Apep and the Sacred Scrolls of Duat
Chapter 12: Arrival of an Enemy
Alone in his rooms, the Pharaoh was sitting hunched over an ornate desk, in an equally ornate chair covered with gold leaf and carved with beautiful wings on the back. It was just after midday, lunch had just been served in the grandest of styles, of course and the king had retreated to his rooms. There was a soothing, warm breeze ruffling the hanging fabrics by the open balcony.
The rooms of the king were in fact, many and varied. One basically functioned as a private living room filled with plush cushions and hanging fabrics. Another, housed his vast array of clothes, gold jewels and weapons. The main one though, was a vast open space which had his large bed by the open balcony and a desk at the far end.
The desk itself was littered with scrolls and torn pieces of papyrus. And the King was fast sleep on it, slouched over in his chair with his arms resting on the surface of the desk and his head resting on them.
It wasn't that he'd found the proposed changes to the tax laws uninteresting exactly, it was simply that he'd felt so tired he hadn't been able to stay awake.
He was so deeply asleep, when his friends entered the room and quite noisily called for him, he didn't wake up even then.
"Hey, Pharaoh," Yugi said, happily as they walked through into the large, open room.
When he heard no answer; they walked through and saw him asleep at his desk.
"Guy's sleepin' like a baby," Tristan remarked.
"We should probably let him sleep," Yugi said. "He kinda looked tired earlier," he added.
"Fine, but then there'll be no cake left for him," Joey said, picking at the cake he carried.
It was more than large enough to feed several people and was laid out on a plate made of pottery. Baked with honey and dates it was slightly heavier than modern cakes but it was disappearing fast.
"You already ate some, Joey, you should leave some for him," Serenity said.
Joey gave a dramatic sigh but he relented. "Yeah, you're right…" he grumbled.
Eventually, their talking woke Atemu and he blinked his tired eyes open.
"Hey, you're awake," Yugi said, leaning over the chair.
Atemu slowly raised his head from the desk only to realise that there was a sheet of papyrus stuck to his cheek. He peeled it off with a grimace, not noticing the quiet chucking from his friends as he did so.
"Yugi?" he furrowed his brow. "When did you…"
"You were…err…asleep," Yugi told him.
"Oh," he pursed his lip.
"So…what's that say?" Yugi asked, looking at the papers on the desk.
"Tax laws," he replied.
"No wonder you were asleep," Tristan scoffed.
"Yeah, taxes'll do that," Duke agreed.
"No kidding," Teà agreed.
"We bought you some cake," Serenity said.
"Cake?" Atemu repeated, still half asleep.
"Mmm," she nodded, happily. "Everyone in the erm…the kitchens said they bake cake every few days."
"You should've seen Joey's face when they said 'cake'," Yugi smirked.
"Well, I didn't know you guys had cake!" Joey said, defensively.
"Yes, of course we do," Atemu furrowed his brow and rubbed at his tired eyes.
"Ancient Egypt actually had the worlds' first large scale bakeries and they had a number of sweet treats," Solomon remarked.
"Man, I love Egypt," Joey said, helping himself to more cake.
"Here here," Tristan and Duke said simultaneously as they too, helped themselves to the cake.
"Maybe you guys should leave some for the Pharaoh," Yugi said.
"And the rest of us," Rebecca added.
"I'm not hungry," the pharaoh gave a sardonic smile on seeing Joey's longing gaze as he stared at the cake.
"Nah, they're right," the blonde sighed and put the plate down onto the desk.
"You're sure?" Atemu asked.
"Yeah, go for it," he said.
The king shrugged and picked up a small piece of the cake with his fingers and ate it.
"They'll make more, right?" Joey then asked, quickly.
"Oh, brother," Teà scoffed.
"Of course they will," Atemu answered him, trying and failing to hide his smirk.
"You've been reading all this for a while, huh?" Yugi asked, looking again at the sheer amount of papyrus scrolls and notes that Atemu had written himself in hieratic.
"You could say that," the king winced and rolled his shoulder a little. It was slightly stiff from the oddly slouched position he'd been sitting in.
