Chapter 37: In the Arena

A smaller man – approximately as tall as a dining room chair – stood poised in a side box within the vast arena. He shouted, "Citizens of Egypt! Welcome to the preliminaries of the 258th annual chariot racing competition. First round: Adofo 'The Warrior', Halima 'The Gentle Giant', Hapi 'God of the Nile', Lisimba 'The Lion', Rameses, 'Prince of Egypt', and Moses 'Prince of Egypt!' As usual, for the preliminary rounds, there will be ten laps! The first three competitors who cross the finish line will move on to the quarter finals. After the race, the second round of preliminaries will commence. Good luck! Now, a message from the Pharaoh!"

The small man then gawked at the Pharaoh. The King was dressed in his traditional blue and gold robes, and he was sporting the Nemes crown. Pharaoh Seti stared upon the immense crowd gathered in the Arena; as per usual, it was a full crowd today.

As much as the Pharaoh wanted to see his sons compete in something that they thoroughly enjoyed, truthfully, he did not want to be there; but he was there…for his sons, his daughter, his wife, and for all of Egypt who relished in tradition; but not he. Ignoring his silly thoughts, the Pharaoh then scanned the arena below him, and stood up. With his crook raised above his head, he said:

"Good luck, riders. Let the competition begin!"

The crowd then cheered hysterically.

The Pharaoh sat back in his chair and leaned backwards. To his right was his overly excited daughter, leaning over the railing and drooling from her mouth. The ten-year-old admired horses, just like her own mother. Khepri wanted her own horse, but the Pharaoh still thought her too young. The girl was allowed to ride under supervision; and because Khepri was a female, she was forbidden to race, but it didn't stop her from watching and cheering for her favourite rider. The little girl was wearing adorable pink robes; the dress' sleeves were absent, but extra material hung from her shoulder blades. She wore her crown, and her wig fell past her tiny chest.

Khepri glanced at her father, "Look father, the horses! They're beautiful!" Then, she turned back, and shrieked over the railing. "LET'S GO MOSES! LET'S GO RAMESES! YOU CAN KICK THEIR BUTTS. THEY'RE WEAK RODENTS! THEY'VE HAD TERRIBLE STATS ALL SEASON!"

The Pharaoh chuckled under his breath. He then turned to his wife sitting beside him. Like Seti, she was also dressed in blue and gold robes. She accessorized her look with her golden-colored wristbands and shoes. Her eyeliner was more profound, and her lips were plumper thanks to her new purple lip paper. She wore her large wig as per usual, but the golden crown that she wore was bigger, and it resembled the bird god; Horus. She looked at her husband with gentle, yet seductive eyes.

Seti reached out a hand; his wife accepted the gesture by lightly placing hers in his. The Pharaoh turned back to look at the tumult on the track whilst massaging the Queen's fingers. Tuya said, "Do you even want to be here, Pharaoh?"

Seti lied, "Of course I do. What kind of question is that?"

She smiled. She didn't believe him. "How's your arm? And the rest of your injuries?"

Seti couldn't lie on this one. He gawked at his sleeveless arm and observed the dressings; they would have to be changed soon. "It still hurts. I'll have to get a healer to change them when we get back to the palace."

Tuya replied, "Senator Kai isn't here. Is he at the arena at all?" There was a hint of displeasure in her voice. "Whatever. He should really be here. Both Moses and Rameses look up to the man."

Seti answered, "He didn't show up for work. I'm not surprised."

Tuya's ears perked. "What? Is he crazy? The Senator has to be here. This is one of the biggest events of the whole year!"

"Him and I had a little spat last night."

Tuya's face slipped from a smile to a look of concern. "Why, what happened?"

"Don't worry about it, Tuya. He just needs some time to cool down. And if he is at the arena, he may be floating with General Maximus." The man exhaled, "Now, enough of this, the races are about to start. Our boys are going to win this. They train everyday. They'll be an embarrassment to Egypt if they don't win."

Tuya had to laugh at that statement.

On the track, the stallions, along with their racers were set in their positions; there were two horses pulling each man. Every horse was dressed in the finest Egyptian racing accessories. Moses' horses wore red, and Rameses' horses wore blue; the remaining riders wore green, yellow, orange, and purple. The racers were wearing various armors, and the princes also bore their crowns.

Moses chirped at Rameses beside him, "Hey Rameses! Are you ready to watch me cross the finish line first?"

Rameses responded, "First? I was going to relish in watching you cross the finish line dead last!"

Suddenly, a familiar BANG was heard, and the racers flew, beginning to fight for victory…except for Rameses and Moses, who were talking trash to one another. They coughed as red dust surrounded their body.

Khepri screamed at the top of her lungs, "GO, YOU IDIOTS!"

Seti rubbed his temples. He mumbled, "Idiot, sons."

Realizing what had just happened, the two royal boys quickly whipped their reins, yelling uncontrollably in order to get the animals to gallop.

