My life changed drastically ever since that day I was brought to the Royal Palace. I was entrusted into the care of one of the Pharaoh's Priests, and he started teaching me the moment I stepped into his room. Whatever I thought I knew, and I thought I knew pretty much already, paled in the comparison of the wisdom of this great man. He laughed at my basic skills, mocking me for being a simple farm boy and lamenting himself for being the one to educate me with decades of knowledge in much shorter time. He ridiculed my pronunciation, my handwriting, taunted me for being unable to uphold myself in debate or conversation, for my general lack of insight.

He started training me in controlling and perfecting my heka, which he ordered me to summon on the spot, almost crying out loud in rage when I told him I couldn't. I was nothing but a mule in his eyes, the lowest of servants, and he couldn't understand why exactly he was saddled with the unholy duty of moulding me into a Priest. The second I heard him voice that complaint, my blood almost froze; so that was the goal of having me report to the Palace. I figured as much that no one was attacking me for my heka- people were impressed with my spirit ka as soon as they heard about it, praising me for being able to summon it at such a young age.

I had to grit my teeth and work hard- I absorbed everything, reading until the late hours of the night, writing as fast as I've never written before, staining my fingers with ink, ruining reeds with the force I was writing down the hieroglyphs with. I wanted to show my teacher that his farm boy could handle whatever what was thrown at him, and that I could do whatever he demanded of me. The days weren't as hard compared to the physical labour I've done before, working on my father's lands, but long and difficult as I was given tasks and assignments, receiving responsibilities and obligations to fulfil. If I wanted to remain in the Pharaoh's service, I had to answer to all these expectations of people around me, and the expectations I laid upon myself.

I learned the Pharaoh's name when he was thirteen and I was sixteen. My teacher told me his name, and stressed the importance of immediately forgetting it. One was not worthy enough to address the Pharaoh with his given name, ever- with the risk of capital punishment. When I was alone in my small room, I would say his name out loud, tasting it how it would roll off. Atemu. Pharaoh Atemu.

I had the fortunate privilege to be around the Prince for quite some time, as we studied together. I shared history and mythology classes with him, and we went to temples and shrines together to do our homework. I received the honour of teaching him the basic principles of heka- it made me swell with pride, even though my teacher said he was too busy to teach the young Prince himself, I knew he was assigning me this responsibility due to my training for Priesthood.

As the time went by, a younger girl by the name of Mana joined us. I immediately sensed her great promise, the dormant power of heka, harboured within her. Even as I was still a student myself, I already had an apprentice- it made rumours fly around wildly in the Palace, and I was stern and determined to become the best magus, just as my Magus of Fantasy Illusion, as I had named my spirit ka, who had grown immensely in power with all the summoning and training. I learned how to use heka in battle, developing a strong bond with my magus as we were dependent on each other, especially in battle- he was alive as long as I had any ba left. We trained together, the young Prince, Mana and me, even though the former two didn't have any spirit ka, we trained in fighting, strengthening our bodies. Even with all the studying and work together, there was still room for play and relaxation.

The courtyard I had met the Prince for the first time became 'our' courtyard, where one of us could always be found. It wasn't as large as the main courtyard, which spanned miles in surface; it was rather small, with the large fountain and two other, large basins of water, all adorned with those beautiful lotus flowers. The sun would be there only for a few hours a day, shadows offering cool shades from the high temperatures during the afternoon and early evening. We often met there to study together or just hang around; even the future Pharaoh was sometimes bored, cranky or even rebellious when throwing a particularly boring and tedious scroll into the fountain. Which his father wasn't very pleased with- and despite being the Pharaoh's apple of his eye, the Prince wouldn't and couldn't avoid his punishment for destroying a perfectly fine document.

