Disclaimer: See chapter 1
Chapter 6
The streets of Thebes were empty but for an old, blind man who sat on his doorstep, his face turned towards the sun's warmth, while a young girl sitting next to him was chattering happily, describing the colours of the sunrise to him.
The clatter of hooves startled them both, and the girl looked up, beholding the two most beautiful camels she had ever seen in her life stand before her. But atop of the white one there was a boy, scarcely older than her, but his eyes were so intense she fell to his knees in front of him. Only the pharaoh's son was said to have eyes of that colour.
Then the boy spoke.
"I beg you get up and seek for the healers in the palace as swiftly as possible! Take a shortcut through the backyards. I cannot go there with the camels. Tell them the High Priest is coming up the main road, and that his life is in danger! Run, by the light of Aten, run to save his life!"
Breathlessly, the girl nodded, then did exactly what he had ordered, calling to the old man that she would return soon.
Atemu looked after her, then continued his way on the road.
The old man turned to the sound of the camel's hooves, crying, "May the grace of the mother Isis protect you!"
The cry woke Seth and he weakly looked upon the city, before closing his eyes again and resting his head once more on his prince's shoulder.
Thus they reached the palace. The healers and priests were already running out, followed by the little girl. Shouting, they helped Atemu get the High Priest off the camel and swiftly carried him away. Atemu turned to the girl.
"You did very well. Take now the camels to the stables over there. Tell the guards Prince Atemu sent you. Then you may go back to your home. You will be well rewarded." With those words he handed the reigns to the girl, pattet the camels' necks once more and quickly followed the healers into the palace.
Seth was brought swiftly to the sickrooms where he was hastily tended both with medical care and a bit of magic.
Atemu wasn't allowed into the room during his High Priest's treatment. One of the priestesses tried to lead him away and get him to eat or drink, but he refused firmly, staying in front of the entrance to the room.
Hours passed without news. Now and then the door would open a tiny bit, someone slipping out hastily. Then the young pharaoh would jump forward, questioning them, but he always got the same answer, "We can't say anything yet, your highness. It doesn't look bad but neither does it look particularly good."
Afternoon came and still the pillared corridor in front of the sickrooms was forebodingly silent. Atemu had sunken down to the floor, his weary legs refusing to carry his weight any longer. His eyes were numb as he stared ahead on the stone floor.
Prayer of Atemu to Osiris, God of Resurrection
Osiris, I feel dead inside. All those past days I was riding and my only desire was to get to the Palace with whatever speed I could muster. I thought once we reached the Palace everything would be alright, but the exact opposite is what came to pass. Now I can't do anything else than sit and wait. It makes me go insane with worry.
You are a gentle, loving father, you will understand my feelings. And you defied death yourself. Help him do the same. If he was to go to the Underworld, I'd have to die myself and follow him.
We never made it to your temple in Abydos. I wish it had all been different. It is my fault he is wounded like this. Had I stayed at the Palace in the first place, he wouldn't have to suffer now. Don't let him die because of me. Seth, your brother, saved him once, guided him through the storm. I hope you can do the same for him, guide him through the darkness.
I can't lose him now.
End of prayer
"Where is he?"
A deep, well-known voice startled Atemu out of his thoughts and he turned towards it. There was his father and one of the priests pointing his way.
The old Pharaoh's eyes came to rest upon his son for a drawn-out second, then he walked up towards the distressed boy.
"Get up, son," he said evenly, "I want to look you in the eye"
Atemu complied, raising himself onto his shaky legs.
There they stood, father and son, both faces unreadable, expressions guarded.
At last, the old Pharaoh started,
"What were you thinking, running away like this?"
"I couldn't stand my life anymore," Atemu answered truthfully, "I was living the way you wanted me to live, but it wasn't what I wanted my life to be like. I felt like my soul was being sold to this palace, to the ancient scripts of our predecessors. And when you planned to give the last thing away that was mine, my body, my love, my freedom to choose a partner for myself, I drew a line."
The eyes of Atemu's father were dark, but he was quiet, no sound coming from his lips.
But the boy continued as confidently as possible for a child facing an angry parent.
"I don't know if you will be able to forgive me, father. For I know now what I did was not wrong, although I should have chosen another way. Instead of running away from my duty and endangering my friend I shoul have spoken openly to you in the first place....Far away from the palace, in the middle of the desert, though, a faithful friend could teach me more about my duty than all the scripts I had to study. Duty comes with love. You only feel responsible for what you love, and if you do not love, fulfilling your duty is in vain, because your dislike for what you do will influence the success of your labours."
