Prince Re pushed his door open and stepped inside before pausing to simply admire his pet. Ka lay on the floor of the room, legs sprawled out slightly. His hands were beside his head, with one arm draped to cover his eyes. More bizarrely, all of the man's necklaces and some of his other jewels lay in a pile beside him. The prince chuckled and asked, “What are you doing?”

Ka twitched slightly, suddenly aware of the other's presence. “Absolutely, and in the most literal sense, nothing,” he answered. He moved to sit up and turned towards the prince. “May I have some water please?”

Re crossed to the man's side and bent to grab his goblet. “What was that?” he asked quietly without straightening.

Ka pursed his lips, cringing back slightly. “Please Master,” he asked again. The prince nodded and stood, going to refill the cup once more. Ka was too thirsty to be prideful and took the drink gratefully when it was handed back. He drained half the cup before stopping to catch his breath and offer his gratitude. “Thank you. I asked the girl, but she ignored me.”

“No, they won't speak to you,” Re said with a small laugh. “All the servants have standing orders to ignore anyone in chains.” He reached for Ka's collar, giving the golden chain a soft playful tug.

Ka growled to himself. That was a rather cruel trick, he thought. If he was forced to rely solely on the prince, it was only a matter of time before he craved the redhead's presence. Even now, after a full day of absolutely no interaction to distract him from the passing time, Ka longed for it with the other man. “Have you eaten yet tonight?”

The prince grinned at him, leaning against his bedpost. “Why? Are you hungry?”

Ka sighed slightly and admitted, “Yes. Mostly though I simply have absolutely nothing to do.”

Re laughed again. “And what do you want me to do about that?” Ka was still for a moment before simply shaking his head, at a loss. “Well, you should ask for some entertainment,” the prince scoffed. When his pet remained silent, he prompted, “How did you pass your time before you came here?”

Ka continued to frown at the floor and shook his head again. With another small sigh he finally offered, “I read a lot, I suppose.”

“You suppose?” Re teased, still laughing. “What sort of man does not know how he spends his time?”

Ka shifted to glare up at the redhead. “I spent my time with my wife,” he growled with more anger.

Re's laughter died away, making a thoughtful noise instead. “Mei,” he said slowly as if struggling to recall the name. “Your sister.”

“My cousin,” Ka quickly denied, but Re just chuckled at him once again.

“You cannot lie to royalty, pet. There were many reasons we could have imprisoned you, even before your rampage.”

Ka's gaze fell again guiltily. He felt no shame for his previous life, but it was true he'd broken the king's laws by choosing to live as he had.

After a pause, Re drew his attention again. “Then you like to read?”

The scribe blinked and looked up to answer. “Yes. Old scripture and myths and poetry-”

“You read poetry?!” the prince interrupted him, aghast.

Ka glared at him again. “Why shouldn't I? What's wrong with poetry?”

Re groaned, rolling his eyes and wandering away from the bed. “Nothing I suppose, it's just so . . . tedious! How is something like that supposed to reduce your boredom?”

“Poetry is a beautiful art,” Ka argued back. “A good poet uses words like paints and swords, creating beauty and cutting deep.”

“Do you write?” Re asked abruptly.

Ka stuttered as he lost momentum. “Uh- no,” he muttered. “I write speeches for officials and record their thoughts, nothing artistic.”

“What other talents do you posses?” The prince was in front of his mirror now, not even looking at his pet any longer.

Ka glared towards the royal, rethinking his desires to interact with him. “Reading and writing is a talent in itself in the kingdom. Is that not enough?”

The prince turned to return the glare. “And why do you refuse to answer my questions? Are you trying to rile my anger?”

“Why do you not listen when I do?” Ka shot back.

“Because you do not address me properly,” Re snapped.

Ka only sneered at the royal, “Master.”

The redhead huffed and stalked back to his side. He glared down at the other man and said menacingly, “I thought you were hungry.”