The Palace's library became familiar territory to me as I spend hours and hours studying and researching. It reminded me of how confident my previous teacher was that I once would visit the Palace's library- and now I was anchored in it, sitting behind one of the large tables, with papyri strewn all around me. Servants would bring me food and drink, sometimes gently reminding me either of a meeting I had to attend or to get some rest. I got used to my new life fast, though I never forgot about what I had called my 'previous' life- that one of a farm boy, struggling to make ends meet, day after day. I was dressed in large robes as I grew tall, I was given gold to wear to indicate my status of being a Priest in training, I was talking to the Pharaoh- marvelled that he wanted my advice, my opinion, even though I wasn't a full-fledged Priest yet. I learned so much from the meetings with him and his advisors, learned from my teacher who would never praise me and always pushed me to strive for more. I saw the pride in his eyes as I perfected my heka, my Magus of Fantasy Illusion growing with the strength of my heart, my devotion to the Pharaoh and his family strengthening with every passing day.

-------------------------

Besides work and play, there was laughter and tears. Laughter when we were forgetting all our duties and plights and ran around the Palace, Mana and the young Prince hiding in pots- easily detectable for me, but for the fun of it I would pretend not being able to find them as they were snickering in their hiding places. Mana was growing up to be a headstrong girl, beautiful in her appearance and potentially very strong in her heka. It annoyed me that she was sometimes quite lax in her studies, trying to practice spells she wasn't ready for or forgetting an important part of it, rendering her magic useless in certain occasions. While she called me boring and sometimes too strict for my own good, there wasn't much I didn't tolerate from her. She'd be a great sorceress once, if only she had the same determination and devotion as my Prince. Ah… that was a slip of the tongue. I often used to think of the young Prince as 'my' Prince, simply because we were friends, and it was obvious that we were gravitating towards each other, as our bond seemed to strengthen as time went by and our duties and obligations started to weigh heavier. I was reminded daily that I was in the presence of the future Pharaoh, the King of the nation, the ruler of our lands, and that I had the good fortune of knowing him personally. He didn't show any signs of heka himself, but he was interested in the mechanics and diversities of it and it was a pleasure to teach him. I had to remain calm and composed as his eyes rested on me, filled with curiosity and interest as I told him about the workings of magic, of the existence of various spell types, and sometimes the room seemed just too warm, and not because of the temperature outside.

Atemu… yes, in my thoughts I called him Atemu for that was his name, grew up to be a headstrong man, stubbornness matching his father, determined and strong, and... astoundingly beautiful. The long dark lashes framing his crimson red eyes who always bore an intense gaze, the shape of his face, his small lips… everything was beautiful about him. The way he moved, the way he talked, the way he laughed... even when he was irritated or annoyed, he was still beautiful. The gold adorning his ears and head always looked magnificent on him, his natural skin colour contrasting with the jewellery majestically. He would throw a fit sometimes how he hated being small- which must've been something of his mother's side, as his father was tall enough. Mana didn't mind much, she was about his height and hated craning her neck to everyone she was talking to. Still, I couldn't be thinking of him as 'my'. He was the Prince, a handsome young man who would be betrothed to a princess or young empress soon, and I couldn't help myself but feel jealous at the one who would be holding his hand in holy matrimony, exchanging vows with him and look into his eyes at night.

To block these thoughts, I completely buried myself in my studies, finishing and surpassing my teacher to his own surprise, far earlier than he expected. I made sure I spend enough time with my apprentice and with my… the young Prince who was being prepared for ascending the throne when the time was there. I was raised to Priesthood, accepting the mystical Sennen Ring as a part of my new position, the symbol of my obligation and duties. The artefact was from my predecessor, who had passed away- I frowned when receiving the Item but quickly covered it up as not to disturb the ceremony; I detected a great evil in this Ring. Both the Pharaoh and the Prince congratulated me with my progress and my success; for once, I wished my father and my mother were there to see me, for the both of them how I had worked hard and done my best. To my sadness, and as far as I recall I felt really lonely that one night, ties with the family were severed when one was accepting into and ascending into Priesthood. I'd never seen my mother again since the day she brought me to the Palace, and I knew I would never see my father or my siblings again. I already realized by then how the tears and pain in my family had stemmed from the desolate future they'd only seen for themselves, of working the flesh off their bones for barely any profit, for being unable to express themselves but with fighting and beatings instead of words, of not having any much looking forward to than the next cycle of sowing, reaping, harvesting, ploughing.

