Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The memories of her childhood always were a huge comfort for her in times like these. Not that her current life situation was bad – she had excellent food, a soft bed she could sleep in, a roof over her head. She was grateful for this and everything else the priest of the temple was offering but that was all. As soon as... 'work' started she felt tired and weary – not that she showed it. She knew other women wished to be in her position while she wished to be in theirs. She missed her past life in her small village, with her parents and her siblings, their little farm – and him.

How foolish to dream of him and the promise he had made when they were only around 8 years old. Still children, innocent and clueless. But his smile had been so honest, like his voice, his words. In fact, this honesty still made her cling to his promise after all those years. Even though she didn’t know if he was even alive, she still clung to it. And that was the reason why she still felt this discomfort in her current situation, even though it made life of high social status possible. Wealth and position never were something important to her.

“Nebet, may I help you with your work?” The small voice behind her pulled her out of her thoughts and Nefertari turned around. A gentle smile blossomed on her face when she saw the fragile looking girl standing a few meters away from her between the reeds, fiddling with her hands.

“Hasina,” she said and gestured her to come closer. “Of course. Come here.”

The girl smiled widely at that, exposing the adorable gap between her teeth, and hopped down the slope until she was in the river, the water reaching her ankles. She crouched down and waited for the older woman to reach her some clothes to help her wash. “Here,” Nefertari said in a soft, almost motherly tone and showed her how to do it. “Like this.” Hasina’s clumsy attempts in washing told her that the girl had no clue about how to do such a simple task. Hasina preferred helping her father with his farm over her mother with housework and still, seeing her trying her best warmed her heart.

“Nebet, did you hear? The pharaoh died.”

Nefertari stopped scrubbing at a stain on the robe and glanced at the girl. She looked focused, her tongue peeking out between her lips as she worked on the dress, splashing water everywhere. “Hasina, didn’t I tell you to stop talking so formally to me?” She looked up from her hands and at the woman and blushed furiously when she noticed that she had slipped into old habits again. “I told you, it is fine to call me by my name, right?”

“S…sorry,” Hasina mumbled embarrassed. “I forget it every time.” Nefertari only chuckled at that and stroked the girl’s cheek to calm her down. She then returned to her work, the smile still gracing her lips as she spoke. “Yes, I heard about the pharaoh. The priests said it was an unexpected but natural death. He had been very sick for a long time apparently. Now he will live in peace and health in the fields of reeds.”

“Yes…” Hasina sounded thoughtful. She always was when they were talking about death and the afterlife, Aaru and Duat, the weighing of the heart with the feather of Maat. She was always so worried that she would fail the test and have her heart devoured by the demon Goddess – something that would not happen, Nefertari was sure of that. Hasina’s heart was pure, there was nothing she should be afraid of.

“Why are you mentioning the pharaoh’s death? Are you worried about the afterlife again?” Nefertari looked at the girl who only shook her head in response. “Hm, no.” They worked in silence, the splashing of the water, the shouts of the people and the sounds of the ibises calming in their own way. When Nefertari reached for the next piece of clothing Hasina spoke up again. “His son became pharaoh. I wonder what that means for father and mother and you and all of Egypt.”

Nefertari stopped working and turned her body so she was facing the girl. “Are you worried that he will be a bad and cruel ruler?”

She lowered her hands into the water and shrugged, looking at her small fingers with a confused expression on her round face. “I don’t know. I don’t know what it means for the people when a king dies and another one takes the throne. Does our life change now?”

“Aren’t you too young to worry about such things?” Nefertari smiled at her, her eyes shimmering with gentleness and warmth. “Though it is admirable how much you worry about your parents and everyone else. It is okay to do so but I am sure there is no reason for worries. I am sure the new pharaoh will protect Egypt and its people as much as his father. That is the duty of a pharaoh after all.”

That seemed to calm the girl down and she looked up from her hands to meet her eyes. “You’re right, Nebe– I mean, Nefertari. A pharaoh is there to protect his people!” Her face was flushed, and she quickly went back to washing the dress between her hands. “I can’t believe I doubted the pharaoh! I shall work hard so Osiris himself can forgive me for my doubts and let me enter the fields of reeds! I don’t want my heart to be eaten because of it!”

Nefertari laughed at her resolve but it wasn’t in a condescending manner. “You are a wonderful and good girl, Hasina,” she said. “There is nothing wrong about having doubts. I am sure the Gods think the same and will forgive you.” That seemed to end their conversation about the pharaoh and they continued washing the clothes in the river. But it didn’t stop Nefertari from thinking about the kings. Menmaatre Seti I, the former pharaoh, had died young which meant that his son – the new pharaoh – was young. Probably. Would things in Egypt really stay the way they were now…?

Foolish. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. As if Egypt would change just because of a younger pharaoh! She sighed and put the last clothing back into her basket before she stood up. “That was all. Thank you for your help, Hasina. I will make sure to tell your mother to stop worrying about your housework skills. You did well.”

“Really?” Hasina’s brown eyes were wide and shiny and she smiled in happiness. “I’m glad I could be of help!”

Nefertari laughed and stroked her thick hair before they made their way out of the river. But before she climbed up the slope, she kneeled down where the water lilies grew and plucked one out, tracing the rim of the pink petals with a nostalgic smile before she tucked it behind her ear so she could attach it to her headdress later. Hasina watched her with curiosity in her eyes and only spoke when they made their way up and back on the road. “Nefertari, I always see you doing that.”

The woman readjusted her grip on the basket and gave her a confused look. “Doing what?”

“The flower.” Hasina gestured towards her own ear. “You always take one with you when you see them. And only them. Why?” It was the typical, innocent curiosity of a child and it reminded her of days where she had felt the same curiosity. She smiled to herself at Hasina’s question and thought about her past and him, his bright smile and golden eyes as he tucked a water lily – the biggest, most beautiful he could find – behind her ear.

“There was a boy,” she said and her tone was as gentle as the warm breeze on their skin. “when I was around your age. He…”

“Nebet!”

A voice interrupted her and the old, comforting memory of him and the flower vanished. Nefertari turned her attention from Hasina towards the young woman that was walking up to them. It was one of the younger, newer women of the temple. “The priest asked me to come get you. It’s that man from Heliopolis.”

Ah. He always came to the temple when he had business around here and was something like a…regular. Nefertari nodded. “Let the others keep him entertained. I shall get ready in the meantime.” She turned towards Hasina with a small, sad smile. “I’m sorry, I have to go quickly. Please give your father and mother my regards, alright?”

Hasina nodded vigorously at that and took a few steps back. “Tell me about the boy next time!” she said and it sounded more like a demand than a wish. Nefertari laughed and agreed with a smile which the girl returned. When she turned around and ran back towards her parent’s farm, Nefertari could feel the calm, relaxed state she had been in throughout the time with Hasina fading and she turned around, her hands tight on the basket. The younger woman from the temple was already on her way and Nefertari followed her and her duties.

“Hey, Nefertari!”

The young girl turned at the familiar voice and smiled widely when she saw the boy sitting high on the branches of a tree near the river. She ran towards him, her grip on the basket tight so she wouldn’t lose its contents. She almost tripped but quickly regained her balance and kept running until she was right under him. She peered up at the boy who tried to glance at her basket. “What do you have there?”

“Apples!” She held the basket up to show him. “My mother gave them to me for us to eat. They are really sweet!”

