Disclaimer: Don't own show(if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfics)
Takes place in the past in ancient Egypt and follows the original story except Atemu has a twin and three Guardians protect the royal family. (The timeline may not be right since I don't know when everything happened)
Chapter one: When They are Young
Three thousand years ago:
Dressed in a black hooded cloak, red eyes gleaming, the man stepped into the throne room, empty except for him and three other people—one sitting on the throne and two others standing on either side.
Averting his eyes to gaze around the empty room, the cloaked man walked forward a few more steps before stopping, his gaze finally resting on the man sitting on the throne.
Dressed in the finest fabric of the country and bedecked with gold jewelry, the man on the throne eyed the cloaked figure stoically, remaining completely still and silent.
Taking in the silence anxiously, the man standing to the left of the throne, wearing a grey cloak and cape, turned to the man on the throne. Glancing once more to the man standing silent and unmoving in the center of the room, the grey-cloaked man spoke to the man on the throne.
"Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen, this is Slahkra, whom you requested…." He fell silent when the man on the throne, the Pharaoh, raised his hand.
"I figured as much, Ovim." Akhenamkhanen said, keeping his eyes on the cloaked man, Slahkra. "Ovim, Nighe, you two leave."
"But Pharaoh…."
"Leave, I want to talk to Slahkra alone."
"Yes, Pharaoh." Ovim said, bowing, but with his amber eyes on Slahkra, gleaming with distrust. Then he motioned to the man to the right of the throne, and both left the room, but not before Ovim whispered a warning to Slahkra as he passed. "Do anything to harm him, and I'll see to it personally that you regret it."
"…." Slahkra didn't even look at Ovim as the man spoke, only waited patiently until Ovim and Nighe left the room.
After the two left, Slahkra stepped closer to the throne, stopping only three feet in front of it, his red eyes never leaving the Pharaoh.
"Why have you summoned me?"
"Your tone is bold, Slahkra, demanding me to answer you."
"A ruler's only as powerful as the ruled let him be." Slahkra chuckled and then lowered his hood, still not flitting his eyes from Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen. "Besides, I'm not one of your subjects, and you haven't enough power to enslave me against my will."
"Guardians Ovim and Nighe can change that, and I'm sure Guardian Drasun will more than willingly help them defeat you."
"Urr…." Slahkra narrowed his eyes and brushed his white blond bangs from them, and then he took off the cloth that covered his lower face and mouth. "You send them after me; I'll leave this realm and never set foot here again." His red eyes glowed with fury and his lips contorted into a snarl, only for a moment, but long enough.
"You dare threaten me, the ruler of Egypt?" The Pharaoh glared at Slahkra as he struggled to hide his flinch at the sight of Slahkra's face.
"You derive your royal blood from the gods, and I'm a god—a divine being who existed long before your wretch race, long before this world's creation. Thus I'll say and do as I please in your presence, oh, mighty Pharaoh."
"And yet you still show when I summon you; you claim not to be ruled by me, but you still come when I call. Why is that?" Akhenamkhanen asked bemusement in his eyes as he watched Slahkra's face once again contort in anger.
"Enough chitchat, you summoned me here for more than just swapping witty banter." Slahkra clenched his teeth, and finally blinked his eyes as he struggled to control his anger. Once he calmed down, he stared at the Pharaoh once more, grinning when he saw the look of disgust in the Pharaoh's eyes. "Like what you see?"
"Those scars on your face, how did you get them?"
"Do they bother you, Pharaoh? By what your expression tells me, I'm glad I don't have to look at myself. Then again, I've had these for so long; I forgot what I looked like without them."
"How long?"
"These ones on my face, a thousand years."
"The ones on your face? You mean you have others elsewhere?" Akhenamkhanen's eyebrows rose as he stared at Slahkra, but then averted his eyes away, only to have his gaze wander back to the scars on Slahkra's race.
"Yes, do you want me to disrobe to show you?" Slahkra smirked, his red eyes gleaming in the light of the room.
"No, and put that cloth back over your face. I don't want to see those scars."
"You're no fun, but very well." Slahkra replaced the cloth over his face, obstructing all view of his scars. "Okay, back to the reason why I'm here, you summoned me…because you want my pledge of loyalty, am I right?"
"How did you…?"
"I'm a god; I make it my business to know all I can, especially if it concerns me."
"Very well, yes, I do want your oath of loyalty to me, and my bloodline."
"No."
"Your fellow gods have sworn their oaths to my bloodline, so why not follow suit willingly? I don't want to force you."
