The day passed slowly for Ka. He did call for Elia the few times he needed her, otherwise spending the day in bed, reading and dozing in the sun’s warmth. He read through the books, admiring the skill of the scribe more than the simple, childish language. It did refresh his memory for some of the myths of the gods: stories he could retell with finer phrasing.
He’d run out of reading material by the time Elia entered again with a midday meal. “How are you feeling?” the petite woman asked as she brought the tray to the bed.
“I’m all right,” Ka said, jumping at this chance for real interaction. “Can you . . . stay a while?”
The woman smiled at him happily. “Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem, sweetie.” She turned to get a chair from the table and pulled it closer to the bedside, then hopped onto it with a little sigh of relief. “What do you want to talk about?”
Ka blinked a few times, drawing a blank. He wanted to talk, but hadn’t really thought it out further than the desire. “How long have you been in the castle?” he finally asked.
“Oh, I’ve been here most of my life,” she said with a pleasant giggle. “My, um, stature was obvious even when I was young. I was only six or so when my family tried to find a permanent home for me. I am smart and strong, I don’t need to be hidden away, they were looking for a job that would take me in, so I wouldn’t end up on the streets.” The woman paused, absolutely beaming at the memories as they stirred. “The gods were certainly smiling on me, because the job they found was here, in the palace! I was brought to live here and grew up with the servants.”
Ka’s eyebrows raised, surprised. “You were a servant?”
“Until I was grown,” Elia confirmed, before laughing. “As grown as I got, I mean.” Ka couldn’t help but chuckle with her, smiling at her good nature. “I was fine with that life, but a few of the royal family took a rather different interest in me. That’s when I joined the harem, and I’ve been there ever since. Until now!” he added happily.
“Now you’re a guard,” Ka said, still with some laughter in his voice. “I heard Tamul say that you knew how to fight, where’d you learn?”
“Oh honey,” Elia chuckled again, this time at the scribe. “I was sent out for shopping errands because I was trusted. “Back then I could be picked up by the weakest of men. I learned to fight with some of the guards and I put it to damn good use several times!” She said this with pride, clenching one fist in remembered triumph.
“This city can be dangerous. You must be good,” Ka said, appropriately impressed.
“I’ve heard you’re good too,” the woman said, eyebrow raised.
Ka shook his head though. “I only fight to protect.”
“Yeah,” Elia agreed. “I fight to protect myself.”
Ka’s smile returned and he nodded. “Something very important indeed.”
“I get what you mean though,” the woman continued. “A lot of the guards- well lots of people, really. They think fighting is sport and game. Some people find joy in pain, but not me.”
“We’re on the bottom, we endure the pain for others to enjoy,” Ka muttered as his smile disappeared again.
This time Elia shook her head. She turned, climbing onto her knees to rise taller than Ka’s reclined form. “You are pretty far from the bottom, you realize.” She gestured to the room around them, her arm sweeping grandly across the space. “All of this is yours now!”
“All of this is Re’s,” Ka immediately argued.
“And the palace belongs to the king,” Elia said with a shrug as she sat again. “But I live in these walls, I eat the food, I enjoy the gardens, I listen to the music. I’ve danced with royals in more ways than one . . . tell me I am not a princess.”
Ka was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. Finally though he shook his head. “You’re not though. You’re still a servant, really. You can’t leave.”
“Why would I want to leave?” Elia asked. Then with honest confusion she followed with, “Do you think a princess is allowed to leave the palace?”
For another moment, Ka was quiet. The answer to that seemed obvious; a princess could do anything she wanted, of course she could leave if she chose. Ka didn’t say anything aloud though, realizing before the words even formed that such a simple assumption was undoubtedly wrong.
Elia smiled again, reaching out to pat the scribe’s arm. “A princess is a servant too. To her king, her husband, her mother and brothers. But she is still a princess, surrounded by the most amazing opulence in the land. I choose to enjoy that.”
