The prince's pace was slow as he steadily made his way towards the sentencing chambers. He did want to attend this duty before allowing the prisons to fill again during his absence, but Re did not exactly want to spend the rest of his evening listening to the sentences of criminals. Re let out another long sigh and allowed his eyes to wander the lacey window coverings before turning at last to look at Tamul. “What did Ka say while I was gone?”
“Not much,” his captain answered right away. “He was resigned to his fate by then, but he wasn't happy.” The prince nodded and Tamul bit his lip slightly, “He did have questions for me.”
Re arched one fine eyebrow. “Questions? What is bothering him now?” he asked with mixed annoyance and concern.
“He seems to want to know if you have killed anyone, or ordered it,” Tamul told him.
Prince Re frowned, letting his gaze fall to the marble floor for a little while. “And what did you tell him?”
“That you are a good man,” Tamul said almost fiercely before adding, “Because that is the truth.” The prince turned to him again and Tamul nodded firmly. Re smiled slightly, nodding as well before they reached the sentencing and he attempted to gather some focus.
The proceedings went slowly and Re's mind drifted, unable to pay attention for very long. Instead he kept thinking about his pet and his failed trip to market. The second failed trip, Re's plans had fallen short the first time he had tried this as well. Ka did not feel safe in public, he had made that clear. And Re had been impressed with his clever little pet, thanking him for a punishment while others could hear it. The prince would be thought truly cruel to force him on another outing and Ka had known exactly what he was doing. He was surely aware it may not stop Prince Re, but it would at least give him pause.
Leaving the palace did not seem to be the bonding experience Re had expected it to be anyway. The prince still did not understand what motivated his pet and that continued to bother him. Actually that wasn't true, Re believed his pet had no motivation and that was perhaps even more concerning. His lack of fight was a deliberate choice, Ka submit to his new life like it was a penance. In a way it was, Re supposed, since this was the sentence for his own crimes. With that thought, the prince struggled again to focus on the official and the line of criminals before him.
In a small show of mercy from the gods, the sentencings were at least quiet. A few rebels spat and cursed at the prince, but there was no riot or serious fight. The prisoners did not scream or beg, with only a couple of exceptions. Prince Re listened to those that did plead for mercy and chose to intervene, in both cases sending them to the farms instead. However it was still a struggle to concentrate for long and eventually Re began searching for his escape.
Finally Re could stand it no longer and he lifted a hand to stop. “I am hungry,” he said and the official and scribe both bowed deeply. No one complained and only a handful of criminals were marched back to their cells as Re stood to leave himself. He paused though and turned back to the official. “I do not want to hear from you until at least the day after my return.” The man bowed deeply again and Re turned once more to leave.
“Let us stop by the kitchens,” Tamul encouraged, helping the redhead back out to the halls.
“And the stores, then back to my chambers,” Re ordered. Tamul looked slightly confused, but he did not argue as the two walked the halls. They sent a hot meal back to the room for Toshan to set up, then grabbed a couple of servants to help in the stores. Once there Re was quick to send them away again, carrying a couple of barrels of beer to the prince's chambers.
Tamul was smiling by this point and shook his head as the servants left. “It is almost like your pet is the one going on a trip.”
Re just smirked. “With any luck, he will at least be comfortable while I am away. If it is my gifts that help him, perhaps I will become more dear to him as well.”
The redhead was continuing to wander the dark rows, pulling out a few pots and bags of the more rare supplies. Tamul took everything he was handed, but let out a sound of doubt. “I am not sure you can trade beer and sugared fruits for his affection.”
“That is not what I'm doing!” The prince snapped, bringing a startled gasp from his guard. Re stilled and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself. After a few moments he turned to Tamul with a more serious expression. “It is certainly my hope that it happens, but that is not my goal. Ka . . . Ka has submit to his new station and that station is defined by his master. I believe he questioned you because he is trying to figure out if I am 'good' or not. Because whatever I am, he is as well.”
Tamul interrupted to again state, “You are a good man.”
Re nodded agreement and turned to continue his path through the shelves. “I am a good prince. I do not know if I would stand up to his definition of a good man.” Re was fairly certain he would not, but he had hope that Ka would be understanding if he just had a chance to explain.
Ka was curled up on his own bed leaning against the wall when Re returned to his chambers. The servants had gone and Re crossed the room with a slight sigh. “You are upset again,” he said to his pet as a greeting.
