"One drink." Mahad chided with a finger in her face. "Just one."
Mana returned with a childish pout. It would be him of all people to find a way to burden a fantastic party with serious and arbitrary rules.
"Why must you be such a bore, Master?"
"I am not a bore." He quipped defensively. "You are in irresponsible drunk. Or do I need to remind you of last season's harvest festival-"
"Alright, alright!-" Mana's cheeks pinkened as she turned on her heel, forcing open the doors to the main hall and abandoning her overbearing teacher behind them.
"Oh… my…"
Mana's eyes went wide with wonder. It was a decadent party to celebrate another year of the king's rule and arguably the most elaborate celebration yet. Music fought for dominance over the sound of laughter and chatter. The jingle of bells from the feet of the dancers and the smell of a feast overwhelmed her senses. The promise of an exciting night laid before her, sending sparks of energy down to her fingertips.
"One drink!" Mahad hissed in her ear as he walked passed her and was quickly lost in the figures dressed in the finest linens and gold in Egypt.
Mana briefly studied herself and a small wave of insecurity washed over her. She only had a few slip dresses and tonight's was definitely not her nicest. It was stained by an elixir that had exploded and part of the hem was torn. She could have maybe combed her hair or reapplied her kohl. But it didn't matter too much, she reasoned. Mana was never a formal guest to these events, but an addition to Mahad's company. No one really paid her much attention.
Quickly, she shook off such gloomy thoughts. After all, there was an advantage to being invisible. It afforded her all the opportunity to pry amongst the nobles unnoticed, sliding between their belly laughs and red faces full of wine fueled joy.
Wine.
There, unaware of its own capacity for chaos sat an inconspicuous pitcher of it. Rich red and fragrant, it called out to her from across the room and soon any thoughts of Mahad's warnings were swept away. Mana hustled towards it like like a greedy child, smiling from ear to ear as she poured herself the first of what promised to be at least a few drinks.
"I'll tell Mahad."
Only for a spilt second did Mana startle before recognizing the voice. Low and regal, but with a distinct playfulness she liked to think he reserved only for her.
"Go ahead, Prince. Tell him."
She turned, winking as she handed her dear Atem a glass of wine.
"For you, of course."
He returned an easy smile with pink cheeks. Perhaps this was not his first glass of the night.
"Mahad told me that you are to have one drink. It's something I'm supposed to hold you accountable for."
She whined. "Not you too, Prince."
"You remember what happened last time, don't you? For weeks afterwards I couldn't…"
"Yes, yes! I know!" Mana physically cringed, waving her hand to dismiss the mortifying story of their last drunken escapade.
She huffed. One glass. Just a single glass of wine. What a supreme bore Mahad could be.
And then- a most mischievous thought crossed her mind.
"Mana. Why are you smiling like that?" Atem raised an eyebrow at her.
Without answering him immediately, Mana turned to grab an empty flask from the table and extended it in front of her. The prince recognized the familiar wonderment on her face. She always lit up like that when she was up to no good.
"One glass, Prince."
With a wink and a smug smile, light sprung from the palm of her hand as the modest flask grew at least 3 times its size. It looked ridiculous, nearly falling out of her hand. Mana peared up at him with a balance of innocence and pure deviance that she wore so well.
"That is a cheap trick." Atem half heartedly chided.
"Misusing my heka, I know. The gods will forgive me, won't they?"
Atem hummed noncommittally.
"Perhaps. But will Mahad?"
Mana smiled without even the slightest hint of shame as she raised her oversized glass.
"Cheers, Prince."
"Cheers, Mana."
XXX .
They laid in the grass of the courtyard listening to the muffled music coming from the party, Atem hummed along. Mana's vision was blurry and the heavens above them spun and swirled as if dancing to the tune as well. It was a happy thought, and Mana felt happy in a way that the delirium of alcohol and the presence of her best friend never failed to bring her. It wasn't often she could steal moments with Atem. As they grew older, their respective roles in the palace seemed to slowly but inevitably pull them apart. Often, she felt bound by duty and other boring things. But not tonight. Tonight was a lovely reprieve.
"You are drunk, Prince."
"Hm?" His humming broke. "Oh- Yes I suppose I am."
Even when inebriated, he remained a man of few words. But there was an undeniable sparkle in his eyes and an easy smile on his face as he turned to look at her.
"As are you."
"I only had one drink, mind you."