"Maybe you could use a break," Yugi suggested. "Just a little one," he said.
"I still have to…" the king began and then trailed off with a sigh. "Alright," Atemu agreed with a smile.
Some time later, they were strolling slowly beneath a long row of pillars overlooking a courtyard full of lush green plants and a small pool of water.
While the others walked on ahead, Atemu held back and alleles his pace to match Mai's who was trailing behind the rest of their group.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
"Fine," she said quickly and he sighed
"I'm sorry, Mai," he said.
"What for?"
"You've had a more difficult time of things than you'd care to admit because of ancient magic. The last thing I wanted was for it to impact your life again. You deserve better," he replied.
"Are you worried I'll start working for the bad guys again?" Mai asked, sounding a little bitter.
"You turned to the Oricalchos because of the same reason I did; you were afraid. Anyone would have been afraid if they'd faced the possibility of an eternity alone in the shadow realm. But this isn't the world of shadows and you are not alone. I won't allow any harm to come to you or the others and I will do all I can to ensure that you return home safely," he assured her.
"Well," Mai began with a sigh. "I don't exactly have much of a home to get back to," she admitted.
"Why's that?"
"I just don't," she said, sounding defensive.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Atemu replied, choosing not to press the issue. "Have you been happy since I saw you last?" he asked after a moment.
"I've been working."
"That's not what I asked," he said, kindly.
"Well, that's how I've been. Working," she said.
"In Las Vegas?"
"In Vegas," she repeated with a nod.
"I see," Atemu hummed. "Will you miss it? Until you return?"
"Compared to living in a palace?" she scoffed. "Please. I'd rather have running water and electricity, but a palace is better than Vegas any day," she said.
For a minute or so they continued to walk in silence, until Atemu turned to her again with a remorseful expression.
"You didn't talk to them once, did you?" he asked. "Not even Serenity. She admires you, you know, and Joey…"
"No, I didn't, okay," Mai sighed. "And Serenity really should find a better role model," she added. "She's a good kid, really good."
"They must've missed you."
"Hey, Mai!" Serenity called over to her, waving happily. "Come look at this," she said.
"They don't bite, I assure you," Atemu whispered to her, dryly. "And they're not out to harm you. They wouldn't dream of it," he added, much more seriously. "I was alone for thousands of years, Mai, trapped inside the millennium puzzle until Yugi's grandfather found it in your time. I know how you must have felt. How you still feel. But what is it going to take for you to realise that you are no longer alone? There are people who care about you, all you need to do is let them," he said.
With a sigh, Mai pursed her lip but said nothing.
"Go," he urged her, "They're waiting for you."
After a moments' hesitation, Mai walked on ahead and over to where Serenity and the others were standing.
Certainly, by the standards of history, and even in the modern world, the ancient Egyptians were incredibly hygienic. Being as the desert was a sweltering place with little respite, even the poorest people tended to bathe up to three times a day in the river. Since the afterlife was a plentiful place there was a seemingly never ending supply of sweet smelling oils and soaps and incense all throughout the city, the palace included. Bathrooms, however tended to be reserved for the extremely rich and since Kings were the richest of the rich, the great palace had many rooms dedicated to bathing.
The grandest of them all was a chamber with no roof. The pillars that lined it were over two stories high and brilliantly carved and painted. It was draped with fine silks and exquisite tapestries were hung on the walls. There were cushions and fine fabrics covering the smooth, stone floor and a large rectangular, tiled pit was dug at the centre with polished stone steps leading down into the water which filled it. Flowers were floating in the water and all manner of oils made it smell infinitely better than any perfume.
Unfortunately for the King, such frequent baths and the fact that he couldn't be without a guard, meant that even in his hygiene habits, he was never alone. The Pharaoh was stood waist deep in the water, his multiple gold adornments, his clothes and his shoes had been laid out on a cushioned table near a golden chair over which a silken robe was draped. His guardians, Seto, Isis, Aknadin, Shada, Karim and Mahad as well as Shimon were stood, or sat close to him while several royal guards were stationed around the room.
"So, this theory of yours…" Atemu began.
"Yes," Mahad said. "It explains your recent
headaches and lethargy."
