The sun rose across the city, casting shadows among the mud brick house.
Rays of her golden warmth spread through the dark alleys, through windows,
waking her children with an array of colors. Amongst the awakening souls of
Egypt, was a man of.
His skin was a bronze that fit across his nicely shaped muscles, covering his tall frame. Dark hair, lightly tousled from sleeping, drew across his face, covering his eyes. His eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald, the color that captured so many in his gaze.
His mud brick house lay toward the heart of the city, so that when he arose from his bed to his window he could see it's great temples, houses, and palace walls, all cast upon by the beauty of the sun. Dressing and eating some left over bread he walked to a small shop next to his house. This was a blacksmith and goldsmith shop, but more importantly, it was his shop.
He took pride in his work and he was well known among the people. His prices were fair, each varying upon the type of work and what the customer could offer. If they were poor he would not cost them as much as he would a person who could afford the work he offered. Nonetheless he kept himself with enough money to live.
But today a different customer came through the shop's crooked doorway. He was well dressed, his mustache well cut, and he carried an air of importance along with him. " Are you Rameth, the goldsmith? Owner of this.." The man looked around the plain walls of the shop with a slight look of disgust worn on his face, as if he didn't know exactly what he was doing here. " Shop?"
" I am." Rameth said calmly, ignoring the rudeness the man showed him.
" I am a messenger from the pharaoh. My name is Ameniuy. There is to be a festival soon, for the great goddess of Isis." Rameth was well aware of this festival but did not dare interrupt Ameniuy. " The pharaoh requires your services to make four special cups which will be used during worship." This caught his interest.
" You are to go the palace were you will be given any tool or item needed to complete this task. Staying at the palace is also required for the time you are to be working there. If your work is satisfactory you shall be paid 30 pieces of gold. If your work does not please his majesty your life will be taken instead, for wasting the pharaoh's time. Not accepting his generous offer will lead also to your death, for wasting a messenger."
It seemed to Rameth that Ameniuy felt pretty smug, adding the last bit in to make him seem more important then just a pharaoh's messenger. But Rameth didn't feel like fighting today, so he accepted.
" Good." Ameniuy said, visibly relaxing. 'Maybe killing a goldsmith had not been on his To Do list today' Rameth thought, suppressing laughter. " Follow me then." With that Ameniuy stepped out of the small shop, with Rameth closely behind. As they walked down the crowded streets, people waved to him and said their greetings, looking questionably at the man Rameth was with.
The sun was a quarter ways up in the blue sky when they reached the palace gates. The city around them was alive and bustling, merchants shouting, women scolding there children, and thieves pick-pocketing the women who were to busy with scolding the children to notice. All this Rameth watched while Ameniuy talked to the guards at the gates. Finally they were permitted through and they were on their way.
They walked past a garden with plants, trees bared with fruit, and birds of all kinds with exotic colors. None of this could be seen in the desert- covered city, only inside the palace walls. Walking up the steep steps they passed another set of gates, guards, doors, and finally the palace door itself. As they walked in he looked at the room. It was magnificent, he could not help but stare at the colored walls, ornate furniture, and marbled floors.
Smirking at his reaction, Ameniuy pulled Rameth up a flight of stairs, each room they passed seemed to Rameth to get more and more beautifully decorated. They stopped at one of these rooms. " This will be your room for next couple of days. Your work room will be on the bottom floor at the end of the hallway." Ameniuy informed him. Rameth stepped into his room, there was a beautiful wooden bed, a table, and a wardrobe. Compared to the rest of the rooms he had seen, it was simple, but to Rameth it was perfect. The room itself held the size of his house.
" The pharaoh wishes to see you." Said Ameniuy. Both walked out of his room and up another flight of stairs. " The bottom two floors are open to you, the kitchen is on the bottom were you can get your food. Anywhere above your floor is not permitted unless you wish to meet a most painful end." Ameniuy said with a glint in his eye. As time passed Rameth began to dislike Ameniuy more and more.
Ameniuy opened the doors at the end of the third floor, doing so he dropped to his knees at once in a low bow. Rameth did not know why but he felt obliged to do the same, so he knelt beside Ameniuy, following his actions. At once he knew why they were bowing," Arise." Said a booming voice. Rameth and Ameniuy stood, standing in front of the pharaoh. He kept his gaze toward the ground, it would have been considered disrespectful to do otherwise.
" Judging by the way you are dressed, you must be the goldsmith I sent for."
" He is, your majesty," Ameniuy said before Rameth could utter a word. He noticed that Ameniuy too, had his head bowed, eyes cast toward the ground.
" You have agreed to such terms then." The pharaoh said, more of a statement then a question.
" I have your majesty." Rameth said.
" Good. You will give a list of tools and other items you will need to complete your task to an assistant I have so generously provided for you who, as we speak, is in your work room awaiting you. There are four cups, drawings of which you will be given. Gold and rubies will be what you will need to work with, you do know how to use both I assume." The pharaoh said, cutting himself off.
" I do, your majesty."
" Good, good. I see we will have little trouble with you. Now get to your work, I am a busy man." Ameniuy and Rameth bowed a last time and turned around to leave. But before they reached the doors, they opened, revealing a guard and a girl. Her beauty shocked Rameth. Her hair was of a rich, chocolate brown she had put in an elegant twist. She had smooth, tan skin, fitting her small frame well. Slender fingers held a simple, wooden, staff. She wore a red, flowing skirt and top revealing her stomach and fitting her curves nicely. On her arm he noticed, a gold band. Their eyes locked, her cinnamon orbs with his emerald ones.