His golden eyes sparkled at that word. “Oh, perfect. I grew hungry from all the waiting. Come up here, let’s eat them here!”

She lowered her arms which were quivering from the effort of holding the basket and she nibbled on her lower lip. “I…I don’t know if I can make it.” She was too tiny to reach the lowest branch and too weak to climb up the trunk – and she had a basket full with big apples to carry too. He seemed to realize it too because he let out a huff. “Don’t worry, I will help you up. This is nothing for someone as great as me.”

She giggled at that, uncertain of what to say and he did climb down until he was right in front of her, smiling down at her. His eyes were shining so bright like they were the sun itself and Nefertari could feel her heart racing, confused at its reaction.

“Here, we will do it like this…” He undid one of the cloths around his slim hips that held his loose pants up and threw it over her right shoulder, under her left arm, to pull it as tight as possible without hurting her before he knotted the ends together. “See? We will stuff the apples in it. We won’t have to carry that basket up then…”

She barely registered his words. Her entire focus was on his face and how proud he was of himself about his grandiose idea as he was stuffing the apples on her back, the round fruits tight between her body and the cloth. When he had emptied the basket he shifted his gaze towards her once again, still smiling widely at her. “Now you shall get on my back.”

That snapped her out of her dreamlike state. “W…what?”

His smile vanished and a look of confusion was evident on his face. “Did I say something weird?”

“No, but…” She fiddled with her hands. “How do you want to climb that tree with me on your back?”

He grinned at that. “If it’s only that, well, I can show you. All you have to do is to get on my back.” And after a moment of her not moving: “Come on, Nefertari. We won’t fall, I promise. And if we, by some miracle, do fall I will make sure to land first so that you won’t get crushed by me.”

How reassuring! It only made her even more reluctant but the look in his eyes promised her safety and she, after a few more minutes of hesitation, finally agreed. “Alright…but–”

“Excellent!” He turned around so his back was facing her and he bent down a little to make it easier for her to climb him. She leaned her body against his and wrapped her arms around his neck before he stood up, his arms curling around the back of her knees to hoist her up on his back. “Wrap your legs around my waist,” he said. “As tight as possible. Arms too. But don’t choke me, alright?”

She swallowed audibly and let out a tiny ‘yes’, wrapping arms and legs around him tight. He let go of her and then started to climb up the tree. Nefertari was nervous and scared that she would slip off him or that they would both fall down because of her weight and she screwed her eyes shut in fear, her breath coming out in quick puffs against his neck like a rabbit. She was sure he could feel her heartbeat against his back, as quick and frightened as her breathing.

“Hey, Nefertari.”

She let out a small noise.

“Why are you scared?”

Wasn’t it obvious? She didn’t know if it was a serious question because the answer was as clear as the day.

“I promised we wouldn’t fall, didn’t I? You should have faith in me. I always keep my promises.”

She slowly opened her eyes at his words and was surprised to see that they were standing on the branch he had been sitting on earlier. Relief washed through her entire body and she almost loosened her hold on him.

He sat down so she could simply scoot back without any risks of falling down and he turned around when she let go of him, a big, proud smile on his face, one dark brow raised as if he was prompting her to say something.

Which she did. “You’re amazing.”

“Well, of course!” He puffed out his chest in pride, crossing his arms over it and she noticed how he was slightly trembling. His golden eyes followed her gaze and he tensed up, quickly uncrossing his arms.

“You’re shaking,” Nefertari said with a worried voice. “Were you scared as well?”

“Of course not!” Despite his words his cheeks reddened like he had been caught. “It’s from the exertion – not that it was that taxing, it’s–”

“It’s okay, you can say that you were scared. There is nothing wrong with being scared.” She gave him a comforting smile and he looked at her with tight lips before he relaxed in his posture, not bothering to hide his shaky arms anymore. He gazed at his hands, flexing his fingers that were red from the climb. “I wasn’t scared of climbing or falling,” he mumbled. “I was just scared of breaking my promise. I mean, if we did fall even though I promised you we wouldn’t, you would never take any promises of me serious ever again.” He made a displeased face. “Awful.”

She stared at him with her mouth open and her eyes wide, processing his words before she started to laugh with red cheeks. Unbelievable! While she was scared of falling down and breaking her bones he was scared of having her never trusting him again! But now that she thought more about it, broken bones healed quicker than broken trust. Though she could never not trust him, even if he would break a promise.

“It’s okay,” she said with a soft smile and flushed cheeks and he looked at her. “You kept your promise and I am grateful for it.” She reached behind her to pull out an apple from the cloth and gave one to him. “Here, you most certainly deserve one!”

He took it and only bit into it when she got herself an apple as well. He closed his eyes in bliss and hummed. “It’s sweet,” he mumbled.

“Yes.” She was happy at his reaction and took a bite from the fruit. “Just like how you like them.”

The memory of that day was as sweet as the apples they had eaten back then and she was smiling, almost forgetting where she was until she felt the regular from Heliopolis emptying his seed inside her, finally finished with using her body for his pleasure.

Nefertari sighed as she poured the water over her, enjoying how it cascaded down her body and washed away the filth and sweat from a day’s work. It had taken her a while to get out the semen and the remnants of the acacia gum mixture and she felt cleaner now. Guilt gnawed at her for being mentally absent when she was supposed to pleasure her regular and once again she wished she wouldn’t be here, wished she could switch places with a woman who dreamed of her position.

It really wasn’t like prostitutes lived a bad life. They lived similar as nobles, had a reputation almost as Goddesses, they enjoyed their social status, presents and food and as many partners and sex as they ever wanted – something that wouldn’t be possible once they got married, considering how adultery was punished with death.

What was a life as a noble when she had to pay with her body for it? She knew her parents had meant well when they had sold her off to the temple but it never was her wish. Maybe she was the only one who would rather keep her modest life on the farm where she could live in freedom and sleep with a man she actually loved instead of living in a temple which resembled more a golden cage, where she had to display and offer her body to any man who wanted her. The only way to get out was to grow old or to get married – and there were enough men that would want to marry her, considering how beautiful and gentle she was. But marrying and living together with a man she didn’t love was as bad as offering her body.

Maybe she was just a hopeless romantic in a world where pleasure and passion dominated.

“You seem upset. Are you feeling unwell?”

Nefertari looked to her side and saw how one of the older women of the temple, Isesu, the woman who had taught her how to entertain and seduce the visitors of the temple, lowered her body into the water with a small sigh. Her brown hair was up in a bun to keep it dry and she had taken off her make-up, indicating that she was done working for tonight. She looked at Nefertari and smiled at her, pinching her cheek gently. “Are you hurt?”

“No.” Nefertari returned her smile but it was weaker than Isesu’s. She ran a finger over her arm almost mindlessly. “He was gentle. Well, as gentle as he can be.” She went silent and both women knew that Nefertari meant ‘clumsy’ with ‘gentle’. They looked at each other and then started to giggle like little girls.

“Yes, he’s not very skilled.” Isesu chuckled and leaned against the edge of the tub. “At least he doesn’t hurt our sisters with that lack of skill.”

Nefertari smiled to herself. She was right. Since prostitutes were considered as divine beings the visitors of the temple didn’t dare to hurt them out of fear of the wrath of the Gods they were working for in their names. Not that it meant they refrained from having rough sex with them – there were enough times where she was taken so roughly she had been sore and uncomfortable for a day. And whatever kinks and fetishes the visitors had, if they wished for it they went with it – and she had seen and done the strangest things at a man’s request.

