"J-Joon Wo," Jin Wo said, "W-why is your forehead so red like that?" he said trying to hold back his laughter but he couldn't hold the little giggles that came out when he talked.
"O-oh," he Joon Wo said, "it's nothing." He waved him off, remembering the sting caused by Tari's finger as she flicked it on his forehead making him shrug.
"I flicked him on the forehead," Tari said quickly without looking him in the eye swaying her hips with a smirk on her face.
"YAH!" he frowned and turned to look at her…she never fails in making his face heat up every time she opened that pretty little mouth of hers.
"What!" she said raising her nose up at him, "it's the truth."
"It wasn't even that big a deal," he said pointing his index finger at her.
"YAH!" now it was her turn to yell back at him. "We have been together for 3 weeks and you still can't say my name right."
"Here follow me Ne-fer-tari."
"Y-you… I can't say that��� he scoffed taking a step back, "you are evil taking advantage of your mother tongue."
"Someone should stop them." Min Jun said looking at his two older brothers beside him.
"Why? I'm actually enjoying this." Jin Wo said smirking folding his arms over his chest.
"Me too actually." Yu Jun said laughing.
"Hyung! (Older brother), you too." he sighed, "okay, alright, I admit my brothers are good for nothing."
"What about you…" he turned to look at Ashkan who was also laughing so he just sighed. "Okay, I'll just be good for nothing too." turning back to look at those two…they are still arguing.
"YAH! Joon-ah (-ah is a friendly way of calling someone.)" she yelled, "do you want to another flick on that sparkly forehead." She frowned flicking her finger in the air.
"N-no thank you." He is hands involuntarily went to protect his forehead from any unexpected attacks.
"We should go have lunch," Yu Jun said, "I'm getting hungry."
"What about those two?" Jin Wo said gesturing towards them.
"Hmm," he rubbed his chin between two fingers, "just leave them. They will stop when they get hungry. Let's go Ashkan" he held out his hand to the younger boy who gladly took it.
"I'm hungry!" Tari said as she heard her stomach grumbling and Joon Wo nodded joining her.
As they both turned to walk to the small pavilion a few feet away from the lake to satisfy their grumbling stomach to find that the other three were looking at them…in a very weird way.
"What?" Joon Wo asked.
"See, I told you," Yu Jun said as he chuckled leaving the Tari and Joon Wo staring back and forth between each other not quite sure what he meant but their hunger made them just follow the oldest quietly.
They all sat on around the table talking about this and that while the maids served the food in front of them.
"By the way," Min Jun said before taking the first bite of his food, "Ashkan."
Ashkan hummed as he chewed on a mouth full of rice looking at him.
"Where are you from?" he asks, "You feel awfully familiar" he tilted his head before finally taking the first bite.
Ashkan stopped shewing midway turning to look at Nefertari for help who also stopped eating and looked at him.
She stayed quiet for a moment trying to hurry up and come up with a good lie that they wouldn't doubt, poking Joon Wo in his rips as he was peacefully eating.
"Ouch…" he said before he turned to look at her.
She gave him the help-me-out-here look with a fake grin on her lips.
With his mouth open taking a look at everyone who was sitting on it before he finally came up with something.
"He is Persian!"
"A-aah!" he exclaimed in pain as Nefertari's feet came slamming down on his own, turning to look at her to see that she wasn't even giving him attention while everyone else's eyes were on him.
"H-he is a son of…" he paused, "son of one of the lords that came from Persia!" he raised his voice as he finally came up with a good lie.
Closing his eyes anticipating pain to come crashing down on him from any direction…
But nothing happened.
Tari was now peacefully eating, finally keeping her limbs to herself without using them to attack someone while the others nodded their heads and resumed eating…and finally he too could eat in peace.
The rest of the meal went by unexpectedly peacefully
With no casualties caused by Nefertari that is.
Now they were all lying back to make the food steal down before going out to walk again by the lake.
The sun was now just a couple of hours before the setting. Making everything seem as if it was made gold, even the lake looked as it was filled with liquified gold that's shimmering brightly blending in with the sky as far sight.
Out of that horizon came a tall figure, dressed in clothes that complimented the nature around, as if he is part of nature as well.
Who else would it be other than Akhenaton?
"Papa!" she yelled startling everyone around her before running up to greet her father… and again Joon Wo cried out in pain as she stepped with all her might on his foot.
"Saints…" he said in pain, "please stop her before she kills someone."
She ran over and hugged his waist as much as her small arms can.
"You really came!" she happily said, diamonds forming in her silver eyes.
"Told you I would come after I'm done" he bent down and caressed her hair. Turning to wave at the other boys who bowed deeply as they greeted him.
"Did you have lunch?"
"Yes, we just finished." She said letting go of his waist but held his hands instead, "We were just going to walk along the lake."
"Be careful okay?" he said the concern was all over his face, "the lake is deep you won't be able to find your ground level."
She nodded before leading her father to the pavilion to take a seat.
"Papa" she called as he takes a seat crossing his legs, revealing his toned thigh with the sandal that reached just below his knees.
"Why don't you come with us?" she said her voice was full of anticipation and excitement at the idea.
The all-mighty Pharaoh whose name sends shivers and chills along his enemy's spines playing tag with kids.
Bloody hell, the idea is was too hilarious that he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Later pumpkin," he said, "I've been up and around the whole day, watching you from here is enough."
Despite being a little bit disappointed she nods accepting that he must be tired, so if it's his wish that he rests than she will let him off this time.
She waves him a goodbye which he returns with a smile.
Seeing her run off with the sound of her giggling in the air was enough to make him relax, which he did.
The breeze felt refreshing on the side of his chest that was exposed and the sun's golden rays were soothing so, he allowed his eyelids to fall shut and all the sleep he couldn't catch up with came crashing down on him.
He didn't know how much time has passed since dozed off, but not much judging from the position of the sun in the sky might have been a maximum of 30minutes despite the feeling that he had that he must have been sleeping for hours.
He blinked a couple of times tugging that curls that fell out of their place back where they belong and took a good look at the scenery which still made his heart fall at rest.
Rest which he hasn't felt in a while now.
The warm sun, the cool breeze, Tari's giggles…
By the Gods, where did she go!!
He stood up immediately, scanning the surroundings, the kids, but Nefertari wasn't among them.
His heart fell to his knees.
"Nefertari!" he called out rushing out of the pavilion swear beams already running down his forehead.
He took quick strides towards the kids praying hard that she is with them and that he couldn't see her, but no, she wasn't among them.
"Did you see Tari?" he asked the little kids.
Taking a look among them and then at each other, they realize too that she isn't with them.
"She was just here a second ago." Jin Wo tilted his head.
No! he whispered under his breath, trying to think carefully if they haven't noticed that she was gone than she must have just left.
But where? This place is in the open you would be able to spot someone if he left, unless…
he immediately turned towards the lake.
"It can't be…" he told himself out loud staring at the lake making the kids look at each other in horror and then at the lake.
He started scanning the lake every inch of it to find any trace of…there!
He noticed little disturbance in the water almost in the middle of the wide lake.
Without even a second thought or much as a breath, he dashed towards the lake…but just as he was about to jump in…
another figure was already causing a splash as he hit the water…
who? he couldn't tell. More like he didn't care who it was.
Seconds passed but it felt like millenniums to Akhenaton…
Until the figure came out of the water…