As they made their way towards the famous river, Dexter stayed quiet for the most part. He seemed to be content with simply sitting on Ahkmenrah's shoulder for a while, which was good because the young pharaoh's mind was reeling. They'd been out of the temple for some time now, but he was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened.
I almost fell, he thought once again. I didn't make that jump. I very nearly died, and yet I am here. And that's not even the craziest part. He looked at his brother, who was once again isolating himself from the others. I am not even sure why I called out to you. I didn't think you would do anything, or maybe not even hear. But then you...you actually put yourself in more danger in order to save me.
I don't understand.
How strange it is that I have known you all of my life, yet at times it feels as if I don't know you at all. You hate me! You have for years. I assumed the throne thousands of years ago, yet to you it is as if it was yesterday. You've barely spoken to me this entire trip, which has been the first time you've done so ever since Father decided I would rule Egypt. You've insulted me as well as my friends, and act as if the Underworld would be preferable than being within one hundred feet of me.
Yet you helped me? It simply makes no sense. You've always been one step ahead, haven't you? Always something up your sleeve...if you had sleeves, that is.
For Mother. You must've done it because you knew how sad she would be if something happened to one of us. That's it. He straightened, trying to convince himself that was the end of it. Yet something was still nagging in the back of his mind like a fly that kept buzzing around his head. There was something in his expression, something in his eyes when he'd been trying to grab his hand. Could it be that...no. No. You are not doing that again. You thought that things could change after Mother passed and it was just us two. That maybe since we were all we had, we could come together. And then he left you. That was the end of it, Ahkmenrah, he chided himself. He did it for Mother. Nothing more. You are going to calm your mind, find Zalaam, trap him, and then go home. You will go your separate ways and that's it. Think no more of it now.
Thankfully, he didn't have to once his mother shouted out, "I see it! Oh, it's just as I recalled."
Snapping out of his thoughts, he saw the Nile approaching. The water glistened in the moonlight, calm and serene. A few stray trees and patches of green stood out in the sand. I never noticed how beautiful it really is. It's like something out of a...a, um, what are those things called? A photograph! That's the word I was looking for! I suppose you don't really know what you have until you die for thousands of years, live in a museum, then nearly die again because your Tablet needs moonlight. No, wait...I've nearly died twice now.
Goodness, Teddy is right, I am in danger quite often.
He saw the group sit down under a tree and followed suit. Dexter got off his shoulder and sat in the sand. Larry took his backpack off and set it in front of him. "You are not going to," Ahkmenrah had to pause to think of the phrase. "'Look up' where the black sand is?"
"Actually, while I was waiting for the plane to get here, the news was on and they were talking about it again. I wrote it down and stuffed it in here somewhere. Which is good, because I actually don't get any service out here."
Ahkmenrah moved a bit closer to him, confused. "But you were able to use a map?"
"Yeah, that still works, Google doesn't, though."
"Oh." I'm so glad we didn't have this when I was growing up. It sounds very complex.
He watched Larry start to fish around in the bag. "A'right it's in here...somewhere...okay, yeah, I'm just gonna dump this out. Let's see, Tablet that Dexter isn't going to touch-" he paused to glare at the capuchin, "-granola bar wrappers, more garbage...oh, great, snake crap. That's helpful." He moved the pile of objects around. "Aha!...No, this is an old shopping list. When was I buying kale?"
"Lawrence," Teddy said.
"Right, sorry. Don't worry, I'll find it."
Sensing this would take some time, Ahkmenrah looked up at the sky. Thousands of glowing stars lit up the dark night. The sight gave him a sense of relaxation. His body lost its tension and he exhaled as if he was holding his breath for hours. Larry was right, we did need a moment to calm ourselves. At least I did. He took his sandals off and allowed the soft, cool sand to get between his toes. Egypt may have changed quite a lot since my reign, but it still feels like home.
Gazing at the night sky, he started to look for any constellations or familiar stars. Ahkmenrah tried his hardest to relax and occupy his mind, but somehow, the temple still crept into his thoughts. Though he told himself not to, his eyes flickered down towards the Nile's shore. Kahmunrah was sitting back on his hands, his legs crossed in front of him. Just look at the stars, he told himself. Everything is quiet. Just don't...Anubis, help me, for I am a fool who apparently wants to be drowned in the Nile. But I have to know!
He rose to his feet and began to walk down to the shore. I really do get myself into trouble a lot. I'm crazy for doing this. What am I doing? He's barely spoken to me! He hates me!...So why did he help me?! Before he was ready, he was standing a few steps away from his brother. Turn around now before he notices you. But his feet seemed to be stuck in the sand. He cleared his throat and - against his better judgment - spoke up. "May I join you?"
Kahmunrah didn't turn around, only shifted a bit. The moment drew out like a blade. I should just go back, Ahkmenrah thought. This was a bad idea.
"I am not going to stop you," his brother finally stated.
That...almost sounded like an invitation. ...Is this a trick? He's got something up his non-existent sleeves again, hasn't he?
"Either sit or go somewhere else," Kahmunrah told him, his tone sharpening. "I cannot enjoy the river with your eyes boring into my back."
