A strange, yet comforting peace had taken hold.
Naima was silent as both she and Zahra made their way back to her chamber. Zahra chattered idly next to her as they walked while Naima only half-listened. It was only when they had reached the familiar wooden door, the sunlight slitting through the opening like a shimmering white thread, that she had finally broken from her half-dazed state.
The sight of her own chamber almost brought her to tears. Sunlight poured into the room from the windows, onto the polished stone floor, onto the freshly made bed with clean linens, and onto her small vanity where two large Egyptian lotus flowers sat in a vase of clean water — the vase that Zahra made for her. The sound of Zahra's laughter next to her and Eliyah's sweet, smiling, relieved face as he embraced both of them, it felt like a dream she did not want to wake up from.
She hadn't allowed herself to hope, to even think for a moment that she would return to this after this morning. But, here she was.
Safe.
Eliyah had drawn water for Zahra to bathe and given her a dress to wear, and once Zahra finished drying off, she plopped herself right in the middle of Naima's bed, sprawling out like a starfish.
"Ahh… nice." she mumbled. Her giant mane of hair laid like a thick blanket atop the pillows and took up a considerable part of the bed.
Naima smiled as she hopped up onto the bed and slid next to her, like old times.
"What a stupid day…." Zahra mumbled into a pillow.
"Tell me about it." Naima said. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah."
So nonchalant. Naima peered over to look at Zahra with a furrowed brow.
Zahra took one single glance at her and groaned, rolling her eyes.
"What now? What's that look for?"
Naima scoffed at the reaction. "It's almost as if you weren't on trial to be executed a couple hours ago …" She couldn't help the sarcasm that bit into her words.
Zahra shrugged. "He let me go didn't he?"
It was like this was some ordinary day for her.
"Zahra, you just killed someone…" Naima said.
"Yeah, so?"
Astounded, Naima turned onto her side. "You don't care? Not even a little?"
"No." Zahra said flatly.
"Why not?"
"Because that fucker was a giant bag of dicks and he deserved it." she said.
Naima stared at her, speechless.
"Oh for fucks sake…." Zahra rolled her eyes again and glared back at her impatiently. "Why are you so uncomfortable, Naima?"
Naima stopped, taking more time to consider her answer than she would have liked.
"Because…" The answer should be obvious. But still, she wavered. "I don't know. I guess I've spent all these months and years learning how to heal people and save them. Killing seems a bit counterproductive, don't you think…"
"Naima, what the hell are you talking about? I've watched you kill hundreds, maybe even thousands of ducks… And not even to eat them. Literally killed them just so you can cut them open and then practice healing them shut."
Naima cringed. "You think I'm proud of that? It was for the greater good… How can I heal a person if I can't even heal a duck.."
"Well.. how is this any different? Me killing crocodile-face was for the greater good… Just like when you killed all those thieves that kidnapped you. It was for the greater good!"
The memory of that day caused a piece of her to jolt a little.
"… I guess…"
"So stop feeling so guilty all the time and lighten up a little." Zahra said. "Man, being in your head must be so fucking depressing. You actually helped humanity, Naima, so stop feeling so bad about it."
Exposed. Utterly exposed. Why did Zahra have to be right? Why did she have to call her out so straightforwardly?
Naima gave her a disgruntled glare and threw up a hand in frustration. "How do I lighten up about the fact that I killed people…? Especially since wasn't even me that killed them..? Well, it kind of was but —"
"Just forget about it." Zahra declared loudly, cutting her off. "Who fucking cares about those people. It's in the past. And they were criminals, Naima. If they didn't die by you, they probably still would have gotten themselves killed anyways by robbing a tomb or a temple or something…"
"That doesn't excuse it."
Zahra was getting visibly frustrated.
"Did they not deserve to die? They hurt you! They slapped you in the face and kicked you! Like god damn, Naima… I could understand if they only stole from you or something stupid like that… but they hurt you and were gonna kill you if you didn't do it to them first. But you kicked their asses and they got what they fucking deserved."
