Well, this is for sure the final entry in the series. I left a lot of unanswered questions in that last chapter and hopefully I can clear those up now. As always, thank you for reading.

Chapter 30:

Epilogue

The first few rays of light shine down on the staircase as I make my descent, I look down at the white lotus blossom in my hands when I reach the antechamber. White lotus. Her favorite.

I walk into the burial chamber and place the flower at the altar in front of her sarcophagus. I start to murmur a set of prayers to her true mother, and once I'm finished, I take the slow, painful steps to her sarcophagus. I finger the hieroglyphs. "The Lady Queen Nefertiri, the Woman for Whom the Sun Shines…" I choke back a sob.

"I miss you so much…" It's been fifteen years since Nefertiri died, and I've been so lost without her. I've tried my best to rule Egypt, as she wanted, but it's so hard without her. Everything is so hard without her. I take a deep breath. It's becoming too painful to stay here. It's always too painful to stay for more than a few moments.

I make my way out of her burial chamber out into the valley. I find my horse and pat him on the head as he nuzzles me. I say one more prayer for Nefertiri's soul before I leave. I ride slowly back to the ship and take a quiet journey back to Thebes. I wipe the tears that have fallen before I make my way to the palace.

I can't be upset. It's supposed to be a happy day. All of Egypt is celebrating, and with good reason. Princess Alexandria will ascend the throne today as queen. "Mahado! I've been looking all over for you!" I turn around as the very princess in question runs towards me. She gives me a big hug. "Where have you been?"

"I was just visiting your mother's tomb. I didn't mean to worry you."

"It's all right. I'm just so nervous about today."

"Don't be. You'll be fine." I put a hand to her shoulder. I see so much of her parents in her. She looks just like her mother, but with her father's violet eyes. I smile softly. "Let's go pick out your dress." She takes my hand and eagerly leads me inside the palace and to her rooms where her sister is waiting. "Princess Meritamen, you're getting more and more beautiful by the day," I say as I bow cordially. Meritamen has forgone her first name except in formal occasions, and Nefertiri was sure to command that her daughter be treated like a Princess, just as her other children were.

The two princesses busy themselves looking through Alex's dresses and only enlist my help to give a second opinion. After a couple of hours of this, we hear a knock at the door, and Lord Yujin enters. His resemblance to his father is haunting. The only trace of Nefertiri in him is his eyes. "Princess Alex, it's almost time for your coronation." Two years ago, just after his sixteenth birthday, Prince Yujin abdicated his claim to the throne, as well as his title of Prince, leaving Alex as next in line. Not long after his renunciation, the Scales chose him as a Guardian, and I have to say they made the right choice. He takes his duties seriously and is his sister's most trusted advisor.

Alex steals off with her brother, and I'm left alone with Princess Meritamen. She sits next to me, and I have to strain to hear her. "Mahado?" I look down at her and am surprised to see tears flooding her eyes. "Will you… will you tell me about my mother? I try to ask Alex, but she simply grows silent and sends me away. And Yujin hardly has any memories of her. I just… I have so many questions…"

I pull her close to me and stroke her hair. "It's all right, little one. Don't cry. I'll tell you about her." I take a deep breath. Thinking about Nefertiri inevitably dredges forth all the pain that marked her time here, but I begin anyway. "Your mother was such a special woman, both inside and out. She had the prettiest blue eyes anyone has ever seen, just like your brother. And she looked just like you and your sister, only a little older." I sigh heavily. "She only lived to be twenty-seven, but she did more in those years than most people do in two lifetimes." I smile softly. "And most people don't know this, but she was actually very quiet and shy, like you."

Meritamen looks up at me, her golden eyes alight. "Really? She was?"

I nod. "She was. She was sweet and humble and kind. She never forgot where she came from, and even after she was crowned, she went out into the city to be with her subjects. She ate with them in their homes and visited their sickbeds. She always said she belonged to all of us, and she was truly the People's Queen. But she was also a fierce warrior. Nefertiri won one war and saved us from another. She fought hard for what she believed in, and she believed in Egypt." Seeing that the princess is feeling much better, I force myself to snap out of my memories before they become too painful. I kiss her forehead. "You're so much like her. She would be proud to call you her daughter. Anyone would be."

She smiles softly, but I can still see one more question playing on her lips. I wait patiently and am rewarded when she blurts out, "And my father? What about him?"

I don't know why I hoped she wouldn't ask about Shadi. It had to come up eventually. "Your father was a good man, very noble and wise. He took his duties seriously, and he loved your mother very much, almost as much as Pharaoh Atem did." Almost as much as I did. I sigh heavily and she nods quietly. I can only pray to Ra that this placates her, that she won't ask what happened to him. I don't have the heart to tell her that Shadi went mad with grief and killed himself not long after Nefertiri's death. I can't say I blame him, though. I don't know what I would've done if I didn't have so many people counting on me. More than that, I have no doubt that Nefertiri would've made my afterlife a nightmare. I take a deep breath and try to put on a good face for the princess. "Meritamen?"

"Yes?"

"Don't be upset with your sister. She's having a difficult time without your mother. After the Pharaoh died, Nefertiri was her only parent for a while, and then Alex lost her, too." I pull her into another hug. "Sometimes it's hard to think about someone you love when the memories are all you have."

She nods against me. "I know. I know. I just… I just I wish I had some memories to cling to. I don't know either of my parents aside from what you tell me."

