Fantasy Present to Past

[Fantasy Addict]

"Trapped? That would explain the darkness..." Nevea paused then elaborated for A'nu so he wasn't confused, "I had a dream of total darkness where a male voice told me to find him and this necklace is the clue." She fell silent once more studying the jewel while wracking her brain for the stories her grandmother had told her about it.

"Hurul had been in love with a Goddess and made this for her as a token of his affection, however the Goddess was already married and didn't want to leave her husband so she rejected the gift and ended the relationship." She ran her finger along the gold band tracing the small Hyroglyphics branded there, "thats when he went missing.... If you say he is trapped maybe this Goddess or even her husband trapped him. Either way I need to find him so he can send me home."

 

[LadyPhantom]

A'nu seemed to be contemplating something. He still wasn't too sure about this as it would mean that they'd interfere with the gods, but if this was the only way for her to return home, he'd help her. He knew all too well what it felt like being trapped in a foreign place, far away from home.

"So, do you have any ideas where we can find Hurul? Did the voice, if it was his, tell you anything?" he asked Nevea, wondering if Hurul had given her any hints.

 

[Fantasy Addict]

She shook her head while placing the necklace once again on her chest then wrapped her arms around herself while chewing on her buttom lip. "No.... You know he probably doesn't have his powers so he could be relying on sheer will or our shared bloodline to communicate with me." Nevea fell silent once more as her mind whirled with possibilities on how to move forward.

"What about those priests you mentioned before? Could they help? Or any expert on the Gods?"

 

[LadyPhantom]

"We should not try and get close to the priests, not as long as it will be obvious that you are not from here. Let's go inside," A'nu suggested and led her back upstairs where he gestured for her to take a seat. He poured her and himself a mug of water before he sat down with her. "I can try and talk to a priest of Seth, but they are not the friendliest, so you should stay away. But before this can happen, we have to make sure you are recognized as one of nobility so the people won't ask questions."

 

[Fantasy Addict]

"Oh.... No I suppose not." She said absently while following him inside the hut once more. Taking the mug in her hands she craddled it against her chest while sitting down tucking her legs under her to protect her modesty. She frowned at his suggestion with talking to one if Set's priests, "but if I'm related to Hurul even distantly wouldn't it be better if I were to speak with them? I'm technically Set's blood as well."

Taking a sip of water Nevea continueed to frown at his other plan "make me seem of Nobility? How?"

 

[LadyPhantom]

"We have no prove, and your word will stand against theirs. They will accuse you of heresy and sorcery and then we have a huge problem," A'nu replied and took a gulp of his water. "You speak our language now and your clothes match, that's a start. But people will ask you were you came from, as you are way too pale to be Egyptian. I think they'd believe you're Roman, but without fluent latin that seems like a bad idea as well."

 

[Fantasy Addict]

She blanched in shock at his revealation almost choking on another sip from her water, "why is everyone from this time so suspicious." She asked though honestly she didn't expect an answer from him. Nevea fell silent at his suggestion about being Roman however he was right about speaking fluent Ancient Latin, she didn't know it. While she spoke modern Latin and Spanish due to her mother being Latin American, it would be useless and sound like gibberish to everyone else.

She wracked her brain trying to come up with a story that would explain why she wore Egyptian clothing, spoke the language yet didn't look like the rest of the rest. "What if we say that I'm from a mixed family?? My father is Egyptian and my mother is Roman so I learnt how to speak both Languages?" She asked not realizing that she spoke in fluent Ancient Latin as the necklace hadn't just given her the ability to speak Egyptian but all Tongues.

 

[LadyPhantom]

This time A'nu stared at her as if she had grown as second head. He understood only chunks of what she had said last, but whatever it was, it sounded Roman. "Whatever you said, it sounds good," he replied, raising his hands in defeat. "Since most Romans we get to see around here are all fancily dressed, I'm sure they won't ask questions once you come up with a mixed bloodline. Just make up a little background story and you should be fine."

The warrior then rose from his seat and grabbed his kopesh and a grindstone. "For our problem with finding out where Hurul is, a priest of Seth seems like our best option now," A'nu suggested and began to sharpen the blade. Egypt was huge, and Hurul, if he was even alive, could be anywhere. A blind search would lead them nowhere.