The temple was more or less a giant playground where everyone could live out their fantasies and fetishes. Sweet, slow, romantic sex, love making, was rare. In fact, she didn’t think she ever had this kind of sex.

Nefertari got out of the water and grabbed one of the cloths to dry her body before she sat down on the nearest stool and dipped her fingers in a jar of oil, starting with her legs to rub it into her skin. “Nebet–”

“Isesu.”

“Isesu.” Nefertari smiled, the image of Hasina blushing when she caught herself speaking formally with her, vivid in her mind. “Are you happy with your life?”

The older woman glanced at her, her expression thoughtful. “Yes, I think so. Life here in the temple is nicer and more comfortable than my life before it.” Her gaze went unfocused for a moment as if she was reliving a memory of her past. “Though I am sure you feel the same. Didn’t you live on a farm in a small village down the Nile? You weren’t poor but you weren’t rich either. Now you live in wealth and a high position and you don’t have to bruise your hands for it.”

Nefertari frowned a little and focused on rubbing the oil into the skin of her knee. She didn’t say that her former life was exactly what she wanted back, the freedom of deciding what to do when morning came, occupying her hands with weaving and sewing instead of bringing a man to his orgasm – being able to choose her lover, her husband, the man she would give her body and soul. “That is not what I meant,” she said. “Are you happy with doing what we are here for?”

Isesu was rubbing at her arms now and she tilted her head at her words as if she was thinking about them. “...It is pleasurable,” she admitted. “Being worshipped as a Goddess just for some simple hand motions and more. But there are visitors that make me wish I wouldn’t be here, sometimes.” She dropped her hands into the water. “But why these questions, sister? Are you unhappy with the life the priest is providing you?”

“N-no!” She tensed up on her stool. “I don’t want to come off as ungrateful to him or the Gods! I just–” She blushed a little and rubbed circles into her thigh to keep herself busy. “I wonder what it would be like…if someone great would show up and ask for my hand and steal me away from the temple. Like, how life would be if I was with only one man that I love–”

“How foolish.”

She stiffened and glanced at Isesu who was observing her with hard eyes. She merely snorted at Nefertari’s dreamy words like that was all they were – just a dream, wishful thinking. “Men are nice objects of pleasure and that is all.” She sounded bitter and almost disgusted. “Do you really think someone would actually marry you, us? Give them some wine and beer, bring them to orgasm and they will promise you even the pharaoh’s greatest treasures. Men talk a lot but that is all what they can do. Their words and promises are empty and hollow and as soon as you start to fall for them, believe them, trust them, they will leave you.”

The memory of him flashed through her mind. His golden eyes. His bright smile. The water lily between his fingers. The promise on his lips. And the next day he was gone. Vanished. Like he had never existed. Like he was just a dream, an imaginary friend, an illusion.

Nefertari looked at her glistening hands, her mind racing with memories and thoughts, her heart heavy in her throat.

“You know what I mean. I can see it in your face.” Isesu’s voice was gentle now and when Nefertari looked at the older woman, she could see compassion in her brown eyes, and a little bit of regret, as if she was sorry for her hard words. “You were hurt by a man too, am I right? And yet you dream of a life that will never happen, like a little girl. But you are a woman now, Nefertari. No one will come and marry you for your soul. Your beauty and body and youth are the only reason why they come here. Nothing else matters to them.”

Nefertari stood up, not bothering to oil the rest of her body up. “Excuse me,” she whispered, not liking how her voice trembled. “I have been naïve and foolish. I will retreat for the night.” She grabbed the robe she had folded neatly next to the tub and slung it around her body, wrapping her arms around herself as she left the bathing hall. Her lower lip trembled and she pressed her lips together to prevent herself from crying in public. She wasn’t sure if it was because of Isesu’s harsh words or her wounded heart.

Whenever Nefertari was upset, she would walk behind the temple were the riverbank and the small boats were and row to the center of the Nile to calm down, away from all the people, from the temple, the priest and the visitors. The silence of the night and the bright stars always were soothing and her mind and her heart would find peace. However, tonight was different and it started when she noticed that her boat was stuck in the reeds. It was heavy and she was a small woman; it was impossible to get it out of the reeds no matter how hard she pushed. It seemed like they had grown around the boat and kept it in a tight grip. Her hair was still wet from her bath and splashing around in the river started to soak her white dress as well. It clung to her body uncomfortably and the cool breeze of the night air raised goosebumps all over her wet skin. She felt miserable from the inside out and the fact that she wouldn’t be able to calm down and sort out her thoughts and feelings on the river as usual was enough to finally make her loose control over her emotions and tears.

So she just stood there in the water, dress transparent and tight on her skin as she was shaking from the cold and her tears, crying into her hands for herself and her stupidity.

Their words and promises are empty and hollow.

You should have faith in me. I always keep my promises.

She wasn’t sure why it hurt her so much. She wasn’t sure which one she should believe. He had always kept his promises. She had trusted and believed him more than her family. She had loved him. And then he had left her without a word, without telling her why and where; he was gone, just like Isesu had said. Just like how men did. There was no point in clinging to a promise made 14 years ago by a boy she had loved and who had left her in the end.

The realization had hit her hard. She couldn’t stop her tears, her sobs and she wasn’t sure if she even wanted to.

Maybe there was no point in clinging to his promise but it had always been the only thing that had kept her going. Giving up on that wasn’t something she could do so easily. Just the thought of giving up on it felt like dying. And...there was still a tiny bit of hope in her heart that one day he–

“Why are you standing in the river in the middle of the night?”

Her whole body jerked when she heard the deep voice – definitely a male’s voice and not one of the women coming to search for her. She slowly looked up and saw him on the bridge a few meters away from her, sitting on a horse. He had probably crossed the bridge and stopped when he had noticed her – she hoped he hadn’t heard her crying as embarrassment tinted her cheeks pink. But then he spoke again and, just like his previous question, his next words demanded an answer but not in a cruel, dominant way. “Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”

“N…no,” she stammered out and quickly added a ‘neb’. He had the aura of someone of higher position and she averted her gaze. “I’m not hurt it’s just…my boat…is stuck in the reeds…”

He was silent and when she glanced at him again she noticed that he was observing her with calm patience present on his face. He then swung his leg over the horse’s back and hopped down, making his way down the bridge and the slope until he was in the water. The closer he came the more she could see of him and the first thing she noticed was that he was tall for an average Egyptian– she barely reached his shoulders and his towering presence made her flush. She felt like a small child next to him.

His hair was pushed back and out of his face; it seemed to be a lighter shade of brown than she had usually seen, from the way the moonlight poured over him. She couldn’t make out the exact color of his eyes but they seemed to shimmer and they were fascinating – she had looked in so many dark eyes as males were driving into her over and over again and never had she seen someone with eyes lighter than that.

The golden earrings and the jewelry around his neck as well as the black eyeliner around his eyes told her that he was not only a man of high position but most certainly a noble, a wealthy man. It made her even more embarrassed and nervous and – confused. Why would such a man bother to get off his horse for a simple woman?

He stopped next to her and his smell – rich and heavy and as masculine and attractive as the rest of him – reached her nose, enveloped her. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked at the boat with a critical gaze before he raised a leg and put his foot against it, trying to shove it. It was stuck which wasn’t a huge surprise.