"I haven't been sleeping, surely that is the cause. I fail to see how the two matters are connected."
"I believed so too, until I investigated the matter further. I wanted to be certain before I brought it to your attention."
"And you are certain now?" Atemu asked.
"I am. I can only apologise for not seeing the truth sooner. My power has been slow to return since the attack in the dessert and…"
"Mahad, speak your mind," the king scolded him gently with a smile.
Mahad nodded. "It is our belief…Aknadin and I…and I have discussed this with Seto also…"
"The two of you agree?" Atemu stared at them with a raised eyebrow. "It must be serious," he couldn't help but say.
"It is our belief," Seto said with a put upon sounding sigh. "That the serpent was drawn to them by your majesties own power. And it is that same power which allows them to survive here," he said.
"What?" the King frowned.
"My king..." Mahad began, but stopped then they heard the guards announce the prescience of people that wished to speak to the king.
"Who is it?" the King demanded, "Whatever it is, surely it can wait."
"Hey, Pharaoh!" Joey's cheerful voice rang out as his friends entered the room. "Man this place smells good...smells like...what is that?" he asked sniffing loudly.
"Smells like flowers," Serenity said.
"Yes, there are roses, the lotus and jasmine," Isis answered for them.
"So...this is...what, a greenhouse?" Tristan asked as the as they lifted up the drapery hanging from the pillars.
"I do not know what that is, but this is a bathing room," Seto sighed.
"Say what?" Joey frowned and then blushed and he spun back around, quickly covering his eyes.
Much the the surprise of the Egyptians, Yugi and Tristan did the same. Serenity, Rebecca and Teà blinked in shock and then coughed nervously and moved to stand in the shadows of a large pillar, obscuring their view. Duke, not wanting to ruin his suave image, as he never did, crossed his arms and pointedly stared at a fine tapestry on the wall across from him.
The fact that the water was filled with flowers and had been fragranced so much that it was practically opaque, didn't seem to register to them.
Mai, on the other hand smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Hello," she said.
"Oh boy!" Joey exclaimed. "Dude...you're naked!" he cried.
"Yes," the king stated, blinking.
"I guess privacy hasn't been invented yet," Duke said.
"Why would it matter?" Mai asked, "From where I'm standing, he's got nothing to be ashamed of."
"Serenity, turn around...you're not lookin' right, sis?" Joey asked, still with his hand over his eyes. "Has she got her eyes closed or not?!" he yelled, frantically reaching out with one hand to try and find her.
"Well...kinda," Duke answered him, smirking.
"Why ya still lookin', dice boy?!"
"I'm not...but Mai is," he replied.
"Say what?!"
"Why did the guards allow you in here?" Seto asked, almost rolling his eyes.
"Us?! What about you?! Why're you in here?" Joey asked.
"The royal court does not simply stop when the king bathes," he declared.
"No indeed," the King sighed. "It barely stops even when I sleep," he added, giving a good natured smile to his cousin.
"This is just too weird," Yugi muttered.
"Yugi, we shared a mind for years," Atemu reminded him, "Privacy was a little hard to come by in those circumstances."
"Err...yeah...but you...I mean you were...you were never...argh, it's not the same..." he stammered back, but the King just chuckled.
"I forget how different your time is. Here I have no privacy at all, ever. Even remembering how life is in your era...I was raised like this, it's difficult to forget now. I apologise," he said, standing up in the water, making it splash around the tiled, stone pit.
"Whoa, whoa, wait, what's he doin'? What's that noise?" Joey demanded uneasily.
Seto handed the King the soft, silken robe which he tied around his cousin's waist and then the king sat on the golden chair. "Alright, you can turn around now," he stated.
"Hehehe," Yugi rubbed the back of his neck nervously as they did.
Serenity, Teà and Rebecca emerged from behind the pillar, still blushing somewhat, but saying nothing.
Mahad held out a towel, managing to even do that with reverence, which the king used to dry his hands, his neck and his face. Then, he retrieved the crown which he placed gently atop the King's head. He and Seto then methodically put on the King's earrings, the gold band around his neck, the gold armbands and the ones on his calves as well, along with his many jewelled rings.
