Disclaimer -
All of the characters in this story except for the ones I have invented are the soul property of Steven Sommers and Universal Studios. I do not gain any profit from this story, it is just for pure enjoyment. So just relax and enjoy the story.
Chapter 2
Four days after he had seen Remises He thought about how he should approach Foncu. He knew he had to put his best side forward. He wanted Lemonie to like him, because it really didn't make since to marry a girl who thought you were mean and cruel. Two weeks after he had seen the pharaoh he finally knew how he was going to approach Foncu. He would just go to him and give his terms without giving the wrong impression. The next day he went to Foncu's home. Tucktin knew since he liked to gamble he would probably be at home; a carouse he did not know for certain, but he had to take a chance. Foncu used to be out at see all the time, but when he got hook on gambling he started spending most of his time at home; barely making enough to support Lemonie. When he got to their house he took a deep breath and held it as he knocked on the door. He waited a few moments then he knocked again as he started to release the air he had sucked in. He started to think no one was home, but then the door opened A young girl was standing in the doorway. It was Lemonie and she was more beautiful then she was in the market place. She was 5'2 and had a body any man would have approved of, but that wasn't what to his breath away; it was her beauty. To him she had the face of an angle, she had grey eyes and every one of her features seemed to be perfectly a lined with the next. He knew what he was going to say to Foncu but what was he suppose to say to her? While he was searching for the right words to say to she looked at him and asked, "Can I help you my lord?" She could tell he was someone important; he was dressed in a brown robe with a brown shirt under it. He also had brown loin cloth rapped around his waist that showed off his legs. He was in ok shape, but he wasn't anything special.
He knew had to say something so he swallowed his fear and said, "Yes, I would like to speak to your father." She didn't say anything she just stepped away from the door. Tucktin didn't know what he should do, but then she said, "come in my lord, I will get my father for you." Then she walked away completely from the door, and he walked in. The house was unsurprisingly small; before the pharaoh had given him his house he would have thought it was nice, for a fisherman. He stood there by the door like someone who wouldn't touch anything out of fear that it might brake. There was a short hall like a corridor with a room on both sides of the hall. Tucktin heard whispering for a few moments then suddenly it stopped, and he saw Lemonie and a man who he assumed was Foncu come out of the room on the left. She took close to her father as thought he was there to take her away. Foncu took one look at Tucktin and said, "Please sit down. What do I owe the honor of this visit, my lord?" Tucktin glanced at Lemonie and said, "Can we speak in private?" "Yes." Foncu said and without even thinking about it he turned towards Lemonie and said, "Daughter, go to the market and get some bread." Tucktin could tell she really didn't want to go, but she didn't disagree with her father. She just said, "Yes…father." Then she walked out the door. When she was gone Foncu and Tucktin at down in the chairs that were in what you would call the living room. Once again Tucktin knew what he wanted so he said, "Foncu I'm not going to waste any time. I bought your debt from the pharaoh, so in turn you owe me." Foncu was in total shock, he had no idea Remises has his debt. He wanted to know how Remises ended up with her debt. He took a deep breath and said, "How did the pharaoh end up with my debt." Tucktin really didn't want to explain anything to him, but something told him that Foncu would not let it down.
He thought that maybe he could just explain nicely, but then he just said forget and then he said, "The man who had your debt didn't want to do what was needed to collect. So he sold your debt to the pharaoh and in turn I bought it. It is as simple as that." Before Foncu could say anything else he said, "Now I am not here to help you deal with the situation. I'm here because I want to offer you away out of you problem. "At first Foncu had his head down out of shame for what he had done. Then when he heard about the deal Tucktin was offering he raised his dead and a smile came to his face. But Tucktin knew the happiness would be short lived, because of what he was going to say next. He was glad Foncu had sent Lemonie to the market because what he had to say to Foncu would make her hate him. He knew this was the point of no return, once he said this there was no going back, but he knew what he wanted so he said, "This what I will do…I will forget about your debt if…" "If what" Foncu asked in anticipation to what was coming next. Tucktin continued by saying, "I will forget about you debt if you will give your daughter." The smile that was on his face quickly faded as Tucktin knew it would. Foncu looked at him for a moment then he said, "Your offer is most unreasonable." Tucktin quickly cut him off by saying, "unreasonable! Your drowning in debt and I'm offering you a way out, and you think what I'm offering is unreasonable?" At first when he heard Foncu say that he was going to get up set, but then he tried to think about the situation from his point a view. He realized Foncu was probably about Lemonie's happiness. He calmed himself and down then he said, "I know your daughter's happiness is important to you, but you must understand that she will not be mistreated in any way. I just want to marry her."
