Atem had to wonder if this was how commoners courted. Either way he openly enjoyed the 'chase'. Lotus was a true delight once she realized he really was trying to court her properly and not simply get under her tunic.
Then again she had put a very quick stop to that the second his hand wandered too far during a heavy make-out session, explaining that her people had a hand-fasting ceremony that would partially merge the magical cores of two people into a synergistic whole. This would enable both parties to use their partner's magic and cast greater spells at a much lower cost.
However there were specific requirements, and the most effective version required that the female remain chaste. There was no known records of what would happen if both parties refrained from having intimate relations, but the ritual firmly stated that at least one party had to be.
Atem was fascinated by such a concept, and agreed to hold off on such things until he was ready to make a more permanent commitment.
Or until Lotus cottoned on that his interest in her was not going to suddenly disappear as she seemed to believe.
The thing was, some of his advisers (namely Akhenaden) were pressuring him to find a woman to bear his children so that they could finally put the issue of an heir to rest.
He just didn't know how Lotus would take his offer of becoming his wife. Even with his limited knowledge of females, he knew convincing her would be an extremely delicate manner.
Someone had hurt her, badly.
If Atem ever found out who, they would be lucky if he merely put them through an extremely traumatic shadow game as punishment.
Which was why Atem was going to make a bold move and hope it didn't go badly for him. He really enjoyed spending time around Lotus, as her world-view was very refreshing without being a political disaster.
Atem sought the advice of the royal healers, who directed him to several local flowers that had useful healing properties in herbal remedies on top of looking rather attractive to females. From what he knew of Lotus, she would appreciate their beauty on top of their usefulness in her remedies.
Lotus' expression when she saw them made the effort of finding them worth it.
"These are lovely!" said Lotus with genuine pleasure.
Atem smiled, relieved his plan was working so far.
"I secured a private boat trip on the river for the next star shower. I was hoping you would join me," he said.
Private in that no one would bother them, but that there would be men to row the actual boat if things went badly. Lotus already knew he was nobility, but seemed unaware he was the Pharaoh. Or if she had guessed, she had made no mention of it.
Lotus perked up at the suggestion. What Atem didn't know was that she wasn't as clueless as he believed. She had subtly been shifting more and more of her responsibilities of her tavern to her most trusted assistant, who had recently started a family that would need a source of stable income.
Rather than force her to find another job once she started having children, Lotus was planning to simply shift ownership of the business to her and her husband as a wedding gift. Along with a sizable chunk of the past two month's revenue to help in the event of any unforeseen issues that would need a bit of extra money.
Coincidentally she had started these preparations around the same time she came to the conclusion she had actual feelings for the odd Atem and there was a possibility he might like her back. All their interactions certainly pointed that way, once she explained the issue to her female employees who were more than sympathetic and happy to clarify them for her. Thanks to them she could be reasonably assured that there was something more than simple lust between them.
The river cruise was peaceful, relatively quiet, and the view was spectacular. So you could imagine her surprise and delight when Atem pulled her close around sunset.
"I've put a lot of thought into this matter. Lotus, will you be my first wife?" he asked.
"Are you serious?" she asked him.
Atem stared her in the eye.
"While many women have presented themselves, mostly from noble families, none of them compare to you. You're the most interesting woman I've ever met, and you have a solid head on your shoulders. You're beautiful, powerful, and if I had to pick someone to take the position of my wife I would want it to be you," said Atem sincerely.
"You really think I'm beautiful?" said Lotus, stunned.
She found it hard to believe anyone could say that so easily. Especially after seeing that list which ranked her as the "least attractive female" of her age group. Daphne Greengrass held the top spot, and to find out that all four houses had come to an unspoken consensus to make that list had stung.
Atem smiled, and kissed her on the neck. It made her shiver.
"Your hair is like fire, your eyes are deeper than any emerald I've ever seen. You have a quiet confidence in you that most women lack, and the bearing of a proper queen. While you might be unfamiliar with politics, you draw people to you regardless with your stark honesty and loyalty," said Atem quietly.
She blushed.
Lotus seriously thought over her options. She had no idea how to get back home, and to be completely honest none of the males in her age group had ever interested her. Add in the fact that while dating was considerably more open in her time, it would be difficult to find a man (or woman) who would understand the trials she had gone under. And forget getting the much needed therapy required to deal with the host of issues she had. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that she had suffered extensive abuse and trauma from her childhood.
She turned to face him, and saw the expectant look on his face. The amount of love in his eyes told her everything she needed to know.
Which was she kissed him on the lips.
"Is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, I will become your first wife," she replied.
The sheer joy on his face made it worth it.
Lotus had to admit she was nervous. Who could blame her? She had gone from an abused child to a savior, to a time displaced witch. And now? Now she was about to become a literal Queen.
Atem had been greatly entertained by her reaction to learning that yes, the actual Pharaoh had been the one courting her and had just offered to make her his queen, as opposed to a concubine or a consort.
Considering most girls would have literally killed for such an offer, Lotus knew to count her blessings.
