The next day, everyone got up, got dressed, and ran downstairs to eat breakfast. Nekia, after getting dressed, walked to the garden. She inhaled the air surrounding her and decided to sing. She sang:
"What a beautiful day it is today. I want everything to go my way. My freedom means a lot to me. My freedom was meant to be. My freedom isn't locked away. I now can forget all the painful times and all the thoughtless crimes. I'm now free and my pain has gone away."
She sat on the bench in the middle of the garden for a moment, then walked back inside. Nekar was standing by the doorway the whole time she was singing. He admired her voice. He saw her coming and sprinted back to the table before she walked inside. She finally got inside, closed the door behind her, and walked into the dining room. She sat at the table among the others.
Anubis and Aya then walked into the room. Akins saw them as they sat down at the table with them. Akins wanted to wait till after they were done eating to talk to him. But he couldn't hold his excitement in any longer. "Anubis. I'm a big fan of yours." Akins replied. Anubis looked at Akins and remarked "You are? I didn't know that. At first, I thought you were the stubborn cousin."
"Yeah. I deeply apologize for that." Akins responded. "I would hope so." Anubis exclaimed. "I heard that there was an evil version of you. What's he like?" Akins asked. "I'm so glad you asked that. He's a real jerk and a big pain in the butt to deal with." Anubis answered.
"I'm sorry you're stuck having to put up with him." Akins exclaimed. "Actually. He's dead. Khanet here killed him." Anubis stated. "What? Really? How did he die?" Akins asked. "I turned him human with the help of pouring a human vile in his drink and then stabbing him in the chest with my dagger." Khanet explained. "Wow. Good job. That takes a lot of courage to face him." Akins replied.
"We've fought with him many times before. Plus, you know, I could do it because I am a warrior at heart." Khanet replied back. "Hey. Me too." Akins exclaimed. They then continued eating. Once they were finished, they got up from the table and walked out of the room.
They all went to the village to shop and spend time together. Anubis and Akins continued talking. "Anubis. This is truly an honor to finally meet you in person. I've looked up to you my whole life. I've devoted my whole life to you." Akins remarked cheerfully. "You know. You're not all that bad, Akins. In fact, I am very flattered." Anubis stated.
Akins smiled. "Anubis. I have a question." Akins exclaimed. "What is it?" Anubis replied. "Who's the woman you walked in the room with this morning? I don't recognize her." Akins asked. "That woman is Aya, the goddess of magic. She is my wife." Anubis declared. "Is she the Queen of Death since you're the King of Death?" Akins then asked.
"Yes. But I haven't taught her anything about death yet. I will eventually. I might even take her to the Underworld and show her around." Anubis explained. "That should be fun." Akins replied. "Yeah. I could consider it as another date with her." Anubis replied back. "On a scale of one to ten, how much do you love her?" Akins asked.
"To the point where I would rip my heart out and give it to her meaning I love her very much." Anubis stated. "Wow. That's a very detailed way of showing your love." Akins declared. "I've never been this much in love with a woman. When we first met, I started drooling all over her. She was the beautiful stranger that caught my eye. From that moment on, I knew that I loved her." Anubis explained.
"She really means a lot to you." Akins replied. "Yes. She does. If anyone dares touch her or hurt her, I will hunt them to the ends of the Earth and once I find them, I will maul them until I make them bleed dry." Anubis replied back. Akins had a terrified look on his face. He was petrified from what Anubis had said.
"You are really lovestruck." Akins exclaimed. "Yes. I am. She stole my heart straight from my beating chest. I would do anything for my lady love." Anubis declared as he gazed at his beautiful wife, who was talking to the girls. He then looked back at Akins and continued conversing with him. They all kept walking through the village. All the people that were there shopping in the village saw the Princes and greeted them as they passed by.
They walked further into the village, to the farther areas of the city of Alexandria. Latif continued the tour of the city. People gasped in surprise about the fact that Anubis and Anput were walking among them. They all wondered 'What are the gods doing here?' A bunch of children ran over to Latif, who saw them and was very happy to see them.
"Hi, kids! How have you been?" Latif asked. "We've been doing good, Prince Latif." A kid answered. "Look, Prince Latif. I grew taller." one boy replied. "You have grown taller." Latif replied back. "How are you, your Highness?" one girl asked.
