Stomach and Head Aches
He had pretty much hit his limit. If he saw Ri laugh or even so much as smile at that muscle bound moron she'd hired he was going to kill the son of a bitch and throw her out of the nearest window. Unreasonably angry and grouchy High Priest Seto didn't even care that people were beginning to think they'd underestimated just how cold and hard he could be. He was snapping at everyone and his patience was so thin that no one wanted to get within a mile of him. Of course she didn't care that she was driving him to distraction, oh no, she was too busy making eyes at that slave. A slave of all things. How could she prefer the company of that ill mannered, low status idiot over his own, Seto thought darkly to himself, practically radiating a chilling icy darkness.
"Aren't you in a fine mood, brother." Came a voice and Seto whirled around to see his sister Isis coming towards him, a faint smile on her lips. "Your frown is enough to send people throwing themselves over walls to escape you."
"I don't recall asking your opinion of my mood." Seto shot back coldly though there wasn't bite behind the words. He wouldn't since it was her. Besides, there were only two people he wanted falling over walls and she wasn't one of them. "Something you wanted other then to comment on my mood?"
"Well there were several things actually. One was to remind you that news of our pharaoh's return has arrived and we need to keep a close eye on what is happening within these walls. It is not unthinkable that Rameses will do something to insure his brother does not reach these walls. Second was to tell you that you need to be more careful concerning your feelings towards the princess. They are beginning to show, brother." Isis said, her voice dead serious for both pieces of advice. "I can see it, the pharaoh will as well."
)
"I don't know what you're talking about." Seto said with a slight shake of his head, his mind meanwhile reeling at the idea that something had given him away. His sister was observant but so were others in the palace. Others that would report their suspicions to people who would use that information.
"Yes you do. You are in love with her and she with you. When the pharaoh returns you must challenge him for her. Continue to hide in the shadows and those same shadows will engulf you both." Isis warned as she reached out to set a hand on her brother's shoulder. "Love is a rare thing, as precious as water in the desert and as fragile a lotus bloom. If it isn't nourished and cared for then it will die, it's beauty wasted away to nothing."
"And what would you know of love?" Seto shot back cruelly, then winced, lifting a hand to set it on top of his sister's. "I apologize, I'm taking my frustrations out on you." Like any good brother he knew where his sister's sights lay, just as he knew that the chances of Aries returning those looks were about as likely as the pyramids being covered with water. The pharaoh's personal servant and body guard had eyes only for his pharaoh, you rarely saw one without the other. He knew that in the pharaoh's eyes Aries was like a brother while in Aries's eyes..well that was a question he had long puzzled over.
"I have accepted my fate, Seto and I will make do with his friendship as that is all he will ever offer me. But that does not need to be your fate unless you let it." Isis said, hiding the pain of her brother's words behind a clam smile. She knew he had spoke without thinking. "Our pharaoh may not like you a lot of the time but he would allow it, he would bend the rules for her happiness."
"If you haven't noticed someone else holds her interest now."
"And if you can't see that she's trying to make you jealous then you aren't nearly as smart as you think you are." Isis said with a faint smirk before walking away, leaving a surprised and very confused high priest behind her.
)
"It's just not working, Joshua." Ri sighed dejectedly, not even the news of her brother's impending return enough to lift her mood as she lay in the depths of despair on a large floor pillow. "He just doesn't care about me. It was all in my head. He's nothing but an arrogant jerk and I'm better off without him. Right? Right." Ri nodded as she answered her own question.
"Well you did say he was a master at keeping his emotions hidden, your highness. Plus I've heard several people comment that he's been in an unusually bad mood the last week." Joshua suggested, hating to see his mistress look so down and dejected. He'd only been working for her for a small period of time but in that time he'd come to enjoy her company. She'd also become like another sister to him. He wished there was something he else he could say but as it was he himself had doubts as to whether or not the High Priest was worthy of Princess Ri, much less if the cold man actually cared.
