by Lady Bast
The prince of Nekheb sat silently, surveying the assembly before him. Trowa felt the cold stare linger as they traced the contours of his form and stood straighter, refusing to be cowed by such an obvious attempt at intimidation. Though he dared not look around - he would not have his wandering glance be mistaken for weakness - Trowa was certain that the room as in perfect order. Almost disturbingly so. And yet the prince found displeasure in it for he frowned and bent slightly toward his scribe. "Anpu-nakht, begin. I would have this lack recorded."
Having already recited the obligatory hymn to Thoth, the young man sat, pen poised. "Wufei," said the prince and the scribe's pen moved, "where is Duo? Did he not receive my message?"
"I dare say he did, my Prince. I delivered it myself to be certain." The steward's eyes were downcast, his voice humble. "Would it please my Prince to have him sought out?"
His reply was a snort of derision. "Of course it would please me, Wufei. It should have been done before my arrival. Have the runners sent out."
"Yes, my Prince. Inuiu...attend."
The look of shame on the steward's face as the herald stepped forward angered Trowa in a way he could not comprehend. He himself had servants at home and expected perfect obedience from them. But should they really be held accountable for the actions of others? Unless this Duo was an underling...but even so, it seemed that such a show of displeasure would best be kept private. What sort of face did this prince Katrah-en wish to present to his people? Rebellious words pooled on his tongue and Trowa took great delight in the thought that he was about to challenge the authority of this city - he had, after all, a certain amount of diplomatic immunity - but even as he drew breath to speak, he was interrupted by a loud cry from beyond the chamber, the crash of breaking pottery, a feminine exclamation of irritation, and the desperate shout of "Master...please!" as it followed the tumult through the corridor.
"Wufei, your services will not be required," said the prince drily. "The Master of Chaos approaches."
Trowa briefly considered asking Heero about the designation, but - aside from the fact that the soldier was now acting under order and likely would not respond - the whirlwind arrival of a young man no older than himself explained the epitaph fully. There was a clattering of weapons as guards were bumped carelessly aside, a shout of indignity from one of the administrators, and an athletic form in linen and gold bounded across the blue-tiled floor. A thick cord wound with red and gold ribbons trailed behind it like the tail of a comet and Trowa was surprised to note that it was actually a long braid of natural hair. Its owner came to a panting halt beside him, causing Pen-ab to scramble out of the way. "The Pure One [5], Set-Aket-Dua [6] of Kom Ombo," announced Inuiu, apparently undisturbed by the chaotic arrival.
The disapproving murmur that met Trowa's ears told him that the gathered administrators did not feel the same way. On the other hand, their voices did not seem to express anger, much unlike the face of their prince who glared down upon the new arrival with unmasked affront. "Duo, please explain to your prince why you answer your summons virtually unclothed?"
Trowa glanced toward the one called Duo whose brown skin paled visibly and whose eyes widened in alarm even as his hands clapped his thighs. Feeling the familiar fabric of his kilt, Duo exhaled audibly and proceeded to look further down toward his bare and muddy feet. "My sandals, Prince?" he said hopefully. "Sandals and bangles...you have neither. I will not be held responsible if your protective charms fail you without their carriers..."
"No, Prince."
"...but mostly it is your sandals," continued Katrah-en as though Duo had not spoken. "Do you fancy my palace a peasant's floor where water and dirt go unnoticed?"
"No, Prince."
"Where are they then?" The prince's voice carried a knife's edge now and Trowa felt the tension in the room increase. Only Duo seemed relaxed, if embarrassed. He tried to unobtrusively look around the room until he spotted a young man at the edge of the assembly who shrugged helplessly and lifted the forgotten footwear.
"Tetiun has them, Prince," he said with satisfaction. "It seems I am too fast for him."
"Tetiun," repeated the prince with a tight smile. "Approach and bring the sandals." Trowa felt Duo stiffen beside him as the young man slunk over to the dais, dropping to his knees and pressing his forehead to the ground. "Tetiun, why were you not ready with your master's sandals?" The voice was edged with displeasure.
Afraid to rise, the servant kept his face down, twisting the sandals beneath his fingers. "My Prince..."
"Perhaps you need better training...a lesson in speed and attention?"
"My Prince...I..."
