Zarter fanfiction
Z
I
A
It's hard to focus on preventing the demise of mankind when a particularly, handsome, unselfish, courteous boy is next to you. Especially if that boy happens to be my boyfriend, Carter Kane. We are sitting in the great room on either side of the glass coffee table, arguing about what to do now that Setne has returned, and is adamant on getting revenge for his time in captivity.
"Carter I understand you think we should leave Setne's punishment to your father, but honestly, I think if we catch him we need to unleash the Seven Ribbons of Hathor and figure out a way to permanently get rid of him."
"But Z", Carter pleads with me, his brown eyes shimmering with hazel undertones,"I still feel kind of bad for not returning Setne to my dad last time."
By last time, Carter is referring to when he had prevented the end of the world by saving me from Apophis, but all he could think about was how he had "let go of an important prisoner." Leave it to Carter to still feel as if saving mankind was a huge failure. At least the world hadn't ended...
I need to focus on making my point but all these emotions are getting in the way of my progress. I'm still not sure if Carter is the best thing or the worst thing that has ever happened to me. After dating him for the last 4 years, things between us haven't seemed to change. Carter sweet and courteous. Me with my barrier of stoic faces only he could melt through. I'm 19 now, and even though things have been rough for the last 4 years with Carter taking on the role of pharaoh, I still had this completely unexplainable desire to be his queen. To rule beside him. I find myself constantly pushing these thoughts to the back of my mind, but they are still there in my consciousness. I am snapped back into reality when Carter snaps his fingers in front of my blank eyes, a slight smirk on his face. I must have been zoning out.
"Z?" He chuckles,"What are you thinking about?"
"Um...nothing."
"You're lying."
"And you're annoying."
He rolls his eyes before pressing his lips to mine and I glare at him before defiantly wiping his kiss from my lips with the back of my hand.
He rolls his eyes again.
"No really, tell me what you're thinking about."
I pause reluctantly and look down at my lap before replying.
"I-I care about you Carter. Actually more than that, I love you, and I know I don't say that enough, but I do. And-"
I am interrupted by Carter kneeling down on one knee in front of my chair, distracting me from my thoughts. In his hand, he holds a small black box that he has opened up to reveal the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. The gems are a mix of citrine, sapphire, and garnet, giving it the illusion of fire, and they are set in a thick gold band with flames engraved throughout. He must have had it custom made.
"Zia Rashid, Will you marry me?"
Tears of joy run down my cheeks without my consent. Instead of replying I simply pull him into a hug and kiss his lips until they're the same light pink shade of my nude lip gloss.
Carter still seems confused,"That's a yes right?"
"Yes you idiot!"
"Oh good, because I didn't mean to ask you right at this moment, but it seemed like the right time and everything, and I had already planned this huge date at that five-star restaurant near 5th Avenue, and I really didn't want you to-"
I think back to our first date at the mall after Apophis was defeated. How did I shut him up? Oh yeah, I did this. I kiss him again, shutting him up for good.
C
A
R
T
E
R
I'm in the kitchen illustrating my proposal to Sadie while she sits on the counter attacking a bowl of ice cream. I lean awkwardly on the dishwasher, my tall figure not able to comfortably fit under the row of cabinets above the counter.
"So she agreed to marry you?" Sadie says, the confusion on her face apparent.
"Why is that so hard to believe?"
"Because I thought there was hope for her!"
I glared at Sadie.
"Calm down Carter I'm only messing with you," Sadie laughed before lightly punching me on the shoulder.
Even though Sadie was now 17, she still acted like the same endearingly bratty 12 year old who convinced me to spy on our Dad at the London Museum.
"Although I AM especially afraid for your wedding night brother, dear."
Once again, I glare at her to her extreme amusement.
"Will uh- you help Zia with the wedding plans and stuff?" I feel bad that she hasn't been able to make many friends here in Brooklyn other than the initiates, and I know that she's become annoyingly close to my sister, so I need to have her support in this.
Sadie just rolls her eyes, "I was going to whether you liked it or not."
My sister is impossible. I sigh and decide to go to the great room rather than undergo another volley of her condescending remarks. She spits a number of insults behind me, which include the classic "Carter-headed chicken" along with some fresh new insults about my height, and as she puts it, my "ever growing head circumference." In the great room, Zia is sitting cross-legged on the couch grimacing as Jaz paints her nails a rather sickly shade of pink.
