Hello, gummy bears. I know I haven't written far too long and this is far from my usual kind of story. I received a request and though I don't usually take random requests outside of my chosen fandoms and especially outside of the romance genre, I do have a soft spot for The Prince of Egypt and inspiration struck. This request is actually a birthday gift for someone. I hope you have a great birthday, arashi wolf princess, and that you enjoy this short story.
As always, PLEASE REVIEW!
Much love, Cat
xxxxx
Seti started as he felt a hand gently touch his back.
"Spying on the children again, dear?" a languid female voice teased.
Seti sighed, turning to face his wife in the dimly lit hallway. "I know what we spoke of…"
Tuya smiled. "But an anxious father could not stem his concerns? We are raising them to be good and honorable men and must trust in the destiny the gods have set forth. Surely we can leave them to the tutor's supervision for a few hours?" Under the cover of darkness she sidled close to her husband, leaning her head against his shoulder. She would not have engaged in such intimate behavior in public but in the semi-privacy of this wing of the palace, she chose to steal this moment of affection.
In spite of her teasing, Tuya stayed silent as they watched the tutor lecture their children. She could feel her husband stiffen when the man halted his speech to ask Moses a question. Instead of answering, Moses made a joke, prompting a snigger, poorly disguised as a cough, from Rameses.
Eyes narrowing, the tutor posed the same question to Rameses.
"You are so obvious sometimes," Tuya said.
Startled out of his own thoughts, Seti glanced down at his wife.
"Puffing your chest out with pride simply because your son responded to a question correctly," Tuya explained.
Seti frowned. "Don't be ridiculous. It is his obligation to be able to answer any query. He is to be the morning and the evening sun. A pharaoh must be knowledgeable to rule with a wise and fair hand."
"Of course, dear," Tuya replied mock submissively.
Seti smirked in a rare moment of levity and playfulness. He drew his wife closer with one arm and was about to murmur something in her ear when they both jumped at the sound of the tutor's yelp.
Turning their attention back to the classroom, they saw the teacher looking frustrated and bedraggled as Moses erupted in a fit of giggles, eventually joined by his brother. It was evident that a trick had been played and that Moses was the culprit. Tuya pressed a hand to her own lips to stifle her laughter, lest they be discovered spying, but Seti faced no such problem.
"What is the matter, my love?"
Seti expelled a heavy sigh. "I worry about our son. Both of our sons."
"They are just children," Tuya said, her voice warm and displaying clear affection.
"They are princes of Egypt. And one day Rameses will be pharaoh." His expression altered and Tuya could see the wrinkles beginning to crease his beloved face. They betrayed the growing age that his strength and vitality often masked. "He is too easily misled. And I fear his greatest tempter may be his own brother." Seti raised a hand to cut off the argument starting to form on Tuya's already parted lips. "I love our sons. But Moses is reckless. Charming, but a troublemaker. Rameses cannot afford those luxuries. He must be focused, disciplined to lead Egypt. He cannot allow himself to be distracted by his emotions."
"Oh, Seti, really. You're being too hard on him. On them both. They're just boys. In time they will mature. For now, they should be allowed to have their fun."
"It is a careless fun that will one day get them into trouble," Seti declared.
Tuya pressed a kiss to her husband's cheek. "They will both make us proud. You'll see."
Seti responded with a gentle kiss on the side of her head. "I hope you are right, my dear."