Naima laid there in silence as Zahra's words settled in her mind.
"And," Zahra continued. "I have no idea why you let that Halima girl off so easy. Why do you let all these people walk all over you and get away with shit? If it were up to me, I would have had that bitch up in flames right next to her father."
"That situation was different, Zahra."
"Whatever." Zahra said. "You're waaay too nice."
"Probably."
Zahra sighed and laid her head back into the pillow again. "It's good that you're the healer then. I don't have patience for that shit."
Her eyes wandered down to Naima's table, where her diadhank sat.
"Speaking of killing," she said. "I need one of those now, don't I?"
She pointed at it.
Naima hesitated. "Do you even know what it does?"
"Nope." Zahra declared proudly. She sat up. "But you wear it all the damn time. And I remember you used it to call your monster to battle mine. I wanna be able to do that too, Naima."
There was a slight wistful note to Zahra's voice as she looked down at her hands.
Naima smiled and looked down at her diadhank shining in the sunlight.
"Your monster and my monster, the creatures that live in us… they're called Ka. The dragon in you is your Ka. Your soul, your essence."
"A dragon…" she mumbled to herself. There was such pride in her voice, in her smile. "I knew it was something…" She continued to absently trace lines in the fabric of the sheets with her fingers.
"I've had dreams about it for a while now. Every time I get angry or every time I try to use my powers, I just hear this roaring and screeching in my head and my whole body feels like its on fire. Making glass seems to be the only thing that calms it down. Not sure why… I think maybe it helps me concentrate and takes the edge off."
Zahra then turned to look at her.
"So that big, scary skull thing is yours?"
Naima snorted. Of course she would say that.
"Yes, the big scary skull thing is mine."
"How does it obey you?" Zahra asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Well my dragon seems to just do what it wants. Which is cool and all, but it would be nice to be able to do what you did." Zahra said.
Well, at least she wanted to learn. There was no avoiding it. Apparently they were having this talk now.
Naima took in a breath, trying to formulate a quick response, but her breath caught in her throat as she was interrupted by a light knocking on the door.
"Come in!" she called out.
A female servant entered and bowed. "Miss Naima, the Pharaoh requests your presence."
Whatever breath was in her chest came out in a sigh. "Okay, thank you. I will be there shortly."
The door shut, and Zahra side-eyed her with a massive smirk.
"Ooooh, better get your cozy-time in with the Pharaoh."
Naima chucked a pillow at her as a blush crept onto her face. "Oh shut up. Me getting cozy with him is probably why both of us are still alive right now."
"Well, I'm not complaining." Zahra yawned and stretched herself out on her bed again. "Hey can you get him to give me a bed like this?"
Naima rolled her eyes as she changed from her wrinkled dress into a clean one and fixed her hair.
"Don't stretch your luck."
She left Zahra in her chamber to do whatever she wanted, as if she didn't already do that anyways. After a brief greeting to Atem's guard outside, she quietly slipped inside and stood in the foyer.
And there sat Atem at his desk, quietly pouring over some papyrus sheets with his face in hand. A wine goblet was set off to the side.
He turned to look at her. There was something cloudy in his expression, almost stormy and unsettled.
Naima hesitated. This was a bad day for him, clearly.
The shadows in the foyer danced over her skin and hung in her periphery as she stood in front of the doorway.
"You asked for me?" she said quietly.
"Naima." His expression was heavy and blunt as his eyes did a quick once-over.
"You changed clothes." he noted.
"Just for you." Naima said.
"Why?"
… Why?
Naima raised an eyebrow and words exited her mouth before she could filter them.
"Must I have a reason why?"
That came out more sarcastic than she would have liked. She bit her tongue, cringing inwardly.
He stood up from his desk. And to her relief, a bit of brightness returned to his expression.
"The smell of char had absorbed into the fabric of my dress," Naima added quickly. "And I had no desire to continue smelling it for the rest of the day."
"So it was not for me." he said plainly.
He had gotten her.
"It was for both of us." she said, determined not to admit defeat.