 

[Fantasy Addict]

She was confused when A'nu raised his hands in defeat an expression of puzzlement on his own face, she had spoken in Egyptian had she not? That question was answered a few seconds later when the warrior said that he hadn't understood what he said which meant she had spoken in Latin instead of Egyptian.... But how was that even possible? Overwhelmed and confused she once again lifted the golf ball sized jewel so it was eye level, how are you giving me the ability to speak languages I don't know? Nevea thought even though she knew she wouldn't get an answer. if she was going to find out what the hell was going on and how to get home she needed to do as A'nu suggested and seek out a priest of Set.

"I'll come up with something if we are approached though I think maybe for both of our safety I should hide this." she gestured to her necklace as she loosened the chain so the jewel dropped into the bosom of her dress then moved her hair to the front so the chain was concealed. "Alright well no time like the present right? Let's go see those priests." She said eager to do something so she stood to her feet then held her hand out to A'nu.

 

[LadyPhantom]

A'nu nodded and took her hand, letting her help him up. He grabbed his weapons and put on his sandal boots before he left the house with her, but instead of using his horse, he led Nevea towards the small boat. "The next temple of Set is further upstream, we will be quicker using the boat," he explained and helped her onboard, where he told her to take a seat under the mast while he untied the boat and then took the oar.

"Tell me about Hurul," he said after a while of rowing. "If we are to talk to the priests, we should be able to proof our knowledge or they will feel insulted."

 

[Fantasy Addict]

Nevea was silent as she followed A'nu out of his home only to be surprised when instead he took her to a waiting boat instead of his horse, explaining that sailing down the small river would be faster than on horseback. Boats had always made her nervous but she didn't voice her concerns as she clumsily climbed into the small vessel and took a seat under the mass as he indicated. Her spot was shaded against the hot sun which she appreciated.... And the view of watching A'nu row and steer the boat was a bonus.

"Hmmm? Oh right." She said snapping out of her slight daze when he asked her to tell him about the demi god who was apparently her ancestor. "Well I don't know much about him partly because he's a demi god, there aren't as many recorded in the Egyptian pantheon as say the Roman. And the other part is who ever imprisoned him made sure that his existence was erased...... Anyway what I do know is that he is Set's only child and he's pretty powerful for a demi-god. Set is a primal God meaning he was one of the first created in the pantheon, so he passed on a lot of his gifts to Hurul." Nevea tapped her finger against her chin trying to remember the small amount of information she had managed to find on the man during one of her projects in University.

"His mother was a priestess a very powerful one who was rumoured to have ties with a few other gods, she had always wanted a child so she had prayed to Set's brother Ra however the god of death and chaos heard the prayer instead. He took the priestess as his mistress and not long after Hurul was born however his mother died in childbirth so Set took a human form to raise his son until Hurul was old enough to fend on his own." She let out a sigh while twisting a lock of hair around her finger, "and thats all I know I'm afraid, it took me months of searching before I even found that."

 

[LadyPhantom]

"That sounds quite chaotic to me. I always thought Ra was the father of all gods and that Anubis is the son of Set and Nepthys, but who am I to talk? I am not Egyptian and this pantheon is way too confusing for me. My people pray to Crom," A'nu replied with a slight smile as he continued rowing the boat. "There are many gods who live up there in heaven, but Crom lives in the earth. He is a grim and gloomy god, he values courage and tenacity, weakness he will never tolerate. Praying to him is a waste of time though, he doesn't listen," the warrior explained with a chuckle. Egyptian goods were much more merciful than Cimmerian ones, even though some Cimmerians prayed to Set as well.

"Yet again, if Set truly cared enough about his son to become human to raise him, why did he not protect him? He's the god of storms and chaos, after all," A'nu muttered, still not quite understanding how a demigod ended up being imprisoned.

 

[Fantasy Addict]

"You're asking a question that I don't know the answer too, my research told me that Hurul disappeared after he was spurned by his lover. There's nothing anywhere saying that he was imprisoned and Set only stayed in human form until Hurul could defend himself meaning that he left his son when the boy was 6 and 10 and returned to the heavens." She said feeling energized for the first time in months as she hadn't had a discussion like this since her last day at work before taking her leave.

"I'm speculating though because I only know like a quarter of the story. Hopefully we'll get more information from the priests."

