A/N: So I'm a married woman! Whoa! But I'm sorry for the lateness. I got thrown right back into work and it's been non-stop ever since. I've gotten nothing done at all.
Information:
Isis: She is a very old goddess, but was a lesser worshipped Goddess until about Cleopatra's rule. She has since become very popular. She was not very popular in 3000bc however.
Proving yourself worthy: If raising children together was part of a marriage contract, it had to be proven before marriage. Basically you had to get pregnant before marriage. If the couple was able to get pregnant with a child it was seen as the God's giving their blessing to the couple. If they couldn't get pregnant it was seen as the gods saying no to their union.
Of Gods and Heroes
Chapter 20
Tikki was losing her mind over the latest development, while Mazel wanted to crawl into a hole and just die. How could she ever make such an agreement? She knew that there was no chance in hell that Ammon would find a way for such a request to be brought to fruition. However, Chat Noir...well, that was a possibility. She hadn't thought of it at the time, but now that she was home from the fields and she was alone with the Kwami, now things were really beginning to sink in.
She could easily see Ammon, transformed, going to the palace and talking to the Pharaoh and convincing him that his nephew being married to a Hebrew slave girl was a wish of the gods. Now, he had thought of that yet, was another question. It was only a matter of time. Ammon was an educated man, he would think of something. She was sure of it.
"And! Oh my! Mazel, he would spoil you! You'd never have to skip a meal. He'd make sure you had the healthiest meals every single day! Elisheva too! I just know he'd go to the greatest lengths for you!"
"Tikki! Please...don't," Mazel begged. "I don't want to think about such things."
Tikki would hear nothing of it. "Mazel, he loves you. He told you. HE LOVES YOU! YOU! Think back to all the interactions you had with him as yourself. Both as himself and Chat Noir. He almost transformed in front of his father and all the slaves to save you from being whipped! I think that kind of says something about his feelings for you."
Mazel wouldn't admit that she had thought back to all those times. Especially the time that she had been washing her laundry in the Nile. Her heart raced as she remembered the Crocodile that had come out of nowhere and attacked her. The animal had almost pulled her into the river with it to bring her into its death spin until he had come to his rescue. Using his Cataclysm on the beast, killing it instantly.
Mazel closed her eyes and sighed as Tikki continued to zoom about the little hut with beaming excitement. Things were adding up now. Things that did clearly add up to the fact that Ammon had feelings for her. It had never really crossed her mind she supposed. Before he kept to himself and didn't bother anyone. He kept to his studies and ignored basically everyone around him. Then, one day, he opened up. He interacted with her a few times before he hired her as his personal assistant through the dry season.
She didn't know how to read or write in his language, and he decided he was going to teach her. She supposed at first that she could do a better job as his assistant if she could read and write in Egyptian, but thinking back now, she realised that he was educating her. When she was free, she could find better-paying jobs if she could speak, read and write the local language. Her cheeks flushed now. He had every intention of helping her and her sister earn their freedom sooner, but also help them better their lives. Her mouth hung open.
Tikki giggled and flew in front of Mazel. "You've realised how far back his feelings go, haven't you?"
Mazel still didn't want to admit it. She couldn't. Her head was spinning at the realisation. He would kill for her if that would lead her to a happy life. He was willing to kill the last Akuma before she revealed the identity of both the Akuma and Ladybug. She knew now that was the only reason that her sister still lived.
She placed a hand on her forehead and tried to relieve some of the pressure she was feeling. She slid down the wall of her mud hut and was down on her mat. She had much too much on her mind to think clearly now. She needed more time.
8 8 8
Ammon had returned, and found his father praying to the family altar. He felt a little bit of anger towards his father for this. No doubt he was praying to the gods to knock some sense into him. Ammon growled under his breath in frustration. His father took notice and looked up from his prayers. He glared at Ammon and turned back to the altar, bowing his head in prayer once again.
"Father, don't bother. I am not going to marry Hatshepsut!" he exclaimed.
His father looked up again, this eyes narrowing towards his son. "You are practically an adult, and yet you still act like a child. This is what is best for you."
"I disagree," Ammon hissed back.
"Why are you so against this marriage?" Shen asked his son. His voice still held anger, but his tone was much lower now. "Are you not interested in women?"
"I'm not interested in men, father. I have no interest in Hatshepsut. I love another," Ammon stated. "And don't bother asking whom, because I will never tell. I intend to marry her, and no other."
Shen stood from the altar now and stepped closer to his son. "You are so damn stubborn. A trait I wish you hadn't gotten from me."
Ammon hated it when his father compared the two of them. It always made him feel like he was just a copy of his father, rather than his own person. He personally saw nothing he had in common with his father. His father wasn't exactly someone he inspired to be like. Ammon saw himself as both a better-educated man and more dedicated. His father spent his days praying endlessly and enjoying the foods and drinks that only the rich could. Ammon was angry now that his father thought that his feelings and emotions were anything like this father.