A small moment of perilous silence and at last, a small smile cracked on his face. He eventually stalked toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I want to apologize to you for this morning."
Naima was floored. She pulled away and peered at him.
"But… why? You have nothing to apologize for. In fact," Naima sighed. "I should be apologizing to you for my sister. I feel that this whole ordeal is our fault."
Atem shook his head. "That is not true, Naima. Nothing could be further from the truth."
"But she made so much trouble for you… perhaps if she had not done what she did, it would be different… you wouldn't have had to do.. what you did today…" Publicly execute someone, she meant. Not just someone, but a high ranking official in the second largest city in Egypt. Somehow it felt wrong to say it out loud.
"I imagine now that relations are strained, and your father's funeral was interrupted —"
He shook his head and quietly held up a hand.
"None of this is any of your fault, nor Zahra's fault. It would have made no difference if she had kept to herself. It has long been known that their family is not trustworthy. He would have been found eventually, Naima. I believe her interference was actually a good thing.
He looked at her.
"I got the impression that you had some prior knowledge of this..?"
Naima hung her head in shame.
"I… know you are busy, and did not want to burden you. Not that I didn't believe Zahra, but all I had were accusations. I was waiting until we had more than that before I went to you. I thought I could handle it myself…. I'm sorry."
Her voice trembled, and she was grateful for his reflective silence. A lump formed in her throat.
"Thank you for saving her. I thought today that I would watch my sister die, or that both of us would at least be kicked out… or need to escape."
He looked at her strangely. "Why?"
A furious, incohesive mess of feelings began to bubble up to the surface. It was too much for words. All she could do was look at him feebly while she fought back tears.
Before she knew it, Atem's arms enveloped around her.
"Come." he said gently, gesturing to the couch by the window.
They sat down together and he pulled her against his chest, an arm on her back and the other around her hip. Naima bit her lip as he rubbed her back, silently hating the fact that he saw her cry again. She attempted to collect herself.
"Naima," he said eventually. His voice was quiet, yet unmistakably kind. "I want you to feel safe here."
"I'm just scared of doing something wrong." Naima said. Saying those words aloud felt as if she was being released from chains, to finally say what she had been fearing ever since she arrived in the palace.
"One wrong thing, and we get punished. Or kicked out. Just like what happened to my mother."
He peered down at her as if he couldn't believe his ears. A distant spark of rage flickered in his eyes.
"That will not happen to you. Ever."
There was something so.. final, about the tone of his voice, the look in his eyes.
"I will always protect you, Naima, and I will protect the ones that you love. I promise."
And she believed him, felt the sincerity that radiated from him, saw the light in his eyes as he gazed down at her.
"And do not think that you cannot talk to me about how you feel, or come to me with your concerns." Atem said. "However big or small, I want to hear it."
It was as if he was reaching out a hand toward her, telling her it is safe. She had no idea how much she needed that confirmation, to just what extent she had lived every single day of her life here in some amount of fear. But.. to have someone tell her that she was safe and protected, not just with cheap words but to show her, as he did this morning…
"Thank you, Atem…" she muttered. Perhaps 'thank you' was not enough to show him how she felt, how truly grateful she was to him.
"You're so kind. You don't know how much this means to me."
He brushed a thumb against her cheek.
"It is nothing, Naima. I am merely giving you what you deserve."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that a woman like you deserves the world. Intelligent .. kind… hardworking… understanding…" His arms snaked around her once more. "Caring… and so very brave…."
She felt herself shrink as heat crept onto her face. "You flatter me again."
"It is not flattery." he said, "It is the truth. You are a wonderful person, Naima. You have empathy and compassion for others, you are humble, you are generous. Everyone sees this, except for you."
He was… right. It was as if his words had cut through some barrier in her mind, one built upon a foundation of insecurity and self-recrimination.
No one has ever said these things about her, to her. Naima sat in silence as his words echoed in her mind.
