Royals Through Time 4: The Egyptians

Part Three- Meet and Greet

Charity and Gracina had been talking for what would have been an hour anywhere else. Luckily, no time passed where they were. They told their stories, how they had come to be there. And then Gracina mentioned why she was there that day, and Charity stood up quickly. "Well, let's go then!" So they stepped through the arch and found themselves in....a dark alleyway? It smelled too. Charity's face was the funniest thing Gracina had ever seen. Once they got out onto the main road, Gracina began to think of what she had been told about the different kingdoms of her friends. Charity hadn't heard the stories the Royals told, yet she was awed. The mud and stone of the buildings and they garb of passersby told Gracina this was Arabia. "Looks kind of like Egypt." Charity was looking around the whole way to the palace. They found Averia sitting in her window. By the time they returned to Egypt with all the Royals, Charity was thoroughly in shock. Her clothes had changed to those of the culture around her, and she had seen lands she had never heard of before. And hundreds of years before her own birth! Now all were dressed as Egyptians, and standing in Gracina's guest room at the Temple of Sekhmet. But something about the group's clothes were different to Gracina..."I'm dressed in my own clothes, and Myah's dressed as a noble, but Sarah's dressed as a royal servant, Charity is wearing a mourner's dress, and Averia and Lunden are dressed as priestesses!" It was true. It was Charity who suggested an answer to their problem: "What if that's what we're meant to do? You're the Princess, and the rest of us go undercover?" That was slightly obvious at that moment. So on her first mission, Charity was searching for work as an Egyptian mourner. "The others are probably halfway to the palace by now. Why did I agree to this? Why did I even come here?"
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At that moment, Averia and Lunden were trying to act as priestesses in the Temple of Sekhmet, and Gracina, Myah, and Sarah were almost to the palace when a horse was spotted in the distance. An hour earlier, their horses Winter, Acenath, and Helen had been found. So who was this one, and who was riding him? As they got closer, Gracina's smile lit her face. "It's Amet!" She pulled her horse to a stop as the rider overtook them. Even before the man removed his protective scarf, Myah and Sarah knew Gracina had a keeper. This man's eyes were clear and sparkling, with wisdom as well as kindness and strength. The fact that Amet bowed to Gracina instead of kissing her was rather refreshing to the three, who had all seen some terrible suitors. Amet spoke in a decisive manner, but not too quickly: "My Princess, I received your message and came as quickly as I could. What may I do to serve you?" Gracina laughed and bowed back to Amet: "I think first I must introduce you to my friends. Myah, Sarah, this is Amet. Amet, Sarah and Myah." Amet bowed in turn to each, but then looked at Gracina quizzically. "Where are the other two? Averia and Lunden?" Myah glared at Gracina with a look that could only say "YOU TOLD HIM?!" Sarah just sat back. If Gracina had told Amet about their friendship across time, then she trusted him with her life and the lives of others. And that was not something Sarah took lightly. Gracina laughed nervously at Myah's angry face. "It's ok. We can trust him." Then she turned to Amet. "Actually, there are now six of us. They're going undercover." Sarah watched Amet's face carefully. No surprise registered when Gracina said that there were six of them. Which could mean one of two things: either Amet was so used to surprises like this, or he already knew about the sixth Royal. And that option put him as either Egypt's Helper or the Royals' worst enemy.