Tears were abundant the day the great Pharaoh died after a short sickness, striking him suddenly and leaving the most skilled healers baffled and powerless. My service to Pharaoh Akunamukanon shifted to service to Pharaoh Atemu, a child of thirteen, more than adult in the eyes of many, having been prepared all his life for this particular moment. The day his father died and he ascended the Throne, he looked… wrong. Yes, he had his usual confident, composed look that made it clear to everyone that he was a ruler, a Pharaoh of a great nation, and he would take on this burden without fail. Not everyone was able to see it, as his confidence and slight arrogant nature were excellent deterrents for his true feelings, that what lied deeply hidden in his heart- the sadness of his father's death, the uncertainty now that he lost his greatest mentor and role model, and he sat on a Throne too large for him, his feet not reaching the ground.

I couldn't see anything different from the small, young child who spoke to me in the courtyard, playing with the fish in the fountain, telling me that his name was reserved only for those in his service, and from the slightly taller, still young boy who was sitting up straight in a cold and hard seat that resembled his Throne, calmly accepting his duties and obligations as he hid sadness and fear behind his exterior of regal demeanour. I was in his service now as his Priest, attending his court, and I only saw him burdened, weighed down more with each passing minute. We had been a unity, the three of us -him, me and Mana, and the bond between us was shifting as he was speaking, pronouncing the holy vows of accepting his position and the promise of ruling the nation. I wasn't Mahaado anymore; I was the wielder of the Sennen Ring, advisor and Priest of his court. I had a duty to uphold and dignity and wisdom to maintain, but my obligations and responsibilities were nothing compared to what was awaiting our young Prince… no, Pharaoh.

----------------------

Maybe what I did next, was wrong… or maybe people would say it would be wrong. He was surrounded by people- people who wanted to be in his favour, people who wanted a favour, people who were his enemies, people who were his friends. They were all circling around him, eyeing him as if he was some kind of prey, and he had to face them all, take decisions, disappoint one and grace the other, and he would make more enemies and more friends as he was going along. It was a long day, filled with all kinds of ceremonies and festivities, celebrating the crowning of a 'new' Pharaoh while the previous one was buried, judged by the Gods for his deeds and his sins. He had to be tired, seeing how his posture started to slouch in the hard seat, but before I could say something about it, his vizier, an elderly man that went by the name of Shimon, whispered something to his ear. Probably some kind of excuse, because suddenly he stood up and left his Throne, as usual guards quickly herding around him. I send Shimon a thankful smile, to which he nodded; that man was as loyal as one could possibly be, also deriving from the late Pharaoh's court. I didn't know him very well personally, but I had gathered that he was in excellent standing with the royal family and knew that he would be of great service to our current Pharaoh.

I excused myself from the festivities as well, following the small procession to the Pharaoh's private quarters, waiting patiently until all the guards but the ones in front of the doors had dispersed. He was alone in his room, and I knew he was crying. I never had seen him cry before, but the loss of one's father, especially a good man like Pharaoh Akunamukanon, would be hard on anyone. I brushed past the guards, who didn't bother to acknowledge my presence- after all, they knew me, and I would've frozen them in place if they hadn't allowed me to pass.

The first room I entered was the antechamber, spacious enough to house a variety of furniture for those waiting for permission of the Pharaoh to continue and walk further into his private room. I noticed the bowl with fresh fruit on one of the side tables- it looked like perfection, patiently waiting to be consumed. Scraping my throat as to announce myself, I opened the door which separated the antechamber from his private quarters and walked in.

"Great Pharaoh," I voiced out loud, "with your permission…?" It suddenly dawned me that this was the first time I called him Pharaoh instead of Prince. He made that almost unnoticeable gesture with his head, but that was the permission I needed to make my way over to him, my ankles sinking away in the thick carpet. He brusquely rubbed at his face, pursing his lips in a tight line as he avoided looking into one of the many mirrors.

"My Pharaoh, it is of no shame to cry, for the loss of someone that dear to us all and you in particular is great…"

He showed me a soft smile, for the briefest of moments before he turned his head away again. "The last time I cried was at a shrine to the Gods, when my father asked for their forgiveness," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, that was the last time I cried."

