Four days after Seth's heart was broken, he still wasn't doing any better. He would forget the pain for a little while—when he was at dinner, when he was with his students, when he was with Atem—but at any moment when he was entirely alone, the shame, the anger, the disappointment would all come crashing over him in a wave of emotion that he didn't know how to handle.
He'd spent two more nights with Atem since then. Those nights would help for a bit, but his heart wasn't in it, not right now. Thank Ra that Atem seemed to understand and respect Seth's current state. For his cousin, he was a pair of open arms with an open heart. Whatever decision he made, whether to stay or leave, to love or not, he would understand and accept it. He genuinely cared about Seth and wanted to see him feeling better.
He was trying to find a way to cope on his own that didn't depend on other people. Meditation had failed miserably; it only made him focus on his anguish and loss even more until his pain was so intense he couldn't breathe. He'd tried going for long walks around the palace grounds, and that seemed to help. Alcohol was always a viable option, but he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in a blur of inebriation and alcohol poisoning. Besides, it would displease Atem if he were to be so careless with his health, and he cared too much about his pharaoh to willfully displease him.
As Seth strolled along the courtyards and hallways and balconies of the palace in the cool evening air, he was trying to find within himself a way to stop loving Kisara. He sighed heavily. Even her name brought him more pain. Would this ache ever go away?
Kisara had decided to go for a walk, wanting some fresh air now that it was evening and the temperature was more comfortable. She'd started to feel safe in the palace, knowing that its inhabitants were under strict orders not to harm her. She was meeting Mana again tonight, but she had a little time before then.
A hand seized her by the arm and slammed her into the wall, taking her by surprise and knocking the air from her lungs. She gasped as she looked up into the face of a servant she couldn't recognize. He looked angry, and she suddenly wished that she'd accepted Mana's offer to teach her self-defense tactics.
"It's a bad omen having you around," he growled, his voice low and scratchy. He pulled her away from the wall and started dragging her away at a brisk pace. "I'm doing us all a favor by getting rid of you."
Kisara struggled against him as she stumbled along, but he was far too strong for her to resist. She decided to risk angering him and screamed for help. He began to curse as he turned on her and swung his fist towards her face. She cried out as the hard blow made her lose her balance and fall to the floor, tears springing to her eyes with the pain.
"I should just kill you here and now," the superstitious bully muttered as he drew a knife and advanced towards his victim, looking furious. Kisara cowered on the floor, terrified. She'd never see Mana again, never get to apologize to Seth, never—
"I'd like to see you try."
Kisara gasped and lifted her head, looking between locks of her long hair at the one who'd spoken. Seth, her savior. In a matter of moments, he'd easily disarmed and restrained the assailant, kicking the knife away as a few of the palace guards entered the scene. When they were close enough, Seth shoved the criminal towards them, happy to no longer be responsible for the man who'd caused him personal offense.
"Imprison him for the night, then we'll let the pharaoh decide his fate." With the way Seth was glaring at the servant, he looked like he would prefer to mete out his own punishment. He had more self-control than that, though. As Seth turned towards Kisara, she dropped her gaze and shifted her position on the floor so that she was bowing deeply to him. She couldn't help that she was trembling and had been shaken by the incident, so she couldn't help that when Seth tapped her shoulder, she flinched. She lifted her eyes to see his hand before her, palm upturned in a gesture of aid. She placed her shivering hand in his steady one and let him help her to her feet. They were alone now. The guards and her attacker were gone. Their eyes met.
Kisara had hoped to see the old warmth and kindness she'd become so accustomed to seeing in Seth's features, but his eyes only held ice. Even so, his warm hand gave hers a squeeze before releasing it entirely.
"You should take better care of yourself," was all he said before stiffly turning and walking away. Kisara herself was frozen for a few moments before she recovered her voice and called out, "Seth, I—Thank you." He stilled. "Thank you for saving me."
"I only did what anyone would do." He was only several feet away, yet the bitterness in his voice seemed to create a distance of many miles between them.
"I'm sorry, Seth," she said quickly, wanting to say what she needed to say before he left. "I never wanted to hurt you—"
"Doesn't matter," he snapped, interrupting her harshly. "The damage is done."
"Could we ever—" Kisara began hopefully, desperately, wanting to reforge her friendship with him.
"No." He knew what she was going to say. It was obvious. He still hadn't turned to face her, so she'd been speaking to his back as they spoke. Now, he continued to walk away, leaving behind a silent, distressed Kisara who fled to the comfort of Mana's arms, wherever her lover happened to be. Her face hurt horribly and was already starting to swell, and it would be best to treat it right away.
As Seth walked away, the pain in his chest only increased. It hadn't been absent for a single moment since he'd been rejected, and he was starting to think that he'd never be without it. He was doing his best not to think at all, but he couldn't stop himself from feeling, no matter how much he wished he could.
A few minutes later, one of the palace guards was rushing to the High Priest's side. He'd collapsed, dizzy, nauseous, unable to breathe, his chest pain unbearable. They rushed him to the palace physician immediately, rightfully sensing that his life was in danger.