Yu-Gi-Oh: A Past and Future Pharaoh
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
A/N: Touching up, touching up!
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Royal education was interesting, to say the least.
Set had been proud of how well educated he had been before he arrived in the palace. His mother had spent their evenings teaching him words and numbers. And while it was understandable that not all boys his age were as invested. After all they didn't need a high education when they were going to be farmers or jobs that required physical strength or experience. It was something that Set 'did' enjoy, if he couldn't travel the world and study abroad than this was an acceptable alternate way to fill his nights.
But now he was living in the Palace and as one who was entrusted to look after the Prince, High Priest Shimon had taken Set under his educational wing, so to speak. Allowing Set to stay and learn with Mahaado, things that he never thought he would be graced to be taught.
'Class' was also interesting, because the prince attended these lessons as well, but not to pay attention 'to' the class. Shimon stood at the front of the room, discussing and explaining the laws that governed their land. He covered the Gods and the mandates that they placed down upon them as well and the stories that brought about those mandates. Learning numbers as well was done usually with fruit as an example.
Only occasionally derailed by the Prince wanting something sweet. More than once a mathematical equation that involved increasing amounts became 'de'-creasing amounts. Or when the Prince decided that it was snack time and began stealing as much fruit as he could to supply the students as well as himself. Sure they could have used something 'other' than fruit.
And at first Set assumed it was simply because High Priest Shimon was the Princes' grandfather and enjoyed indulging his grandson. So he merely sat there and ignored the child who would play with his toys or crawl all over Mahaado's lap.
'At first'.
Mahaado had two sets of teachers, High Priest Shimon for all the required learning that children needed, then High Priest Heisheen taught Mahaado magics before Shimon. Set was blessed with only having Shimon and it was rather an informative and highly engaging class. Though after a few days Set came to understand just 'why' the Prince was allowed to attend the classes.
When Shimon used fruits as stand ins for something if the Prince had a toy that worked better, he would swap out a fruit for a toy. One very early lesson that Set was in the middle of was multiplying two figs times eight figs. The prince waddled himself up to the stack of fruit that Shimon had placed down and went to get his toys. Soon the prince had replace the two figs with a duck and placed two toy cows for the eight figs.
It didn't make sense to Set at first, while the prince deposited figs to Mahaado and Set before he began bringing yet more toys and it was Mahaado that gave the hint. "Count the feet."
Set turned to look at his patient fellow student and the hint startled him into doing the math. Realizing the prince was trying to do the math himself with his toys via the feet. Duck with two feet, eight feet with the two cows... Which meant he would have to find four more four legged beasts to bring if he was going to answer the question.
The Prince came back with a bull, camel, lion, and crocodile to put them where the answer would be placed before stuffing a fig into his own mouth. With the math done he began bringing the fruit answer over as well. And Set had to sit there and process that the Prince who had not seen three full summers yet was smart enough to process the numbers that easily.
So now he sat there with the Prince climbing over his lap while making conversations between the toy lion and the toy camel in his hands. While Shimon went on discussing more about language, and the Prince was trying to mimic the lesson to the best of his ability with the toys. Just how the Prince chose to learn and his methods was amazing to Set. Re-enforcing that this child 'was' the son of Gods, for who else but a child of such divine nature be able to learn so fast?
While also being a complete and total pain in the rear, sneaky, mischief loving, clinging to Maha, codependent brat that Set ever would meet in his entire life. Perhaps that was the thing about the Prince, that he encompassed all these myriad ideas and traits right now. So who he would be as he grew up was a riddle that Set enjoyed pondering.
But he also recognized the changes that were taking place in the Palace even if he was new. He recalled how Mahaado was described as 'always' being by the Princes' side. Only now that Set was in the Palace, High Priest Heisheen was making Mahaado take morning classes. Set personally hoped that it turned out that the High Priest was merely not into late night classes and this would treat Mahaado better.
Set wasn't holding his breath, having seen Mahaados' back and the number of scars had made him doubt the man's temper. The small Prince picked up on the change as well and though he didn't throw a temper tantrum he 'did' constantly look around. He also would ask when Maha would come back and Set was starting to feel like a house wife waiting for her husband to come home and OH RA NO!
So to keep said mouthy prince from asking too many questions that only reinforced the wrong idea among the servants of the Palace. If the child wasn't playing with his toys the pair would go for walks around the palace. Though the Prince was too small the walk the whole of the palace on his own, and Set was often forced to carry the child after a bit. It wasn't annoying to do so, the Prince understood the best spot to settle in so he wasn't as much a burden. Save for those times when he wanted to be a burden and Set found the prince wanted less comfortable positions at those times.