Foncu put his head down in shame once again and said, "My lord, I assumed if I refuse you will peruse me to pay might debt?" Tucktin didn't say anything he just nodded his head twice. After seeing that Foncu knew he really didn't have a choice. He had to give up his daughter to save hi won skin. Then he looked at Tucktin and said, "Can you give me time to explain things to my daughter?" "Yes, I'll come back in three days. Will that be enough time to get her ready?" Tucktin said in the calmest voice he could. He wanted what was going to happen to be smooth as possible. Foncu didn't say anything he just nodded his head, but Tucktin could see he wasn't happy with what was going to happen. Part of Tucktin felt sorry for Foncu and the other part just didn't care. It was Lemonie was all he could think about, it was love; it was a feeling he could not explain. He wanted to possess her in every way possible. So he was willing to do what ever it took to get her. As Lemonie was walking back from the market she was wondering why Tucktin was there. When she was almost home she saw Tucktin leave her fathers house. When he was gone she walked to her house as fast as she could. When she got to the door she opened it as fast as she could and went in. She knew something was wrong because she saw her father sitting down with his head down. She didn't know why he was so sad but something told her she was about to find out. She shut the door then she put the bread on the floor. Then she went and sat in the chair Tucktin had been sitting in just a few moments ago and asked, "Father what's wrong?" But she got no answer. So without hesitation she asked again, "Father, what is wrong?" She still did not receive an answer. She was starting to wonder why he wasn't talking, but then she thought about Tucktin. She took a deep breath and then she said, "What did he do?" It seemed like Foncu was bent on not telling her anything, but Lemonie wasn't going to leave him alone until she got her answer.
She said in a stern and demanding voice, "Father, Talk to me! Please! I know that man was here for something. Are you in trouble again?" Foncu couldn't bring himself to face her so with his head still down in shame he said, "yes, I'm afraid so." She sighed heavily as she dropped her down. She turned her back on him and folded her arms as she said, "So tell me how much is it this time, father?" "More then I can pay." He said with sound of sadness in his voice. He wanted to say something to her but what could he say. What could he possibly say to her? With her back still facing him she ask, "So why did he come to see you personally? They usually send there mussel." Still the sadness in his voice he said, "He doesn't want money." Lemonie turned around as quick as she could as she asked, "He doesn't want money." Foncu didn't say anything he just nodded his head. She said, "But if he doesn't want money what does want?" Foncu didn't want to face her but he thought since he got himself into to this he at least should look her in face, but he couldn't do it. So he said without looking at her, "he wants you." "Me?" She said in a shocked kind of voice. Then she asked, "Well, what did you say?" "What could I say? I said ok." He said in shameful voice. When she heard that anger boiled inside and she had always been good at dealing with her anger, but this time was different. He had gone too far so with out any caution for volume of her voice she yelled, "What! You sold me?" Foncu struggled to make her understand by saying, "Lemonie you have to understand he would have put me in slavery. I would have to work on the pyramids or something much worse." She said with anger in her voice, "so you sold me you sorry, sad…oh by gods I swear I will never forgive you for this. This is the last draw father; I have dealt with your drinking and gambling, all this stuff. You have proven to me so many times that you don't love me. You love gambling and now you can gamble all you want because your debt is paid in full."