Deserve. The word was foreign. She has worked hard her entire life only to be told she must work harder. So she did. And now… to say that she deserved anything, that she was not as terrible as her own thoughts led her to believe… it felt strange. That it took him to realize her worth as a person. That she was not simply some disposable peon, but… someone. Someone who was worth protection and kindness and love and trust. Someone who deserved it.
And that he would be the one to give it to her.
This was evident as he gazed down at her with warmth and love in his eyes like a torch in the darkness. Much better than the stormy gloom that was present on his face such a short time ago.
"Are you okay?" she said, interlacing her fingers with his. "You seemed upset earlier when I came in. This has been a bad day for you, hasn't it…"
"I am fine, Naima."
He looked at her as if he expected nothing less of her to ask such a question.
A suspicious, nagging feeling arose.
"I know you told me to trust you, Atem, but when you say you are fine, I don't actually think you are fine. You just want me to think you are so I won't worry about you. I want you to be comfortable telling me what's on your mind too."
He stopped. The corners of his mouth tugged upward, and those fierce, discerning eyes narrowed in on her, so much that it made her hesitate.
"What is on my mind?" he said quietly.
"Yes."
And perhaps, she realized as she gazed at his face… perhaps she wasn't prepared for the answer to her own question.
He sighed.
"Today was the first time I executed someone. Not me under my father, but me, as the Pharaoh. It is never something to take lightly."
He appeared to gather his thoughts as he looked out into the room.
"And the more I think about it, the more I realize that today should have never happened… None of this should have happened. If I had been married already, with a child, as my father had advised me to do by now, my reign and lineage would have been secured."
Marriage.
Naima froze, unsure where he was going with this.
"I avoided marriage for as long as I could. For the longest time, my own marriage prospects were confined to the girls you've already seen, or some king's daughter in a neighboring country who very likely could not speak the same language, and would be completely terrified of me. The thought of my only two choices being someone who only wanted to be with me to be Queen, or some scared girl from another country who was forced to be with me under the threat of her parents… And me… having no idea how to make her feel alright about being torn away from everything she is familiar with in order to marry someone she does not know… It was not what I wanted at all."
He exhaled a breath.
"As I have said before, I consider myself lucky. My father is very practical. If it were up to him, I would have been married by age ten. But, he at least still considered my preferences. I was able to stall as long as I could. I was unsure what I was waiting for at the time, I just knew it was not right. And even though it caused some tension in the relationship between me and my father, I do not regret it. I did not agree with his views on marriage and did not understand why he felt it was so important to be married and have children so quickly. I thought I had plenty of time. Clearly, I was wrong."
He closed his eyes.
"And then, for some reason, the Gods put both of us together in that hall.. that one day."
Naima's stomach lurched.
"There knelt this long lost girl from my past who saved me from crocodiles and then yelled at me. Who thought I was a thief, and then befriended me without having any knowledge of who I really was. Who showed me a small piece of what life was really like, what I was missing from my own sheltered upbringing. The girl who I thought was gone for certain. But there you were… right in front of me…."
He looked down at his hands for a moment, and then took off his diadhank, running a hand down his wrist. Both of them eyed the brown scar that was now almost completely faded, and Naima couldn't help but to glance at her own wrist.
"I already knew you were innocent." he continued. "No matter how many years that passed between us, you would never willingly commit such an act. I simply had to figure out how to save you without raising suspicion."
He glanced at her, guilt swimming in his eyes. "I… often think about the fact that you were forced to endure a Millennium Trial, and I hate that I could not figure out a way for that to have been avoided. To have spared you the distress you felt on that day. For weeks, I kept thinking of what I could have done differently. I am sorry for that, Naima."
Naima opened her mouth to comfort him, to tell him it was okay. But before she even found the words, he kept going.
"The only good that came out of that afternoon was that everyone saw how brave and talented you were." He smiled as he glanced down at the floor. "I think I fell in love with you the moment I noticed you running across the hall to save my father's Millennium Pendant. When they surrounded you, I never felt so much rage in my entire life. I wanted to slaughter them all."
"You did." Naima said quietly.