"I understand, my Pharaoh," I said, bowing. I knew there had to be more behind this story, but I left it to him to fill it in whenever he saw fit. After all, it wasn't my duty to question my Pharaoh, let alone pry into his... business.

"Pharaoh Akunamukanon was a good man. He will be welcomed in the Kingdom of our Gods and stay among them…"

"Thank you," he answered me, almost automatically, as if the words didn't register. He was numb of sadness, tired beyond exhaustion, and facing a task that would've been too much to bear for the most of us. I moved my hand to reach past him, taking a piece of cloth from the table he was sitting at, and I dabbed at his cheeks to remove the traces of tears. The kohl around his eyes had ran all over his face, smudging and smearing his smooth, golden skin. He closed his eyes, those large, crimson eyes, brushing the long dark lashes past his cheekbones. He was so vulnerable at that moment, naked in a way, open and pure, and my fingers started to tremble. There was only this tiny piece of cloth between my fingers and his skin, preventing me from really touching him.

"Mahaado," he said, rupturing the silence, "what am I going to do without my father?"

"You will rule the country as he did before you, my Pharaoh." I dabbed some more, despite the kohl being as good as cleaned off his face now.

"I... I simply can not.."

"Yes you can," I said, reluctantly removing the dirty cloth, waiting for him to open his eyes.

"I am not my father," he said a little sullenly, head still tilted.

"Fortunately, you are not. My Pharaoh, you bear the traits and assets of your father.. his great sense of justice, of responsibilities, his care for his nation and his people. Those are the important things, the pillars of your ruling, and you will give your own mark to it, growing as you go along."

"I have had a great example in my life," he suddenly murmured. "I do not know if I can live up to it, simply because I am not my father."

"I am sure you can," I repeated. "My Pharaoh, you are young and strong. You have had one of the best educations and preparations this country, the people around you, has to offer. It is difficult as the grieving and mourning is still so fresh…"

"How can we be celebrating..?" He asked, shaking his head, but finally opening his eyes.

"We celebrate the birth of a new beginning," I said softly. "The end of a previous chapter, the turning of a new page."

"I should have known you would come up with a comparison that involves a book," he said, a smile tugging at his lips, tone of voice a little teasingly. I blushed faintly, knowing that he knew me all too well. Searching for some kind of distraction, I saw the large golden Puzzle lying on the table. The heritance of his father, the ultimate symbol of the Pharaoh's power. Without thinking twice, I took the artefact, looping the cord around my fingers, lifting it up over his head. He leaned a little forward and I hung it around his neck, taken aback by the sheer weight of it. The Puzzle didn't only symbolize the power of its wielder, but also the burden of the man who stood at the head of a glorious nation.

"Remember that you have your Court- your Priests and advisors who will always help you."

"Yes, that is right," he said, heaving a small sigh, turning his head towards me as his hand went to cup the Puzzle. "I have you."

The blush on my cheeks tinted deeper, and I wasn't really sure how he was addressing the situation… but there was one answer I could give him.

"Yes, you have me."

I didn't imagine the bright smile he gave me, a smile that dissolved into an attempt to stifle a yawn. The day and the latest events had certainly been certainly exhausting and he needed his rest. I wasn't about to suggest to the Pharaoh that he should go to bed, though. He was far above me, the living representation of the Gods, and he would know what to do best. I remained standing where I stood, awaiting his command, awaiting his every wish he would utter. He wasn't speaking, but his eyes were set in determination, that fierce look that I had seen often with him, holding the same pride and confidence that I knew from his father, passed onto his son, who was at the brink of ruling this nation, and I knew by then that the country was safe, I was safe, everyone was safe, as the Pharaoh had ascended the Throne, a strong Pharaoh who held values and justice high, and I would be at his side for as long as he needed me.

