The Indians sat there at the dinner table for a while, and then Sito had an idea. "I know of something to spike up the evening. Be right back," he said. He returned with a whoopie cushion he had made. "We will find out where Francesco is sitting and embarrass the daylights out of him before the Pharaoh. Ramesses will think Francesco farted at the table which is not acceptable behavior here."
Everyone sniggered.
"Where is Francesco supposed to sit?" asked Mactalon to a servant.
"He will be sitting at the first seat next to the head on your side," replied the servant.
Sito inflated the cushion and put it in Francesco's seat. "Try not to laugh till he sits down," he said, and they started laughing.
Francesco entered the room, and they had to choke back laughter. They were still sniggering and wiping their eyes from their tears of hilarity as Francesco approached the table.
"What are you laughing about? I find nothing amusing about this formal dinner. So stop laughing and stand up till Pharaoh arrives," Francesco snapped.
They stood up, while biting their lips, trying not to sabotage the prank. Ramesses came into the room with Nefertari, and the two of them sat down first. Then everyone else sat down including Francesco.
Pfft! said the cushion, and he had a look of shock on his face along with Ramesses. All of the Indians burst out laughing. They laughed so hard they were crying. Mactalon toppled over backward in his chair, and then they started laughing at him.
Ramesses was not amused. In fact, he was furious and aggravated. He folded his arms over his chest and looked at them sternly.
"Francesco, I think you really blew it this time," punned Mactalon as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Brings back memories, don't it? How do you like that old practical joke from back home—a real blast from the past!"
Francesco pulled out the cushion and threw it at Mactalon since he was the prankster of the group as he glared at all of them. "All right, who did it?" he asked vehemently; they all pointed at each other.
"Enough, all of you! This is supposed to be a civilized dinner, not a zoo! Start acting like you are adults and not children because I have some very important news to share with you later," replied Ramesses crossly.
Everyone stopped, sat down, and tried to hold his or her animosity until the dinner was over; the Indians and the Crackedskull gave each other daggers as they ate.
"I want to run through that little—grrr," Mactalon muttered to Sito as he ripped a leg off of his roasted pheasant.
Thirty minutes passed, and Ramesses set down his goblet of wine, wiped his hands, and cleared his throat since he and everyone had finished their dinner. "Now, I wish to tell you why you are all here and why this occasion is so very important. You have heard that I have chosen another to sit beside me, and I have called you here to tell you who she is."
Everyone looked at each other in surprise, and then returned their looks to Pharaoh.
"Well, who is it? Why do you have to tell us anyway?" asked Neiko, fanning her hands in frustration. "It's not like it's any of our business."
Ramesses smiled at her, chuckling. "It is you."
Neiko's mouth fell open along with the other four Indians'. Cold fear gripped her stomach and churned it; this was not good, and it was everyone's worst fear. "I...I can't! I have a war to win, and I am no good to you. I'm not who you think I am. Will you please do me a favor and let me go? I promise I won't cause you anymore problems. I'll take everyone else with me, and we'll be gone. Please? I'm thankful of you taking care of us, but will you show me the door?" she rambled in her own shock.
"You are not going anywhere, my warrior," Ramesses said, standing up.
"You don't understand! I don't belong here! I'm not supposed to be with you—I'm not even supposed to know you outside of history class! I don't have time for this! I have important things to do at home! I need to go back to where I came from..." Neiko said.
Ramesses held up his hand and extended his first two fingers which meant to be silent.
"No! I will not be silent!" Neiko said, regaining her speech, standing up, and slamming her fists on the table in strong resistance. "You don't get it..."
Before Neiko could finish, Francesco chimed in. "He's not asking you whether or not you want to marry him—he's just stating the facts. Your opinion doesn't count! You will be joined to him in two weeks as you heard. There is nothing you can do or say to stop it. So be ready."
Neiko gave Francesco daggers covered in ice as she slumped back into her chair. Neiko slammed her head on the table and groaned. "I can't do this, and I won't. Guys, get me out of this!" she moaned.
"Neiko, there is nothing we can do," said Sito, and when she looked up, he winked, letting her know he was duping the pharaoh and promising that they will find a way out of the situation.
Neiko started rubbing her turquoise ring. You gave me this for luck, and I need it right now, Monchiska, she yelled in her mind.
Ramesses broke into her thoughts by saying, "Tomorrow we will start spending quality time together to get to know each other better—finally alone, and I want you to be ready at midday. Everyone is dismissed!"
All the Indians got up, muttering, but Neiko stormed out of the dining hall and headed for the garden. A door slammed and echoed in the hallways as she made her exit.
Sito looked after her as she disappeared in the hall.
"Oh man, she's really upset," said Tito shaking his head.
"Should we go after her?" asked Mactalon.
"No, I'll go and talk to her and see if I can cheer her up, but I must go alone. You go on to bed," replied Sito. "Besides, I have that secret she'd love to hear that the four of us have known for eleven years. It may be the thing to cheer her up."
"Okay, do it," said Panthero giving him thumbs-up.
The three went on to bed while Sito went to talk to Neiko.
Neiko was sitting on the steps, with her face buried in her hands, sobbing when she heard the footsteps behind her. "Pharaoh, if that's you, go away," she said curtly between sobs.
"Neiko, it's me, and I've come to talk to you," said Sito as he sat down beside her. "Why are you crying? It's not your style."
"Oh good. I was hoping you would come," Neiko said wiping her eyes. The kohl was smeared on her eyes and hands, and it looked as she had been beaten. "I'm just thinking about not seeing my family and friends again and Ramesses not caring," she said.