"It's a very bride-esque color", Jaz explains as she carefully runs neon pink streaks on Zia's fingernails.
Zia nods, as if the sight of the nail-polish is making her sick, but she will do it because of her longing to look like a bride.
"Hey Z."
Zia turns and blushes, embarrassed that I caught her in one of her few moments of vanity. I have to stifle a laugh and I wrap one of my arms around her small waist before picking up the remote to tune in to the Laker's game. Unfortunately, they're losing. I wish my dad were here so I could discuss their terrible new coach, but he's probably busy on underworld business. There are very few perks to having your dad also be a 5,000 year old blue death god who can only be visited in the depths of the Duat. Zia messes up her nails when she goes to the kitchen to get us some snacks. Because of me, she's managed to deeply ingrain herself in Laker's games, so much that she's actually got a jersey herself.
Later that day, Jaz rolls her eyes at us as we boo at the blue light of the television screen when the Laker's game ends in a disappointing loss.
"It was such a close game!" Zia insists
"In what world is 81 to 17 close?" I reply.
"Whatever Carter," she says, playfully slapping my shoulder before nestling herself onto my chest.
For some reason I am reminded of my embarrassing run-in with Khufu when I was 14, and he and his baboon friends beat me to a pulp. Sadie's cheerful words in her shrill accent ring in my mind: "All that talk about basketball and the Lakers, and you're absolute rubbish! Beaten by monkeys!"
A twinge of past embarrassment causes my shoulder to shift nervously and Zia looks up at me with a concerned expression.
"Carter, what's wrong?"
"My inability to play basketball."
"What you lack in basketball skill you make up for in your inept ability to battle chaos serpents who want to eat me."
She pecks me on the lips.
"Well when you put it that way..."
She laughs at me, her usual laugh replaced by a shrill, girly one I've never heard before. Strangely, I find myself liking it, which I then mentally scold myself for. I can't expect Zia to change just because I proposed to her. Can I?
Zia looks up at me before talking, "When can we go over wedding stuff?"
This is strange, I decide, very strange. Did my girlfriend seriously just ask to discuss wedding plans? Maybe things have changed since I proposed...
"Sure."
She apparently must have been planning this all day, because she pulls out a binder roughly the size of a short novel.
"I have everything separated into 6 categories," she explains,"Dress, music, food, decorations, themes, and possible gowns", she says, showing me the very carefully color-coded tabs in her light green binder.
She has the ceremony laid out similarly to a battle plan, using the word "execute" several times, and featuring detailed ceremony diagrams, complete with a confusing number of x's, arrows, and circles.
Thirty minutes later, Zia is still explaining to me the very, very confusing concept of the ceremony she's put together.
"See? This red circle is me walking down the aisle, while this blue circle is me after my dress is no longer on fire."
"Then what is the green circle?"
Zia sighs, exasperated with my inability to understand the ceremony diagram,"The green circle is me once I'm at the end of the aisle!"
"Why couldn't you have just drawn an arrow?"
"Because the arrows are only for members of the bridal party! See I have it color-coded which you would know if you actually looked at the key!"
I take a furtive glance towards the key, which is basically a tiny square full of colors, which then have to be matched to shapes, which then have to be located on the confusing, busy diagram.
"What's the green triangle again?"
"You're impossible Carter!"
"I'm just trying to understand!" I say holding my hands up in defense, as suddenly Zia's body becomes hot to the touch. I notice the new fireproof leather couch sizzling in response to Zia's body temperature. She flicks me giving me a slight burn on my shoulder before returning to the somehow unburnt diagram. She then turns to what she refers to as "the purple section" in her binder.
"You have to go dress-shopping with me and Sadie tomorrow."
I hold my tongue from mentioning there's a game tomorrow by kissing Zia's still cooling down lips.
"Sure."
I can tell she also knew there was a game tomorrow because I get an uncharacteristically long kiss back and sahlab as a reward.
"We're going to that dress shop Kleinfeld's on West 20th"
Oh no no no. No no no. Kleinfeld's is the ritziest most expensive dress shop Zia could have ever chosen. I'll be living on nothing but peanut butter, cereal, and water for months! I take a few deep breaths.
"Okay."
I get another uncharacteristically long kiss and a little more patience when it comes to going over the equally as confusing reception diagram. I suddenly realize why Zia has been exceptionally gooey today. When we finish going over the diagram, I am about to mention her sudden "change in character" when she gives me a quick kiss and skips up the steps to her room. I'm in for a long week.
