Chapter 21 (Sticks and Stones - Jonsi)
Seto finished off his last thorough mental curse on foreigners and all foreign lands as he left the palace's main library, where a dedicated team of scribes had finished with the seventy-five elaborately designed invitations he had ordered earlier that morning. Planning a banquet on such short notice was always difficult, but this group made it next to impossible. The Egyptian nobles who would be attending would be happy to accept a verbal message from a palace runner, but not these pompous ambassadors. And that wasn't even the half of it….
Seto absentmindedly made his way to the concubine's quarters as he thought of everything that had to be done before tonight. Immediately after breakfast he had notified the kitchen of the banquet, and then quickly left as the kitchens erupted into something more closely resembling chaos than cooking. After that he had stopped by his study to draft a suitably ostentatious invitation and left that with the scribes, sharing a grimace at the language he had been forced to use. Then he sent a messenger down to the palace cleaning staff to begin decorating the great hall for the banquet while he dictated a shorter and much more gracious message to the team of three runners who would invite fifteen key Egyptian nobility from the city.
Seto sighed as he strode through the torch-lit hallway. That was when the merely difficult had become impossible.
The messengers had returned to say that the cleaning staff had already started decorating for the Kiss ceremony and would not be able to make the necessary changes in time. Seto had unthinkingly ordered that the messenger, along with the rest of his personal staff and any unoccupied runners were to help them. He would just have to notify the palace musicians and concubines himself. It wasn't until he had left the musician's quarters, situated just outside the palace walls due to the noise, that Seto realized there were no messengers left to deliver the written invitations.
'Perhaps there will be some dancers who can deliver them? Surely delivery by a beautiful girl is hospitable enough, even if she has no status?' Seto was so immersed in his thoughts that he wasn't watching where he was going, and so ran into Joseph outside the concubine's quarters. Literally.
Still distracted and somewhat dazed from the impact, Seto's first thought was that the ground had become surprisingly warm and somewhat soft for polished stone. Then his head cleared and he found himself sprawled on top of a frantically blushing Captain Joseph. 'Perhaps this day isn't completely ruined after all,' he thought.
"What business has you all the way down here, Joseph?" Seto asked, smiling.
"Down here meaning the concubine's quarters or down here meaning the floor?" Joseph looked like he didn't know whether to laugh or panic as he started squirming to escape.
Seto couldn't allow that. He brought one hand up to pin Joseph's left wrist to the floor, holding it there just long enough to feel a shiver of arousal go through the captain before pulling his feet under him and standing, using his hold on Joseph's wrist to help him off the floor.
"The concubine's quarters of course," he said. "I rather think I'm the reason you were on the floor. My apologies."
"Ah, well ummm…." Joseph blushed again and looked like he was physically restraining himself from bowing, but he didn't step away from the priest. "Apology accepted. I came down here with the pharaoh. He's dropping Yugi off to get ready for the banquet." He hesitated. "With respect, I think he's very excited that his Gem will finally make an appearance. Heqet certainly is."
Seto reluctantly moved away from his captain and pushed open the door. Inside was yet another scene of bedlam that was increasingly becoming the palace's default state of being today. Atemu was discussing the evening's plans for entertainment with Heqet and Taylor. Seto knew this because, although the concubines nearest the pharaoh moved quietly and respectfully, the rest of the large room echoed with noisy efficiency, and the pharaoh had to speak up to be heard. Luckily Atemu didn't seem to mind, once again taking the view that one should let the experts do what they did best and not interfere. Yugi was nowhere in sight, probably behind one of the bathing screens being deluged in water.
One thing was certain: there were no dancers to spare. Seto closed the door.
"Is there a problem?" Joseph asked.
"Unfortunately, yes." Seto briefly explained that, despite chaotic evidence to the contrary, the palace was, in fact, understaffed. Joseph listened sympathetically.
"Well, they're no beautiful dancers, but do you think a warrior in shining armor would meet with a favorable reception?"
Seto looked up. "An honorable guard in full parade regalia, bearing a message from the pharaoh … it's perfect, Joseph. Are you sure you have the men to spare?"
"Of course," Joseph said. "I've already assigned my men to security detail, but these guests are more a nuisance than a threat. Their jobs don't really start until tonight. How many do you need?"
"Ten to be sure. No, fifteen." Seto started back down the hall with Joseph beside him. "These should have been delivered an hour ago."
