I don't have a good excuse except I have a life-college, work, internships, social gatherings, etc. it's been a while guys and I didn't have much motivation/excitement for this until I saw the trailer for the new movie. i can't promise that i'll finish it but i'll make an effort. thanks for sticking around this long.
all of my love, ballad
"Brother!"
There was a groan; then a lump of a body seemed to just roll over under the thin silks on a bed.
"Brother, you have to wake up! You've been sleeping all day!"
"Go away."
"Can't do that."
"And why can't-?" He begun in a snarky tone but was suddenly tackled to the ground from his bed. "Ahk!" He growled, quickly waking up and shifting his body around to be able to deliver such a few hits to his younger brother, who merely just laughed and blocked all attempts.
"You cannot simply sleep your birthday away! A future Pharaoh would know that," the younger voice stated so matter-of-factly that the elder had to roll his eyes. Kahmunrah sat up and eyed his brother with suspicion.
"Fine, fine, little brother. I'm awake." Though it did not seem that Ahkmenrah was too convinced by that as he moved to shove his brother right out of bed! Kahmunrah glared right up at him from his fallen spot, "What was that for!" He had to twist himself to get himself upright.
Ahkmenrah simply wore a grin, "I had to make sure you were actually wake. Now that you're out of bed, we can begin the festivities."
~~C C C~~
It was a party like no other. Kahmunrah's chest bubbled up with excitement as he would be named as the next Pharaoh of Egypt. He would have his baby brother as an advisor and all would be well. The pair looked at each other and smiled as each present was brought forth to the eldest son. The next man approached,
"A gift!" The man spoke, bowing deeply in front of the two princes, "For the honorable Kahmunrah on his most glorious day." He pulled at a rope behind him and both of the princes gasped at the sight. One wore a face of excitement while the other a face of confusion.
The gift was a girl.
"A personal servant from our noble house. We hope it pleases you." The man looked up at Kahmunrah.
Kahmunrah rubbed his hands together as he approached the pair, "Such a lovely sight! A most welcomed gift!" He wore a wide grin then turned to face his brother, "Brother, come! Look at my new prize."
"I am no object!" The girl spat at him, pulling back at the ropes. The man pulled at her ropes and she flinched at the pain. Kahmunrah noted that the ropes were chaffing her wrists—he would have to pick out a better material.
Silks, perhaps, he thought to himself, to tease her with the pleasures of the wealthy life but to show her no mercy. There was darkness in Kahmunrah's eyes as he looked the girl over. Ahkmenrah joined him and his eyes shifted from the girl to his elder brother.
"She is quite lovely," Ahkmenrah spoke in a low voice and turned to his brother. Had Kahmunrah looked at his brother, he would have seen the uncertainty in his brother's eyes. Instead, Kahmunrah stared at the girl, practically feasting on her very image.
"Yes, she shall be an excellent addition." Kahmunrah held out his hand so that he may take the rope. As the man went to hand the rope over, the girl grabbed at the extra length and tore it from her master. She ran.
"Catch her!" The man bellowed out and Kahmunrah watched his prize run. She should have known that she would not get far, Kahmunrah smirked, as she was caught moments later. He would teach her respect. He would break that spirit and she would fear him.
"Twenty lashes," Kahmunrah spoke calmly to her captors. A look of defiance remained on the girl's face as she tried to fight back. He fought hard to keep a dark smile from appearing on his face, but it grew regardless. "I don't want her to scar. She's too pretty for that."
~~C C C~~
Kahmunrah was going to collect his winnings from her punishment. Perhaps the lashes would make her easier to deal with, but Kahmunrah relished in the idea of her fighting back once more. It would prove to his father that he would be worthy of the kingdom and that he would have no mercy on the weak people. He would be a strong leader.
He was about to round the corner when he heard a voice much like of his brother's speaking, "Are you alright?"
"I don't need pity from you!"
"Please, keep your voice down. I'm not here to hurt you."