Sito bit his lip. "It's not that he doesn't care—it's just that he doesn't know, and it compromises his plans if he did know which he won't allow. His heart won't let him release you. I've been wondering, who's the guy you are in love with back home? It's been a secret ever since we were kids."
Neiko snorted. "What heart?" The she paused and gathered her thoughts to answer Sito's question. "It's Monchiska, but he doesn't love me back. He's still dating that snotty blonde, Rebecca Cunningham," Neiko said and then sniffled.
Sito chuckled. "Oh, he's got one—you'll see. Monchiska is still with that snotty blonde, huh? But he doesn't love her like you think. He is in love with someone else, but he thinks she doesn't love him back. He told me who she was before we came here."
"But that was eleven years ago! She's been pressuring him into getting the ring to get hitched, but he hasn't." argued Neiko.
"You see? He didn't just run and get it, did he? He has been making excuses to keep from marrying her, hasn't he?" Sito asked.
"Well—yeah, but—" Neiko stammered.
"Neiko, no buts. The girl of his dreams is you and has been for many years!" Sito declared.
Neiko smiled. "That makes me feel a lot better. When I get back home, I'll tell him exactly how I feel. But, what would Pharaoh do if he found out, and what are we gonna do to get out of here? We have two weeks to get that crystal, and if we don't make it, then I have to—" she thought, shivering. "I don't want to marry him—I don't love him. As a matter of fact, I can't stand him!"
"We will make sure Pharaoh never finds out. He would try to make you forget Monchiska. You better be glad he isn't here because Pharaoh would slay him so he could have you. People wouldn't care what happens to a slave—the Egyptians would think of it as taking out the trash and not the murder of a human being. They do this all the time all the way up to Pharaoh himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he would try to be rid of us shortly after your ceremony so he wouldn't have to worry about us ever again. We are in a race against Pharaoh's clock, and it is very short. He hates us more than he does the Hebrews."
Neiko shuddered. "If he ditches you guys, then I'll be here by myself with him and Francesco, and we all know my life will be Hades. I almost forgot—I got a date with him tomorrow at midday, and I have to go. Ugh! Will y'all try to get that crystal while I keep him busy?"
"Okay, I'll do my best, but don't count on the first attempt," warned Sito.
"I know, but the sooner I can dump Ramesses the better. I really don't want to be his wife or a queen of Egypt—or even his Great Wife if it comes to that. I just want to go home—I miss the action. Palace and Egyptian life are so boring compared to Hawote. I feel like I'm in prison, and Pharaoh is my jailer," Neiko grumbled.
"I know what you mean, and it'll get worse. It won't get boring if we have to fight Pharaoh to free you. I bet we will if everything goes wrong, and in the turn I'll tell him what I think of him and what a heartless scum he really is—at my own risk that is. Then I'd have to fear for my life because he already hates me," remarked Sito.
Neiko chuckled. "I'd like to see that. I feel much better—I was so upset at first because it was such a shock. I know, the more I reject him the worse he'll get because I know his type. I'm ready for that, but I was wondering is there is any way by law or anything I can do to thwart the marriage?"
"No. Pharaoh is above the law, and everyone must obey his commands whether they agree with them or not. Every word he speaks is law, so you are his wife right now—this very minute. All that ceremony is to honor your union with him and to show to all of Egypt that he has acquired you," Sito replied.
Neiko covered her face with her hands and moaned. "I thought a queen of the Crackedskulls was bad, but the Queen of Egypt? Sito, I can't do this!"
"You can moan and groan about it all you want, but it won't change a thing," Sito said firmly as he held up his finger.
"The only way out of this is for him to change his mind, and I know exactly how to do it!" Neiko said triumphantly.
"Neiko, don't count on it. He won't be changing his mind anytime soon, no matter how much you try to make him angry or make yourself repulsive. If there is one thing I know about Pharaoh, it's when he has made up his mind, there is no changing it, even if the sky is falling or if hell comes to earth. He is adamant and strong-willed when he has his heart set on something. Even if giants were smashing Egypt to pieces, he wouldn't give it up. You have no hope from the law anyway because you are a slave; a peasant Egyptian would be superior to a foreigner. Second, you are a female, and all females are inferior to men, especially the pharaoh. Your parents aren't here to object, and they have no say against a god-king. It's basically written in stone," Sito said.
Neiko thought hard, but then an idea popped into her head. "He can't make me if I'm not here then can he?"
Sito cocked a questioning eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"
"Like if I ran away, he can't make me go to that ceremony or do anything. That's what I'll do—run away—that is, if you can't get the crystal," Neiko said with a cunning smile.
Sito shook his head. "Are you out of your mind? You would be lucky if you made it to the outskirts of Thebes! You may be Neiko Kidd and a great warrior, but you can't run away from or fight against the Egyptian army with Ramesses the Great at the head—he bears that title in our day and age for a reason. You would be captured in no time, and that would make things worse. He would be more determined to force you to love him, and he'll put more restrictions of your freedoms. We could pay the penalty. You would be more of a prisoner here because that act of defiance would make him tighten his grip on you that much more. Neiko, you are so desperate that you aren't thinking clearly! I'm saying this for your own good."
"Well, that means I can't go on foot, so I'll just have to swipe a ride," Neiko shrugged indifferently.
Sito put his hands up. "Neiko, stop this—it won't work. This place is crawling with sentries and soldiers at night, and it doesn't take long for him to mobilize the army for pursuit. I don't think he'd be happy to be awakened in the middle of the night with news of your disobedience to his commands. Get this crazy idea out of your mind—and don't worry—we'll get the crystal. Come on, Neiko, let's go to bed."
Neiko followed him inside, but she tried to think of a way to run away if things didn't work out.a