Historical Fiction

Historical Fiction


by Lauren P.


Princess Bast
by Lauren P.

Prologue before the Prologue

I’m born in 1000 B.C., in ancient Egypt.

Prologue

I threw the sticks. “Triple’s!” I exclaimed “I win again.” Atia smiled, I always won at hounds and jackals. I gathered my things and got ready to leave.

“Lila, will you come again tomorrow?” Atia asked.

“Of course I will, Atia.” I gave her a hug and walked out the door.



Chapter one
Atia and Lila

Atia and I have been friends for longer than I can remember. We met before we could walk, and were the best of friends before we could talk, fluently, that is.

I could not think of a person who I would rather spend my days with. Whether we were shopping in the market or swimming in the Nile river, we always had a lot of fun.

But lately Atia smiled less and had less fun. We were getting older, but I wasn’t going to let that ruin our friendship. I knew a woman who had a job at the palace where the pharaoh lived, perhaps she would finally think that we were old enough to work there. Atia and I had been trying to gets a job at the palace for years, maybe we were old enough now.



Chapter two
Tiona

“Tiona, wait up!” I called.

“What do you want from me this time, child.” Tiona tried very hard to look stern but I saw a smile beneath her many wrinkles. She handed me her market basket and walked on through the market place.

I walked slowly so we could stay at the same pace. “Are Atia and I old enough to work at the palace yet?” I asked.

“You were old enough to work there three years ago, but did you listen? No! You thought that I had said no, and walked off feeling sorry for yourself.” Tiona replied.

I laughed “Is that true?”

“Of course it is true, I never lie.” Tiona said, putting an apple and some grapes in the basket.

“So, can we work there?” I asked, hopefully.

“We will see.” Tiona paid the fruit seller, took the basket and hobbled off towards the palace



Chapter Three
A Job at the Palace

Many years ago there was a shortage of servants at the palace so they started asking people to work there. The Pharaoh and his sons needed guards and food servers and the Queen and her daughters needed bath girls. Atia and I had wanted to be bath girls for a long time. Now our dream might actually come true.

I rushed into Atia’s home. “Atia, where are you!”

“In the kitchen, Lila.” came a voice.

I ran into the kitchen. “Atia, we might get jobs at the palace!”

Atia’s jaw dropped and she pulled her hands out of the bread dough. “What?” she asked quietly. I could hear the amazement in her voice.

“I talked to Tiona and she is going to talk to the head servant.” I said happily. “Isn’t it great,”

Atia ran over to me. “If we are going to be bath girls we must be proper.” She mocked the way Tiona made her face look when she was teaching a new servant.

But I could tell Atia was just as excited as me.



Chapter Four
Princess Bast

Princess Bast was the youngest of all the princesses. She was named after the great cat goddess Bast. But I had heard that she was kind and often made friends with her bath girls. And the best part of all is that Atia and I were going to be her bath girls!

Tiona had gotten us jobs at the palace and we were to start them the very next day. I laid out my best clothes and jewelry and went to bed early. The next morning I met Atia at her house and we started walking to the palace.

Atia nervously played with her braided black hair and bit her lip. “What if she doesn’t like us Lila, we might be banished, or even worse, killed!”

“Atia, calm down. Princess Bast does not have a history of be-heading any of her servants, and especially not her bath girls, it will be alright.” I replied. “If anything, she might become our friend.”

“That would be nice.” said Atia dropping a strand of hair from her mouth.



Chapter five
O.B.G. (Official Bath girls)

“Where are there princess’s new bath girls!?” cried the head servant.

“Here we are mistress!” I called. Atia looked dumb struck so I answered for her too.

“You are late,” she said, pointing to a sundial. “No matter, have you done this before?”

“No, we have not.” I replied.

“It’s very simple put some bath oil in the bath and wash the princess’s hair and do anything else that she want’s you to do.” said the servant, looking us over, carefully. “Put these on,” she said giving us some perfume and more jewelry.

When she finally deemed us ready she sent us on to the bathing room. The bath area was huge and it was my turn to be dumb struck.

“Are you Lila and Atia, the new bath girls?” asked a kind voice.



Chapter six
A new found friend

“Princess Bast!” I exclaimed, bowing quickly. “Yes we are.”

“Good,” Bast said “I’m always looking for new ones. They leave because of my sister and mother. They are not as caring as I.”

Atia gave an unwilled shudder. Princess Bast smiled “I don’t suppose you would like to stay to dinner?”

I looked at Atia. She nodded, playing with her hair again. “Your highness, we would be honored.” I said.

The Princess smiled again and showed us to the dining room.

The End