When Ankh opened his eyes for the day, he found Thea awake. She sat, perched on the edge of their bed, arms wrapped around herself. Ankh smiled and sat up, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Gently he pressed his lips into the crook of her neck. When she made no acknowledgment,  he murmured against her skin. 

"May Ra bless you this fine day, dearest."

Thea gently got up, walking to the wide open window. The guards still stood, though they had changed shifts so two more stood at attention now. Thea once more wrapped her arms around her midsection, staring at the tree her and Aqen had sat beneath just hours previously.

Consternation on his face, Ankh rose off the bed and moved to Thea. "My love, what ails you?"

Thea took in a sharp intake of breath, and spun. Immediately tears stung her eyes. "What did you say?"

Ankh looked baffled. "I asked you what troubled you."

"What did you call me?" Thea shook her head.

"My love."

Thea felt her eyes grow wide. "You love me?"

A serene smile swept onto his face. Blinking once, he nodded. However this news made Thea dissolve into tears. Immediately alarmed, Ankh brought her close to his chest.

"Thea, my dearest, what is wrong?" A pause, and then, "Is it a one sided love?"

"No," Thea said, continuing to cry against his bare chest. "No, it's not that at all. I love you, I do, I truly do."

Ankh gently lifted her head by the chin, planting a soft kiss on her lips. "Then the tears are not needed, unless they are from happiness."

"Chisisi is back."

A dark shadow washed over the king's face. Just as quickly it was replaced by an unsure smile. "That was just a theory, Thea. It has not been proven. Lapis found nothing at the docks to indicate he is here--"

"But he is," Thea told him desperately, sounding on the verge of hysterics. "He is, I swear to you he is."

Briefly glancing at the guards, Ankh gently took Thea by the crook of her arm, leading her back to the bed. They sat down, Ankh holding her by both hands. He viewed her with the utmost seriousness. Ankh spoke at barely above a whisper.

"You sound certain. How do you know? Did you see him?"

Thea, at this point, felt it silly to withhold anything from the Pharaoh. She spoke in the same conspiratorial whisper. "You believe me that I come from a different time, do you not?" 

Ankh paused, but then nodded. "While I do not claim to understand it, and it goes against all logic and sanity, I find myself believing you."

Thea gripped Ankh's hands tightly. "Aqen has heard your prayers. He is the one who sent me here."

Ankh looked stunned. Thea watched his face intently, different emotions vying for dominance. Finally it settled on bemused confusion. Laughing, he said, "Thea, what? The Gods are not real, Thea, they are--"

But she cut him off. "I know there was a point where you believed, before your mother died. Is it really so hard to believe in the Gods, but at the same time believe that I come from the future?"

Ankh opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Thea scooted closer, squeezing his hands even tighter. "Aqen loves you. He loves that you worshiped him. He is grateful for the statue you have erected in the middle of the town. Ankh--" Thea scooted even closer, practically on his lap. "You say you don't believe, you say you attend religious ceremonies out of obligation, but I love you, I know you, and I don't believe you."

Ankh look offended. Thea would have stopped, but she saw in his eyes it was true. 

"Aqen sent me to you because he believes I can save you. He told me, last night, that your brother was back--where are you going?"

Ankh had gotten to his feet, walking away. He crossed his arms across his chest, back facing Thea. For a long while the Pharaoh said nothing.

"What?" Thea asked in a quivering voice.

Ankh looked over his shoulder, but did not turn to her. "I believe you."

Thea felt relived.

"But."

Thea was crushed immediately. 

"I do not understand. Why?"

"Why?"

Ankh turned around. "Why did Aqen send you to me in the first place?"

Thea looked away, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Tell me."

Thea spoke so quietly, she wasn't even sure the king would hear her. "You...died."

Ankh didn't respond.

"You should be dead already."

Thea glanced at him, and he looked understandably shaken.

"I--we--were trying to figure out what happened, so we can stop it. And we have stopped it, but I think originally you were killed when your brother sent assassins. That didn't work, so I think he is here now, to do the job himself."

 Ankh grabbed his shendyt, hastily putting it on. He then grabbed Thea's discarded dress, and tossed it to her. "Dress, quickly."

Thea stood and slipped off her robe, pulling her dress over her head. "What's going on?"

Before she barely even had her dress on, Ankh took her by the hand and began to head to the door. He was utterly unbothered by his smeared makeup and lack of a wig.

"You need to explain this to Lapis, and then we must decide what to do." 

~

"We need to get you into hiding," Lapis said gravely. He glanced at Thea. "Both of you."

"And you," Thea added. 

"For how long?" Ankh questioned.

"Until the threat is annihilated," Lapis said.

"When?" Ankh pressed.

"Immediately." 

Silence befell the room. Lapis sat straight, collected. Thea kept tucking hair behind her ears. Ankh sat, brow furrowed, leaning forward, elbows on the table, hands clasped at his lips. 

"Fine," Ankh murmured against his knuckles finally. "We shall gather our belongings and be brought to our safe houses." 

"A question, my dearest Pharaoh," Lapis said, sliding his dark blue eyeshadowed eyes towards one of the guards. "How do we know who is trustworthy?"

Ankh shrugged. "We do not."

"So then who is to say whoever leads you to your safehouse isn't going to stab you in the back?" Thea said, alarmed. "Literally?"

Once again Ankh shrugged. Thea sank into her seat, wishing for the first time she were back at home. 

"That's been a constant, though," Lapis pointed out quietly, tying to ease the tension. "Nothing has changed, except we know for certain the man behind all this is here." 

More silence, but this time for not as long. Ankh got to his feet. "Thea and I shall go fetch our things. Thea--you will be staying separate from me."

Thea was shocked. "What?" 

"I do not want anything to happen to you simply because you were in my proximity."

"But--"

Ankh ignored her, turning to Lapis and nodded. Lapis got to his feet, put his fist to his shoulder, and bowed deeply. Instead of returning the gesture, Ankh went to Lapis and pulled him into a tight hug. When the embrace was done, Lapis kissed the kings' hand and bowed again. The vizier then swept towards the door, long blue robe billowing around him.

"Wait," Ankh said. 

Lapis and Thea looked at the king.

"We are going to get through this," he said with all the conviction a stead sure Pharaoh could muster. He nodded curtly, eyes filled with a flaming determination. "We are all going to live, and when we are safe, and my brother is dead, and the assassins have been put to death, I swear to you both; I am going to make Thea my queen."