“What?”

Ariel looked up at her husband, who was tacking up his horses, ready for a chariot practise. There was to be a great race that week in honour of a visiting noblewoman, Lady Maleficent, and Ramses and Moses were about to practise by having a short race of their own. Ariel frowned, losing the sunny glow that had been about her all week. “What do you mean, what? I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’ve been strangely happy lately,” Ramses told her, grinning. “Like you’re hiding something.”

“Maybe I am,” she teased.

“Ariel, we shouldn’t have secrets.”

She laughed. “I would never keep anything from you, Ramses; you know that! In the palace, nothing’s ever secret for long!”

“What is it, then?”

“Maybe I’m just happy because your father’s finally showing some signs of acceptance about our union,” she replied, with a smile. “Or it might be something to do with the fact that I am married to the love of my life.”

Ramses smiled. “I will get it out of you, Ariel, one way or another, so you may as well just tell me.”

Ariel hesitated. She was, she admitted, a little nervous about telling Ramses the truth for her happiness; for although she had known him all her life and knew that he would never do anything to hurt her or make her feel bad, they hadn’t actually planned on having children just yet. They hadn’t even talked about when would be the right time to have them. Was Ramses ready to be a father yet? She wasn’t entirely sure that she was quite ready to be a mother yet.

“Win this race,” she said, as Moses came up to them, “and I’ll think about it.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then you must be patient,” she said, slinking up to him, teasingly, “and do whatever I want and everything I say for a week?”

“As long as that?” he teased back, pulling her to him.

“Everything I say,” she insisted, putting emphasis on the word “everything.” Ramses kissed her and she giggled.

“Please,” protested Moses, holding up his hands in mock self-defence. “I have just eaten!”

Ramses grinned and released his wife. “I’ll win this chariot race in your name, princess.”

“Not likely,” Moses teased back. “Maybe I’ll let you win.”

“No need to make it easy on yourself, Moses,” Ramses countered. “I do enjoy a challenge, after all.”

Ariel watched as they tore around the dunes; her heart racing. Secretly, of course, she wanted Ramses to win; he was, after all, her husband and she needed to support him; and yet she was still nervous. However, all her nerve faltered and fell away as she watched her husband sweep across the marked finish line. Leaping from her seat, she applauded until her hands ached. Moses laughed. “Alright, maybe I was wrong!”

“Maybe you’re losing your touch!” Ramses grinned, leaping from the chariot. Ariel rushed forwards to embrace him and as he folded his arms around her, she felt that everything would be alright.

“Oh, Ramses,” she murmured softly, “I’m pregnant.”

“I knew there was something,” Ramses grinned, pulling away from her, triumphantly. Then her words sank in and he stared at her. “Wait; what?”

Ariel laughed; she couldn’t help it. He seemed surprised and initially shocked but also pleased. Pressing her hands over her stomach, she beamed at him. “You’re going to be a father!”

“Ariel, that...” Words failed Ramses as he pulled her to him for a hug. Moses, who had been removing his horses’ bridle, gave a relieved smile, and then realised what it meant. “I’m going to be an uncle?”

Ariel nodded, too moved by her husband’s reaction to speak. “That’s the most wonderful news,” Ramses told her, finally finding his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I didn’t know if we were ready for that step,” she admitted. “I’m sorry.”

Ramses smiled. “It’s alright, darling. We can do this; whatever it takes.”

She smiled in relief, so unbelievably pleased that he felt this way. “Whatever it takes.”

“I’m going to be an uncle,” Moses muttered, as if someone had just told him that he was really the son of a god. “I can’t believe it. Me. An uncle.”

Seti was left muttering in the same way after Ariel and Ramses told him that he was about to become a grandfather. When he finally pulled himself together, he smiled and nodded and wished them both congratulations. Tuya embraced them both and ordered for a banquet to be prepared that evening in celebration. The lovers went to bed that night ecstatic.

“I can’t wait to find out if we’re having a boy or a girl,” Ramses told her.

