by Lady Bast
Midnight in the city of Nekheb and the moon was bright and waxing full.
The seal on the inner doors of the temple of Nekhebet dried slowly in the lazy dark as the Prince and his guest argued in hushed tones amid flowers newly restored. Duo smiled to hear them, snapping and growling over policy like two dogs over a single bone. In the night, it seemed, his Prince came alive. Despite an ongoing arrogance, his stiff formality lessened without the eyes of the city upon him and he was more likely to debate a point than simply overrule by grace of authority. Duo wondered if Trowa had noticed and whether this would mean more moonlight debates. He rather hoped so. It would be beneficial for them both. Trowa's arguments would have more leverage when laced with cool air and wine and Quatre would think more for himself and less for his father.
And less of his father, Duo reminded himself ruefully, rubbing wrists sore with a ghostly pain and painted with ghostly scars. He had never liked the old Prince anyway.
Never liked, no, and hated now. The less Amunmose was heard from, the better. For the city. For the Prince. For himself. He wasn't sure he could survive many more rituals. It was harder to bring on the trances now and the dosage of the potion seemed to increase every time. It was a dangerous game to play with poisons.
Duo felt the twitch in his fingers before the actual trembling began.
Almost unconsciously he reached into the woven bag at his side and broke off a piece of dry bread. Crumbling it between his hands he thought about how much nicer fresh bread would be, but it would not keep. Better a hard, travelling bread than well fed worms. Not wanting to waste his water, he put the crumbs in his mouth and let them moisten before attempting to swallow. He repeated the action a couple of times, listening to princes Quatre and Trowa debate in barely hushed tones while he waited for the medication to take effect. When his head lightened and the shaking stopped, he slipped silently past the garden entrance and moved on.
The hallways were fairly deserted. From the corners he could hear the shuffling of servants as they performed the last duties of the day: cleaning, collecting dishes, putting milk out for the palace snakes. [37] Nevertheless, Duo saw none of them. While they might joke and play with him in the daytime, they carefully - one could honestly say 'religiously' - avoided him once the sun had set. Night was traditionally the time that Duo performed his duties and if one could remain out of sight, well...perhaps they would see the sun again. Never mind that Duo could have found any one of them if he had wanted them, simply being seen was a death sentence. Perhaps it would be an accident. Perhaps a master would strike out too swiftly and with too much force. A servant might be trampled in the market. A stonemason might be crushed beneath a falling wall. A soldier might be trapped in a desert storm.
To the superstitious, he was a death sentence. One that was guaranteed to be sudden and violent.
To the rest, he was Set-Aket-Dua, and that was bad enough. His bags and boxes were filled with daggers and knives, poisons and potions, darts and arrows. He carried powders to choke, oils to burn, innocent flasks of water that possessed and caused fits, plump dates that killed and rotted the body from the inside. All on the whim of a Prince.
To himself, he was Duo, and that was all that mattered. Had anyone cared to check his bag, they would have seen the fishhooks and line, the scraps of meat stolen from the kitchens, the jug of beer, the hard bread, the soft bread, the cold duck and cucumbers. The stars were out, the moon was high, the night was beautiful, and he was going fishing.
But not alone.
He approached the doorway to the Lady Relena's apartments and nodded to the guards, but did not slow. They eyed him suspiciously, expecting a trick, but he was not visiting with the foreign noblewoman or her servants tonight, as much as he would like to. Tonight, his company would be stern and far less gracious. Surprised too. Duo's arrival was quite unannounced.
The guards he did wish to annoy were tight-lipped and disapproving, but did nothing to stop him. One rapped on the door without a word. Seb answered, a gleam of light from a nearby brazier the only thing distinguishing his dark body from the night around him. Seeing Duo, his eyes widened in alarm. "Pure One, is there a demon?"
"Only the efreets in your head, Seb. I want to talk to Heero. Is he here?"
"In back, not sleeping. Why are you here if not to chase demons?"