He huffed.
"Mahad has always underestimated your mischief. Even after all these years."
A small giggle formed in her chest that soon grew into a full belly chuckle. Mana braced her sides as she found it difficult to stop the fit of laughter that overcame her. Nights like these were becoming more rare, she nearly felt guilty for being so drunk through it. Every second needed her full attention. She wanted to savor every drop of togetherness. If only she could bend time as easily as she could make her wine flask double in size. She would expand their time till it reached the heavens above. To take one night with her prince and make it infinite.
The thought caught her a bit off guard and the intrusive sadness killed her laughter mid breath. Moments like these were attacking her more often it seemed, escaping from her subconscious when her mind was bored or weakened. It was usually locked in a place she didn't dare let her mind wonder into. It frightened her so much, how just the slightest touch from that spot could change her mood so quickly. How much more it could do to her if she really let into it, felt it all. What would it reveal to her?
"Mana? What happened?"
She gave him a reassuring smile and a small head shake.
"Nothing, Prince. I was just thinking how…" These thoughts proved to be difficult to access when sober, even more so when drunk. But of all people, Atem had always been her main confidant and closest friend. Even if she could not find the right words, maybe he could still understand. "These times we have together seem to grow more infrequent as we get older, you know? I worry we'll be like Mahad or Seto one day. Full of rules and obligations and… maybe one day we won't.. I don't know..."
She suddenly felt that she was getting dangerously close to that tender spot in her subconscious and would not elaborate further.
"Mana, I know you. You could never be a bore. And you've never met a rule you didn't break."
Something about the way he said it made her flush and she was thankful to the night's cloak of darkness to conceal her face.
"Mahad used to say that too. But it seems that duty to you has made it impossible for him to be so… casual."
Atem hummed in understanding.
"Don't you remember how he would sneak us wine? Now he is such a… bore. A responsible, respectable, wonderful bore."
"It's been a long time since he would sit in the grass and stare at the sky with us, I suppose." Atem mumbled thoughtfully.
"I just don't want that to ever be us. I like us. Just how we are."
Atem was quiet for a moment. Mana blinked, focusing on his expression with her hazy eyes. He often looked so stern and serious, as if the world sat on his shoulders. And perhaps, it did most days. But on some occasions when they were alone, his smile would be warm and his eyes soft as they looked at her. Mana adored it when he would look at her that way.
"I like us as well. Nothing will change between me and you, Mana."
Her name sounded so perfect when he said it, so kind and understanding. She bit her lip to suppress whatever she felt suddenly building up in her chest, threatening to spill out her mouth in her drunkenness.
But the feelings of tenderness could not be stopped no matter how much she tried and without even thinking, she urgently grabbed his hand and interlocked their fingers.
"Uh. Good, then!" She fumbled out, feeling utterly stupid. She waited a moment for him to recoil at her affection, and when she felt his hand rustle she silently cursed herself. But to her surprise, she felt him gently squeeze her hand instead pull away. He had not rejected her. The realization made her cheeks redden and her heart flutter almost painfully in her chest.
Atem was wrong though. Something between them had already changed. Perhaps when they had been younger, they had held hands every day. But something shifted as they got older, and Mana had to admit that this time as they held hands, something magical was there that had not been present before. She could feel it with every pound of her heart, sending little bolts of lightning down to her feet. A longing she dare not speak of even in that moment. Holding his hand would have to suffice. No. It more than sufficed.
She smiled contently and squeezed his hand in return.
A few moments passed as they laid side by side in the grass. The music from the party had died down and the lights in the main hall had dimmed. The sounds of an Egyptian night took its place as rustling grass in the wind and crickets surrounded them. She closed her eyes and let the peace of it wash over her. That small place in her brain that plagued her seemed to shrink with each passing second. With her heart so full and mind so quiet, she felt the pull of a late night lull her to sleep.
"Don't sleep yet, Mana." She heard the prince whisper from next to her just as sleep threatened to overtake her.
"Hm…?" She hummed groggily and struggled to open her eyes.
"Stay up just a bit longer with me." He gently tugged on her arm but it was in vain. Mana had fallen asleep.
He let out a small sigh, although not even slightly irritated. It had not been the first time they had fallen asleep in the palace garden, and he hoped it would not be the last. So he rolled onto his side to face her, still hand in hand, and waited for sleep to take him as well.
"Goodnight, Mana."