Chapter 13
"You're improving- I can tell you have a firmer fist form now," Kahmunrah assured him grudgingly. Ahkmenrah, who for once was not sprawled out helplessly on the floor, allowed himself a small grin.
"Your distracted demeanor is certainly helping. Tell me oh Mighty One, is your great mind overburdened by kingly thoughts? How does one of your status bear so much weight?" He teased.
Kahmunrah smirked. "Can I help it if our kingdom is impressed by my nobility?" He struck a militaristic pose for emphasis.
"Hmm, I can envision a sculpture of you now, right in the town square! Only they would probably get the proportions wrong- they could never capture your large head." He shielded his face as Kahmunrah flung a handful of dirt at him. Before long, they had degenerated from fist-fighting to trying to shove each other into the nearest wheat pile.
"Ahem. Are you boys done yet?" Uruk loomed over them, his foot tapping impatiently against the wooden floorboards. Both princes sprang up, their faces flushed from more than mere exercise. "Training is in one hour. Prepare." As an afterthought, he turned back to them as he was leaving, "And pray your secret training sessions have aided you, Ahkmenrah. I've noticed small improvements, but much remains to be desired. Gods know you've been at this long enough."
Ahk and Kah hurriedly gathered up the mess they'd created, unable to look each other in the eye. "I did not mean to get you in trouble with our master, Kahmun. He did not seem to like our little secret."
Kahmunrah shrugged. "I can deal with him now. Knowing him, he probably approves of our lessons; he's not as horrible as most fear."
"Says his best pupil!"
Another fistful of dirt shut him up.
Surely the sun doesn't grace other countries as it does in Egypt! Ahkmenrah thought as he meandered through the marketplace. No cloaked figures, no hidden meetings- it was shaping up to be another glorious day. Even during training he only received a minor thrashing- a couple of fresh bruises graced his forearms. Somehow, he sensed Uruk had been moderately impressed with his improvements, which was fine by him as long as it meant shorter training periods. Give him a scroll any day! At least writing never tried to beat you up. Naturally, in the fashion of siblings, after their lesson Kahmunrah had blended in seamlessly with his own peers, boasting of how he'd knocked a spear from one's hand, a sword from another's, etc. Ahkmenrah quietly melted away as he knew was expected of him. Being the heir had its privileges.
Stretching his arms towards the cloudless sky, he sighed contently as he surveyed the bustling sea of people, animals, colors, smells, and other wonders. Here then, lay the heart of his kingdom: the very center of it! What else could capture Egypt so perfectly as a badgering merchant here, a gleeful laugh there?
"Thief!"
Ahkmenrah's head swiveled in the same direction as the crowd's as a small child dashed through them, darting between knees and towering humans while cradling his precious bundle. Just a few paces behind him, a pastry merchant ran after him, fist raised and eyes burning with righteous fire. "Don't stand there, fools! Help or get out of my way! Somebody call the royal guards!"
The prince could imagine how things were about to escalate- besides, the guards' services would not be required here. His own would suffice.
He was almost too late by the time he'd caught up to them. The 'thief' was cowering in a corner, completely engulfed by the man's shadow. The man began drawing his whip out, a weapon Ahkmenrah was certain he wasn't supposed to possess. "Hey! Leave him alone!"
The merchant spun around, a tiger having just cornered its doe. "And who are you to stop me?" In response, the prince merely held up his signet ring, a telltale mark for anyone in the kingdom as to his identity. With a growl more of surprise than subservience, the merchant stood down; Ahkmenrah couldn't repress some satisfaction when his eyes bulged briefly after he'd recognized the signet. "Forgive my impertinence, your highness. I did not know who I was addressing!"
"Your trespass is forgiven if you step away from the child."
"B-but your highness, he is a thief! The gods have brought you to my aid, for you can summon you soldiers to arrest him."
Ahkmenrah turned to the criminal. "Is this true? Did you steal from this man?" The boy's quivering lips were answer enough. "Come, show me what you have there. Don't worry- he won't harm you while I stand here, right my lord?" The merchant didn't respond except with a more pointed look and a reluctant, single-step shuffle to the left, allowing the miscreant to reach the prince unhindered. Upon inspecting the parcel, Ahkmenrah bit back a snarl of his own. "Arrest him for what? This crumb of bread? This would barely feed a pigeon, let alone a human being! And for this you would have me call my guards?"
All pretense of kowtowing left the merchant's pig-like glare as he scowled back. He was still smiling politely, but his taut stance and black squint bespoke of one eager to fight and unused to surrender. "I did not gain wealth through charity. Surely one of your lineage understands? Nothing is ever given. At the very least, the law stands behind me- if one steals, the dungeons await."
"Not if I can help it."
Sizing him up, the scrooge sneered, "A slim figure you cut there, your highness, and a fine perch you preach from! Then again, what can one expect from a lad fed from a golden spoon? What do you know about charity?" A rustle distracted him. "Oh no, I'm not finished with you yet!" He reached for the lad, only to find his fist in a vice-like grip.
"Careful peddler, or I really will call my soldiers."
He shook Ahk off- only the knowledge of who the prince was kept his anger in check, but still he accidentally knocked him to the ground. "Uh-ho! Strong words spoken from a soft mouth!"
Instinctively, Ahkmenrah jumped up and shoved the child behind himself, biting his lip as he grew ever more aware of the merchant's impressive height and girth. Where was Kahmunrah when he needed him? As if sensing his hesitation, the man approached him with mounting confidence, drawing himself up to his full height. "Tell me, are your hands as soft as the rest of you? And before you answer, think- is he worth the trouble?"