"And then you saved Mahad's life. I prayed that you would accept the apprenticeship, only so that I could see you again and know that you were near and safe, even if we would live and work at opposite ends of the palace."
He smiled to himself. "I used to walk by your hallway just to catch a glimpse of you. You never noticed, though. You were always busy. I wanted to talk to you, but I did not know what to say. And I wondered what you thought of me. I have been in some very difficult situations, Naima. But getting up the courage to talk to you that night in the garden had been one of my greatest challenges. I'm not… the best.. at talking to girls…"
Well, that was obvious. Naima giggled and he smiled sheepishly at her.
"I wish I could have spent more time with you." he said wistfully. Cloudy regret danced in his eyes.
"It's okay, Atem." Naima said, tracing a finger down his arm. "We have plenty of time."
He shook his head. "No, we don't."
Naima peered at him.
"Today made me realize my mistake. I have put this off for too long, much too long. I decided long ago that I would rather rule alone than suffer in an unhappy marriage. But I now realized what I was waiting for." He sat up and looked into her eyes.
"I was waiting for you…"
He took her hand, clutched it, and her heart began to pound in her chest. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think. His eyes burned into hers .
"Time is not a luxury we have anymore, Naima. There is nothing that would make me happier if you would honor me… by being my Queen."
It didn't even feel like she was in her own body. Both her mind and her mouth failed. The only sounds she could produce were a few garbled, throaty syllables.
Queen.
"Me…? Queen?" Naima stammered out. "Your Queen?"
Atem nodded.
His Queen. The Queen of Egypt.
She knew this was coming. Knew it for so long, suspected it ever since she opened her heart to him, that if she continued with him…
But now it was right in front of her and she could not ignore it any longer.
Atem waited patiently, watching her reaction carefully.
"You hesitate." His voice was gentle. "Tell me your thoughts."
His arms were warm and comforting around her. He wrapped his fingers around hers.
"It's just… a lot." Naima mumbled. "I don't think I can do it…What if I do poorly as Queen… what if the people do not like me… What if I make mistakes…"
He smiled at her concerns as if he was pleased. "The mere fact that you worry about this means you will be a great Queen."
A non-answer. Naima groaned inwardly.
"But you don't understand, Atem." she exclaimed. "I don't know how. I don't know what I'm doing!"
"You will learn."
Could it really be that simple. She glanced at him peering down at her with soft, patient eyes. Perhaps she was overthinking this. Perhaps… she really would do well as a… Queen.
Naima swallowed, the idea still looming in her mind like an enormous, hazy cloud before her.
She sat up to look at him.
"Atem, I don't understand why you didn't just do this when your father told you to marry… That seemed to have been the time…"
"Because it wouldn't have been fair to you." he said.
"What do you mean?"
Atem turned his head to look out the window.
"I could have taken you for myself right then. I wanted to. It was the perfect timing… my father would have been desperate enough to allow it. But…" he trailed off and glanced at her.
"You told me that you didn't want to marry someone you barely knew, and I didn't want you to feel like you were in that situation. Not with me."
He took her hand in his.
"I wanted to … —" He stopped himself. "I intended to court you. Like in the stories. I knew that's what you wanted, and what you deserve."
She stared at him, touched. He had really planned this, put more thought into this than she gave him credit for.
"I think…" Naima smiled, breaking away from his gaze as she traced her fingers along his. "I think that's what you wanted too."
There was a brief silence that followed an exchange of warm smiles, a confirmation of her statement.
"So… then we would be married? And I would bear you children? And our children would be royalty, heirs to your throne…"
Atem nodded.
"And what if we have only daughters?"
He shrugged.
"Then we have only daughters."
Naima turned to face him, making sure that he saw the firm look in her eyes, the clear line she was about to draw.
"If I am to agree to be your wife," she said. "There will be no concubines. No marriages to foreign princesses or any others… just me and you."
He shot her a strange, bemused look and Naima prepared herself for the worst — for him to say how ridiculous her request was, how it broke tradition, how he needed to have a minimum of seventy children or else how could he possibly have enough heirs….