He didn't want her to leave hating him so he got up from the chair and looked at her and then he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this, but…" Lemonie cut him off by saying, "it was either you or me, right?" "I wasn't going to say that." He said. She didn't really want to hear what he had to say, she couldn't even look him in eye any more. She turned away from him and said, "I can't even look at you. Your not my father…I have no father. As far as I am concerned you died when my mother died." Then she walked out of the door again, but this time Foncu didn't know where she was going. He stood there in a dead silence. He could not believe what she had said to him. She looked at him like he was nothing, like he wasn't worth one gold coin. In his mind she was right; he wasn't worth one gold coin. She said he was nothing and now he felt like nothing. He wanted to do something but what could he do? He had no choice he had to give up his daughter for his freedom, but something told him that he had lost Lemonie in more then one way. He had lost her completely just like her mother and it was his entire fault.
As she was walking the streets she wondered how her father could stoop so low that he would sell his own daughter to keep from becoming a slave. She hated him more now then ever before. How could she go with Tucktin? What did he want with her? These were questions that only time could answer. She needed to talk so she decided to go to Pagma she was her friend. Lemonie didn't have a lot of friends because she really didn't have time for them. She was always taking care of her father, no matter what happened. But now he had gone too far he sad sold his daughter for his freedom and that alone was unforgivable. Pagma was unusual in her own right though she was a seer. She could see the further and a lot of people didn't like her because they thought she was weird. But Lemonie felt strangely connected to her; that is what kept her coming back to her. Pagma always wanted to see something for her but she would never let her. But now since everything was going all wrong and, her back was against the wall she thought what hell. It can't make anything worse. When she got to her house Pagma knew right away that something was wrong so she pulled Lemonie inside and led her to a chair. It wasn't long before she told Pagma the whole story. When the tears from her face started to dry Pagma said, "I know you are hurting but you must believe me when I say the pain you feel will go away. The hurt in your hurt will fade like the tears that have stop falling from you eyes. I know your father has hut you deeply and it may take some time for you to forgive him, but forgive is something we all must do if we hope to be at peace in the next life. Now give me your hand." Lemonie really didn't know what to say because after all she wasn't even sure about this after life stuff, in a way she and Tucktin was prefect for each other.
She handed Pagma her right and when Pagma took it she looked at his and started to rub her middle finger across the surface of her hand. Then as if it had always been there and no one had ever seen it Pagma saw it. She said, "There's something across your palm. It's very faint, but it's there." Lemonie asked, "Is it anything bad?" Pagma glanced at her and back at her hand as she said, "no, oh no. It is not bad at all. See, this line crosses over all of your other lines; it means that something is going to happen not necessary to you, but to someone close to you. A friend, a child…someone deeply connected to you. Something is going to happen to them that will span over time itself." She left go of her hand and said, "Lemonie, press your palms against mine." She really didn't know what Pagma was trying to do but she trusted so she did as she asked. Then before their hands were together she asked, "Pagma what are you doing?" Pagma could see she was worried so she said, "Lemonie, I am a sure seer and I don't mean reading you palm neither. I can see the further, I can see it as thought it is truly happing in the now. I want to see your further…will you let me?" Lemonie was skeptical but she was curious too. So she said, "Yes, go ahead." When Pagma heard that she smiled then she said, "Ok, now close your eyes and just relax." Lemonie did as she was told and when their hands touched Pagma saw something that made her jerk back. When she opened her eyes she was breathing very hard and she let of go of Lemonie's hands. "What did you see?" Lemonie asked as though she believed in seers. Pagma was silent for a moment then she said, "You will have a daughter and she will live two lifetimes and she will experience all the love, joy, sadness and pain of those lifetimes in one breath. She will know love like on other and she will choose her own path. Some thing no woman has ever been allowed to do before." "She will be allowed to…" Lemonie said, but then Pagma said, "No, she will not be allowed to choose but she will choose.