A punishment? Over sandals? Once again Trowa considered the merits of interfering, but Duo was the quicker.
"It is unbecoming for any prince to punish my servants. Am I not impossible to deal with?" The priest's grin was wide and filled with depths of mischief.
Katrah-en's lips pressed together so firmly, they nearly disappeared. He flushed slightly with anger, his blue eyes hard as flint. "Yes," he hissed, "you are. Are you offering to take this man's punishment?"
"Not this man's" snorted the other, his braid accenting the dismissive toss of his head. "You wished to punish this man for being too slow when it is obvious that I am the one who is to fast. I should be punished for that instead. If it pleases my Prince, I have suggestions which might suffice."
The prince remained unmoved, but was not without curiosity. "Go on."
Trowa, too, was curious as to what the priest would propose. He became even more so when Duo turned to offer him a grin and a wink.
"First, my Prince," Duo began with a bow in the direction of the dais, "I should be made to slow down. Fettered, if you will, like a steer at the market. Or, if you prefer, bound hand and foot until my limbs are numb and my blood slows. This is most effective on a pallet where my only alternative is sleep. These will no doubt keep me in place and cause me to become tired and sluggish and much easier for my servants to catch. That is," he added slyly, "it will work if there is nothing there to stimulate me."
A ripple of laugher passed through the assembly as the sexual implications of the statement were absorbed. It was stilled by a glare from the dais. "Is that all.," asked the prince, his words as sour as his expression.
"No, my Prince! Not at all! I must then be lashed repeatedly with a scorpion whip." Duo's tone was cheerful, but Trowa was acutely aware of a murmur of fear from the edges of the room. He had never heard of a scorpion whip, but it sounded dire indeed. "It will be difficult to forget myself with such a sting in my memory. But to be sure, I should be tethered with a collar and a lead that I might be paraded around like a prize heifer. Look, my Prince, I've the cord already!" Here he grabbed his braid and looped it around his neck, tugging at it as though he were being led about.
The prince's smooth and boyish face remained impassive. "Very entertaining. You do realize that I employ dwarves and dancing girls for this purpose?" Duo huffed and tossed the braid back over his shoulder. "Now tell me, priest...is there a punishment for those who are late to a summons because they have been fishing?"
"My Prince treats me with discourtesy," Duo sniffed, affronted. "I was not catching fish. They were ducks."
The face of prince Katrah-en had flushed and Trowa could see that he was straining to keep his patience. "Ducks which are no doubt in my kitchens right now as tribute, I'm sure."
"Of course, my Prince."
"Tetiun will rise and clothe you properly."
"Yes, my Prince."
"And...Duo?"
"Prince?"
The blond monarch's smile was cold; his eyes like knives. "Never let this happen again or I will have Tetiun whipped for your insubordination and you will watch. Cavorting with your servants is unbecoming."
"Prince."
Duo swallowed his words then and offered a brief bow as Tetiun crept over and slipped the sandals on his feet before disappearing into the edge of the assembly. When a modicum of order had been restored, Katrah-en spoke again. "Now, priest. This is our guest, the foreign prince Trowa of Teresh."
Duo looked to Trowa as Trowa looked back at him. "Ah, the prisoner!" the priest said brightly.
"Our guest," repeated Katrah-en, gritting his teeth. "He will be staying with us until such a time as Pharaoh - may he live, be healthy, and prosper - calls him back to the Delta. I would have you perform your services on him before he is allowed into the palace proper."
Trowa stiffened, trying not to show alarm. Beside him, he felt Duo do the same. Services? What services could Duo perform? He had heard that the people of Kemet were quite superstitious and he was a foreigner...a man to be distrusted. Perhaps it was a blessing, a dousing with incense, or a ritual purifying.
Or perhaps not. He didn't much like the way that Duo was fondling the dagger in his belt and offering his lord a look of uncertainty. "Here, my Prince? In front of witnesses?"
With his patience at an end, Katrah-en lost control of his voice as well. "Yes, here!" he shouted. "Is there a reason you can't examine this man for demons in front of witnesses?"
"Ooooh...demons," said Duo, offering Trowa an apologetic grin as he released the hilt of his dagger. "Of course...demons. I can search for demons in front of witnesses. Yes. Demons."
