As the others left in a hurry and Harim pulled the door closed, Ka crossed his arms with a frown. Tamul seemed so convinced that something bad was going to happen while they were away or even because they were away. Ka let out a small sigh, eyeing the distant closed door. After several long moments, he turned his attention to the other man, intending to ask his opinion. Instead he saw Harim pulling off his breastplate, helmet already on the floor as the guard stripped off his armor. “What-what are you doing?” Ka stuttered in complete shock.

Harim paused and looked over, but he was far enough away that Ka couldn’t see his expression. His tone was rather condescending as he answered. “I’m getting some fucking sleep.” He turned away again, blithely stripping down to only the tunic that protected him from the discarded armor. “Prince Re said not to sleep at the same time. You’re going to sleep tonight, right? So I’m sleeping now.” He turned to the bed and the smile could be heard as he finished, “In the prince’s bed!”

Ka let out a sigh and small groan. He turned and went back to his little nest and his reading, rather disappointed to be without companionship yet again. He hoped that the prince would return quickly. However with little else to do, Ka simply settled with his book to pass the afternoon. He didn’t rise again until it was dark enough he couldn’t continue and his stomach was beginning to growl.

Ka stretched as he stood and walked to the bed. He took the flint from the table and lit the torch without much trouble. As light filled the room, Harim groaned from the bed, muttering something unkind and pulling the blanket over his eyes. Ka rolled his eyes slightly and pulled the blanket away. “It is getting late, you’ve been asleep all afternoon.”

The guard just let out another moan, snuggling into the soft feather bed with no shame. “Lemme sleep. Too comfy.”

“Get up,” Ka said again and gave his shoulder a shove. Suddenly he smiled instead, tempting with, “It’s time for dinner, if you’re hungry.”

Harim’s dark eyes opened with a little more focus. “I am hungry,” he muttered and started sitting up.

“Me too,” Ka said with some relief.

Harim let out a huge yawn and with some lingering reluctance, he climbed from the bed. “I’ll ask for something good,” he mumbled, planning to himself. “Meat and fresh fruit.”

“And fresh bread and soup,” Ka added. The guard paused in confusion and Ka gave him a tolerant smile. “For the prince, who is unwell, and here.”

“Right, right,” Harim said, remembering the ruse they needed to keep up. He went to the door and slipped into the hall, only far enough to catch the nearest servant and relay the dinner order. He returned quickly, going back to the bed and flopping down again to wait.

Ka shook his head at the young man. He moved to the table, clearing it for when the meal arrived and looking over the purchases again as he did. “Hey, Harim,” he said and turned to ask, “did the guards pay for these things?”

“What are you talking about,” Harim groaned without getting up. “The royal family doesn’t pay for things.”

Ka felt a frown settle on his lips. That was exactly what he thought and it didn’t sit well with him. “That’s theft!”

“It’s not,” Harim argued back calmly, finally sitting up. “The king owns everything already.”

Ka frowned angrily at him. “Workers need to be compensated though, they need to be paid so they can buy raw materials-”

“None of those vendors are wanting for raw materials.” Harim openly laughed at him and Ka only glowered more darkly. The guard shook his head, his tone still mocking. “Those merchants will be able to claim that Prince Re favors their wares! It will bring them even more business, more than enough to make up for the items given in tribute.”

It still did not sit well with Ka. “A poor craftsman would not be able to survive such a sacrifice.”

Harim laughed again. “Well the prince doesn’t visit poor merchants, does he? Hardly a royal concern.” There was a soft knock at the door and he stood to open it. Ka was still frowning, but he followed to help with the food, not allowing the servant to see past the door. Harim’s eyes were wide and sparkling, practically drooling over the trays as they brought them to the table. “This smells amazing!”

It was amazing, with savory herb and succulent roast aromas filling the air. Ka was better contained but he was just as eager. Sharing the prince’s meals was easily the most enjoyable part of his captivity here, Ka thought as they ate without any real conversation. One hand unconsciously lifted to tug at the golden collar, still locked tight but unchained. He really did have it good here and he was having a much more difficult time thinking of himself as trapped. Though his change in mood could have had more to do with his panic going only several steps from the palace entrance.