"Well I give up, it's impossible to pretend I'm smitten with you any longer. No offense. You're just too much like one of my brothers." Ri said with another sigh as she looked up at him as he stood guard on her balcony. "You can go back to chasing the female staff now, I know you've missed it. Just stay away from the High Priestess Isis and Latoya." She added quickly, thinking of her friend's well being. "They both have protectors that'll tear you to bits."
"So I've been told." Joshua said with a roguish grin before schooling his features into a more serious and alert look, just in case someone was watching. "I understand that the High Priest Seto is very protective of the priestess and that they call each other siblings though they are not of blood relation."
"That's correct. Set- the High Priest Seto rescued her from a burning building when her village was attacked by raiders. Her parents were killed and so the high priest brought her home with him against a great deal of objection from his father. He apparently sensed that she would one day be very powerful and as always, he was right." Ri said with a small smile, fond of Isis even though the woman was a bit remote and too serious, like Seto. "Since she can see into the past, present and future she's been a valuable asset to this kingdom."
)
"The items do indeed come in handy. It worries me though. Of what would happen if someone such as your brother Rameses's got a hold of them. Their power can be used for evil just as much as for good, Ri." Joshua reminded her, knowing that with her at least he could be free with his opinions and his opinion of her brother was as far from a good one as you could get. "I think everyone will sleep easier once your brother is back and in power over what happens in these walls."
"I know. That's why Yami prohibited the use of the items until he returned unless permission was gained from father. He knew Rameses would abuse the items and that the holders of those items wouldn't take kindly to being used in Rameses's name. None of them like him which shows you that they are indeed wise enough to bear the burden of those items." Ri said with a small smile, thinking that even she would be tempted to use those items for her own use. She was after all, only human. "'The Millennium items of the High Priest Seto and Priestess Isis would be particularly problematic. If you believe you can change your fate that is."
"I think we can, at least I hope so. I'd like to believe I at least have some control over the course my life will take." Joshua replied, the idea of some higher power manipulating him from above an uneasy one.
"Well people do say that pharaohs are gods upon this earth. I'm sure that if that is so Yami will see that the gods deal us both good hands." Ri said with amusement in her eyes. She knew that neither her father nor her eldest brother were gods but it was amusing to think about what it would be like if they were. This world they lived in would be a far better one if it were true. "I wonder where he is now. The messenger he sent ahead said he'd be returning in a week or less provided nothing hinders them. I wonder what he's brought back for me." Ri added with a cheerful chuckle.
)
"There's nothing more that I can do for him, Oh Mighty Pharaoh." The old man said, cowering under the angry and infuriated look on his pharaoh's face. He had heard of his pharaoh's great kindness and compassion towards his people but at that moment he could easily believe his pharaoh to be as dangerous and cruel as any murderous outlaw. "The wound is severe, there is nothing I can do for him now." The man continued, trying to make the pharaoh accept the inadvertable. There was just no way that the man could survive his wounds.
"He will not die!" Yami snarled out as he pushed past the man and strided over to the makeshift tent that had been raised for the night. Laying within on the pharaoh's bed was his most trusted and best friend, the topic of conversation. Aries lay as there still as death, his face pale and his breathing so shallow as to be almost non existent. It should be me laying there, dying, Yami thought as he dropped to his knees beside his friend. They'd been attacked that day on the way home, the attack unexpected and it had taken the lives of many on both sides. He'd been the target and there had just been too many for him to fight off at once. Aries had thrown himself in front of the him in desperation to shield his pharaoh and had nearly been split open like a fish for his unselfish bravery. Now Aries lay there and he, the great pharaoh of Egypt, could do nothing but watched and wait and pray. If he could just get Aries to Latoya then everything would be alright was the thought Yami held onto with all his strength. She would save his friend, she had to. Taking Aries's limp hand in his own he kneeled there, a mighty pharaoh watching over the son of a foot soldier with heart wrenching grief on his face.
"You won't be helping him much if you break his fingers, Yami." Came a soft voice and Yami turned to see Freya slid into the tent, her cape twirling around her as she walked forward.
Looking down at the hand that held Aries' he had to admit she was right. Loosening his grip he concentrated on looking at Aries' face for signs of awakening. "Was there something you needed?" He asked roughly. Normally they'd be residing in this bed but he wasn't having Aries' moved regardless of her comforts.
