Ariel stared at the scene before her. First it had been fire, raining down from the sky like lightening and burning houses here, fields there, and people and animals all over Egypt. Then it had been locusts, which wouldn’t have been too bad, except that they were suddenly everywhere, even crawling into bathtubs and into people’s food, spreading disease everywhere. Then the Nile waters had turned into blood and no one had any clean water to drink. Plague and pestilence was everywhere, and each second she had to watch the people of Egypt staggering under festering boils and oozing sores and dying in pain.

“This is all my fault,” she moaned. “I should never have made Maleficent mad.”

Standing on top of one of the great sand dunes, Ramses looked down on the ravaged and decaying Egypt. There was only one way to get rid of these plagues, he knew, and that was to fight them. In one swift manoeuvre he ordered his cavalry to charge downwards.

But it seemed the gods were against them as suddenly the winds erupted around them in a great hurricane, blowing up dust and the plagues all around them. Standing in their room in the palace, praying once more that the Gods would take away all this death and disease, Ariel suddenly became distracted by the reflection in her mirror. It reflected the outside world, showing Ramses and his guards attempting to drive out the plagues. But Ramses chariot crashed down and he was sent sprawling into the Nile.

Ariel screamed as she watched him flailing and drowning. “No! Sobek! Hapi! Anuket! Someone, help!”

She felt too dragged down by her heavy pregnancy to move, so all she could do was watch the love of her life drowned in the Nile. Ariel collapsed to the ground, screaming for someone to come, but no one did.

And then something shook her hard and she jerked awake with a cry.

“Ariel, it’s alright.” Ramses looked over her. “You were screaming in your sleep.”

Ariel glanced around her. It was a little after midnight and slowly she remembered that Egypt wasn’t suffering from famine and disease as she slept. The reality of the dream hit her and she clung to her husband, sobbing.

“Oh, Ramses, I thought...I lost you! You were drowning!”

Ramses frowned. “Ariel, it’s ok, I’m fine.” He hugged her close. “It was just a dream.”

“I know.” Ariel tried to drag herself back together. “I know. But it was so real...and Egypt was dying and there was nothing I could do...and...” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “If that happens, it’s going to be all my fault.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I should never have made Maleficent mad.”

“Ariel, don’t say that. It’s not your fault.”

She shook her head. “It would be. She only cursed Egypt because I helped Jasmine escape.”

“Well, then I’m just as responsible as you are,” Ramses replied. “After all, I helped.”

Ariel sighed, shaking her head. “I just feel...like...” Unable to express how she was feeling, she staggered out of bed. “Like everything bad happens around me, maybe because of me.”

“Ariel...”

“No, look, I nearly ruined your relationship with your father and now this too...”

“Ariel...”

“I’m no good.”

“Don’t say that!” Ramses sprang out of bed and placed both hands on her arms. “Don’t even think it!”

Ariel sighed. “Maybe you’re just blinded by your love for me.”

Ramses pulled her close again. “Maybe I am. But so what? Our love’s all that matters.”

Ariel snuggled against him. It had been a week since Maleficent had cursed them, and so far nothing had changed – other than the fact that she was craving food more and more and that her pregnancy was beginning to show. Everyone was certain that, since no magic had happened, her curse was nothing more than empty words and nothing bad was going to happen. This did little to stop Ariel from worrying, however. After all, if the land was hit with famine and disease, well, she didn’t know how to save it, and she didn’t want their child growing up in a land that was torn. It was too scary for her to handle.

But then, she reminded herself, she wouldn’t be alone. After all, Ramses was the Pharaoh-to-be and he said that no matter what happened, they could get though it together. They were a team.

She relaxed a little in his arms. “Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps I’m worrying for nothing.” Looking up at him, she managed a shaky smile. “But that dream...it was kind of like seeing what my life would be like without you in it. It was terrifying.”

Ramses smiled at her. “Ariel, I’m not going anywhere. Not for a long time, at least.”

Ariel wandered over to the balcony. The nights were always warm in Egypt but this one was proving to be especially so. Glancing down, she saw the land as she had always known it; fruitful and content. It would be scary if they met with plague and famine, like Maleficent had cursed them to be. Everything would change then. She lay down on the bench, thankful that there were no locusts hopping up and down on it.

Ramses came up behind her. “Look, I’ll admit it. Maleficent’s curse scared me, in fact it shook up everyone, but even if such a thing does happen to Egypt, we’ll find a way of saving it. Together.”

“I knew you’d say that,” Ariel murmured.

Ramses smiled down at her, his Ariel. Of course she was prone to worrying; he had always known that about her. And he was also a little worried, for the sake of their child more than anything, but for now he had to be strong for both of them. “We’ll be fine, Ariel. As long as we’re together, we can do anything.”

But Ariel was already asleep.