"Nefertari, Wake up!"
A pleading voice was softy heard, "Nefertari, please don't scare me....please wake up..."
Caroline heard a pleading soft voice crying in the darkness that surrounded her, she wanted to console this woman but she was unable to even lift a single finger. She wondered who this woman was and thought aloud, "Who is Nefertari?"
"You are, my dear girl." A male voice spoke with authority but with gentleness she hadn't heard for quiet sometime. She turned to see in the darkness but it didn't change.
Suddenly the voice shouted, "Wake up! Nefertari!"
"NEFERTARI!!" Another young male voice suddenly shouted jolting her awake from her deep slumber, she felt as if she had heard this voice before, countless times she must have heard in her dreams yet she couldn't recognize who this voice belonged to.
She slowly opened her eyes to see muslin cloth hanging all around her; she also felt soft layers of cotton cloth all over her body. She gazed around herself to find several people surrounding her and a woman who looked to be in her late 30's gazing at her with unshed tears of joy. She tried to touch the woman who immediately held her hand and murmured, "Nefertari! My darling daughter, thank the gods you have returned to me."
She looked all around her to only see several people who were happy that she had woken up and even a stoic elderly man who seemed to be the doctor judging by his attire. She looked back at the woman who was holding her hand and crying while thanking all the gods of Egypt that she was returned to her. She recognized her as her mother, but Caroline frowned as she wondered how she knew that she was her mother. She tried to recall how she came to know this knowledge, and realized that she had all the memories of this body. This body was her previous incarnation, Nefertari and she was the sister of a great general, Sethos. Her family had always produced great generals for generations and the women were also well versed in literary arts as well as warfare, to help their husbands and brothers.
She looked at her mother who was weeping with joy holding her and murmuring her thanks as the others all happily joined her. She looked at all of them and softly said, "Mother, I want to take a bath."
This comment of hers made everyone laugh despite they were crying and her mother replied with a soft laugh, "Yes, we will get the maids to prepare it right away. Only you Nefertari would think about taking a bath right after waking from week's deep slumber."
"I was asleep for a week?" Nefertari asked confused, "what happened?"
"I don't know my dear but you fell into a asleep after you won the tournament at the festival, you never woke up." Her mother explained, "I haven't even told this news to your brother yet, as he was out with the crown prince. He must have heard the news by now as I had told his personal servant to tell him once he returned from the campaign victorious."
"Ah...." Nefertari mused as she looked at her mother and smiled, "I'm hungry too mother."
"A-Ah! Wait a little dear, I'll make something for you..." her mother panicked as she got up with the help of her aunt and second cousin who smiled at her in relief before going to assist her mother while the rest all dispersed as they all went to do their duties. Nefertari got up and gingerly walked to the window and gaze outside in shocked as she still didn't believe that she had come to this ancient era.
"I....I'm really here in ancient Egypt?!" Nefertari exclaimed in shock.
xXx
Nefertari sat holding a book as she began re-learning everything; she realized she had retained her skills of reading hieroglyphics. She had being reading through the books in the house surprising her mother and the maids. She had read through all the history and literature books that were there in their house for the past two weeks.
"Lady Nefertari," A maid bowed to her as she was reading about the warfare in this era, "My lady, you had asked for me?"
"Yes, Ari." Nefertari smiled as she looked at her a smile so charming, the maid would have fallen in love with her if she was a man, "I want to go and explore the market place can we?"
"Yes," Ari replied and showed her a tray, "My lady, your usual specialized makeup as well as wig has arrived."
"Did my brother send it?" Nefertari asked curiously.
"Yes my lady." Ari replied with a smile, "the general should be arriving soon to Memphis, but I heard...."
Ari was about to continue however, Nefertari cut her off and exclaimed, "Let's hurry and get changed I want to go to the market place!"
Nefertari smiled as she left towards her room as Ari hurried after her, Nefertari rubbed the dark colored powder on to her face and hands so that she could look like any other Egyptian and hide her snow white skin, but she couldn't hide her beauty which still shined no matter how she tried to hide it. She wore the long black wig too, but that simply enhanced her beautiful blue eyes that represented Nile River.