"That isn't any concern of yours," replied Duo with his most malicious grin. For all that Seb jumped at demons, he was one of the few servants who was not afraid of the demon master. "Tell Heero I need to speak with him. If he accepts, you'll hear all about it."
Seb nodded and invited him in to wait, stoking a corner brazier to provide a stronger light without disturbing his master in the back. Duo watched in silence until the servant had gone, then turned his eyes to examine the room around him. The scenes on the walls were generic images of sport and leisure, the window shades papyrus instead of rattling beads. There was a stack of boxes filled with scrolls against one wall. Duo supposed that these were duty listings and other generic military material. Anything of importance would have been kept in Heero's private chamber.
He had been expecting Seb to announce his master - if not dismiss him outright - and so Duo was surprised to hear a grim voice from the doorway. "What do you want?"
"Ah...eh...Heero!" cried Duo, jumping to his feet and managing a sweeping bow from the waist. "I need to talk to you."
The soldier's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What would a priest like you want to talk to me about?"
Duo's mouth went dry. He was risking much in his attempt to cultivate Heero's trust. If he seemed the slightest bit insincere, an animosity might build that would forever change his friendship with Trowa, the soldier's family, and perhaps even the Prince. Fortunately, Duo's hand brushed his woven bag, reminding him of his plan. "Fish!" he blurted. "I'm going fishing...do you want to come?"
Heero looked toward the shaded window and raised his eyebrows. "In the dark?"
"Oy! Heero! Don't tell me you're a soldier and have never been night fishing," said Duo, exasperated. "It's practically a tradition!"
Heero's solid stare told Duo that it was not the practise so much as the practitioner that was suspect. "I don't much like your kind, priest," he said frankly. "I have no reason to suspect other than the worse from such an invitation. Give me one good reason to trust you and I will go with you."
"Eh...would you settle for just a good reason to go with me?" Noticing that his carefully pleading tone was having no effect on the soldier's cool demeanour, Duo sighed. "I want to talk to you - quite seriously - about your family. I thought you might not want to do that here in the palace where the darkness has eyes. On the river, we'll be away from the servants and patrolling guards and maybe...just maybe...you can relax for a few hours rather than pacing your apartments at night."
Heero opened his mouth to protest, but Duo waved him into silence. "You always have candles lit. Your shadow is cast against the window shades. The fact that you don't like me doesn't make me a fool. You don't have to come, you know - I can say my piece here and go on my own - but I want you to come. The river is cool and quiet at night and I want you to come and relax and enjoy yourself. Your wife is worried about you."
Anger flared momentarily in Heero's dark eyes, then softened quickly. "Relena said that?"
There were other ways to fish than on the water. The corners of Duo's mouth twitched into a grin as he tugged at the hook to secure his catch. "Are you man enough to come with me and find out?"
The air had not had time to cool and even on the river, it was stifling hot. Heero sighed heavily and swept the stiff leather cap from his head. He glared at Duo when the priest dared to laugh.
But how could he not? Contrary to popular style, the soldier's hair was only shaved to above the edge of the helmet. The rest was surprisingly long and stuck up at odd angles where it had matted with sweat. He looked like nothing so much as a nut-brown thistle and Duo found this to be the height of hilarity. Especially given Heero's more vocal views.
"Ha! And you call me a sheep herder!" laughed the priest as he reached over to ruffled the shaggy brown mane. "At least I have the courage to admit my vanity...you're nothing but a hypocrite!"
"Many soldiers let their hair grow long," replied Heero, looking irritated.
"On a campaign, perhaps. Not on guard duty for foreign princes." Heero ran his fingers through it slowly. "It's not so long," he said finally. "I'll have it trimmed before it falls below the base of my skull."
"It's long enough to be unkempt," grinned Duo. "What would your superior say to that?"
"Relena likes it," said Heero in a tone that declared the conversation closed. "It reminds her of home. I can still grease it back and wear a wig if I must."