As if on autopilot, he walked forwards and sat next to him, while still maintaining a good amount of distance. Mimicking Kahmunrah's position, he looked back at the river. He actually seems to be in a good mood. ...Maybe the temple isn't that important. Bringing it up might upset him. We could just sit here and enjoy the river.
A few minutes passed and Ahkmenrah relaxed again. The Nile is so peaceful. It's so quiet at night. When we came here before it was always so busy. Children swimming, fisherman...well, fishing, boats always making waves in the-
His train of thought derailed as Kahmunrah snorted. He chanced a look at him and saw his brother was looking at his bare feet before turning away once again. Well that was...odd. Why did he just...well, it's probably nothing.
"Never did grow out of that, did you?"
Ahkmenrah's eyes widened as he looked back at Kahmunrah. He was still looking at the water. Did- did I imagine that? I thought he just spoke to me. I thought he really just initiated a conversation with me.
His brother's dark brown eyes met his and Ahkmenrah suddenly felt like a gazelle sitting before a lion. He gestured back to Ahkmenrah's feet. "Your shoes," he said with a touch of annoyance in his voice. "You always used to leave them lying around. Clearly, you never kicked the habit."
"...Oh. Um, yes, it would seem so." What is going on right now? Am I hallucinating? Should I say something else? Is that pushing it? This is so unfamiliar. It shouldn't be so hard to do this, but he swore he wasn't speaking to me again. You could argue that before, it was just out of necessity, but now he's just...doing it! Especially after the fight we had yesterday, and when I...oh. He shifted a bit as it occurred to him that there was something he should say. "I, um," He hesitated, testing to see if Kahmunrah would snap at him. But he merely looked at him again with an unreadable expression. "I feel I should apologize for hitting you yesterday."
"Calling that a 'hit' is an egregious exaggeration," Kahmunrah countered. "I barely felt it...Don't do it again," he added.
Ahkmenrah brought his hand up to his mouth to conceal his small grin. A splash in the distance drew his attention and he caught a glimpse of a large fish landing back in the water. Feeling some of the ice melt between them, he decided to speak a bit more freely. "Mother is right, there are a lot of memories here." Kahmunrah grumbled in agreement. The young Egyptian moved the sand under his feet, wondering if that would be the end of the conversation he'd been savoring. A minute or so went by. The moment seemed to have passed.
Kahmunrah pointed to the water and Ahkmenrah waited to see what he was going to say. "We used to ride boats down here. While Mother and Father were working."
Ahkmenrah couldn't keep his eyes from widening. He was so surprised that his brother remembered that, remembered good things about their relationship. "Yes, yes, we did. We used to race them."
"Right, that was it." He got a smug look and glanced at him once again. "I always won."
"That you did." This time he didn't hide the smile. "It's strange to think that was centuries ago. It certainly doesn't feel that long."
"I don't agree with these changes in Egypt. The temples are almost gone, the palaces abandoned, it's nothing like when we left it."
"As if the kingdom never existed."
The moment hung in the air again. The breeze rustled a patch of papyrus weeds nearby. "Change can be good sometimes, however," Ahkmenrah said.
"It can, I suppose. At the same time, some things never change."
That got his attention. He looked over to his brother, whose dark eyes were still on the water. "The pyramids are still here, at least the larger ones," Kahmunrah continued. "The Nile hasn't dried up...and you still leave your sandals everywhere."
A bit of laughter escaped Ahkmenrah. "At least I didn't misplace them."
"Not this time you didn't."
The smile on the younger man's face was broad now, recalling all the times he'd had to tell his Mother he couldn't find his shoes. Out of the blue, he recalled the temple again and wondered if it would be too much to ask Kahmunrah about it. He's in a good mood, that is clear. But that could ruin it. Do I want to risk it? For the first time in what feels like forever, we're not arguing or at each other's throats. I don't want anything to spoil-
"I found it!" Larry's voice called out. "I found the freakin' paper!"
Maybe it's another grocery list.
"Well done, Lawrence!" Teddy cheered, loudly. Ahkmenrah's grin turned to a small frown. He heard them mumbling and knew that time was now up. They had to keep going and this moment had to end.
"Boys, we've got to go!" The Queen called. "Mr. Daley says that we can make it to the black sand well before the sun comes up!"
Reluctantly, he rose to his feet. Kahmunrah was already walking back to the rest of the group. The chance had slipped through Ahkmenrah's fingers. And yet…"Kahmunrah!" he called out. His older brother looked over his shoulder, his hair rattling against him. Ahkmenrah opened his mouth but now that he'd done it, the words wouldn't come. It struck him that there was something much more important he should tell him. "...Thank you."
For a moment, Kahmunrah looked a bit surprised. It was clear he understood what he was being thanked for. Ahkmenrah saw a brightness come to his eyes for just a second before fading. "Don't mention it," he told him, simply. After a moment, he added, "Ever."
With that, they joined the group. Kahmunrah kept his distance once again. The moment was officially over, yet it continued to replay in Ahkmenrah's mind. I know I should not focus so much on it, he thought. It's not like anything will come of it. He will act as if it never happened, and when this is over, he'll return to the Smithsonian. Everything will return to the way it was.
But it is nice to have another good memory by the Nile.
A/N: We are getting ever closer to the black sand! This part was so sweet to write. What do you guys think? Ready for some action? Thank you for the comments, favs, and follows!