Akila,
"Ok, you need to get up. There is no much time and we have a lot of work to do, sis."
Akila woke up groggily and then jumped when someone pulled her feet down and off the bed.
"What....."
She croaked a scream and looked around her in confusion. She was still asleep and her head was pounding loudly.
"Wake up. We need to dress you and make you presentable as soon as possible. Those bastards didn't tell any of us about that dinner with the king."
Heba shouted as she moved everywhere in the room, making Akila dizzy as she watched her with the other two servants come and go.
"What is happening? I thought I could retire for the night. There are no other trails, is it?"
The girl asked the busy woman and gasped when, yet again, she was pulled by her feet.
A servant girl took off her nightgown, and another began to brush her hair harshly.
"No, there are no trails tonight, but the Pharaoh had decided to have dinner with the three of you. He said he wanted to get to know you girls. And all those fuckers here didn't tell me sooner. I found by mere luck."
Akila winced when the wooden brush stuck in her hair and turned to snatch it away from the girl, who smiled at her sheepishly.
Then she was pushed into a basin that was full of fragrant water. So she sat obediently and began to brush her long, thick hair.
"Ok, Ok. We need to calm our nerves and think this dinner through. But first, we need to find the perfect dress."
Heba mumbled to herself as she rushed to the big wooden chests in the corner of her room.
She closed her eyes and sighed when the girls began to clean and massage her body at the same time. It felt nice.
"What do you think of this yellow dress? Will it match your eyes and hair?"
Heba said as she put the dress beside her face and then threw it on the floor in disgust.
Akila was shocked that something that looked so precious would be treated like this.
Then she was back holding a green dress that was so sheer that she blushed before even trying it.
But like the yellow one, it was thrown on the floor and stomped in disgust.
"Ah, now that is much like it. This pearly white color will be perfect, especially with all those gold trinkets that adorned it."
Heba cackled to herself as she eyed the dress with approval. Akila shivered. That girl sometimes feels off, and this is one of those times.
She got out of the basin and was dried with the girls' help. She thanked them with a shy smile on her face, she wasn't used to this.
"Stand here, please. Let me think about how we can wrap that dress and what we need to show."
Akila scowled but then gasped in horror when she saw the dress was just a piece of cloth that barely would hide anything.
If she thought that trail or that green dress was sheer, this one was worse.
It was so translucent that, in the light; it was invisible.
"I won't wear such a thing. Please choose another one."
She said in a voice full of horror and fear. She was better off naked than wearing this.
Her intimate parts were open for the prying eyes and she didn't get over what happened this morning.
"Nonsense. This will be perfect. I know you have your doubts and questions, but here in the royal palace, modesty isn't a thing we care for."
Heba spoke absently as she draped the cloth on her body and began to wrap it methodically around her figure.
And when she was done, she took a few steps back and eyed her with narrowed eyes.
But she tsked and began to bare some areas and hide the others and when she was satisfied she clapped her hands and Akila was led to the big golden mirror in her room.
She sat and let them brush and braid her hair. They made it into one big braid with some loose strands to frame her small face.
Then they began to draw her eyes, brows, and lips with makeup, and when she thought that they were done, she was sprayed from head to toe with flowery oil.
"Ok, I guess you are somewhat decent now. But I think we can do some more."
Heba hummed softly as she rummaged through the box she had brought, then shouted in victory when she found something.
"This was a gift from my father when he was away. He brought me this powder. I thought it was useless because I didn't use these flamboyant things. But I knew I would need it later."
Heba used her fingers to put some of the shimmering white powder that was in a small box in her hand.
She then spread some on her cheekbone and eyelids. Akila blinked a little, then looked at herself in the mirror.
Her white face was shimmering and glowing when the light caught on that powder.
"This is pearls powder. They are nasty things to clean, but I think tonight they are a must. We just need to put some more on your shoulders and arms."
Akila stood for Heba and the two girls so they can give her their final thoughts.
The two girls clapped their hands and beamed at her while giving her compliments.
While Heba stood with her hands on her hips proudly eyeing her creation.
"One more thing, you must wear that necklace the king has given you. Never forget it either now or in the coming days. It is your first gift from the king, so it is the most important one."
Akila nodded, then she was dragged to her room's door to find that Babu was standing there waiting for her.
"My dear child, you look beautiful. Bless the gods and their creation."
The man said, bowing, then he kissed her cheeks, making them heat up and go red.
"I'm so sorry for the inconvenience, but we had little time."
He said as he held her hand and began to walk through a hallway she had never used before.
"Heba told me about it, so it is not your fault. From the little incident of this morning, I know I'm not wanted here."
The older man sighed, then he patted her hand encouragingly. He understood.
"I have no time to teach you the table manners and the etiquette for such gatherings and I know it will be awkward for you sometimes, but I want you to try to enjoy your evening, nevertheless. Ramses isn't a judgmental person, so act normal and don't try to accommodate him or any of the other guests."
Akila stopped and scowled at Babu, who was talking easily, not feeling stressed or agitated like her.
The man was talking as if he was the one inviting her for dinner, not the king of Egypt.
"Come on, child, we can't leave the king waiting. And don't be surprised by my words. They are the honest truth. I want you to enjoy this beautiful night with the king and get to know him. Ask him anything you want and don't be shy about it."
The man stopped in front of enormous doors that the servants opened for them when they arrived.
"I will leave you now. Remember my words, and tomorrow morning we will meet again."
He said, kissing her head and leaving after giving her arm an encouraging squeeze.
Akila took a deep breath and walked inside what looked like a wide room in the beginning, but it was a balcony that looked over the Nile.
She smiled when she went to the parapet and looked down at the garden that stretched till it was met with the river bank.
"Be careful there. Sometimes crocodiles wander and you might get snatched in a heartbeat."
Akila turned to the person who was addressing her and the girl smiled encouragingly.
"My name is Ebony. I was the one with the white dress from the morning and this is here is my friend Eshe, the red dress girl."
The brown-skinned girl said and offered Akila her hand and she accepted it shyly.
She smiled at Eshe, but the girl huffed and looked away with her chin raised up.
"Don't mind her. She is like that, but in truth, she is a sweet girl. She is just mad that we are going through this without being asked or wanting to."
Akila frowned at chuckling Ebony then Eshe, who was almost hissed at her like an angry cat. She sure was small as one, too.
"I didn't ask to be here too, so trust my word, I understand her feelings."
Ebony patted her back and smiled softly as she guided them to some chairs.
"Actually, the king is my cousin, so I had to be here even though I was threatened by Annipe, god she is vile. Although she knows that I'm in love with one of the generals, the woman tried to scare me away as if I wanted to be here."
Akila bit her lip and looked away. She felt ashamed of every word she said to her new family and how ungrateful she was to them and their help.
"I didn't want to be here too. I'm in love with Ebony's brother. We were planning our wedding next spring, but this shit happened. My fucking greedy father just dragged me here."
Akila sighed. So they share the same fate and thoughts, and there is no escaping this situation.
"But we are glad that you are here. Don't worry; we aren't your enemies, allies, actually. You are the one the king wants and this way we will be out of here soon."
Eshe said with a smile on her face and Akila almost slapped her. She bared her teeth, trying to rein her anger.
Ebony chuckled, then patted her hand with a sheepish smile and a glare at Eshe, who just shrugged her shoulders.
Akila opened her mouth to tell her that she didn't ask for any of this, but she didn't get the chance.
The big doors opened, and the king walked in with his guards and entourage following behind.