The Arrogance of Love
* Chapter VI: Of Treachery and Suspicion *
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: The MA chars aren't mine, sadly. Otherwise, they'd
be on the air still. This fic is set in Ancient Egypt prior to
the birth of Rapses, and it is a SLASH story. That means two
characters- Rath and Scarab- are soon to be more than friends.
Don't like it, don't read it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rath rose quietly from Scarab's bed as the first of Ra's light
peeked over the horizon. As he had become accustomed to over the
last two years he'd been Scarab's lover, he slipped on a pair of
soft papyrus sandals and made his way through the corridors to
the guardians' quarters outside the rooms of Prince Rapses.
His room was nearest the inner sanctum of the royal chambers,
and he moved with the silence of a serpent through the quarters
of each of his fellow guardians in turn. Outermost was the room
of the warrior, Armon, who lay as if unconcious several feet
from his papyrus bed- no doubt tired from another late night
tryst with one of the many serving girls who flocked around him.
Next was the room of the charioteer, Nefer, who looked as wary in
sleep as he did in waking. As usual, there was no sign that he'd
brought any companions to his bed. Rath had his suspicions as to
the reasons for this absence of companions, for certainly the
charioteer was quite attractive- almost too attractive, too
feminine, to make a convincing young man. Not that Rath would
ever breath a word of this to anyone, at least, not until he
needed to discredit the charioteer. After all, there was power in
such a secret.
Last Rath passed through the room of the leader of the guardians,
the hunter Ja-kal. He stopped to admire the man's sleeping form in
the same awe as one would regard any work of art. Then he left the
room with the same silence as he had entered, leaving to catch a
few more moments rest, and to dream about a hunter with a gaze of
piercing azure.
Rath did not notice Ja-kal's eyes open as he watched his friend
depart in concern.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, at the meal of daybreak, the guardians and other
high officials of the household took their customary breakfast in
the dining hall. Ja-kal and Rath sat next to eachother, making
small talk, but Ja-kal noticed that Rath's attention always seemed
to be drifting. Following Rath's gaze, he grimaced as his eyes met
those of the Lord Vizier, Scarab. "I don't trust him." He muttered
almost unconciously.
"Don't trust who?" Rath queried, his attention drawn back to Ja-kal.
"Lord Scarab," Ja-kal confided in a hushed voice. "The control he
has over our great Pharoah... it can't be natural. I fear he has
his own designs against the throne."
Rath turned pale, suddenly intent on the study of his plate of barely
touched food.
Ja-kal raised one eyebrow at his friend's reaction. Still he pressed
on, "You were his apprentice for a time, were you not? Did you notice
anything... unsavory?"
Rath almost choked on his food at Ja-kal's choice of words, "Of course
not!" He snapped as he rose to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me,
I have work to do." He left the hall with as much dignity as he could
muster.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rath emerged into the corridors and leaned against one of the lotus
pillars, looking up at the painted ceiling and trying to recollect
himself. If Scarab found out that Ja-kal was suspicious of him, he'd
want Ja-kal... disposed of. Were it anyone else, Rath would be happy
to give a few suggestions for how. A simple hunting accident was the
most obvious, of course, but there were always other, more exciting,
possibilities.
But Ja-kal was his leader... more than that, Ja-kal was his *friend.*
He couldn't stand by and let Scarab have Ja-kal eliminated. If he
could just convince Ja-kal to stay quiet, maybe Scarab wouldn't notice.
Maybe. It was still a better shot than doing nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ja-kal silently exited the dining hall, and walked up to Rath,
placing a hand on his arm. "You all right? You behaved a little
oddly in there."
Rath forced a smile. "It's nothing, really. Just... some of what you
said..."
"About Scarab?" Ja-kal asked quietly.
"Yes, that." Rath waved his hand nervously. "I wouldn't worry about
it. The pharoah has everything under control."
"Unless Scarab has him under..."
"Ja-kal, don't!" Rath's eyes flashed with anger. "Don't. Pursue. This."
Ja-kal's eyes narrowed. "Why are you protecting him?"
Rath stuttered, "I'm not *protecting* him..."
"Are you conspiring against the pharoah?" The words came out quickly
and harshly, and Rath took a step back into the pillar, shocked by
Ja-kal's bluntness.
Recovering quickly, Rath replied with the smoothness of a courtier,
"Really Ja-kal, how could you suspect me of anything other than the
deepest loyalty to our great pharoah? You of all people should know
me better than this."
Ja-kal regarded him coldly. "I thought I did. Now I'm not so sure."
He walked away, leaving a weak kneed Rath to bury his head against the
pillar, shaking with supressed emotions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued...
Please Review! Give me motivation to write the next part...!