The old Pharaoh studied his son for a long moment, then put his hand onto the boy's shoulder, saying, "You spoke wisely, Atemu. It seems the gods chose this way for you, be it strange and grievous to me. I will try to accept it, since it taught you what I failed to teach you."
Their eyes stayed locked for another second, then suddenly the Pharaoh's son threw his arms around his father, sobbing, "He's dying! And I can't do anything"
"What makes you so sure?", the Pharaoh replied, gently wiping away a few tears, "Nothing is decided yet. He is a fierce warrior, son, he won many a struggle of will. Trust in his strength."
Then he let go, turning towards the entrance to the sickrooms.
At that moment the door opened and Isis stepped out. When she saw their worried looks, she smiled.
"He is save, my pharaoh," she whispered, not caring which of the two she addressed. With a cry of joy, Atemu stormed past her into the room.
Seth slept another day and the prince insisted on staying with him. The ninth morning since the beginning of their journey was falling when he first opened his eyes. Blinking slightly, he stared up at the stone ceiling, then he turned slightly, surveying the room. His eyes landed upon the form of his future pharaoh, sleeping curled up in a chair next to his bed. The priest smiled lovingly. But even when he did so, the beautiful boy opened his eyes, staring directly into Seth's blue ones.
"Seth," he whispered, then smiled back, "I am so glad to see you awake"
"No, I'm glad we meet again in this life, Atemu", the priest answered.
The Pharaoh's son brought his hand to his face to brush his bangs away, then he let his fingers rest on the other's forehead. For a moment they stayed like this, and all was peace.
Then Seth sighed, "What will happen now, my pharaoh? Alive we are in truth, but we are back at the Palace as far as I know."
"I already faced my father," Atemu told him. "I explained to him what I learned about duty in the desert with you and he forgave me."
"It makes me happy to hear this," the priest said politely, "but what about your marriage?"
A determined look entered Atemu's eyes.
"That issue I will take care of tomorrow, right before my father's throne, and if you find the strength to attend the meeting, you will hear for yourself. Do not worry, Seth. All will be well."
With those final words Atemu caressed his forehead for a last time, then got up and left the room and a bewildered priest.
The throne room was illuminated by the rays of sunlight, falling in through the high windows in the wall opposite the throne. Left and right of the giant dueling arena there were the counsellors, servants and priests attending the Pharaoh, who was sitting on the throne, bathed in white sunlight. But on his left there sat a little girl, looking intimidated and even a bit scared. Her wavy brown hair was adorned with waterlilies, and her garments were of a matching rosy white colour.
Her tall blonde guard stood beside her, comfortingly holding her hand in his, waiting. There was expectation in the air.
Suddenly a sidewards door was pushed open and the prince strode into the room, followed by young priestesses who were supporting the weak High Priest. After making sure his priest had been led to a comfortable seat on the side, Atemu walked up to the throne and bowed before his father and the girl.
The old Pharaoh nodded and stood, spreading his arms while rising his voice and announcing,
"Now my son has finally joined us, let us begin. Today, Atemu, you will be introduced to your future wife and she will be introduced to you in return." The Pharaoh gestured to the servants of the little girl, and one of them prepared to step forward to perform the introduction. But at that moment the Pharaoh's son spoke up.
"Do not bother, father". Then, turning to the brown haired girl, he bowed again, saying, "Beautiful queen from far Nubia, I am grateful you came, but I regret to have to tell you I will not marry you."
There was a collective gasp in the throne room, but the prince continued,
"It has nothing to do with the way you look or act. I am sure you will become a very desireable woman one day. But until then you should rightfully be a girl, enjoy your youth and one day chose your own love, for yourself. I want to give you that chance, because that's what I was never allowed to do. But those times are over."
His face was proud when he turned towards his shocked father,
"Dear father, I am sorry for all the trouble and grief I caused you and will cause you further, but two days ago I recieved a gift from the gods. I was given back a human soul, the soul of the one dearest to me in this world. And now that I have him back, how can I ever give him up again? How could I ignore the gift of the gods? Him alone do I want by my side and him alone I will ever love."