"Justice is worth it, yes. And I would be the one in the least amount of trouble, so mind your tongue." His words bespoke of bravery he did not feel. Luckily, they made his opponent pause momentarily.
"I'm merely trying to make an honest living here, no harm to anyone else."
"If it is an honest living you're making, then why do you carry that whip?"
"'Tis for the knaves!"
"With a barbed end? This is a war weapon, not horse equipment. One you were willing to use on a child no taller than my hip!" Ahkmenrah's tone dropped to a dangerous baritone as he plowed over the business man's protests. "My father outlawed civilian ownership of weapons barring wartime or proper documentation. Any violation of this law results in a minimum of five months in the dungeons for the perpetrator. So tell me," he stood on his tiptoes in a moderately futile display of intimidation, "Who do you believe will fare worse here, this starving innocent or one who deals in the black market?"
The merchant backed off as if the teen had fleas. "I-I- what I mean is- Black Market?-"
"Do not deny it. Under your belt is the telltale bulge of a knife- a level three classified weapon. And I suspect there is at least one more knife hidden in your boot." The man's guilty glance downwards confirmed this. "We would not wish these observations to spread, would we?"
"N-no my liege."
"Then I advise you to return to your stall and leave us in peace. Or there will be an arrest- only it will not be his," he gestured towards the peasant.
The merchant visibly deflated, though his posture bespoke of hidden rage. "Very well, you have passed judgement, as is your divine right. Though be warned," he pointed at the beggar, "If I catch so much as a sniff of his rags near my merchandise again, not even the king's protection will save him. As for you- beware against whom you wag that silver tongue of yours, your highness. One of these days you might find it snipped off." He smiled at the pair. It was not a nice one. He stormed away before Ahkmenrah could conjure a fitting comeback.
Now that the situation was taken care of, Ahkmenrah acknowledged the trembling figure behind himself. Crouching to the boy's eye level, he asked, "Are you all right?" The kid nodded. "Good. We cannot allow others to bully us like that, can we? Here," he painstakingly counted several gold coins into the child's palm. "This will feed your family for the next month hopefully. And no more stealing, please? I may not be there to save you a second time." Hesitatingly, the boy accepted the bread from him, stuffing it and the gold away into his tunic. "If anyone gives you trouble about the money, tell them you are friends with Prince Ahkmenrah, understand?" The boy's eyes were wider than dinner plates as he nodded, flashing a faint grateful smile before dashing through the closest doorway. Ahkmenrah embraced the warmth spreading from his solar plexus to the rest of his body- he'd done a good deed. He'd handled himself reasonably well in precarious circumstances. There was hope for him yet!
Kahmunrah would be pleased.
As it turned out, he was not.
"If I am to understand correctly, you confronted an angry vendor- with possible ties to illegal weapons dealing- to protect a criminal? By yourself, no less."
Ahkmenrah's confidence faltered under his brother's withering gaze. "Um, yes. If you describe it that way."
"Let me ask this in a way you should comprehend: What in Horus's name is wrong with you?!" Ahk flinched under his brother's tirade, "Chasing after a furious merchant- who was right, by the way, his food had been stolen- into an abandoned ally without a single weapon to defend yourself is nothing to boast of. What if he had been an assassin? What if the boy had been one?"
"He was going to hurt an innocent, Kah! Is that not our job, to protect those who cannot help themselves?"
"So you blundered blindly into a dangerous situation and made yourself vulnerable. Do you expect an award? To Ahkmenrah, Defender of Thieves."
"Stop it."
"Forgive me for not applauding."
"And I suppose you would have done something better?"
"I would have applied common sense! We are not infants anymore, Ahk- people wish us harm, people who covete our power. People who mean us evil." Rolling his eyes, he added, "Now I realize all an assassin needs to do is appear helpless before your eyes and you'll rush to assist him!"
"I- I was saving someone! The boy was no villain, merely starving! And that menace..." He glowered at the memory. "I knew I could fight him if necessary."
"Brave words for one who can barely defend himself!"
Ahkmenrah clamped his mouth shut. He knew no words- he merely turned around and slammed the door shut.
"Wait!"
Ahkmenrah did not turn around when he heard the door bang open and his brother calling for him. "Damn it, I said WAIT Ahk!" A firm hand dropping onto his shoulder spun him around and stopped him in his tracks. "Damn it, Ahk, you know I didn't mean what I just said."
"You have been doing that a lot lately."
"Doing what?"
"Saying things you do not mean."
Kahmunrah growled in response, looking down at his feet in shame. "Well, when you thrust yourself into situations like that, what do you expect?"
Is patience too much to ask for? Yet Ahkmenrah remained silent, for if his brother was apologizing so soon... Well, this was a shocking show of humility. Recalling his display of temper a moment earlier, he blushed bright magenta.
"My point is... Father is already acting peculiarly. Must we add your recklessness into the mix? We cannot afford you to risk your own safety- such behavior is childish. Understand?"
Ahkmenrah nodded.
"What I mean is-"
"That will do, Kahmunrah." Uncle Menet loomed from the top of the stairs. "Give the poor boy some space! From what I overheard, I suspect he endured quite the ordeal, didn't you, Ahk?"
"Yes, Uncle."
"You have both made your positions clear. Besides, I could hear your quarreling from my own chambers! One wouldn't want the commoners to think we cannot control our tempers, correct?" Both princes nodded. "Excellent! Now, if you would occupy yourself for a few moments, Ahkmen, I wish to speak to your brother alone."
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