New Adjustments

For some reason, Isis' words scared him. The result made Atem hide in Ryou's room for lunch and the whole afternoon, before he had to go to the Great Hall if he wanted to eat. And he did want to eat, just not any amount. He ignored Seto's eyes on him at the table, and did more playing with his food than he did eating it, causing Shada to go to his side.

"Your Highness, what ails you?" the Priest asked softly, so softly even Seto couldn't hear him.

"Just..." the Prince began, then fell silent again. Finally, he said, "This is probably the first time I've felt insecure about something, and it's too late to stop it..."

"...And you don't know how to resolve the issue?" Shada asked. At the teen's nod, he informed him, "Then the only way to assuage your insecurity is to face the person or the situation causing it, and if you cannot fill yourself properly, that will become more and more difficult the longer you leave it. Do not put this off, Your Highness."

"But..."

"Would it steady you if I was at your side to do it?"

Giving his head a shake as he sighed, Atem said, "No...You're right about what I have to do, but...I have to do it myself. Thank you, Priest Shada."

With a small nod, the man returned to his seat; while he was still worried, he trusted the Prince's opinion about the matter, so chose to abide his decision. When the meal ended, he was slightly surprised to see Atem leave the room, quickly followed by the King, who was frowning deeply in puzzlement and concern. Normally, the two parted ways rather than following the same path, so the Priest began to wonder if his belief that King Seto was his bed partner was indeed factual.

While Shada mused over that, Atem fled in the direction of the private areas of the Palace, not so much his or Seto's rooms, but just to another room in the area, hoping the King would lose track of him. He knew the pale teen was following him, but he wasn't ready to face him yet, so he didn't want to be caught...though, he already knew it wouldn't take long for the taller teen to catch him. The thought proved true when a hand gripped his arm, then yanked. The sound of a door slamming reached him before he was shoved against said door and pinned down by the King.

Both panted for a moment as Seto leaned his forehead against Atem's and asked, "Why are you running from me?"

"...I'm sorry..." the smaller teen whispered—and before he knew it, a few tears ran down his cheeks. He reached up to rub them away, but Seto had already seen them and even beaten the darker teen to them, cupping his cheeks as he gently brushed the tears away with his thumbs.

"For what?" he asked in puzzlement. "Are you not able to bear a child after all?"

Shaking his head, the Prince admitted, "It's not that...Isis...She can see the future, and...she saw my...our...child's birth...but you weren't there!" He leaned his head against Seto's chest as he wept, even as the other teen just stood stock-still and stared.

"I wasn't there? Or did she choose not to see me, or even just wasn't capable of doing so, like you and your uncle can't 'read' me?" Seto asked in a surprisingly pained tone.

"It's not like that with her," Atem replied through his tears. "If 'you' are blocked from her sight, she can't see any visions relating to you—she never would have had that vision in the first place. If 'your form' is blocked from her sight, she'll see a shadowy form where you would be standing, but couldn't see your features to know your identity. She saw no one in or outside the birthing chamber to serve as my child's father...I...Seto...I'm going to be alone when I give birth...That's why...I'm scared...I need to know what I mean to you, what our child means to you...!"

Wrapping his arms around the smaller teen protectively, he said fiercely, "Atem, I would never willingly leave your side, least of all at such a time! I don't know why she didn't see me, or at least someone, there, but it wasn't because I discarded you! And...I first thought, once hearing your explanation...there's a chance I won't be there because I'll be dead."

"No!" the darker teen gasped, looking up in alarm. "You...how could you die?"

"My ministers don't like me, and were willing to kill Mokuba in an attempt to control me, remember?" Seto asked softly. "I can't ignore that possibility, and I've been aware of it since before you came here. Also, if I was forced to choose between your safety or my own, I would choose yours, and walk into the lion's den if that would keep you and our child safe. I don't like to give the worst possible reason for why I wouldn't be there, but this is also a reality you need to consider now...because of the child you'll bear."

Slowly, the smaller teen shook his head, then sagged against the King as he realized he was reaching the end of his energy limit. His emotional state had drained him of a fair portion of the energy Isis had given him that morning, so without even thinking about it, he reached out and grasped the nearest energy source and pulled. And pulled, and pulled—and soon felt as good as new, even as the taller teen gasped in shock and began going slack. Finally, he stopped drawing on the excess energy and slowly looked up at the other teen, who had gone cross-eyed and exhausted.

