5 Unfriendly Meeting

"I'm so sorry…" she apologized and before she could hold her head up, the person she bumped into bent down on his knees to be at her eye level.

"Prince Javid!" her silver eyes shot open as she recognized the man in front of her, the moonlight was the only source of light at this time illuminating both of them. Making Nefertari's black hair shine brightly and illuminating Javid's hair just enough that you can see its red color.

Both of them were beautiful in a very odd way to Joon Gi.

"I'm sorry I wasn't looking your highness," she said looking down at the ground embarrassed from her actions even though that they were a mistake.

"It's okay little princess," he said smiling brightly at her. It was a sincere one too.

Why didn't her father like him? She wondered, she always believed that eyes don't lie, he wasn't faking it but sincerely smiling at her. Or was it because she was too young to understand adult's feelings?

"You look just like your mother," he said still keeping the smile but this time it showed pain and sorrow behind it.

He indeed was sincere with his smile, there was no way his heart or his feelings would allow him to hate her. When she was part of his long-lost unrequired love, a spitting image of her.

How can two people resemble each other like this? he said to himself.

Even though her father and he don't get along this didn't affect his feelings towards her in any way.

Who would've thought that after spending almost most of his childhood with his friends when he was sent to Egypt as a so-called ambassador of peace that they would turn this way?

The truth was that his father was selling him off and he had no call whatsoever.

But to his luck, they were all so kind to him, and then he met Akhenaton who was the same age as him and so their friendship began. That was when Cleopatra showed up and the three of them started being friends by time.

They always thought that when they grow up and get married that their kids are going to be friends just like them.

When did it all change? He couldn't remember when it all started to go wrong.

Was it when Akhenaton started to show that he has feelings towards Cleopatra?

Or was it when he started to have those same feelings?

Or was it when he admitted that he has those feelings?

He was so in thought that he didn't notice his hands that were now caressing Taris curls thinking that her mother's hair was the same as her.

He was looking at her but Tari had a feeling that inside he was in his own world, the smile kept being displayed on his lips but it was getting sadder and sadder as each second passed, his eyes going blank, that's when she knew that he was lost inside her head and she had no idea what to do when his hands reached out to touch her hair.

Papa's going to be mad she said in the back of her mind praying hard that her father doesn't know of this.

And just before she could finish her inner prayer a hand grabbed Javid's hand off her…

"Papa!" she said looking at her father with a worried look begging him not to get mad, she didn't know why he would get mad but she had a feeling deep inside her that he would.

"Nefertari," he said, "don't you think that it's late to keep playing around" she couldn't detect any anger in his voice which was something that she should've been relieved about but she didn't.

"I-I was about to go back but…"

"I bumped into her, Pharaoh" Javid interrupted her and finished his words for her as he stood up and bowing before holding his head up again.

"Looks like I haven't made myself clear before," the Pharaoh said, "the only reason that you are here standing before me is because of the respect that I've for my late wife." He continued as he slowly pulled his daughter behind him.

Standing there not knowing what to do she found that Joon Wo is still here standing, clearly frustrated. She gestured for him to get going feeling sorry that he is witnessing such an awkward situation, he slightly nodded and waved her goodbye before leaving them to have what he thinks is a private conversation, because he also could feel the tension that started to grow in the air.

That's what happens when royalties have a heated conversation he thought. They display a killer's smile while throwing knives at the other, you could swear that they are killing each other over and over and over again in their minds.

That is scary he thought after they were no longer within his earshot wondering if he will get another chance to spend time with Tari like this.

"I'm sorry if my actions have offended you Your Holiness or made the princess uncomfortable" he formally replied bowing his head down.

"I hope you understand your position," Akhenaton said holding his daughter's hand and turning around to go. "Don't you dare touch my daughter" he spitted out the words over his shoulder loud enough so that only Javid could hear.

He was left alone with no time to give a reply. What did you expect? he whispered to his lonely self.

Deep down inside him, he wanted to return to the old days…the old days, at that thought he got flashbacks of memories he would rather cut them out of his head with his sword.

The memory of how the arrow cut through her body making her fall lifeless in Akhenaton's arms while was standing afar, petrified in place not knowing what to do, not understanding his emotions at the moment.