"Ah well, if Relena likes it..." Duo waved a hand, dismissing the rest of the sentence as unworthy of vocalization. He flopped onto his back, stretching out on the flat bottom of the skiff. "All these damned foreigners and their foreign ways," he said good-naturedly. "Coming in, changing things, diminishing our quality of life. Terrible. Simply terrible." [38]
"You know, if not for you, this trip might actually be pleasant," said Heero drily.
Duo sighed and quit his teasing. "Ah, little Horus, you're too serious. I think it's wonderful that you would do such small things to please your wife. Too many think that such things don't matter when a few small concessions can help to make the larger issues bearable. After all, she hates the South. She only followed you here to please you."
The soldier's expression was stony. "How would you know?"
"Because she speaks with me," replied Duo kindly. "There are no women to talk to and her husband is always playing war games with his little band of soldiers. It may be his duty," he added quickly when Heero cast him a warning glance, "but it leaves her lonely."
"She has always been welcome to join me," said Heero stiffly.
Duo nodded. "That's just what she said, but she wasn't sure that this was true until she allowed Trowa and I to take her. Even then, I think she did it to please Hilde and Miusheri more than herself."
"She's too gentle with her servants. Even in her father's home, she was stricter."
"She has no other female companions."
"Many of the merchants' wives meet in the marketplace," said Heero. "She won't go."
Duo shook his head, unsympathetic to the soldier's lack of understanding. "She isn't used to going. Across the Great Green, it is sinful for women, particularly noble ladies, to excel in craftsmanship or go to such unsavoury places as the market. Even I know that much."
"Our women have freedom. She knows that."
"In her mind, yes, but not her heart," said Duo carefully. Though it was difficult to tell in the moonlight, he thought he saw a look of frustration cross his companion's features. "She's been very well trained not to overstep her boundaries. She knows what she is told she is allowed to do, but doesn't quite believe it."
"And why not?" The sharp edge of Heero's voice cut through the night. "Why doesn't she believe in freedom? I thought she would be glad to be free of such restrictions! How could she not want to wander the markets of Pi-Ramesses or spend time in the social gardens? Our marriage contract baffles her. She refuses to see that her belongings are her own. I have legally assigned a portion of my lands to her so that, gods forbid, if anything should happen to me and she is prevented from claiming her widow's share, she will not be left destitute, but she can hardly seem to understand ownership. Her skills as a hostess are unparalleled - when a gathering is needed at my estates, she prepares it flawlessly - but she never takes the initiative to arrange such things for herself. She is prepared for unexpected social calls, but never makes them. Here, in Nekheb, she does nothing, barely stirring from her room."
When the soldier paused to draw a deeper breath and calm his irritation, Duo spoke. "And you say she knows that she can do all these things? She is not some silly foreign girl fit only for gowns and jewellery?"
Heero tensed. His voiced chilled. "She is very intelligent," he said as though he himself had been offended. "Uneducated, yes, but she quickly learned the principles of the sacred words and practised them diligently. Now she reads and writes better than myself. I taught her to play sennet and she mastered it easily. If she had been a silly peasant girl, I would not have had enough respect and admiration for her to agree to our marriage."
A smile twitched at the corner of Duo's mouth. "It was an arrangement then? You don't love her?"
Heero's face remained impassive, but the glare from his eyes threatened to burn the priest where he lay. "I don't see what business it is of yours, but yes. It was suggested to me that it would be advantageous. I knew I should marry soon, but hadn't thought about it much." His features softened. "I do care for her, Duo. Is it love? I don't know. She is a good woman: brave, strong, loyal, and intelligent, but she makes me uneasy. She's too different. I trust her to take care of herself, but at the same time, I am afraid to leave her alone. I'm a soldier. I only have the faintest notion of how to run an estate. I need her, I care for her, but I am also afraid. Afraid for her and afraid of her." He sighed, disgusted with himself. "Why do I bother to tell you this?"
"Because the moon is lovely and the night is quiet?" Duo's grin faded beneath another withering glare. "Because you needed to, I suppose."
"Are you her spy then? Luring me out to confess my secrets so that you can give your full report in the morning?"
