Farewells

(Every tear I shed is for you)

Chapter Summary: The Nile was the main highway of Ancient Egypt. Boats made of wood, with sails were used to carry everything.

HARDAI

A week after the Pharaoh's official departure from Hardai, had Massika packing some of her most important belongings, as per agreement, she would be joining him on Thebes.

The whole process was a painful one, mostly because she never really got around on the idea of actually leaving her home and the city. Every place, and every person she encountered during those days made her remember all the happy times she enjoyed with them. All the parties at the gardens, or the meetings where they organized festivals of formal ceremonies. She remembered all the jokes and all the heated arguments. She remembered everything and at times, she wished that she didn't.

The temple was worse, since she spent all of her conscious life living there. She knew that place like the back of her hand, all the nooks and crannies, the hiding places and the secret passages; the forbidden rooms and the open altars; the working places and the resting wings.

She knew all of the people living and working there; people who tried to spend as much time with her as possible, since all of them knew that there was a possibility that they would never see her again once she departed to Memphis.

She tried to offer everybody a smile, to reassure them that she was… content with the marriage and that she was willingly going through it, that they had nothing to worry about.

And if, while saying these, her eyes were covered with unshed tears or her voice broke slightly while talking, nobody commented on it.

She would travel to Khmunu by skiff, taking advantage of the somewhat favorable winds that had been blowing lately. Once there, she would wait a day or two until she was able to secure transportation that brought her all the way to Thebes. She would travel only with some essentials, while the rest of her belongings would arrive at a later date to the Pharaoh's palace.

She was resigned to make the trip alone, wallowing in her misery, and mentally preparing herself for what was to come. Great was her surprise when, the day she was supposed to leave, Khaba boarded the same Skiff as her, carrying some light luggage and claiming that he was not letting her make this trip alone.

The gentle smile that she offered him was proof enough of the gratitude she felt in that moment.

Turning around, she saw Atem smiling sadly at them, the same sad smile that he had been showing them since the marriage announcement and which, no matter what, was unable to actually reach his eyes.

He hugged tightly, almost as if he was unwilling to let her go, and maybe that was the case, because, even if she actually was willing to marry the Pharaoh, he knew it was not what she had envisioned for herself.

"I'll be seeing you for the wedding. I convinced the Pharaoh to lead the ceremony"

"Thank you, it will be great to have you there with me".

Massika knew that he was making a titanic effort to show strength where there was almost none, and that he would break down later when nobody was there to witness his despair. So she hugged him again before boarding the scriff where Khaba was already waiting for her, in a silent assurance that everything would work itself out and that they should not worry.

And it would, she was sure of it, even if she did not know exactly how.

THE NILE

The first few hours of travel could only be described as uncomfortable at best. What could have, at any other time, been a pleasant trip on skiff along the Nile with the love of their lives was turning into the most awkward trip of their lives. It was not that they were uncomfortable with their current company, but that neither of them were sure how to act around the other, now that their relationship was almost over.

They were mostly avoiding each other, going as far as only talking to the other whenever something really important needed their attention. Otherwise, the trip was made in silence.

That is, until Massika had enough of it. Because, maybe her companion was sad, and could moodily sulk on the other side of the skiff at his heart's content, but she would be damned if she let what could be their last moments together be this sorrowful and miserable.

So she decided to take matters into her own hands. Or more accurately, she decided to just go and sit on his lap until he acknowledged her presence there. She was determined to make him talk to her, to sort things out with her and then enjoy the trip like they would have done several weeks back.

The reaction she got from her impromptu plan was… expected and interesting. The moment she sat in his lap, his first reaction was to unconsciously hold her hips so she would not fall off him. By the time his brain caught on what he was doing, his pale blue eyes got impossibly wide and his face reflected the shock and confusion of not knowing if he should push her away or just hold her as tightly as possible and never let her go.

The decision was taken from him when Massika held onto his neck, and started to play with the hairs on the back of his head. Her point was driven further when, without any more prompting, she kissed him sweetly but fiercely.

They traded kisses for quite some time, each revelling on the feel of the other's body next to them. It could have been minutes, or it could have been hours, neither wanting to let go.

It was Khaba who parted first. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, as the reality of what they were doing caught up to him. Still, he could not say that he was regretting the previous moments, as that would be an enormous lie.

But it was not right, and somebody could see them and tattle on them to the pharaoh. He wanted to continue, he just wasn't sure it was a wise choice.

