue and finished, "Of course, we cannot let a child run amuck without supervision. Rayna, I believe you would be a perfect guardian."

Since he was well prepared for it, Dado neither cringed nor flinched when Rayna snapped in disbelief, "What?"

His grin widened.

Yes, Ra presented a very amusing gift.