"What...did you just...do to...me?" the paler teen groaned.

"According to Priestess Isis, I'm already with child," Atem explained quietly. "So she said we had to choose how we're going to handle the process up to the birth, and what she explained was basically that I can maintain a womb for the first five months or so without it affecting my physical appearance much, or I can just switch between male and female, but she did say it was best to decide and stabilize it to a specific pattern. It'll also take longer before the child is born the less time I spend in a female or partially female form, so...if I'm only female at night, it'll be at least double the length of time it would take a normal woman to give birth. But...the only way to basically permanently maintain such states of transformation is by drawing on someone else's energy, and she implied it was best for the energy to come from the child's 'father'. I suppose you have a lot of energy to donate to supporting your child...Usually, the amount of energy I took from you would knock the other person out."

With a snort, the older teen stood straight and said, "It would have been nice to have had some warning, but if that's what you need, take as much energy as you like. If you want to maintain a womb until the child becomes too prominent to hide under clothing, then do so, and take your other, partially female form at night. For that, I think it's best for you to choose as long as I know what to expect. What else did she say?"

The room was an unused bedchamber, so they moved over to lay in the bed as the Prince explained everything Isis had said. The King listened quietly, then promised to make the arrangements—and the two quickly fell into intense, passionate love making, Atem barely remembering to take his chosen form for the night.

CI

A hand on his belly drew him to a waking state the next morning, and his eyes opened sleepily as Seto said, "You must really have drawn a lot of energy from me, since you're still in your mixed form now."

With a bit of a wry grin, the darker teen smoothed a hand over his chest—and found he was indeed still in his partial form. "I forgot to drink the herbal tea Isis gave me...she is going to be so angry..." he murmured, about to sit up.

"Enough," the King sighed. "I'll carry you to my room and have a servant bring hot water before breakfast. If we make the pattern so you have it in the morning, you'll still be able to have your mixed form at the time when you drink it."

After pausing to think about that for a minute, the smaller teen nodded and let Seto dress him, wrap him in the blanket, and carry him back to the more familiar rooms. On the way, the paler teen stopped the younger servant, Shizuka, and told her to bring hot water and a glass to his room. She ran off to do so, and the other two arrived at their destination soon after, where the older gently placed Atem in his chair at the table in his room and settled him there, wrapped in the blanket.

"Did you want that removed?" the paler teen asked suddenly as he watched the darker shift the blanket so his hands were free.

"No, no, it's nice and warm," the younger teen answered absently, then blinked at the King questioningly when he snorted.

"Sorry, most of us in this land would find that too warm at this time of year," Seto answered the look.

"...Seto...I'm from the desert, remember?" Atem asked in dry amusement. "Your daytime temperature at this time of year is equivalent to our coldest nighttime temperature—the only reason I don't freeze all day is because your shift between night and day temperatures isn't as great or as sudden as in my homeland."

"Fine, I'll see if I can get a robe or cloak for you to keep you warm," the taller teen agreed. "Now, where did you put the herbs your Priestess gave you?"

"Under my pillow," the darker teen replied easily, closing his eyes to rest where he was, feeling pleasantly warm.

A minute later, Seto came back and asked, "If you're feeling so much of a chill when autumn is barely beginning, what will winter be like for you?"

Opening his eyes, Atem said bluntly, "I'm probably going to want a dozen blankets on my bed and won't leave it much."

"Will it be the same if you're sharing my bed?" the paler teen asked curiously.

For a moment, the younger teen had to pause and consider the question—not only would he be sharing another's body heat, but much of the night would be spent passionately. "I can't say for sure until we get to winter, but...that works for night—at least, I think it will—but Seto, I'm going to freeze during the day."

"...We have fireplaces, you know...the ones in the rooms are all just covered right now, since we don't need them in summer," the King told him dryly. "Every room has a fireplace, not just the kitchens. They'll all be burning all day, every day, once the weather gets colder."

"You mean, when you get your first snowfall?" the smaller teen asked dryly in return.

"No. Well, unless the lion comes to call and we get a sudden blizzard as our first snowfall. Normally, we start the fireplaces around the end of harvest, which is a few weeks before the first snowfall. Harvest should be starting in about a week and lasts about a month, depending on when the particular produce being harvested is due."

