Chapter 7
Ahkmenrah groaned as light pounded behind his eyelids- how could his room be so bright already? It felt like he had crashed into bed only two hours ago. Far too short a time! Hmm, Ra had not fully risen yet, there was still time to recover his energy. Shoving his head beneath his pillow, he tried recalling the dream he'd been enjoying, but all he could remember was a glint of gold. Had he dreamt of Ra again? The heat rose with the sun, as it often did in Egypt, and with it rose his alertness, in spite of his desire for slumber. Despite his impressive windows, the air wouldn't circulate as much as he'd like, and the stuffiness was disrupting his rest, preventing him from falling back to sleep. Even when he threw off the blankets, he sweat! So he tossed and turned for what must have been two hours, watching the sun make His daily trek across the sky. The silence also prevented him from dreaming, instilling a sense of unease and loneliness he'd rather ignore. Any moment, his manservant Manuk would open the door and force him to rise. Not that he wouldn't try valiantly not to. How everyone else could get up so early was beyond him.
Then he remembered it was no ordinary day, and he flew out of bed beaming. What better way to celebrate than one final childish joke? Silently slipping on his slippers, he crept out of his bedroom towards his brother's chambers. He needn't be the only one to suffer from sleeplessness. His brother might kill him afterwards- it had been years since he'd pulled such a prank- but the look on his face would ultimately be worth it.
The silence followed him as he made his way, cloaking any potential creaks from his feet. He was proud of his creeping skills- if he had to be the weakest fighter, at least he was somewhat stealthy. His poor brother had learned this the hard way every time he snuck up on him, and it never grew wearisome to catch "the renowned fighter" off his guard. He opened the door, wincing as it moved with a lurch. Judging by the snoring lump beneath the covers, Kahmunrah was still asleep.
Not for long. "BWLAARGH!" Ahkmenrah roared as he jumped on top of the teenager.
"AAAAAH!" Kahmunrah leaped up in such a fright, he nearly fell out of bed. Clutching the sheets to his chest, he glowered as the boy doubled over in laughter. "You little-!"
Ahkmenrah was laughing so hard, he barely maintained the wherewithal to flee as his brother gave chase. It was a brief hunt, for Kahmunrah soon tackled and pinned him to the floor. "What possibly possessed you to wake me at such an ungodly hour? It had better be an emergency, or I will.."
Ahkmenrah smiled at him rebelliously, not the least bit intimidated. "Do you remember what day it is?"
His initial wrath fading, Kahmunrah scrunched up his face in concentration. "Duel Day? I thought we suffered through that yesterday."
"It is my birthday! I am eleven years old!"
Far from exhibiting exhilaration, Kahmunrah groaned as he lumbered back into bed. "Oh, is that why you woke me up. Get me when they're serving desert."
Ahkmenrah, however, would not be deterred so easily. Instead of tiptoeing out, he jumped back on the bed and shook his brother. "Kahmunrah, please get up? Please? I won't stop until you do! I will tickle you!"
Kahmunrah all but flung the sheets off, and baby brother with them. The last thing he wanted was to be reminded of how ridiculously ticklish he was, a weakness Ahkmenrah had exploited numerous times. "Such childish behavior is most unbecoming, baby brother."
"So is moaning around in bed all morning, faking a stomach ailment to avoid our scribe lessons!"
"You know I despise reading and writing- the symbols rearrange themselves on our tablets constantly!"
"For you they do, which is why you should pay attention in class!" Ahkmenrah teased. "Come on Kah, please get up? I wish to do something fun before the rest of the household wakes up! They all make such a fuss over me, I barely get any time to myself!"
"Oh boo-hoo, such is the life of a prince! Best get used to it- I've had to my entire life." To Kahmunrah's dismay, he could feel his brother's eyes penetrating his backside even after he'd rolled over. "You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" Ahkmenrah shook his head, expanding his eyes to puppy-level width. "Fine. Move so I may get dressed. What in Horus's name do you want to do, anyway?"
Ahkmenrah pondered this as he turned around to give his brother some privacy. "I- I want you to teach me to fight."
Kahmunrah swiveled around, eyebrow arched in surprise. "What?"
"You heard me- I want you to teach me how to fight. And win."
"Are you sure? No Blind Man's Bluff or Tag? You love those games."
Ahkmenrah shrugged. "I am eleven years old now. I should start growing up."
"Says the child who pounced on me this morning."
"I'm serious, Kah- show me how to fight."
"Are you sure you're ready to learn? Fighting is fun for me, but it might not be for you," Kahmunrah replied.
"I'm tired of always being the worst in the class. The other students... They are beginning to notice."
"You are far from the worst, Ahk. You might be the best archer Uruk has ever taught! And your hand work isn't terrible."
Ahkmenrah lowered his head, pouting. "I am not strong like you. I need you to teach me how to be strong."
"I don't know if I can teach that to you; it's something you usually have or you don't. What sparked this sudden interest, anyway? Last I checked, you despised battle training."
"I changed my mind. I will have to learn how anyway, sooner or later. Would you not prefer sooner?"
"Ahk... Very well. Lesson one: Never wake up big brother!" Kahmunrah roared as he lunged. Giggling, Ahkmenrah failed to dodge in time before getting pinned once more.
The entire royal household awoke to the sounds of laughter and running. Though their day began considerably earlier than usual thanks to the shenanigans, nobody minded seeing the princes getting along so well. In celebration of Ahkmenrah's birthday, Merenkahre canceled all lessons, leaving more young people out and about than usual. For their part, Kahmunrah and Seti were anticipating the feast. "Best part of today!"