"I'm doing good. But Prince Akins is being stubborn again." Latif declared as he looked at Akins. The children just laughed as well as Latif. Akins chuckled and remarked "Ha, ha, ha! Very funny!" They stopped laughing. Latif looked back at the children. One of the children had a gift basket for Latif.
They stepped forward and added "Here's a gift basket for you from our family." They presented the gift basket to Latif, who smiled cheerfully at the child's kindness and generosity. He grabbed the basket from the kid and stated "Thank you very much. This is a great gift. Your kind heart has flattered me!" The kid smiled. "Tell your family I said thank you." Latif added. The kid nodded.
The basket contained bread, cheese, apples, grapes, and a big jug of water. The children hugged him and ran off. While running off, they turned around and yelled "Goodbye, Latif!" He yelled back "See ya!" They continued walking on and for the whole day, they were shopping, they went to a restaurant, and even went to a library. Nekar checked out a big book of spells.
Even Anubis had a great time. He never got admired so much in one day. He was admired everyday of course, but that wasn't the point. Latif and Nekar bought more papyrus and quills. After a long day under the sun, they headed back to the palace. Once they got back to the palace, Latif asked his mother if they could stay another night. Khaline agreed and everyone went back to their rooms.
Everyone hung out in Khanet's room. "So, here's a question." Khanis asked. "Yes, Khanis?" Akins responded. "Would you be interested in staying tomorrow night in our kingdom?" Khanis continued. "Sure. We can ask our mother if that would be okay." Akins replied. "Ok." Khanis exclaimed.
Anubis and Akins got to know each other better. Akins felt like he was going to die of happiness on the inside. His dream finally came true and he got to meet Anubis in person. Face to face. Chest to chest. After awhile, they decided to get ready for bed. They got ready for bed and then got under their covers. Everyone was tired from a long day and closed their eyes to rest.
When they woke up the next day, they got ready and walked downstairs to eat breakfast. Once they were done eating and asking Khaline to see if it was okay for them to go, they began packing their stuff. As soon as they finished, they gathered the chariots. Khaline walked out of the palace to bid her sons goodbye. She pulled Akins aside and told him "Akins. Protect your brothers. They look up to you. Be kind to your cousin's subjects and if I hear anything about you being a problem..." "I know. I know. I will get punished. I got it." Akins replied.
Khaline sighed and declared "I raised you so well." "I know, Mom." Akins exclaimed. Khaline then hugged her son and he hugged her back. "I love you, my son." Khaline added.
"I love you too, Mother." Akins responded. They stopped hugging each other and Akins ran over to the chariots. "Come on. Hurry up!" Anubis demanded Akins. "Coming, Lord Anubis!" Akins howled. He got on one of the chariots and they then rode off to the kingdom of Cairo as Khaline walked back inside the palace to sit on her throne. While riding to Cairo, Akins decided to sing. He sang:
"We're riding off in victory. These moments are savory. To be out here on our own is a grand prize that we have been bestowed. We are off on an adventure with good times to remember. We won't turn back and that is our own choice."
When they reached Cairo, the Princes of Alexandria got settled in. The hours passed as their laughter filled the air. Anubis and Aya were going to the desert for a date. Khanet asked "Is it just me or does anyone else want to go spy on Anubis and Aya?" "Ooh. Me!" Akins replied as he raised his hand. He put his hand down. "Of course you want to. You're his number one fan!" Khanis replied. "Leave me alone!" Akins replied back. "Come on, guys." Khanet exclaimed.
Nekar turned everyone invisible and teleported them to Anubis and Aya, who were sitting down. They looked at each other and kissed. While kissing, the group was laughing. Anubis's ears perked up in the middle of kissing. Anubis stopped kissing Aya, who slowly opened her eyes. Aya asked "Why did we stop?"
"I hear laughing. We aren't alone." Anubis stated. "Uh oh." Nekar whispered. "It's probably just the wind." Aya assured. "Oh no!" Nekar then whispered. "I heard that." Anubis declared. "Guys.The jig is up." Nekar boomed. "Who are you?" Anubis asked. Nekar turned everyone visible again.
"What are you doing here? Get out of here. Go on! Scram!" Anubis stated. Nekar then teleported everyone back to Anubis's room. "Whoops." Akins exclaimed. "That was a mistake." Sekani replied. "That didn't last very long." Latif added. Everyone in the room agreed with him. While Anubis and Aya looked back at each other, Anubis asked "You wanna go to the Underworld?" "I would love to!" Aya answered.