"...Er, 'unless the lion comes to call'?"

Seto had to chuckle at that, even as Shizuka came in with the hot water and poured it into a cup. She then produced a little, metal globe with small holes all over it as she said, "This is raspberry chamomile tea to flavor the water, in case you need it!" Setting it on the table, she turned to leave.

"What's 'raspberry'?" Atem asked blankly, making Shizuka turn back to stare at him as the King gave a wryly amused look at both of them.

"How's the harvest if you had enough for something as frivolous as tea?" the older teen asked of the servant in mild amusement.

"The northern border-fields are going to come due at the usual time, but in the south, they imported some which come due twice in the year. They produce hearty crops, and their first time due was early to mid summer—most of that fed the local peasants, but some spares which were dried were sent to us as a gift. As soon as the kitchens got them and saw they were dried, they said it's best if they go in teas," the girl explained.

"In other words, you'll have to wait for about two more weeks before tasting our raspberries," Seto told the Prince. "You haven't had any, yet, but they're a red berry made up of a collection of tiny seed-sacks stuck together, and each 'collection' is about the size of a man's fingertip. Some are smaller, but very few grow larger than an average man's thumb."

"...Ah. Then, I look forward to tasting them," Atem said wryly. "Thank you, Shizuka." His gaze then went back to his partner as he asked, "So, what about the lion you mentioned before?"

Shizuka left as the taller teen offered one of the packages of herbs to the darker teen, who began preparing his tea as the King said, "Winter in these parts generally has two ways of reaching us off the mountains—one is calm and quiet, which we call 'the lamb', and one is furious and loud, which we call 'the lion'. Similarly, if the winter 'comes in like the lion', it will 'leave like the lamb', and if it 'comes in like the lamb', it tends to 'leave like the lion'. So, if the lion comes to call first, we'll have a sudden, shocking cold and heavy snow dropped on us before full winter sets in, and we won't have the transition we're used to. Such winters are some of the most brutal, but then we tend to warm quickly and spring will come a little earlier, because it'll be the lamb leaving."

Blinking, the darker teen asked worriedly, "How often does that happen?" He then took a sip of the raspberry herbal tea—and murmured appreciatively, "This is rather tasty, considering what the herbs usually taste like alone."

Reaching forward to take Atem's cheeks in his hands, Seto replied, "It generally runs on five or ten cycles of the seasons, and I hate to say this, but the last time we had one was nine or ten cycles ago. There's a good chance we'll get one this year."

"...And...how cold is it going to get?"

"It depends on if we also get a Wolf Winter or just the lion."

"...Wolf Winter?" the Prince asked warily.

"A winter so bitterly cold the fires put off cold light and the wolves are so short on food, they resort to attacking and killing humans," the King explained. "Such winters are fairly rare. Our records may show a few of them, but the last one was before I was born, and just by the stories handed down, they seem to run on thirty cycles of the seasons, give or take some. I know about them, and what to do if one comes up during my lifetime, but I've never experienced one personally, so I have no idea what effect it'll have on me, let alone on you."

"...How long does the cold last? All winter?" Atem asked as he shuddered. "I'll die of cold if that happens..."

"Obviously, you're not going to die, since your Priestess saw you give birth to our child," the older teen pointed out. "Either we won't have one, or even if we do, you'll both live through it." He then let his hands fall from the darker teen's face.

The words made the younger smile faintly as he drank more of the warm tea. He'd never really liked or disliked teas before, so they had always been a non-entity to him, something he could do without or not. Now, somehow, the warmth spreading through his body with the tea felt different, and he very much desired more of the warmth. When he finished the first cup, he tried making another tea without Isis' herbs, and while it had a pleasing warmth, it was nothing like the herbal one.

"That's odd..." he murmured absently.

"What is?" Seto asked as he looked up from a book he'd taken off a shelf while Atem had been experimenting with the drink.

"I wonder what about those herbs seemed so..." the smaller teen began.

"Probably, your body knows it needs them," the paler teen replied, going back to his book.

A moment later, the door opened as Mokuba began, "Big Brother, the—" He then stopped to stare at Atem, then at his brother, whose brow was raised. The boy then frowned and asked, "Isn't it a little early for Atem to be here, and why's he in your seat?"