"DEMONS?" This was one step too far for Trowa. "My lord...Prince...what courtesy is this?" he cried, stepping forward. He felt Heero's firm grip around his arm. As cordial as he might have been on the boat, here he was acting in his official capacity and no help could be expected of him. In deference to the hold on his arm, he did not step forward, nor did he step down. "I am of no lesser rank than yourself and yet you would subject me to public examinations? Among my people..."
"But we are not among your people, prince Trowa," snapped the young monarch. "We are among my people and I will not have foreign demons in my court. You will submit to the examination willingly or I'm sure that Lord..." There was the briefest of pause as Wufei whispered something in his master's ear. "...Lord Heero will be happy to perform his duty and hold you in place while you are subjected to it by force. That will be a far greater blow to your pride than willing compliance, I think."
"I have seen many things about which I've held my tongue simply because we are not among my people," Trowa spat in return. "But I do not and will not permit this affront!" He felt a warning squeeze as Heero tightened the grip on his arm, but plowed ahead nonetheless. "You can rest assured that my father will hear of this!"
"That he will." Katrah-en's smile was cruel. "I will be sure to send him a copy of the letter I intend to send to Pharaoh if you do not comply immediately." Trowa snorted with contempt, but said nothing. He was loathe to admit that the prince's cool demeanour worried him. "As I recall, Ramesses [7] - may he live, prosper, and be healthy - agreed to this fool contract only because his mind is preoccupied with the Asiatics. If he had wished it, he could have turned his attention to your tribe and wiped you out after the defeat of your 'army' in the Delta. That is the solution I would have preferred, but the great Pharaoh has decided that the focus of his energy and wealth should be the Hittites and who am I to argue? And so we have this 'peace pact'." The prince wrinkled his nose and twisted his mouth as though the very words were sour. "As long as your father does not take arms against us, you live. And as long as you behave, we will not trample your tribe to dust. If you prove to be more trouble than you are worth, I will not hesitate to suggest that you might be in violation of the latter stipulation. I will not be held responsible for any evil you track in here. You will be examined for demons and you will submit to it willingly. Are we in agreement, prince Trowa?"
Trowa's blood was ready to boil. He felt it rising to flush his face in anger. He might have answered back in kind - a grievous mistake in this stage of the game - if a soft voice had not, so quietly as to barely be heard, caught his ear.
"Trust me."
Though he kept them focused straight ahead, Duo's eyes sparkled beneath the fly-away wisps of hair that framed his face. Swallowing his pride with difficultly, Trowa drew himself up, his face a mask of strained good graces."Very well, I will allow the examination, but only once. I trust there are no demons to plague me within your house?"
"Once will be enough," replied the prince sardonically. "I allow no demons here. Duo, you may begin."
Having permitted himself to be placed in Duo's hands, Trowa shifted his focus to the priest who seemed to have undergone some fundamental change. Though the mischievous grin was the same, there was an air of authority about him now that he had not dared to exercise in front of the prince. He was in his element - place of which Katrah-en was no doubt ignorant - and free to take control. More than that, he was the centre of attention and he warmed to it quickly.
"My lords! My ladies!" cried Duo, stepping forward with his arms raised in welcome. "You see before you today a foreigner. This is not unusual, you think, for is our prince not known for his hospitality to foreigners?" Trowa heard a dry chuckle from the audience, but dared not respond. "But this foreigner is new, even to our city! He is from across the Great Green and a prince himself! Aye...the prince of Teresh stands before you today, our guest and our friend until such a time as the Hittites come under the control of this, our Kemet, once again!"
Duo paused as a wave of cheers rippled through the room. He took the opportunity to signal to Tetiun who vanished from the edges of the assembly. "Rest assured that the gods are on our side in this matter. All of them. The Gold Horus, Ramesses, may he live long, be healthy, and prosper, commands the four divisions even as did his predecessor, the Great One, Asar User-Ma'at-Ra [8] who fought so bravely at Kadesh."
"And paid your temple handsomely to say so!"
"Oy! I'll have silence from the non-holy ones!" shouted Duo good-naturedly at the back of the room. 'I know your name, Pa-Sennat, and I won't hesitate to use it! A curse of biting insects upon your house!"
"You're going to send me your fleas, are you?"