---------------------------

I saw him change over the years. The burden of the Sennen Puzzle and the responsibilities of ruling the country weighed heavy on him, but he bore it all- stubbornly, determinedly, taking pride and honour in doing so. He was often the last one to call it a day, studying every piece of information brought to him meticulously, treating his servants well, listening to his advisors intently, and his decision in the end would be a well thought-out one, weighing the pros against the cons. I assisted him to the best of my ability- I wasn't alone, as the other wielders of the remaining Sennen Items forged under the late Pharaoh's reign, joined me in the Court. The beautiful Aishizu, the strong Set, the mysterious Shaadah, the honest Karim, the reclusive Akunadin- each of them carrying the task and obligation tied to their respective Item. I had sealed away the dark and evil… conscience I found when I studied my Sennen Item, the Ring, the day I received it, using my heka to keep it under control.

When he accepted the Throne, things changed between us. From students and friends we suddenly became Pharaoh and Priest, even though it had been inevitable. To me, he remained the same, small Pharaoh child that talked to me in the lotus garden, and I told myself that nothing between us had changed, very much aware of the lie I was telling myself. I didn't want anything to change between us, as comfortable as we had grown in each other's company, as natural as we interacted with each other without being reminded of our positions. One thing did remain the same, much to my pleasure: every night, before retreating to his private quarters, he took a small walk around the courtyard, the small lotus garden, and ended by sitting on the edge of the fountain where we first met. I knew his daily routine, his schedule, and I made sure my evening walks coincided with his, if only to see him outside of the Court, outside of the Pharaoh he was being- I wanted to see him as Atemu, even though I didn't speak his name but in the silent comfort of my own room. Despite the guards surrounding him -they only kept the minimum distance, ready to intervene-, he talked about casual things with me, as if nothing had changes. I could feel it between us, the invisible ties that made us drift towards each other. I couldn't care less for the envious looks I was sometimes given, and I knew about the gossip that went around about how high I stood in his favour. Instead of being annoyed at it, it amused me- all those gossipers would think twice about telling each other how unfair it was if they'd see that during council meetings, I wasn't spared. If anything, my advice and opinion were weighed double; no, there wasn't a single shred of favouritism at the Pharaoh's Court. Only when we walked together, late at night like this, we could leave our positions behind us, and just be who we were.

I would settle for this friendship, would settle for this deep bond we shared. We would finish each other's sentences, we were able to quickly pick up on what the other was about to say, or what the other was feeling by just a simple look, or movement, or the intonation in his voice. Often Mana would accompany us, being her bubbly and joyous self. We both would do anything to make our Pharaoh smile and laugh, and to make the three of us to feel at ease, forgetting the work and the obligations for just that one moment. Our Pharaoh… my Pharaoh. I latched onto everything he said, watched every movement of his eyes, wanting to see something there that I could interpret in a certain way. I had to be careful when my fellow Priests were around me at a meeting or during our council, that it wouldn't be too obvious that I was observing him, let alone that the Pharaoh himself would be annoyed by my gazing stare, but I just couldn't turn away. I had to know, had to see that smile on his lips, if it was meant only for me, and when he turned his head, if he would look at me, if that look on his face was directed at me.

I promised his father, the late Pharaoh Akunamukanon, on his deathbed that I would take care of his son, I would take care of Atemu and protect him, serve him to the best of my abilities.. no more than my abilities. I had to protect him as I promised; he was family to me, more than family, and my promise to his father had turned into a passionate vow as my feelings towards him had changed. I was looking for signs that his feelings had changed too, and I could only hope and pray- and be his servant as I used to be his teacher.

-----------------------------

These last few days the Palace had been up and about in commotion, caused by the appearance of a certain thief calling himself Bakura. The man claimed to be the King of Thieves, and had managed to barge into the Throne Room - the Throne Room! - unleashing his ka: the terrifying Diabound. Until that day, I had seen lots of evil ka spirits, demons strengthened by the hatred, anger or anguish in one's heart, but never anything like this. We Priests always managed to extract it from the person, to seal it onto the stone slab, containing the evil to never walk free and blacken the heart more. This… this monster, this Diabound- was horrifying. In size, in power, in ability; it surpassed us all, and I couldn't unleash my heka fully, I couldn't strengthen my Magus enough without endangering the others around me. I saw Set trying to contain the beast, using his Sennen Rod to seal it, but to no avail. Karim couldn't even weigh the evil in the thief's heart, his Sennen Scales going wild, and I thought Shaadah would keel over on the spot from the shock when trying to use his Sennen Ankh on the man.