)
"No, I just came to see how he was. Just because I'm selfish and greedy doesn't mean I'm not fond of him too." Freya said as she walked over to take a seat beside her pharaoh. "I know this likely doesn't help but if he could have chosen a way to die..well this would be it."
"He won't die. I won't let him. If I have to travel to the after life myself to drag him back I will. I am the pharaoh, the ruler of all of Egypt and its people. My will is law and I forbid his life to end. Not like this. Not like this." Yami said, his voice breaking slightly then hardening. "Do you think as I do about who sent those men?"
"Rameses? I have no doubts, Pharaoh. However you'll need more then my thoughts and your own to convince your father that that spider is behind this." Freya responded darkly, calling him a snake or a rat being too big of an insult to those creatures. "He wears binders where his children are concerned and nothing short of seeing Rameses commit a terrible crime will convince him to act against your brother." Freya said as she shifted to massage her master's tense shoulders, not surprised to feel them knotted as badly as the hair of a child's doll. "Sometimes I wonder which of our fathers has the right idea, to simple care nothing or to care far too much."
"If he dies..I'll kill Rameses with my bare hands and to hell with anyone else. If I lose him then losing my life avenging him is a death I would be proud of." Yami said as he relaxed slightly against Freya's hands. She could soothe him, even when such things seemed impossible. Of course she was also riddled with character flaws such as being selfish and self serving but he was glad to have her regardless. He might not be able to tell her his secrets but she was quite the desirable distraction as well as a comfort to him.
"That's not what he would want just as you would not want him to die now, in your place." Freya said softly, understanding the way her pharaoh's mind worked. When she'd first been given to him his silence and cool looks had bothered her as well as shielded her from understanding him. With time she had come to see him clearer and sometimes wished she possessed more of his strength and goodness. He was the only truly powerful man she knew who never seemed to let it control and manipulate him to help himself instead of others. Here he was, the most powerful man in the country and he kneeled before a soldier who he'd treated and cared for himself until a healer from a nearby village could be brought. Yami had had to be dragged out of the tent otherwise he'd have not left Aries's side at all since the attack. "If he dies then...don't blame yourself. Don't belittle his sacrifice that way. He deserves to die with honor, knowing that he protected the person most important to him."
)
"Fe..Frey..a...talk..ing...sens..e. Nev..er..thou..ght..hap..pen." Came a weak voice and both turned to stare at Aries who's lips had moved though his eyes remained closed, his body still so still that one would almost assume that they'd imagined it.
"Aries, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can." Yami demanded as he held onto his friend's hand tight, feeling his heart leap with joy when his hand was faintly squeezed back. "I won't let you die, Aries. As the Gods as my witness I won't let you. You have to live, you cannot leave my side until I say you can."
"I..would..stay there..forever." Was his weak response. His body was sending out signals of excruciating pain but he refused to sink back into unconsciousness, fearing that he wouldn't return from it. His pharaoh, Yami needed him and if it meant suffering the greatest of agonies he would still fight to remain awake by his pharaoh side.
"That's right, forever and ever." Yami said as he leaned closer in case Aries couldn't hear him well. "You're not to ever leave my side, Aries and if you think I'll allow it you couldn't be more wrong. You have to hang on until we can get you to Latoya. That's an order, soldier."
"Do..best."
Smiling Freya left the two alone and walked out of the tent, looking up at the brilliantly lit sky. Please let him live, Freya silently asked the Gods though they had never appeared to hear her pleas before. For Yami's sake, let Aries live to reach the palace.
)
Looking up at the same night sky Seto held his sword loosely in his right hand, sweat rolling off his body. he'd been going through his exercises with everything he had, determined to drive himself to the point of exhaustion with some luck. He wouldn't think or dream of her if he could just push himself far enough. No sooner had the thought crossed his mind then his senses came on alert and knew she was coming up behind him. "I can only call you a stupid fool so many times, Princess. How many times must I say it before it sinks in?"
