Ka had always loved stories. Neither of his parents could read, but they always told him stories about the past and myths about the gods. They took him to the markets and let him listen to the storytellers there. When Ka decided to train for a job, he knew he wanted to read.

The royal library was like a dream he hadn't known existed. Ka moved through the room, hands hovering just above the books and scrolls as he passed them with reverence. The collection had been gathered over generations: it held old clay tablets, scrolls and parchments, books written out on papyrus and bamboo and even on linen fabric. Ka had the thought that everything he'd suffered until now just may have been worth it for access to this place.

He quickly lost himself as he looked through the collection, reading titles curiously. A lot of it was technical or official. There were also copies of every myth he knew and many more, and collected stories and even theater pieces. It was proving to be difficult to pick only one to bring back, but Ka thought it best to do that first. Then he could choose something different to read, if he could make up his mind.

Ka stretched, reaching for a scroll above his head, only to be halted by the reach of his chains. He huffed slightly and glared and the shining gold for a moment. There was nothing to do about it, but he was still annoyed. He growled as he turned to look through a different shelf instead.

Ka abruptly stopped short and gasped. The guard had entered the room without him noticing. He stood close to the scribe and Ka shifted back, instinctively on guard. All of his earlier dread returned, feeling like cornered prey. The man openly scoffed. “Are you going to fight? You think you can win?”

“I'll defend myself,” Ka said, thankful his voice didn't shake. He moved into a fighting stance, grunting slightly when the chains again interfered. A fight in this state was not going to go well; Ka backed away and tried reason. “What do you want, what do you expect? Prince Re will kill you if you attack me.”

“Who says I attacked first?” the man said, almost taunting.

Ka was backing towards the door and when the guard lunged for him, he decided to run. He spun, only to slide to a stop, path blocked by another guard. Ka's blood ran cold, shrinking back again. “I don't want a fight,” he tried, but it was clear these men did.

The first guard was attacking again and Ka stumbled under a heavy blow to his side. He quickly blocked the other man, but then yelped as the man twisted his hand to get a hold of the golden chains himself. Ka was pulled off balance and then the first man was attacking again. The punch landed solid against the side of his head and Ka was knocked into one of the shelves of books. He let out a yelp of pain and his dim vision faded to black for a few moments.

Ka fought his way back to consciousness. He took advantage of the guard's inattention, lashing out with both his fists balled together. The man cursed and dodged, then returned with a slap to Ka's cheek. The sharp sting, instead of the expected solid blow, made Ka stop. Still panicked, he struggled to make out the guard poised above him. Ka focused on the man's tousled chestnut hair and realized he wasn't wearing a helmet. Ka didn't think this was one of his attackers and the man quickly confirmed his thought. “It's Tamul, idiot. Calm down.”

The guard that had almost attacked him the night before. Ka didn't feel especially calmed. As he tried to stand though, the state of his body was suddenly made obvious. The scribe sank back down with a groan of pain. He struggled not to be sick as Tamul's image doubled, then tripled, before fusing into a single form again. He'd been unconscious longer than he thought, taking the abuse of the other two guards.

“Calm down,” Tamul said again and shifted closer. “Take it easy, let me help.” Ka didn't have much choice but to accept the offer and he did not argue when Tamul hooked one arm under his own to help him stand. The guard encouraged him to take a few steps, but Ka fell into his side, grimacing with pain when he tried to put weight on one leg. “You can't walk?” Tamul groaned. He didn't let Ka try again, lifting him clear off the ground instead.

“Ah- wait!” Ka yelped in protest.

“Don't be difficult,” Tamul grumbled as he hooked his other arm under Ka's legs. He was barely hindered by the petite man's weight, easily carrying him back up towards the prince's room.

Ka's pulse was still fast, but the adrenaline was starting to fade. The pain in his leg was steadily increasing, with other battle wounds making themselves known as well. He was thankful the trip to Re's chambers was a short one and he was grateful when Tamul set him down on the prince's bed.