"He's there because I put him there," the older brother snorted. "He got some herbs from Priestess Isis because he's feeling the cold."

"It's not cold yet, though," the boy said in confusion.

"To people from the desert, it is," the Prince replied dryly. "Jonou and Honra, and others like them, probably won't feel the chill as much, but the Priests are going to start layering their clothing shortly."

The boy was obviously suspicious, but when he met with the Priests later in the day, Akhenaten had double-layered his robes and Shada was wearing a hood to protect his otherwise bald head. The issue was basically resolved, especially as they reached the end of the week and all the Egyptians had doubled, if not tripled, the layers they wore. On the eighth day, Atem had to go back to see Isis, so went first thing in the morning, just after breakfast.

The first thing she asked was, "Well, have you decided or not?"

Sitting on her couch as she prepared more herbs for him, he said, "I—and we—thought it was best to maintain the womb, at least, and he turned out to have more energy than expected. Basically, until I show too much to hide the child, I'll have the womb you showed me in place, and take my other form at night, when I'm with my partner. He can help me maintain that indefinitely. After that, I don't have any other choice but to be entirely male during the day and take my other form at night."

Isis blinked and asked in surprise, "How much energy does he have?"

"Er...enough that I can drink my fill and he still has enough left to bed me thoroughly for the whole night..." Atem replied, flushing bright red.

The woman's eyes went wide as she murmured, "Ra, your partner must be a God in a human shell..."

"No, he's just a very powerful human," the teen answered.

"Very well," the woman said, handing the pouches to him. "Come back in eight days again, before you use the last half."

"...Won't that leave me two unused halves?" the teen asked in surprise.

"This is deliberate, so that you have some to spare if I can't provide you with the herbs on time for some reason. However, since the trade agreements have been going well so far, and even the Pharaoh approves, our party will be splitting in a few weeks," she informed him. "Myself and my apprentice, Merik, and Bhakura will stay with you, and Mahad and Mana will come from the capital. They should arrive at about the same time the rest leave, so once our party for the winter has stabilized, it may be best to tell them about your condition."

"...Will you tell my father?" he asked quietly.

"...Only when you return to your homeland," she answered.

"When I...?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I don't know the circumstances behind it, but I am certain you will give birth in the same chamber you, yourself, were born in. I would know it anywhere. By then, since you wish to bear this child, it will be much too far along to stop, unless your father and mother wish to be guilty of abuse and murder."

"...Would they actually feel that way about me?" Atem asked quietly.

"I would hope not, but the Pharaoh probably will be angry to find his son will bear another man's child. Waiting until you return home will just help him temper that anger," the woman explained.

"So...what else do I need to know?" the Prince asked. "Especially to keep my child healthy in such a cold environment?"

"Dress warmly," she replied shrewdly. "That would be more true for you than for the rest of us. You must also be sure to find and eat those dishes made with more produce than meat, bread, or potato. Northern nations seem to favor such heavy—and nutritionally limited—fare, but you and your child need more than that. While you can still practice most of your regular skills, including martial ones, for the first four months or so, you cannot continue to do things too active as the child grows, not while in your other form, and not while maintaining a womb. Its weight will weigh you down, but also, if you take a blow to the belly, it may cause the child to abort. Magic is safe enough for, and even beneficial to, an unborn child, but physically, some activities can cause it real harm. As winter sets in, drink will come to be much more common here, but you mustn't have any large quantity—unfortunately, that means you can't resort to drink to warm you, since you can only have small quantities, or preferably, none at all."

"There are only a few drinks I even like in this land. Ours are much easier to take," the teen answered in mild amusement. "Anything else?"

"While you are with child, you won't have any way to prevent illness," Isis told him in a serious tone. His eyes widened before he blinked in surprise. "While you have your only male form—without the womb—your body will protect itself from illness; however, the very thing which protects us from illness considers a child inside its mother's body 'an illness', because it isn't 'part' of her body. In order to bear the child, those functions in a body must cease, and cannot protect either from illness. Come to me immediately if you feel even slightly ill during this time, even if all you have is a sniffle, and don't over-exert yourself or be careless with your health."

"All right...I'll keep that in mind, and I'll talk to him about some things we'll have to adapt. Thank you, Priestess," Atem told her gratefully. She just nodded.