The figure came out of the water with Nefertari in his arms. His hair was sticking down on his face making them unable to identify him…wait a moment!
Red hair!
Once they saw the red hair there was no need for further clues to know who this is…
Who else would it be other than the one and only…?
Javid!
Akhenaton was in no state to complain about the fact that he was touching his daughter, he was in no state to even realize what was happening.
All that he cared about was his daughter's safety.
Javid slowly placed her in her father's worried arms. Relief washed over Akhenaton as he felt her tiny breaths on his hand. Moving his long delicate fingers over her smooth face, pushing back the socked strands of hair that were sticking to her forehead.
"Your safe now love," he whispered in her ears as he held her tight to him, "I'm sorry sweetheart. Papa's so sorry." He continued almost in a cry, loud enough for only the two of them.
"Get the doctors to tell them to present in His Holiness's chamber." Javid said, "Now!" and the court maids rushed to do as they were ordered.
~~~~
In the evening Nefertari's eyes fluttered open. Blinking a couple of times before she got her vision back. Looking around her she saw her father sitting by her bed, legs crossed with his arms crossed as well over his chest.
Taking another closer look, she noticed his eyes shut.
He drowsed off again she thought. It's becoming his habit now, to drowse off when he is taking a break. Once he allows his eyelids to drop all the sleep that he didn't get comes crashing down on him.
She sighed and tried to sit up straight in bed without making a sound.
Once she was in position, she hugged her pillow close to her chest. What happened back then? She thought trying to remember what happened but getting extreme headache instead, but still, she tried hard to get herself to remember
"Wait a minute," she whispered under her breath, "I was…" She was cut off by her father's deep breaths as he was starting to wake up.
His eyelids slowly revealing his honey-colored eyes, taking him a few moments to adjust to the light.
"Tari!" he moved closer to sit beside her in bed, holding her by the shoulders, "Are you okay? Are you feeling pain anywhere!?"
He flooded her with questions giving her no time to reply.
"Papa," she said covering his mouth with her small hand, "I'm okay, I'm not hurt."
Taking her hands in his big ones and pulling her tight against his solid chest.
"I thought I lost you." He whispered in the crock of her neck.
It broke her heart that whatever she does she always makes her father worry more and more about her. All she could do was hug him back and say was…
"It's okay Papa. I'm right here."
There was no way she was going to say her doubts to him when he was like this, he will most certainly make a commotion over something that she wasn't sure of.
Something that she doesn't know if it was real or not, it was blurry inside her head. It happened too fast that she couldn't get a grip on what was going on around her.
The doubt that she didn't fall in the lake…
She was pushed.
She shrugged that thought off after she assured her father that she is fine and that she will go back to sleep and that he should do the same.
She lied back on her bed looking at the ceiling, though her mind was wide awake it couldn't beat her tired little body, and drifted off to deep sleep right away.
~~~~
The next morning, she woke up and the first thing on her mind was to find Joon Wo because she needed to talk to someone and fast before she starts going crazy.
Joon Wo was the one that she felt deep down inside her that she could trust him, that she can say her doubts and fears without regret…and there he was sitting under the cherry blossom tree with a book in his hand.
The petals already started making a bundle on his head which he either didn't felt or wasn't bothered.
"Joon Wo!" she called out, making him hurriedly get up tossing the book aside, and dash in her direction.
"Are you okay!" he said face filled with worry, "You shouldn't be out of bed come with me." He took her hand and led her back to her chambers.
"Yah!" she said, "There is something that I've to tell you." Holding his arm with her other hand making him turn around to look at her. From the look in her eyes, he knew that she wasn't joking around.
He nodded, allowing her to take him back under the tree and sat side by side.
"What is it?"
"It's about yesterday." She said sighing, "There is something off but I'm not sure because it happened too fast."
"Just say it. It's okay even if it's not true." He looked her in the eyes to reassure her that it's alright to tell him anything.
