Soft knocks resounded around the room as a voice spoke. "Lady Ali," called one of the servants from beyond the bedroom's door. "Lady Ali, today is the day you leave for Egypt. Milady, are you up?" The door creaked open to reveal to the servant that you were still lying in your shaded bed. The servant huffed quietly. She should've known you would've been sleeping in, today of all days. She quickly went to the balcony and pulled the royal blue curtains apart. Sunlight instantly filled the room, and the servant heard you groan.
"Put 'em back~" you moaned and pulled the silky white sheet above your head. The light was interfering with your sleep and made your eyes burn madly.
"Lady Ali," the servant said gently, ever so patient with you, the eldest princess. "You are getting married in a few days and must get up before the Queen comes in here to do it herself."
"Ugh~" you moan again. "I don't even know the guy!" you complain, trying to find a way to stay in bed and avoid the entire thing altogether. You rolled away from the light and gripped the sheets. A pout covered your beautiful features. Your mother had arranged for you to marry some old Pharaoh's son from Egypt. You felt the servant's cool shadow come across your body.
"You must get up, milady. The Queen said to pull you out by the foot if I must, but I would rather not."
You groan again. How you hated your mother for doing this to you. All this marriage was supposed to do was strengthen Greece's alliances so it wouldn't be taken over or 'worse'. Ever since your father, the King, died, your mother had been worried about getting a male ruler so Greece wouldn't look weak. The problem was that you were the eldest child and had to be out of the way for your younger brother, the second oldest, to take over. You didn't understand why you couldn't rule. Your mother was doing just fine by herself.
When the servant opened her mouth to speak again, you interrupted her. "Alright, alright. I'm getting up now. Sheesh." Only when you sat up and swung your legs over the side of the bed did the servant look pleased and stepped away from you.
"I have the dress you are to wear for your wedding, but the Queen said you could wear any clothing of your choice for the trip to Egypt."
"Oh, how nice of her," you grumbled sarcastically before standing. You ran a hand through your short messy, blonde hair that complemented your vibrant blue eyes beautifully. It seemed like the tangles were never going to come out. You held back a chuckle at the thought. "Tell me I'm not going to be completely buggered in my wedding dress. Egypt is blazing hot if I've heard correctly from the tradesmen."
"No, Lady Ali, you'll be wearing traditional Egyptian silks."
As if that meant anything to you. Were silks not just silks if they were used in Egypt? Were they better? You shook your head. No, you wouldn't start to question stupid stuff like that. It would put you in a bad mood, and you did not want to anger your mother right now. At least not until you didn't have to see her face every morning. Oh how awful of a child you are!
"When are we leaving exactly?" You asked, irritably happy.
You could hear the drums beating and the pipes singing as you approached the throne room. You could see the gigantic gold-trimmed doors that were the only things separating you away from your future husband, numerous nobles, and the Pharaoh himself. You knew your palms were sweaty as your mother stood beside you.
Thankfully, she was holding your arm. Your legs were so weak from your nervousness that you knew you wouldn't be able to stand without her holding you up. The only time we can actually stand each other is when she's letting me go, you thought glumly. All of a sudden, you didn't want to leave her.
"Remember to stand tall and smile upon seeing him," your mother said, referring to the Pharaoh's son. Her black hair was pinned neatly in a braided bun. Her dress was of Greek design while your own was very obviously Egyptian. The gold bangles that you wore on your wrists and upper arms felt heavy on your body.
For once, your blonde hair was neatly combed down into submission with a finely woven gold veil that came down to cover the top half of your eyes. The dress you wore was a light desert tan color. Although it covered your cleavage rather well, your finely muscled legs were on display as you walked. Not that you minded. You often thought that they were your best feature.
Trumpets sounded from beyond the now opening doors. You couldn't tell if the doors were squeaking or not for the noise level that came from the room washed over you like a tidal wave. You squeezed your mother's arm tighter to the point your knuckles were white. You did not want to faint walking down the aisle. "Remember," your mother chided gently which made your back straighten immediately. A neutral look came upon your face, but it didn't reach your eyes that were storming with emotion.
As Atem heard the trumpets declare his future bride's arrival, he turned towards the doors that were opening. The balls and heels of his feet were numb, and he was quite irritated with the whole scheme of things. He was supposed to be horseback riding right now with the few friends he was allowed to have. But instead, he had to marry some girl he didn't even know! The audacity his father had to do this to him!
His anger at the situation faded a little upon seeing the woman he was to wed. In fact, she had to be no older than he if not a few years younger. She had beautiful porcelain skin as if it were blessed by the moon itself. Her blonde hair looked golden beneath the veil that her blue eyes pierced through. The crowd went silent as she entered the room. They too were entranced by her beauty.
He had heard of the beauties that Greece and Rome were known for, but he never expected them to fit so well in Egyptian garb. The colors were made to complement dark skin, but she… she looked like a goddess. Ra, help him, for he was already in love with her looks. He prayed that her personality was just a beautiful.
Her strides were long and graceful. The Pharaoh knew they were forced, but she seemed to manage them effortlessly. Her back was straight, and her head was held high. Her posture practically screamed, "Bow down." To say the Pharaoh was impressed would be an understatement.