"Joshua is watching the palace exit to this beach, I am armed and so are you." Ri pointed out reasonable, watching him turn to face her with the torches he'd set up flashing with the heat of their flames. He had a face and form that were meant to be framed in the heat and beauty of fiery flames, Ri thought to herself. "At least I have the wisdom to come prepared."
"And you think your slave would be much of a defense?" Seto sneered, stabbing his blade into the sand with his hand settling on top.
"Don't call him that, like he's no more then a farm animal or piece of machinery." Ri snapped out, her eyes flashing even though she knew he was simply baiting her. She knew that he, who was always taking issue with her brothers policies, had never complained about her brother's decisions that had meant a better situation for the slaves under his rule. "And he would be of great defense, your man has had nothing but praise for him. As well Joshua is used to hard work and is amazingly strong. He would do as well as any other soldier in this palace."
"That might have something to do with the fact that your brother took the cream of the crop with him." Seto pointed out dryly, annoyed that she would speak of the slave in such glowing terms. What was that slave in comparison to himself after all.
)
"My brother will be returning within the week, High Priest. When he does I'll lose this chance because he knows me too well to be fooled by my masks." Ri said quietly, her hands at her side with her head bowed slightly. This was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever had to do without actually looking him in the eye. But it had to be done because to keep quiet would make her a coward. "When he comes back I'm going to inform him that I've decided never to marry. He'll kick up some sand about it but he'll allow it, once I give him reason to. I think he will understand and if not, he still would not force it upon me. The reason I'm telling you this, since you're likely completely out to sea, is because you're my reason for my decision. Somehow I had the extreme misfortune to fall in love with you and since there is no chance that our roads will ever intersect and join I have decided to put myself off the market, so to speak. Not because I'm waiting for you, because believe me I'm not. No I'm doing it because it wouldn't be fair to some poor bastard to get stuck with me, to have a wife who would never be loyal in more then body. I never intended to tell you how I felt but Joshua pointed out that it would be cowardly of me to not admit it and that I'd feel better if I did. I have to say I disagree with him since I feel worse." Ri said, studying the sand though she could feel his heated eyes on her, as if they were staring through her. "That's all I wanted to say." Turning on her heels she'd only taken perhaps a half a dozen steps before she was tackled to the sand, rolling with him till she was flat on her back with his hands banded against her wrists, holding her in place. Forcing herself to look up at him Ri's eyes went wide at the cobalt blue depths that were as stormy as any ocean before a typhoon.
)
"How dare you. How dare you say such things and then just walk away." Seto snarled, his chest heaving as his breath came out in pants as he glared down at her, his heart beating wildly in his chest against hers, their hearts slowly sliding into each other's rhythms so that they beat as one.
"I'll do what I want to." Ri shot back breathlessly, her dark violet eyes flashing with hints of red like her brother's. "And how dare you tackle me like that? I can have you beheaded, you know."
"But you won't. You love me after all." Seto pointed out rationally, slowly calming down as he stared into her eyes, the idea that she loved him slowly sinking in like a cooling cup of spring water after a walk in the driest of deserts.
"For your information I have it on good authority that love and hate can go hand in hand, priest." Ri snarled back, not liking the fact that he continued to hold her hostage, his eyes holding hers captive. Damn him, damn his control over her. And damn him for not letting her keep some of her dignity and letting her go. "You just want to rub it in, don't you? You just want to pour salt on my wounds because I was stupid enough to give my heart to a cold, self important, ego maniac like you. Well go right ahead, you jerk. You can't call me anything I haven't called myself today."
"Is it so bad? Loving me?" Was his drawled out answer, the slight amusement in his tone igniting Ri's anger to new and rather terrifying heights.
"It's like a never ending stomach ache." Was her hot reply. "Annoying as hell but something you unfortunately get used to."
"Well caring for..loving you is like a never ending headache. So I guess we're even." Seto said with a faint smile and taking advantage of the fact that her mouth was open in shock leaned down to take possession of her mouth in a kiss that drove whatever she'd been about to say completely out of her head. He was going to have to ask...make that plead with the pharaoh for her hand when he returned but this little headache of his...well damn but she would be worth it.