It was a dreadful situation, and this Diabound was going to destroy us all, if it weren't for our... my… our Pharaoh stepping up to the plate. We tried to stop him, not wanting him to be in any kind of danger, and silence fell as he moved himself in front of us, the Pharaoh protecting his Priests. Was it because Bakura had defiled the late Pharaoh's tomb, his father's tomb, dragging the sarcophagus all the way into the Throne Room? Was it that the thief used the mighty Pharaoh's dia dia'ankh to call forth his spirit ka? Was it his audacity… his sheer pride this man took in what he had done? I could barely give it a second thought, as the dia dia'ankh on the Pharaoh's wrist unfolded and he called for one of the Gods. Not even Shimon had expected that particular thing to happen, never having witnessed a God answering a call. The Pharaoh called forth his strongest servant, the mighty Obelisk, and we all stared in shock and in awe, as Diabound was thrown back and the thief injured. There wasn't much room for celebration though, as it was more than obvious that both Diabound and Obelisk were matching each other in strength. It had ended with the thief retreating, but not as hasty as I'd like to see- this man knew that he was strong and dangerous.

A young servant approached me in my room, carrying a small golden tray. There were guards outside my door- security had doubled, tripled, after this so-called King of Thieves had uttered threats about reclaiming the Sennen Items, taking them away from us. I was searching through my scrolls, looking for my personal notes. Bakura had mentioned things that were very familiar to me. When I researched the Sennen Ring after I received it, I had discovered certain facts that made me shiver in disbelief and fear. The truth was the most important thing, but it was still a low priority compared to the Pharaoh's safety. I would always protect him, even from the truth, even it would cost me my life. That he had taken his stand in front of us, facing off with the thief single-handedly, was humiliating. We, the Priests, should've been able to deal with that… cretin ourselves.

I barely noticed gritting my teeth, and the servant backed away from me a little. I quickly straightened my face, taking the scroll from the tray and snapped the thin cord around it. It was a personal message from Atemu- no, the Pharaoh… he wished to see me. I could hardly keep my wildly pounding heart in check. I had received similar messages before, and I had to remind myself that I was only summoned for a meeting, to give some extra advice he needed, or an opinion he wanted to hear. It meant, however, that I got to see him in his own room, where the flickering of the candles and oil lamps would cast that magnificent glow on his face, bringing out the intensity of his eyes even more.

Standing up, I followed the servant out of my room, acquiescing to the guards following me. I always wondered how the Pharaoh was dealing with the constant proximity of guards, of servants- they were hard to ignore, and I was glad to arrive at his private quarters soon enough, noticing that there were more than ten guards outside the doors. Set sure had taken quite the drastic measures.

As the doors were opened for me, I realized I was still holding the scroll with the simple message in my hand, and I put it on a small wooden side table. Crossing the antechamber, I reached for the door that separated me from his room. Something… different was in the air. It didn't have anything to do with heka… was it my nervousness? I had been here before. What could be different from all those other times? I took in a deep breath and opened the door, smelling incense, lotus incense. The room was slightly dark, and it took me a few moments to adjust my eyes properly. He was sitting in the corner, a few papyri spread out on the table next to him.

"Great Pharaoh," I said after I walked over to him, kneeling down in the respectful manner as I was taught to. "You wished to see me?"

"Yes, I wished to see you, Mahaado," he said, turning around in the large seat, holding a scroll in his hand, a slight scowl on his face.

"These reported sightings of Bakura are worrying me," he continued, showing me the records of spotted sightings of the thief. In my position as captain of the royal tomb guard, I was responsible by default. Bakura had managed to defile one tomb. He wouldn't be able to break into another one and come out of it alive. I placed my hand on my chest, over my heart, to stress the importance of my vow.