As if reading his thoughts, Massika suddenly got up from his lap, and with practiced ease, she got rid of the wig she was wearing for the day, letting her long golden tresses cascade down her back.

The wig was a short simple thing with only the bare minimum of jewels attached to it as it was supposed to mark her status as a maiden of the temple during her travels while also not being too ostentatious. However, the design was something that identified her wherever she went, as not many maidens wore that specific hair arrangement.

Seeing her with a different kind of wig was rare. But seeing her without one entirely was unheard of.

"Let's play a Game, beloved" Massika murmured against his lips, while also sitting back on his lap. "During this trip, there is no one else but us, a couple of might be foreigners in love traveling to the capital city." With that she proceeded to also remove his headdress, letting his silver hair flow freely with the river breeze.

She decided to let her proposal sink by kissing him again, with more passion and more enthusiasm than before, feeling him run his fingers through her hair with one hand and tightening his hold on her waist with the other.

They did not need any more words to understand their agreement. For the next few days she would be just Massika, and he would be just Khaba. No titles, no obligations, no nothing.

Just them and their love.

The trip, in the end turned out pretty idyllic, with them indulging in their every desire, being it food, sleep, cuddles or sex. They only stopped to get back to land when nighttime came and they needed to find shelter or when they ran out of supplies.

They also modified their traveling arrangements so they could get to Dendera by skiff and then to Thebes instead of moving by land from Khmunu.

And they even decided to use fake names while on land, just in case and just because,completely posing as a pair of foreigners traveling for pleasure and leisure.

It was fun and it was peaceful. It was everything they always wished to experience with one another.

But every day they enjoyed the presence of the other was a day closer to the end of their affair. Every little caress freely given was one that was treasured dearly in their minds and in their hearts, since they knew that there would not be much more of them in the future.

And even if they tried to not think about it, deep in their minds they knew that they were getting closer to the end. There was no way around it, nor a way to stop time and make their moment together eternal.

So they tried to make the best of the situation. By being Khaba, by being Massika. By being themselves

Until the day everything shattered while arriving to Dendera.

DENDERA

Some minutes before dawn, found Massika curled up against Khaba, her hair sprawled all over his torso, while his own silver tresses were covering most of his small pillow in a rather messy way.

They had not been asleep for long, their latest round of love making getting well into the wee hours of morning. They knew they would be arriving to a small port on Dendera the next day, and with it, they would have to be extra careful not to be seen, since they would now be too close to the capital for it to be safe. So they decided to spend the night on the skiff to enjoy themselves as much as possible.

They were not supposed to wake up until the sun was practically hitting them on their faces, just a few hours before midday. They were not supposed to get up from their makeshift bed until it was strictly necessary. They were supposed to keep the other warm until the heat of the sun made them separate.

Instead, Massika was wide awake, feeling like the Nile itself was trying to tell her something important, if she could just listen.

Because now that she was awake, she could feel it too. Something was about to go wrong, or at least not the way they had planned.

And wrong it went.

Once the city started to get into view, she noticed an increase of military presence everywhere that looked as if they were looking for something. For a moment, she thought that whatever prompted them to leave their barracks should not be of any concern to her, since she was not an enemy of Kemet nor a criminal looking to cause trouble. But the same strange feeling that woke her up earlier, made her be wary of their presence.

The arm sneaking around her waist distracted her from her musings, making her turn around and offer a sunny smile to her until now sleeping companion.

"What is troubling you, Beloved?"

"It may be nothing, but… I noticed an increase of military activity in this city. It seems like something big happened"

"Oh, I'm sure Het was thrilled to mobilize his men if it didn't…" At her questioning gaze, Khaba decided it was in order to elaborate. "Het, you may identify him as the god Seth."

Further discussion was interrupted when they noticed another military convoy moving along the streets of the city, and something told them they should be extra cautious when they disembarked.

And part of that caution was to shed their fake personas and present themselves as Temple Maiden and High Priest. Which in the end panned out, since it turned out that they were looking for her, not only on Dendera, but on every city of Kemet. Apparently, the Pharaoh sent a messenger to Hardai to get the itinerary of his bride to be, so she could have the appropriate welcome to the capital city. The problem was, the official itinerary included their change in transportation back on Khmunu.

And when the Pharaoh could not get a hold on her whereabouts, he got desperate and sent the entire Army of Kemet looking for her.

At hearing this, two things occurred to them. Het was sure to be pretty annoyed. And their little affair had just got to an end.