 

[LadyPhantom]

"Let's assume they can tell us more about Hurul but not where he is imprisoned, then we would know just as much as we do now. We should have a plan b, don't you think?" A'nu asked. He was one for spontaneous actions, but when it came to such things, he preferred to be on the safe side. Messing with priests and being on the losing side is never a good situation, he knew that from experience. "Any suggestions?"

 

[Fantasy Addict]

"Other than trying to summon Set ourselves? No clue." She said with a sigh dropping her head to her knees, "no wonder quests are only done in books and movies.... This is really hard." She said this more to herself than A'nu before she straightened "you know.... Any information no matter how small is better than none, like if we knew where he grew up or even where his home was that could help us."

 

[LadyPhantom]

"Good call, maybe we can find hints in his home regarding his captor," A'nu replied and looked ahead. He truly wondered what he had gotten himself into. The mere thought of talking to priests of Set made him shudder, for they were certainly not the friendliest people. "Don't be surprised if the priest will use a different name for me, we have a bit of an unpleasant backstory," he said with a sigh, not looking forward to meet the hight priest again.

 

[Fantasy Addict]

"Or the very least a clue on how to find him or maybe even how I'm linked to him." She said as the thought occured to her suddenly, "if Hurul is my ancestor that means he had to have had children before he was imprisoned. "A wife or even birth mother to that child would definitely know more about this. They could tell us about Hurul's Goddess lover." That joy and excitement returned only for it to die quickly at A'nu warning on the priests, the more and more negative things he said about them the more worried she became.

"What happened?"

 

[LadyPhantom]

A'nu was silent for a moment, then a sigh escaped his lips. "When I returned from the battlefield I brought victory and honor to Egypt. I'm Cimmerian, in the pharaoh's eyes I was a slave. But by fighting for him and his kingdom I earned my freedom, and he thought the greatest reward he could give me was to make me an Egyptian. I would be a free man, gain the same rights as his people and I'd be given a new name to show that the pharaoh, the living god, granted me a new life," he explained, his expression darkened at the memory.

"In order to show the people that it was not only the pharaoh's will but also the will of the gods that I became a new man, the high priests were to choose my name. Arkath, high priest of Set, demanded that I be named "Setekh" after Set. I hold all aspects that Set values, and Arkath was of the opinion that I shouldn't just be released, I should be given to the temple of Set to become an acolyte. He knew that I gained a certain reputation among the people, and with the conflict of Set and Horus going on, he thought it would increase Set's influence. He almost got through with his demand if it hadn't been for the fact that I did not just fight, I also buried the dead. That was enough for the pharaoh to accept the proposal of the high priest of Anubis. You can imagine how this story ended."

 

[Fantasy Addict]

Nevea moved from her seat under the mast to sit beside Anu placing her hand on one of his massive shoulders in comfort while he told his story. He probably wasn't that much older than her and yet he had already seen and forced to do so many awful things, "for the record I like the name A'nu so much better than Setekh." She said with a gentle smile before she let out a sigh while shaking her head.

"More than likely there was almost a war between the two temples. From what I read about those that served the gods they were arrogant men who had their heads up their own asses and the ones of their gods." She said with another sigh leaning against A'nu placing her head on his shoulder. "We're going to have a really hard time trying to find information on Hurul. I might have some pull being of 'nobility' but Im still a woman so my pull can only go so far..... If only there was a priestess there we might have a shot."

 

[LadyPhantom]

"Amenatris might be able to help us then. She is a priestess in the temple of Isis, young and fierce, not even the high priest crosses her, probably because she is his mistress," A'nu chuckled and smiled at the woman who rested her head on his shoulder. It was strange, really. According to Egyptian law, a woman who moves herself and her belongings into the home of a man is considered married to this man without there being a ceremony, that he learnt long ago. Yet again, he was Cimmerian, so he would not consider Nevea his wife just because she technically lived with him for the time being. "Isis and Set are in conflict too for obvious reasons, but that might help us in case this encounter with Arkath will go wrong. Amenatris is in favor emancipated women, I'm sure she will listen to you."