Lemonie, you must be strong and pore all your strength, your will and love into her. Live your dreams through her eyes. Until then you must be a good wife and consort to Tucktin." When Lemonie heard that she cut her off and said, "I am going to marry him?" Pagma continued by saying, "Yes, you are. You can not choose your own path." "Why not?" she said in a slightly higher tone, and then Pagma said, "Because we are woman and our choices are never easy." Lemonie didn't want to accept it but she knew Pagma was right so she nodded her head in acceptance of what she had just told her. She stayed and talked with her for a little while longer then she left. As she was walking home she wondered how she could allow herself to be taken by a man she didn't even love or even liked. At that moment it was like Pagma's words were coming back to her mind, like an echo. She knew she had to forgive her father for selling her, but how could she love a man who bought her. She didn't know how she was going to do; she just knew she had to find some way to do it. When she got home she still couldn't bring herself to look her father in the face; she just went to her room and closed the door. Foncu wanted to say so many things to her but he knew she would not want to listen so what would be the point. Nether Foncu or Lemonie said anything to each other for the next 3 days. It was a silence neither her nor him would break. When the day came for Lemonie to leave she was strangely at peace and in a weird way she was looking forward to talking to the man who bought her. The silence that had been there for the past three days was finally broken by a knock at the door. As soon as she heard it her heart jumped. It jumped because she knew that this was the moment that she would leave her father's house which wasn't anything different except this she was leaving for good.
When she heard Tucktin's voice she readied herself for what ever came next. Before Foncu could call for her she walked out of her room door. When she saw Tucktin she noticed that he wasn't bad looking so that meant what ever children they had would be descent looking. When Tucktin saw her again he asked Foncu if he could give them sometime alone and he agreed it would and when he left Tucktin looked at her and said, "My name is Tucktin; I would like for you to get to know me and would like to get to know you." Lemonie wasn't expecting him to be like this, because after all He did buy her. He seemed nice and sensor; it was like he was just a guy who wanted to get to know her without getting to know her. She nodded her head and said, "Ok, My lord. Would like to site down?" Tucktin was startled by question then when the question came to him he said, "Yes, yes a course." When they were both sitting down Lemonie asked him, "Why did you buy me?" Tucktin knew where she was going with the question so he decided to cut her off at the pass by saying, "I want you to know that I did buy you, but does that really matter? I would like for us to get pass that unpleasant fact. I don't want you to be my made or my slave, but I do want you to be my wife." Lemonie's eyes widen; what he said was exactly what Pagma said. Then Pagma's words came by to her mind and she could hear them as though they were being said again, "you will be his wife and you will have a daughter who will live the lives of two lifetimes." Then suddenly all of the fear of what was to be faded and Lemonie knew exactly what she had to do. First she had to at least become his friend in her heart, and second she had to make sure that when she had her daughter; that it would be known that this is her prize to mode and shape not his.
To ask such a favor would be asking too much right now so she decided to wait until she had grounds to ask. Until then she would just have to make the best out of a bad situation. She looked him in the eyes and said, "You don't know me my lord; so how could you possibly know you want me to be your wife?" Tucktin sighed a little bit then he said, "It is true I do not know you but that is what I want to change. I'm not a bad man and if you can believe that, then that's a start." Lemonie looked at him again and she expected to see a cruel evil man, but instead she was nothing kindness and warmth. She looked away for a moment and when she looked back she said, "Ok." Then she smiled and when he saw that he somehow he knew things between him and Lemonie were going to be great, if not just then ok. He smiled back at her and then he got up from the seat and reached out his hand to her as he said, "shall we go, or do you care to say get bye to your father?" Lemonie did not take his hand but when she got up from the chair she looked at him and said, "We should go because I do not care to say good bye to that man." What she said bothered him on some level, but he did not pursue it. Instead they both left the house. When Foncu came back they were gone and a great sadness came over him because his only daughter had left with even saying good bye. The sadness that came to him when she left seemed to stay with him and no matter how hard he tried he could not get rid of it. Then one day as he was walking home he saw Pagma he knew that when Lemonie was with him she was her friend, but he had never approved of her. That didn't seem to matter now that she was gone, but a thought came to him when he saw her. He thought that if anyone knew where Lemonie was she did and maybe she knew how to contact her.