Duo sat back up, tucking his legs beneath him. "You're jumping at shadows. My reasons for bringing you here are quite the opposite. I want to be your friend, Heero. I am spending more time with your wife than you are and I want you to know that my intentions are honourable. We talk, and that's all. And as proof I will offer you all the things we talk about."
The soldier said nothing for a very long time. He ran a hand through the strange lengths of his hair and finally turned to look at the priest. "Go on," he said.
Duo smiled, not unkindly. "She loves you, you know. Really and truly. She loves you and she fears you as much as you do her. Perhaps even more so. She knows what she is allowed to do, but it is strange territory. At home she knew where the boundaries lay, but here she can never be sure if she is overstepping herself. She fears punishment. For herself, yes, but also for you in case you are blamed for the actions of your foreign bride.
"When she finally came to the training grounds it was nothing that I had done, but Trowa's insistence that it would be alright. Trowa's ways are, if not similar, then at least known to her. He was a hint of the familiar in a fearful situation. Because it was his offer, he could shoulder the blame if anything went wrong. Since she has shown herself and been accepted, she won't hesitate to look for you there again." Duo chuckled softly. "Well, she won't hesitate much."
He lifted his head to look Heero in the eye. "She's afraid. That's all it is. She's afraid and more so here than in the Delta because here she is not the master of her estate. She needs to be accompanied and shown how things stand. She enjoyed her archery lesson. I think she would also enjoy the market. I will take her myself, if she decides she wants to go, and maybe Trowa will join us. But I think she would prefer it if you were to accompany her; to show her where the safe places are and what areas she should avoid." Duo winked. "It will also be less of a scandal."
The stern look on Heero's face was replaced with one of uncertainty. "I'm not very good in social situations."
Risking a physical rebuke, Duo slapped the soldier on the back of the head. "This isn't a 'social situation', idiot! This is your wife!"
For one tense moment, Duo thought he was going to be punched. Certainly, Heero had raised a fist in reaction to the scolding, but he managed to keep his temper under control, lowering his hand when he realized that no further attack was forthcoming. Duo's relief was immense and he spoke quickly. "You managed well enough on the archery range," he said. "Think of it as just another lesson. Relena won't expect more from you than you can possibly give. If you're busy, how precious a gift is time? If you never say very much, then every word is a precious stone. Drag Trowa along with you and you can do your duty as well as please your family." He grinned slyly. "Go on and tell me that you can resist a child as cute as Bakara. The combination of mother and daughter must be simply irresistible."
Heero snorted his derision and stared morosely out into the reeds. After several moments, he snorted again, this time with a hint of amusement. "I am out fishing in the middle of the night, taking marriage advice from a priest of Set, while floating on a crocodile-infested river in a stolen skiff. Oh, Ra, and all your children..."
Duo raised his eyebrows. "Stolen skiff? I'll have you know it's mine by right."
"Oh really? I already know of your reputation as a petty thief, Set-Aket-Dua. What would prevent you from 'borrowing' a skiff for a few hours?"
"So, filching bread from the kitchens also makes me a liar?" said Duo drily.
Though he would never admit it, Heero was growing somewhat uncomfortable by the priest's sudden defensiveness. He affected an air of superior nobility and dismissed the subject with a wave of his hand. "I spoke in jest. If the skiff is yours, that's fine. If it's not, what does it matter as long as it's returned? You know as well as I do that such things are tolerated within reason."
For the first time since Heero had arrived at court, he saw Duo's face set in anger. "Things such as lying," the priest asked vehemently and Heero understood.
"Lies are told every day," he said, shrugging indifferently. "What does one more or less matter?"
"It matters to me," said Duo firmly. "It's my skiff. It's important to me that you believe that."
"And why would you care what I believe? Because you want to be my friend? Even friends have secrets, priest."
Duo's anger was mounting. He all but snarled at Heero and his voice carried an edge of hysteria. "NO! Because I don't want you to think that I'm a liar! I have to be everything else that no one loves...what they believe of me, I am. I don't want to be a liar as well!"
