HOLY CRAP. So many reviews. :D Thank you all, you lovely people! You are all so wonderful. And, of course, thanks to the lovely sherlockiansarcasm! You, Cat, are such a help.
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Magnus groaned as he stretched his arms over his head and felt his muscles stretch. He'd had the worst night's sleep ever. Mostly because it was haunted with images of Roman soldiers. Or rather: one soldier in particular. Which was definitely stupid. One pretty face doesn't make Caesar invading Egypt anything short of horrifying, Magnus thought.
"Master Priest, sir?" Magnus turned to the door.
"Dakarai?" Magnus asked.
The guard standing in the doorway bowed. "You have been invited for breakfast with the pharaoh and the Romans," Dakarai said.
This news was absolutely dreadful. The room was certain to be filled with tension and hostility; two things Magnus preferred to avoid.
"Thank you for the message," Magnus said glumly. He was already dressed in his casual day attire, so he quickly tied a leopard skin robe around his neck. Then, thinking of the pretty Roman, Magnus applied the kohl around his eyes with extra carefulness.
Magnus was surprised to find that, when he walked into the room where breakfast would take place, everyone was already there. His eyes immediately sought out the blue eyed Roman and spotted him next to the soldier that had nearly passed out at the sight of Pompey's severed head. His hair was deliciously ruffled from his night sleep, and he looked weighed down from the armor he wore.
"Magnus, over here." Magnus turned and stood beside Ragnor. He was next to the two other Lector Priests-Camille Belcort and the newer man Magnus didn't know the name of.
"Thank you for joining us, Priest Bane," Pharaoh Ptolemy said. Magnus wanted to slap him for the obvious sarcasm in the boy's voice. Ptolemy sat at the head of the table that Caesar and his guards were sitting at. Of course, Caesar and his goons get to sit, but Ptolemy's priests have to stand next to the pharaoh, Magnus thought.
"Dictator Caesar, we've prepared this meal to formally welcome you to Alexandria and the palace." Magnus didn't have to look up to recognize Pothinus' know-it-all voice.
"How flattering," Caesar replied curtly. "And you might be...?"
"This is Pothinus," Ptomey introduced. "And next to him is his brother, Achillas. Pothinus is my personal advisor and my regent. Achillas is my best guardian and leader of my troops."
Caesar nodded and Magnus figured he was just happy that Alexandria wasn't only run by twelve year olds.
"Now Caesar, you came originally looking for Pompey," Ptolemy said carefully. "I informed you I had killed him, yet you remain here." Caesar didn't say anything when Ptolemy paused, so the young king elaborated. "If you don't mind my asking; why is this?"
Caesar looked at Ptolemy and smiled. It was cold and mocking. "I don't mind your asking. In fact, I was expecting it. Ptolemy XIII, do you remember just how much debt your father put your kingdom in? How much, exactly, that you owe me?"
Ptolemy looked to Pothinus, who replied with a quiet, "S-six thousand talents."
Caesar nodded. "After your father and I made our little deal to keep him on Egypt's throne, Rome and Egypt became close allies. So not only do you owe this to me, you should give in and shelter an ally with grace."
Pothinus looked at Caesar with horrified realization. "You want to make sure we pay our debts." Magnus had to admit, Pothinus had balls.
"Well of course, Patronus. It's only fair." Pothinus' eyes flashed, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he nodded and looked down.
"Caesar, sir." Everyone looked at me Magnus when he spoke, and the attention was not the kind he liked. "For what do you need thirty-one thousand men if you only want to make sure Egypt pays her debts?"
Caesar looked at Magnus and scowled. Magnus had to admit though, he did prefer Caesar's current angry scowl over his previously secretive grin.
"I don't know where you get your information, scantily dressed priest, but you're wrong. I have thirty-two thousand men, not thirty-one thousand. I need them so that you Egyptians understand clearly that I can, and will, take action if I do not get the money that I loaned to you back. Right now you are not an enemy of mine, and for your sake, I hope it stays that way."
Magnus cursed Ragnor's bad memory with numbers. He was, after all, where Magnus got his information.
"Now I want you all to listen carefully to my needs," Julius Caesar said. "I brought some of my soldiers into your city; they will need a place to lodge. I expect them all to have a place to stay by nightfall. My guards and I will be staying in this palace. Don't bother trying to get rid of them or myself; they are the best out of the thousands of men I have and I can always send for backup. I will go about my business here and none of you will ask questions. Is this clear?"
Magnus met the blue eyes of the Roman guard as Caesar finished stating his demands. The boy frowned and a faint flush appeared on his cheeks. In that moment, he almost looked apologetic. Snap out of it, Bane. He's a guard of Caesar's, Magnus chided himself. He'd lay down his life for the maniac, of course he doesn't feel sorry for you.
Ptolemy nodded in response to Caesar's question. "As clear as the Nile on a hot summer day!" he piped up.
Magnus caught himself before he face-palmed.
"Good," Caesar replied. "Now please explain what your priests are doing here."
"As the closest human beings to the gods, my priests are excellent judges of character," Ptolemy replied. "I will speak with them after about how they feel about this situation."
Oh. I'm supposed to be analyzing the situation for the idiot. Right.
"And how does the situation look so far?" Caesar asked the priests. Magnus glanced at Camille and Ragnor; the weird new priest seemed to busy trying not to wet himself to talk.
"It seems..." Ragnor trailed off.