He merely hummed and uncrossed his arms to… take off the white cloak he was wearing and Nefertari was too surprised by his action to tear off her gaze on him as he was undressing. She saw that he was wearing a dark top underneath which reached up to his neck but exposed his muscular arms and shoulders and it was tight against his skin, tight enough to see the outlines of his abs and chest and – only then was she able to avert her gaze in shame. She had seen a lot of men undressed but only a few were as fit and muscular as he was. Yet their bodies weren’t fascinating her as much as his and he wasn’t even naked–

What was she thinking? He was a stranger and a noble!

“Here.” His low voice pulled her out of her confused thoughts and she looked up to see him hand over his cloak. “Hold it.” She took the garment and was amazed by the high quality and texture of it. He pulled out a knife from the cloth around his hips and went deeper into the water until it reached his knees, soaking his loose pants slowly but surely.

Again, she wondered why he did this.

He started to cut the boat free from the reeds and it didn’t seem to bother him that he got himself wet and dirty. Nefertari’s embarrassment grew the more reeds he cut and soon she couldn’t take the silence even longer. “I...appreciate your help but you don’t have to do this for me.”

He snorted at her words but kept cutting. “I am well aware of that. Still, I decided to help you so you should not question me and just be grateful for my help.”

His attitude… But still, he didn’t come off as condescending. Even though his tone was high and mighty it was natural in a way and still polite. A strange mixture. But a fascinating one.

“I might help you right now but don’t expect it to be free of charge.”

Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt when she heard him say that and she looked at him with wide, surprised eyes. Well of course. She didn’t know why she was even surprised. As if he would have helped her out of pity or anything else without expecting anything in return. As if anything was free in this life.

“Uhm,” she said in a small, embarrassed voice and wrung her hands. “I…don’t have any money with me right now but…I can go back and get some coins so if you would wait here for me–”

His sudden laughter caught her off guard and she went quiet, confusion evident on her face. He didn’t look at her as he was still cutting away the reeds but she saw a wide, almost arrogant smile gracing his lips. “I am not talking about your money. I am talking about your answer.”

Answer? Her confusion grew even more but she was too insecure to ask him what he meant. He finally looked up when she didn’t say anything and his eyes met hers. Even though there was still a soft smile on his lips his eyes were serious like he expected nothing but honesty and earnestness. “I see a woman standing in the Nile in the middle of the night, drenched to the bone and crying like she wants to cause a flood. Of course, I can’t help but be curious and ask why. Therefore, this is the price you have to pay for my help. Your answer to my question is the only payment I accept.”

She was speechless. How can a stranger – a wealthy stranger – help a common woman without expecting anything in return except for an answer for why she had been crying? It was foolish and unreal and before she could stop herself she said, in all awe and confusion: “You are a strange man.”

They blinked at each other in silence. The only sound was the river and a few animals and people who were still up. And then, what felt like an eternity, the man tilted his head to one side as he kept his gaze on her, his golden earrings clinking with the motion as he said: “You are a strange woman.” And then a smirk slowly spread out on his face and she couldn’t help but smile as well before they both started to chuckle.

The air felt different between them and it was almost like they were acquaintances, like they knew each other for years. He cut away the remaining reeds and then slightly pushed the boat, visibly pleased with himself when he saw that it was no longer stuck. He straightened his back and ran a wet hand through his hair, making a few strands fall into his face and he turned to Nefertari with a raised brow. “I freed your boat. You can move it with ease now.”

She bowed her head at him in gratitude. “Thank you so much, I–” A shiver interrupted her and she went still, slightly embarrassed at herself. She saw how his gaze travelled down her body and how he took her wet form in, the goosebumps on her skin, her nipples stiff from the cold and clearly visible through the fabric and his lips parted. She realized only then that her dress had become transparent from the water and she wrapped her arms around her body to keep herself warm and hide as much as she could. Her face was heating up as her embarrassment rose to newer heights and she hoped the darkness of the night could hide it.

He seemed to read her thoughts because he turned away, his face blank and eyes unreadable. “Use my cloak,” he said as he stuffed the knife back into the cloth around his slim hips. “It will keep you warm and shield you.”

She hesitated, unsure if she should take up his offer. “What about you? You’re wet too.”

“I’m not naked though.”

“I’m not naked either!” Her embarrassed yelling surprised him – and her, to be honest – and he furrowed his brows in confusion. She didn’t say anything and only threw his cloak over herself until it covered all of her body below her chin. Because he was more than a head taller than her, it was big on her and the ends of it dipped into the water around her legs. But she felt more comfortable now and his scent was completely enveloping her.

“Thank you,” she mumbled into the fabric and he merely nodded as a sign that he had heard her. He crossed his arms over his chest and gave her the same serious look from before. “Now, to my payment.”

“About that…” She gripped the cloak tighter and averted her gaze. “I am…afraid I can’t tell you. I really appreciate your help and wished I could tell you to pay you back but...it’s rather personal and…you’re a stranger…”

To her surprise he didn’t seem to be offended or anything. Like he had expected this answer. He merely huffed. “Will you leave this city with the boat?”

She shook her head, slightly puzzled at the change of subject. “I only wanted to row out and appreciate the sight.”

“Alright then.” The sound of the splashing water made her look up and she saw how he was walking out of the river, wringing the water out of his pants as best as he could once he was out. Out of curiosity she asked: “Will you leave this city with the horse?”

He stopped in his movements and looked up at the sky and its countless stars before he turned his head to look at her. “No. I only wanted to ride as fast as I can and appreciate the sight.”

Again. They looked at each other in silence again and it wasn’t uncomfortable or unsettling. In some way, it felt familiar but she couldn’t explain how and why. But before the air between them could change to something different, he turned away with the same blank expression like he was bored and made his way up the slope towards the bridge. She was surprised that he just walked away and quickly stumbled out of the river. “Hey, what about your payment?” she called after him. “How can you walk away after helping me without receiving anything in return?”

“Who says I won’t receive anything?” He looked back at her, that arrogant smile on his lips again. “I did say that I want your answer to my question as a payment, no? And I will get one, I will just have to earn your trust until you are comfortable enough to tell me. Consider yourself to be in my debt until then.”

Unbelievable…! “What– what about your cloak?” she asked, her voice rising in pitch against her will.

He continued his walk until he was back on his horse again, taking the reins as he gave her one final look. “Keep it,” he said and it sounded like a gentle demand. “And return it next time.” With that he was off, over the bridge towards the city. Nefertari guessed that he wanted to exit the city on the other side to ride through the wide lands - and appreciate the sight.

She didn’t know how long she was standing there, staring after him even though he was long gone until she felt another shiver running through her body. She turned to the boat that was now floating freely on the water, thanks to… What was his name? Did she even ask him about it?

She was embarrassed that she had forgotten to ask him. He had cut her boat free and had given her his cloak and she didn’t even know his name. She shook her head to get a hold of herself and gripped his cloak tighter, his rich scent hitting her nose with the movement. Next time, she swore to herself, ignoring the tiny, doubtful voice asking 'next time?' in her head.

Next time I will ask for his name and then I will thank him properly.

Chapter Text

“The weavers say he has eyes like the sun. Everyone is convinced that he is the reincarnation of Ra.”

Eyes like the sun… It reminded her of his eyes, how golden and bright they were. But as rare as it was to see someone with such an eye color, he surely wasn’t the only one born with those eyes.