Kahmunrah stopped in his stride at the corner and waited, peeking his head only slightly around the bend. It was Ahkmenrah and he was with his girl. Kahmunrah narrowed his eyes, wary of what the boy might try to do. It would be no use to be civil with the girl! The only way to gain control was to punish the inferiors.
Ahkmenrah, Kahmunrah thought sourly, has too soft of a heart.
Ahkmenrah reached out to touch the girl and she tried to move back, wincing at the pain from her back. "Please," he spoke, "Allow me to help you. Tell me your name."
The girl narrowed her eyes and sneered, "Why should I tell you?"
"We're all children of Egypt, are we not?"
The girl paused, looking him over. Ahkmenrah tore a piece of the fabric from his tunic and Kahmunrah's eyes went wide. He was actually trying to help the girl! Anger was building up in Kahmunrah but he knew he had to control himself so he could confront his brother later. He watched the girl once more as she hesitantly allowed Ahkmenrah to tend to her wounds.
Kahmunrah would be sure to put new scratches there.
The elder brother pulled himself back and listened to the pair mumble quietly to each other—rather it was mostly Ahkmenrah talking to the girl and the girl listening. Kahmunrah wondered how his brother could open himself so easily to the girl, knowing that she was probably waiting for the opportune moment to escape or attack!
He heard her laugh. His stomach dropped.
Such a sound like he had never heard before. Kahmunrah didn't know whether to clutch at his heart or to suffocate the source.
"Why are you so kind to me?" Kahmunrah heard her speak and he believed he had stopped breathing.
"I believe it is wise to be kind to all."
The hall goes silent. Kahmunrah moves only to look towards the pair once more, a terrible feeling sitting in the pit of his stomach.
"Chava. My name is Chava."
Ahkmenrah smiled.
~~C C C~~
Several weeks had passed since he received his gift and the girl had not yet told him her name. Kahmunrah snarled at her, fisting the thin cloth of her shirt, and yanked her towards him. He would not use the weak methods of kindness and friendship to gain her name like how his brother did. No. He would make her sob. He would make her so weak that she would beg for her name to be changed.
Kahmunrah ordered to do several tasks. Stand in the corner of his room while he slept. Wake him for his first meal. Clean. Stand. Be silent. Clean. Stand. He wondered how she had not passed out within the first few days. The girl was resilient and Kahmunrah could not have that. Ahkmenrah requested her one or two days of the week but it was only for an hour or so. Kahmunrah snorted—the boy was using her. A smirk played at his lips; perhaps he wasn't much of a boy anymore. He wondered if she was the first woman he'd ever been with.
Not that she was a woman. She was an object. An It. A prize to be won and Kahmunrah had been given her.
He was going over lists when Ahkmenrah approached him, "Brother, can I speak with you privately?"
Kahmunrah looked him over and nodded, signaling for the others to leave them be. Kahmunrah didn't even have a chance to question his brother when he just started running his mouth,
"You can't keep doing what you're doing!"
"I'm not quite sure you what you mean, baby brother."
"The servant girl! Do you realize how sick she is becoming because of you."
"It sounds to me as if you care for her. Baby brother, you know that she is mine and I shall do with her as I please."
"She's going to die!" Ahkmenrah nearly slammed his fists on the table. "An as future Pharaoh, you cannot let the well-being of your people suffer."
"She is not one of us, brother!" Kahmunrah raised his voice right back, "If she dies then so be it. Her suffering is teaching her how to behave and if she wants better treatment, then she must wait. Her punishments are not yet complete."
"Are you still talking about what happened at your celebration?" Ahkmenrah's face sunk, knowing how terrible the grudges can be. "She was scared, brother. As you would be if someone stole you from your family!"
"And you know this how? Have you been speaking with her?" Kahmunrah would catch his brother—humiliate him for his ridiculous emotions and attachments to the commoner girl.
"That is no concern of yours!"
"So it is true! You've grown attached to the girl," Kahmunrah's eyes went dark and his voice grave. "The girl will suffer because of you. Never speak to her again!"