"May we continue now, my King?" Seto asked when he and Mahad had finished.
"A moment, Seto," he replied, turning to Yugi and the others. "I don't mean to dismiss you, Yugi, any of you," the King said. "But is this important?" he asked.
"With your permission, sire, I believe they should stay, after all this concerns them," Seto said, surprising the teenagers and the King.
"Very well," the King said. "I have no objections. Make yourselves comfortable," he said to them, gesturing to the chairs and cushions.
"I'll make myself comfortable with my clothes on, thanks," Joel grumbled as he piled up some soft cushions and the King smiled.
"Suit yourself," the Pharaoh smiled at the uneasy teenager and then turned to Seto a little more seriously. "Continue, Seto," he said.
The royal guardian nodded and spoke again. "As I said, I believe that it is your power that is sustaining them, and with each addition," he said, glancing at Mai, the professor and professor Hawkins who had been brought here only recently. "The toll it takes will increase," he said.
"Then why did I sense nothing when Yugi and the others arrived in the first place?" the King asked. "Then there were seven of them at once, the last time there was only three," he said.
"It has been some considerable time since they arrived here, the physical toll it takes on your magic has been building from the beginning and to sustain so many souls is no easy task. I fear that the Serpent knew this would happen," Mahad sighed.
"It certainly seems a credible explanation to be sure," Shimon remarked.
"I assumed it was my own fault," the king shrugged. "There has been little time for rest just lately," he said and everyone in the room exchanged an exasperated yet understanding stare.
"Hold on," Yugi exclaimed, staring at the Pharaoh with concerned eyes. "You're saying it's our fault?" he asked.
"No," his friend replied, quickly. "It is the fault of the being that brought you here," he explained.
"It stands to reason that here in the land of the dead, where the living have no place, then something would be necessary to sustain them otherwise they would simply fade away. Being as you are the sovereign ruler and representative of the Gods, then any living being would need to look to you for its survival," Seto said.
"I have no conscious knowledge of sustaining their presence here," the king replied. "However...it is the only explanation we have thus far and it does make sense. The dead and the living...cannot coexist," he whispered sadly.
"At least not for long," Isis said.
"You must return to your world so that the King may survive to save ours," Seto said to Yugi.
"Oh yeah sure, no problem. This was a great visit, I'll definitely choose the land o' the dead for my next vacation. Let's go home, guys," Joey said, sarcastically. "Oh wait...we can't!" he yelled.
"I am making no conscious effort to maintain their presence here, but even if I was I would not change it," the king announced. "How long do you estimate that I alone can keep alive so many souls?" he asked Seto and Mahad.
"It is impossible to say, my King," Mahad replied. "If this is the enemies' plan, then as they have already done so, they may bring forth other souls with whom you are familiar in an attempt to weaken your power."
"Why people that I know? Would it not be easier and simpler to bring many souls at once from one place and weaken me instantly regardless of whether I am familiar with them or not?"
"Your magic has protected these souls before?" Mahad asked him and the King nodded. "Then I believe that is the link. All magic leaves traces my King and they clearly carry those traces. It is not searching for them specifically but for your power wherever it is. Unless..." He trailed off when the King visibly paled and sat upright stiffly.
"No...that's not it at all," the king shuddered. "There would be no traces after so much time has passed however...my magic is protecting them still. It's not finding traces, Mahad, it's finding my power itself and using it against me."
"If I might enquire, my king," Shimon sighed. "I fear that I know the answer, but how can you be protecting these living souls from here?"
"If you know the answer, then why ask?" the King scoffed, "It's simple, Shimon. I broke the rules."
"I'm lost," Joey muttered, "So...who's magic voodoo's doin' what now?"
"What rules did you break?" Yugi asked.
"The most important ones," the King admitted. "The dead cannot interfere with the living. Any being that breaks those rules here risks eternity in the shadows."
"And...you said you'd...watched over us," Yugi remembered.
"Yes. I wanted to make sure that you were all protected," the King explained. "After everything that happened to you because of me, I owed you all that much. Had anything happened to any of you I'd never have forgiven myself. So, almost since the moment I left you, you have been protected."