Anubis prayed to Ra about being brought to the Underworld and within seconds, they were there. "Welcome to the Underworld!" Anubis greeted. "It's really dark in here!" Aya pointed out. "Yeah. I know. I work here." Anubis explained. "Come, my beauty! Let me show you around." Anubis added. They started walking through the Underworld. All the souls saw a mysterious woman that they didn't recognize standing next to Anubis. One of the souls asked "Lord Anubis. Who is she?"
"She is Aya. The goddess of magic. My beautiful wife. The Lady of Death." Anubis explained. "I thought Lady Anput was the Lady of Death." the soul replied. "Yes. But Anput is my sister." Anubis replied back. "Well that sums it up. Lady Aya. We welcome you to our home." the soul added. Aya smiled and exclaimed "Thank you."
Osiris was out walking through the Underworld making his rounds when he came across Anubis. He saw Anubis from afar and walked over to him. As he was walking to Anubis, the souls started bowing. They then stopped once Osiris reached Anubis. "My Nephew. What is the meaning of your visit?" Osiris boomed. "I'm showing my wife around the Underworld. If that's alright with you, Uncle Osiris." Anubis implored. "That's perfectly fine with me. We don't often get visitors." Osiris replied. "I can give you a tour if you want." Osiris added.
Anubis and Aya looked at each other, then looked at Osiris. "That's fine. Lead the way, Uncle Osiris!" Anubis implied. "Outstanding! Follow me!" Osiris replied. Osiris turned around and started walking. Anubis and Aya followed him. While walking, Osiris asked "What's new with you, Anubis? How's your sister?" "My sister is doing well and me and Aya have a son." Anubis answered.
Osiris's eyes widened and turned to look at Anubis. "You have a kid now?" Osiris then asked. Everyone around them gasped. "Yes. We do." Anubis answered. "Why didn't you say so before?" Osiris howled cheerfully. "I wanted to keep it a surprise." Anubis replied.
"Anubis. You are full of surprises." Osiris added. "So is Evil Anubis. What's your point?" Anubis stated. Osiris chuckled, turned back around, continued walking with Anubis and Aya following, and pointed out "Speaking of Evil Anubis, how's fighting him going for you?" "He's dead." Anubis implied. "Oh." Osiris exclaimed. "Yeah. Khanet killed him." Anubis explained.
"Oh." Osiris exclaimed again. They kept walking and Osiris then asked "How's your father doing?" "He's doing good. He knows that me and Aya have a son." Anubis replied. "How did he take it?" Osiris asked. "At first, he didn't take it so well but that's only because we didn't tell him. But for the most part, he's fine about it." Anubis explained. "That's good." Osiris replied back.
They continued walking through the Underworld and along the way, souls saw Anubis there. They cried out "It's Lord Anubis!" They finally came to Osiris's palace. They walked inside and Osiris then sat in his throne. "How's my wife? I haven't seen her in awhile." Osiris added. "She's doing well. In fact, she helped us out a lot with Evil Anubis especially when we brought about his death as well as Evil Anput's death." Anubis explained. "That's great. I'm glad my wife could be of help." Osiris exclaimed. Moments later, Anubis and Aya decided to leave.
Osiris boomed "Farewell! My Nephew. Next time you visit me, bring your son as well." Anubis nodded and prayed to Ra to be brought back to the palace. Ra answered the prayer and brought Anubis and Aya back to the palace. They walked inside and got ready for bed. They got into bed while everyone else continued to hang out in Anput's room.
After awhile, everyone got tired and decided to get ready for bed. Then, they all went to bed and fell asleep. The next day, everyone got up and got ready for the day. They ran downstairs to eat breakfast. Akins saw Iris and Iranis enter the room with Khanis.
They sat down at the table too. "Khanis. Who's this?" Akins asked. "Oh. This is my wife, Iris and my daughter, Iranis." Khanis explained. "You never told me that you got married and had a kid." Akins added. "That's incredible!" Akins then replied. "Who are you?" Iris calmly asked Akins. "I am Akins and these are my brothers, Sekani and Latif. We are Khanis's cousins. Sons of Queen Khaline of Alexandria." Akins remarked. "Interesting." Iris replied. "Thank you for your hospitality!" Latif implied. "You're very welcome." Iris exclaimed. Anubis and Aya then walked in the room with their son, Ali. They sat down at the table as well. Akins also saw that Anubis had a kid too. "Anubis. You have a kid as well?" Akins asked shockingly.