Or maybe, as she considered his face, maybe he hadn't even thought of it at all, and concubines had been the absolute last thing on his mind. She hoped it was the latter.
"No concubines. No one except you. I promise." he finally said. "That means we must produce many children together."
Naima traced her fingers along his chest absently.
"I would like that."
And it was the truth.
He pulled her closer. Hope glimmered in his eyes like the rays of afternoon sun that now danced on the window panes.
"What else?" he asked.
As Naima raked through her mind, something hard and glaring crashed over her. She blinked.
"Atem, what about Penthu?" she hissed. "He will be so upset about this."
"He will find another apprentice."
He was so casual about it, so nonchalant, as if it was that easy. Maybe it was easy to him, since he would not be the one to inform Penthu that yet another one of his apprentices is leaving… again. Naima cringed.
Atem stroked the ends of her hair, watching her.
"Naima, you know that as Queen, you may have whatever you want." he said.
Naima snorted. "You have resorted to bribing me now?"
"If I must."
She sighed. Atem was determined, that was certain. She might as well be truthful about how she felt.
"My fear is that people would not accept me as Queen, especially your peers…." Naima said. "How can I be a Queen when my own mother has been disgraced from her position of power? No one would take me seriously. I would be questioned and mocked. It is as if I am… tainted."
Atem stiffened. It was like a burning wave of fury had risen up behind her. The look in his eyes was absolutely potent.
"First of all, you are not tainted. I never want to hear you say that about yourself again."
A command from the Pharaoh. Naima straightened.
"You have so many gifts to share with the world." Atem's eyes smoldered. "You learn quickly. You care about others. You care deeply for your family. You take pride in your work."
He held her hand.
"You are my light in the darkness, a kind face in a sea of nothing but emptiness and despair. When the world chooses violence, you choose compassion. I need you, Naima."
She began melting in his arms.
He continued. "I will never forget the time when you told me that you wanted to live out your life as a Priestess in your village temple… It upset me. Deeply. Because for you to hide yourself, your talents from the world by purposely choosing to live in a temple as a recluse for all of eternity… That would have been a crime against humanity … and against me."
"Secondly," he said. "I do not care about any of that business long ago, especially since it does not directly involve you. I only care about us, here and now. Because," His expression softened as he traced his fingertips over her shoulder and neck.
"Your are not your mother, Naima. You are you."
Tears began to prickle in her eyes.
"And," He was still not finished. He bristled under her with a certain smoldering rage that she had never seen from him before.
"If I so much as hear that anyone has even whispered any foul words about you… they will be punished. I promise you that."
She shuddered at those last words, at the raw power under them. There was such conviction in his eyes.
And as she looked at her hand intertwined in his, the sunlight hitting his face in the golden glow of mid-afternoon, any doubt in her mind had diminished, felt so minuscule in comparison to what it had been before.
"You think I could do this?" Naima mumbled to him. "I would be good… for this… with you?"
He nodded.
She looked up into those determined eyes.
"Atem," she said quietly. "I would be honored to be your wife, and your Queen."
A small sigh escaped from him as if he had been subtly holding his breath this entire time.
"…Naima…." he muttered. His voice was slightly hoarse.
He traced his finger along her chin before he tugged her tighter against his body, closing the space between them.
"Naima, I promise to treasure you, always."
Love shone in his gentle eyes. He looked so open, so vulnerable in this moment.
She wanted to respond but she didn't know what to say, didn't know if there were even any words for what she felt.
She reached her head up to kiss him and he deepened it with a hand on the back of her neck. She leaned into him, her arms wrapping tighter around his back and soon both of their hands were all over, roaming, savoring.
Atem groaned into her mouth and pushed her back onto the couch until her head rested atop a pillow and he was on top of her, his head in the crook of her neck, kissing her, trailing all the way down to her breasts. So reverent.. the way he touched her, how his fingertips grazed across her skin, how he practically worshipped her body. He nipped at her nipple over her dress and Naima moaned as need filled her.