"What d'you mean 'protected'?" Yugi asked him.
"From all of the dangers that I brought into your lives," the King answered, "From Shadow Magic, ancient spirits and evil souls. I concealed you from anything that would wish you harm. Nothing like this has happened to you since I left, correct?"
"Apart from this, no."
"Then it worked...but it also failed. It's the reason you're here now; trapped with no way out of this place and for that, I am truly sorry," the king said, lowering his head.
"So, we've been...goin' to school...goin' to college...goin' to work...with some old magical protection from like the greatest king ever?" Joey blinked.
"Essentially yes," Shimon sighed.
"You shouldn't have risked..." Yugi began, slowly.
"The only regret I have, is that my interference has once again brought danger to you all," the King told them. He then turned to Mahad again, "I don't suppose the solution is as simple as removing the magical protection from them, is it?" he asked.
"I cannot say, my King, but it seems unlikely now that they are here. That protection may be all that is keeping them alive, if we remove it, it could very likely mean their deaths," he replied.
"Nya! That's not good," Joey exclaimed.
"However, it could also mean that your majesty would regain your full powers and thus, be much more able to defend the kingdom," Seto countered.
"Shut it, Kaiba," Joey and Tristan glared at the man.
"That is not an option," the king replied.
"I'm afraid, at present, I have no other to offer your majesty," Seto said.
"No," he sighed. "Though, I suppose, at least now we have a plausible answer."
"What would you suggest?" Karim asked, looking to Mahad and Seto. "Surely we cannot simply allow such an increasing number of souls to enter our world.
"Perhaps removing any further magical protection from any living souls not currently present in our world would prevent the serpent from attempting anything further," Mahad said after a moment.
"Perhaps," Atemu hummed, thoughtfully.
Before he could say anything further, a guard ran into the room, bowed and gave a neatly wrapped scroll of papyrus to Seto, then he left.
"What is it?" Atemu asked.
"Reports from the soldiers posted along the Nile," Seto said as he read the document. "Pharaoh, it is King Teresh of the Sea People. His ships travel the Nile and are approaching the city. They will arrive in a matter of hours. I'm told that the serpents follow them on land but do not enter the water."
"They do not? At all?" the Pharaoh asked, stunned, "How could that be?"
"Perhaps they cannot," Shimon suggested. "The Nile is sacred and they are creatures of darkness," he said.
"If that is so, then perhaps we may have found their weakness," Atemu pondered aloud.
"Their ships are fast, the fastest on water. Perhaps the serpents simply cannot catch them," Seto said.
"I suppose we shall soon discover the answer in either case," Atemu said.
"And regardless of the answer, they are leading an army of serpents right to our doorstep," Shimon said, shaking his head.
"Quite so," Atemu sighed. "We must be ready for them. You say we have several hours?"
"It would appear so, however I would advise not taking that for granted," Seto replied.
"Recall anyone who is outside of the city walls as quickly as possible and seal the gates behind them," the king said.
"I shall inform the soldiers to do so and send Spiria with them," Isis said, waiting for the king to nod in affirmation before she left.
"Pharaoh, it would be best to offer our guests a royal welcome," Shimon suggested.
"Yes, it probably would," he agreed.
"We shall see to it at once," the vizier said and left, taking Seto and the others with him.
"So…who are these Sea people?" Teà asked.
"Well, as their name suggests, they are a seafaring people," Atemu replied. "They've been an enemy of Egypt for generations, however my father negotiated a truce before my birth. Our relationship is…rather strained, to say the least. Many in my country remember the wars we fought against them after they attempted to invade us. I'm told it was not an easy negotiation for my father's court and I'd rather not be the one to undo his hard work. But I cannot say that I am easy in my mind about it. King Taresh personally invaded my country and killed my people and in return, my people killed his. In all honesty, I cannot see this ending well," he said, uneasily.
"So…this is gonna be great," Joey drawled.
"Indeed," Atemu smiled, almost sadly.