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. If I had my way, your parents would be alive today, but we both know the Gods rarely give in to our wishes. But I'll tell you what. Anytime you have a question about your parents, you can ask me, and I'll tell you everything I can, okay?"

"May I take you up on that offer now?"

I flash a smile. "Of course. Ask me anything."

"My mother… what did she like to do? Did she have any hobbies or skills?"

"Oh, yes, she had many hobbies. She loved to read and write, and she was almost always seen with a scroll in hand. She liked to weave sometimes even though she said she wasn't very good at it… And, ah, yes. I can't believe I almost forgot. She absolutely loved to stargaze. She spent many nights out by the river, looking at the stars and the moon. Her favorite star was the Heart of the Scorpion (1)… Oh, and she always wanted to be a high priestess, just like you."

"Really!? She did?" I see Meritamen's whole face light up, and I know I've made her day. Princess Meritamen has declared her intention to become a High Priestess of Isis, and has already started her training. Her confirmation should come in no time. "Thank you, oh, thank you!" She hugs me so tight and I can barely breathe, and I can't hide a smile.

"Well, you better go get ready Princess. The ceremony is about to start soon." She gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before she flies off to her rooms to get dressed. I sigh heavily and make my way to my own room as the sadness overtakes me. Remembering Nefertiri always makes me so miserable. For all the good times we shared together, there were just as many horrible things that taint the memories. Her abuse, her losing her husband, us not being able to be together. Is it any wonder that I'd just as soon forget sometimes?

I shake my head and get dressed before I start to clean my already spotless room. As I tidy up, I come across a small square of linen and smile to myself before placing it in my pocket.

I head out and make my way to the throne room just before the citizens are set to arrive. I find Princess Alex here pacing nervously, obviously in a panic. She looks up just as I enter. "Mahado, oh thank Ra you're here. I'm so scared."

I go to her hand place my hands on her shoulders. "I said you'll be fine. Remember?"

"What do I do? What do I say? What if I trip? What if I spill wine all over my dress? What if—"

I shake my head. She sure is antsy for her twenty-two years, and she certainly didn't get this anxious streak from Atem. This is Nefertiri through and through. "Everything's going to be all right. Just calm down."

She flails her arms wildly. "Don't tell me to calm down! I'm about to become the Queen of Egypt!"

I sigh heavily. "I know this, Alex. But your mother handled it in stride, and I know you will, too. You will be a great Queen, and you will make your mother and father proud."

This seems to soothe her for a moment. She takes a deep breath and shakes her head. "You're right. You're right. I'm sorry. I've spent my whole life preparing for this, and there's nothing to suggest that I will fail. I'm sorry to bother you."

I smile. "You're never a bother. Now take your seat. It's almost time." I watch as she turns away from me and takes her place on her mother's throne. A pang of sorrow hits me as I remember all the times I would talk to Nefertiri as she sat on that very throne. I guess I'll have to get used to seeing a new Queen there. The scent of lotus blossoms snaps me out of my thoughts, and I find Meritamen standing beside me in a royal blue dress with gold embroidery. "Princess Meritamen, you look lovely."

She takes my hands in hers. "Thank you, Mahado. For everything."

I nod. "Oh, I almost forgot. Here," I take the square of fabric from my pocket and hand it to her. "Your mother weaved this. It's her first piece of linen... I thought you should have it." She pulls me into a tight hug, and I can feel her tears seeping through my tunic. I wrap my arms around her and stroke her hair before I shush her and wipe her eyes. "There, there. Easy now. It's almost time. You don't the whole all of Egypt to see you crying over some cloth, do you?"

She lets me go and wipes her remaining tears as the citizens start to file in. It's not long before the entire throne room is filled, and people are spilling out of the palace and into the courtyard. Almost all of Egypt has come to see this.

I watch Yujin make his way to the front of the crowd and recite the opening prayers before leading Alexandria through the recitation of her duties and the oath. She goes through those nervously and trips on her words a couple of times, but she was able to recover gracefully. Yujin recites the last of prayers before Alex leads us to the Dining Hall for the banquet.

So many people have come that we have to set up tables in the hallways, and even then a lot of people have to sit on pillows on the floor. I sigh heavily. There are almost as many people here as there were at Nefertiri's funeral. The procession stretched from the mouth of Nefertiri's tomb all the way back to the entrance of the palace.

Hers was the funeral to end all funerals. People from all over the world showed up to mourn her loss. Kings, Queens, Emperors, everyone was on hand. We didn't need to hire weepers, either. Our sorrow was genuine.

Nothing has been the same since Nefertiri died. Without her sweet smile and gentle laughter to light up the palace, we've fallen into a sort of disarray. The only sources of comfort we can really cling to are her children. They're so much like her; it's almost like having her here again. Almost. But no one can ever fill the hole in our hearts. All I can do is comfort myself with the hope that in a short while I can see her again and be free from this pain.

1-Antares is the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio and the sixteenth brightest star in the sky. The Egyptians called it the Heart of the Scorpion and used it to symbolize the Scorpion goddess Serket.

I'm surprised at how fast I was able to write this, and I'm even more amazed that I didn't cry, but I am really sad to see this story end after so many years. All I can say is that it's been one amazing journey, and I can't thank you enough for sticking by me through the years.

Till next time,

Dead Reckoning