Should he be in agony at the fall of his beloved?

Or should he be in fury at the assassin's arrow that shot her to the ground?

He never knew all he could do was fall to his knees as the world turned blank in front of him. All he heard was the cries of his friend as he hugged his beloved tight to his chest.

It's all my fault he thought back then and now. These words never left his mind for a moment in his whole life.

Meanwhile, Tari was now in her father's chamber watching him as he took off the sword that hung on his waist.

The aura in the place was enough to kill any hope of speaking, and she thought that it was for the best if she just sat silently in her place till her father decides otherwise.

"Tari" he called her over his shoulders without turning to look at her.

"Y-Yes Papa?" she stuttered at the sudden call, it was already as awkward as it is and him calling her like that sent chills down her spine since her father was never like that with her so the sudden change in his actions is starting to worry her.

"Are you enjoying your time here?" he turned and grinned as he asked her.

"Huh?" she said, "Y-yes I am. I've made new friends" she continued after she finally realized that she should answer.

This was a bit unexpected, will, to be honest, it wasn't expected at all.

"That's good to hear," he said taking a seat next to her, gently wrapping his arms around her small figure and pulling her to sit on his lap.

A move he always does even when she complains that she is no longer a baby but, in the end, he never listened to her so she just let him do it.

"I just wanted to tell you how happy Papa is when he sees you playing around with that smile on your face," he said caressing her hair, "you never played like that back home"

"It's because I never had any friends back home," she said pouting and dropping her eyes to look at her fingers that are tangling with each other.

"But you have a lot of handmaids," he said surprised at the sudden confession "Should I assign more…"

"NO!" she stopped him before he could finish already knowing what he was going to say. "I don't need more maids, there is only so much that they can do when it comes to playing with me not to mention that I feel uncomfortable" she confessed what she has always felt when she was playing with her maids, it was written all over their faces that they are doing this because it's their job not because they want her to have a good time and to be honest, playing with someone who is double your height is not something that she fancies.

"Then enjoy your time here as much as you want" he chuckled, "We still have 3 weeks left before we go back"

"W-wait I can go whenever I want!?" she said turning her head to look at her father.

He nodded "You don't even have to take the permission"

"Thank you!" she said wrapping her arms around his neck and dipping her face in his neck feeling that he was laughing, "You are the best Papa!"

"But Papa," she said pulling back a little to look at her father after she remembered that there was something important that he is not mentioning.

"About what happened before…" she hesitated thinking that this something that she shouldn't take about.

"Don't worry about it. It has nothing to do with you" he reassured her "it's Papa's problems from his past" he tried to keep it as simple as he could so that he wouldn't worry her little mind.

"Can't you tell me?" she said, "Promise I won't tell anyone Papa!" she promised him making him laugh hard at how simple-minded she is.

Thinking back all children are simple-minded, even he was like that thinking that he can have anything in the world and change anything that he doesn't like.

"I promise I'll tell you everything when the time comes," he said, when you are old enough to handle the truth, he continued the words in his head.

With that, she nodded and decided that whatever this was about he will indeed come to tell her in time, she trusted him. And she didn't want to bring to him any bad memories that will make him sad, all she wanted was to make her father happier, that someday when she is old enough she would help him with his duties and responsibilities and take some of the burdens off his shoulder.

Take some of the burdens on his shoulder so that at least when night falls, he would sleep soundly instead of staying up all night for days.

She remembered once when she came sneaking into his chambers during a thunderstorm to find him at his study still working, that's when she asked him "Why don't you sleep Papa?" she said and he just smiled at her with his familiar eye wrinkles curling up as he smiled showing that he was smiling from his heart he said as he was looking out through the terrace at the city that was illuminated by the moon every now and then by the thunderbolts that split the sky in two.

"I've to take care of all these people so that they can sleep peacefully at night…" he was about to continue but decided not too since it will be hard for her simple mind to grasp what he is saying especially when she is half asleep with her eyelids barely staying open.

Not long after that, he decided that just for today, he would sleep next to her, since the only time he sleeps peacefully and without nightmares hunting him is when her small figure is in his arms and her sweet jasmine scent floats all around him.