The servant who brought breakfast was turned away at the door. Prince Re was not disturbed, letting him sleep well into the morning. When the man did wake, he lingered in the warmth for a few moments longer. Ka’s faint musk filled his nose and the other man’s heat still pervaded the bed. He wasn’t laying beside the prince though and slowly Re opened his eyes. He could feel Ka’s weight near his feet and he turned to see the scribe sitting at the edge of the bed.
Ka was looking at his hands, focused on the thing he held in them. He was examining the shining gold shackle, right wrist freed of the constraint. Re’s eyes widened, sitting up in a stunned silence. Ka lifted his eyes to look at the redhead, then looked back at the cuff as he moved to put it back around his wrist. Re suddenly glowered at him, hand shooting out to grab that freed wrist. “Who taught you the lock!” He demanded in a harsh yell.
Ka’s expression darkened. He pulled his arm back, twisting to expertly slip free of the prince’s long fingers. “Nobody!” He snapped in reply. “No one had to, it is only a four step puzzle.”
Prince Re gaped at his pet, completely off balance. “Wh-when did you figure it out?!”
Ka looked thoughtful for a moment before saying. “My second day here? Third?”
Re just shook his head again, baffled. After a few moments of open-mouthed silence, the prince finally voiced the only real question he truly had. “Then . . . why are you still here?”
Ka frowned at him. “I didn’t do this to try and escape,” he practically scoffed. “It was just something to do. You still haven’t given me anything to do.” The prince continued to gape and Ka looked away with a slight sigh. “I also haven’t been able to figure out the lock I cannot see.” He reached up to tug a bit at the collar before letting his hands drop back to his lap.
There were other problems the scribe would face if he attempted to flee, Re knew. But the prince could only think of one thing – the fact that those cuffs were the only thing locking him in place through the night. Even if he couldn’t escape, he could have been more comfortable. Slowly Re shook his head, still quite confused. “I think . . . I think I have misunderstood our positions here.”
“Have you?” Ka asked and looked to him again. “I’ve always understood where we stand.”
“Enlighten me,” the prince said with a mix of curiosity and anger.
Ka hesitated a moment before he nodded. “All right. You, my prince, are the one in control. The one who lives apart from the dangers of daily life. The one who is always looking for something to fill your time and catch your interest. You live in opulence and barely know how fortunate you are.”
“I’ve lived my whole life in the same desert as you,” Re challenged.
“With all due respect,” Ka said in a tone that implied the prince was due very little indeed, “You have lived your whole life in a palace where you do not even know the annoyance of warm drinking water.”
Silence fell between the two. Re was glaring slightly, but Ka met this with an even stare. Finally the prince took a slow, deep breath and prompted, “Now tell me where you stand.”
Ka hesitated again, but continued surely. “I’m nothing, a ghost. I gave up my right to argue or decide my own fate. I’m whatever you choose . . . your game,” he finished and his gaze fell again.
For a moment, Re worried the man’s spirit was truly broken. With anyone else it may have been true, but there was still some pride in his voice and Re believed Ka was stronger than that. Strong enough that he chose not to fight or flee, subjecting himself to punishment he felt he deserved. “You are not a game,” the prince said, remembering when he had said that. “You are a challenge - a puzzle.”
Ka sighed slightly and nodded. “If that is what you want, Master.”
The prince frowned back at him. His pet wasn’t broken, but he did seem rather beaten. “Re,” the redhead said quietly.
Ka blinked a couple of times before looking at the other with a curious, “What?”
“You may call me Re,” the prince said more loudly. “When we are alone, in here. It must remain ‘master’ in front of others, but I no longer think the title is quite appropriate if your own resolve is the only thing keeping you here.”
Ka blinked again in surprise, his cheeks coloring a bit. His gaze fell once more to focus on his own lap. “Well, it is not the only thing. I’m afraid I can’t stand at the moment.”
Re followed his gaze, noticing the scribe’s knee. The night hadn’t been kind to the injury and now it was swollen and red. Re finally tossed the blanket aside and stood to be in front of the other. He focused on the injury for a moment before asking with worry, “Are you in pain?”
“Not if I stay here,” Ka said, indicating the bed.
Re frowned and reached for Ka’s chin to tilt his face up. “Then stay here and rest a bit more. I’ll call the healer and get some food for us both.” Ka nodded in the grip and Re gave him a tight smile. Then the prince leaned forward for a kiss, but Ka stiffed and turned away. Re was still for a moment. He took a slow breath and then straightened, pulling his hand back with a small caress of the other’s cheek. “Stay here,” he said again and then turned for the door.
Tamul was in the hall and he fell in step behind Re. The prince stopped almost at once and turned on him with a glare. “Stay at your post.”
Tamul raised an eyebrow at his friend. “I am. I am your guard, not his. The whole point of a private guard is to protect you at all times.”
“But that isn’t why I wanted it!” Re snapped.