Once they reached the stronger streams of the Nile, A'nu had to put more strength into his rowing the get the small boat moving. They met much bigger ships on their ways to Alexandria, most of them transported cut stones and other resources needed for building or trading goods, others were slave ships and fishing boats. It seemed like the pharaoh wanted everything to be perfect for the upcoming event. "I might have a Plan B for us..." A'nu muttered all of a sudden before he turned his head slightly to meet Nevea's eyes. "One of my former brothers in arms who is now a palace guard told me that the pharaoh is hosting a little festival for the Roman ambassadors. The best fighters of both parties are invited to participate in gladiator fights for entertainment, and as there is always some sort of competition going on between Rome and Egypt, the height of the evening is going to be a duel between the war gods, so it will be Mars vs Set. And knowing Arkath, I don't think he has found a suitable candidate to represent his god yet..."

 

[Fantasy Addict]

"She sounds like my kind of woman." She said straightening when A'nu's strokes became harder and longer then moved back to her seat so she could look at him in the eye. "People will ask if we are married or even lovers unless I declare you as a guide or a guard." She added as the thought occured to her, "which I can do to make this easier." Nevea fell silent listening as A'nu explained his udea for plan B and her stomach shrunk in fear.

"I can't let you do that A'nu your already doing so much for me when I'm a virtual stranger. Yes it would gain us fathor with the high priest but you would be putting your life on the line. We'll find another way."

 

[LadyPhantom]

"I appreciate your concern, but this is what I was trained for since I was roughly sixteen. I spent half of my life in the arena and on the battlefield. My people cut their hair when they lose a fight so everyone can see their shame. Look at mine and you will see how many times I've been defeated,"A'nu said with a smile and pulled his long braid over his shoulder for Nevea to see. His idea was only a back-up in case something went wrong, and should they completely run out of options, Amenatris would help them, he was sure of that.

"I don't think people will ask you this. Most are a bit afraid of me and the thought of me being with a woman sounds to them like sands turning into stone and Ra's eye falling on the earth," the warrior replied with another chuckle. He had the same rights as any Egyptian man, but that didn't change his image among the common folk.

 

[Fantasy Addict]

She still didn't like his idea for a plan B even if he was an established warrior, "even great warriors fail." She murmured it was something her grandmother said to her a few times during her childhood. When she had been older Nevea had asked what it meant and her grandmother had replied; 'we can never be too confident in our abilities to the point of arrogance my dove. The one things the Gods hated was Hubris and those who had it were struck down by massive failure.... So keep your ego in check' which basically had been her backwards way of telling Nevea not to brag which she had a tendacy to do whenever their family played a game. Nana I miss you... I wish you could have given me some advice on this.

She snorted at his comment on no one assuming they were together, "they might not say it to your face but we always won't be together." She reminded him "if it comes up and I mean if I'll think of something.... You might not like it but." She shrugged then smirked to show she was teasing him.

 

[LadyPhantom]

"You better be glad I was raised by Egyptians in my years of maturity, otherwise we would not have this conversation," A'nu replied and returned her smirk, all the things he could do to her. An amused smile remained on his lips for the rest of the way, but it disappeared the moment he had to dock his boat at the shores. "We are close, follow me and stay near me," A'nu told Nevea as he helped her get off the boat and tied tied to to a nearby palm tree. They had two continue their way on land as Set was the god of deserts and the little temple he had was near an oasis a couple of miles away from where they docked.

A'nu checked his equipment one more time to make sure he had enough water and his sandstorm mask with him, just in case. "I take it that you haven't travelled through a desert before, so I must ask you to tell me immediately if your vision starts getting blurry or if you begin to feel dizzy. Don't hesitate to tell me if you feel exhausted, we are in no rush to get to the temple and should safe all energy we have. Any questions?"

 

[Fantasy Addict]

"I know how to handle myself." She said not scared in the slightest of the warning, she knew all about the Cimmerian's and their near barbaric ways when it came to fighting and how they treated women. While she doubted she could ever defeat A'nu in a true battle she knew ways to inconpacitate anyone male or female and of any size. After the... 'incident' at University she took tae kwon doe and had a brown belt in the martial arts, not to mention kick boxing and a few defensive classes. She never voiced these points as she always enjoyed proving anyone wrong.... Especially a strong confident male.

"It's been a while and we usually went by um..... Nevermind." Nevea said knowing the warrior would be confused if she mentioned cars. Stopping beside A'nu she undid some of the layers to her dress then used it as a headscarf wrapping it around loosely so her head was shaded. "Alright let's do this."