"Well, clearly the Gods wanted me to have such a trait, otherwise I might end up in a loveless marriage," he snapped.
Ammon knew it was a low blow to his father, whose second wife, he had no feelings towards. It was a marriage of convenience for the two of them. She had gotten too old for the brothel that she worked in, and was penniless, and his father was lonely after the death of his first wife, Ammon's mother. His father didn't appreciate such a comment and raised his hand to slap his son. Normally Ammon would have taken any blow willingly, but not this time. As Shen's hand was thrown in Ammon's direction, Ammon stepped forward and he caught his father by the wrist and held him back.
"No," Ammon spit. "You will not strike me over this. I am your son, and you are my father, and up until now, I have done everything you have ever asked of me. I will not waver on this one. The wife I choose will be a wife I hold dear, in life and in death."
He released his father, and Shen stepped back. He was still holding some anger in, but he seemed to respect his son's wishes, even if only a little bit. "I will only give such a woman my blessing if she passes two conditions. Simple for any Lady of Egypt."
"Such as, father?"
"A wife worthy of my son would have to be someone of importance to the kingdom. The daughter of a nobleman for example. A wife of yours must make even me, excited to have her taken into our family. Simply put, she must wow me," Shen explained to Ammon. "And second, she must prove that she is worthy of the Gods."
"There are many ways to prove one's worth to the Gods, how would such a woman do that?" Ammon stated.
"Simple. The same way your mother proved her worth to my father. She was granted a baby by the gods. You know that the gods only bless a Lady of Egypt that she is worthy of a son if she is able to get pregnant with his child. And that must be done before a marriage contract can be signed between two of you."
Ammon knew about such 'suggestions' within his culture. Every Egyptian knew these rules. He got a pain in the pit of his stomach. Mazel could never fulfil such requirements. His father would never approve of him marrying a slave girl. There would be no 'wow' factor for his father. He would rather have his son die than marry a slave girl. Even worse, was Mazel would never have a child with him before marriage. It was against her faith. And she wanted to keep her faith. It was the only way that she would marry him. Things suddenly felt a lot darker to him. This seemed like an impossible task. Even so, he looked at his father, not wanting him to know that these realisations had shaken him a little bit.
"As you wish," Ammon stated.
Before his father or he would say any more, both were interrupted by a palace guard who was escorted in by Akela. Both looked like they were in a sudden rush. "Master Shen, it's your sister, the queen!"
"What is wrong with my sister?" Shen questioned, his eyes going wide with panic.
"She's fallen ill, and won't wake up! Your brother is calling for you and Master Ammon to get to the castle quickly to pray for her."
Ammon's thoughts of marrying Mazel were suddenly thrown back to the back of his mind as he thought of his poor aunt who had been having such terrible health issues since the conceiving of the prince. Shen was already ordering a carriage to the palace, and Ammon was already running to the carriage storage to try and help quicken the setup time. They needed to get to the palace right that second. Though, as he turned the corner, he saw the carriage was in fact nowhere near ready to be taken to the palace. It was rarely used, except for nights of celebration. It could take an hour or more to get it ready. Ammon was sure there just wasn't enough time.
He left their property, and on foot began to head into the city. He could reach the palace faster than the carriage anyway. He moved as quickly as he could, passing people in the busy streets. He ducked and dodged through the crowds, and continued on without a break until he reached the palace walls. The guards, who knew him well, bowed and let him pass.
He quickly entered the palace and made the familiar track to the queen's royal chambers. He burst inside and saw his aunt in her bed, her eyes closed. She looked still. His uncle, the Pharaoh was by her side. A healer was also by the bedside and was looking for the queen. The Pharaoh looked up at Ammon and then rushed to his side.
He took Ammon by the shoulder and guided him out of the bedroom. Ammon followed and glanced back at the queen one last time. When they were outside the bedroom, his Uncle turned to Ammon. It was then that Ammon realised how distraught he was. He felt his heart drop in the pit of his stomach.
"What have the healers have to say?"
"They've stated that she's fallen into a fevered sleep. There is an infection from the birth," he explained to his nephew. "The last healer said that it doesn't look good. I'm getting a second opinion."
"And the prince?" Ammon asked.
"He's with a wet nurse," he answered. "I'm going to head to the throne room, and do some praying. I wish to try and summon Ladybug and Chat Noir."
"Summon them? What for?" Ammon asked.
He was already walking down the hall, and Ammon felt that he could only follow. He turned back to Ammon as they walked. "I want to summon them because of Ladybug's power. She has the ability to fix things. She always fixes everything the false gods destroy. She must be able to heal Ankhesenamum's condition. I am Ra in human form. I'm sure they won't deny me."