Ahkmenrah straightened himself up and stared his brother down, "You're absolutely mad, brother. Truly insane." The young man turned on his heel and left as Kahmunrah shouted at him, throwing small objects at him in the process,
"You are weak! Soft hearted! You'll never survive in this world! I shall be the better man and you'll regret those words, brother! You'll be so sorry and I shall have you crawl on your knees begging for my forgiveness! You'll see! I swear it!"
~~C C C~~
He awoke with a jerk and a cold sweat. Kahmunrah stared out into the darkness of his room and blinked the sleep away. He had been plagued with a terrible nightmare. He was thrown into the swirling abyss of the Underworld. His heart was beating so hard, he sworn the servants down the hall could hear it.
"Girl," he spoke, rubbing his right eye with his palm, "Fetch me a towel." When there was no response, he repeated himself.
There was still no response and Kahmunrah had a feeling she had gone off with his brother. His lips thinned out and his brows furrowed together. He would deal with the girl in the morning.
Just as he was about to lay down, a guard came rushing into the room. "Your father wishes to see you!" Kahmurah blinked at them before pushing himself out of bed. "Urgently! You must see him!" With that said, the guard ran from the room. Kahmunrah threw a robe on and rushed to the hall of his father.
Lo and behold, there stood Ahkmenrah. Fury began to blaze in his chest as he approached before he moved towards his family. He bowed his head and acknowledged them both.
His father wasted no time, "Your servant girl has escaped with precious jewels and gold."
Kahmunrah's stomach plummeted. He began to sputter out something incoherent and was silenced by his father's hand.
"How can I trust you with a kingdom when you can't even keep an eye on one simple girl?" The Pharaoh shook his head, "Perhaps my judgment was wrong. You are not fit to be Pharaoh. Ahkmenrah will be the successor to the throne." Both of the princes gaped at their father. Kahmunrah went to object but he was cut off again, "I shall not be swayed. You have disappointed me."
Kahmunrah and Ahkmenrah stared at each other. Kahmunrah's gaze was heavy with hatred while Ahkmenrah had sorrow and uncertainty in his. The elder pivoted on his heel and stormed out of the hall. Ahkmenrah followed after him.
"I didn't mean for this to happen!"
"And what exactly were you planning?!"
"I just wanted the girl to be free! I don't want to be Pharaoh!"
"She was not yours to be meddled with!" Kahmunrah halted his stride and shoved his brother back, "You had no right to free her! She was mine!"
"She was not a toy, brother! Could you truly not see the pain in her eyes?" Ahkmenrah accepted some of the shoves but was quick to fight back as well, shouting at him. "If you knew what was good for her, you would have shown her kindness!"
"You understand nothing!"
"I understand enough to know what you were doing what not out of affection!"
Kahmunrah's silence was all Ahkmenrah needed to hear and he took a step back, shaking his head. "You did care for her." Kahmunrah had never seen such rage on his brother's face, "Don't tell me you loved her because that was not love! Torturing her and making her suffer is not love!"
Kahmunrah snarled, "You're an insolent fool! You're no brother to me!"
"At least I shall care for my people! The people of Egypt will love me!" Ahkmenrah slammed his hand against his chest.
Kahmunrah turned away from his brother, clenching and unclenching his fists. His brother yelled from down the hall, "I will be a far better Pharaoh than you could have ever been!"
~~C C C~~
"Wouldja' stop starin' at her! You're a real bother, ya' know that, right!"
Kahmunrah was really starting to get annoyed by that tiny man. The only reason why he hadn't thrown the little being into the garbage was because Victoria threatened to break down his gate if he didn't hand him over to her. He admired her spirit as she pointed defiantly towards the axe and in the fire safety box. Kahmunrah snorted at him.
Victoria held the little man close and sighed, "You're never going to get through his thick head, Jed. It's no use."
"If Ahk was here—"
Kahmunrah perked up and snapped at the pair, "Don't ever mention his name again! He shall be the first one I destroy after I'm through with you and Larry Daley!"
"Don't you touch him!"
"I will do what I please!" Kahmunrah's eyes flared, "And I shall have what is rightfully mine!"