Ka was yawning by the time they were finishing the food. “Are you ready to bed down?” Harim asked him, still eating himself.

Ka nodded, somewhat disappointed he still hadn’t managed a decent conversation with the guard. But he was tired, so he stood. “It is getting late and it is difficult to read in the torch light.” Ka turned and went to his pillow nest beneath the window.

“What are you doing?” Harim asked suddenly.

Ka looked towards him before looking again at the cushions. “I’m going to sleep,” he said with a chuckle at the reversal of when the other had bedded down.

“Yeah,” the guard said with confusion. “But why the hell are you over there? Don’t you sleep in Prince Re’s bed?”

Ka was slightly startled by the question and blinked in surprise. He certainly had taken the bed when he was injured. Once he confirmed he was healed though, Re had clearly not wanted to share. And besides that, he didn’t really want to sleep in the prince’s bed. “I’d rather have a space of my own,” he answered after a long pause.

Harim was clearly unconvinced. “Why though? I mean, he’s not here, you don’t have to follow his rules. I won’t tell him, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“No, it isn’t that,” Ka said thoughtfully. “I really do prefer to have my own space, even if it is less grand.”

Harim clearly did not share the sentiment and scoffed slightly. “Well, then I get to keep enjoying it.” With that the young man stood, still in no more than his casual tunic. He stepped to the bed and flopped down happily, reclining against the pillows. “Sleep well.”

Ka simply shook his head again, rather amazed at the attitude. Harim was very young, barely old enough to hold a proper job or marry, his youth really showed in his speech. He was also clearly used to living in comfort. Ka felt angered by that thought, then felt badly for it. His life had been comfortable as well in the past, there was nothing wrong with that.

Ka’s life now was comfortable as well, as long as he did as he was told. The scribe found himself looking around the grand room at the finely carved furniture and the richly colored fabrics. He remembered Elia’s words; this space was technically his now, shared with him by Prince Re. It still wasn’t the same as having his own things, however and Ka was still frowning as he unlocked his cuffs. He could take more, he thought briefly as he removed the necklaces that he’d taken from the prince’s collection. He stripped off the bangles he’d been given and held one for a few moments. Re had approved of the necklaces, but these he had given as a gift. The new pieces from their trip out was all lovely as well, especially the rare jade. It was all just to decorate his pet though and Ka wasn’t entirely sure how it made him feel.

After another few moments Ka set everything aside against the wall where he’d put the sandals that no one had taken from him. The book he’d been studying sat between the jewels and his cushions. Such a small pile of belongings, but worth enough coin to live well for the rest of his life. Of course, he thought with a sigh, he would likely be here for the rest of his life, a possession of the prince. Ka tried to shake off that unpleasant thought and settled down to sleep. He spread his blue blanket over himself and finally smiled again as he closed his eyes to sleep.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Ka slept late into the morning, not awoken by the usual bell. When he did blink his eyes open he looked around to find Harim sitting at the table. Ka yawned and stretched as he got up, coming over to see a simple porridge meal had been brought. Harim was nearly finished eating, but he gestured for the scribe to sit and enjoy the other bowl. “Thank you,” he said quietly and had a few spoonfulls. Then he asked, “Has there been any trouble?”

Harim made a dismissive noise. “Nah, we’re fine. They’ll be back soon, the palace won’t even notice.”

“I hope you’re right,” Ka said. He wanted to express his concerns and perhaps plan a strategy. At the very least he hoped to get some idea of what might be in store as retaliation for the prince’s escapade.

As he opened his mouth to ask, however, Harim stood from the table. “Time for another nap,” he announced. He picked up his meal tray and brought this over to the door. He opened it only long enough to set the tray in the hall before shutting the door again.

“You’re sleeping again?” Ka asked, disappointed as he watched the guard return to the bed.

“I haven’t slept this good in years!” was Harim’s response as he flopped out on the soft mattress once more.