Ammon felt every inch of his body stiffen, and he almost froze in his place. He continued forward, though, frowning at his uncle's hopeful words. It was hitting him like a clay brick. There was nothing either of them could do. They didn't have any such power. And he knew that if the healers thought Ankhesenamum's health was this bad, there was a good chance of her passing over to the afterlife.
They entered the throne room, and his uncle, Tutankhamun walked over to some of the guards in the room. "I want you all to go to every nobleman's house, and tell them to gather here. We are all going to pray for Ladybug and Chat Noir. Tell them we wish to summon them here."
"Yes, Pharaoh."
Ammon watched as they quickly left to gather the nobles. Ammon turned back to his uncle, desperate to speak some sense into him, but he found him already in front of the throne room altar praying. Ammon fell silent once again. He couldn't talk some sense into him as himself, but perhaps Chat Noir could. He needed to get Mazel as well. Surely the two of them transformed could talk some sense into his uncle. He turned to sneak away, but his uncle called out to him.
"Come, Ammon, let us pray."
He couldn't deny his uncle. His word was practically law. With a new sense of dread falling through him, he followed his uncle's command, and knelt down beside him, and began to pray for a miracle.
8 8 8
Mazel was shocked when Elisheva burst into the tiny hut. She looked panicked and terrified. "Mazel! It's the queen! She's fallen ill!"
"Keep calm," Mazel stated. She reached for her younger sister and brought her into a comforting grip. Elisheva quickly pushed away and shook her head. Not because she didn't appreciate such affection, but because she wasn't finished.
"You don't understand," Elisheva cried. "The Pharaoh is summoning all of the nobles into the city to pray that Ladybug and Chat Noir will be summoned! The Pharaoh wants to beg for them to save the queen! They just came to fetch Master Shen!"
"Fetch Master Shen? Where is Ammon?" Mazel quickly asked.
"He left on foot as soon as he heard about the queen," Elisheva explained. "I think you should go see him. Talk to him. You can't heal her, I know that now. You need to tell him what you told me."
Mazel knew that was true. Though she knew he would probably be as upset as Elisheva was. She had the hope that if she explained this to him the queen's condition worsened than perhaps they could help him cope before the worse came about. Tikki was now by Mazel's side. The two looked at each other and nodded. "Tikki, transform me."
With a flash, she was transformed. And Elisheva looked on excitedly. "That was the first time I saw you transform! That was so neat!"
Mazel blushed a little in embarrassment but smiled at her sister. "I'll be back later, see you when I get back."
"Be safe!"
"I will."
Mazel left the hut and began to run to the far end of the city to the palace. She raced over the roofs and easily made it towards the end of the city. She jumped over the palace wall with ease. She landed in the garden. A few guards shifted in surprise and pointed their spears at her. She stood upright and stared at them. They backed down and quickly bowed. "Take me to the Pharaoh she stated. He's expecting me."
She did not know the palace as well as Ammon and did not know where the Pharaoh currently was. The guards would know and would escort her to him. They quickly motioned for her to follow them. And she did. They entered the palace. Many noblemen and women were already entering the palace and stopped to stare at her as she entered. Some gasped. And while the staring at her made her feel incredibly uncomfortable, she stared forward. She had to maintain the expression of a noble Goddess. She knew she needed to get through to the Pharaoh once and for all about her abilities. She had to come across as confident. So she ignored their attention. Even as she passed Master Shen, who quickly dropped to his knee's to bow, she still didn't look at him.
She was escorted into the throne room, where she was greeted by an even larger crowd of nobles. The Pharaoh was by an altar and looked up when he noticed the change in the room. She quickly noticed Ammon beside his uncle. He looked to be relieved when he saw her. She tried to focus on the Pharaoh.
"You wished to see me," she said. "About the Queen."
"Yes!" Tutankhamun cried excitedly. "She has an infection from the recent childbirth. She must be saved."
Mazel felt all the eyes in the room on her, and she felt the dread cross her. "I can't help her. I am sorry."
She noticed Ammon slip away, and she knew that he was looking for a safe place to transform. She kept her eyes on the Pharaoh, though. His face had fallen. "Can't? Surely that's impossible. You are a goddess. You have the power. Do you mean you won't? You are not going to deny me, I am Ra in mortal form. The sun rises and sets for me."
"I'm afraid it is impossible," Mazel explained. "I-"
"-but you always fix the destruction. You can fix things," the Pharaoh gasped as he cut her off.
"I can fix the physical damage done to the city. I can't heal people or bring them back from the dead. If I could, I would have saved all the people these false god's killed."
Tutankhamun was visibly angry now. And he had inched closer to her now. His face was twisted in anger now. "I don't care about those peasants. This is the queen we are talking about. She is my wife. You will save her."
"It is impossible! I do not hold such power!" Mazel cried, raising her voice.