* Chapter VI: Of Treachery and Suspicion *
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Disclaimer: The MA chars aren't mine, sadly. Otherwise, they'd
be on the air still. This fic is set in Ancient Egypt prior to
the birth of Rapses, and it is a SLASH story. That means two
characters- Rath and Scarab- are soon to be more than friends.
Don't like it, don't read it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rath rose quietly from Scarab's bed as the first of Ra's light
peeked over the horizon. As he had become accustomed to over the
last two years he'd been Scarab's lover, he slipped on a pair of
soft papyrus sandals and made his way through the corridors to
the guardians' quarters outside the rooms of Prince Rapses.
His room was nearest the inner sanctum of the royal chambers,
and he moved with the silence of a serpent through the quarters
of each of his fellow guardians in turn. Outermost was the room
of the warrior, Armon, who lay as if unconcious several feet
from his papyrus bed- no doubt tired from another late night
tryst with one of the many serving girls who flocked around him.
Next was the room of the charioteer, Nefer, who looked as wary in
sleep as he did in waking. As usual, there was no sign that he'd
brought any companions to his bed. Rath had his suspicions as to
the reasons for this absence of companions, for certainly the
charioteer was quite attractive- almost too attractive, too
feminine, to make a convincing young man. Not that Rath would
ever breath a word of this to anyone, at least, not until he
needed to discredit the charioteer. After all, there was power in
such a secret.
Last Rath passed through the room of the leader of the guardians,
the hunter Ja-kal. He stopped to admire the man's sleeping form in
the same awe as one would regard any work of art. Then he left the
room with the same silence as he had entered, leaving to catch a
few more moments rest, and to dream about a hunter with a gaze of
piercing azure.
Rath did not notice Ja-kal's eyes open as he watched his friend
depart in concern.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next morning, at the meal of daybreak, the guardians and other
high officials of the household took their customary breakfast in
the dining hall. Ja-kal and Rath sat next to eachother, making
small talk, but Ja-kal noticed that Rath's attention always seemed
to be drifting. Following Rath's gaze, he grimaced as his eyes met
those of the Lord Vizier, Scarab. "I don't trust him." He muttered
almost unconciously.
"Don't trust who?" Rath queried, his attention drawn back to Ja-kal.
"Lord Scarab," Ja-kal confided in a hushed voice. "The control he
has over our great Pharoah... it can't be natural. I fear he has
his own designs against the throne."
Rath turned pale, suddenly intent on the study of his plate of barely
touched food.
Ja-kal raised one eyebrow at his friend's reaction. Still he pressed
on, "You were his apprentice for a time, were you not? Did you notice
anything... unsavory?"
Rath almost choked on his food at Ja-kal's choice of words, "Of course
not!" He snapped as he rose to his feet. "Now, if you'll excuse me,
I have work to do." He left the hall with as much dignity as he could
muster.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rath emerged into the corridors and leaned against one of the lotus
pillars, looking up at the painted ceiling and trying to recollect
himself. If Scarab found out that Ja-kal was suspicious of him, he'd
want Ja-kal... disposed of. Were it anyone else, Rath would be happy
to give a few suggestions for how. A simple hunting accident was the
most obvious, of course, but there were always other, more exciting,
possibilities.
But Ja-kal was his leader... more than that, Ja-kal was his *friend.*
He couldn't stand by and let Scarab have Ja-kal eliminated. If he
could just convince Ja-kal to stay quiet, maybe Scarab wouldn't notice.
Maybe. It was still a better shot than doing nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ja-kal silently exited the dining hall, and walked up to Rath,
placing a hand on his arm. "You all right? You behaved a little
oddly in there."
Rath forced a smile. "It's nothing, really. Just... some of what you
said..."
"About Scarab?" Ja-kal asked quietly.
"Yes, that." Rath waved his hand nervously. "I wouldn't worry about
it. The pharoah has everything under control."
"Unless Scarab has him under..."
"Ja-kal, don't!" Rath's eyes flashed with anger. "Don't. Pursue. This."
Ja-kal's eyes narrowed. "Why are you protecting him?"
Rath stuttered, "I'm not *protecting* him..."
"Are you conspiring against the pharoah?" The words came out quickly
and harshly, and Rath took a step back into the pillar, shocked by
Ja-kal's bluntness.
Recovering quickly, Rath replied with the smoothness of a courtier,
"Really Ja-kal, how could you suspect me of anything other than the
deepest loyalty to our great pharoah? You of all people should know
me better than this."
Ja-kal regarded him coldly. "I thought I did. Now I'm not so sure."
He walked away, leaving a weak kneed Rath to bury his head against the
pillar, shaking with supressed emotions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To be continued...
Please Review! Give me motivation to write the next part...!