"Then don't even ask, I will not pledge my loyalty to anyone, even a Pharaoh. If you insist upon your path, you'll regret the result. I'll leave this world, and chaos will set in. just ask Ovim or Nighe what will happen if I leave, it's not something worthwhile."
"Slahkra." Akhenamkhanen stood up when the man-god made to leave. "I must have your help in order to bring peace to Egypt."
"You don't need anything."
"Yes, I do. I need your help, to bring peace and security to this land."
"I will not help you. Get one of your priests to perform a ritual to help you if you so desire, but remember, everything comes at a price."
"Tell me what price your help comes at, and I'll pay it. I must protect my kingdom." Akhenamkhanen stepped toward the retreating Slahkra, pausing when the man-god looked back at him.
"Trust me; my price is far too steep for you." With those final words, Slahkra left without waiting for a response from the Pharaoh.
Six days later:
"Akhenaden, you say you have a way to increase our side's power enough so that we'll win the battle?"
"Yes, Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen, we'll win the battle, the war, and peace will flourish." High Priest Akhenaden said, bowing to the Pharaoh, but remained silent about his plan.
"Good, I trust you to carry the plan out as soon as possible."
"I'll get right on it." Akhenaden left before the Pharaoh could ask what the plan was. Out of the palace, Akhenaden summoned a group of soldiers together, and told them of the plan. "Let's go, to Kul Elna."
Hidden in the shadows, watching the soldiers leave with Akhenaden, Slahkra narrowed his eyes and clenched his teeth, but remained stoic in all other ways, his red eyes like stone. Remaining silent until the group left his view, Slahkra closed his eyes, inhaled, and exhaled deeply before turning away.
Before he left, he muttered something barely audible.
"Everything comes at a price." After those words escaped his lips, he disappeared into the shadows clinging to the walls, melting into them.
Some time later:
Dark and complete night cloaked all the land, blanketing all in shadow. Not a star shined in the sky, nor did the moon cast any light on the land, but allowed the earth to rest in darkness.
Not a thing moved on the darkened earth, and everywhere there was silence—until a cry resounded through the palace. Filling the silence, this cry came from an elegant and lavish bedchamber in the palace, richly decorated with fine material, jeweled and golden statues and ornaments decking the walls.
In the middle of the room, lying exhausted on the bed, a woman struggled to steady her racing heart with deep breaths, her tired eyes drooping as she gazed at the figures beside her bed.
"Nighe, how are they?" She asked the man wearing a black robe over black pants, silk, with the cuffs woven with silver.
"Fine, my queen. They're doing just fine." He said, holding a small bundle in his arms, lacking the armlets he usually wore. "They're both healthy babies."
"I'm glad, Nighe, I…." She tried to lift herself up, but couldn't, neither could she lift her arms from the bed. "I don't seem to have the strength to hold them."
"Don't worry, my queen. Just rest, there will be plenty of time to hold them." Nighe said gently, hiding his worry as he cradled one of the babies in his arms. Sitting next to the bed, Nighe rocked the baby he held soothingly, smiling when it cooed and grabbed at the air with its slightly clenched hand.
Content on that child's health, the woman on the bed turned her attention to the other side of the bed, where Ovim stood cradling the other baby in his pale arms.
"Ovim?"
"This child is just fine, my queen." He replied, but his attention remained completely on the child he held in his arms. Flailing its arms wildly it wailed the loudest out of the two, its face turning red from the effort. As gently as he could manage, he rocked the babe, and wrapped it nice and warm in a bundle of heavy cloth, not noticing anything else until it stopped crying.
"Ovim, Nighe. Boys or girls?" The woman on the bed asked in a whisper, struggling to remain awake.
"A boy." Said Nighe.
"And a girl." Said Ovim.
"One of each." She smiled, and then sighed before letting her eyes droop close.
"My queen!" Nighe rushed to her side, still holding the baby against his chest, as he determined the woman on the bed was still breathing. Before he could do anything more, Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen entered the room his eyes taking in the scene of the room in one long glance.
"Nighe, Ovim, you both hold a child?"
"Yes, my Pharaoh, she bore twins—one boy, one girl." Ovim said stepping closer to the Pharaoh to present him with his first-born.
However, Nighe spoke before Ovim made it to Akhenamkhanen.
"Pharaoh, the children's mother is weak; the labor zapped much of her strength. She needs the help of one of the priests."
"Very well." Akhenamkhanen turned to one of the guards. "Summon one of the temple's priests; tell them my wife needs looking after."
"Yes, my Pharaoh." The guard bowed and left the room. After the first guard left, Akhenamkhanen turned to the second and last guard.