Her hair had been brushed with such care that it had gone from slightly frizzy to silky smooth. Hermione would have been greatly jealous at the sight of it. Her face had been painted with the best quality make-up available (though she had warned them against certain kinds due to the ingredients in them), to the point she barely recognized herself...the kohl around her eyes in particular made her eyes pop.
At least she didn't have to worry about the awkwardness of her glasses. Sneaking out to pay for proper eye surgery before her third year began with the threat of Sirius Black at the time had more than paid out. No one had even noticed she had switched out the cheap frames her aunt had paid for when her eyesight got worse for clear glass.
And the jewelry...she had never worn such pretty things before, and several bits of it were surprisingly heavy. She knew Egyptian royalty liked their gold, but there was a point when it became rather ridiculous.
Fortunately Mana had assured her that she could remove most of it once the celebrations were over...even she could agree that the amount of decoration was rather excessive, but considering she was Atem's first wife it was expected for her to look as lavish as possible.
She found it somewhat amusing that her husband's natural coloring made him a natural Gryffindor, even before you got into his personality.
The hand-fasting ceremony was done in a quiet session, with Mahaad and Mana as witness. Mostly because they had never seen such a thing and found the entire concept rather fascinating.
You could feel the magical cores of Atem and Lotus being bound together into a new whole, allowing both of them to access the other's magic.
However there were some unforeseen side effects. Namely the fact Atem previously only used shadow magic, which was decidedly more difficult than regular magic, whereas Lotus had no access to the realm of shadows. To be fair, she had been unaware of it's existence.
Mahaad was openly stunned by the deep well of shadow magic Lotus now possessed. It was even stronger than the pharaoh himself, which was even more shocking.
It was a good thing Lotus had previous experience training people to use magic, and that Atem was such a fast learner. Otherwise the magical accidents he kept having their first month together as lovers could have gotten extremely awkward. It took that long for his core to settle.
Atem was eagerly watching his wife practice her magic. He found it endlessly fascinating, as it was far easier to use and much more forgiving than his own shadow magic. To be fair, Mahaad had far less training in how to use magic without rituals than Avatre did.
Lotus had accepted the new name as her own, mostly because it sounded more 'royal' and meant that it would be much harder to trick her into any magical contracts later against her husband.
From what little she told him of the matter, she had some rather bad luck with such things when a false instructor tricked her into a magical tournament of some sort that had her facing an actual nesting mother dragon for a fake egg and got a friend of hers killed in the process. Worse, no one would believe her when she claimed she had not entered her name into the competition.
Avatre was going to attempt her spirit animal transformation. While it wasn't a common skill, it was an ability that would show exactly how serious one took their studies into magic. Not to mention it was a big advantage because of how difficult the transformation was.
So far she had most of the steps down, but there had always been some sort of block that kept her from pulling it off. That block had disappeared after the hand-fasting and their first night together.
Atem watched with rapt attention as his wife gathered her internal magic...and to his surprise, a good chunk of the shadows engulfed her as well. It seemed to wrap around her as softly as a lover's caress, and she glowed from an internal light...like a beacon in the darkness.
Magic pooled around her and covered her...and great wings of crimson appeared from her back. They seemed to be wreathed in fire, and his mouth went dry at the ethereal sight of it.
A great cry erupted from her throat, just as hauntingly beautiful as the sight before him. He watched in stunned amazement as his wife was engulfed in fire...only for it to disperse with an even more triumphant cry of delight.
In her place was the most majestic and beautiful phoenix he had ever seen in his life. It was easily bigger than any bird he had ever seen, and held all the grace of a queen. It crooned when it saw him, and he found it surprisingly light as he easily held her on his wrist.
Avatre nuzzled her husband in her bird form, before settling onto his shoulder.
"You have got to teach me how you did that," said Atem eagerly. Anyone doubting his choice of queen, despite her unknown origins, would surely silence when they saw this!
Avatre crooned in amused agreement. She made a questioning sound, and for some reason Atem understood her.
"You want to fly?" he asked.
Avatre nodded, before an impish gleam came into her eyes.
Atem found himself squawking in alarm for several seconds when she grasped him firmly in her claws and took off. Mostly because he found himself suddenly skyward with only his wife to keep him aloft.
Once he got over the initial shock and realized she wasn't going to drop him, he enjoyed the view. He was sure it would give everyone in the palace a heart attack if they saw it. Especially his worry-wart advisers.
Avatre seemed to be of the same opinion, because she let out a trilling sound that sounded distinctly like laughter. Atem could hear the panicked alarm in the voices of his men, particularly the grumpy Set as she flew them back to the palace.
The expressions on their faces had Atem doubling over cackling, more so when Avatre turned back with dark glee.
Set was not amused, and Mahaad was already scolding the pair for the prank. Mana, however was cackling...in between begging Avatre for lessons on how to turn into her own spirit animal.
Considering she did have the magical power for it, Avatre had no problems with sharing lessons with her and Mahaad. It was more of an exchange of equals, since she was rather unfamiliar with the local spells.