"What, not my surviving another year?" Ahkmenrah smiled.
"Well, I suppose that's a good thing. As you get older, you get less annoying." Kahmunrah teased, ruffling his brother's hair.
"Before you two make me nauseous with your bonding, shall we continue playing Senet?" Seti asked, rolling his playing piece between his fingers.
"Only if you wish to lose," Ahkmenrah snarked back.
"In your dreams, I outbid you both ten to one!" Despite Seti's boasting, Ahkmenrah won. For one so young, he was a bold bidder.
Later that evening
"Come on, I thought I heard him humming."
"You're insane! If we are caught, the pharaoh will have us executed for certain! Not to mention his brother..."
"Are you saying you fear Kahmunrah?"
The other boy stuttered, "N-no, I'm merely advising we exercise caution."
"You're both crazy if you're not afraid of him! Did you see how he kicked down Arnuk yesterday? He barely broke a sweat!"
"Well, Kahmunrah might be a formidable opponent, but his little brother is another matter," the ringleader smirked.
"True... I swear, he looks ready to cry whenever Uruk practices with him!"
"Weakling or not, Ahkmenrah is the king's favorite son. Everyone knows this! To challenge him is to risk a lashing."
"Who will tell? Have we been caught yet?"
"Well, no, but it is his birthday- could you not let him be?"
"Where's the fun in that, Mahu?" The target in question now stood before them, unaware he was being followed.
"Remember I was against this," Mahu muttered as they approached. The ringleader called out, "Greetings princeling! Happy birthday, little lord!"
Ahkmenrah turned around, resigned. "Not you again."
"What, we cannot bestow our goodwill upon a future king?" Asim smiled, but it didn't alleviate the malice in his black eyes.
"The last time you bestowed 'goodwill' upon me, I was bruised for a week. Could we not fight now? I would rather enjoy my day of birth, thank you very much. Preferably without your company, however esteemed it may be."
"Is this the proper way to greet a royal subject?" When no response came, Asim elbowed his closest croonie. "Is it?"
"No."
"Ill manners don't befit a prince. Makes one wonder what those brilliant tutors teach you."
"More than you learn from training, based on your recent performance. How quickly did my brother knock you out?"
Asim's cockiness washed away. "Get him."
When will I learn to control my tongue? Ahkmenrah ran off, plowing through several vendors and pausing only long enough to apologize. If he had the skill set to combat those bullies, it would be another matter; as it was, he knew how Asim would repay him for his comeback. Ducking behind a stall, Ahkmenrah waited until he heard three sets of feet pounding past, accompanied by shouts of directions. Well, that was easier than usual.
Too easy. He didn't see where he was going until he smashed into a concrete form. "Got you!" Asim cackled. Before Ahkmenrah could react, he punched him in the cheek, sending him sprawling. "Grab him, you idiots!"
Ahkmenrah yelped as he rolled away, only to find himself backed up against a wall. Dead end. Ignoring the coppery tasted bursting from where he'd accidentally bit down on his cheek, he rose and stood in a defensive pose, knowing it would be futile.
"Since it is your birthday, we'll only give you one bruised rib. Might break it instead of you squirm too much."
Ahkmenrah swallowed a whimper, unconsciously retreating further back. "Leave now, and none of you will get hurt!"
Asim guffawed. "Get him!"
0o0
Kahmunrah was walking through the alley when he heard a cry. "Ahkmenrah?" He ran to the dead end, only to be greeted by a less-than-optimal sight: Ahkmenrah being held up by two classmates as the third and largest beat swung back for another punch. "Hey!"
All four looked up. "Shit," Asim grumbled.
Kahmunrah's face went from shocked to deadly calm. "Release him. Now." They dropped him like a hot potato. "You have three seconds to run before I attack- and I'll probably hunt you down later and kill you anyway. One-" They vanished, leaving Ahkmenrah coughing up sand. "Well, this explains your request this morning. How long have they been tormenting you?" Mentally, he berated himself for never having suspected anything. What kind of guardian was he?
Ahkmenrah looked down, unable to say a word.
"Come on, I can't help if I don't know what's happening! How long has this been going on?"
"If I tell, they'll really get angry!"
"I'm telling Father..."
"No, it will get worse if you do! They'll say I used my status to overcome them, and I'll never get another moment's peace!"
"Pigs! They are using their 'status' as commoners to guilt you into compliance!"
"Besides, I fear Father might do something rash if he were to find out. It wouldn't be worth it, even if they are awful to me."
I might do something rash! "Look, I understand you're scared of them, but I must tell someone. Believe me, if I don't it will only encourage them. Uruk would know how to deal with them."
"When I threatened them I would tell Father and Uruk, they promised to kill me. Asim was holding a knife as he said it, stroking it."
Kahmunrah cussed. "When I get my hands on them, they'll wish Father had dealt with them!" Kneeling, he tilted his chin up. "Are you all right? How badly did they hit you?"
Ahkmenrah shrugged. "It wasn't so terrible this time. They went easy on me 'because it's my birthday.'"
"Your cheek is swelling up; we'd better take care of it, or Mother will worry. Can you stand up?" Helping him up, he dusted off his tunic. "Damn, on second thought, I'm not sure we can keep it down enough so she won't notice. Oh well, we'll see what we can do."
"They're frightened of you, you know. They consider you a fierce adversary."
Kahmunrah glared in the direction of their retreat. "Believe me, I intend to give them ample reason to be afraid."
"Kah..."
"Don't worry, I'll let them live. Beyond that, I can't promise no broken bones or paralysis."
Despite his recent ordeal, Ahkmenrah smiled.
As always, reviews and comments are very welcome. :)