Ka shut his eyes, sinking down slightly. He was hungry and the threat was clear. “I'm sorry, Master.”

“Better,” Re said, but he still sounded annoyed. He shifted slightly, toeing at the pile of jewels. “Put these back on and you can come with me to get some dinner. I won't have you looking like trash.”

Ka opened his eyes, keeping his jaw clenched to avoid making any stray comment. These decorations were the only thing he'd had to look at all day long. Each piece was worth a small fortune, all pure gold with expertly cut jewels. They were almost gaudy and quite heavy, he'd taken them off because he didn't like the feel against his skin. He sighed deeply as he began to put them on again, but he didn't want to spend the night hungry, this was the simpler choice.

Re waited impatiently, arms crossed as he watched his pet. When Ka had finished at last, the prince knelt to release the large chain from his collar. He stood and as Ka joined him, the prince grabbed the golden chain like a lead to pull him along. At first they walked in silence, but soon Re looked back at the other again. “What is your problem with that?” Ka frowned at him in confusion and the prince sighed again. “Calling me 'Master'. Why does it bother you so? How is that any different from calling me 'lord' or 'sire'? You avoid saying it at all if you can and you flinch every time I call you pet.”

Ka cringed again now and quietly muttered, “I am no man's pet.”

This made the prince laugh again. “But royalty is no man.” He gestured with the hand that held Ka's chains, drawing his attention to the halls they were walking. They passed servants now and then, and guards at regular intervals, all stopping their tasks to bow low to the royal. “As their prince, I am their master, and yours. So why flinch at the title?”

Ka was still watching those they passed. He turned slightly to see behind them, watching the vague forms of servants cluster together, reverence turned to gossip. Ka realized he was a point of interest now, probably the subject of numerous rumors. This was the first time most of those at the palace would have seen him in person. A novelty. An oddity. Ka frowned and turned forward again.

“The words we choose are important,” he said slowly. “Every choice should be made with careful thought and intent. If 'lord' and 'master' meant the same thing, then they would not be different words. They are similar, yes, but with inherent and important differences.”

Prince Re made a thoughtful noise and after another moment he stopped. He turned on Ka, catching his chin to admire him. The scribe stiffened in his grip, but he was growing accustomed to this and just submit to the scrutiny. “Tell me,” Re said after another moment. “When I pulled you from that line, what did you think you would be?”

Ka's pale eyes flicked up, meeting with the prince's a moment before aiming downward once more. “Concubine. Or slave,” he answered morosely.

The prince released him, grabbing the chain again to lead him along. “Isn't 'pet' better than those things?”

Ka huffed slightly. “It is different, that doesn't make it better. At least slave still implies humanity, however shackled.”

Re looked back at him, a small smile on his lips. “You are clearly more than a trained writer. Many scribes only copy words. If your past employers had any sense or intelligence, they made good use of your superior gifts.”

Ka blinked awkwardly under the man's gaze. He was unused to such praise, and still keenly aware that this was the prince of his homeland. He could feel himself flush slightly. “Thank you, I suppose.”

“What other talents do you possess?” the prince asked again.

Ka shook his head though. “Nothing, I was just an ordinary scribe.”

Re looked back at him again, but this time with a frown. “Ordinary men do not kill more than a dozen in a blind fury. They do not argue with their prince and continually try his patience!” He gave the chain a sharp tug and Ka was pulled forward, stumbling.

“I don't know!” The scribe yelped slightly. He looked up at the prince, eyes just a bit panicked. “Honestly! They aren't talents to me, they're just things I've always been able to do.” The prince seemed to calm a bit and Ka gave him a nervous shrug. “I do not have any real talents. I cannot play music or dance, I can't build anything useful, or craft anything pretty.”

Re nodded slightly, accepting the answer this time. He began walking again and gave a much gentler tug for his pet to follow. “You have a gift with words,” the prince said. “I would bet you have a superb memory.”