Ka sighed and even let out a small growl. As he finished his breakfast, Harim was already snoring gently and Ka found himself annoyed. He gathered his tray and copied the guard, leaving the empty dishes in the hall. He emptied the last of the water into his goblet and left the pitcher in the hall as well. Then he shut the door and returned to the table, pondering what he was going to do. He was disappointed, but he actually had several options to pass his time. It had been a while since he’d had any option, but now he could read one of his new books or one of the prince’s, admire his jewelry, explore the room some more. He found one of the new books to be a blank journal of heavy papyrus paper which meant he could write if he wanted to.

As he looked through the new purchases – acquisitions, he reminded himself, the royal family didn’t pay for things – a few small boxes caught Ka’s attention. Curious, the scribe gathered them up and set them on the table. He opened the first box to find several polished, gleaming stones in blues and pinks and various smokey blacks. They seemed to be crystal, carved and smoothed to spheres the size of berries, flattened on the bottom so they could sit stable. A larger box held a heavy onyx board and Ka suddenly realized these were pieces for a game. He studied the board a moment, but he didn’t recognize this one. He had played similar games though, usually with pebbles and actual stones. A third box unfolded into a board he did recognize and Ka found himself smiling at the new distractions.

Ka spent the morning analyzing and exploring the prince’s new things. He honestly wasn’t sure if he could claim any of them to be his own, but he tried not to dwell on what a possession was. Eventually Harim woke again and sat up in the bed, groggy and bleary-eyed. “Sleep well?” Ka called to him blandly.

“I did,” Harim answered. He rubbed his face roughly and finally climbed to his feet. “Getting hungry again now.” Ka just shrugged. He’d been eating extremely well the last few days, but he was used to far less. Harim was continuing to ignore him in any case, repeating the process of going to the hall just long enough to relay a meal request to the nearest servant. When the guard returned he moved to the table and took the second seat, casually looking over the game things. “I hope you like what I picked,” he muttered.

Ka looked across the table at the other, remembering the guard had largely chosen the items on their trip. “The books look very interesting, thank you. Did you pick these too?” he asked of the games, practically leaping at the chance to talk with someone.

Harim grinned and nodded. “Yeah, I played these all as a kid. There’s some ways to play by yourself too, like puzzles and challenges.”

“You’ll have to teach me.” Ka was a bit embarrassed that he sounded so eager.

Harim seemed happy to agree though and smiled. “It’ll be fun to play these again, yeah.”

They began setting the boards up only to be interrupted by a gentle knock at the door. Both of them rose, greeting the serving boy and taking the meal before closing the door once again. Food hardly interfered with the stone games and they continued to play for quite some time. Ka was quick to learn and pleased with the challenge some of them presented. Eventually it was the guard to halt the games, declaring a need to stretch or he was going to fall asleep again.

Ka laughed a bit and was eager to join him. He hadn’t gotten much exercise, at least in part because of his poor diet. Now he was finally feeling good again and the movement only made him feel better. He needed to start a routine again, he thought and then wondered if he should bring it up to Re for whatever gift the prince might offer.

This bout of much needed movement was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was firmer than the servant and Ka and Harim both tensed and turned to face the barrier. Ka’s heart was suddenly racing as a dread of the unknown settled over him. Harim swallowed thickly, but then he walked to the door and spoke clearly through it without even touching lock. “Prince Re is refusing visitors.”

“The prince cannot refuse me.”

It was Queen Yana. Harim looked back over his shoulder, but Ka was no help. The scribe had backed away, retreating towards his nest of pillows. Slowly Harim turned to the door again and the guard drew breath. “Your highness, I regret to inform you that Prince Re is ill. H-he’s resting. Asleep.”

For a long time there was silence in the hall. Harim crept closer to the door to hear more clearly until he was touching the wood. Finally he undid the lock and opened the door just a crack. The hall was empty. He leaned out slightly and looked down either direction to see no one. The queen had left, but Harim did not feel confident. He shut the door and locked it again and moved back to the bed. Slowly he pulled on the pieces of his armor again before he stood up for some more practice.

Ka joined him again, but he was noticeably less focused. Harim’s words had not been convincing and his young voice had wavered. He was sure the women on the other side of the door would have noticed as well. The distractions of the morning had been quite nice, but Ka’s unease was quickly returning and growing worse.

-o-o-o-o-o-