“He?” Nefertari asked even though she already guessed who Hasina meant as she weighed one of the apples in her hand. The merchant who sold them swore that they were freshly delivered from Greece. She really hoped so. The apples her mother had bought from the merchants when she was a child were from that foreign land and they were the tastiest fruits she had ever eaten. She had looked for the exact apples ever since.

“The pharaoh!” Hasina called out and her voice and her words caused some people to look at her. She seemed to shrink down under their eyes and said in a quieter voice: “The pharaoh. The new pharaoh.”

“You are oddly interested in him, aren’t you?” Nefertari smiled at her and then turned to the merchant with a few apples cradled to her chest, showing him that she was interested in buying them. Only when the money was exchanged and the apples were safely in her basket did she give Hasina her full attention once again. “Are you still doubting him?”

“No…” Hasina crossed her arms over her chest as they made their way through the people, looking at some wares and fruits and other goods every now and then. “I don’t know about you but it is the first time for me to witness a new pharaoh taking the throne. I have to find out every little detail about him to make sure he truly is a good man and a good ruler.”

“And his eye color is important, I assume?”

Hasina blushed. “It c-could be useful information.”

“It could be.” Nefertari laughed and patted her head. “I understand your concern but if the people are sure that he is Ra’s reincarnation, there is no point in doubting him. It would mean you’re doubting Ra, the God himself. He would not harm his lands.”

That made the little girl think. She probably hadn’t thought too much about the reincarnation part; she had been too interested in his eye color. “I really don’t want to doubt the Gods or anger them–” she started to say slowly. “And I know Ra is a good God but…what if he is not? He could be an evil God and we just don’t know it. And then it means the pharaoh is evil too and–”

“Hasina.” How could a child so small and young think about such things older people usually wrote and philosophized about? They way of her thinking was impressing her. She was only 8 years old after all. “Ra fights against Apep every day, when the sun is about to set, to fight off the evil and chaos he wants to spread. How can a God, who protects the world from the lord of chaos, be evil when he fights the evil himself?”

The young girl went quiet at that and watched how Nefertari ran her fingers over some linens that were on display, admiring the quality. “Don’t try to find evil where there is none,” the woman said, voice as gentle as always, even when Hasina had gone so far to doubt the God of sun. Other people would have reacted more violently to her words; they would have accused her of blasphemy, probably. “And also…you have one year to learn more about the pharaoh before he officially becomes the ruler of Egypt.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” The merchant of the linens suddenly joined their conversation and Hasina and Nefertari looked at her in mild surprise. She was an old lady with soft wrinkles around her eyes and mouth and a gentle gaze. “His year of coronation had already started during the lifetime of Seti I, His Majesty.”

“His year of what?” Hasina asked at the same time Nefertari blurted out a puzzled “Already?”

The merchant blinked at them before she started chuckling and she folded some linens with patient hands. “The old pharaoh had started his son’s coronation year a while ago. It seemed he was aware that he had not long to live and he wished to witness his son performing the ceremonies and rituals in his last months. I suppose the people of this city only heard about it now because they were held in the capital of Pharaoh Seti I. I was in the capital selling my goods during the feast of Min–” Her eyes twinkled and Nefertari’s cheeks flushed slightly, knowing exactly what it meant. “–and when I saw it was not Pharaoh Seti I who started the ritual at the Nile but his son I was told that his year of coronation is in progress and his father wanted him to slowly take over the rituals and ceremonies outside of the coronation rites – mostly because he was too sick to do them on his own but also to show him how to perform them as long as he could.”

“So you saw him,” Hasina whispered as she leaned forward with a serious glint in her wide eyes. “You saw the new pharaoh?”

The merchant chuckled. “Yes, I saw everything.”

Nefertari blushed even more and held her head to force the heat down. “Hasina, I think you are too young for this–”

“Nebet, how did he look like?!” Hasina wasn’t even listening to her, too focused on her task of learning about the pharaoh as much as she could.

The merchant grinned. “Well, he is tall…and big–”

“I am very interested in this linen!” Nefertari called out and snatched one white cloth. “Such fine quality! It must be an excellent refreshment for the hot weather! How much do you want for it?”

The merchant laughed and told her the price while Hasina gave the young woman a confused and slightly annoyed look. “Nefertari, why are you speaking so loudly? And why are you interrupting our conversation, I was about to gather even more useful information about the pharaoh!”

“Believe me, this information is less useful than his eye color,” Nefertari mumbled.

“The small one doesn’t know about the masturbation ritual at the Nile during the feast of Min?” the merchant asked with laughter in her voice. It wasn’t a question that required an answer; it was rhetorical, and she only asked it to cause Nefertari more embarrassment and Hasina to ask–

“Masturbation ritual?” The girl looked between the two women, curiosity evident in her eyes and voice. “What is that?

“You will learn when you’re at least as tall as me!” Nefertari put all the severity she could muster herself up to in her voice to make her know that this conversation was over and it only confused the girl more as the merchant laughed in earnest, handing her the neatly folded linen in exchange for the coins. “Thank you very much. May the Gods watch over you.”

“I should thank you for brightening my day.” The merchant smiled warmly at them and there was something mysterious in her eyes. “May Hathor protect you, woman of pleasure.”

Only when they had put some distance between them and the market did Nefertari realize what she had said and wondered briefly how she knew about her duties until she figured out the look in her eyes and its meaning – the way she had looked and spoken about the masturbation ritual so freely and shamelessly, without meaning the ritual and its importance but the pharaoh's act of pleasuring himself, and the knowing, compassionate and almost...sad look in her eyes made her assume that this merchant had probably been a woman of a temple similar to hers in her youth as well.

And somehow it saddened her.

“This is very fine linen.” Hasina’s mother, Mandisa, rubbed the fabric between her fingers and admired its texture. “Very good quality. Where did you purchase it, Nebet? I would love to buy this as well.”

Nefertari sat in their small house, with Hasina playing around in one corner and Mandisa seated across her at the table. The distant sounds of the animals outside reminded her of her own home in the small village. She loved coming to Hasina’s family. Not only because of the familiarity of their farm but also because Mandisa treated her like her daughter and showed her how to do – for women of her social status – simple and typical work such as sewing. Mandisa knew that she was a woman of the temple and that she didn’t need to sew or cook or go shopping as the temple had servants for that, but Nefertari wanted to do such things on her own and she appreciated it that the older woman understood and respected that and taught her everything a common woman needed to know.

“A merchant at the market sold them. We can go there together next time and choose some linens for you.”

“That would be wonderful.” Mandisa smiled at her and the small wrinkles around her eyes deepened. “So? What do you want to make with it? A robe perhaps?”

“I thought about a dress.” Nefertari ran a hand over the fabric. “Something I can wear outside of the temple.” The dresses they wore in the temple usually were revealing, from thin dresses and robes that were easy to see through and remove when they took the visitors to their room, to beaded network dresses that started below their breasts and which they wore when they were dancing and serving the men in the halls. The priest provided them with beautiful dresses in shimmering blue for outside activities but Nefertari refrained from wearing them in public. A woman in blue told the people she was a woman of pleasure and while it was something the prostitutes were proud of to show, Nefertari wanted to be seen as a regular, common woman and not a sex Goddess. So she always wore her simple white dress and a red cloth around her small waist as she completely refused to wear anything blue in public.