Ka let out a soft amused noise. “You would win that bet. I actually do know several pieces from memory, I guess that's a talent.”

“Yes, one common among scribes, but still quite useful.” The prince looked at him again. “And you can fight.”

Slowly Ka took a deep breath and let it out. “Yes, but only to protect something important.”

“Hmm,” was all the prince said, falling quiet again. They were nearing the kitchens in any case and Re led the way to a large, open court. The space was lit with elaborate metal sconces along the outer walls, otherwise dark and cool, open to the encroaching night. Ka found his gaze pulled up to the sky. The sun was setting, the dark of night chasing the reds and oranges as they faded in the west. He didn't refocus on the prince until another presence joined them.

“Is there anything you need, my prince?” The guard that approached them bowed, but he was smiling jovially as he straightened. “Is this him?” he asked before the prince had given an answer.

Re smiled as if showing off a valued prize. “My new pet. Ka, this is Tamul, a friend.” Aside from a brief glance at the scribe for the introduction, Re's attention was entirely on the other man. He smiled at how impressed his friend seemed to be.

As if confirming the thought, Tamul muttered, “He's kinda cute. Small though.” The guard raised his hand about even with Ka's head and then pulled it back to his chest. He was even taller than Re and chuckled a bit at the petite man. Then he looked to the prince again. “I was expecting a pretty girl though.”

Re scoffed and waved his free hand airily. “I can get girls in the harem.”

“You can get boys there too,” Tamul pointed out.

At this Re smirked slightly. “Not like him,” he answered certainly.

Ka cringed at the thought and Tamul openly laughed at him. “I don't think your pet likes that idea, though.”

Re shrugged as if he didn't care, “I personally find no pleasure in taking that which is not offered.” He turned on Ka, catching his chin again. He smirked and added, “But I have never been refused for long.”

“Anyone to refuse you would be a fool,” Tamul declared. “I am not so inclined, but I would not refuse if you asked.”

“You are too tall,” Re laughed. “Not to mention a guard.”

“Oh yes, you prefer Elia in the harem. Half your height and can lift me without trouble.” They both laughed this time and threw a few other names back and forth in friendly banter.

While the two men were distracted with each other, kitchen staff were arriving with a meal, quickly prepared for the prince's presence. Ka watched them bring out tiny tables with the same sorts of delicacies that he'd seen so far. The prince didn't even seem to notice the servants. He turned at the pause of conversation and smiled as if delighted to find a meal had magically materialized for him. The prince sat on a cushion and gave Ka's chains a small tug, indicating he should settle as well. Ka did and as he folded his legs beneath him, he sank into his own cushion and moaned. Silly, he thought, but he'd only had the hard floor as a seat and bed for three days now. The bit of comfort was more than welcome.

Prince Re made a motion for Tamul to join them, but the guard shook his head. “No, my prince, I'm on duty.”

“I insist,” Re said sternly and it was clear the refusal was just formality. Tamul settled most happily on the other side of the little tables. He did not partake of the food, but relaxed to continue chatting. “What has the palace been saying?” Re asked, gesturing vaguely towards Ka.

Tamul understood and was only too pleased to repeat the gossip that circled the guards. “That you took a prisoner to be your pet. Only a few guards even saw him. Their description of a petite brunet was accurate . . . you understand why I thought it was a girl though.”

Ka tuned out their conversation. The two men were speaking like life-long friends and were completely ignoring him. Instead Ka focused on the food, grabbing morsels from each of the large plates. He enjoyed the food and ate until his belly was full and satisfied. Only then did he realize the others had gone quiet and Ka looked up to find them both watching him.

Re chuckled slightly, saying for the second time. “Are you enjoying the food?”

Ka felt his cheeks flush and he lowered his eyes. “Yes, thank you.” The prince cleared his throat and Ka obediently added, “Master.”

“He's fiesty,” Tamul said with amusement. “He should be grateful to be where he is now.” Tamul said this with his eyes still on Ka, speaking to him in an awkward, indirect way.

