Djarnan, chieftain of the Med-Jai, knelt before the throne of Pharaoh Seti, keeping his eyes respectfully down.

"Arise, my loyal follower." Seti's voice was strong, but if one listened carefully, they could detect the sadness in it. Seti's wife, who had given birth to his only child, had died a little over a year before. "Walk with me, Djarnan."

"As your wish, Pharaoh," Djarnan said and fell into step slightly behind the Pharaoh. More Med-Jai surrounded the two, keeping them safe from all attackers. Seti was quite tall, but Djarnan was about half a head taller than the Pharaoh, something that used to bring the princess to gales of laughter.

"I am deeply worried about my daughter Nefertiri," Seti confessed. "She does not eat enough, and the things that used to give her such pleasure no longer interest her. I fear that if she does not break free from this sadness about her mother's death, then it will eventually claim her life."

Djarnan nodded. "I have seen it as well, Pharaoh. But I do not see..."

Seti held up a hand, stopping Djarnan's words. "I wish for you to protect my daughter, from either herself or from outside attacks. This is not a punishment, but rather a sign of my trust in you to guard the one thing that I hold dearer than my own life. And the Princess will have a great responsibility coming to her soon."

Djarnan bowed. He wasn't happy about having to guard the feisty sixteen summers old Princess, but the Pharaoh had spoken, and he would obey. As Seti dismissed him, Djarnan was deep in thought. Princess Nefertiri, he knew, would not make his duty an easy task. She was known for her sharp tongue, and Djarnan often had to conceal his amusement when she turned away most of her suitors. Ever since Queen Teri-Sheri had died though, it seemed as if the Princess had died with her, and the palace had grown oddly silent without her infectious laughter. He crossed the courtyard to where the Princess' rooms were and climbed the stairs. The two Med-Jai standing guard at her doorway did not ask questions, they simply opened the door for him.

"Princess?" He walked unerringly to her bedchamber and politely waited to be invited in or for the Princess to come out.

"Go away!"

Djarnan sighed. This was not going to be easy. "Princess, I must speak with you."

Princess Nefertiri sighed deeply. She knew that Djarnan would not simply be content to wait outside if she did not let him in and continued to talk to him through the door. She released her tear-stained pillow and slowly rose from her bed. She quickly checked her mirror, making sure that she was at least clothed, and walked slowly towards the door. When she opened the door, they both froze.

Djarnan had not seen the princess in almost a year, and he was shocked at not only how thin she had become from not eating properly, but also how beautiful she was growing up to be.

Nefertiri suddenly found her mouth quite dry and her heart beating like a drum when she looked at Djarnan. He had become even more handsome than she had remembered. She suddenly broke her gaze, her face heating slightly. She was not supposed to notice how handsome her father's personal Med-Jai was.

Djarnan frowned as he ruthlessly controlled his wayward thoughts. He was not supposed to be noticing how beautiful the Princess was. "May I enter, Princess?"

Nefertiri shrugged and moved out of the doorway, a clear invitation to enter. As Djarnan entered, he sent up a brief prayer to the gods that he would have the patience to make the Princess want to live again.

Nefertiri paced around her room, wondering where Djarnan was. It had been three weeks since he had first entered through her door, and now it was something of a daily occurrence that she was actually looking forward to. Oh, she hadn't at first, seeing it as an intrusion upon her grief and she just ignored him. Of course, that hadn't deterred him any, and he just stood there, a silent and unmoving statue. Her annoyance at his silence had finally gotten the better of her after five days, and she had snapped at him. He had uncharacteristically snapped back, surprising her. After a few moments of silence, she had sighed and started a civil conversation with her new protector.

And for the first time in those three weeks, Djarnan was not waiting for her when she awakened. She had already eaten some food, and for the first time in almost a year, she had taken a little care about her appearance. /And now he is not here to see it,/ she sourly thought. She got tired of pacing and opened the door.

"Med-jai? Where is your leader?"

"He is in the far courtyard, Princess." One of the Med-jai stationed at her doorway answered. Nefertiri frowned. The far courtyard was the one set aside for fighting and training. She shut the door, thinking. She opened another door, this time a servant girl appeared.

"Help get me ready, Malia." The girl bowed, a small smile hovering at the edges of her mouth.

Several minutes later, her hair freshly combed and put into place, her eyes rimmed in kohl, and her favorite dress around her body, Nefertiri opened the door to the outside once again. She walked down the stairs, not surprised by the following of Med-Jai that quickly surrounded her. As she walked to the far courtyard, she wondered what was so important that Djarnan had to oversee it personally.