Ka looked up to meet the prince's gaze. “No,” he began to deny before stuttering, “I- well . . .” and letting out an unhappy huff.
“Calm down,” the prince said softly and held out a hand. “Come eat. We can talk.”
At these words, Elia stretched where she was still lying, relaxing on the prince's bed. She stood and sort of wandered towards Toshan as Re guided Ka to the table and the waiting meal. As Elia swept the servant out the door with her, Tamul urged Harim out as well to continue his post in the hall. Finally the captain turned back to Re to ask formally, “Is there anything more you need from me?”
“No,” the prince answered with a shake of his head. “There is still much to do to prepare for our journey. I'll see everyone tomorrow morning.” Tamul nodded to this and bowed, then left the room and pulled the door shut behind him. Prince Re took a drink of his wine before focusing his attention on the brunet sitting across from him. “You may speak freely; tell me why you are upset.”
“I am not upset,” Ka said, though he sounded somewhat unsure of that fact.
“Do you want some beer?” Re suggested, but Ka frowned at the suggestion.
The scribe shook his head and drank some of his water instead. “I am not interested in drinking away my unhappiness. It does not solve anything, it merely numbs the pain.”
Re regarded the other man in silence for a moment before choosing to ignore the obvious criticism. “If one is unable to change the cause of their pain, they can only treat the symptoms. But I understand if it does not appeal to you.”
“At least not all of the time,” Ka compromised. He had a bite of roasted meat and smiled more as he relaxed. “I'm not upset, but all of this is rather overwhelming.” It was more than being given his own bed, the prince had also gotten him a small chest of drawers and two bags to hold his possessions for travel. Ka had watched on in wonder as the servants stocked the room with supplies as if for a celebration feast. And just as startling as his own gifts, Ka had been amazed to see that Toshan had been given his own bed as well. Fitted with drawers and tucked into the corner near the door, it was a much lower quality, but still a comfortable little bed raised off the floor. Ka focused on the prince and asked, “Why are you doing all of this?”
Re smiled slightly. “I want you to be comfortable. Elia will be staying here, you two should be well stocked now, should you decide you simply want to stay in here.”
Ka laughed ruefully, “There is a certain appeal to that.”
“I do not want you to stay here exclusively though,” Re quickly added. “As long as Elia is with you, it is safe to go anywhere you wish.”
Ka's smile grew a bit wider as he said, “I will remember. Thank you, Re.”
The prince smiled himself and ate in silence for a little while before he spoke again. “There is something you wish to ask me,” he said, his gaze focused on Ka again.
The scribe hesitated before he looked up. He stayed quiet another moment before he drew breath and asked, “Why are the servants so afraid of you?”
Re nodded and a wistful smile settled on his face. As he'd thought, trying to figure out if he was good or cruel. Re and Tamul had both focused on the thought of death, but Ka was wise and he did not ask his question is such a limiting way. “For the same reason I do not allow them in my room,” Re answered. Then he paused a moment to lick his lips and warned, “You will not like to hear this.”
Ka frowned and took a deep breath, then nodded for the prince to continue. Re took another long drink and sighed before he began. “When I was still a child, servants would be punished if anything happened to me. There was a period of time that I found it amusing and I deliberately caused trouble for more than one watcher.”
The redhead paused and Ka nodded slightly. “Childish, but you've told me before that you no longer enjoy that sort of 'entertainment'.”
Re was encouraged by the attempt to accept such a fault. “That is true, I find no pleasure in inflicting pain. I do however find it to be very useful.” Re watched as the other man's expression darkened with worry. The prince pursed his lips, but he had decided to do this so he pressed on. “And if an offense is greivous enough, I have little choice but to punish them accordingly.”
The prince trailed into silence again and after a moment Ka gathered the courage to ask, “Have you ever had servants killed?”
“No,” Re answered honestly. “In cases where the king may have killed, I instead choose to teach a lesson.” He hesitated, but continued before Ka spoke again. “If I found a servant had stolen a garment of mine, I ordered they lose a few fingers. More than one servant has sold royal secrets and lost their tongue or an ear for the trouble.”
Ka lifted a hand to cover his mouth absolutely aghast. “And you think that is better than death?”
“I did not say that,” Re snapped at him. “I said it was a lesson to them and the rest of the palace staff. A threat of that sort is enough to quiet even the most rebelious spirit. It is a threat that I do not have to use too often and that I have not been forced to follow through with in years.”