“Which are you hoping for?”

“Oh, I don’t mind. But it is nice to know these things.”

Ariel smiled. “Well, it won’t be for some time, so be patient. Look, I’m not even showing yet.” She paused. “But I’m glad you’re excited.”

“Did you doubt I would be?”

“I did wonder. Like I said, I didn’t know if we were ready for this yet. I mean, we’ve only been married for a month or so. We didn’t really talk about having a family or anything. I mean, I assumed that we would but...”

“But not this quickly?” Ramses finished for her.

Ariel sighed and rubbed her eyes. “Ramses, your upbringing was different to mine. You had your parents. I lost mine. I never had someone to teach me how to be a parent. What if I’m no good at it?”

“Ariel, don’t say that.” Ramses kissed her temple, pulling her close to him. “You’ll be wonderful; I can feel it.”

“But I won’t know what I’m doing!”

“Neither will I. Ariel, I don’t think any parent knows what they’re doing when they start out, but somehow they muddle through it and it all turns out right.” He kissed her again. “You’ll be brilliant, Ariel. You’re so loving and that’s all any child needs in the end.”

Ariel smiled in relief as she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

The day of Lady Maleficent’s visit came around and Ariel felt nervous. This would be the first time she ever met visiting aristocracy and she was certain that they would see right through her; that they would immediately see that she had once been a servant girl and therefore didn’t belong in the Royal Family at all. Nevertheless, thoughts of being a mother when the baby eventually came overrode these worried and she found the strength in her to be brave.

Lady Maleficent was a woman dressed in black with a sickly, almost green complexion; and she seemed somewhat like a goddess to Ariel. Nevertheless she stood upright as a lady and spoke with a well bred air as she swept into the room.

“My dear Seti,” she cooed, bowing before him, “and Tuya. How wonderful of you to let me come.”

“The honour is ours, Lady Maleficent.” Seti replied, turning to his sons and daughter-in-law. “You remember my sons?”

“No! This can’t be Moses! The last time I saw you, you were only knee high!”

Moses flushed in embarrassment. “Yes, I have shot up since then, I suppose.”

“Immensely. But you’ve not changed a bit, Ramses.” Her eyes fell on Ariel. Oh, no, thought Ariel as the dark eyes scanned her, she’s going to see right through me. But to her surprise and relief, Maleficent smiled at her. “And your name, child?”

“Ariel, my lady,” she said, dropping a swift curtsey.

“My wife,” Ramses added, taking her hand.

“Ah! And not a prettier one you could have picked, your highness. Tzipporah, Jasmine; where are those girls?”

“Yes, Aunt Maleficent,” said her ward, the young and beautiful woman named Tzipporah, as she stepped swiftly up to her. “Here I am.”

Moses grinned. He liked Tzipporah’s spirit; he always had done, but she didn’t seem to look at him in that way.

“Jasmine, Jasmine; where is that girl?”

“Yes, my lady,” said a young woman dressed in the red outfit of a slave. “Sorry, my lady.”

Ariel glanced at her. How could someone beautiful enough to be a princess be a mere slave? She couldn’t understand it.

“May I introduce my new slave from Agrabah,” said Maleficent, turning her attention back to the Royal Family. “A little sloppy where timekeeping is concerned but very efficient.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Jasmine said, as she bowed to them, although Ariel noticed that her expression was somewhat flat and her eyes were dull, like this expression of hers was merely a mask to hide her true feelings.

“You are all welcome here,” Seti said, “and now to the feast. Tomorrow we hold a chariot race in your honour, my lady.”

“A chariot race? How thrilling!”

Ramses held his arm out to Ariel, as was customary for men to escort women into the banqueting hall. She took it, seeming distracted. “You alright?” Ramses muttered, turning her cheek so that she was looking into his eyes.

She smiled. “Yes, sorry, I was miles away.”

As her husband led her into the hall, however, she turned her head and glanced at the young woman, Jasmine, following her mistress. Her expression was blank but her eyes were readable.

“Help me...”