"Yes, Akins. This is our son, Ali." Anubis answered. "I didn't know you had a kid." Akins implied. "Yeah. We do." Anubis replied back. "Ah. What an adorable child. As well as your child, Khanis. She's very adorable." Akins declared. "Thanks. I guess!" Khanis replied. Akins just smiled. They all ate their breakfast and once they were finished, they got up from the table. They went to Anput's room to spend time together.
Iris and Aya put their precious babies down for a nap and then went to Anput's room to join the others. While hanging out, Nekia's stuff got brought to her room, but her flute was brought to her. Ra was responsible behind her stuff being brought to the palace. Akins saw that the flute appeared on Nekia's lap.
He looked at Nekia's face and implored "Nekia. Look at your lap." Nekia looked down at her lap and saw her flute laying there. She picked up the flute and declared "My flute. I haven't seen this in forever." They looked at her in surprise. "You're a musician?" Khanet asked curiously. "Yeah. Do you want me to play something for you?" Nekia replied.
"Please do!" Anubis stated. "Alright. Here it goes!" Nekia whispered. She held the flute up to her mouth and began playing. Everyone stared in awe as she played a tune. The tune she was playing was beautiful! Astounding and heavenly! They had never heard such a peaceful sound before. Usually, the instruments that were played in Egypt were upbeat and loud. But this flute let out a tune so calm and soothing that it could put you to sleep.
It rang out loudly as if you were calling someone's name. She stopped playing as everyone continued staring in amazement. "So...what did you guys think?" Nekia asked. "That was beautiful!" Anubis stated. "That's my sister!" Nekar added with pride as he pointed at her. He stopped pointing. "Where did you get the flute from and how did you learn how to play it?" Akins asked. "Thoth gave it to me when I was trapped in that cell. He taught me how to play it as well as other things like magic, math, and science. You know. Many things." Nekia answered.
Thoth visited her often and taught her many things even how to play the flute. The flute was a gift from him. Khanis then pointed out "Since you gave us a tour of your city, we're gonna give you a tour of our city." "We've been here before when we were little." Akins explained. "Oh. Well you're gonna see it again." Khanis exclaimed. They got up, walked out of the palace, and headed to the village.
In the village, people stared at the newcomers as they were walking around. Latif decided to sing. He sang:
"It's nice to be out and about. To see children shout. The day is filled with sunshine. I'm glad that these memories I share with my family are mine. It's always nice to see the children running around while the adults are bound to spend time together. Memories are worth making. These memories are for the taking. These memories are worth so much more than just what you can see."
Akins saw poor children, who were looking for food. He helped them get food by grabbing a loaf of bread from a stand and gave it to them. The children smiled, grabbed it from him, and replied "Gee. Thanks, Mister." They ran off as Akins smiled. He told his brother "You're right. Being kind is great. I never knew that being kind could feel so heartwarming!"
Latif smiled and stated "It is a great feeling to have. Being kind to others can make a big difference especially to those in need. See. That's the spirit!" Akins and Latif laughed happily. Latif gave a poor family some money. They smiled at the mysterious, kind stranger that helped them get back on their feet.
While they continued walking, Nekia decided to play the flute. A lot of people were amazed at such talent. Children then danced and twirled around. No one found the flute's tune unnerving. In fact, people found it quite pleasant and amusing. They shopped and the day passed by without them realizing.
It was nightfall when they headed back to the palace. The Princes of Alexandria bid their goodbyes after gathering their stuff. They got on their chariot and set their stuff down at their feet. Akins screamed "You can visit us anytime you want."
"We'll keep that in mind!" Khanis screamed back. "Farewell!" Akins then yelled. Khanis and the others waved goodbye as the Princes rode off. They stopped waving and walked back inside. They all got ready for bed. They all then went back to their rooms.
Nekia set her flute down on her bedside table. Everyone climbed into bed including Nekia. She laid in bed and turned over to the side of the bed where the window was facing. She looked out the window at the starry sky and stated "I'm finally free. This is what freedom looks like. I just know that when I wake up, I will wake up to a better tomorrow."
She then closed her eyes. Everyone else closed their eyes as well. They all slept peacefully. They slept knowing that the Evil twins, who once tried to terrorize their land has now been demolished. Wiped clean. They all showed that they had the hearts of Egyptian warriors especially Anput, who fought bravely against her evil version. They all slept thinking that the heart wrenching mayhem was over, but what they don't know is that this is not the end.