AN: After having this sitting in my word docs for two years or so I decided it was finally time to get the ball rolling. This story is inspired by the life and times of King Tutankhamen. I've done my best to include some historically accurate references, but the vast majority of it will be fiction, as I've taken many creative liberties, and my knowledge isn't perfect. Hope you guys enjoy! :)

This first part is just a teaser really, but the first chapter will be up shortly.

Raiting: M

Pairing: Fili/Kili


If you would know yourself,
take yourself as starting point
and go back to its source;
your beginning will disclose your end.

Prologue

"Can you believe this Ori?" Kíli gasped, his eyes wide as he practically pressed his nose against the glass display case featuring jewels centuries old. They were beautiful, intricate and precise designs made by living people in ages past.

"I've wanted to see this exhibition for so long. It's like a dream," he whispered, and Ori grinned at him from the other side of the glass, taking a moment to sketch out the earrings on display. Kíli paused for a few seconds, but he didn't stick around in one place long, whizzing about the room to look at everything from the many elegant sarcophaguses, to the ornate chairs and beds that had been excavated from the Pharaoh's tomb. The craftsmanship was incredible.

Kíli strolled past a series of decorative canes, featuring all sorts of animals and insects adorning the handles. The owner must have been a very important person in his lifetime to have such an extensive collection. The brunet twirled around excitedly, pausing briefly to read the inscription beneath a headdress before moving on. There was something so incredible about witnessing history first hand, but ancient Egypt had always fascinated him the most. He loved the mythology, the language, and the art. There was so much care put into every act of life, so many ceremonies and rituals even after a person's death. It would have been such a different time, simpler in some ways, but so much more complicated in others.

And then of course there was the mystery of it all.

It was impossible to know exactly what had happened in a time so long ago. Sure, there were theories, but no real living proof. One could only speculate about the daily life of an individual from over three thousand years prior, and the secrets pertaining to this particular Pharaoh were incredibly intriguing.

Kíli stretched his arms out behind his body, standing on his toes before skipping to the next display. His eyes widened as they fell upon the roped off area featuring one of the Pharaoh's outfits on a custom dress form. Kíli's jaw dropped as he took in the elegant garment, but it was the necklace draped across the shoulder frame that really captured his attention. It was shaped after beautiful bird of some kind, wings outspread to frame the neck in a delicate way. It was stunning, and Kíli found it increasingly difficult to breathe the longer he looked upon it. He could almost imagine what it would be like…to wear it. He could almost feel it upon his neck, the metal settled atop his own skin like it had always been there to protect him.

Kíli frowned, turning his head to the side as he took in a shaky breath. He blinked to clear his vision, but couldn't keep his gaze from veering back, and before he knew it, Kíli was stepping over the guard ropes and inching ever closer to the item. He ignored the signs that clearly warned otherwise, focused solely on getting to the amulet that beckoned to him. Without thinking, his fingers reached out to touch, sliding over the precious gemstone that shaped the solar disc above the bird's head. The jewel was cool beneath his skin, and he was surprised when another set of fingers touched his own atop it, slotting in between his digits like they were two parts from the same puzzle.

Kíli finally turned, finding himself faced with the strangest set of blue eyes he'd ever seen. And yet he knew them, so very well. His brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to speak, but before he had the chance his world faded from view, vision blackening at the edges as he collapsed into a strong embrace.