“A white dress again?” Mandisa chuckled. “How about a different color for a change? I think red would look beautiful on you. You have such pretty eyes and that unique color would come out more with a nice wine shade.”

Nefertari blushed a little at the compliment. “You think so? Maybe...I should try it out.”

The older woman laughed and put her warm hand over hers, her fingers stroking her skin. “Nefertari,” she said. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” At the pout of Hasina she laughed and added a warm “you too of course, my little sun” before she turned towards the young woman again. “There is nothing wrong in showing that beauty. Come on. Let us dye this linen in a nice red so we can make a dress out of it, alright?”

Hasina jumped up to her feet when Nefertari agreed to it and she ran up to her mother. “Can I join? I want to watch!” Mandisa was surprised at her daughter’s sudden interest since she was never fond of housework and sewing. But she nodded and they went outside where Mandisa showed her how to prepare the ochre mixture for a red color – even Hasina wanted to make it as she was fascinated by the fact that it was possible to dye clothes in any color.

When they started to dye the linen with the mixture, Hasina asked her mother what a masturbation ritual was since ‘Nefertari acted strange and refused to tell’.

Mandisa only smeared some ochre on her daughter’s face and the three of them laughed, even if Hasina was yelling at first. It was enough to make Nefertari forget about the temple she would have return to sooner or later.

It took them a few hours to dye and dry the linen until they could start cutting it and sewing it. Hasina grew bored after a while and left the house to go look for her father who was on the fields with his brother – a man Nefertari only knew from family stories. Apparently, he lived in a nearby village and came for a visit every now and then when Hasina’s father needed another pair of strong hands for his work.

Whenever his brother was mentioned, Mandisa’s eyes would darken without anyone but Nefertari noticing. She never dared to ask her about it, especially when her husband or Hasina was nearby, but she assumed that something had happened between Mandisa and this unknown man.

“It’s done.” Mandisa held up the dress they had been working on together in the past hours and Nefertari clapped her hands, happy with the way it looked. And the color was so beautiful! A rich red, just like the sweet apples her mother had brought from the merchant. “Come on,” Mandisa urged her on and waved with the dress in her hands. “Try it on, I want to see it on you!”

Nefertari didn’t want anything more than to try it on. She hopped to her feet and took the dress from Mandisa’s hands and went inside the house, the older woman following her eagerly. “Here, I will help you.” She undid the cloth around Nefertari’s slim waist while she was slipping the straps of her white dress over her shoulders and soon it pooled down at her feet. Nefertari was about to pull the red dress over her head but the sudden gasp from Mandisa stopped her. She looked at the older woman who was staring at her bare chest before she felt soft fingers on her ribs, below her left breast. “Nefertari,” she breathed out in a shaky voice. “What is that?”

She looked down at her fingers and saw the bruise on her tanned skin. Realizing that it was the cause for Mandisa’s shock made her relax; for a second she had been scared she had seen something truly nasty. “Oh, it’s…” She trailed off, unsure if she should say it but the look in Mandisa’s eyes told her to be honest with her. “It’s from a visitor,” she said and wrung her hands, her gaze traveling to the side. “Last night. He had bent me over the table and it had bumped into me hard and long enough to bruise, I suppose.”

“Oh, Nefertari…” Her name came out as a whisper and Mandisa wrapped her arms around her small frame and pulled her tight against her soft body. Nefertari was confused for a moment but then the woman spoke again. “You are the same as Hasina. You are like a daughter to me. Seeing you bruised because a man is unable to be gentle hurts me.”

Oh. Mandisa, such a good soul… Nefertari closed her eyes for a second and returned the hug. “Please, don’t worry about me.” She pulled back and grabbed Mandisa by her arms, smiling at her. “It is nothing I can’t handle. It won’t happen again.”

Mandisa still looked worried and she opened her mouth to say something but she was interrupted by the door flying open as a man stepped into the house. “I’m back!”

Nefertari yelped and tried to shield her naked body with the red dress but the way how his gaze lingered on her bare shoulders told her that he had seen her. His entire head and face was shaved and his dark eyes were sunken like a vulture’s. This was not the friendly, bearded face of Mandisa’s husband. This had to be his brother.

“We’re back, my love!” The shorter man who followed into the house was the husband. He was smiling but when he saw Nefertari, he quickly turned around. “Oops. I did not know Nefertari is here. Don’t worry, I haven’t seen anything!”

“Out. Out! Both of you!” Mandisa hissed, her eyes hard as she kept them on the bald man. Only when the door closed did she turn back around. “I did not want him to see you,” she mumbled quietly, almost hysterically, and grabbed the red dress to pull it over Nefertari’s head. “This is not good. I don’t want to throw you out of the house but it’s better when you go home to the temple now.”

What’s going on? Mandisa’s behavior was alarming her and she tried to look at her face but the older woman spun her around to tug her hair out from under the top of the dress, combing through the light brown strands with her fingers. It seemed like she wanted to untangle them but Nefertari had the feeling it was more to calm herself down. “Him?”

“Jabari. Hasina’s uncle.” She breathed through her nose, already expecting Nefertari's confused “why?” and continued her quiet mumbling. “I love my husband but he is rather oblivious and blind to some things and he can’t read the mood. One day Hasina had brought you up at dinner and he had explained to Jabari what a wonderful person you are and how you, despite being a woman of the temple and high class, still enjoy being with a common family of lower class such us. He had wanted to meet you ever since and I always managed to prevent you two from crossing paths but–” Her words slowed down. “I didn’t think they would return from work so soon.”

Nefertari looked over her shoulder. “What is so bad about us meeting? I don’t understand…”

“I can’t tell you now because you have to leave as soon as possible.” Mandisa stopped combing her hair and stepped back. “But he is not a good man as soon as my husband turns the other way. Go back to the temple and stay there for now until he leaves this city in a few days. Now that he had seen you I fear bad things.” She was pleading and Nefertari saw in her eyes that her assumptions had been right; something had happened between Mandisa and Jabari and it caused this fear.

“Alright,” Nefertari said to calm her down and held her hand. “I will leave and come back to you and Hasina when he’s gone. Please calm down.”

The older woman was visibly relieved that Nefertari understood and took a few slow breaths to compose herself. And then she smiled at her though it was a shaky smile. “You look beautiful. Just as I thought.”

“I wish I could see.” Nefertari looked down at her body. “But this will have to wait until I am back in the temple.”

“Trust me. The dress looks amazing on you. But something is missing…” Mandisa stepped back as she thought about what it was and then her eyes lit up. “Wait here, I’ll be right back.” She hurried towards a small room – probably the bedroom – and returned with a white cloth and shawl. She tied the cloth around Nefertari’s waist, letting the long ends hang down on her front and threw the shawl over her shoulders. “Yes, that’s what was missing.”

“But…aren’t those your clothes–?”

“Ah, what about it?” She made a dismissive motion with her hand. “I can make new ones, it’s simple! Keep them, they look better on you than on me!”

They laughed and the dark mood from earlier when they had talked about Jabari was long forgotten until there was a soft knock on the door. “My love?” It was the voice of Hasina’s father. “Can we come in now?”

Mandisa hesitated before she allowed them to enter and squeezed Nefertari’s hand one last time. The door opened and both men came in with Hasina following them. She and her father were smiling like the sun itself but his brother – Jabari – was looking at Nefertari with a blank expression on his face.

She felt uncomfortable under his gaze.

