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Seumulset 

 

 

twenty-three 

 




Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


The sun was not yet in the sky and already sweat beaded up on her flesh. Turning, she faced her love and roamed her gaze across his figure appreciatively. He’d opted to leave his hanbok behind this morning and wear the offered clothes the servants had placed for him. His tall lean form resembled chiseled marble, the defined muscles of his biceps, pectorals and abdomen on full display. A light linen skirt draped around his waist, sitting comfortably on his hips, a dangerous peek of his adonis belt teasing the eyes. Toned calves flexed as he walked and on his head he wore a white turban. She’d requested his hair to be braided in a single plait and it traveled down the length of his back. 

    “My, he cleans up well.” Shen-pe-uts-neter, her second eldest sister complimented as she too roamed her gaze across his form. 

    “Don’t sink your claws in him sister Nettie.”

    “I wouldn’t dare. He’s nice to look at but he’s not my type.” Instead of an offended look, a humored look instead graced her face smile right behind it. 

    “His appearance pleases me.” The grouping of women turned to find their mother standing behind them all, lips pursed. As he finally made to them, he bowed before the Queen Mother. 

    “Good morning Your Highness.” 

    “I trust your evening was satisfactory?” Though his cheeks blossomed in faint pink, he nodded, keeping his eyes at his sandal covered feet.

    “Very much so.”

    “Good then. We shall set out for Lower Egypt this day. There you shall meet the Pharaoh, my son and Tiye’s eldest brother Diogenes in Memphis.” 

    “Of course. It will be my pleasure.” 

    “Good then. You shall ride with Tiye. We hope to make haste for the sun will grow brutal.” 

    “Yes Your Highness, as you wish.” Dare she say it but it appeared a ghost of a smirk had drifted up onto her mother’s face but like a mirage it was gone and she was mounting her steed. They all followed suit and when she felt his firm arms enclose themselves around her waist, they set off. 

    “Where is Memphis my sweet?” He asked, lips pressed against her ear. Smiling, she kept her gaze forward. 

    “It is the capital of Egypt, one of the wonders of the world. This day you shall taste her fruit and enjoy luxury even Goryeo could not offer.” He hummed against her but otherwise kept quiet as they continued on their journey. After a few hours ride, they stopped at a nearby oasis, allowing the camels and horses to drink. 

    “Drink my love. The sun only grows more dangerous.” She urged, lifting a pouch to his face. Nodding, he took the offered pouch and drank his fill. Already, his skin was a healthy pink and she worried that perhaps it would burn should it be exposed further to the harsh rays. 

    “Need you a scarf to cover yourself with?” 

    “Concerned eolin-i?” At his teasing, she sucked her teeth. 

    “There is such a thing as sun burn and it most certainly does not feel good. Stay then, toy with your rays longer if you like.” He laughed, coming to press the pouch against her teal covered chest. 

    “Worry not little moon. I’ll be just fine.” 

    “Hm.” She dismissed though a playful grin rested on her face and she left him to refill the pouch nearly empty. 

 

 

*** 

 

    She was comfortable, having been reunited with her element. And what element it was. He thought the deserts they’d crossed to reach Song were intense but he had been proven very wrong. These deserts were different. Deadlier. Harsher. They determined to see just what kind of person you were and if in the end you survived them then you could survive anything. Leaning back against a palm tree, he watched her intensely as she knelt, opening the flask to allow clear water to flow in. A strip of dark teal fabric bound her chest and a matching skirt draped across tempting hips until it hit her ankles. Thick gold bracelets adorned her upper arms and four or five slender gold rings enclosed around her dainty neck. She was something that too resembled a mirage, a cruel apparition brought on by the severe heat. 

    “You like her. My sister.” Turning towards a warm voice, he found one of her sisters standing there, dressed in the same manner as Tiye just in a different color. Knitting his eyebrows, he made it perfectly clear with his expression that he did not understand a word she said. She seemed to understand and grinned, pointing at her. Bringing her two pointer fingers together to meet by the tips, she then pointed to his chest above his heart. To her surprise, he smirked some and nodded, getting the gist of it. She returned his smirk, glancing at her sibling one more time. 

    “Tiye, Mama wants to get going!”

    “Alright…I’m coming.” Closing the flask she came towards them with a smile. 

    “Ready?”

    “Yeah.”

    “Ready?”

    “Ready.”  Before they mounted the horse again, she reached into a satchel and pulled out a white scarf. 

    “Lean down some please.”

    “I told you I’d be fine.”

