Disclaimer: See chapter 1

Chapter 4

Before sunrise the desert was a light shade of grey, cold and still. It was quiet all around, no sound disturbing the silence. Then the horizon turned slightly pink.

It was at that time, that the sleeping priest was shifting under the blanket with a small moan. His body was restless, continuously moving, and fine beads of sweat were on his face, the tips of his hair that was falling into his face sticking wetly to his forehead. His hands were resting around a delicate back, holding onto slim shoulders, his lower body hidden under the blanket but by its shaping it was still obvious that two pairs of legs were intertwined beneath it.

Unconsciously the dreamer furrowed his brow, his lips falling open to draw in a shuddering breath and releasing it in a soft whisper, carrying a name on dragonfly's wings:

"Atemu..."

A second later, long lashes were fluttering open, revealing deep blue, still dreamy, slightly misty. A hand was lifted up to brush sweaty hair out of the proud face, and the beautiful eyes widened in shock upon realising where the innocent hand had rested before.

All of a sudden the mist left his eyes, and with a start his whole body was awake, half sitting up. Lifting the blanket ever so slightly he looked down upon himself, then groaned in frustration and embarrassment, burying his flushed face in the blanket, kneading it frantically.

Then, carefully disentangling his legs from the ones of his future ruler, he got up and left the small shelter so he wouldn't wake the other.

Outside, Ra had finally conquered the night's darkness, Re Harachte climbing up his daily path.

The priest stood in silence, his tanned skin gleaming golden in the sun's light.

Morning Prayer of Seth, High Priest of Egypt, to Seth, God of Chaos

Chaos is in my soul, chaos in my thoughts, chaos in my desires and wishes. Thus I call to you, whom I was named after.

Why do you do this to me? Why make me suffer like this?

I promised him to never betray him, and yet I do. Not even in my dreams should I think about him in such a way. I can easily stand judgement for my love for other men. But those dreams, those thoughts...those desires?

I want to fall to my knees in shame. How can I ever look into his eyes again? Those eyes that are the colour of Harachte's rising face...

But as the god of chaos, how would you be the one to order my tumbling thoughts and give me counsel. I am on my own....

End of Prayer

"Seth?" a tired voice came from the shelter. Then a messy head full of spiky hair stuck out curiously. "Is something the matter?"

The priest continued looking at the rising sun but answered,

"No, everything's alright. We should get going though"

Atemu nodded, then yawned widely, got up and started to roll up the blanket they had shared. Seth bit his lower lip, then went over to the other, giving him a hand in taking the shelter down, never once looking at the prince.

The other noticed this, confusion evident on his face, and when the priest walked over to his camel, he caught the other's hand in his. Both froze where they stood, then Atemu turned Seth to face him.

"Is it because of what I told you yesterday?", he whispered, scared. "Do the gods disapprove? Do you disapprove?"

The taller boy stared at him with a face devoid of any expression, then answered slowly in equally hushed tones.

"How could I, my prince? If the gods disapprove of you then they do also disapprove of me, and certainly more of me than of you. But my promise to you stands even against the gods, if it must be. I will stay with you. Always."

A gentle breeze blew over the ground, burying their feet in warm sand. Perhaps the wind was what made Atemu close his eyes and wipe something out of it with the back of his hand, before smiling up at his priest.

"I'm sorry I doubted you."

There were no more words as they silently packed up.

Their surroundings hadn't changed much since the day before, but apparently Seth had found some indication of where to go, as they were again making their way over dunes and down into sandy valleys, directly across the desert.

Atemu rode behind, subtly watching the priest, the way his body moved gently up and down with every single of Athak's steps, the way the muscles on his shoulders flexed when he changed position to find balance again.

After a while he hurried to catch up with the other, riding silently beside him.

"You are so confident in the way you feel", he said suddenly. "I admire that. I wish I had your strength and self-confidence"

"But you are strong, my prince. You have a fierce will and a strong, confident heart. But accepting yourself, all that you are, all that you feel and desire, is not as easy as most people seem to think. It requires time. Give yourself more time, Atemu."

"How come you always find the right words, Seth?"

"Actually, in my father's opinion, I could never find the right words"

"Your father can't have truly known you. He was always grumbling, no matter what you did, wasn't he?"

Seth's eyes narrowed a bit.

"He must have known what I deserved. I was never good enough for him"

Atemu was awkwardly quiet. Then he said determinedly.

"No matter what he says, you're not only good enough for me, you're the best thing that ever happened to me."

And if the priest hadn't turned away so fast, the prince would have seen a faint blush on his cheeks.

When the evening approached, there suddenly were palm trees standing up against the horizon.

"An oasis?", Atemu asked.

"Yes. I figured we would need new water supplies soon. Besides it is a good place to rest for the night."

"But won't other travellers rest here too?"

"I don't think so", Seth composed him, "there is a bigger oasis in this area, just a few metres from the road. Usually, travellers rest there."

He looked at the trees, slight confusion in his eyes. "Altough...I didn't quite remember this one being so close to the other...."

So they built up their shelter between the palm trees, rejoicing in drinking fresh water and even bathing their feet in it. They didn't dare to go swimming for fear of the water becoming dull, but they sat at the edge of the little pond there, watching the sundown reflected in the water. Everything was peaceful and quiet.