"I get no respect," Duo informed Trowa, informally throwing an arm around his shoulders. Trowa stiffened, but the touch did not linger. Though the arm still reached across his back, it extended to give Heero a push on the arm, earning him a glare from the soldier. "You! Release our guest! How can I check for demons when you cling to him so. Go sit down, little Horus, this game is not for you. Go! Go!" Duo broke away and shooed the guard with his hands until Katrah-en gave him the order to stand down. Heero did not look pleased, but complied. For once, Trowa felt that he might have preferred the presence of a guard. Meanwhile, Duo's performance continued.
"Tetiun, my chest!" cried the priest and the young man stepped forward, carrying a plain, but well-crafted, box of cedar. At least twice the length of his arm and as deep as his forearm, it was an awkward burden, but did not seem to be heavy. He placed it on the floor at Duo's feet and retreated to the shadows while his master knelt to inspect the contents. Lifting a couple of vials, he removed the stoppers and sniffed their contents. "Ah yes...a fine selection. Thank you, Tetiun. Watch now as I cleanse our guest of any demons that might have followed him in his journey. They are clever, those demons who haunt travellers, but I am more so! Kneel, please, prince. I'm afraid I lack your height."
It was too late to protest now. Trowa sank to his knees, biting his tongue when Duo bent to pick through his hair, checking his scalp. "And no, I am not checking for fleas, Pa-Sennat!" said Duo from somewhere above him. "I am looking for wounds, but he is whole and clean for a traveller. You should all be impressed. But then few demons enter through the scalp. They concern themselves more with the ears. Tilt, please." Feeling pressure on the right side of his head, Trowa tilted it to the left, cringing against the warmth of Duo's breath as the priest made a display of checking the shape of his ear. As close as he was, Trowa could not miss the priest's whispered words. "Play along. The prince is very superstitious and he will not be able to find fault with you when I am through."
Trowa remained impassive as Duo dampened one finger against the contents of the first vial and traced the outline of his ear as he chanted prayers of purification and protection,[9] tilting his head to the other side when the signal was given. "I dare say you won't like all of this," continued Duo, pretending to be lost in thought, "but better now than under a priest of Khonsu where my prince might have a little more control." The second ear was anointed and Duo stood before him, tilting his head to see his eyes, his nose, his mouth. The process continued as he was allowed to stand so that his heartbeat could be measured, his chest examined for cuts and abrasions. It was then Duo's turn to kneel as he pressed his ear to Trowa's abdomen and prodded it with his fingers. That he went no lower was both a surprise and a relief.
Duo stood and removed the stopper from the second vial. "Drink this," he commanded, raising his voice for the benefit of the assembly. In a whisper, he added, "Try not to like it."
The request was easy enough. Trowa tossed back the liquid in one shot and then sputtered as the taste of sour wine mixed heavily with anise burned his throat. "It's just as I thought," said the priest. "The checking of the head, the heart, and the intestines has revealed a few small demons. See how they fight against the serum of purification?"
"What?" Trowa supposed he should not have been surprised. He was little more than an unwilling actor, meant to perform for the prince's amusement.
"Calm, prince Trowa," said Duo amiably under the other's glare. "They are the natural hazards of travel and nothing more. Shall I exorcise them, Prince?"
Katrah-en looked visibly irritated. "As opposed to what, Duo? Letting him wander around polluting my gardens? Of course I want you to exorcise them!"
"As my Prince commands," grinned the priest. "It will not take long."
Plucking a stone bowl from the chest, Duo filled the bottom with shavings from an odd brick of brown incense and lit the whole, tamping it down to embers with a small pestle. "Just a little longer," he whispered as he approached Trowa and, more loudly, "Inhale, please. I will put you in a healing trance."
Unable to do anything but comply, Trowa tried not to breathe too deeply as Duo passed the bowl beneath his nose and chanted a rhythmic prayer. But the scent was strangely intriguing and before he could stop himself, he had filled his lungs with the steamy smoke and his head began to swim. The sensation was not altogether unpleasant. He did not like the loss of control, but was powerless to prevent his mind from drifting as the priest's careful mantra lulled him into complacency. He felt at ease...relaxed...and sank back down to his knees under Duo's guiding hand, sagging back against his heels the moment they touched the floor. He was dimly aware of a carefully concealed pinch to his side, but felt no pain and offered no reaction. This place was far too pleasant to leave. Dimly, he heard Duo's voice address the crowd from somewhere above his head.