"You fetch the wet-nurse for the children, they need to be fed, and their mother's in no condition to do so herself."
"Yes, Pharaoh." This second guard bowed and left the room as well.
After both guards were gone, Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen turned back to Ovim and Nighe, his face an unreadable mask.
"Pharaoh…."
"Which one's the first-born, Ovim? The boy or the girl?"
"The girl." Ovim said clearly and decisively, staring directly into the Pharaoh's eyes.
"That…impossible, the millennium tauk predicted that my first-born would be male."
"The future's not always set in stone." Was Ovim's reply, his eyes narrowing as he saw the Pharaoh falter, but they grew soft when he averted his attention to the child in his arms—the girl. A beautiful lock of magenta-red hair covered her closed eyes, and the rest of her head was covered with soft peach-fuzz instead of hair.
"No…what you said can't be true…."
"It is true, I'm the one holding your daughter, I, Ovim, Guardian of Spirit, and Protector of the royal first-born hold your daughter, and profess that she was born first."
"…." Akhenamkhanen paled at Ovim's words but didn't speak, just shook his head.
"My Pharaoh, Ovim tells the truth, the girl was first, the boy second." Nighe stared at the Pharaoh, his eyes widening and eyebrows rising. Then he too paled as he averted his eyes to the child Ovim held, to the child he held and then back to the Pharaoh.
"But I promised Slahkra…."
"What? Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen, what are you saying, what did you promise Slahkra?" Ovim's eyes widened as he glanced wildly from Nighe to the Pharaoh, ignorant of what both of them seemed to know.
"Ovim, Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen promised Slahkra…."
"SILENCE! Nighe, do not say anything more." Akhenamkhanen closed his eyes, thinking quickly. When he opened them, he spoke. "We must not let Slahkra know the girl was born first. Thus no one outside this room shall know."
"Pharaoh, that's treachery!" Ovim rushed up to Akhenamkhanen, his trembling arms holding the girl child. "You can't do this, no matter the reason."
"Oh, can't I? I'm the Pharaoh, the law of this land. The one to whom you promised eternal loyalty, and what I say goes."
"But, Pharaoh, we can't deceive Slahkra as easily as the people. He may already know; he spies a lot." Nighe implored, worry in his eyes.
"He can't, I've had Drasun open a ward around this room—Slahkra will be unable to enter this room at all until it's dispelled."
"Even if he doesn't know now, he'd find out eventually—and I refuse to follow with any long term deception." Ovim said, his face twitching with anger and frustration.
"You will do as I say. Anyway, Slahkra will only find out the truth if the child remains in Egypt."
"Pharaoh…."
"That's…you'll exile your own flesh and blood?" Ovim gaped, and then narrowed his eyes into slits, his teeth clenched tightly.
"No! Akhenamkhanen, say it's not so." The woman on the bed spoke up wide-awake now even though her body shuddered from exhaustion.
"This…this doesn't concern you."
"Yes it does, I'm your wife, and they're my children. Please don't send either one away."
"I must." Akhenamkhanen turned away from the woman and focused his attention on Ovim and Nighe. "You two, switch babies, now."
"But…."
"Do as I say!"
Nighe hurried over to Ovim, trembling as he complied with the Pharaoh's orders, but though he was willing to do as ordered it took much coaxing to get Ovim to follow suit.
"No Nighe." Ovim whispered, no longer speaking in Egyptian, but in an older language so that only Nighe understood.
"Trust me, Ovim, this is far better than what he could've ordered." Nighe said, using the olden language as well. "Please Ovim."
"This isn't right."
"Ovim, if you knew the truth, you'd readily comply. Now give me the girl."
"No, I won't give up Des."
"You named her?"
"Someone should, and no one else has yet."
"Ovim, give me her, it's only a temporary exile. As soon as the Pharaoh passes on to the afterlife, we can return the child to her rightful home."
"But…the promise Pharaoh Akhenamkhanen made to us…that his wife's first-born will be Pharaoh…."
"That will wait until he's passed on, then we can restore order. Trust me, this is the only way to save her…."
"Save…? What do you mean?"
"I'll tell you later, but now, give me the girl, the last thing we want is for Slahkra to find out the girl was born first—or even that she exists. He must not know, not until she's strong enough to defend herself."
"You promise we'll retrieve her one day? That she'll become Pharaoh?"
"Yes, Ovim, I promise."
Biting his lower lip, Ovim handed Nighe the girl and took the boy into his arms, his eyes yearning to have the girl back in his arms.
"Don't let any harm befall Des, Nighe."
"I won't."