"Then a liar you are," said Heero, growing impatient. "Only someone desperate to hide the truth could care so deeply about having his words thought sacred."
It was the wrong thing to say. Heero barely had time to guard himself against the fist aimed at his jaw before an elbow in the chest, hit him hard enough to knock him off balance. Duo's weight bore him to the bottom of the skiff and he found himself straddled by the priest who immobilized his arms by pinching the nerves at the base of his neck. Though he was not a warrior, Duo could fight dirty. "What are you suggesting?" hissed the priest in a harsh whisper. "What do you know?"
Fighting hard not to wince under the pressure of Duo's fingers, Heero spoke through clenched teeth. "The first thing I'm suggesting is that a skiff is no place for wrestling." Then, stealing himself against the pain, he rolled, using the leverage of one leg to hoist Duo up onto his hip and throw him over into the water.
Surprised, Duo released his hold on the soldier and grabbed for the edge of the skiff. The boat dipped crazily under his weight, catching Heero in mid-throw and dragging him further into his roll. Unable to reverse his motion, the soldier's full weight fell against the edge of the vessel, causing it to overturn completely and dump him unceremoniously on Duo's head.
Heero came up, gasping, in utter darkness. He was under the boat. His breath was a hollow rasp, magnified in the narrow pocket of air between water and hull. He felt a flailing beside him and reached down to haul Duo up by one water-slicked arm. The priest broke the surface with a spluttering choke, coughing out curses and threats between mouthfuls of water. "Shut-up. You aren't impressing anyone," grunted Heero as he tried to keep his head above the surface.
"I'm sorry...I didn't mean...sorry..." spluttered the priest as he regained enough composure to tread the water on his own.
"Worry about it after you help me flip this thing back over," said Heero, questing for the edge of the skiff. The vessel wasn't heavy, but it was awkward to manage without a foothold. He waited for Duo's mumbled agreement and intake of breath before filling his own lungs and diving under the edge of the boat. They found each other on the other side and, after a few whispered words, spread out a little, reaching up to grab hold of bundled papyrus. When they were sure of their grip, they arranged a mutual signal and used the weight of their bodies to right the vessel. "Now," said Heero, clinging to the edge. "Get yourself back in there. I'll tilt."
"Heero, I..."
"You do know how to get into a skiff from the water, don't you?"
Duo nodded hesitantly. "Yes, but..."
"Then get in and talk later. I've never been a big fan of crocodiles."
Duo said nothing more, but hoisted himself out of the water, leaning over the edge of the skiff as Heero controlled its tilt. Quickly, before his weight could topple it, he dropped and rolled into the bottom of the boat. He moved to the opposite side to balance the weight as Heero tried to pull himself up, then grabbed the soldier's arms and hauled him out of the water.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. They merely sat and panted, wringing out linen that was heavy with water. Finally, Heero reached over and cuffed his companion on the ear. "You idiot," he said darkly. "Are you trying to kill us both?"
"You threw me into the water, in case you don't remember," sniffed Duo.
"Only because you had me pinned," countered Heero. "You pulled us both in. What if we had been attacked?"
"By crocodiles? I'd have punched them on the snout," said the priest half in jest. He sobered quickly as Heero glared at him. "You really don't like crocodiles, do you?"
"No," said the soldier, as he inspected the skiff as best he could in the moonlight. He looked at Duo significantly "The possibility of sudden attacks makes me nervous."
His heart heavy with the significance of his actions, Duo sighed. "I'm sorry. I am. I owe you more than I've given. You don't know what..."
"Stop," said Heero firmly, looking up briefly from his task. "Say nothing. I will be typically distrustful and say that I should have expected no better from your kind. Even friends might have secrets."
Duo half-smiled in the moonlight. "Are we friends then, little Horus?"
"Tell me only this: Is it important to have friends in Nekheb?"
"It is," said Duo soberly. "More so now than ever before."
