Atem held Seth's hand to his lips as he watched over his cousin's sleeping form. A servant had been dispatched to find him as soon as the brunette had been admitted into the doctor's care, and Atem had been quick to go to him. The pharaoh was going to spend the night by Seth's side whether it was necessary or not. He couldn't bear to leave him alone.

The physician had been unable to discern what had caused his symptoms, but he had been able to give the priest something for the pain. He'd been tempted to sedate him, but with his patient's breathing as difficult and shallow as it was, he had decided against it. Since no physical cause could be discerned, Atem had summoned Isis to see if she could be of assistance.

Isis had determined that he was not plagued by evil spirits and that he had not been attacked or poisoned. She did, however, discover Seth's secret grief.

"Poor man," she'd murmured, eyes filled with pity as she watched the miserable proposal play out in her mind's eye. "I don't think there's anything we can do for him but be here when he wakes up."

"But what's wrong with him?" Atem had demanded, worried for his friend, his cousin, his beloved.

"I think he's simply suffering from a broken heart," Isis had answered simply. "It's happened before. Once in a blue moon, someone will keel over with an ache in their chest and shallow breathing and no apparent cause, always within a few days after having lost a loved one in some way."

Now, as Atem sat alone at Seth's bedside, he thought over Isis' words. Was there really no way that they could help? Was mending his broken heart even possible, or was he too far gone?

"My pharaoh," a female voice called softly from the doorway, making the monarch lift his head and smile.

"Mana," he greeted softly. "Please, join me."

She entered and sat beside him, her eyes resting on Seth's sleeping form with a look of pity, guilt, and regret. "Kisara wanted to come see him, but I told her that she might upset him further."

"I wish that things could have worked out between them," Atem sighed, looking disappointed as he contemplated the potential they'd had. "I think everyone was expecting them to marry any day now."

"She never meant to lead him on," Mana said quickly, coming to her lover's defense.

"I know. She would never mean to hurt anybody." Atem's eyes watered as he considered the grief that was suffocating Seth from the inside. "It was such a shock to him when she said no. I don't think he'd even considered that outcome as a possibility."

"Is… that why he's here?" Mana asked hesitantly. "The shock, I mean?"

"It seems that way." Atem hated feeling so helpless, but he was glad for Mana's company. She was like a little sister to him.

"Oh." She sounded surprised. "I thought he must have gotten hurt in the fight."

"What fight?"

Mana quickly explained what Kisara had told her: the white-haired woman had been attacked by a suspicious servant who felt it would be better to remove her, but when Kisara screamed, Seth had come to her aid and fought with the man briefly before besting him and handing him over to the palace guards.

"He wasn't very kind to her afterward, though," Mana added with a touch of anger. "She tried to apologize to him, but he wouldn't accept it. She wanted to be his friend again, but he wouldn't listen to her."

"He's in pain because of her," Atem protested, starting to get angry himself. He turned on her as he glared at her with tear-filled eyes. "He might even die because of her."

"She didn't know this would happen!" Mana protested, raising her voice in indignation. "It's not fair of you to blame her when she was only doing what she thought was best!"

"How was this best?"

"Her only other option was to lie to him! Do you really think that would have caused him any less pain?"

The glared at each other, both angry and hurt on their beloveds' behalfs. Mana's stiff shoulders sagged, and Atem's glare softened. He released Seth's hand to put his arms around Mana, who embraced him in return. They both cried, unable to restrain their emotions any longer.

"I love Seth," Atem whispered as he blinked away tears. "I hate to see him in such pain."

"I love Kisara," Mana replied with a sniffle. "I hate to see her feeling so guilty. I told her from the beginning that if Seth ever asked for her hand, she should say yes. I told her that it would provide her with security and protect our secret. She never wanted to, though. She said it would be dishonest, and that she would be doing injustice to both of them if she were to lie like that."

They held each other in silence for a little while longer before they let the embrace end. Atem turned back to Seth, making sure that he was still asleep and still alive.

"We could never really be together," Atem whispered against Seth's palm, holding that dear hand close to his face as he sat vigil with Mana. "I need an heir, after all, and the people of Egypt would probably riot against me if I tried to marry him."

"There might be a way for us to resolve all of this and still be with the ones we love."

Atem glanced over at the magician's apprentice curiously as he wiped the tears from his cheeks. "How so?"

"You and I could marry, and Seth and Kisara could marry. Then you would both have heirs and a solid public front that would protect us. Because we would all know the truth, you and Seth could still be together, as would Kisara and I. That way, you are ensured a successor and Seth still marries Kisara, even if it's not the kind of marriage he was hoping for."

Atem blinked at her in shock for a few moments, trying to process all of the possible ramifications of such an arrangement.

"I could be happy as your wife," Mana added, afraid that he thought she'd lost her mind. "Even though I've always thought of you as my brother."

The pharaoh's shock eased into a smile and he placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. "And I've always thought of you as a sister. If such a thing were to happen, it would not happen now. He needs time to recover, and I think Kisara does too. I don't know if he'd agree to such a thing. I don't know if he'd agree to such a tainted version of what he'd been dreaming of for so long."

"How long did he love her?" Mana asked out of curiosity.

"Since the day they met when they were mere youths." Atem sighed and fiddled with his hair nervously. "I could never force either of them to agree to the arrangement. I may have the power to do so, but I'm unwilling to exercise it over either of them. They would both have to want it."

"That's fair," Mana agreed. She rubbed her eyes, which were red from her tears, and rested her head on Atem's shoulder.

"You should return to your quarters and sleep," he advised gently.

"As should you," she murmured back, her eyes already closed as she started to drift off. Atem released Seth's hand again and nudged Mana into his arms. He would carry her to her own room then return to watch over Seth.