It made Re laugh again and he ended it by saying, “You may speak to him, you have my permission.”

Tamul nodded his thanks, immediately demanding, “How can you be disrespectful like that to your prince?”

“To my Master,” Ka corrected with a small growl, glaring slightly at the other man.

“You are fiesty!” Tamul said and again laughed. Then he turned to Re again to ask, “What's wrong with his eyes?”

“He refuses to tell me,” the redhead informed.

He'd barely finished speaking before Tamul was focused on Ka again. “What's wrong with your eyes?” he demanded in a deeper, authoritative voice.

The guard had a natural intimidation to him and, unlike the prince, Ka knew this man was trained to fight. He lowered his eyes again and admitted softly, “I don't really know. It happened in the attack.”

Prince Re made a thoughtful noise and elaborated. “It happened during his rampage. From the attackers, it seems.”

Tamul was suddenly frowning and vaguely repeated 'rampage' before demanding, “You mean the massacre?” His gaze settled on Ka again, visibly furious. “That was you?!” He lunged over the food and grabbed Ka by his necklaces. He pulled the startled scribe to him, scowling into his face and raising his other hand to strike.

The blow didn't come. Re had shoved an arm between the two and pressed lightly against Tamul's chest. The touch was enough to stop the guard acting, but he remained ready to attack. After another moment, Re muttered, “Remember yourself.”

Tamul was still scowling. “I lost a friend to you!” he shouted angrily. But then he just shoved Ka away, with enough force the scribe tumbled to the ground in a heap.

“I could have you killed for that,” Re said, but his voice was gentle. “Ka is my property, you must remember that.”

Slowly Tamul nodded. “I am sorry, my prince.” He took a deep breath to help regain his calm. Then he shifted to stand. “I should get to my rounds, sire.” He pursed his lips, still visibly angry, and glared at Ka again before he left.

Ka was on his knees again by that point and he bowed to the guard. “I'm sorry,” he murmured. “I don't remember much of it . . . but I am sorry.” When he looked up, Tamul only glared again.

He turned his gaze back to the prince and gave a stiff bow. “Have a good night, my prince.”

He left without any friendlier parting. Re still raised his hand and called after him as a friend. “Keep us safe.” In moments they were alone and Re turned his eyes to his pet. “Is that true?” he asked curiously. “You don't remember it?”

Ka let out a deep sigh. He lifted his hands to rub his head slightly, then just sighed again. “I remember pieces . . . but nothing after I took down the leader.”

The prince made a thoughtful noise, pausing to drain his goblet. He stood and so did Ka. The redhead took his chains, beginning to lead him back to his room for the night. He glanced at the scribe and finally spoke. “In truth then, you blacked out. Long before you were stopped, it sounds like. You were honestly not in control of yourself.”

“That is no excuse,” Ka growled, sad and angry with himself.

“No,” Re agreed. “However it is better than believing yourself to be a monster.”

“But I-” Ka began to argue, but the prince cut him off.

“-Was a beast, completely out of control, dangerous and deadly.” He looked back again, meeting his pet's confused gaze. Re smiled at him directly. “That beast and the intelligent man before me are not truly the same. Of that I am certain.”

He turned away again, leading Ka the rest of the way to his room. The scribe remained quiet, mulling over the prince's words. There was no doubt of what he had done, but until now Ka had imagined he had made the choices consciously, if not willingly. As he settled again at the end of the prince's bed, he didn't argue against the chain that locked him into this place. He watched as Re moved about the room, preparing for sleep. The redhead moved for his bad, petting back Ka's hair as he did. The scribe sighed again, but offered a quiet, “Good night, Master Re.”

There was a pleased sound from the bed. Then the torch was out and darkness rushed in around them. “Good night, Ka,” the prince said. Ka smiled, just a little, and lay out to get comfortable on the floor.

-o-o-o-o-o-