Ka began to shift, intending to move to the floor. Instead the guard grabbed his shoulder, pushing him back onto the mattress. “What are you doing? You're hurt, idiot, stay put!” Then he stood and went back to the door and leaned into the hall. “Get me a healer's kit, will ya?” Ka could hear another voice reply something and Tamul turned back, coming over to him again. The man's movements were professional and efficient and not entirely gentle as he prodded Ka's injuries. “I don't think anything's broken,” he finally declared, but poked Ka's knee a few more times. “They hit ya real good though, you aren't gonna walk very well for a while.”

“Where would I go?” Ka quipped through gritted teeth. After another moment he asked, “You stopped them?” Tamul nodded and the scribe lowered his eyes. “Thank you.”

Tamul was quick, yanking Ka upright by his necklaces. “I am still angry with you!” he shouted before just releasing his grip and letting the startled scribe fall back to the bed. His voice was calm again when he continued. “But you are important to Re, so it is important to me that you remain safe. I expected you to still be with him at the sentencing and when you weren't, I grew concerned.”

Ka's eyes were still a bit wide, but his pulse was slowly calming again. He didn't feel unsafe with this guard and slowly he finally to relax. “Thank you even more then. And I'm sorry again too, about Kamu.”

Tamul lifted his gaze, frowning at the other. “How do you know his name?”

Ka looked away and mumbled, “I've read my report. That was the guard's name.”

Tamul glared at him again. “Yeah it was and he was my friend.” Silence descended on the pair, heavy and awkward until there was a knock at the door. Tamul stood again to answer it, thanking the person on the other side and telling them, “There's no one posted at the library, finish your night there.” Ka could hear the agreement and then Tamul was returning to the bed holding a large leather pouch. He didn't say anything, but pulled out a roll of bandages and a cream that smelled strongly of medicine. Ka yelped as the cream was smeared onto his knee, but it was cool and started to numb the pain some. He yelped much louder when Tamul began to wrap the joint, still not being especially tender. As the bandages tightened and provided support, it helped the pain ease some more. Ka let out a groan, then a deep calming breath. Tamul sighed too. “That's the best I can do. I'm not a healer.”

“I appreciate it very much,” Ka said with another groan. He shifted some, trying to get comfortable as the pain faded into a numb ache.

It wasn't much longer before the pair could hear someone hurrying down the hall, steps rushed and angry. “That'll be Re,” Tamul muttered a moment before the door was shoved open.

The wood whipped around to briefly bang into the wall before starting to shut again. Prince Re burst into the room, full of energy and frustration. He was speaking almost before the others could register his presence, yelling at the guard. “What in all the hells are you thinking! How dare you-” He broke off, eyes landing on Ka, and he stopped in his tracks. The prince was frozen for long enough that Tamul had time to rise to his feet. Finally Re blinked and closed the rest of the space between them. He was still watching Ka and asked, completely aghast, “What happened?!”

The scribe let out a slight 'uh' before Tamul spoke. “I'm sorry, my prince. It is . . . unwise to leave your pet alone.”

The redhead turned to him to demand, “He was attacked?” Re turned on the scribe again, his anger quickly growing. “By who!”

Ka shook his head slightly before lowering his gaze. “I can't even tell you what their faces look like.”

Re's breath was still fast. His expression only grew more angry as he struggled to think of what to do. After another moment he spun on Tamul again. “But you can name them, you know everyone in the palace. Who the hell did this!”

Tamul swallowed and bowed. “It is my fault,” he said quickly. “I'm sorry. I was still upset last night. After my post . . . my tongue got away from me. The whole palace must know who he is by now. A lot of people are still angry about the massacre.” He didn't rise, staying bowed low enough his head was below the prince's.

“That does not answer my question!” Re yelled, still furious, and Tamul winced back a bit.

It was Ka to speak this time, his voice quiet and confident. “What a terrible thing to ask a man you call friend.” The prince stilled, eyes sliding to regard his pet. Ka was watching him in return, not lowering his own gaze. “He does know who it was, but he also lives with these people. He has to sleep with them, take meals with them . . . I'm assuming,” Ka added and glanced at the man in question, who nodded. Ka nodded as well, spurred on by the confirmation. “If he betrays them, whether they deserve it or not, everyone else will know he is not to be trusted. And he still has to live with them.”