“Here.” Mandisa picked Nefertari’s discarded dress and cloth up and gave them to her. “Don’t forget your basket. I think you would miss those tasty looking apples.”

“Are you leaving already?” Hasina’s father was baffled as Nefertari placed her clothes on top of the apples and then picked up the basket. “No dinner with us?”

“You can’t leave!” Hasina whined. “You haven’t told me the story of the boy and the flower yet!”

Nefertari chuckled at the similarity between father and daughter and Mandisa scolded them for their childish behavior. “Next time I will stay,” she promised and smiled at the young girl. “And then I will tell you about him, I promise.”

She walked to the door – and didn’t miss the way Jabari almost inaudibly sniffed the air when she passed him – and despite her discomfort, she bowed her head at him in farewell before she left the house.

Only when she was back on the road with the little farm left behind could she breathe again and shake off the feeling of being defiled.

“Mandisa did an excellent job on that dress. You look stunning.” Isesu ran her hands over the fabric with an impressed look in her eyes and she glanced at Nefertari, her red painted lips pursed. “Do you think she would make me the same dress? I would pay her for it, of course.”

“First of all, I helped her with it!” She didn’t know why but she felt the need to mention it. Maybe to show her that her hands were also good with sewing and not only with pleasuring men. “And keep your money. I want to learn how to make dresses on my own. I can make you the same dress some time when I am skilled enough.”

Isesu didn’t say that it wasn’t her duty to do work that was meant for people of the lower class. She knew that she enjoyed doing it and that it was something like her hobby. She simply smiled and grabbed her face gently with both hands to kiss her forehead. “You’re the best! I would be very glad if you would make me a dress one day. I will make sure to wear it outside of the temple all the time then!” She let go of her with a wide smile before she turned her attention towards the bowl on the table. “I just prepared the contraception paste. Do you need some? I can make more.”

“Oh, that won’t be necessary.” Nefertari’s smile faltered a little and Isesu raised a brow at her. “The priest checked on me this morning and said I should take the day off.”

“A rough visitor, hm?” The older woman clicked her tongue in distaste. “Were you bleeding?” She relaxed when she saw Nefertari shaking her head. “I’m just really sore. Even the check-up hurt.” The priest always checked on the women of the temple every morning. If they were so sore and sensitive that they were in discomfort when he touched their lower parts, he would order them to take a day off. The memory alone of the priest’s fingers on and in her was enough to make her flinch again in pain.

“Let us hope it goes away by tomorrow.” Isesu grabbed the bowl, about to go back to her room where she could apply the paste in private. “The government official from Memphis will arrive and from what we all know, he will ask for your services.”

I don’t want to be reminded of him… Nefertari forced a smile on her lips. “I am sure I will be able to entertain him tomorrow night. I will take a walk by the river, a bath and then go to bed.”

Isesu hesitated but then shook her head and smiled a small smile at her before she left the room. Nefertari stood there for a few more minutes, looking at the spot where she had been and then sighed loudly. Her body was tired and aching but her mind was still wide awake, filled with the events of the past week up until now.

Jabari and the discomfort she had felt around him.

Mandisa’s worry and fear.

The making of the dress.

The mysterious merchant and her teasing about the masturbation ritual.

The strange man and her boat.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she thought about him – it was not the first time she did that – and without planning to do so, she left the room and walked towards her own chambers. She knelt down in front of her small cabinet and pulled out the neatly folded white cloak she had kept there. Before her brain could register what she was doing she brought the garment up to her face and buried her nose in it, eyes closed and heart pounding.

Sand. Heat. Sun. Something sweet and something earthy.

She stood up, the cloak tight in her small hands, and threw it over her body. The collar was reaching her nose and the end of the cloak was pooling around her feet. When she heard a clinking sound she looked down and noticed that the end was shaped like the petals of a water lily, a golden bead attached to each petal.

Fine linen and pure gold…a noble who most certainly deserves his position unlike me.

Only then did she realize what she was doing and quickly took off the cloak. Sniffing and wearing his clothing…! How shameful! Her face was as red as her dress as embarrassment washed through her entire body. Ever since she had met him she thought about him and how strange he was only to realize that she had become strange herself.

It’s because I don’t know his name, she thought. I don’t know his name and I am in his debt. That’s why he’s occupying my mind.

She looked at the cloak between her hands and nibbled on her lip. If she could find him and meet him again and return his cloak…and ask him to change the payment… She sighed and folded the garment to put it back in the closet before she turned away and grabbed her basket with the apples she had purchased. She was about to walk out of her room but stopped at the doorway and after a moment of thinking she turned around to take out the cloak from the closet again and take it with her.

She borrowed a knife from the kitchen hall for cutting the apples later when she was at the river and left the temple, greeting the guards outside with a smile. The air was fresh and cool, as usual in this region, and she appreciated the freshness and the cloak of the stranger around her frame. But when she stepped on the road a wave of discomfort washed over her and she could feel the hairs on neck and shoulders stand up - and it wasn’t from the cold. She felt like someone watched her.

She looked to her right and left but the people that were still out at this time weren’t even glancing her. The guards of the temple tilted their heads as if they were asking her what was going on and she gave them a crooked smile. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing.”

But as she continued her walk around the huge temple towards the riverbank, the feeling of being watched grew more and more. Nefertari stopped every now and then to glance behind her but there was nothing. Am I getting paranoid?

The sight of her boat calmed her down a little and she walked down the slope – stopping to pluck out a water lily with a warm feeling in her heart as she attached it to the tie of her low ponytail. She then held up the fine cloak with one hand so it wouldn’t get wet and dirty and walked into the water towards her boat to give it an experimental push. It moved and she smiled widely. She hadn’t planned to row out tonight, she just wanted to check if her boat was stuck in the reeds again. But the feeling of being stalked almost – almost – had made her change her mind about rowing out.

You’re exhausted. That’s why you’re acting strange. That would not only explain her paranoia but also her sniffing the stranger’s cloak like a puppy. She blushed at the memory and turned around to walk out of the river so she could sit down on the ground and cut some apples and enjoy the silent Nile and the stars–

When she saw those dark sunken eyes she yelped softly in fright, almost dropping her basket. There was a weird look in his eyes, like he was a vulture that had spotted a corpse and was about to devour it but it vanished so quickly she was unsure if it had been only her imagination.

“Forgive me, woman of pleasure,” Jabari said and he truly sounded sorry. He made a worried face. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Oh, it’s okay.” Her heart was still racing from the fear and she swallowed. She wanted to walk up the slope and the older man came closer to offer her his hand and help her. She hesitated but out of fear to come off as impolite she took his hand and let him pull her up. His fingers lingered a little bit longer than she liked and she pulled away, hoping it wouldn’t offend him. “Can I…help you?” she asked, slowly and carefully. She didn’t know why he was here or how he had found her but if Hasina’s father had mentioned the temple of pleasure in this city – well. There was only one of this temple around here.

“Ah, you see…” He almost seemed shy and Nefertari wondered if it was just a mask or his true self. “I was… I was at the temple but the priest said that you are not offering your services tonight so I left…but right when I exited the temple I saw you and thought it would be polite to greet you since our meeting this afternoon was rather short.”

She did not want to think about the way he had looked at her at Mandisa's home. A shiver ran down her spine. “Yes, tonight I’m not offering my services. Was that the reason why you came here?”