    “And I know these lands better than you. Bend down please.” She replied with a teasing purse. Swallowing up any argument, he did as she bade and she wrapped the scarf around him, shielding his neck, torso and back from the heat. Tucking the remaining into the sides of his skirt, she appeared satisfied. 

    “Okay, now we’re ready.” Once they’d mounted, he smiled against her cheek and pressed a kiss to it as they continued their journey. 

 

*** 

 

    It was not much longer that they reached the palace. Large statues of Horus decorated each side of the building, standing guard over the Palace. Motifs of her brother were painted further down on each smaller section on either side respectfully. Grand doors painted red, blue, gold and even green met them. A servant of the Queen Mother rode up ahead of them, dressed in a long white tunic. He approached the guards and showed them the royal seal, their eyes hard as they drifted over the camp. Accepting the request to enter, the gates opened. 

    “Welcome Queen Mother. Welcome Daughters of Isis.” Bowing before them, they let them pass, riding further into the inner corridors. Cheol-su’s arms withdrew from around her waist but his hands held still, fingers gripping her smugly. 

    “Gods…what is this magnificent place?” He asked, drawing her attention.

    Smiling, she bit her lips in a smile as she turned slightly, looking up into his expression of awe. Indeed, he’d never before seen anything…any place such as this. As far as the eye could see, up above were massive pillars telling the stories of the pharaohs, of Kush, of victory. Painted in vivid colors, they were truly a treat to the eyes for anyone who had not before seen them. Shielding them from the sun were large multicolored tarps and the hall once busy with activity now grew quiet as they entered. Relieved to be in cool shade, her stallion blew out through his nostrils and fluttered his ears. All around stood people of every shade of brown, all dressed in various robes, skirts and wigs.  Her eyes watered at the sight of it, nostalgia tickling her belly. 

    “Halt.” The raspy voice of a man ordered ahead. She immediately recognized him as the vizier Humai. To that, they did and she dismounted. 

    “What place do you have here little girl?” He asked, lips thin. 

    “How dare you-” Lifting a hand to silence her sisters, she approached the man and lifted back her scarf. 

    “Do you not recognize the sister of the Pharaoh?” The cafe au lait colored man leaned down, much taller than she and peered into her face. His eyes grew wide and he immediately distanced himself, instead falling on his knees hands lifted up. 

    “My sincerest apologies Daughter of Isis. I meant no offense.”

    “Where is my brother?” She asked, a displeased gaze on her face. 

    “He is in the courtyard with the Lady of the Palace and the future king.”

    “Lead us to him.” This time it was not she that spoke but their mother and she was not in the mood for impertinence. 

    “At once my Lady.”  Bowing his head once more, the man straightened up and cleared his throat. 

    “Nofre, Kau, take the Royal Highnesses to the wait chambers to greet the Pharaoh.”

    “Of course.”

    “You.” A jagged tawny finger pointed at him. 

    “We must verify your identity and purpose here. Stay back. ” He lifted his gaze from the pointed finger at his chest to the face it belonged to, eyes steely. 

    “This man is with our camp. His place is with us. That’s all the explanation you need.”  Tiye spoke up, stepping in front of him, forcing the finger to drop. He didn’t seem happy about whatever it was she had said but he had no choice but to acquiesce, drawing his jaw tight as he lowered his head once more. As they passed him, his gaze met his. In his gut, he knew that whoever the man was, he’d prove to be a problem. And at this present time, problems were the last thing he wanted or cared for. 

    The group of them left the now rumbling hall and instead were ushered into a corridor. Tall rectangular pillars held drawings of man and beast, mysterious symbols etched into the stone. Towering palm trees and ripe lush green encouraged a welcomed breeze to hush across their flesh, still hot from the sun. At long last, they were brought to a beautiful sitting room, chairs of gold awaiting them. 

    “Here you may wait. The Pharaoh will be but a moment. I shall notify him of your arrival.”

    “Thank you.” As they sat, she observed him as he preferred to stand, going over to one such pillar and running gentle fingers across the inscriptions and artistry, afraid as though if he touched with a firmer hand it would disappear. 

    “He must learn hieratic should he wish to stay here. You cannot continue to translate every single communication between us.” Drawing her eyes away from him, she found her mother’s. Simply nodding in agreeance, she kept quiet as her gaze found its way back to him. 

    “Stand for the God of the Nile enters!” He turned towards the voice and they all rose to their feet as a host of servants entered, sprinkling petals upon the ground for feet too holy to glance upon. Such large feet they were, clothed in flesh akin to hers, sandals of the finest thread underneath them. 