"Now that his body is quieted, we must draw the demons out. Likely they are hiding deep within him for they know that we wish for their destruction! But I am a master of destruction and will not be outwitted! I can tempt them to reveal themselves and cause the body to reject them! Here is the thing that no demon can resist!"
Trowa did not see the thing that Duo presented to the crowd, but soon the priest was kneeling before him, coaxing his mouth to open. "Remember that it will not last for long," he whispered with a sly grin as he poked his fingers into Trowa's mouth, smearing his teeth with a thick and bitter substance. Then a small jar was placed to his lips. "Drink and it will soon be over." Unresisting, Trowa drank.
The fluid felt odd in his stomach, but Trowa felt no desire to move or to seek assistance. He could only sit there, swallowing convulsively, as the paste in his mouth began to dissolve against his tongue. Above him, Duo had started to chant once again, squatting periodically to pull things from his chest. The priest placed a large bowl before him lined with an unidentifiable powder and then sprinkled droplets of water around him in a circle. A few droplets were also spattered on his back. Just as Trowa had begun to wonder what was going on, the lights of the chamber seemed to grow brighter, the carvings in the walls coming alive in writhing, twisting forms as their colours ran and shifted. Strange shadows crept from the corners, crowding him, pawing at him with dark and velvet hands. He felt the panic growing in his chest, unrelenting, and despite his desire to remain impassive, he could not help but scream in fear as he beat off the shadow beasts with clumsy arms.
"Ah, here they come." Duo's voice drifted down from a distance. "He sees them now and fights them. It won't be long before he can expel them entirely and then he will be cleansed."
At those very words, a severe cramp lanced through Trowa's abdomen and he doubled over, clutching at his stomach even as the ragged breathing of his panic tore at his lungs. The room shifted and spun, but he could not cry out...all of his energy was concentrated on fighting his own body. He swallowed hard against the pain of twisting knives in his belly and finally lost the battle, vomiting into the bowl which had been placed before him. As the contents of his stomach hit the powder lining the vessel, it began to smoke, billowing rapidly and vanishing into the air.
Emotionally and physically spent, Trowa collapsed.
[5] Generally, all priests are called "we'eb" or "pure ones". This was a term also used to refer to lay persons who gave themselves to the temple for a temporary period of service. However, within the temple itself, to have no other title than "we'eb" in front of your name was no honour. You were a low-grade priest and got the dirt jobs. Duo is technically a lector priest, serving in ceremonies, but he is working outside of the temple and so is not recognized as such.
[6] "Aket-Dua" mean "Today's Horizon". I lucked out with that one as you'll see. The "Set" part is technically in deference to his priesthood. In this case, it could also be a determinative to let people know straight off that Duo is a troublemaker.
[7] This would be Ramesses III who spent a lot of his reign fighting the people of what is now Syria. He also repelled attacks from the West and from the Sea Peoples, of which Trowa is one. There is no record of the arrangement that Quatre mentions, but the practise was not uncommon in both domestic and foreign affairs.
[8] "User-Ma'at-Ra" is the throne name of Ramesses II. The Greeks referred to him as Ozymandias and he is the subject of that poem. "Asar" indicates that he is a deceased king. The reference to Kadesh is true, but is a dubious victory. Due to the strategic abilities of a dead trout, Ramesses managed to barely break even in a fight that should have allowed him to slap his enemy silly. Since they weren't actually slaughtered, Egypt records this as a win.
[9] There are a multitude of formulas for protection and the expulsion of demons. I'm making this one up as I go along based on other symbolic acts and phraseology.
"The Prince of Nekheb" copyright A.C.Smith (aka Lady Bast), 2002. Send comments to asmith@ican.net Please do not repost or print (other than for personal use) without permission. The Gundam boys and all their paraphenelia belong to whomever currently holds the rights...I'm just borrowing them for a while. No infringement is intended, really. Really really. Please don't sue me, I have no money. If, however, you have a burning desire to hire me and PAY me money to write this kinda stuff, feel free to track me down.