Guess who finally got their shit together and watched the Prince of Egypt?
I figured I'd try to watch a movie without drowning myself in it, but, well. It is not this day. I need to vent, and I need to vent with a little fic. I tried a no dialogue challenge, which was interesting (especially since I, most of the time, rely a lot on dialogue). Rameses didn't have any problems what so ever with running a monologue, though, so we're cool.
Set right after Moses kills the slave driver.
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His brother isn't a murderer.
His brother may be a lot of things (a trouble-maker and a pain in the ass, for starters), but a killer isn't one of them. Running away is hardly helping his case, though, and Rameses does his best to run after him (isn't chasing each other what they've been doing all their lives, anyway?). Why can't he, for once, just stop?
If Rameses says he isn't a murderer, then he isn't, and the people will just have to accept that – if only Moses would stop and listen to him, just give him some time to sort this out, then this will all be over soon –
But instead he keeps going, pushes past him, doesn't look him in the eyes, and Rameses can't understand why. He can fix this – of course he can fix this, why wouldn't he? Why would it matter if the workers demanded justice or the priests demanded an appeasement of the gods, when Rameses can appease the gods? He'll pardon Moses, declare him innocent, he'll make it so it never even happened, if that's what Moses wants –
Where is he going? Why isn't he stopping?
(Why isn't he coming back?)
oOo
Moses does come back – years later, unshaven and dressed in peasant clothing, with unfamiliar lines carved into his face and hair long enough to curl. Rameses couldn't care less, doesn't even bother wrinkling his nose at the smell clinging to his brother as he embraces him.
He pointedly ignores the questioning whispers in the hall (let him focus on his brother for just a few moments, let him be happy for just a little while longer), but Hotep and Huy are, true to their style, not loathe to bring up the… less than positive way that Moses left Egypt (running away like one already damned). Rameses can't quite suppress the grimace as he reluctantly turns to them, and pointedly levels them with a disgruntled glare.
The priests may be calling for his death, but so help him, their call is fruitless. He is the morning and evening star, he is pharaoh, he is Egypt – declaring his long-lost brother innocent is more than within his rights.
He raises his hands as he speaks, can feel every pair of eyes on him (disbelieving, outraged, can hear the murmuring voices), and he can't help but feel smug at the sight of the priests' disapproval. Moses tries to interrupt him, and Rameses cuts him off with a raised hand (not now, Moses; diplomacy may not be his strong suit but surely he can be quiet long enough for the pharaoh himself to speak), before finally settling his hands on his brother's shoulders (his brother who is home, home, after all this time).
His brother is home, and there's nothing that can lessen the joy of this moment; not the priests and their scandalized faces, not the disapproving murmur rising like the tide among the audience, not the underlying anger asking where he's been all these years, not even the smile that's slid away like water from his brother's haggard face (why is he looking so disheartened?)
He's home, and he's going to make sure Moses gets cleaned and shaved and then get him out of those stupid unwashed peasant clothes and into the garments worthy of a prince, and then he'll properly introduce his son to his wayward uncle (he's always thought that Moses, childish, mischievous Moses, would be a wonderful uncle). And then, gods help him, they'll be happy.
(Why isn't he looking happy?)
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Spoiler alert - they're not gonna be happy.
This particular document is called "ohhh drama", because I'm quite fond of drama. Something else I'm very fond of is platonic relationships; even more so if we're talking family and/or siblings. This movie has therefore blessed me with Rameses and Moses and Miriam, Aaron and Moses. Ahh, what a wonderful movie.