The banquet hall is full of cheering people gazing upon the royal family, assured that they hold the power of the gods in their very fingertips. They cheer as their Pharaoh addresses them, his elderly face creasing as he gives them an almost unearthly smile.
Altair watches as is father names his elder brother the Prince Regent, a title he knew he had been pining after for sometime. Their mother, the earthly embodiment of the goddess Isis, smiles kindly at her eldest son, offering the younger a glance. Altair allows himself to fume lightly, but outwardly smiles and stands to give his brother the proper congratulations.
Gold eyes flicker over the crowd of the cheering masses and land on the two gluttonous priests of Ra stuffing their faces full of the rich treats the slaves had laid out for the other guests. He smirks and walks over to his father and brother, projecting his voice for the people to hear him. "My Lord Pharoah," His father turns, eyes landing on his youngest. Altair notices that there is a flicker of dislike shining in the dark gold depths, but he pushes the thought away and smiles largely at his eldest brother. "I propose that the priests offer tribute to their new Regent."
His brother laughs lightly, knowing what he is doing, and they watch as the two priests jump at being addressed, their gluttony being exposed to the mass of people clustering around them. His father inclines his head, a smirk twitching one corner of his mouth. "An excellent idea." The Pharaoh snaps his fingers, and the brothers watch as the two men jump.
One priest straightens, his fingers steepled gracefully as he addresses the royal family. Altair snorts lightly, nudging his brother at the showy display. His brother remains silent, but the younger can see the ghost of a smirk twitching one corner of his mouth. "By the power of Ra, we present to our Lord an object for his delight, an exotic apparition stolen from far away lands." From the priests fingers comes light green smoke; if incases him fully, the smell of jasmine tickles the youngest Prince's nose while the crowd is awed by the sight.
When the smoke dissipates, a young man bound and seething is perched upon a camel laced with finery. He spits in his mother tongue at the other priest holding his binds; the crowd gasp at the man missing his left arm, something like a deformity, but also a rarity for a concubine. Dark eyes sweep over the crowd until they land on Altair, pinning him in place.
The crowd let out a collective cheer, clapping at the display of the priests' magic while they smirk slyly. One priest makes a smooth gesture towards the male, bowing his head lightly at the Prince Regent. "We offer our Prince this delicate desert flower." They pull the young man off of the camel, causing him to let out a startled yelp as he dances lightly on his feet to remain upright. The crowd laughs cruelly at the man, glancing at their Prince to see if the gift pleases him.
The Prince Regent gazes down at his new prize, hands behind his back as he circles the young man. Altair feels some jealousy stab at him when his brother forcefully grabs at the young man's chin. Light fingers pinch at dark skin, and his brother cocks his head to one side. "Let's inspect this 'desert flower'..." The young man's dark eyebrows furrow and in a flash, he bites at the Prince Regent's fingers, causing his brother to startle and pull his hand away. An angered frown tips down the eldest Prince's mouth, and he glances at Altair. "More like a desert cobra."
Altair laughs mockingly, gold eyes sliding over to the young male glaring daggers into his brother. "Not much of a snake charmer, are you?"
His brother's eyes light up and he slides behind the younger, hands going up to push him toward the glowering young man. "That's why," He murmurs in Altair's ear, "I'm giving him to you." The younger watches the young man's face light up with renewed anger and outrage. He laughs softly, holding up his hands as if he was going to push the gift away.
"Brother, that's fine, I don't-"
"I will not be given to anyone." The young man speaks with a musical accent, all but hissing the words in Altair's direction. Dark eyes glance about the room as if falls silent."Especially not to an arrogant, pampered palace brat!"
His brother laughs, leaning over his shoulder to point at the bound man. "Are you going to let him talk to you like that?"
A frown dips the youngest's mouth downward, and he steps up to the male, giving him an outraged glare. "You will show the proper respect for a Prince of Egypt." A smirk shoots across the young man's face, and dark eyes peer deeply into his own.
"But I am giving you all the respect you deserve," The male's one hand wraps around the rope binding him. "None!" In an instant, he pulls the rope from the priest's hands, swinging it over his head like a whip. Altair takes a step back, eyes wide as the male snaps the rope at the crowd of people who are screaming and trying to back away.
The Prince grits his teeth and lunges, grabbing the swinging rope. He lands on the marble floor with a soft grunt, looking up at the defiant male. "Be still!" The guards stand by, confused on whether they should help their prince and his unruly possession. The young man tugs at the rope, accented voice carrying in the spacious banquet hall.
"Untie me, I demand you set me free!"
"Be still!" Gold eyes glance from the young man to a pool of water directly behind him. They're dancing closer to the pool, and Altair smirks, gaze snapping back up to his gift.
Dark eyes alight with outrage and fear peer down at the Prince. The young man pulls at the rope again, trying with all his might to get away. "Let go!" Altair smirks cruelly, ignoring the stab of guilt as he quickly releases the rope.
"As you wish." He whispers, watching as the young man dances backward, losing his footing and falling into the pool with a yelp. The crowd laughs loudly, pointing at the male as he tries to right himself, slipping and falling back into the water.
Altair stands, laughing along with the crowd as his brother wraps an arm around his shoulders. The youngest glances up towards his father and mother, his smile falling as his mother turns away from the scene with a disappointed expression.
His brother steers him towards the food, hand coming up to wave at the slaves attending to the soaked young man. "Get him cleaned up and bring him to Prince Altair's chambers."
Altair glances over his shoulder, feeling the guilt from before crash over his shoulders as he watches the slaves drape a thick linen blanket over the young man's shoulders. Dark eyes glare at him, and the Prince notices an expression of disgust covering the young man's face.
()-()
Who else loved Prince of Egypt when they were younger?