"I will take on my responsibilities and investigate the matter further, Great Pharaoh," I said. "Rest assured that such events will never occur again." The last thing we would ever need were more thieves running rampant and break into the tombs of our beloved ancestors, following the King of Thieves' example. Most of the tombs were protected by a multitude of traps, devised by Shimon himself. Not many of previous tomb robbers had been able to figure them out, paying for their misjudgement with their lives. This man, however… "I will strengthen the guards and inspect the tombs and their traps at once."

"Very well," he said, rolling up the records and putting them aside on the table. "I will leave it to you to take the appropriate precautions. I rather mention this to you in person then in another Council meeting, wherein Set will take the advantage to rub it in how inefficient you are- which you are not, of course. To Set, everyone is inefficient but Set himself."

I lowered my head, hiding my grateful smile. My fellow Priest would strive with me for the Pharaoh's praise, though he treated us all accordingly and equally. I knew that at least Set would take any chance to discredit me- not out of spite, but because he had reached perfection in his own eyes. There was no one who could or would doubt High Priest Set's loyalty, intelligence and his strength in tactics, on the battle fields and in duels. I felt ashamed enough that I failed my Pharaoh; I didn't need Set to point it out again to me, especially not in front of the whole Council.

"I thank you, Great Pharaoh." After the nod of his head, I rose to my feet, convinced that the meeting was over. Short, much too short to my liking, but if this was all I could get, I would have to take it. Just as I was about to bid him a good night and thank him once again for his advice and his words, he suddenly tilted his head and smiled.

"It has been a while since we really talked, Mahaado. How is your family doing?"

He took me by surprise, even though he was right- ever since the appearance of the King of Thieves, he'd been too occupied to take his usual evening walks in the lotus garden. His words struck a bittersweet cord with me. It was tradition that a Priest's ties with his family were completely severed, as to leave his past behind, a symbolic new start. It was no secret that the majority of the Priests had some kind of contact in the large city to keep them informed about their family's well-being, even though it was officially forbidden. I had a similar contact, an honest merchant who knew the right people who knew my family. Because of him, I knew that both my parents had passed away, and that most of my siblings were doing fine- that is, the usual life of a farmer's family.

"They are doing fine, Great Pharaoh," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips. It was no secret either that the Pharaoh was aware of all of this. He'd been considering abolishing this particular tradition for a while now.

"That is good to hear," he said and he stood up from his chair, stretching a little. He probably had been studying those records for hours on end.

"Great Pharaoh?"

He only showed me a smile, but it was more than enough. This one was for me, definitely, and I had to keep from gasping.

"Family is extremely important. It has been over two years now…"

"Forgive me," I immediately murmured, lowering my head again. How could I have forgotten- allowing myself to be occupied with smiles and superficial infatuations, when my Pharaoh was still grieving for his father, on the exact day of his death, two years ago?

He didn't answer me; I didn't hear anything but the rustle of clothing, and I didn't dare raising my head again until he gave me permission. I could mentally slap myself, but all my thoughts of self-chastising disappeared when I overheard the sound of wine being poured into a mug.

I slowly raised my head, my eyes searching out the Pharaoh who stood at the dresser, his back turned towards me, and he was pouring the wine- not one, but two goblets. The idea of the Great Pharaoh himself serving me wine was devastating to me, and I quickly moved to take the chore out of his hands, my hand brushing over his. I had never been so close to him as I was now- not even when walking in the courtyard, our small lotus garden, where I held a distance between us-, our arms never touched or even brushed. He mumbled something, and I couldn't make out if it was from the frustration of me taking the wine out of his hands or that something else was bothering him.

"Great Pharaoh, you should sit down and rest," I admonished him gently, holding the two goblets. He looked at me, nodding in agreement and he took a few steps away from me, returning to the large chair he'd been sitting in just a few moments before. I didn't know if my heart would be able to upkeep this high rate it was beating with, and though I mourned the loss of his close proximity, I knew it was for the better and I handed one of the goblets to him. He made a gesture with his hand to the other chair, motioning for me to sit down- I thanked him and sat down myself, my eyes never leaving him.