Her eyes widened as she witnessed the Pharaoh then raise his hand. She realised he was going to hit her. Years of being a slave trained her to stand still. The fear took over and she was frozen. She readied for the pain she was about to experience. His hand came towards her to slap her, but in midair, it stopped. A hand with gold gauntlets complete with claws had grabbed the Pharaoh by the wrist and stopped him. It was Chat Noir. Gasps filled the room.
"We cannot save the queen. It would be best if you prayed to the appropriate god. Isis falls under what you desire," Chat Noir stated. "We are protectors. We protect Memphis. Nothing more or less. And you will keep your hands off of the Lady Goddess."
Mazel was shocked at how bold Ammon was about this and watched with her mouth hung open. Tutankhamun ripped his hand free from Chat Noir. "How dare you!"
"No, how dare you! Ladybug had done nothing wrong. She protects your people from all dangers. She's risked her life time and time again to protect this city. And the moment there is something she cannot do, you turn against her. She deserves a lot more of your respect than that," he angrily told the Pharaoh.
"C-Chat, please," she begged. "We cannot blame him. He is scared of losing his wife. The person he holds most dear."
She sensed him calming down a little. He moved to her side. He placed an arm around her and drew her to him. She felt very embarrassed, having him do this in front of all the nobles in the city. "I understand how you feel Pharaoh Tutankhamun. I will protect the woman I love at all costs as well. But we can't help you."
She hoped this could calm the Pharaoh, but it didn't. He was glaring at them. "You will leave Memphis then. You are no longer welcome in my city. If you are seen, I will make sure that the guards keep an eye out. If you are seen, you will be arrested on sight. We don't need such disgraceful gods protecting us."
Mazel felt a sharp pain in her chest, but Ammon grasped her hand. "If that's how you feel, then you have just promised the deaths of every person in this room. Don't forget that we saved your life before. We won't be here to save your life or your sons. Not just your people."
"I said, get out," Tutankhamun stated.
Ammon said nothing further, and while still holding Mazel's hand, he turned to the balcony. He took Mazel with him. With an easy leap, they jumped down into the garden. Then, they were over the palace wall with a few more steps. They moved over a few roofs and then they dropped down into an alleyway. Ammon untransformed, and then Mazel followed. She frowned, and he seemed very angry.
"He's so stubborn! Just like my father," he stated in frustration. Mazel couldn't think of anything to say. Tikki quickly jumped in.
"You can't stop protecting the city! You have to stop Hawkmoth!"
"I have no intention of stopping protecting everyone," Mazel whispered.
Ammon seemed surprised by her words. "How can you even think of that? We're not immortal. The guards could still kill you."
Mazel shook her head. "He's upset because his wife is dying. He's desperate."
Ammon's expression softened. "How is it that I can both hate and love the same thing about you?"
Mazel had nothing to say to him. Though he lightly caressed her face. She turned her head away. She couldn't let him touch her like this. She was far too uncomfortable. She heard Tikki giggle at his open affections. "I'm still going to protect everyone."
She heard him sigh. "Well, I guess I have no choice. I'll have to come along and protect you then."
"Geez, you two are gross to listen too," Plagg gagged.
8 8 8
He could sense it. The pain that a young woman was in. He was drawn to it like a fly to honey. He was able to quickly descended upon the young woman who was crying by the Nile riverside. She was crying so hard, that she barely noticed him at first. When she did, she gasped and climbed to his feet.
"W-Who are you?!" she cried.
"I am a friend. Summoned here by your desperate cry for help," he answered.
"You can't help me," she sobbed. "The Gods have spoken."
He could sense the reason for her sadness like she was almost telling him herself. He smiled at her. "Your marriage to the man you love was rejected. You were unable to fall pregnant. The gods didn't give you their blessing…so your lover's father rejected the marriage."
"Y-yes!" she cried. "He is being set up with another! My parents are going to set me up with another."
"So you wish to have a child between the two of you," he expressed.
To his surprise, she shook her head. "He has also forsaken me. I just wish for this pain to leave. I don't want anyone else to feel such pain. I want everyone who wants to be together to have a blessing of the gods," she stated. "I don't want anyone else to suffer my fate."
He laughed. "How noble. I can grant that wish. I just need something from you in return."
"Something from me?"
"Yes. I had someone precious stolen from me. I'll give you all the power you want, but you must get me the stones that were stolen from me. Can you do that? It should be easy for you."
"Can you really grant me such power?" she gasped.
He reached his hand out to her. "Yes, I can. Shake on it, and you will have such power."
She didn't hesitate, and she reached for his hand and took it. He smiled at her. "Thank you, Goddess Tawaret."
A/N: That's it for this chapter. Until next time. I'm off for a month starting on the 12th so I will try and pump out more chapters then! See you all then!