Pacing in his room, Atemu was fully dressed in a gold, armoured chest piece with two feathered wings engraved across the upper torso and it was layered down the sides with lapis lazuli, there was also a large shoulder collar with more jewels as well. Atop all of this there was a flowing silken robe of pure white with golden hieroglyphs sewn into it and it had long, flowing sleeves. And laying on his desk was the royal crook and flail of blue and gold.
"You're nervous, aren't you?" Yugi asked.
"No," Atemu replied quickly.
Yugi gave him a look of pure disbelief and the king rolled his eyes.
"Perhaps," he corrected himself. But still, Yugi and the others stared at him.
"So, that's a 'yes,' then," Yugi said.
"I cannot afford to show it," Atemu said.
"That's not a 'no," Yugi remarked, petulantly.
"Don't think they'll notice," Joey shrugged. "Y'look like a walkin' gold statue. Y'know, all that gold would'a paid for Serenity's operation like a million times over. She could'a had superman's eyes for all that."
"I don't think that's possible, Joey," Serenity said.
"So…what's with the sticks?" Tristan asked, picking the the crook and flail off the desk.
"I'd…put those down, young man before anyone sees you," Solomon said, sounding suddenly very nervous.
"They're symbols of royalty," Yugi answered. "Right, grandpa?" he asked and the old man nodded.
"So all the gold wasn't enough?" Duke scoffed.
"In Egyptian mythology they represent the all powerful God Osiris making the king who welds them, a living God," Mr, Motou said and beside him, the equally stunned professor Hawkins nodded.
"...Cool," Joey blinked at the regal image of their friend.
"So, I'll say again, you really should put those down," Solomon said again to Tristan.
"Errr…right…sorry," Tristan muttered and placed them back onto the desk as though his life depended on it.
"It really is quite remarkable to see these things outside of a museum like this," Professor Hawkins said, staring at the golden chest plate the king wore.
"I'll assume you mean the armour, not me," the king remarked, dryly.
"It's truly a work of art," Solomon added, not at all hearing Atemu's dry remark.
"Let's hope they mean the armour," Duke snorted.
"Staring really is doing wonders for my nerves," the king said, dryly.
"Apologies," the professor flushed.
"What's the worst that could happen, I'm sure it'll all be fine," Serenity tried to reassure the king.
"I wish I shared your optimism," Atemu sighed. "If anything should go wrong, or their king deems it to have gone wrong, it could start a war. Even without all of our current problems, I've no wish to do so."
"They could start a war regardless of what you do," Solomon said. "The Sea People and Egypt's history is a long and bitter one," he said.
"You sound like Shimon," Atemu remarked, fondly.
"I'm flattered. He strikes me as a rather clever fellow. Handsome too," Solomon drawled and stoked his beard.
"Uh huh," Yugi rolled his eyes.
"Pharaoh," Seto appeared through the door and gave a respectful bow. "The throne room is prepared," he said.
"Alright," the king said.
"The serpents appear to have been dealt with by King Taresh's sorcerers and have not followed them through our gates."
"At least we have some good news, thank you," Atemu said and Seto left. "You should go. We'll need to be there before before they arrive," Atemu told his friends.
"Aren't you coming?" Yugi asked.
"In a moment," he assured them with a smile.
They left slowly but Teà and a Yugi both chanced to look back and saw him rest both hands on his desk and lean over it with a sigh.
Yugi gave Teà a pointed look and turned from her to the Pharaoh with a subtle tilt of his head. Then he smiled and left.
She took slow, uneasy steps back onto the room and stood not far away from him. He must've known that she was there but he didn't look up or speak.
"Are…you okay?" she asked. "Sorry, stupid question, I know," she added, quickly.
"I'm tired," he admitted. "I'm concerned that Seto and Mahad are right; that I'm only going to get weaker. And now I'm inviting an enemy into the palace whilst we still have another at our gates and there is nothing I can do about either of them. If I turn the Sea Peoples away, I'll definitely start a war but if I let them stay here, I've no doubt that the anger of my people will make itself known and a war will start anyway."
Not knowing what to say, Teà pursed her lip and frowned.