Sitting on a plush, feather-filled bed on silken cloth, eating food forbidden to peasants and far too expensive even for the rich, Ka did feel like a prince. “It is nice,” he said gently. He could see the woman’s point and he had seen amazing things in just his handful of days here. He’d also seen the prince’s anger and felt his wrath, the palace was filled with both extremes. If Ka could only stay in the prince’s good graces, being trapped here was beginning to have more appeal.
“I should get back to my post,” Elia sighed and hopped off of the chair again.
Ka nodded in understanding, still a bit lost in thought. “Wait- Wait, first another favor?”
“Whatever you need, sweetie.”
Ka smiled at her warmth. “Do you think you could help me to the window?”
The woman hesitated a little before she nodded. “You’re not supposed to stand, but if you’re careful I guess it’s fine.”
“You’re strong, right?” Ka goaded her on. The woman chuckled and stepped close, letting Ka use her as a crutch to limp to the large open window. Elia helped him settle and brought a spare pillow to help keep his knee cushioned, then a fresh goblet of water. Ka thanked her, but his face was already turned toward the sun, eyes shut in the warmth.
He passed the rest of the day there, thinking about what Elia had said. He thought about Prince Re and about his night in the cold. He thought about past decisions and slowly dozed off again in the sun. When he woke again it was dark, but someone had been in to light the torches. Ka looked out at the inky blackness of the night before turning his gaze to the warm room. He still couldn’t see anything clearly, but it was far preferable to the endless nothing of the dark.
After some time, the door of the room burst open without warning. Ka jumped as Re and Tamul both stumbled in, laughing. The smell of wine was very strong and Ka imagined the prince had spent a good portion of his day drinking. The prince was focused on the bed, visibly confused a moment before he oriented of Ka. “What are you doing over there?” the redhead asked with a frown. He seemed more confused than angry, but still demanded, “Let me get you back to bed.”
Ka didn’t argue except to ensure the prince actually had his balance. Re got him settled again before grinning. He leaned in with no warning, pressing a messy kiss against Ka’s pursed lips. The scribe cringed back and wiped his lips the moment the prince pulled away. Ka glared daggers at the drunken transgression, but the prince hardly noticed him. He stumbled back to Tamul’s side and the two rejoined the conversation they’d already been having. Ka continued to frown, able to discern the pair were complaining about guards as they wound down their night. Before long Re pulled the other into a hug and when he was released, Tamul bowed properly to the royal and took his leave. He stumbled out to the hall with a small laugh and pulled the door shut behind him.
Ka’s gaze was still on the prince. The redhead crossed to his mirror, leaning against the dresser as he pulled off his jewels for the night. He stripped off his blue tunic as well and then moved for the bed in only his loose beige pants. Suddenly Ka’s eyes widened, realizing belatedly that he would be sharing a bed with the prince again. And more importantly, with an obviously drunk prince. “I should sleep on the cushions tonight,” he tried to suggest, shifting away.
Prince Re closed the last few steps to the bed, leaned across it and thrust his finger towards the other man’s nose. “You will not move from this bed until you are healed!” The stern command was instantly tempered as the prince wavered, then turned to look back at the window. “Or there. You can be there, too. Did she carry you?” he asked with a sudden fit of giggles.
“No,” Ka answered warily. He watched the prince nervously, but it seemed there was little he could do. It wouldn’t be wise to disobey a direct command and risk angering the royal. Ka wasn’t certain he wanted to anger him at all, so he settled again and got himself comfortable. “You’ll let me sleep?” he asked nervously.
Prince Re laughed again, settling onto the mattress and pulling the lush quilts up over them. “You have no need to worry. I’ve come from the harem, you can sleep without fear.” He continued to laugh and despite his words he gave the scribe another kiss before lying down.
Again Ka wiped his lips, glaring at the prince. He may as well have glared at the wall, Prince Re was already asleep. He snored faintly and the noise only grew louder as he slipped deeper into slumber. Ka sighed and closed his eyes. It was warm here, cocooned in fine fabrics on the softest bed Ka had ever known. Surrounded by opulence, he thought with a rueful smile. Ka shut his eyes and snuggled into the warm bed to spend a comfortable and enjoyable night.
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