For a long while Ka sat in silence, hand still raised and eyes focused on the table. When he finally looked up, Re met his gaze expectantly. A look of confusion and revoltion settled on Ka's face as he asked, “How many times have you done this; or do even recall?”
“Four people. One of them twice,” Re said without hesitation. He watched as Ka's outrage faded, clearly having expected a much higher figure. “I remember each offense, if you'd like to hear them?” Ka quickly shook his head in refusal and Re offered him a tight smile. “A fearsome reputation can be a useful and powerful weapon.”
Slowly Ka looked up again to ask, “Is that something the king taught you?”
“It is,” Re confirmed solemnly. “And he approves of the reputation I have cultivated. In fact he is often annoyed I do not further it.”
“The world is not simple inside the palace,” Ka said thoughtfully. He was only beginning to understand how true that was. “How young were you when you had to do those things?” Re did not answer and Ka thought he had likely still been very young indeed. “In truth, you had no choice but to follow the king's . . . bad example.”
“His horrible example!” Re cried out in agreement. He paused and blinked, surprised at his own outburst. Ka had a small smile on his lips, clearly amused. Re smiled some himself before he sighed again. “That stupid old man desires control of everything. He would rather be right and crippled than dare accept another person's view.” Ka raised his glass as if toasting his agreement. The prince just shook his head, rather shocked that this might be the thing that the two of them bonded over.
The redhead calmed again however and took the chance to drain the rest of his wine. “Tamul told me you wanted to know if I have put anyone to death.”
Ka nodded, beginning to look unsure again. “You said you havn't had servants killed though.”
“Not servants.” Re's frown returned and he sat back, putting some additional distance between them. “Re has ruled these lands for close to a hundred years. The stories and legends blend together, time can be fluid regarding the King. With the name and title, I also inherit every acclaim and victory, as well as the blame for every loss. It would not be wrong to say I am to blame for every soldier sent to fall in battle.”
At this, Ka shook his head fiercly. “I know you as a mortal man. I understand that ritual like that is important, but you and the king are not the same person.”
Those words made Re feel better and it made his final admission slightly easier. “Regardless of that fact, I am the next official 'King Re' and that has brought other death as well. Only one mortal god may exist upon this earth at once, and that means the king and his chosen heir. When I was old enough to be named heir I was asked if that was my wish. If I agreed, my father's brothers would be put to death, but I still said yes. It was not a personal choice, but it was still my fault they were killed. If I am being open with you, it is best to tell you everything.”
“Unbelievable,” Ka gasped. Almost at once Re was scowling. Just as before, when he had shared the story of watching the taster die, this seemed to have sparked the opposite reaction he'd desired. Then suddenly Ka was on his feet. He stepped around the table and looked down into Re's startled gaze, close enough to see clearly. “You actually believe that!” he gasped in shock.
Re stared back in confusion, unsure how exactly to react. “What are you talking about?”
“You truly believe that you are the reason they were killed,” Ka explained, shaking his head again in disbelief. So much about the prince suddenly made sense to him. “As if you would have ever been allowed to refuse the crown, with your hair like fire, visibly touched by the gods! But you think you actually had a choice, you don't realize it was the king who wanted his own kin dead!”
Re narrowed his eyes in annoyance. “I see your point, but it is a matter of lineage-”
“Your own father murdered his brothers,” Ka bluntly interrupted. “He used you as the excuse, and he made you believe it was true, but that doesn't make it your fault any more than it is mine.” Prince Re did not argue again and simply gazed up in a stunned silence. Ka reached out one hand to the redhead's cheek. He leaned forward and rested his head against Re's. The prince lifted one hand to mirror the gesture and his eyes quickly slipped closed in the peaceful silence.
Ka stayed that way for a long moment before he slowly pulled back again. Re pulled his hand away and immediately began stripping off his bracelets. “It is time for me to sleep.” Ka said nothing, but he stayed close and began to help with the prince's necklaces and other jewels. It gave the prince pause, but then he smiled. “Enjoy your bed,” Re said as he stood and stepped to his own matress to settle in for the night.
“Good night, Re,” Ka said as he crossed the room to settle similarly. “Perhaps we can talk more in the morning.”
“Perhaps,” the prince mumbled but without conviction. This talk had taken quite an unexpected turn and Re was unsure how he felt about it, other than drained. He was sure of one thing though, he felt as if Ka had grown closer to him. Or perhaps more understanding was a better way to think of it. This had not been especially pleasant, but Re was pleased with the results. “Sleep well, Ka.”
-o-o-o-o-o-
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