"Well…it probably doesn't help, but you're not remembered for being someone who starts wars. We erm…went to the museum and, anyway, you're not, so…Maybe Serenity's right. Maybe it won't be that bad," she said, sounding hopeful.
"…Maybe," he muttered. "But either way, this is not a situation I wanted to be in. And it's not ideal for you and the others," he added after a moment and he finally looked up from his desk but he was still leaning heavily on it with one hand.
"It's not 'ideal' for you, either," she retorted and he smirked a little.
"No, that's true."
"So…I guess, don't start a war and everything'll be fine," Teà said, sarcastically.
"Just like that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Just like that," she repeated with a nod. "Can't be any more difficult than anything else we've had to do, can it?"
"I suppose we shall see," he said.
He raised his hand from the desk to stand under his own power and he stood uneasily for a second before he righted himself. Teà rushed forwards and put a hand on his shoulder to steady him and looked at him, conferenced.
"Whoa, hey are you okay?" she exclaimed, watching as the indifferent mask she and the others knew so well took over.
"I'll be alright," he assured her. "And even if not, I cannot show otherwise, especially now. It may sound to you like an outdated cliché, but if my enemies sense weakness they will not hesitate to take advantage. I'm already at a disadvantage from becoming a king at a fairly young age after my fathers' death, I don't need to give them any more reasons to strike. You understand?"
"I guess so, but I don't have to like it," she replied, quietly.
"Neither do I," Atemu said. His hand came to rest over her much paler one, which was still on his shoulder.
"And it kinda does sound like a cliché," she remarked, only now noticing how close they were standing to each other.
"I know. However, that doesn't make it any less true," Atemu said.
"So…being king isn't all it's cracked up to be, is it?" she asked, sympathetically.
"No," he gave her a rueful smile.
She smiled back and gently tightened her fingers over the back of his bejewelled hand.
"You erm…should probably go then," she said, taking a breath and then stepping back a little. "You can't be late if you're the king, right?"
"No, I probably shouldn't be," he agreed. "That alone could start a war," he added.
"And we already agreed not to do that. So…let's go," Teà said.
"I thought I gave the orders," he mocked.
"What? Even to us?" Teà said, in an equally mocking tone of voice.
"No, never to you," he said, the humour had gone from his voice and he sounded so genuine. For a matter of seconds, although it felt like much longer, his eyes never left hers. But then, without warning, he turned away and his amethyst eyes alighted on the crook and flail laid on his desk. He pursed his lip and picked them up with a sigh. "We should go," Atemu said, sounding melancholy all of a sudden.
With his left hand, he reached out and took her hand. "Wish me luck?" he said, looking at her again whilst his thumb gently stroked over the back of her hand.
"You won't need it," she replied. It was hardly the most intimate of moments, it was only holding hands, but it was more than Teà had ever though possible and probably more than she should've done given the fact that they'd been born three thousand years apart and were still in quite a lot of danger.
"Say it anyway," he said, asking rather than demanding.
It should have struck her as odd that someone who gave orders with such confidence and could so easily command the attention of a crowded room, could possibly sound so unsure as he was at that moment. But it didn't. Because she and her friends had known Atemu before they'd known him as a powerful Pharaoh. To them, he was just another one of their friends…who also happened to be a powerful Pharaoh.
"Good luck," Teà smiled at him. Acting really without thinking, she reached up with her free hand and smoothed out the white, silken fabric over his shoulder. Only a second after reloading what she'd done, she flushed despite her best efforts not to and stopped. "Sorry…" she muttered. "Go knock 'em dead…err…I mean…" she stammered and blushed even more after realising what she'd said and, given that they were in the land of the dead, it really was quite embarrassing.
Worrying that she'd offended him, she took a step back. Her hand almost slipped from his, but he held onto her tightly and she was surprised to hear him chuckle at her.
"I fear that will be impossible," he said, still smirking. "But I shall do my best."
She was clearly relieved and still embarrassed but she smiled back.
Finally, he let go of her hand and with one last glance at her, he preceded to walk from the room, standing tall and proud as though nothing had been wrong. His white robes were flowing behind him and the gold was glistening in the sunlight while she followed him a moment later.