"Then we are friends," said Heero with a faint smile. "As to my wife...as long as her virtue is uncompromised, it might be beneficial if she is protected by a strong magician."
Duo grinned. "As lovely as your wife is, I think she's the safest one in your party. I prefer less conventional women."
Heero frowned. "You can't mean my nursemaid! Ah, Duo," he shook his head when the priest turned away to hide a blush. "I hope your tomb is well stocked. You'll be needing it soon. You'll be needing a new set of trailing hooks as well; ours have been torn off. If we want to catch any fish, we'll have to spear them."
"A good thing I tied the spears to the skiff with the oars then," said Duo cheerfully. "Otherwise we'd have been trying to catch them with our hands. Ah...what does it matter?" He shrugged. "It was never about the fish."
"Hn. And as much as I hate to admit it, it has been an interesting evening," said Heero, untying one of the long-handled fishing spears.
"Find something?"
"Yes. My helmet. I'm not sure I'm authorized to have them made in Pharaohs' colours here," the soldier said grimly. "And without it, I'll have to cut my hair back as is proper for a soldier."
Duo laughed. "Hide behind your wife all you like, I still say it's vanity. I..."
"Attention, strangers! Identify yourselves!"
Duo looked to the shore where two men stood with torches, trying to see out onto the water. "Mazoi," he grumbled. [39] "They appear at the oddest times."
Heero shrugged as he managed to hook his helm and bring it aboard before it could be swamped and sunk. "Might as well tell him we're coming in and row into the reeds. I don't think we'll get many fish tonight."
Nodding his agreement, Duo turned to the shore. "Oy! Constable! It's Duo! The Lord Heero and I were doing a bit of fishing. Wait a moment and we'll row in."
By the time he'd finished his speech, Heero had emptied his helmet of water and fitted it over his slicked-back hair. Together they rowed the skiff back into the reeds where Duo used a pole to bring them into shore. They were greeted with a warmth carefully calculated to mask the suspicion beneath.
"Duo!" cried the first man as though they were long-time friends. "You had me worried. The night isn't often disturbed by suspicious noises in Nekheb."
"No harm," replied Duo, beaching the boat and turning to properly address the guards. "Emtef, is it? And Hun? We had a little spill on the river, no more and no less. Heero will say the same."
"He speaks the truth. We were fishing and had a spill," agreed the soldier with a rare hint of a smile.
"Ah...Lord Heero!" said Emtef as he and his partner bowed from the waist. "You are the Pharaoh's man - may he live long, be healthy and prosper. I hope the war is going well in the North."
"We won't need to draw men from the southlands for some time yet." From the faint look of relief on the men's faces, it was obvious that this had been their concern. "I am only here on guard duty with the foreign prince...although I do suggest keeping in proper shape in case such a pronouncement is ever made."
"Ah...yes...of course," said Emtef quickly. "As everything appears to be in order here, we will continue with our regular patrols."
"We wouldn't dream of keeping you," said Duo pleasantly.
"Enjoy the rest of your evening," finished Emtef with a second bow. "Come, Hun."
Duo waited until they were out of earshot, their torches like foxfire in the night, before allowing himself a low chuckle. "'Although I do suggest keeping in proper shape in case such a pronouncement is ever made,'" he mocked. "Heero, though you won't admit it, you have the mischief of a djin."
The soldier snorted in derision. "They did not impress me at all. I hope they had men sent to the most vulnerable sections of the city to watch when their 'suspicious noises' were heard. No thief, assassin, or seasoned soldier would make such a racket on a mission unless they were trying to create a diversion."
"And no animal, monster, or evil spirit is clever enough to think of distracting the guard," countered Duo with a grin. "They aren't your Delta guards, little Horus. They watch over a sleepy town that is more likely to be attacked by a rogue lion than an army. Give them at least the credit of being brave enough to investigate. And who knows?" he shrugged. "Perhaps there were men sent to watch the weak places."
"Alright. I will give them that much credit. Should we return the skiff to its mooring?"
