That was the way it was for Ramses and Ariel and they were perfectly happy. Queen Tuya knew that they wouldn't have it any other way, but her husband Seti was anxious that Ramses stop fooling around with Ariel and focus on taking a wife. He đã đưa ý kiến as much the tiếp theo ngày over breakfast. Ariel, dining with the servants, was absent and so unable to hear for herself what Seti had to say to his son.
"Ramses, bạn know we're holding that banquet tonight? Well-"
"Oh, don't tell me!" Ramses groaned. "You've got another batch of young and silly women lined up for me to meet and possibly think about marrying!"
"If you're going to take the ngôi vua, ngai vàng after I'm gone, then it's essential that bạn take a wife soon!"
"Why must it be me that takes the throne? Let Moses have his turn!"
Moses almost choked on his water. "What? What do I know about running a kingdom?"
"Ramses, bạn are the heir to the throne; as such bạn must take a wife."
"Then let me find one my own way!" Ramses sprang to his feet. "I will not be forced into choosing someone I may come to hate!"
"Ramses," his mother began but Seti cut across her. "You? bạn choose your own wife? Hah!"
"I don't see what's so funny," Ramses replied, stoutly. "How difficult can it be to fall in love?"
"Love? If bạn spend your whole life searching for a girl to marry for tình yêu then bạn will be dead before bạn find her! No, bạn will choose from the women we deem worthy of you!"
"So I have no say in the matter?"
"Ramses," Moses began, hoping to try and settled the matter somehow but Seti was on his feet too. "That is my final word on the subject, Ramses! bạn will marry whoever we choose!"
"I will not!"
"You will and that is final!"
Ramses turned and stormed from the room. Moses wondered about going after him but decided in the end that it was best to let him calm down first. When Ramses was angry it wasn't a good idea to try and rouse him; unless of course bạn were Ariel.

Ariel found him sitting on hàng đầu, đầu trang of one of the enormous statues in the temple, brooding. "Ramses," she called up, cheerfully. "If you're playing hide and seek, you're not doing a very good job of it!"
"Must bạn always be so cheerful?" he asked.
"Oh! Alright, grumpypuss; what's the matter with you?"
"Oh, the usual."
"Your father?"
"Yes."
"Pressing bạn to marry again?"
"Yes."
"And bạn refuse to bend to his will?"
"You know me too well, Ariel," he sighed. "What am I going to do?"
"How about a chariot race?"
"What good will that do?"
"It'll cheer bạn up." She held out her hand to him. "Come on; bạn and Moses can race and then I'll take on the winner. Come on, please?"
He smiled. "Well, when bạn ask like that, how can I refuse?"

But, alas, Moses and Ramses chariot race ended in disaster! It was good fun at first, and Ariel laughed as she watched them both speeding off, shouting insults to one another, all in good humour. But then Moses knocked into Ramses bởi accident, swerving to avoid a bump in the dunes, and Ramses's chariot wheel came off and the whole thing flew into the scaffolding for the new pyramid and everything came toppling down; destroying five whole weeks of hard work. Ariel gasped and ran towards Ramses, who had been knocked clear. Moses pulled up beside her. "Ariel, get in!" She did so and they raced towards Ramses, lying on the sand. Ariel threw herself down beside him. "Ramses! Speak to me! Are bạn alright?"
"Just," he muttered, opening his eyes. She laughed in relief.
"What in the name of Anubis?"
Seti and Tuya had arrived.
"Father!" Ramses struggled to his feet. "It was an accident...my wheel came off..."
"It was my fault," Moses put in, "I knocked his chariot too hard-"
"But bởi accident," Ramses insisted.
"What on Earth were bạn doing racing here with all this construction work going on?"
"Please, your majesty, don't be cross!" Ariel cried, thinking quickly. "Ramses was doing it to cheer me up!"
"Cheer bạn up?"
"Yes, bạn see..." Ariel rubbed her eyes, trying to work up tears, "last night I had...a very bad dream...where I was...set upon bởi jackals and dragged away from...from my home...and when I woke up I was terrified and Ramses...he was trying to take my mind off it."
Ariel was a very good actress. Seti glanced at Ramses. "Is this true?"
"Perfectly," he replied. Moses nodded too. Seti straightened up. "Very well; since your intentions were honourable then I won't see fit to punish you."

"Well, how do I look?" Ramses asked.
"Come here, your tunic's lopsided." Ariel straightened it. "There, that's better. bạn look good."
"Ariel, thank bạn for getting me out of trouble earlier."
"That's alright. But bạn do owe me one, now."
"Fair enough. Are bạn coming?"
"I'll have to stand with your mother for most of the night."
"I have to say, Ariel, I'm not looking forwards to this."
"Maybe I can cause a distratcion and bạn can slip away unnoticed?"
He laughed. "Maybe. I'll signal bạn if it needs to come to that."
"Hey, bạn guys coming?" Moses called.
As they approached the great banqueting hall, Ariel reached out to Kiss Ramses on the cheek. "For luck," she explained.
He smiled. "thanks. I'll need some of that. I'd much rather be playing a game hoặc something with you."
She blushed. "Go on, now; they're waiting for you."