After listening to everything the king said, Zeeniya replied,
"King Akhnatoon, it is indeed a very troubling matter that Princess Bastira is under the influence of some magical power. I will surely help you."
Saying this, Zeeniya placed her hand on her power, The King of Sandail, and said,
"Tell me in detail what has happened to Princess Bastira,"
and then she closed her eyes.
After Zeeniya closed her eyes, the vision that appeared before her was like this:
She saw a chamber covered in darkness. Suddenly, a tremor shook the chamber, as if an earthquake was rattling the ground. At the same time, flashes of light appeared and vanished. Again and again the light flickered on and off.
In those moments of light, the chamber became visible — inside it stood a coffin. At the same time, strange voices echoed in the air:
"Rise, Princess Selqara. The time has come for you to awaken from your slumber!"
With those voices, the coffin opened, and from it a mummy slowly rose.
In the next vision, Zeeniya saw the small pyramid she had once visited during her tour of the pyramids. The secret darkness of night surrounded it, and that mummy was now standing outside the pyramid. From its mouth came strange, incomprehensible words, and then, suddenly, it vanished from there.
Now, Zeeniya saw the palace. Inside the palace, she saw the chamber of Princess Bastira. The princess was in a deep sleep, and right beside her stood that same mummy.
The mummy spread its hand over the princess's body in a strange gesture, then blew upon the hand and drew it over itself. As soon as it did this — the mummy transformed completely into Princess Bastira.
In the very next moment, two Princess Bastiras appeared in the chamber.
Zeeniya then saw that both Princess Bastiras were now in the pyramid's coffin chamber. One of them was lying inside the very coffin from which the mummy had risen, while the other Bastira stood beside it, chanting some spell.
After completing this ritual, that Princess Bastira — who was in fact the mummy of Princess Selqara — burst into loud, demonic laughter and declared:
"Now I, Selqara, will take the place of this princess. I shall become the queen of Egypt's throne and crown! With the power of my dark sorcery, I will rule over the entire world!""If the princess had wanted, she could have taken your life — that would have ended my stolen form as well, the thing I took from you," the voice said. "That is why I put you into a deep sleep through my black magic. Now you must remain sleeping here, and I will rule this great Egypt in your place." Saying this, she vanished, and then lay down on Princess Bastira's bed.
When morning came and Bastira awoke, the royal palace and the people around her revealed Bastira's new appearance — a terrifying, dreadful form. After seeing all this, Zeeniya opened her eyes. Everything became clear to her: she understood why, on the first day in the court, Princess Bastira had seemed restless when she looked at Zeeniya and kept glancing repeatedly at her throat; she understood why, in the night when Zeeniya had felt a pulling at her own throat, that had been Selqara — posing as Princess Bastira — trying to remove the "King of Sandail" from around her neck.
The king saw Zeeniya lost in deep thought and asked, "Princess, have you understood anything about who cast this magical spell on our daughter Bastira — and why?"
Zeeniya did not want to tell the king the whole truth: that the woman living in the palace as Princess Bastira was actually Selqara, and that their real daughter, Princess Bastira, was sleeping inside the small pyramid's coffin. Revealing this could shock the king and lead him to order the arrest or even execution of the false princess — a decision that could bring disaster and put the true Princess Bastira's life in grave danger.
So Zeeniya told the king, "I understand the matter, and I will certainly lift the magical effect from Princess Bastira — but I will need a little help."
The king asked what help she required. Zeeniya replied that the whole incident must be kept secret — especially the fact that Princess Bastira needs to be brought to her presence. The king said he wanted the same secrecy. Then Zeeniya asked for permission to enter the pyramid where Princess Selqara's mummy lay, because the guide had told her that ordinary people were never allowed inside.
The king agreed: "Very well, you may go there — but it would be better if you went at night. If any commoner saw you entering the pyramid during the day, it could cause public anger. A few royal guards will accompany you, and everything must be done in secrecy."