"Why? It's still early," said Duo, examining his craft. Finally, he knelt and untied his bag from where he'd secured it. "We haven't even eaten yet and no new friendship is complete without the breaking of bread. Er...well...duck anyway," he amended sheepishly. "The bread is probably ruined."
"Hn. Very well then, I accept," replied Heero, sounding vaguely amused. "Although I disagree. I find it very late. The night is a bad time for anything but subterfuge. You can't see the enemy coming, nor can you see the natural dangers of the world. I have stayed awake many nights, reading reports or devising strategies, with the barest of light so that an enemy could not target me. You become very aware of the things that live beyond the circle of a torch. Or so it is in the wilderness. The cities have their own inner light."
Duo rummaged around in his bag, tossing soggy bread into the darkness. "I agree. The night is an excellent time for subterfuge." As if on cue, he removed a pair of knives. Heero stiffened slightly, but they were merely put aside without a second thought. "It's very dangerous, but once you learn to move around in it, there is nothing there that can't harm you in the sunlight as well. If you learn to avoid the dangers, the night can be beautiful. Look up," he said, smiling. And tell me you don't agree."
The stars were clear and bright, spilling across the sky like a scattering of beads. The celestial Nile [40] glowed - a shimmering river of silver light. The shapes of hills and trees reached into the horizon, drawing the sky down toward the earth. Music filled the air with the songs of frogs and crickets and the night's perfume enticed - a green, growing fullness that belonged to the reeds and the noblemen's gardens with undertones of lotus and incense from the city. "I suppose it has its charms," said Heero carefully.
"Nut is very close to her husband tonight," said Duo, examining what was left of his food and dividing that which he found good. "Any closer and we will be crushed by their love. That would be a way to go, don't you think? Crushed by love. I wonder how that would balance on the scales."
"Actually, I think it's disturbing."
"Trowa didn't think so. He has different gods, but he seemed to understand about Nut and the moon," grinned Duo, holding out Heero's share of the food. "Don't you believe in your gods?"
The soldier took the offering with solemn grace before answering. "I don't believe they are as close as you say. What about the moon?"
"No? I couldn't think any other way. Sometimes I hear them talk to one another." Duo kept his eyes on his meal though he felt Heero pause. He could only imagine the look he was receiving. "As to the moon, well, it changes. Then Ast sat on her throne and watched over us with cool eyes. Trowa saw her too. Tonight, I think it is Thoth. It doesn't have the same distance and is cool in an intellectual sort of way. It would make sense as I left our pretty Prince Katrah-en and your quiet prince Terewa discussing temple zoning in the gardens. They might not have even killed each other yet. Who knows?"
Heero couldn't resist a dry chuckle. "You see all this in the moon? What about the river?"
"I'll admit to you, since you believe it anyway, that the priesthood functions most often on symbolism and deception, but sometimes we can feel the gods at work even though we exaggerate our own abilities. This was the case earlier when I spoke with Hapi and Sobek," Duo said soberly. "I asked for protection and good sailing. Things felt right and in good order. That's why I wasn't afraid of crocodiles."
"Ordering the other gods about now? Why aren't you a priest of Amun?"
"Because the priests of Amun know mainly about Amun and I wanted to know everything," grinned Duo. "But mostly because my parents belonged to the temple of Set and that is where I was raised when they were lost. "
"Really?" said Heero, cynical. "Everything?"
"Eventually. Set's is the best priesthood for it, I think. You have to know about everything to properly destroy it." Under the moon, Duo's eyes seemed alight with mischief. He held out a small jug. "Beer?"
"Hn," snorted Heero, taking the jug. "Only if it's free of all other propositions." [41]
"Sorry, little Horus, but you aren't my type," said the priest good-naturedly. "Unless, of course, you wanted to make it worth my while."
"I'll leave the fun to Her-di, I think," replied Heero, taking a swig from the jug. He turned back to his meal. "You know, I hate breaking meat apart with my fingers like a common boor. I think I lost my service knife in the river, can I borrow one of yours?"