The next day he went to her house. When he came to the door he knocked he was expecting some kind of witch to just appear out of no where, but instead a very beautiful girl opened the door and said, "May I help you?" She was tall and slender, but she had a other worldly side to her that was clear to see. He said, "Yes, my name is Foncu and I'm looking for my daughter…" "Lemonie" Pagma said with one breath. Foncu was kind of shocked when he heard it that he just said, "Yes… Do you know me?" Pagma said, "Yes I do; even though you don't always see me, I always see you." Before he could say anything she said, "Listen, Lemonie doesn't want anything to do with you. First she has to forgive you for what you did. Then and only then can you see her. She has yet to forgive you, but I believe that she will do so before her life journey is over. I will tell her I saw you. If you want me to, but just don't expect a response." Foncu knew she was right so he said, "Ok, but will keep me up to date with up she's doing?" At first when she heard that she said I don't know but then she thought about it for a moment. She took a deep breath and said, "I will" Then she shut the door as though Foncu was just another beggar on the streets. The sadness that was in him started to fade and then he knew why it was there in the first place. Lemonie had put a hole in his heart that only she and she alone could feel. Every week Pagma made the journey to the other side of the city to see Lemonie. In Thebes the difference between rich and poor were as clear as black and white. When Pagma got to Tucktin's house she was always surprised no matter how many times she had gone there. It was so big; you could fit her house into the living room. It was nice and you could tell that who ever lived here had wealth.
When she walked in she saw a servant standing in the middle of the room and when she saw him she asked, "I'm Pagma and the lady is expecting me." The servant looked at her and said, "Follow me." He took her down a hall and the hall was short. When they got to the end of the hall he pointed to a door and said, "She is in there with the doctor." Pagma wanted to know why but something told her the servant wouldn't know. So she just nodded her head and walked in. At first she didn't see anything, but then she saw a man on the bed and with one breath she knew who he was treating. When Lemonie saw her she smiled and looked at the doctor as she said, "Doctor, are we done here?" He looked at her and said, "You will be fine but stay off your feet as much as possible. Then he got up from the bed and left and as he was passing Pagma he said, "She needs her rest; so don't keep her long." Pagma didn't say anything she just nodded her head and started to walk towards Lemonie. When she got to the bed she sat down on the side of it. She did it to be mindful of Lemonie. She could tell there was something wrong, but she didn't know what it was. So with out moving or leaning she put her hand on Lemonie's for head. There was no temperature she seemed to be ok, but something told her she wasn't ok. So without any hesitation she asked, "What's wrong?" Lemonie smiled and said, "Nothing that won't go away in a few months." Pagma looked at her like she did not have a clue to what she was talking about. Lemonie looked at her and said, "I'm with child." It had only been a few months after she was married that she uttered the words with child. Pagma knew the child that was growing in her dear friend was not the child she wanted. Before Lemonie could get her hopes up she said, "The child within you is not the child you want; it is a boy and not a girl."
Lemonie's smile faded as quickly as it came. "When will I have her?" she asked with her head down in disappointment. Pagma put her hand on her leg and as it had happen before she had a vision of Lemonie's future. When the vision stopped she jerked back and said, "You will have two boys before you will have Anck-su-namun." Lemonie did not know the name she had just said so she asked, "who?" When Pagma heard that she came back and looked strait into her eyes as she said, "Your daughters name will be Anck-su-namun." It was strange to hear the name of her further child call out but something told her Pagma was right. So she didn't give her anything hint that she disapproved of her name. She just smiled and said, "Ok…ok" For next year and a half Lemonie was the prefect wife. She was kind, smart and a good mother. She acted as though Pagma had never told her about the child that would be more wonderful then life itself. She just acted like her life was complete even though she was waiting for the day when the doctor would tell she is with child. When her first son was three the doctor told her she was with child again, and when she first heard him say that she started to get happy, but then she remembered what Pagma said to her when she was pregnant. She knew that the child with in now would be a boy, but the next child would Anck-su-namun. So she started to smile, a course the doctor thought she was happy to be with child again, but that was not the reason.