It was deadly silent in the room when Atemu turned slightly to look at the priest. Seth's blue eyes were almost painfully wide but filled with emotion, his mouth opened in breathless surprise.
"Seth", he said very softly, "Will you be with me, stay by my side not only as my guardian and High Priest but also as my lover? Will you love me in the way I love you?"
Their eyes were fixed upon each other for a long moment, tension almost tangible in the exchange of the emotions they held.
Finally, Seth nodded and quietly but firmly assured his pharaoh, "I will"
Then the old Pharaoh moved, speaking,
"I cannot allow this. You go too far now, son. You forget you are not Pharaoh yet and the way of the gods is not that easy to understand. You will marry our guest and no one else."
Atemu shook his head,
"Father, there is no way to force me. If you tried and I had to obey, my life would be worthless in my eyes and I wouldn't hesitate a second to end it with my own hands."
Another gasp ran through the room.
"No!", the Pharaoh shouted, "I will not allow this! You two shame the palace, the temple and the whole country! The gods will disapprove and you will condemn Egypt!"
"What makes you so sure?," Atemu retorted.
"You are both men!! It is not right! The Pharaoh of Egypt needs a female counterpart! The gods want it that way!"
"But I love him, and him alone!".
Suddenly there was a rustle next to the throne and Akunadin, closest counsellor and mightiest priest to the ruler of Egypt stepped up, saying,
"My Pharaoh, why not just let the gods show us their will themselves? There is no use in debating this issue, in the end the gods decide."
"And how would they show their will?", the Pharaoh wanted to know.
"In no more than a week the time of the Great Flood commences and concludes a few weeks after. The gods always showed their approval of Egypt in the sending of the great flood. If it doesn't come during that time, we will know the gods disapprove."
"You gamble with the life of our people!", Atemu objected, but Akunadin only gave him a loathing stare. "So are you afraid of the gods' judgement?", he teased. "No," Atemu insisted firmly, "I entrust my life to the gods". "Then there should be no danger in the judgement of the Great Flood, do you not think that also?", Akunadin asked evilly.
"Enough," the Pharaoh ended their heated dialogue before it could turn into an argument. Then he sighed. "It seems to me there is no other way to find out the gods' will. But for me neither solution or proof will bring anything but pain. Egypt will suffer, either from the loss of their crop this cycle or from the lack of a successor to their new pharaoh. I believe it is obvious none of you is able to give birth to a child. Our line will fail and it will be the beginning of the end."
It was silent once again, then prince Atemu stepped up to his father, putting his hand onto his shoulder. The other didn't look at him but stared out of one of the windows.
"Father," Atemu said, "Father, I might have disappointed you in everything I did, but I promise you, when the time comes I will find a worthy successor. And I love you also, father, despite everything that stands between us."
Finally the Pharaoh let his eyes come to rest upon his son for a long moment. Then his own hand came to rest on his son's shoulder before he walked out of the throne room with long strides, followed by his servants.
The second he left the room, loud discussions and shouts erupted. The prince stood still, staring at the empty throne in thought. Shyly, the rejected wife slid from her seat and walked up to him, tapping his shoulder softly. Startled, Atemu looked down at her, but she only smiled. "Thank you so much," she said.
He nodded and returned her smile.
Then he turned, stepping down from the throne towards Seth.
"Atemu...", the priest started, but was cut off by a quiet "Shhh" and a soft finger placed on his lips.
"I didn't want it to be that way," Atemu sighed, "I hope the gods can forgive me for what I said and did. But I couldn't tolerate it anymore, I can't marry another when I want you so much it hurts to look at you sometimes."
All of a sudden, Seth got up, taking Atemu's chin in his hands and pulling him close enough to press their foreheads together. They rested like this, breaths mingling between their lips, eyes locked, while their arms slowly twined around each other's bodies. The discussions ended abruptly, everyone in the room was staring at the two cousins, friends and now....lovers.
Seth moved first, gently nudging the young pharaoh's soft mouth with his lower lip. Atemu's eyelashes fluttered and with a soft moan his lips fell open. Tenderly, Seth kissed the corner of his mouth, the tip of his tongue touching it timidly. Suddenly it was greated by Atemu's own tongue. They flickered briefly against each other, then Atemu pulled his love closer to finally join their lips. Hands tightened around beautiful bodies, holding on for dear life as they drowned in the kiss.
Shaking their heads and muttering angrily, the Pharaoh's entourage left the throne room.