What she saw took her by surprise. Two women were fighting with triple speared daggers with what appeared to be great skill. Djarnan felt someone coming up behind him and turned his head. A ghost of a smile graced his lips when he saw the princess watching the fight with avid interest. He turned back in time to see one of the women go sprawling on the ground, with the other woman hovering over her, one of the tridents pointed at the hollow of her throat. Djarnan clapped his hands twice, indicating that the match was over. Both women stood and bowed to each other before handing their weapons to the Med-Jai surrounding them. The woman who was defeated walked away towards the concubine's quarters, stripping off the golden mask as she walked. The victorious winner stayed within the circle of Med-Jai for a moment longer before also stripping off her mask. She looked around at the men, smiling the sensual smile of a woman who had been raised to be a concubine. Nefertiri's jaw clenched as she saw the winner widen the smile at Djarnan. She did not like the concubines, and most wisely stayed away from her. But this one, Nefertiri could easily hate.

The princess and the winner locked eyes and in that instant, an immediate rancor was formed.

"Anck-su-namun! Back to your quarters," Djarnan ordered. Anck-su-namun bowed and left the courtyard, going back to her quarters. He turned to look at the princess, who was still staring at the retreating form of Anck-su-namun.

"Who taught those women to fight like that?" Nefertiri asked.

"Anck-su-namun is a skilled fighter. Your father brought her in to teach."

Nefertiri's eyes narrowed. "Teach *who*?"

"You, Princess. Your father will speak to you about it tonight."

Nefertiri nodded stiffly.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the jackal-headed scorpion bracelet inside the chest. She forced her mind to concentrate on her father's words. "It is the Bracelet of Anubis, said to be worn by the Scorpion King himself. And there is no one better to protect it than you, my daughter."

She inclined her head. "As you wish, father."

"To protect it, you must learn to do battle for it." Seti clapped his hands twice. The door to his left opened and Anck-su-namun stepped in. "This is Anck-su-namun, and she will instruct you in self-defense."

Nefertiri nodded at her new teacher. Anck-su-namun did the same, even as the rancor blazed in both sets of dark eyes. Seti either did not notice the hatred brimming between the two, or he chose to ignore it. "Learn from her well, my daughter."

"Yes, father."

It had been two years since Nefertiri had started training under Anck-su-namun's tutelage, and all during that time, Djarnan had not left Nefertiri as her protector. He often enjoyed engaging in a battle of words with the princess, often vexing her when she could not win an argument. He stood near the far wall of the large throne room, waiting. Seti and his royal court had already entered and seated themselves. The large heavy chest that contained the Bracelet of Anubis was under guard by one of his Med-Jai and more still were scatted through the room to protect the royal family at all costs. Two doors on opposite sides opened at the same time as two women, one dressed in a clinging black robe, the other dressed in a gold one, both wearing ornate golden face masks and carrying two tridents as their weapons entered. Djarnan watched impassively as they both bowed to Seti, who was seated on his throne with his high priest, Imhotep, by his side. Both women moved to a stylized position, indicating their readiness to fight. Seti clapped once, and both women turned away from each other, striking another stylized position. Seti clapped once more, and the two women turned back and started trading blows. They swiped at each other with their tridents, kicking, punching, even backhanding the other woman, determined to win this match. Djarnan watched as the two women were revealed to be Anck-su-namun and Princess Nefertiri, taking off their facemasks, and continued to fight.

Their hatred had not been appeased by their long days of training, rather, it had grown until most of the palace residents had seen it. When Seti announced that Anck-su-namun would be his future wife, Djarnan honestly thought that Nefertiri would grab one of her weapons and ram it into her adversary's stomach.

Later that night, as Nefertiri walked through her room out towards her balcony, Djarnan followed her silently. He stopped by the curtain, granting the princess her privacy to her thoughts. He knew that she cherished her time alone, where she did not have to be a princess weighted down with the responsibility of protecting the Bracelet of Anubis.

His head turned towards the balcony quickly when he heard her yell at the Med-Jai that her father was in danger. He was halfway out of the curtain when he saw her sway at the edge of the balcony and start to fall forward. With a burst of speed, he caught her just as she went over the edge, cradling her in his arms. He whispered an apology for touching her as he set her down in her bed. He moved towards the door, sparing a last look at the princess, about to find out what blasphemy had taken place that night.

--The End