Chapter 31

TW: mentions of Ahk's death and stabbing and blood when it gets to the italicized part. Basically some of my headcanons and inspiration from others stories is how I came to that detail.

After the initial shock wore off, everything with Ahk seemed to fit in place. Like the last piece of a puzzle. And needless to say Beth, and the others were thrilled at the news.

Like the cliches in movies, their first official date was a movie date. They were going to be watching one of Avery's favorite childhood movies, The Lion King. It was fairly easy to set up. The Ocean's exhibit had become their main hangout spot so they found a nice quiet corner where Avery could set up her laptop and charger. She even brought a large blanket from her dorm and a few pillows, no offense to the bulky moving blankets but they were a little too scratchy for her taste. And the security office cushions were old and worn. She wanted comfort. She wanted this date to be as perfect as it could be.

Ahk had never seen a movie before so he was rather excited to experience it. Avery had to admit to him that his enthusiasm was that of a puppy; it was adorable to her. That made him blush madly.

Avery had explained the basic plot of the movie to him beforehand so he wouldn't be too confused. Soon they were set up on their blankets and pillows and the movie had started. Ahk found it charming to see the lion cub Simba being portrayed as a curious and mischievous little kid. He had to admit that the song he sang about wanting to be king was kind of catchy. Avery was singing beside him, and smiled proudly when she caught him watching her.

However when they got to the scene of Scar's betrayal, Ahk started to feel a sinking feeling in his chest. His heart started beating faster, his chest tightened, his palms sweaty. He couldn't think straight, his mind spiraling.

He hastily excused himself from the room. Leaving Avery to wonder what just happened. One second they were watching the movie and the next he had run out of the room. It immediately concerned her. She paused the movie and darted out the door to look for him. She found him by a water fountain, splashing cold water over his face. He tried to maintain some semblance of composure when he heard her approach.

"I apologize for leaving abruptly, Avery. Some old memories resurfaced that I had long forgotten and wished them to remain buried. Memories of my death."

"That must be hard. I understand though. And we don't have to finish watching the movie if you don't want to."

"No, I made a commitment to it and to you and I will see it through."

"Just a little spoiler, Scar does get his butt kicked in the end, so you have that to look forward to. And I'll be right by your side the whole time. If anything comes up, just squeeze my hand."

Watching the rest of the movie still made Ahk slightly uneasy. His body was tense and there was still a tightness in his chest that tried as he might, couldn't shake. He clung to Avery's hand like a lifeline, squeezing it as tightly as he could without hurting her. Scar's lying and manipulation reminded him so much of his brother. But just as Avery had said, Scar did ultimately lose in the end. It was over and it had a happy ending, so why did he still feel this anxiety? Avery stopped the movie on her laptop and looked up at Ahk. He released her hand at last. Her brows furrowed as she watched him clench and unclench his fists, his breathing was slightly erratic.

"Ahk? Are you alright?" She asked tentatively.

"I…I do not know. I feel like my body is on edge, preparing for some threat."

"That's just your fight or flight response. It's okay, just take some deep breaths with me to regulate your breathing." She made it a point to do the exercise with him.

"You don't have to talk about it or anything, if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No, you were candid in sharing your past with me that I can do no less."

"Back when I was alive, I had an older brother. His name was Kahmunrah. Growing up we were thick as thieves as they say. He was destined from birth to rule over the kingdom one day. He carried that honor close to his chest. He was very proud of it. My station was to be his advisor. As we grew older, he grew more arrogant and brazen. His interests began to shift. He became greedy and self absorbed. One day, Kah was supposed to be in charge of overseeing some matters concerning our people. He only listened to the side of the story that benefited him the most. He thought himself better than our people and he put his own needs before others. His punishments were cruel. He condemned innocent lives and their families.

"I had told Kah that these punishments were unjust and that the wrong party was held guilty. I tried to reason with him, I tried to appeal to his sympathetic side but my pleas fell upon deaf ears. Behind his back, I tried to undo the wrong he had sown. I visited the families that were affected by his rulings in order to make peace. They were grateful for the small support I offered. Needless to say when he found out, he was less than thrilled. He was furious that I went behind his authority. I was feeling a sudden surge of courage and duty to our people that I finally stood up to him. I told him that he would be a terrible Pharaoh if all he ever thought of was himself. It was our duty to govern over our people justly. I told him he was acting like a tyrant. He was shocked I said anything like that to him. I had always been the reserved one. But I could not stand idly by and let our people suffer.