"It seems as if we must bow down to your rule and, in return, you won't kill us," Camille picked up bravely.
"You are correct, Ptolemy," Caesar said, studying Camille like she was his prey. "They are excellent judges of character and situations. Now, would you please send for some food? I'm starved."
Magnus and the other Lector Priests left once the servants came with bread and figs for the guests. Magnus started for the Room of Rites. Also known as his sulking room.
Unfortunately, Ragnor grabbed his arm before he could get anywhere. "Ragnor, seriously-"
"Magnus. I figured you'd try to run away from our problem," Ragnor snorted.
"Which one?" Magnus snapped.
"The problem," Ragnor said slowly, as if that explained everything. "We have a job. Remember? Ptolemy gave it to us last night?"
Right. The job.
"And you want to do it now? Caesar isn't even done eating," Magnus said.
Ragnor rolled his eyes. "Mags, we can wait outside his room. The meeting will be done by the time we get there."
Magnus groaned and turned to the hallway that lead to Caesar's room. "Fine, let's go."
Ragnor was right. It took about the amount of time it took Magnus and Ragnor to get to Caesar's room before they heard two voices. Sadly, neither voice belonged to the Dictator.
"-don't get it. Why are we even here? It's not like there's anything to do in Alexandria."
"Caesar does what he wants." Oh, Magnus recognized that voice.
The two guards turned the corner-the cute one with the black hair and a brown haired one he had been seated next to during breakfast.
Ragnor sighed. "Hello you two. Do you have any idea when your leader will be getting back?"
Magnus smiled slightly when he noticed the cute soldier staring at him. "I recognize you," Magnus said, ignoring Ragnor and trying for a conversation. "You are the guy who isn't used to decapitation." The brown haired soldier flushed. "And you-" Magnus turned, "-well, you helped him."
"I barely helped him. Simon was fine," he answered. "I-I'm Alec, by the way." His faint blush was noticeable, even through the helmet.
"Magnus. And this is Ragnor. Pleasure to meet you, Alec," Magnus said. Ragnor cleared his throat.
"Yes, and it's also nice to meet you, Simon," Ragnor said, looking directly at Magnus and speaking with a tone that made Magnus certain he'd be scolded later for lack of manners.
"What are you doing near Caesar's room anyway?" Simon asked. He crossed his arms and scowled.
"Waiting for Caesar, actually," Magnus said smoothly. "Of course, we don't need him to do the spell."
"Spell?" Alexander asked. Magnus watched his pale throat as he swallowed his nerves. Magnus wondered what else he could swallow.
...Then he got hard. Fuck everything, Magnus thought. That combined with his thin skirt was not working in Magnus' favor.
"Yes," Ragnor said. Magnus didn't even remember the question. "He and I are putting a protective spell around the room. King Ptolemy insisted."
"That's nice, but I think Alec and I can protect the room better than your noisy rituals," Simon snarled. Apparently he had been offended by Magnus not noticing him, and decided to be a grouch because of it. Alec's eyes widened at the comment and he slapped Simon on the arm- a gesture Magnus had never seen the usually stiff and emotionless Roman soldiers make.
"Gods, Simon, don't be rude," Alec scolded. Magnus grinned at his worry. As if the two priests actually believed what they do had an effect on anything.
"Don't worry, hon. As priests, we know better than anyone that our jobs are ridiculous," Magnus said to Alec.
"Right, no one can possibly connect with the gods," Ragnor added.
Magnus tried not to roll his eyes. A lot of priests did believe that magic is real. Most of them just believed that only the gods can access the magic, not priests. Ragnor believed that. Magnus though, he'd never been given a reason to believe the gods existed in the first place.
Alec was still blushing furiously. "He didn't mean any offense, though."
"Don't worry about it," Magnus said, grinning. "Just don't let him say anything like that to our pharaoh and you'll be good."
"I'll try to resist the urge," Simon snapped.
"Um, you can do the ritual if you want," Alec said, opening Caesar's door. "Can Simon and I watch?"
The idea of Alec's blue eyes on him pleased Magnus more than it should've.
"Of course you may. Watch closely," Magnus purred. He then walked past the two soldiers with Ragnor on his heels.
"Do you have your pouches?" Ragnor asked.
Magnus snorted and shook his head no.
"How shocking," Ragnor grumbled. "Don't worry, I brought two extra."
"You have no faith in me," Magnus said, shaking his head. Ragnor handed him two drawstring pouches and Magnus opened one carefully. Mixed balm and a metal pentacle. I shouldn't have even bothered to check, Magnus thought. Ragnor never screws up protection spells.
Magnus hung his bags in two separately corners and Ragnor did the same.
"How are we supposed to know whether or not your stupid magic is a curse rather than protection?" Simon growled.
"You couldn't possibly know," Magnus said. Even he could hear the sneer in his voice. "Good thing you and Alec can protect the room better than my stupid magic." Okay, that was unnecessarily rude, especially to Alexander. But Magnus couldn't help it; they were with Caesar.
"How does it work?" Alec asked. "Those bags. What do they do?"
"They create a ward," Ragnor snapped. "Now, we will be leaving." He clutched Magnus' arm and started dragging him away. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Magnus wondered what was wrong.
"Nice speaking with you," Magnus said; staring at Alec. He turned so that Ragnor's dragging became less painful.
"You too." Alec's voice was dazed, and Magnus grinned when he felt the boy's gaze on his back as he left.
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