Prayer of Seth to Hapy, God of Innundation and of the Great Flood
Hapy, this is more than a gamble, this is a reckless challenge of the gods. It is foolish and wrong, and yet I wish so much for Atemu to succeed. He is right, I was not sent back to this life for nothing. You know how much I care for him, I don't have to tell you. Even the crushing strength of your waters cannot compare to the tide swelling in my heart every time he is near, every time he is in my arms, warm and soft and so right, every time we kiss or touch.
I cannot imagine the common people's reaction if the flood should indeed stay out. Perhaps they would go as far as to kill us. On the other hand, if the flood comes they will be convinced of our love being right and well for Egypt. Hapy, a lot of things I lately asked of the gods and since I don't like asking or begging for anything, I hope this is the last. But please, grant me this last wish. Send the flood.
End of Prayer
Egypt was engulfed in merciless heat, so strong even the work in the fields had stopped. Some people already doubted the coming of the flood. In the palace garden, High Priest and Prince were lying entwined in the shadow of a tree. Scorned and avoided by everyone they day by day sought their peace here, if they weren't at the temple praying for the flood. They saw many there openly praying for the flood to stay out, sending hateful glances their way.
Whispers of "It is wrong", "They will be the ruin of Egypt", "They should have stayed in the desert" or even "Why didn't that blasted High Priest die when he had the chance?" followed them everywhere they went. Only the peasants looked at them in wonder. It wasn't clear if they hadn't objected as well, had they been allowed to voice their opinion on the matter.
"It will come," Atemu mumbled softly, stroking the other's hair. "I trust in the gods. They sent you back to me, why would they want me to give you up again? They wouldn't test me so cruelly, would they?"
"I do not know, love", the High Priest answered. "But as long as the time is given to us, let us enjoy each other."
Exactly at the moment Seth turned to lie on top of the young pharaoh a servant came running into the garden, shouting, "Your highness!"
Atemu gently pushed Seth off him, demanding shakily, "What news?"
Panting, the young man came to stand in front of them, blushing at the moment he had interrupted, but clearly carrying an important message.
"Your highness, clouds are drawing together over the Great River!"
Their eyes widened, then, without even looking at each other, they sprinted off, past the servant, down to the Nile.
On the shore the people of Thebes were standing in endless lines, staring at the sky. Dark violet clouds were crowding, far off thunder was crumbling. The air was sizzling with heat and anticipation. There was no sound. It was truly the quiet before the storm.
And then suddenly a thunderbolt soared out of the clouds and the rain started to pour down like a waterfall. Upon the instant the whole crowd was drenched, water dripping off the palm trees and papyrus plants, cheers and songs of praise rising high into the air.
But in the middle of the rain stood prince Atemu and High Priest Seth of Egypt, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes. Then with a carefree laugh Atemu threw his arms around Seth and they kissed and kissed until they were standing ankle-deep in the water. And still they couldn't stop while the clouds emptied themselves completely above them, bringing with them the life-giving flood and giving them both a chance for a new beginning, for a new way and for a Desert Dream to become reality.
Fine
Author's Notes:
Jep, over. Sappy ending, I know. Although I'm sure they'll still have lots of problems to deal with this won't have a sequel or something.
Thanks to
elsiey (lovely reviews, I enjoyed them!)
Dragon (-grins- So now I leave Egypt here too. I kinda miss it. But we still have EM! And it was lovely to get reviews from myself –winks- Thanks for everything!)
Strom Dragon Girl (I hope I wasn't too slow with the updates)
Psyche (It's great you liked this! Gracias! Argh, and me unfaithful little thing didn't look at your fics for more than three weeks. I should be ashamed...Lo siento – hope that's right at least...)
Seto's Darkness (even if you can't read it at the moment...thanks!)
cute-Baka (finally fluff in the last chapter, hm?)
Misura (I'm glad you liked the characters)
Blue September (I always love to hear from you)
mic (same to you, what would I do without you again? –grins- maybe this inspires you to a pic as well? –smile-)
CrossHunt-s (still sharing my love for Egypt?)
KaibasSweetie (hope you liked the last update)
Wintersslayer (thanks for the compliments!)
AngelicTransmition (did you recently change your pen name? Anyway, thanks a lot for the nice comment, I was so flattered!)
You're all great! And I hope I didn't forget anyone...
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