“Daughter,” Father says, in an overly sweet tone. I know he is angry. I had left this palace a long time ago. Swore never to return. Here I am again. Surprise, Father. I greet him respectfully. Bear it. For now. For him. This becomes my mantra. I take a seat at the banquet, and everybody carries on as if I had always been there. Small talk. How delicious the food is. How beautiful the stars. I laugh silently. As if they can see the sparkling night sky from here, where there are no windows.

When the night becomes part of the next morning, the guests and dancers are finally sent away. I sit alone with my family in a large, quiet room. Occasionally, Isis raises her trinket to sip on wine.

“So pray tell me, dearest,” my Father finally speaks. “What made you think you can just return here and pretend nothing happened?”

“They took him,” is all I say. I look him in the eye until he starts feeling uncomfortable.

“What do you mean by that? Who is ‘They’ and who is ‘Him’?” Seth intervened but was immediately shushed by Father.

“Please elaborate, daughter.” What a farce. Everybody knew who I meant with ‘They.’ But ‘They’ are taboo here. Nobody speaks of them. As if they never existed. The precautions at the Gate? Merely to soothe the public.

“Ptah had returned to one of the Human villages when Bastet and her brethren arrived. After defeating me, she took not only humans, but also Ptah with her.”

Murmur. Ptah, my beloved. He is highly respected. Surely it will change things. The murmur becomes a heated debate. Nobody talks to me even when I speak. They only discuss among themselves. I am just a bystander. I am angry. But I bear it.

“We will send a messenger to inquire about Ptah.” Father speaks again. I cannot believe what I hear.

“What?”

“And until then, you are not to leave the castle grounds.”

“What?” I am even more at loss of words.

“The Ashura have offered us a peace treaty not too long ago. If we allow them to establish their kingdom beyond the mountains, they will leave us alone. Likewise, we are not to interfere with them.”

“You know that is a lie!” I get up. I am angry. I feel the energy rising within me, but I have no blade to channel it. Instead, my powers burst out in a small seismic wave, toppling all the trinkets before me and spilling the wine everywhere. Horus is immediately at my side, his blade held at my throat.

“Nobody has the right to raise their voice towards Father.” Father holds up his hand to signal he can withdraw the blade. He then gets up from his throne and walks on air to reach me. His gaze is angry.

“Not only have you endangered yourself and Ptah by leaving the castle, but you have also lost him to the enemy. He is one of the greatest magicians and architects our kingdom had. And now you have the gall to crawl back to the castle to ask for help?” My body tingles. Then the tingles become electrifying pain. Father’s eyes are glowing. “If this was your only option, then you cannot call yourself a warrior. We will handle things now my way. Sit back and behave like the princess you should be.” With these words, the pain intensifies. I lose control over my body and sink to the ground. But I resist the urge to scream. Instead, I keep looking at him in the eye. I will not submit. Even if I faint.

I wake up in my room. Somebody has laid me on the bed and covered me. The scent of sandalwood lingering in the air tells me it was Seth. To my surprise, he is still in the room. He has fallen asleep on the couch, not far from my bed. I smile. Even though he never wants to admit it, he admires me. Unlike my other brothers and sisters, he is always the first to take a clear stance. Nobody messes with him. I cough loudly to wake him up. It works.

“I am not sleeping,” he mumbles even though I could hear his deep breathing just moments ago. I smile again. And look around. It is not properly visible, but there is a layer of magic surrounding my entire room.

“He cast a spell on this entire wing,” Seth explains as he watches my gaze wander about. “We all can enter and leave as we please, except for you.”

“He is angry.”

“Why, yes. Ptah is basically family, yet he got snatched away by the fucking Ashura.”

I gasp in surprise. “Yes, yes,” he adds, grinning. “I just fucking love human language. So foul!”

“Will Father’s method even work?” Ashura was never much interested in diplomacy.

“I doubt it. They’ll probably use him as a pawn.” He gets up and walks up to me. “Don’t worry. If it fails, Father will see that we will have to use force to get him back.”

I remain unconvinced. Brother sighs and is about to leave the room. “Don’t let it get to you much. Ptah always loved to roam on his own and thus was a liability. You following him back then was a good choice. You kept him safe for years. I know Mother appreciates this even though she rarely speaks.” I watch as he finally leaves me alone. The birds are singing outside. The world seems so peaceful. But it’s not.