"I think I didn't fall accidentally…" she said
"I was pushed."
"B-Boh?! (What)" he said his expression changed from concern to disbelief in split seconds.
"W-what makes you say so?" he said frowning.
"I felt someone's hand on my back just before I fell," she said, "or that's what I think so. That's why I'm here, did you see someone with us?"
He shook his head "I'm not sure I wasn't looking back. Maybe it was one of us…like someone bumped into you by accident."
"No," she said leaning back to rest her back on the tree, "It was an adult's hand. It was…big" she paused in the middle to find the most suitable word, but she could only come up with Big.
"Just as you said it's not clear." He said coping with her actions, "Let's start by asking the others first alright? They might have seen something."
"Alright," she said closing her eyes, "Let's just stay like this for a while first."
He hummed in response and they both just leaned back and closed their eyes trying to relax a bit. Because for some reason they both had that same gut feeling telling them that something bad is going to happen. They prayed deep inside them that this was just their hallucinations.
It was already late in the afternoon by the time they asked everyone present there. Getting the same answer from all of them "I wasn't looking at that time." Tari was getting more and more sure that she must have hallucinated back then.
"We asked everyone." She said, "Then I must have actually imagined it." She sighed messing up her hair from frustration.
"Wait,"
"What?" she said looking through her hair that was now all over her face.
"We still have one person left." He looked her in the eyes through her hair.
"Ashkan"
They went on a quest of finding Ashkan, but they knew it was an easy thing to do since he was always in his room.
"Ashkan!" Tari called out waving at him.
As expected, he was sitting in the courtyard just outside his room.
"Nefertari!" he happily replied.
"We need to ask you something." He tilted his wondering what that would be.
~~~~
"Hmm," he hummed rubbing the back of his neck, "Oh, right!"
"Did you remember something?" Joon Wo said.
"I did see a soldier walking back there." He said, "I think it was Persian armor that he was wearing. Why though do you want to know?"
"We will explain later we have to go!" Tari said as she grabbed Joon Wo and dashed away.
"Did you hear that?" he asked, "Persian armor…you've to tell the Pharaoh"
"NO!" she snapped, "Not my father. We are not even sure of anything"
"Tari if what Ashkan said is true," he paused, "when someone has been ordered to kill you"
"W-what?" she scoffed, "Why would they want to kill me?"
"Just being your father's daughter is enough reason for anyone to kill you Tari" he gazed in her eyes right to her soul as if he was trying to beat some sense into her.
"S-still" she stuttered, "why would a soldier want me dead?"
He sighed at how naïve she is, "Tari, someone has ordered him to kill you…and if he is Persian than that means…"
"Prince Javid" she finished for him.
He nodded, "That's why you should tell your father. It's not you that they want. They are using you against him."
Her heart sank, she has always known those words. She has always been told that she should be careful not to become her father's weakness. But it's too late, she has already started to be his weakness.
"N-no" she shook her head, "that's the exact reason why we shouldn't tell him. We are not sure and Ashkan can be mistaken and he wasn't seen pushing. I shouldn't cause more problems."
"Tari, the problem has already been caused" he held her by the shoulders. "Please do this for me!"
"I told you No!" she pushed him off and backed away, ���I've already caused Papa enough problems. I won't cause more by acting like a spoiled brat because of my imagination!"
It was the first time that she snapped like this. She was barely able to hold down the tears from spilling out. She blinked a couple of times raising her hands to cover her face.
"T-Tari I'm…"
"J-just stay there" she stuttered in between her sobs, "I need to go."
"Tari wait…"
But she has already gone, he could swear he can hear her sobbing from here. He took a deep breath not knowing what to do.
One thing he was certain of, she is in danger and someone should tell her father.
~~~~
He wasn't sure as he stood there in front of the Pharaoh's chamber if he had the right to talk about this, but if Nefertari didn't say anything he will.
He took a deep breath, then knocked.