He watched his son from the corner of his eye. Atem had stopped fidgeting upon her entrance. In fact, he had stilled completely along with the rest of the crowd. The Pharaoh had to withhold a smirk that threatened to break out onto his face. He knew that this was a great idea despite what everyone said. He prayed that this marriage would last and be loving.
Your breath was taken away as you saw the man you were about to marry. His crimson eyes sat beautifully on smooth, tanned skin. His spiky hair was wildly done as if he had just gotten out of bed and naturally hued in two colors. It was black at the base and gradually turned red as it reached the tips. The golden crown that was wrapped around his head held up his lightning-like, yellow bangs and accented his entire face handsomely.
Well, you thought as you and your mother climbed the steps to the altar. At least he's not ugly or old. I hope he's not cruel.
Your mother took your hand and placed it in his outstretched one before stepping down to take a seat with the rest of the crowd. Now you knew your hand was sweating. It took every fiber of your being not to pull away and run back to the boat. Back to Greece. Back to your Home. You were staring at your mother fearfully when you felt a light squeeze on your hand. Your attention snapped to the man in front of you. He squeezed your hand again. His crimson eyes met your wide blue ones with a gleam, and it dawned on you what he was doing. Is he trying to… comfort me?
You squeezed his hand back in return to say that you were fine and in thanks. You were honestly surprised about how well he was taking this entire thing. You were freaking out on the ship when the Egyptian harbor came into view. He probably has known about this a lot longer than I have, you mused silently, slightly dismayed.
As you were having this little exchange, a priest had stepped forward and began to quote from a book he was holding. As he neared the vows, you gripped onto his hand tighter. You so didn't want to do this! You were actually thinking about making a break for the boat when he squeezed your hand again. You let out a shaky breath and relaxed your grip on his hand. Surprisingly, your nerves were being calmed by the simple gesture.
When the girl's mother gave her hand to Atem, he instantly felt how nervous she was and didn't hesitate to squeeze her hand gently. When her eyes met his, he repeated the action and was about to do it a third time when she squeezed his hand in reply. Atem fought back a smile. He was glad he could help.
"Now Prince Atem, do you take Princess Ali to be your wife under Ra's name?"
"Under Ra's name, I do," he spoke clearly. He didn't know the girl's name beforehand but thought it suited her. Strong, regal, beautiful, yet human despite it all.
"And Princess Ali, do you take Prince Atem to be your husband under both Ra and Zeus' names?"
A smile tugged at your lips at the man's name. Atem sounded like it should. Like whoever held the name deserved to hold a throne and kingdom in the palm of his hands. "Under Ra and Zeus' names, I do." You were happy that your voice didn't shake as you thought it would. You felt him give your hand one last squeeze. You quickly returned it and thought, Maybe he won't be so bad after all.
"Then it is my honor to pronounce you as husband and wife and the Pharaoh and Queen of the entirety of Egypt! May the Gods bless your reign and marriage!"
The crowd clapped and cheered as the priest finished, and Atem's father then came up to you with a finely crafted, golden crown in his hands. It was very similar to Atem's, and when it was placed on your head, you found that it was lighter than it looked.
Meeting the old Pharaoh's weary eyes, you could see the sparkle of happiness in them. He turned towards his son and stepped back to just right of the throne before making a motion with his hand, gesturing towards the chair.
With your hand still in Atem's, he approached the heavyset, golden throne. The crowd had gone dead silent again as if waiting to see what their new Pharaoh would do. His eyes glanced towards his father who gave an encouraging nod. You squeezed his hand, and a peaceful look overcame the nervous one that was previously there. He sat in a swift motion, and you released his hand as he did so. The crowd cheered and whooped. They were immensely glad their prince had accepted the throne.
You smiled as you stood to the left of the throne, Atem's father on the right. You watched him as he scanned the crowd. He sat proudly on the throne, and you could only think of the marble throne back in Greece. You turned your hand to look out over the Nile that would eventually lead to the Great Sea and then back Home.
"What's wrong, Ali?" Atem spoke. His voice was kind and gentle. "You look displeased."
Your attention was torn away from the sparkling blue water to Atem. "It's nothing, My King, I assure you," you lied easily. The last thing you needed was for him to think something was wrong with you.
He chuckled softly. If you weren't specifically paying attention to him, you would've missed the beautiful sound that came from his mouth. "Atem will do just fine," he stated calmly. His crimson eyes met your blue ones yet again. "But, please don't lie to me."
You tried to keep the neutral look on your face but after a couple seconds of looking into his hopeful and caring eyes, you gave it up. "Sorry," you muttered softly and looked away in shame. You didn't want anyone overhearing despite the notion that it was highly unlikely. People were happily being escorted to what you presumed was some celebratory dinner, and it was a very loud affair. Atem's father was at the head of it all, whooping and cheering with the rest.
You looked back out to the Nile again, but the view didn't last. You suddenly felt a pair of hands on your waist and before you could utter a retort for such an action, you were pulled into Atem's lap. His grip was tight but not possessive or uncomfortable, and you were honestly surprised on how comfortable you were with your current position. He held you tightly to his chest as he spoke. His breath sent a tingling shiver down your back as it fanned over your cheeks, and his body's warmth wrapped you in a sweet embrace.
"I know you're going to be homesick, but know that I'll do everything in my power to make you comfortable."
His words weren't harsh or berating as you had expected them to be. He spoke them as if he were making a promise, but it were his next words that truly set your heart and mind at ease.
"I can be your Home too."