When she was born she was born fair skinned with blonde hair and blue eyes, the high priest had praised the girl and said that her destiny was great. And she should be hidden until the right time. Nefertari was born in Thebes, where her father general Amenemef was stationed as he was one of the military advisors of the pharaoh but he lost his life saving his country from the Hittites.
Her mother took both of her children left for her ancestral home in Memphis, where they live in peace. Without the infighting that goes on with the case of the huge harem of concubines as was custom. Many Egyptian's married many wives and kept concubines but great general was only faithful to his one wife, Meritu.
Nefertari and Ari left the manor to roam around the market place. Nefertari often wandered around the market place in search for new books. This time she talked happily with Ari as they walked towards the market place, "My lady, this is the biggest market in Memphis, many foreigners also sell their wares so please be careful."
"I will Ari." Nefertari replied with a laugh, "You worry too much."
Nefertari walked lightly towards one of the stalls that were selling bolts of cloths. She touched one of them and was surprised to see silk here in this era. She looked over other bolts and felt some of them were even softer than muslin cloth. She asked, "What cloth is this?"
"This is the most expensive cloth in Egypt miss; this is called Egyptian Nile silk." The vendor said as he looked over the cloth the girl was holding, but Nefertari frowned as she touched it once again before shaking her head and leaving the stall. She walked to yet another stall were they were selling jewelry. she saw several beautiful pieces but she found one that was astonishing, it was a single sapphire in a delicate gold chain.
"How much is this piece?" Nefertari was immediately attracted to this simple piece, the stall owner smiled and said,"10 pieces of gold."
"Why is the price so low?" Ari asked curiously as she knew the price of the pieces of jewellry were astonishing and began from 90 pieces of gold.
"This is a very simple piece and this has been in our stall for 6 months yet no one has bought it." The stall owner lamented, "That's why I'm selling it for 10 gold pieces."
"I see." Nefertari said as she smiled at the man, "I'll take it."
Ari silently gave the gold pieces to the man as he wrapped it and gave it to them. Nefertari then proceeded to go to the medicine shop which she frequented, "My lady, what can I do for you today?"
"I want some common salves as well as gauze bandages." Nefertari instructed. She noticed that the supplies at home were getting over and had come to replenish them, "also add a lot of burn and cuts salves please."
"At once my lady." The shop keeper said as he went out to find the right salves as Nefertari browsed the other medicines that were available; she was surprised to see the concoctions present.
'There are even some beauty products available in this era, even though they are mostly primitive.' Nefertari mused as she looked over some of them she picked some of the products that she found and thought of experimenting with some others.
"My lady is there anything else you need?" the shop keeper asked as Nefertari placed some of the products she had picked, she nodded as she pointed out some of the most common herbs that she wanted to experiment with. Ari paid for the products and they left the shop, they immediately went to the bookstore where the shopkeeper welcomed them happily.
"My lady, this book has just been released." The book the shopkeeper gave them was the latest book in the literary arts. Nefertari nodded as she looked over the books that were present she grabbed some books on medicine and left the shop.
"My lady, the house keeper asked me buy something." Ari exclaimed as she bopped her head lightly, "Please stay here, I will be right back."
"Okay." Nefertari stood at the edge of the market as she waited for Ari, when she was approached by two people, "My lady could you help us with something?"
"Hmm?" Nefertari turned and found two handsome men standing before her. She frowned as she looked at them. One of them was dressed as a general with short red hair and black eyes while the other one had long black hair with light brown eyes.
"Who are you?" Nefertari asked cautiously as she looked at the two of them.
"Forgive me my lady but my name is Aker and I would like to invite you to a banquet tonight. Don't worry I will let you go home once it's over."
"Umm... I don't..." Nefertari began saying as she wanted to reject his invitation. She instinctively felt that she should not go with these two men, but the other man simply grabbed her arm, "Listen we really need your help why don't you..."
"Sahura that is not the proper way to treat a lady!" Aker reprimanded but Sahura simply sighed as he saw how reluctant she was and lifted her up on to his horse, "there's no time, besides I think she will be beneficial to 'His' plan."
"My lady don't worry we will reimburse you!!" Aker said as he too got onto his own horse when suddenly they heard a woman shouting behind them as their horses ran, "Lady Nefertari!!!!!!"