During lap number one, the princes were attempting to play catch up, but remained far behind the pack; there was still some unfinished chit chat between the boys, but eventually, they were able to quicken the pace. Amidst lap number two, Moses could see that the other racers were beginning to get into some scuffles. Eventually, a fierce bump caused the rider in green to violently scrape against the nearest stone wall. As a result, both his horses and chariot flipped, ejecting him from the contraption that was 'firmly' holding him in place. A large plume of dust clouded the area. Moses and Rameses flew out of the dirt-cloud, coughing.

As the Pharaoh carefully watched the third lap commence, an uninvited body appeared between Seti's and Tuya's shoulders. It was Senator Kai, confident in his sapphire-blue formal attire. He whispered, "Pharaoh…Pharaoh. We need to talk."

Seti looked over his shoulder. He said to the senator, "Senator, you decided to show after all. Still mad at me?"

Senator Kai waved a hand. "Forget about that, Pharaoh. We have a problem."

In lap number three, Moses and Rameses pushed their horses to their nearest extent; although the boys were now huddled with the pack, they were still sitting at the tail end. This continued all throughout lap number four.

Scowling, the Pharaoh said, "What kind of problem, Senator?"

Senator Kai witnessed the princess watching the race. He said in a lone tone of voice, hoping that she wouldn't hear, "Just before dinner, I caught wind of some talk, that someone will be attempting to assassinate you at this event. I brought armed guards with me."

Kai's statement quickly caught Tuya's attention. "What?"

The Senator directed his attention to Tuya and assured the woman, "It's alright, Queen Tuya. We will be taking care of your family today. What I heard was just talk, but I want to be fully prepared, in case these rumors are true."

Tuya said, slightly agitated, "But our boys are down there."-

"If anyone is planning to assassinate the royal family today, they'll be targeting the Pharaoh. They won't go after you or your family. Now, pretend that we never had this discussion. What lap are we on?"

Seti answered, "Four."

Upon return to the race track, Moses and Rameses found themselves a good pace. They were also playfully shoving each other. It wasn't long before they were passing the finish line, entering into lap number five. During the fifth lap, it was obvious that the horses were beginning to tire, but Rameses was aggressively keen on being the leader of the pack, so he decided to pass the yellow racer by squeezing through the small gap in the left side wall. Once he passed the racer, he quickly cut him off, instantly spooking the opponent's horses. The animals sharply whinnied and immediately slowed down; all hope was lost for the yellow racer. Rameses periodically glanced over his shoulder. He said, "And then there were four."

Tuya was now a little less relaxed after hearing the rumors. She constantly worried that her kids may be involved in this potential attack. She was also concerned about her husband's well-being too; she wanted him to live. She prayed to Ra that these were just rumors; that everything was just a sick joke. Seti glanced at his Tuya, noticing her tense face.

Seti reassured, "It's going to be okay, honey. It's not the first time that someone has attempted to kill me. It comes with the job. Now, let's not speak of this anymore. I don't want to upset our daughter."

Lap number six flew like wildfire, and lap number seven was not much different; but, by lap number eight, Moses was now in first place with Rameses closely trailing behind him; the other racers were gradually falling behind. Riders Orange and Purple were now more aggressive towards one another; after all, only three competitors could qualify for the next round. Finally, during lap number nine, the purple rider's horses tripped over the wheels of Moses' chariot; they rolled several times before smacking into a wall. It took a moment or two for Moses to stabilize himself, but in the end, he managed to stay on his toes.

Everyone above was intently watching the race now, to see who would place in a particular position. Aside from Khepri's cheering, it was rather quiet where the Pharaoh sat. Tuya was now biting at her nails. The senator took a few steps back to give the royal couple some room. Behind the Senator, stood a few soldiers, adamant on guarding the premises to the best of their abilities; they wanted to keep the Pharaoh alive. Each soldier held a sharp spear. Senator Kai took a moment to scan the guards and noticed that one was slightly disturbed; but he simply shrugged what he saw off of his shoulder and continued to watch the race.

Suddenly, the soldier raised his spear and cried:

"AHHHH!"-

The shouting immediately caught the senator's attention. He looked, and saw that same soldier now charging his spear at the Pharaoh's back. Without thinking, Senator Kai hurriedly jumped between the weapon of destruction and the Pharaoh. He shouted, "NO-AH!"

The spear impaled the senator. It ran through his stomach, before quickly being pulled out.

Hearing the commotion behind them, Tuya, Seti and Khepri twisted their bodies only to witness a horror show; everything had occurred so fast. At first, they weren't sure what happened, but after seeing a soldier being pinned to the ground by other armed guards, a used spear, and Senator Kai crumpled on the ground, they were able to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Tuya screamed, "Oh my Ra, Kai!" She hurried around her chair and hurried to the injured man.

Furious, Seti quickly rose from his own seat and ran towards the immobile soldier.

He spat, "You traitor! You are a traitor to the empire! Why?!"