When the night fell, Seth prepared to lie down under the tarp, but Atemu stopped him.

"Couldn't we sleep outside today?"

The priest raised an eyebrow, but the prince explained,

"The stars are so beautiful. Nowhere in the palace have I ever seen a sky this wide. I can't tear my eyes away"

Seth nodded and got the blanket. Then they lay down, onto the tarp this time, because the sand was rapidly cooling down, burying themselves in their blanket, looking up towards the endless canopy.

"Nut" Atemu murmured.

"I could have possessed a kingdom so wide, so manifold, and yet what would it be against Nut's starry dress? If I had to make the choice all over again, I would surely give that kingdom once more for this moment, for this sight. And still, I wonder if I did the right thing, leaving Egypt to its downfall."

"No kingdom or possession could satisfy the human heart as much as moments like this. You did only what you thought was right, and your heart desperately needed that satisfaction. Sometimes it's hard to understand the worries of leaders, kings and influencial people when you consider the fragility of a kingdom compared to Nut's stars, that seem so endless to us. And yet I tell you, Atemu, not even Nut's stars are eternal, because everything in this world must go down and fade once. But there's always a new beginning. Perhaps, Atemu, you made something old go down in the kingdom of Egypt. But perhaps you also made something new rise on the horizon of hopes and dreams."

"You mean after all I did the right thing? Didn't condemn Egypt to the end of its reign?"

"That's written in the stars, people would say. I never thought the stars could tell you anything about your fate. Sometimes I think there is no such thing as fate, and even if there is, it is extraordinarily ironic...

But no, I don't think you condemned Egypt. But you forsoke your duty, that much I know. And sometimes duties make sense, especially when you realize for whom you do it. Still, I understand you didn't want to be forced to marry."

"I just couldn't....I don't love that girl and I never will, no matter how beautiful she'll grow. But I didn't want to hurt others in the process. I didn't think about that. That people would miss me in the palace. It always seemed a pain to me that all the hope of Egypt was set on me. But what do those people do now that hoped for me to ascend the throne?

Do you think we should go back, Seth?"

"Atemu...It would seem like a sensible thing, but I know you would be unhappy. I want you to be happy. The future is constantly changing, nothing is sure yet and the gods lead the strangest ways sometimes. But I think you can trust in whatever power stirs your heart"

"My heart?"

"Your heart, that rejoices in the beauty of the stars. Trust in yourself, Atemu. Enjoy this moment."

"I couldn't imagine one person in this world I'd rather share this moment with than you."

"That honours me, my prince"

"No, it honours me to be here with you, my friend"

"What do your think will your future be like, Seth?"

"I don't know. As I told you, no one knows the way the gods choose for us, and the future is constantly changing. But I think my future will always be connected to yours."

"That makes me happy, Seth. But apart from that? Is there someone else you want to share your future with?"

They were silent.

"Seth?", he questioned, but still the other didn't answer.

So Atemu was settling back, looking up at the stars again.

Prayer of Atemu to Nut

Nut, I never saw anything as beautiful as your starry dress. Nothing so blue, nothing so fair, so flawless....Except his eyes. They're the only exception. A lighter blue, perhaps, but just as deep. You forgot to put your stars into them, you know.

Couldn't I do that? Put silver stars into them? Be the one to make them sparkle?

He can make my heart sing and dance, my soul ring with many bells. Nut, he is perfect. He is the only one I would ever....

Would ever.....

....want to spend the rest of my life with.

End of Prayer

Seth turned his head to look at his sleeping prince. Entranced he lifted his hand to stroke it down the boy's cheek, a touch soft as silk.

"No", he murmured, "No, there is no one I'd want to share my life with but you"

That night they slept face to face, a safe distance apart. But somehow their fingers had intertwined between their bodies.

Author's Notes:

Father issues:

I mention Seth's and Atemu's fathers a lot. I feel bad for that, though, because I know literally nothing about them except their names and professions and that Akunadin was evil. Well...

I hope you will forgive me if they are not at all like the original characters. I gave myself the freedom to do this by making the fic an AU but still...It makes me feel a bit guilty. Especially since two of you (thanks to mic and Blue!) already gave me a great link where I could look them up. But I'm lazy. sigh

Sorry again. I hope it won't get in the way when you read the story.

The Nubian princess:

Ok, I admit it's not that easy to guess after all. But there were pretty good guesses. And I thought about making it Anzu in the beginning. But then I settled for another character, because I wanted the princess to be young. Very, very young. Even younger than Atemu. And under the second condition that she has a blonde protector who can make her laugh it seemed obvious to me to take Shizuka and Jounouchi.

So, elsiey (couldn't reach you per e-mail), don't worry, no Anzu bashing here. I wouldn't bash her anyway. It's not that I particularly like her, but she's not a character I'd take out of the series. (I just wouldn't pair her with Yami or Seto, because I think that's cruel. But that doesn't mean I think she's stupid or something. She just isn't right for them)

Starry sky talk:

Had a hard time with that scene, I hope it's not too....uhm, over-smart. Or something. I just want to make Seth a counsellor. A wise counsellor to Atemu. Well.

And I hope it's finally a bit of fluff for you.

Thanks to all your reviewers!! Especially those I couldn't reach per e-mail!

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