"One day we were called into the throne room. Our father told us that he thought he had made a grave mistake in choosing his heir. No longer would Egypt fall to my brother, it would fall to me. I was stunned. He confessed that he had been watching us and was appalled at my brother's behavior and actions. The day that Kah was in charge was a test of character which he failed. Father said he was severely disappointed in him, calling him a disgrace to our family name should he have led the kingdom. Kah was understandably livid but he knew better than to say anything against our father. But he didn't hold back when it was just he and I.

"I bet you think you're so clever, that this was your plan all along. But need I remind you that that throne and title belong solely to me! Watch your back baby brother. You never know what might lurk in the darkness."

"Our father fell ill not soon after and passed away. I had to step up to take his role. Kah would be my advisor. For a while things seemed to go alright. Surprisingly he had stepped up to the role with little complaint. Over the course of a few months, I had begun to feel sick. I was constantly tired and dragging my feet wherever I went. Court physicians could not find what was wrong with me. Still, I continued on with my duties. On the outside, I tried to maintain all the dignity that comes from being a Pharaoh. I forced myself to be present during meetings with our people. But on the inside, I felt like I was dying. My head was swimming with terrible headaches. It was an awful experience. It had gone on for close to a year when suddenly I was alone in my bedchamber.

Ahk could not sleep, and yet he was terribly exhausted. His lungs were screaming with each breath. Coughing fits exasperated his condition. He coughed into his bedsheets and was alarmed when they came back with dark red splotches. This was a new symptom. Shakily he managed to get out of bed and stagger over to a table where a pitcher of water was waiting. Eagerly he drank straight from it, not caring when droplets of water splashed to the floor. In his extreme thirst, he hadn't noticed that someone was waiting inside the door frame. He jumped when he heard someone clear their throat.

"I warned you baby brother. Terrible things lurk in the darkness. If you aren't careful they will strike."

"Kah? What are you doing here?" A sinking feeling began to arise in his mind.

His brother walked further into the room and made his way to the open window. He pulled out something from his side. It was a dagger that glinted against the full moon's rays. He started to play around with it, running his thumb against the sharp side. Ahk stared in horror.

"I've let your reign go on long enough. Each day I plotted my revenge against you. But how was I to do that, hmm? Getting father out of the way was the easy part, his body was already weak with age. Getting him to drink poisoned wine was the quickest and most dignified way he could have died. But you? No, I wanted to make you suffer."

"I tried to fight back but I was severely weakened and barely had enough strength to defend myself."

"What's the matter baby brother? Feeling weak? Yes well, that's what another special blend of poison will get you. Handcrafted by an alchemist who owed me a favor. I had to give it to you in small doses to avoid suspicion."

"How could you do this? I'm your brother, your kin!" Try as he might, he couldn't stop a coughing fit from coming out of his mouth. Kahmunrah waited for him to finish before speaking, all the while circling the dying Pharaoh.

"Frankly you stopped being my brother the second you stole the throne from me! You had no right to it! I was the first born heir, it belonged to me!"

"Until father caught a glimpse of what kind of ruler you would be! A tyrant! You care for nothing but yourself-" He came up short as he was backhanded across his cheek.

"Enough! No one, not even the favorite son, will stand in my way! Nothing will stop the reign of Kahmunrah!" He slashed his dagger down with the deadly precision of a fierce warrior.

Ahk cried out in pain as the dagger punctured his skin again and again. He was helpless. His body was weak from the poison so he could not fight back. Finally after a few minutes, Kahmunrah had stopped. He was covered in his brother's blood and was breathing heavily. Ahk started wheezing as he felt the life start to leave his body. The last thing he remembered before dying was his brother wiping his dagger on his tunic.

After hearing all this, Avery immediately hugged Ahk. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She clung to him tighter and did not wish to let go. Sure her own backstory was riddled with pain and suffering. But none of that compared to being poisoned and killed maliciously by your own brother.

"I'm sorry Ahk! You didn't deserve that!" She cried into his shoulder. He just hugged her back, grateful for her support. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders by finally confessing. He had thousands of years to come to terms with what transpired. He had somewhat healed from it in his own way. But sharing the horrific details with Avery helped him tremendously. After a while she quieted down and released her hold on him.

"I…That's awful Ahk. I can't imagine what you've been through even before you were locked away."

"Thank you Avery. Having your support now means the world to me. I feel better to finally have shared that part of my life with someone."

"Well, I hope I never meet him." Avery said lightly, hoping to break the tension. It took Ahk a second to realize that she meant it as a joke and let out a sigh of relief.

"Ha, yes. I thank the gods you will never have to meet him."

AN: haha foreshadowing the second movie! I love it