The guard bowed respectfully. “I know, my lord. Imagine what they would say though. My proper place is protecting you, if I am not there, people will wonder why. You want to draw less attention to Ka, not more.”
Re growled, unhappy with the logic but unable to refute it. He turned to continue and growled, “Then we’ll get Elia.”
“No we can’t. She’s new to being a guard, she needs more rest and time to train. And Harim is already asleep,” he added preemptively.
Re growled again, more loudly. “Then I need more guards!”
This made Tamul sigh almost as loudly. He reached up, scrubbing his hair some beneath his helmet. “Yes, I know, but it is harder than I expected. Nearly every guard in the palace would happily beat him to death if they could get away with it.”
That was a slight exaggeration, but Re understood what he meant. It was also important to choose men and women that were loyal to the prince, even over the king. Re groaned a bit and put a hand to his head in frustration. “I trust you, Tamul. But for the love of the gods, hurry up!”
“I will, my lord, I will. For now, you can send me back with breakfast,” he suggested as a compromise.
This seemed to ease the prince’s mood and he relaxed a bit. “No, I’ll send you with the healer, I’ll get food myself.”
“An excellent idea,” Tamul agreed easily. It wasn’t long at all before they’d found the woman and Tamul quickly left to escort her back to Ka.
Re sighed again as he made his way to the kitchens. The thought of guards shadowing him day in and day out didn’t sit well with the prince. Thinking about it made him feel claustrophobic. When the prince was young, the king’s private guard followed him just as closely as his father. As he grew old enough to wander on his own, these grown men had been replaced with children closer to his age. They were usually children of trusted palace staff, always larger and stronger than the prince. It was when he had first befriended Tamul.
The older Re got, the more he hated the ever-present guards around him. More and more he began to slip away from them. Tamul became a real friend, not just a watcher, and so he was the only one Re didn’t try to leave behind. It took years, but gradually the other children stopped shadowing him and eventually Re was only watched by the normal palace guard. Tamul soon began training to join those soldiers and Re spent most of his time in the palace by himself. By that point he was old enough to reason on his own and keep himself safe, Re imagined that was why his solitude was respected. He did not want to give that up.
Re also wanted his pet to be safe. The king might have enjoyed watching him squirm, uncomfortable with the knowledge that he was surrounded by enemies that wanted revenge on him. Re found himself frowning at the guards he passed, uncomfortable himself at the thought. Tamul was right to be selective, they needed to trust the people he chose. And Re would submit to an ever-present guard again, it seemed a fairly small price to pay for his peace of mind.
By the time Re returned to his room, servant trailing behind with a food-laden tray, the healer was wrapping Ka’s knee again. “How is it?” the prince asked immediately as he crossed to the bed.
The healer stood from her work to bow low to the prince before answering. “The damage is not that severe. If you want it to heal, he needs to keep off of it completely. If you want it to be permanent, a few hours of labor will do it.”
Ka refocused on the woman, completely horrified. Even as Re instructed her to wrap the injury, Ka felt sick. She had given the assessment so casually, apparently not caring which choice was made. She was completely willing to harm and hinder if it pleased the royal family.
It took a few moments for him to realize Re was watching him. The scribe blinked some and focused on him in return, making the prince smile in approval. “You are to stay here, I expect you to call for help with anything. You will not stand without Tamul or myself at your side.”
Ka nodded at once, answering, “Yes, Master.” The prince hesitated for another moment, but his smile only grew as he turned to discuss details with his guard. The healer finished her work quickly and Re dismissed them both. Ka watched them go, waiting for the door to shut before speaking. “Re?”
The prince turned to him again with a curious look. Ka smiled slightly and the redhead frowned at him. “What?” he asked, confused.
“What are you doing today?” the scribe asked as he shook his head.
Re let out a dramatic sigh, rolling his eyes. “I had wanted to go shopping, but I suppose that will have to wait.” He turned to the table where the food tray had been left, picking it up to bring directly to the bed. “I’m sure the generals are waiting for me,” he grumbled. “And the prison official, too.” He sat with another sigh, settling the food between them to share.
“Then I’ll be alone again?” Ka said with a sigh of his own.
Re didn’t answer for a few long moments. Ka would be alone, Tamul would follow the prince just as he’d done earlier. “I will bring Elia-”
“And a book?” Ka interrupted.
Re slowly nodded. “Yes, I will bring you something to do.” He chuckled a bit and stood. He went to his small bookcase and gathered a few of the books. They were simple collections of children’s myths, but it was surely better than nothing. “I will bring something better than this later,” he promised as he handed them over to Ka.
“And I will stay here,” Ka promised in return. He leaned back against the pillows, reaching for more food and examining the books.
Prince Re smiled again as he stood. “Good. Rest. And Elia will be here, so call for help,” he added a bit sternly. Ka nodded and Re lingered another few moments to just enjoy the other’s presence before he left to deal with his day.
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