But all in all the Prince had some grasp on manners, though he could still be thoughtless many times in a day. Generosity not appreciated fast enough often got the Prince to forget or discard the action. There were times when Set would end up stepping into a newly sliced piece of melon or such because he didn't accept the Princes' offering fast enough. He also knew how to throw his diminutive royal weight around when he could.
And when he could it tended to be about food or playing, though not hide and seek, the Palace to a man was not allowed to play that game with the Prince. Which told Set all he needed to know on how the Prince and Mahaado got out of the palace that one time. So today's adventure walk was to the royal gardens, again. Not that it was a bad place, in fact Set figured out how to make a game out of the experience as well. Picking obscure places the Prince normally didn't go, though was not forbidden from going to, then letting the Prince figure out how to get to the gardens.
Which brought them close to the kitchens which might have proven to be the wrong place to use as a starter spot. The aroma from the meals being prepared were almost criminally alluring, or rather 'was' successfully alluring...
So after a bit of free pigging out, and the Prince now loaded with more treats for when he saw Mahaado again, Set was 'finally' able to get the Prince to begin the trip to the royal gardens.
"You know, Lord Prince... I could carry that bowl of fruit, what with it being unseemly to have the Prince of this land carrying stuff like a servant..." Set offered as they walked along, every single step Set took required many tiny baby steps from the Prince in order to match up.
"Treats for Maha, I give!"
"Ok, well at least let me carry the bowl?" Set suggested looking down at that exotic hairstyle of their future ruler.
"No!"
Set sighed, gave the hall before them and behind them a shifty gaze before he bent down and swiped the bowl out of the prince's hands.
"MMMMIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEEE!" The Prince yowled with the expected volume as Set gave a quiet sigh of resignation.
"Yes, the bowl of fruit is yours Lord Prince. However; you are the 'Prince' you are not to carry things like a mere servant," Set recited as the Prince attempted to make like a monkey and climb up Set to retrieve his bowl of sweet fruit.
It was a show of how used to this the servants and guards had become when no one came rushing to check on the prince. Probably because he screamed 'mine' and not 'help' or 'no', something that had a higher probability of implying danger or a need for assistance. Just as well because Set stood there with this little barely mid three summers old child trying to climb. It was both hilarious and annoying as the boy meant well, but perhaps royalty wasn't something he should have been born 'as'.
Set began slowly swinging his leg out in an exaggerating manner with the Prince latched onto it as Set continued down the hallway. Every step punctuated with a determined, high pitched squeal of 'mine'. "You know if you keep this up I may end up tripping and if I fall so goes this bowl."
"Not my fruit! Maha treat!" The Prince protested in a panic before he leg go of Set's leg. But the prince followed by grabbing Set's robe and giving it a solid pull to stop Set from walking away. "Mine!"
Gods he sounded so whinny. "You could walk beside me, its not like I'm going away with it, just to the Royal Gardens. We can meet up with Maha there and he can enjoy the fruit out in the light of Ra," Set pointed out in a slightly frazzled tone of voice. It made him grateful that he opted to have a snack when he was in the royal kitchen. Something, possibly common sense, warned him that if he tried to snatch up some fruit now the prince would really get angry.
And while an angry prince was tolerable, a tantrum tossing rage induced Prince most certainly was not.
"So what did you do to offend the Prince?!" Another guy about Set's age had stepped into the hallway and caught sight of the pair. His clothes were clean with a slight military feel to them unlike the more flowing kalasiris that Mahaado wore. Or what Set could wear since he had been given more variety in his dress style than Mahaado. For which today had been his kilt while the newcomer also wore a kilt but there was also a dagger hung at his hip
'I am never going to escape this bold child getting me in trouble am I?' Set thought as he shrugged as an answer to the stranger. But how did one go about explain that the Prince was trying to do servants work?
"Asim... My bowl! Mine!" the Prince called out rushing forward halfway down the hall to the new boy. "Set mine! Bad Set no do as I say!"
Set watched the Prince scamper off, holding the bowl in one hand while folding his free left arm across his chest for a moment. That... that little baby... That loud mouth little baby! "I serve the Pharaoh and watch over you because that's what you both want!"
"Why did you take the bowl from him?" 'Asim' asked as the guy walked down the hall and gathered up the prince into his arms.
