Fragments of ceramic scattered all over the ground.
Canaria was wide eyed with shock that she didn't even notice Jaffar's arms that were around her protecting her from the ceramic pot that came crashing down on them from above.
Jaffar whistled to the knights that were nearby, that remarkable whistle that every knight would recognize from a mile away. It was their way to call out to each other in times that their voice wasn't enough.
That was it took for them to know what happened and they dashed inside to catch the culprit.
Meanwhile, Azar was protecting Nefertari with his body when the pot came crashing down causing it to break on his armor covered back.
With bits and pieces of ceramic resting over the golden armor while rest found their way to the ground making them scatter into smaller fragments.
He stood up straight causing the fragments to fall down his tall figure.
He bent down holding the princess by both shoulders, concern all over his face.
Though, is it sincere or not? No one knew.
"Are you alright Princess!" he said scanning her for any kind of injury and sighed with relief when he saw that she was fine.
"I-I'm fine, I think." She said not completely getting hold of the situation, it all happened too fast.
One moment Azar was waving at them from afar the other he was wrapping her in his arms, that's when the loud shatter happened making her flinch more in surprise than fear.
"W-what was t-that?" Nefertari said as she was pulling away from Azar while looking him in the eye.
"I don't have any idea." He said straightening his back after he was sure that Nefertari was completely safe.
"Canaria!" Nefertari said turning to the Dark brown headed girl, "Are you okay!?"
Canaria looked at the princess and then in front of her, her eyes widened as she saw that Jaffar was holding her and he was dangerously close to her.
Her face heated up with embarrassment as she pulled away slowly trying not to be as rude as possible.
"I-I'm fine." She stuttered.
"I'll go look with the other men; I caught a glimpse of who did this." Azar said walking off without waiting for a reply. He knew there was no need to rush because whoever did this was either stupid or had a death wish.
There was no way out of here for whoever did this.
Jaffar took a few steps back and said "Take the princess to her room. Don't get out till I say so."
They both nodded and Tari involuntarily slipped her hand into Canaria's. She can hear her heart beating inside her chest, it was going crazy.
"Let's go my Lady."
Azar was walking off to the Pharaoh's study after he heard from one of the guards that the culprit has already been caught and that the Pharaoh was calling him to hear what he has to say.
Honestly, he was confused.
Aleah never mentioned anything about a hit. As far as he knows Farzad has ordered everyone to stay low and gather information because the Pharaoh has been watching for their moves.
If this was a hit ordered by Farzad, would he have stood still?
He knocked on the door and went in when he heard the approval from the king.
He entered Akhenaton and Jaffar were busy talking so he just stood still a few steps behind his Captain and waited…not exactly sure why but, from the look on the Pharaoh's face… only a madman would interrupt.
A madman with a death wish.
"Where is the damn bastard?" Akhenaton hissed, "How dare he do such a deed in my Palace, to my daughter!"
Azar found himself gulping even though he knew that he wasn't the one meant but, that glare in his eyes would make anyone cower to their knees and he held himself from doing just that.
"It's a commoner Your Holiness." Jaffar said with his usual cool expression not affected by the Pharaoh's glare at all.
But wait…his face was tinted while he was with Canaria.
Azar almost slapped himself back to reality, he shrugged those weird thoughts and focused on the matter at hand.
"A commoner?" Akhenaton frowned. "Why would a commoner do such a thing?" his voice was still dark and the evil aura was still in the air slowly suffocating everyone in the room. Of course, except for Jaffar.
How does he do that? How doesn't he get affected by the powerful aura emitting from his king? Azar couldn't answer those question despite being here for a couple of months already.
"That I still do not know Your Holiness. The culprit is outside, I'm waiting for your permission." Jaffar said.
"Let him in."
Azar shivered. No one has even acknowledged his presence with a look but he felt the chills at those last words more than words before them.
It's the same face like back then, he thought. Flashbacks of the day his life ended came crashing down on him, remembering exactly what his savior's face looked like back then.
The heavy door to the study slid open, revealing a worn-out commoner, his clothes were as worn-out as his look.
The look of anger and resent that Akhenaton had on just before the door opened changed gradually to a look of disbelief and questioning.
There was no way such a man would do something like that, he can't be any older than 30 but his appearance made him look as old as 60.
Azar was no less shocked than Akhenaton, any doubt he had that this was something that Farzad ordered was now long gone. Making it even more of a mystery than it already is.
"Who are you, young man?" Jaffar asked surprisingly in a very calm, gentle voice.
"My name is of no use to you people!" the man hissed, "All you can know that I'm one of the people of Raqote (Currently Alexandria)."
That man clearly was out of his mind, talking like that in front of the Pharaoh and his Captain of the Royal Guard.
Well, he couldn't exactly have been here if he wasn't out of his mind.
"What is someone from the north doing all the way here?" Jaffar asked in an unexpectedly calm tone yet again.
"I came to see how the Royal Family that swore to take care of the people of Kemet is doing while my people are out there starving!" he yelled, Akhenaton was taken aback from his words.
"What do you mean starving?" Jaffar asked as he noticed his kings wondering face. The taxes haven't been raised for since he became king!
"The taxes are sky high and you ask why!"
Akhenaton stood up from his seat gaining the eyes of everyone in the room. "When did this happen?" Akhenaton asked.
"A little over s-six m-months." The young man stuttered at the fact that he was directly looking and talking to the Pharaoh of Kemet.
The Pharaoh he only saw his figure carved onto temple's walls.
"Let him go."
That was all it took for the two guards behind the man to let go of their tight grip on the man's arm.
Akhenaton pushed the chair back and walked to stand in front of his table.
"I assure you that this raise wasn't something I wanted and I'm must certain that I didn't allow something like that." Akhenaton said, "You and your people will be sent back what extra you paid for the tax collectors on Raqote."
The man's mouth dropped open in surprise and then frowned, "All of you say that then you throw us on the streets when you suck us dry of everything we have." He said through grind teeth.
Akhenaton closed the distance between him and the young man, stopping inch's away from him. He placed his hands on the golden hilt of the dagger that hanged on his belt that was almost the same shade of gold holding his satin clothes to his firm-tanned body.
He drew the dagger making the young man flinch in fear but never taking his eyes off the Pharaoh.
Akhenaton flipped the dagger holding it blade first with the hilt towards the man.
"You have my word as Pharaoh of Kemet and the great Nile. If this continued in the future you have my blessings to pierce this dagger through my heart." Aton said, "A king who can't keep his people's bellies full doesn't deserve to be king."
The man fell silent, hesitating either or not if he should take the dagger from his hand. He looked from the dagger to the one holding it then to the people around him.
He took it.
"I'll take your words Your Holiness that you will save us." He said a tear escaping his eyes.
Azar looked aback on his past life at that moment, remembering all the times that he slept with his stomach grumbling on the streets in the middle of the cold winter.
If they couldn't eat bread, let them eat cake the Royalty in Persia said. They said that beside the warm fire of their furnace with their stomachs full from the deserts that they had after the heavy meal they ate.