Re frowned and let out a soft growl. He turned on Tamul again and stuck a finger into his face. “Then deliver a message for me instead. Whichever guards did this, you tell them their victim just saved their lives.” The guard nodded immediately, looking rather relieved. Re was still frowning, but he pulled his hand back. “I want you posted here tonight. Get what you'll need and come back. Be quick.”

“As fast as I can,” Tamul agreed and bowed again before turning to the door immediately.

As he left, Re turned his attention back to Ka. He leaned close, one hand hovering beside the scribe's head just above an already swelling bruise. His hands moved down, fingers ghosting over small bruises and cuts all over his chest. He met Ka's eyes again, lifting one hand to cup his cheek. “Are you all right?”

Ka nodded slightly. He let out a long breath and it seemed to steal his strength away. He was suddenly tired, the last of the adrenaline disappearing. Ka leaned into the touch slightly, his eyes closing as he did. “I should be all right, I've been through worse.”

Re let out an unhappy sound. “I'll bring a healer if you need it.”

Ka smiled a little and shook his head. “No, my knee is already wrapped. I just need to rest.”

“Hmm, here?” Re asked with a bit of playfulness.

Ka blinked his eyes open. He looked from the prince's smirk – close enough he could see it clearly – to the bed he was laying on. “Uh, n-not right here, no.”

The prince only leaned closer. “I would be more than happy to share my bed with you, Ka.”

The scribe was blushing now. He could only shake his head slightly, unable to refuse aloud.

Re lifted his other hand, petting back Ka's hair before he slowly pulled away. “Mine is the only bed here, are you certain?” Ka shook his head again and the prince sighed. He stood from the mattress and went around his room to gather several of the cushions. He piled them at the foot of his bed, arranging them a bit into a more comfortable nest. Then he turned back to Ka. “Come then, let's get you settled before you fall asleep.”

Ka sat there with his mouth slightly agape. The prince held out and arm and slowly Ka reached out to accept the help. He shifted to the edge of the bed, leaning hard against the other to get to his feet. He leaned into the prince's side, limping the couple of steps to the pillows, then trusted Re not to let him fall as he settled to the ground. Ka kept his leg out straight as he knelt, this wasn't the first time he'd had to deal with an injury like this. With Re to keep him balanced, he managed to sit and then lie back without aggravating any wounds.

Re took advantage of the nearness to look more closely at the brunet. He lifted a hand to the swelling bruise and Ka winced when he touched it. Re pulled his hand back, letting only his eyes roam the cuts and bruises and scars. The prince frowned faintly as he noticed the marks of battles past. It was only that morning that he was admiring how perfect and unmarred his pet's skin was. Now he saw the thin white scars on his fists, the slightly-off tilt of a nose that had been broken a few times. The blooming purples and reds of the bruise on his temple revealed another scar there, slanting down towards his ear. The mark remained pale even while the skin around it darkened.

Slowly the prince realized Ka was watching him still, eyes wide. He seemed to be expecting something. Poised right over him, close enough his red hair brushed against the scribe's almond skin, Re knew what the other thought would come. Instead of taking it, Re shifted back again. He moved to the water pitcher and grabbed a silk cloth from the drawers. He wet the cloth and filled Ka's goblet, bringing both back to the scribe. “You need to rest,” he said and handed over the drink. Ka took a few gulps before setting it aside and just looking at the prince again. Re used the cloth to gently wipe his brow and clean his face. His other hand lifted to pet back Ka's hair once. “I'm sorry this happened,” he said quietly. “You will be safe here, you have my word.”

And a king – or a prince – was only as good as his word. Ka was suddenly tired. He felt safe and as the stress finally dissipated, he felt his eyes drifting closed. “This was not your fault,” he said with a morose resignation.

“It was not yours either, Ka,” the prince returned firmly. He hooked a finger under Ka's chin again and the scribe's eyes opened to look at him with a bit of nervousness. Re slid his thumb across the other's chin, then sighed as he pulled his hand away. “Rest,” he said and pet back Ka's hair once more before he stood. “Tamul will be here, you should sleep if you can.” It was not yet very late, but Ka still nodded his agreement, practically asleep already. Re gave the man a small, sad smile and stepped away. “Goodnight, Ka.” He turned for the door to leave, making sure Tamul had returned. The prince paused long enough to look back at Ka one last time, watching the scribe quickly drift to sleep.