There were too many clothes. Too much in the way of both of them. Naima tugged at his shirt before fruitlessly tugging at her own dress, getting frustrated. He eventually got off her and there was a brief pause as she stood up and slipped it off her body.
His eyes raked over her. Without even a moment to spare, he growled as he picked her up into his arms.
The friction of her skin rubbing against his clothing and jewelry as she clung to him completely naked, his hands under her hips gripping her bare ass, it drove her wild. He set her gently on the bed and she sat up on her knees and faced him, the skin of her naked body gleaming in the sunlight as she watched him take his clothes off.
He grabbed her waist and laid her atop the bed, covering her body with his. And as he showered her neck and collarbone and breasts with kisses, Naima arched her back into him and wrapped her legs around his torso, his cock at her entrance.
She braced herself for it, readying her hips. But instead, he reached a hand down and his fingers went between her legs. And gently, almost timidly, he explored her core with his fingers, sliding through her slick flesh, grazing over her clit, until he reached her opening and he slowly inserted a finger.
Naima cried out in pain and gripped his torso as she felt herself stretch. But the pleasure came shortly after and she moaned into his neck. He fingered her carefully, sliding in and out of her, taking time to ensure she had stretched enough to accommodate him, before he slid another finger in her. And then another.
She was full with him, his fingers, but it was not enough. She wanted his cock inside of her. Needed it.
"Atem…please…" she pleaded.
He gently removed his fingers, and for a brief moment it felt so empty that it almost upset her, until she felt the tip of his cock brush up against her. His eyes met hers and his lips covered her own before he carefully slid inside of her.
Naima gasped, her core stretching for him once again and he groaned as he settled in her.
He was gentle with her at first. Soft, careful strokes. The stretching pain had subsided quite a bit, buried by the waves of pleasure that rolled through her. It was clear that he was trying to control himself. But his hands trembled and the need between both of them proved too much. He grabbed her hips and flipped her over, his cock still inside of her as she straddled him on top.
With one arm around her hips grasping her, another arm reached up and lifted her chin to face him.
"Look at me…" he whispered. She obeyed and his eyes locked onto hers. And as he thrust into her, she watched him come undone, a sea of violet now clouded with ecstasy. Between the force of his thrusts and her own pleasure, she cried out. He immediately halted and stiffened underneath her.
"…Naima… Did I…" Atem's voice was hoarse. His expression had turned frenzied between his need and the worry in his eyes. Worry that he had hurt her.
"No…" she moaned. "Keep going… please…"
He gladly obliged, gripping her ass and hips fully with both hands as he pumped into her, groaning. Until she felt it build in her. It felt natural to close her eyes and concentrate on her own pleasure. But a persistent hand nudged her chin up gently.
"… Look at me.."
She blinked, following that guiding hand and once again became lost in amethyst eyes. That same hand was now on her breasts playing with her nipples but his eyes never left her face, watching her expression as she panted and moaned, as she rocked her hips in tandem with his movements. The muscles in her hips tensed and twitched in anticipation, but still he watched her face and she watched his… until she couldn't take it anymore.
She finally shuddered as release barreled through her. His eyes grew large as he watched her come apart on top of him, his own release following a mere moment after. His chest heaved and he grunted as he spilled into her.
She remained on top of him, holding him as he caught his breath and stilled at last. Their limbs were tangled together and eventually, she rolled off and sidled up next to him in comfortable silence. A bit of his spend began to slowly drip out between her legs and onto her thighs.
"I like doing that with you…" Naima murmured, nestling her head on the side of his shoulder.
He pulled her closer and stroked her hair.
"We have the rest of our lives to do it together."
The rest of their lives. The finality of it all had not sunk in quite yet.
As she laid there, she considered. How never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she would wind up here, especially not as a Queen. She laughed inwardly as she recalled how much she hated when Nafi talked about government and current events, how she lamented about how much she didn't care, how sure she was that she would never need to know any of this, and he chided her for it. And yet… here she was.