The soldier said, "We needed a new king. The people want Rameses now."

The Pharaoh huffed, "Is it just you involved in this mess?"

The soldier nodded. "Just me."

The Pharaoh snarled. He looked at another guard, and ordered, "Behead him! And feed him to the dogs!"

The soldiers listened to the Pharaoh's orders. The traitor was quickly dragged out of the scene and killed.

Seti wiped his nose with his wrist before turning around. In front of him was his Tuya, holding an incapacitated senator. She was rocking him back and forth as she applied pressure to his large wound; he'd been stabbed in the stomach. From chin to knees, the two individuals were covered in blood, and more blood was quickly pooling under their feet. As Seti drew closer to the two beings, he noticed Khepri alongside them. Presently, she was staring at something extremely foreign to her innocent eyes. Seti stopped in front of his daughter and said, "Khepri, get me a healer, now!"

The girl didn't hesitate to follow her father's orders.

Seti then knelt beside the Senator. He observed the wound on the younger man's stomach; it was gurgling profusely. He watched Tuya's pitiful attempt to stop the bleeding with her smaller hand, but the blood just continued to bubble between her thin fingers. Seti decided to help her by ripping off a part of his robe, and roughly placing it onto the wound. He applied more pressure, hoping that the bleeding would now settle. The Pharaoh then looked at Senator Kai's face. The man's eyes were as wide as saucers. He was also staring into Tuya's eyes, and he was slightly shaking.

Seti said, "Senator, Senator Kai, can you hear me?" He jerked the injured man's shoulder. "Come on, kid, listen to me. Hear me."

Tuya continued to rock Kai. She cried hysterically, "Seti, he's not responding! Oh, my Ra! What are we going to do?!"

Seti scanned the bloody scene one last time, and finally came to the conclusion that there was no hope for the senator; a healer would be useless in this situation. He shook the man again. He said, "Kai, Kai!"

Suddenly, the senator blinked, and his eyelids drooped. He directed his limited attention to the Pharaoh. "Pharaoh, you're…okay. I…wus…f'raid that the…spear cot you too."

Seti shook his head. "No, it didn't. You saved my life, Kai. Thank you."

The Senator said, "I'm gonna die…aren't I?-

Tuya responded, "NO! No, you're not going to die. We're getting a healer. He will be here any moment."-

Kai slightly shook his head. "It's o'r for m…."

Tuya looked at Seti with terrible eyes. Her husband said to her, "It's over. It's too late."

Tuya cried harder. Kai said, "Phro…I…have sum last requests."

Seti answered, "They shall be fulfilled."

"Tell m'wife…I love er."

Tuya said, "I'll tell her, Kai. I'll tell her."

"M'wife is…sick…without…m…she can…not take care…of our cats…Menhit…an…Sekhmet. Can…they stay wit you?"

Seti was attempting to suppress the sadness inside of him, but he was sure it was showing. "Yeah, I'll take care of Menhit and Sekhmet. They'll like our place a lot more than your crummy, small old space. I'm sure the children will take a liking to them."

"Mhmm…"

The race had just finished. Moses and Rameses were disappointed in themselves and were also frustrated at one another. Rameses hissed, "If you hadn't been clowning around, I wouldn't have gotten in second place."

Moses retorted, "Yeah, well if your horses were as strong as you claim them to be, I wouldn't have been in third."

Rameses added, "I wonder what father is going to think? He's probably embarrassed, ashamed to have produced such failures."

"Huh…that's weird."

"What, Moses?"

"Mother and father aren't even there watching. Where are they?"

Senator Kai moaned. His face contorted as a wave of brute pain ran through the entirety of his body. "Ah!"

Tuya comforted the dying man, "It's okay Kai. I've got you. I've got you."

Kai said, "I wan m'wife to b…taken car…e…of…by…er sister. She will be n' good…h…hands."

The Pharaoh answered, "She will be in good hand, Senator."

Then, the senator said, "Thank you…Ph…Seti…for…evry' thing…I'm honred…to…have been…workin…for…ya."

"I chose you for a reason, Kai." Then, a lone tear escaped the Pharaoh's left eye. His voice quivered, "You're the little brother that I never had. I remember the day when you first walked into my office. You were such a twerp. I'm going to really miss you, Kai."

After, Kai directed his attention to Tuya. "It's okay, Tuya. I'm going…t'be okay…but…it still doesn…stop…m'…from bein scared. There's this…song…that ye…sang to Rameses when he was a babe…he fell asleep…every time. Can you sing…it…t'me." He smiled. "Please?"

"Mhmm." the tears continued to flow down the Queen's beautiful face. "Yeah, I'll sing it." She then softly sang whilst stroking the man's hair:

Close your eyes, and hear my voice

You'll slumber in a mother's arms

Fly to the stars, or swim in the sea

You'll get lost in the dream world.

Then, Senator Kai closed his eyes. He went limp and passed into the next world.

Chapter 38 is coming soon...