Topic: Nefertari's Demise

Nefertari

Date: 2010-03-30 13:28 EST
Nefertari had never been one to believe in the mystics, but she was curious as a Cat when the unexpected gift had arrived. Her handmaiden had set the package on her majesty's bed, and left her to her own devices. The courier had said it came from a priestess, but gave no name. Foolishly, Nefer assumed it was from her mentor. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Nefer lounged luxuriously on the bed, fingertips adeptly unfolding the cloth that bound her gift. She let out a soft gasp of awe as she unsheathed a glowing glass pyramid.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, though was secretly fearful of the contraption. It reeked of something dangerous in an otherwordly manner, and she was torn between thrusting it out of her sight or taking it up in her fingers greedily. For several long moments she stared, thoughts waging war upon one another. With a grunt of frustration, she threw the cloth back over it and slid from the bed, stalking off for her husband Ramses? chambers.

However, curiosity eventually got the best of her, as it always did.

Later that evening when she crept into bed, she carefully removed the trinket from its binding folds and cupped it in her hands. Lifting it up toward her face for closer inspection, she looked more like someone holding a covetous treasure. The pyramid was made of clear glass accented with ancient hieroglyphs in molten gold. Inside, a mystifying light pulsed steadily, beckoning Nefer forth and toward it. The tip of the pyramid was hinged, its contents urging her to open it. Entranced, she failed to heed, let alone read, the ancient scripture's warning etched along the surface. Nimble, na've fingertips stretched to lift the tip.

There was a sudden burst of bright lights that engulfed the entire room, and for all she knew the entire palace. Nefertari wouldn't know as that was the last thing she saw before blacking out.

Nefertari

Date: 2010-03-30 14:33 EST
It was the high noon sunshine that finally stirred her. She stretched, like a cat waking from a deep slumber. Nefertari gasped in pain, eyes fluttering open as she suddenly bolted into an upright position. Fingertips tentatively rose to touch at the throbbing pain in her side, eliciting a wince. The next thing she noticed was the distinct absence of the desert's oppressive humidity and the familiar coat of sand upon every surface. She blinked several times, trying to get her eyesight in focus so that she could get a better look at her surroundings. It was cold and the shrubbery beneath her was foreign both in touch and looks. After a moment it dawned on Nefer that she was somewhere she shouldn't be. She gasped again, looking around her with renewed fright.

There was nothing familiar about the woods she found herself in, and just beyond the horizon she could hear the boisterous commotion akin to a bustling marketplace. The voices sounded loud and their words harsh and alien. Shrinking back into the shrubbery, she winced again, lifting her hands up to her face as if she could shield herself from this foreign land. It was then that she smelled the coppery tang of blood, warm betwixt her cheek and fingertips. Gasping again, she took her fingers back to her side, wincing in pain but attempting to assess the extent of her wound.

"Oh, Isis, protect me," she murmured, closing her eyes briefly. Nefer knew she wouldn't be able to remain in the foliage for much longer; she would need to seek the services of a healer. With difficulty, she slowly rose to her full height, an intimidating 5". The sheath that bound her simple gown was torn in a variety of spots, a pool of blood red soaking her left side. Her headdress was slightly askew, but she didn't bother to put it right. The way she looked was the least of her worries for the time being.

Tentative footsteps of sandal laden feet led her nearer to the hustle and bustle of city life. Nefertari was fluent in many languages, but the one she heard most prominently was one she had never come across before. A deepening frown creased along her face as she crept cautiously through the threshold between vegetation and cobblestone way. She stopped abruptly, gasping softly at the sight. There was no sand, but instead rock everywhere. The buildings looked so petty compared to the palaces in Egypt. To her left, she saw horses drawing a strange looking, four-wheeled chariot with passengers sitting in it. Her head ping-ponged right and she saw someone on a two-wheeled, metal contraption that made lots of noise. People of all sorts of heights, sizes, and colors were bustling back and forth. Instead of being scared, she was more curious. How did such a race come to be together" Their garb was strange looking, too, and just as different between each individual. Shaking her head in amazement, she took another tentative step forth. Curious Cat's eyes lifted straight ahead and upward at the looming establishment known so well by others as the Red Dragon Inn.

Nefertari took a few more steps before she collapsed like a heap of linen right in front of it, the familiar sparkle and shine of the glass pyramid catching her eye briefly before twinkled out into blackness.