"Seto, the pharaoh never meant for you to do everything singlehandedly. Why don't you delegate some of that worrying to someone else?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that you are a high priest, not the pharaoh's runner. Most of this shouldn't even be your concern."
'Could it be that he is worried about me?' Seto thought, once again surprised by the hidden depths in the captain. He sighed and relaxed his rigid posture.
"You're right. I wasn't brought here to be the pharaoh's messenger. But in truth, if I didn't do it, who would?"
"The power behind the throne, huh?" Joseph asked.
Seto shot him a sharp look. "Absolutely not. Atemu has more than enough power on his own, as well as being Ra's chosen. The people would never follow me. I just make things easier -"
"- for everyone but yourself." Joseph put a hand on Seto's shoulder, stopping him from entering the courtyard. "When this banquet is over, you and I are going to have a long talk about the meaning of the word 'delegation.'" Joseph smiled and allowed his fingers to creep up through Seto's hair. "I believe I may have something to teach you about that."
This time it was Seto who shuddered, delighted at this bold move from his captain. "I look forward to it."
"Forward! Back! Arms wide girls, you can do better!" Shouting echoed around the concubine's quarters after the pharaoh had left.
Rehema sighed. "Mesi's upset that she wasn't chosen as Heqet's successor."
"I'm just glad I'm not in her dance rehearsal," Yugi said, trying to imitate Rehema's motions as she guided him through his steps as tonight's lead dancer. "Besides, you're a much better choice, Rehema."
Rehema smiled. "I'm glad you think so. I just wish I had more of Mesi's assertiveness. Taylor's promised to help me if anyone has a problem with my leadership."
"I don't think he'll have to."
"Watch your feet. Remember, you won't be barefoot when you perform for real, and the last thing we need in this mess is flying shoes. Just as soon as Ebe gets back with the rest of your costume –"
Just then Ebe dashed up, still in her everyday clothes and carrying what looked like several pounds of gold. "The shoes still aren't ready, but here is your jewelry for tonight, Gem. I'll check –"
"Ebe! Get over here! This is our last run through!" Mesi shouted.
"Go, I'll help Gem with these," Rehema said.
"But the shoes!"
"I'll send someone who's not performing. You've done enough, now go."
"But –"
"Ebe!"
"Coming, Mesi!"
Rehema sighed as she knelt to shift through the pile of gemstone-studded gold. "Didn't I say I could use some of Mesi's assertiveness?"
Yugi snapped out of the trance he had fallen into at the sight of the latest addition to his wardrobe. "How am I supposed to dance in that!? There must be twenty pounds of gold here!"
"Relax," Rehema said, motioning for him to turn around so she could begin fastening the collar, "at least it'll cover your bandages. And you have always had good balance. As long as the weight is even it shouldn't be a problem for someone as strong as you. The pharaoh just wants to see you glitter like the gem you are."
"That's another thing, Rehema, the pharaoh acts strangely towards me."
"Strangely? How so?" Rehema finished lacing up the collar and moved on to the gold belt.
"Well, all these gifts, for a start. I can't say no to him, and I wish I could give him something in return, but he seems so hesitant around me. He hasn't even commanded me to serve him in any way, although he seems glad enough to take anything I offer. I've been around him more than anyone for the last two days and I now have fewer ideas about how to please him than I did before. It's nothing like any of the stories the other girls have told me."
"But you're different, Gem." Rehema smiled. "He wasn't in love with any of us."
"In … love? With me?" Yugi breathed, as if speaking it too loudly could break it.
"I've been around long enough to know love when I see it. He may be Ra incarnate, but he's human like you or I, and he loves you. This gold is nothing, Gem, I've seen the way he looks at you. His world revolves around you." Rehema finished and stood up. "And now you are properly dressed to shine for him. Take a look." She gestured to a mirror.
Yugi's actual clothing was a simple white silk tunic, slit up the sides from knee to hip so that it could move when he danced. The costume was in the jewelry. With a golden cornet, collar, armbands, bracelets, rings, belt, ankle cuffs, and anklets, all embedded on every available surface with glittering diamonds and yellow citrine, Yugi sparkled like the sun. In the brightly lit concubine's quarters, it was almost garish. Under torchlight at a late banquet, however, he would flicker like starlight.
"One final rehearsal, I think," said Rehema, "and then the lineup, same as always. Except this time, you'll finally get to dance."
'A dance," Yugi thought, 'a dance for my pharaoh. My love.'