Zeeniya answered, "Alright — I will go there at midnight so that no one can see me. I will go tonight."It was midnight. Zeeniya, riding on horseback with a few of the king's soldiers, was on her way toward the pyramids. Her intention was to first free Princess Bastira from the effects of black magic and return her safely to the palace, and only after that confront Selqara. She feared that if she faced Selqara too soon, Princess Bastira's life might be put in danger.
When Zeeniya reached the small pyramid, she signaled the soldiers to stop there. As she was about to enter, one soldier handed her a torch, saying, "Inside it will be dark — this will help you." Taking the torch, Zeeniya stepped inside the pyramid and descended the stairs deeper and deeper. The pyramid was filled with chambers and passages.
Zeeniya commanded The King of Sandail to show her the way to the chamber where Princess Bastira was. From The King of Sandail a beam of light shone forth, pointing toward one chamber. Zeeniya entered — there, inside a coffin, lay Princess Bastira in a deep enchanted sleep.
Standing beside the coffin, Zeeniya ordered The King of Sandail: "Break the black magic cast upon Princess Bastira."
As soon as she said this, smoke began to rise from The King of Sandail, spreading around the coffin. At that very moment, Selqara — in the guise of Princess Bastira — appeared and shouted,
"Stop! Stop! Don't do this, or I will destroy you! I already knew why you had come to Egypt!"
But Zeeniya only smiled and replied,
"You are cunning indeed, Selqara — but now your time has come to an end."
Selqara laughed loudly, muttered an incantation, and struck Zeeniya with her spell. Zeeniya was hurled against the wall with great force, and the smoke around the coffin immediately vanished.
Quickly, Zeeniya rose again, grasped The King of Sandail in her hand, and pointed it toward Selqara. Suddenly, Selqara was lifted into the air and suspended upside down.
Seizing the chance, Zeeniya rushed to the coffin and commanded The King of Sandail: "End this dark spell at once!"
From The King of Sandail, a beam of light emerged and circled the coffin, finally covering Princess Bastira. The light turned into a deep black smoke, which rose upward and disappeared. At that moment, Princess Bastira began to awaken from her sleep.
Zeeniya quickly ordered her power once more: "Now, destroy Selqara!"
From The King of Sandail, sparks of fire shot forth and entered Selqara's body.
By now, Princess Bastira had awakened. Sitting up inside the coffin, she looked around in shock and confusion. Zeeniya hurried to her side, pulled her out of the coffin with her hands — just as the fiery sparks fully entered Selqara's body.Selqara's body began to writhe in unbearable pain. Her form twisted and shifted until she once again took on her original mummy-like appearance. With a final spasm, she fell straight back into the coffin. Her body continued to convulse for a few moments, then finally went still. The coffin's lid shut on its own with a heavy thud.
Zeeniya quickly grasped Princess Bastira's hand and rushed her out of the pyramid. As soon as they emerged, the soldiers were astonished to see Princess Bastira with her. They could not understand how the princess had suddenly appeared there. Princess Bastira herself was equally bewildered, unable to grasp what had happened.
Zeeniya, however, said firmly, "There is no time to explain now. We must hurry back to the palace immediately."
The next day, in the royal court before the king and his council, Zeeniya narrated the entire incident: how the one who had been living in the palace all this time in the guise of Princess Bastira was actually Selqara, and how the true Princess Bastira had been imprisoned in a deep magical slumber within the pyramid. She explained how, the previous night, she had destroyed Selqara and broken all the dark enchantments placed upon the princess.
Now, she said, "The real Princess Bastira stands among us once again."
Hearing this, the king, the queen, and Princess Bastira were overwhelmed with joy. Happiness spread through the entire court like a wave. The king thanked Zeeniya deeply, acknowledging that she had saved them from a great calamity. The court resounded with cheers of gratitude: "Thank you, Zeeniya! Thank you!"
When Zeeniya returned to her quarters, she carried with her the most beautiful memories of Egypt. King Akhnatoon showered her with priceless gifts, including treasures and offerings brought from other nations.
Before her departure, Zeeniya invited the king, queen, and Princess Bastira to visit her tribe, to see her land, and to honor her with the chance of hosting them. And so, Zeeniya's journey back home
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