Thea.

Her eyes sprung open. Had she been dreaming? It sounded like someone had whispered directly into her ear. She turned over in the bed, allowing her eyes to adjust to the near total darkness. She could see the rise and fall of Ankh's chest as he slept.

"Ankh?" she whispered.

He snorted in his sleep, licked his full lips a few times, and then rolled over. Deciding she must have been dreaming, Thea closed her eyes again.

Thea.

Thea bolted upright and looked around the room. She couldn't see the source of the voice. Once she was sure they were indeed alone, Thea quietly slipped out of bed. Grabbing a robe, she pulled it around herself and made her way to the window.

It was less of a window and more of an opening that led out of the palace. After scanning the grounds briefly, Thea touched one of the large stone pillars for support and climbed out. With such a large, easily accessible area, guards were posted there. As soon as she emerged they both looked at her, hands on their weapons. Upon seeing it was her, however, they relaxed.

Blushing, Thea brought the robe around her body closer. She was sure she had accidentally flashed them, but they seemed undisturbed by it. The nakedness was still an aspect of this new life she would have to get used to.

"Are you alright?" the guard on the left asked.

"Yes," Thea whispered back. "I just, um, had a nightmare and needed some fresh air."

The guard hesitated. "Where are you going? It is our duty to protect you as well."

Thea.

Abou twenty feet away stood a tree. The voice seemed to come from that area. If fact, Thea caught a glimpse of someone standing by the tree. That someone looked very familiar.

"Just by the tree," Thea said, pointing. "Is that alright?"

Both guards made a visual sweep of the area. When completed, the guard on the left gave a curt nod. Thea smiled at him and inclined her head. "Thank you."

"We will be here, keeping vigilance."

Thea walked down the two steps, trying to stop herself from running to the tree. The last thing she wanted to do was draw attention to herself. As she approached the tree, a man loomed in the shadows, seeming to filter in and out of the darkness itself.

"Aqen!" she greeted quietly, excitedly.

"Let us sit, Thea," the God said with a smile. "The guards cannot see us."

Thea sat. To the guards, it merely looked as though Thea was on the ground, her back against the tree. Aqen was but a shadow to them, and they spoke in soft murmurs that were scattered by the breeze.

"I've missed you," Thea said sincerely.

Aqen smiled, and once more he seemed more like Ahmed than a God. "As have I, Thea."

Thea's brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?"

The smile slipped away. "I have come to warn you."

Thea's heart sped up in her chest.

"You are in danger."

"I know," Thea replied, trying to sound lighthearted (but failing).

For a moment, Aqen merely looked at Thea. Then the God spoke..

"I have a story to tell you.

"One day, I was going home after delivering the shen to Ra. However, I heard something clear as a clarion. It was a young man. This young man was in turmoil, unlike anything I had yet heard.

"Nay, he was in downright anguish. I was called to him because he was praying. He was praying very hard, and very specifically. As I listened to this mortal, I came to realize he had recently lost his mother. He was begging for her to be returned to him. He was trying to bargain with any God or Goddess who would hear his plea.

"I heard his plea, for he was begging for time to work backwards. The young man made outlandish promises; 'Return my mother to me and I will do whatever you want me to.' 'I will be in your debt forever.' 'I give my life to you.' 'I will give you all my riches and worldly possessions, my first born, in exchange for my mother."

Thea listened in rapt attention.

"It was a good thing for the man that I was the one who was beckoned to his prayer. Not all Gods are benevolent. Some of us like to play with humans, especially in times of weakness. I know, it is not nice, however sometimes we get bored and feel compelled to meddle in someone's affairs, for better or for worse.

"I heard his plea. This young man was utterly besides himself. I found him on the banks of the Nile. The more I listened, the more I realized how much he hurt. It was like his very soul had been damaged by the loss of his mother.

"After a bit, he abandoned his pleas into the night and began speaking about his mother. He spoke directly to her as though she were there. He also recanted fond memories. While I listened, I began to feel almost shameful, like I had listened to a private conversation. But I also began to feel something else.

"The young man slept on the bank that night. It was a fitful sleep. I know you can appreciate how his skin reflected the whiteness of the moon that hung overhead. I stayed with him that night, utterly infatuated by the sweet innocence of his pain.

"However, as the moon set and the sun began to rise, I found myself hard pressed to leave his side. I had my duties to attend to. Yet, I couldn't just leave him alone. So, I did the only thing I could think of."

Aqen looked at Thea seriously. "I told him my name."

Thea didn't speak. Aqen blinked slowly, and then looked at the desert as he continued.

"I hadn't meant to, but I awoken him by speaking into his ear; I fled. As soon as I was able, I returned to him. He became my obsession. I learned about his life. Silently I stood by and watched him suffer, all the while making sure his spirituality was in tact. He denounced the religions, but I knew in his heart of hearts he still believed.

"I made him believe. I visited him in his dreams sometimes. All the while I was falling in love.

"I loved his life. I loved the people he surrounded himself with. Every day as soon as I was able, I snuck away to watch over him, all while falling deeper into my feelings for this simple, broken man."

Aqen smiled. "He was anything but simple, actually. He was driven, passionate. He proved himself to be a good ruler of mankind. He was smart. There was a point where I knew he could do anything he put his mind to."

Thea smiled fondly.

"However...there was a shadow which loomed, one that threatened to engulf my love, my dearest human. His siblings were protective of him during this difficult time. All but one."

The breeze blew, causing Thea to shiver.

"He was without remorse. He treated those around him wickedly. He could care less for his closest kin's suffering. In fact, he ridiculed my love's tears as weakness, taunting him at every open opportunity."

Aqen's face hardened. "He's evil. There is something broken inside of him. As I watched protectively over my love, my poor lost man, I also watched the one who looked exactly like him. Not once did he shed a tear for his dead mother. In fact, he didn't seem bothered by her passing at all.

"Then, when the period of mourning was over, he slipped away onto a boat. It was my understanding that after my love became Pharaoh, he had left for another land, jealous of his brother's kinghood. I could only assume that's where he left for as soon as his funeral obligations were over, back to whatever land he called home now."

Aqeq looked at Thea directly. It was a look that caused a shudder to ram throughout Thea's body, shaking her to her core.

"I do not lie when I tell you there is something wrong with Ankh's brother. There are not words to describe the sickness in his head, heart, and soul, that cause him to behave so wickedly and without remorse. Thea."

Aqen put his hand on Thea's forearm. His eyes burned with the weight of his words.

"I cannot see you again like this, but I felt compelled to warn you. I fear you are in grave danger."

Thea had known the words that were coming before Aqen even spoke them.

"He is here, Thea. The wicked one is here. Chisisi has returned."