Soon after she started to show signs that she was with child she had a thought. Lemonie knew Tucktin thought all of the children she had was a gift to him. Pay back for all the wealth and freedom he had given her, but she wanted the little girl she would soon have to be hers and not his. She had always been a good wife she never did anything to displease her husband; so maybe he would give her the one thing she desires more then anything. The right to raise her daughter her way without any interference from him, but she knew she could not ask such a thing unless she had something to give. She thought about it for a moment then it came to her as though it had always been; she would give him her two sons in exchanged for her daughter. When she had he second son she knew now was the time to ask him, because he was happier then he had ever been. She had given him two wonderful sons and now was the best time to ask. So a few days after she had her son she went him. It was at dinner, she didn't want her sons to hear so she sent them away. Tucktin was curious to why she did that so he asked, "Why did you do send them away." She looked at him and said, "Because we need to talk." Tucktin didn't know what this was about but something told him he was about to find out. He sat back and prepared himself for bad news as though there was going to be some. Lemonie took a deep breath and said, "Tucktin, I have given you two sons and I have been a good wife in every way I know how, I have never asked you for anything…not one thing, but now I want something."
When he hard that he looked at her and asked, "What do you want?" She said with out smiling so he would take her seriously, "I want my little girl." His face wrinkled up as though she had said something to belittle him, but then he asked, "What little girl?" Lemonie looked at him and said, "The one I'm going to have and I know the next child I will have will be a little girl." Tucktin was feeling like fish out of water but he then he said, "Why do you ask this of me?" At first she was going to tell him just what Pagma told her but then she realized that he would never understand so she said, "Because I do. Now will you give me what I have asked for?" Tucktin didn't know why but he thought that daughters were better off with their mothers then their fathers so he said, "yes, she will be your to mold if the next child you have is a girl." Lemonie smiled a little then she said, "Thank you." And got up from the table and left the room. Tucktin figured she was just feeling out of place because it had only been a few days since she last gave birth. He thought it would just pass, but 8 months after she had her second child she found out she was with child again. This was different thought; this time she knew it was the child she had been waiting for. When she told Tucktin she was with child he thought it would be another boy, but Lemonie knew different. She knew it was a girl, a girl that would change her life forever. It wasn't that she didn't love her sons she just knew there was nothing she could do that would have any influence on them. She could love them and raise them but their father would have most influence on them.
The night she had her it was a beautiful night. The stars were out and the sky was clear. The midwife's were amazed at the fact that the baby was a little girl. Lemonie had been saying she was going to have a girl and now they were holding a beautiful little girl in their hands. One of midwifes went out to get Tucktin but he would not come. They wondered why, but Lemonie knew why; he would not come in because he told her he would not interfere with her raising the baby if it was a girl and it was. When they finally cleaned her off and gave her to Lemonie she knew that Pagma was right. This child was destined for something different, something better then a wife to man who happens to be in the pharaoh's good graces. Then one of midwifes asked, "My lady what will you name her?" Lemonie said with out missing a beat, "Anck-su-namun" They all looked at each other and then one of them asked, "What does it mean?" Lemonie did not know but she said all the same, "I don't know, but she will give it a meaning. Yes, she will make it mean something." Lemonie had this look of pure joy on her face as though the pain of having a child wasn't even there. Joy filled her up as though it was a drug that she could not kick. She wanted to tell Tucktin that they had a beautiful little girl, but then she remembered their conversation. The sadness came over her and she started to come off her high, but then when she looked at Anck-su-namun she started to smile and the sadness she was feeling faded away. Soon Anck-su-namun was all she could think about not even her sons came to her mind. All she could think about was her little girl and how she would raise her. But she always wondered what the future held for her. She wondered what would happen to her, but she knew she would just have to wait and see. So until then she would do her best to do what Pagma told her to do.