Without waiting for an answer, he picked up one of the blades that lay between them and unsheathed. Duo cried out in alarm and grabbed his wrist. "Not that one, you fool! For someone who didn't want to trust me, you're anxious enough to make your wife a widow." Gingerly, he took the knife's hilt and pulled it from Heero's grasp, turning it over to show the pommel and its carnelian inset. "Never the red scarab," he said emphatically. "Actually, never anything that you haven't asked about first...but especially not the red scarab."
As Duo carefully put the blade away, Heero picked the second up by its sheath. "What about the green scarab?"
"It's clean," said Duo.
The soldier eyed him critically. "Are you sure?"
With an exaggerated sigh, the priest grabbed the handle of the knife, pulled it out and drew the flat of the blade across his tongue. "See?" he said, offering the hilt to his companion. "Clean."
"But do I want it now?"
"So wipe it on your kilt! No one's forcing you to use a knife. You can go on tearing with your fingers if you want," said Duo with a twisted smile that faded as he lifted another piece of meat to his lips. "After we're finished, I suppose we should head back. I lost some herbs and things that I'll have to replace in case the Prince needs me to cast spells." He took a long swig from the beer jug and stared out across the water. "Many of them are difficult to prepare," he said quietly.
Heero bore the silence for several minutes, taking his turn at the jug. Then, "You don't like performing the Prince's rituals, do you?"
"At the risk of 'treason'? No," said Duo wryly. "But I am loyal and the Prince...Katrah-en...is my friend no matter what he or anyone else believes. Even we know the value of Ma'at, Heero. I keep it always, even when I have to kill to do it. Such it is for the spirit of the Destroyer."
"So the guards speak the truth. You do think you are per neter?" The soldier eyed him curiously, but without judgment.
Duo smiled sadly. "Isn't it the truth for all priests? And all men and women to a lesser extent? Some people say I'm mad, but I only tell them the truth."
"Yours is a lonely existence then," said Heero without expression. "I will believe it all when I see it." He finished the last piece of duck and rose to wash the knife in the water before handing it back to its owner. "Clean again," he said. "Perhaps we should return to the palace. If I go missing much longer, Seb will think that an efreet has eaten me."
Duo chuckled as he tied both knives around his waist. "He's a good servant even if he is a bit strange. We are much more superstitious here where the desert is closer than the Delta."
"I am beginning to see that." Loading their few possessions into the skiff, Heero offered the priest a slight smile as they pushed off from shore. "Perhaps I will take your advice and bring Relena to the markets the next time I am free. You are welcome to join us, if you like. To fill in the awkward places."
"You know," said Duo, "we should assault Wufei the next time he runs errands for the Prince. Perhaps Trowa will go with him. Between the four of us and Trowa's guards, your ladies will be the safest in the city!"
"Climb in and row us out, 'Destroyer'. I need to be awake to put the soldiers through their paces come morning."
Duo laughed. "Grab an oar yourself, little Horus! We'll fly to the watersteps in half the time!"
Hearts lightened, soldier and priest poled the skiff onto the river and, taking up their oars, steered it past the city to the gates of the palace.
[37] Harmless snakes that lived in the cool, dank cracks of the palace walls and cellars. They were considered a sign of good fortune and it was important to keep them healthy. If they stopped putting in appearances or were found ill and/or dying, it was a very bad omen.
[38] Heero claims not to like Set's priests so Duo's yanking his chain in every way he possibly can. Set is also the god of foreigners.
[39] Essentially, the city police. They were controlled by the mayor of each city and while they were forced to obey the nome's ruler in matters of city policy, actual control of the force could only be requisitioned by the Pharaoh. No point in letting little princes get too powerful now, is there?
[40] The Milky Way. Same stars...different liquid.
[41] Desperate yaoi fans can look up "The Contendings of Horus and Set" online. If you're lucky, you'll get the uncensored version. If you're REALLY lucky, you'll need to shower afterward.
"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.