    “Lift up your heads.” The familiar voice boomed, heavy with bass and power and it brought tears to her. Slowly, she did and when they set eyes on one another, he visibly faltered, taking a step back. 

    “T-Tiye?” 

    “Y-yes…it…it is I brother.” Forsaking the woman and child who stood next to him, he quickly advanced down the stairs and took her up in a bruising hug. 

    “You’ve returned to us little reed.” At his childhood nick name, she felt her cheeks grow warm and he pressed his forehead against hers, lifting the thick pads of his thumbs to brush away stray tears. 

    “I’ve prayed to Horus…I’ve prayed to Ra….even to Isis…to return you to us.” 

    “And here I stand before you.”

    “Here you stand before me indeed.” His thunderous laughter echoed through the chambers and his gaze was friendly and warm as his eyes roamed across the other members of his family. 

    “Mother, you look well. Beauty has only increased with you.” 

    “And you, my son, look well too. How has fate been treating you Akarkhentkats? And my grandson Houteoiri?” The beautiful woman smiled as smoky brown eyes took in her mother. 

    “He fares well Queen Mother. Thank you for always showing concern for this little one.” 

    “And you dear?” She blushed prettily and lifted a hand to her stomach. 

    “I fare just fine. Another son of Gods rests in my womb.” At that, her sisters ran to her and hugged her, beginning to talk excitedly. Diogene’s eyes lifted from her and fell across to the man who had stood pressed against the pillar that had captured his fascination before. He stood still and quiet, eyes observing everything happen. 

    “Who is this?”

    “A visitor from far away shores. He is the man responsible for bringing your sister back to our shores.” Her mother answered before she could and it seemed to satisfy him, though the two locked eyes far longer than she felt comfortable. 

    “I assure you he shall receive treatment well deserved for his deed.”  Looking between them, he smiled some. 

    “He will sleep in the guest chambers and you little reed shall keep me company this night.” 

    “But of course.” Like that, he withdrew from them, son and wife soon following. 

 

*** 

 

    Having spent several hours in the presence of her eldest brother, she found herself standing by one of the many fountains throughout the palace, this one dedicated to the goddess B’sst. In front of her statue, her mother stood, clothed in a white linen dress. 

    “Mama…” Turning, the woman smiled as she approached, a soft meow drawing her gaze downwards. A small black kitten nudged her ankle, bringing a smile to her. 

    “And hello to you little one.” She said softly, picking up the animal. 

    “My child…”

    “Yes mama?”

    “About the man… the prince.”

    “Yes?”

    “He owns your heart.” It wasn’t a question. Smiling at the tiny little head that pressed against her chest, she swallowed and nod. 

    “Yes. He..he does.”

    “He is very strong. Great, mighty and most certainly dangerous when angered.” At that, she laughed some, coming to lean her head on her shoulder. 

    “Very true.” Her mother smiled as she glanced down at her. 

    “That is why you are so important to him. He needs you… needs your energy to center and ground him.” She stayed quiet and the only sound was that of the soft purring and the trickle of water. 

    “He will be a powerful ruler Tiye. One the world has yet to see.”

    “Has B’sst revealed this to you?”

    “No. That is what his blood reveals… told through his gaze.” 

    “Ah.”

    “And you shall help him.” At that, the kitten jumped from her arms and scattered into the moonlight aways from them. Lifting her head from her shoulder, she looked up into her mother’s eyes. Jest she was not. That otherworldly gaze… that wisdom given to her by the Gods…peered into her soul and it gave it a shake, sending chills up and down her spine. 

    “I shall… help him?” 

    “Yes. And you shall rule with him by your side.” She was quiet as gentle fingers lifted to tease her braids. 

    “This is his greatest desire. Amun Ra. Your God of the Sun.” 






Chapter End Notes:

 

A/N: What y'all think about Tiye's Mama? I personally think she likes Cheol-su... likes his spirit. As for Diogenes? What of her sisters? I am diggin this arc if you will haha. Plenty of pictures and everything haha. I'll see y'all next week. I'm gon to bed. 

Love y'all! 

D&L

 

terms: 

Ra-God of the sun 

Isis- Ancient goddess of life, said to protect women, children and heal the sick. 

vizier- like an overseer, his job was to make sure the country, the Kingdom ran smooth 

Tiye's sisters:

Zahra:

Anippe:

Aahhotep:

Shen-pe-uts-neter:

Diogenes, Pharaoh of Egypt and eldest brother of Tiye: 

Adonis Bosso:

His wife, Akarkhentkats, Queen of Egypt 

Zoe Kravitz:

 

Palace:

Inner corridors:

courtyard:

Wait chamber:

 







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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.