And to think that there are girls who had wished all of their lives to be in her position, prayed and fought and schemed and destroyed each other for it, only for the opportunity to be thrust in her face.
Naima sat up. "Atem…"
"Hmmm…?" His eyes were closed while he laid next to her.
"What are you going to do about, you know… those girls… They are still here…"
Atem's eyes shot open. He looked at her with a guilty, almost horrified look on his face.
"Naima, I… honestly forgot they were here."
She almost laughed, and then felt bad about it.
"Is there any way that they can leave…?"
For their own sake.
He looked embarrassed. "Absolutely."
"I know this makes your job harder…"
He shook his head. "No. Do not worry about that. It is alright."
Naima cozied up next to him.
"So I'm curious," she said. "Was that part of your 'plan' or no?"
He gave her another strange look, as if he didn't know what she was talking about.
Naima raised an eyebrow.
"You don't remember? You said you had a plan with all this."
Realization lit up on his face.
"Oh, yes I remember now." Atem sighed. "Not initially, no."
He appeared thoughtful next to her. "The plan was to wait until my father passed away. I knew it was not going to be long. Once he was gone, I could do as I please."
Naima stared at him.
"Well, that's not very creative." she teased. "I was expecting more from an expert strategist like yourself."
He smiled at her and looked down.
"Oftentimes the best strategy is the simplest, Naima." he said quietly.
"If you say so…"
She continued to look at him as he stared out the window.
"Why was it a secret? You could have just told me…"
He glanced at her and then looked away, and Naima noted the tinge of grief and guilt that colored his expression. She was taken aback by this, didn't consider how he may have felt, that perhaps this was more personal to him than she initially thought.
"It is… complicated." he said wistfully. "To be the Pharaoh, is to sacrifice your own needs for the needs of your country. All I wanted was something of my own."
His words were strange to her at first, but the more they echoed around in her mind, the more she understood.
Perhaps he felt bad about what he did, disobeying his father in order to do what he wanted to do, and then waiting for his death in order to do it. And that him not telling her what he was going to do was not meant to be a secret, but as something he felt guilt for.
Naima studied him, noting the tiredness in his eyes, the thoughts that swirled around in his mind constantly, the piles of papers on his desk and the sheer level of responsibility that was on his shoulders. The endless meetings, the fights between cities and regions and countries, the finances… He was the one person in this palace who was never allowed a break. Never a day off. Never a time when he was released of his burdens. He was expected to give all of himself, all the time. And despite being the most powerful man in the country, he did not have a life of his own.
But, not once had he complained about or shirked his responsibilities. He accepted it all with grace.
All except for this. The prospect of being trapped in an unhappy, loveless marriage was something he could not accept. To him, this was the line.
And perhaps in that regard, they were similar. Both of them had chosen to be alone rather than suffer in a marriage that would not make them happy, and were content to do so…. Until —
Atem wrapped his arms around her and her train of thought dispersed into mist. She sighed, inhaling his scent. The scent of a man who has sacrificed so much…
"Atem," Naima muttered into his shoulder. "You're doing a great job as Pharaoh. Your father would be so proud of you." She twined her fingers with his.
And as he looked at her, the cloud of gloom on his face seemed to dissipate and his rare smile shone through, proud and exuberant.
"There are so many things I want to accomplish, Naima." he said to her.
"Like what?"
He exhaled a small breath, and his eyes sparkled with such enthusiasm. Such optimism. It was almost child-like.
"I believe in equality for all people. I believe in a world where everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has an equal say, an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents, to make their own choices. I want to make this a reality, Naima."
She had no idea that he felt such a way about his people, that he cared so much, that he held such radical beliefs. Radical in that what he wanted was at total odds with the current system. The notion of 'choices' was an unobtainable ideal for many.
But as she eyed him, the man who broke away from the traditions of his family to do what he felt was best for himself, she knew that if anyone would accomplish this, it would be him.
"You will make it happen." she said.
He interlaced his fingers with hers.
"We will make it happen."