Her beauty captured him, as he and Ameniuy walked out of the room, passing the girl and the guard. Before the doors closed he heard someone announce the arrival of the newest person who entered the room. " Your majesty, the Sorceress Amara."
His skin was a bronze that fit across his nicely shaped muscles, covering his tall frame. Dark hair, lightly tousled from sleeping, drew across his face, covering his eyes. His eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald, the color that captured so many in his gaze.
His mud brick house lay toward the heart of the city, so that when he arose from his bed to his window he could see it's great temples, houses, and palace walls, all cast upon by the beauty of the sun. Dressing and eating some left over bread he walked to a small shop next to his house. This was a blacksmith and goldsmith shop, but more importantly, it was his shop.
He took pride in his work and he was well known among the people. His prices were fair, each varying upon the type of work and what the customer could offer. If they were poor he would not cost them as much as he would a person who could afford the work he offered. Nonetheless he kept himself with enough money to live.
But today a different customer came through the shop's crooked doorway. He was well dressed, his mustache well cut, and he carried an air of importance along with him. " Are you Rameth, the goldsmith? Owner of this.." The man looked around the plain walls of the shop with a slight look of disgust worn on his face, as if he didn't know exactly what he was doing here. " Shop?"
" I am." Rameth said calmly, ignoring the rudeness the man showed him.
" I am a messenger from the pharaoh. My name is Ameniuy. There is to be a festival soon, for the great goddess of Isis." Rameth was well aware of this festival but did not dare interrupt Ameniuy. " The pharaoh requires your services to make four special cups which will be used during worship." This caught his interest.
" You are to go the palace were you will be given any tool or item needed to complete this task. Staying at the palace is also required for the time you are to be working there. If your work is satisfactory you shall be paid 30 pieces of gold. If your work does not please his majesty your life will be taken instead, for wasting the pharaoh's time. Not accepting his generous offer will lead also to your death, for wasting a messenger."
It seemed to Rameth that Ameniuy felt pretty smug, adding the last bit in to make him seem more important then just a pharaoh's messenger. But Rameth didn't feel like fighting today, so he accepted.
" Good." Ameniuy said, visibly relaxing. 'Maybe killing a goldsmith had not been on his To Do list today' Rameth thought, suppressing laughter. " Follow me then." With that Ameniuy stepped out of the small shop, with Rameth closely behind. As they walked down the crowded streets, people waved to him and said their greetings, looking questionably at the man Rameth was with.
The sun was a quarter ways up in the blue sky when they reached the palace gates. The city around them was alive and bustling, merchants shouting, women scolding there children, and thieves pick-pocketing the women who were to busy with scolding the children to notice. All this Rameth watched while Ameniuy talked to the guards at the gates. Finally they were permitted through and they were on their way.
They walked past a garden with plants, trees bared with fruit, and birds of all kinds with exotic colors. None of this could be seen in the desert- covered city, only inside the palace walls. Walking up the steep steps they passed another set of gates, guards, doors, and finally the palace door itself. As they walked in he looked at the room. It was magnificent, he could not help but stare at the colored walls, ornate furniture, and marbled floors.
Smirking at his reaction, Ameniuy pulled Rameth up a flight of stairs, each room they passed seemed to Rameth to get more and more beautifully decorated. They stopped at one of these rooms. " This will be your room for next couple of days. Your work room will be on the bottom floor at the end of the hallway." Ameniuy informed him. Rameth stepped into his room, there was a beautiful wooden bed, a table, and a wardrobe. Compared to the rest of the rooms he had seen, it was simple, but to Rameth it was perfect. The room itself held the size of his house.
" The pharaoh wishes to see you." Said Ameniuy. Both walked out of his room and up another flight of stairs. " The bottom two floors are open to you, the kitchen is on the bottom were you can get your food. Anywhere above your floor is not permitted unless you wish to meet a most painful end." Ameniuy said with a glint in his eye. As time passed Rameth began to dislike Ameniuy more and more.
Ameniuy opened the doors at the end of the third floor, doing so he dropped to his knees at once in a low bow. Rameth did not know why but he felt obliged to do the same, so he knelt beside Ameniuy, following his actions. At once he knew why they were bowing," Arise." Said a booming voice. Rameth and Ameniuy stood, standing in front of the pharaoh. He kept his gaze toward the ground, it would have been considered disrespectful to do otherwise.
" Judging by the way you are dressed, you must be the goldsmith I sent for."
" He is, your majesty," Ameniuy said before Rameth could utter a word. He noticed that Ameniuy too, had his head bowed, eyes cast toward the ground.
" You have agreed to such terms then." The pharaoh said, more of a statement then a question.
" I have your majesty." Rameth said.
" Good. You will give a list of tools and other items you will need to complete your task to an assistant I have so generously provided for you who, as we speak, is in your work room awaiting you. There are four cups, drawings of which you will be given. Gold and rubies will be what you will need to work with, you do know how to use both I assume." The pharaoh said, cutting himself off.
" I do, your majesty."
" Good, good. I see we will have little trouble with you. Now get to your work, I am a busy man." Ameniuy and Rameth bowed a last time and turned around to leave. But before they reached the doors, they opened, revealing a guard and a girl. Her beauty shocked Rameth. Her hair was of a rich, chocolate brown she had put in an elegant twist. She had smooth, tan skin, fitting her small frame well. Slender fingers held a simple, wooden, staff. She wore a red, flowing skirt and top revealing her stomach and fitting her curves nicely. On her arm he noticed, a gold band. Their eyes locked, her cinnamon orbs with his emerald ones.
Her beauty captured him, as he and Ameniuy walked out of the room, passing the girl and the guard. Before the doors closed he heard someone announce the arrival of the newest person who entered the room. " Your majesty, the Sorceress Amara."