Which given the fact the Prince knew the guy by name indicated some level of importance. Which was probably the only reason Set bothered explaining his actions to a complete stranger. "He's the Prince, he's not supposed to carry around bowls. Especially when the bowl is for Mahaado, no matter how well intention he may be, he's still the Prince."
"Oh..." Asim commented with a long look down at the Prince at his hip, "You wanted to bring your Maha a tasty treat?"
As Asim began conversing with the Prince Set found himself ready to smack himself in the head as he heard that. It was bad enough that the servants treated the abuse towards the magician in training as normal. But did their peers view Mahaado as an outright pet?
Really?
"But you know your Set is right, you shouldn't carry such things," Asim pointed out calmly giving the prince a little bounce.
'Your Set', the two words made Set want to twitch at how the Prince had everyone wrapped around his stubby baby finger. "I don't recall seeing you around here before."
"Ahh because I am here with my Master, I don't stay in the Palace but near the outer walls as part of my education." Asim answered with a small nod when the Prince began pipping up.
"Minky fwiend! My Gen Gen!"
Asim grinned down at the child and nodded, "that's right Lord Prince! I'm Minkabhs' friend and he's going to be your General!"
That got Set's attention in a heart beat as he took in the teen and his dagger all the more closely. "My father served in the army, until he passed away, if not for the attack on my village I was going to join the army when I came of age."
Asim looked at him with an appraising gaze of his own before nodding slowly, "my Master spoke of you, that you found the Prince in the market place. Just as well that you are here though, the army is a good place for any one wishing to serve. But the Prince can be a handful and Mahaado could always use someone to help look after his royal highness. My name is Asim, if you are going to become a soldier, or if you stay as a personal guard for the Prince, its best we get to know each other!"
"Honestly you could take him with you Asim, I could use a break," Mahaado's voice came from behind Asim.
The Princes' head whipped to the side to check and he dropped as fast as he could to the ground crying out for his Maha.
"Aww no one is as loved as his Maha," Asim joked while the prince got his feet on the ground and took off quickly towards Mahaado. The magician in training knelt down and gathered up the prince while Asim backed up to Set. "Best you give that bowl to Mahaado before the Prince remembers it, unless you like the 'mine' cries..."
"Surely you jest," Set answered quietly in a conspirator tone of voice as he walked past Asim while the prince began flexing his hands as though he 'just' remembered something. "Here Mahaado, the prince got this for you from the kitchens."
"Mine!" The prince crowed and reached for the rapidly approaching bowl as Mahaado walked over to join Set and Asim in the hallway. The Prince got a hold of the bowl first and began pulling out the dates that he had procured due to his cute royal status. "Maha Date, Maha ha date!"
"You are too kind to one such as myself," Mahaado replied with a faint smile.
But now that Set was up close he could see the fatigue in Mahaado, the ghost of it in the corner of his smile and eyes. The Prince shoved a date determinedly at Mahaado's mouth until the guy resigned to accepting the fruit and began munching on it. Once that was done the Prince began dividing up the fruit, he horded one for Maha, but then passed out one each to the other teens. Making Set just quietly, internally, scream that the boy just couldn't do that from the start.
Just 'share' the bounty and make sure some were left for Mahaado! Not make a dogged determined effort to make sure 'no one' touched 'anything' in the bowl until Mahaado got to it first. Unless he was repeating the behavior he saw done to his family, that maybe this was how the Prince was processing his royal status. But getting the prince to explain his state of mind wasn't going to happen for a while given his limited vocabulary. That and hopefully by the time he had enough words to enunciate himself properly his charitable mannerisms would essentially calm down to a proper royal, regal deposition.
"Roya Garins!" The prince chirped out cheerfully.
But Set caught sight of Mahaado's barely there sigh, the guy was exhausted and concerned that maybe his Master got too rough again, Set took the bowl back from the prince. He fairly shoved it into Asim's hands as he reached out for the prince to be carried by Set instead. The prince frowned and clung tighter to Mahaado until Set lowered his head so they were on eye level.
Disgruntled the Prince did as silently told, stuffing the last date he had in his hand into his mouth and stuck his arms out to Set. Allowing Set to gather him up and take the weight off the Magician in training. While Asim silently observed and thankfully tolerated suddenly being shoved a bowl. But he would have to have a good heart in his chest if he was smart enough to serve as a student to the General. Anything less would lead Egypt into ruin if outsiders attempted to invade once again.