Jabari was silent and after a few seconds he nodded. “I have heard a lot about the lily of the Nile,” he said, almost in awe at the name visitors liked to call her, and he reached out a hand to tug a stray lock behind her ear that had escaped her ponytail. Touching her in such a way was something she only allowed people who were close to her such as Isesu and Mandisa. Seeing how he did that so casually like they were spouses made her eyes widen in shock and she froze. Something glinted in his eyes and suddenly she became well aware that she was alone at the river, a decent walk away from the safety of the temple, with a man who was twice her age and weight, a man Mandisa had warned her of with fear in her gaze.

She tried her best to put all her politeness and courage in her voice, not wanting to show the first waves of panic that crawled up her spine. “I am honored you have heard of me. But like I said, I am afraid I cannot offer you my services tonight. However–” She grit her teeth as she said that and she had to force out the words. “–tomorrow I am available so, if you still want me I advise you come back then.”

He smiled but it wasn’t a pleasant one. “Of course I want you, lily of the Nile! But tomorrow I won’t be able to come here. And the day after I will leave this city.”

She almost let out a relieved sight at that. Two days until I can meet Hasina and her family again–

“Won’t you make an exception for a hardworking man tonight?”

She stiffened at his words. He was persistent and the feeling of dread grew with each passing second. “I’m sorry. I won’t.”

“But I have heard so much about you and your beauty… and when I saw you in person for the first time earlier that day I was captivated by your presence. It would destroy me to leave this city without knowing how you feel and taste.”

She screwed her eyes shut at his words. I don’t like this. I don’t like this. Please, Hathor, watch over me and protect me from this man. “I’m sorry. I won’t.”

He came closer with every time he pleaded her for an exception and she took a step back with every time she repeated her answer over and over again. Soon she was down the slope again and the water was touching her feet, soaking the edge of the cloak.

Jabari’s patience and faked sweet talking seemed to end when they had reached the beginning of the Nile because suddenly his eyes hardened and he said: “You know, I don’t have any money on me anyway.”

She tried her best to keep her eyes on him, not wanting to show him any sign of weakness and fear. “You did not intend to pay the priest and leave your offerings for the Gods I work for with my body?”

“You are not working today anyway. Why should I give the priest and the Gods some coins when you are free this night?”

She had no chance to answer to that because suddenly his rough hands were on her and he threw her to the ground. She fell hard, trying to brace herself with her arms, and dirt got into her eyes and mouth. Her basket fell to the side, spilling the apples over the ground – and the knife. Adrenaline – or was it Hathor herself? – guided her hand as she reached for the knife just when he parted the cloak that was covering her body so he could shove her dress up her legs and she attempted to drive her weapon into his arm. The reflection of the moonlight on the blade warned her assaulter from the impending attack and he quickly grabbed her wrist, squeezing down so hard she swore she heard her delicate bones creak in protest and she dropped the knife with a desperate howl like a pained gazelle.

“That was close,” Jabari said with a grin but it looked more like a predator baring it’s teeth before it would sink them down in their prey’s soft neck. “That’s not something a whore should hold in her hand.”

“I am not a whore,” Nefertari hissed out between her teeth. “I am a servant of the Gods. What you are doing will anger them. Are you sure you can bear Amun’s wrath?”

“Last time I asked Amun he told me it is okay to fuck one of his servants for free since I work so hard all day.” His choice of words was as harsh and poisonous as his voice and it made the blood in her veins grow cold. A new wave of adrenaline washed through her and she tried to roll to the side, her limbs getting tangled up in the long cloak. Jabari grabbed the knife she had dropped and fear struck her when he caught her by the stranger’s garment and pulled her towards him once again with ease. She was kicking and thrashing in his hold and this time he lowered himself on her; the uncomfortable weight of his body pinned her down by her hips and legs.

“How annoying,” he muttered as he tried to part the cloak again. She was completely tangled in it and he grunted. “This is not yours, am I right? It’s too big for such a small fragile thing like you. Does it belong to one of your many lovers? It’s good material, even I can see that. Must be a rich man who can actually afford fucking the lily of the Nile.” He chuckled and let the tip of the knife run down her body. It caused her to stop struggling, to stop breathing, not wanting him to hurt her more than she was already fearing. “I would love to take this with me but it’s getting in my way.”

When she heard the ripping sound she started screaming like she never had screamed in her life.

He was so surprised by her that he accidentally cut a bit too hard, too deep, and the blade grazed her body underneath the cloak. He slapped her face to make her stop screaming and she did stop – for a moment her vision went blurry from the force. But then she started crying; hot tears were running down her face as he sliced up the cloak and she sobbed in a shaky voice. “Please, don’t do that. Please don’t cut this cloak, please–” At this point she didn’t care anymore if he wanted to use her body against her will – wasn’t he like all the other men in the temple? Using her body even if she wasn’t completely comfortable with giving herself to them? The only difference was that she wasn’t in the temple and he wasn’t paying the priest. She could live with that. Somehow.

But destroying something that belonged to a person who had been kind enough to help her out of his heart – that was something she would not tolerate.

“You’re crying because of a piece of cloth?” Jabari snorted at her like she was just a foolish child. “I am holding a knife in my hand. I could actually end your life if I wanted. Pressing the blade into that pretty throat of yours-" She felt the cold tip of the blade grazing her slender throat as if he wanted to show her what he meant and she didn't dare to swallow. He chuckled and the knife disappeared and his hot, chapped lips were pressing into the skin where the knife had been. His words hit her throat and every single letter filled her more and more with horror. "And you decide to beg for me to spare this cloak? You really are more interesting than that old hag my brother married.” He continued cutting the cloak, just to make her cry even more. But she had stopped crying when she heard him mentioning Mandisa. “She was actually begging for her life when I had my way with her but you…” He laughed at her. “…begging for the cloak of one of your rich lovers...”

No.
She was wrong.
This wasn’t like how it was in the temple.
The difference between this and the temple was that she wasn’t in the temple right now, yes. Her body might belong to the Gods in the temple but outside it was hers and that meant that she could decide who was allowed to touch her and who wasn’t.

And this cruel, disgusting, criminal being hovering over her, slobbering like a hungry hyena, certainly was not allowed to touch her.

She grit her teeth in anger and used all of her strength to kick him as hard as she could. He had assumed that she was done fighting back as soon as she had started crying so he was surprised by her newfound fighting spirit. He wheezed in pain and fell back into the water and before he could come back to his senses she threw a handful of dirt into his face, right into his eyes.

He howled and clutched at his face and she pushed herself up to her feet and ran, up the slope, through the bushes and towards the road where she got one of her feet tangled up in a huge rip in the cloak and she fell down, her knees and hands getting cut up by the tiny, sharp stones. She felt the ground shaking under her as if an earthquake was wrecking the lands and the loud neighing of a horse over her made her look up. The first thing she saw was the soft stomach of the animal as it was rearing and she quickly squeezed her eyes close, waiting for the hooves to come down on her.

But they never came and she slowly opened her eyes again at the sound of someone kneeling down beside her.

A pair of light eyes looked at her in shock and surprise and recognition and for a moment, when the moonlight had illuminated them for a second, she thought they were golden. It almost made her whisper the name of the boy from her childhood as she took those eyes for his at first, the first letters of his name already on her tongue, but then she recognized that sharp nose and strong jawline and this unique color of his hair and she knew who he was.

The stranger took her state in, from her disheveled hair to the torn cloak, and his gaze turned deadly. His head whipped around so fast and abrupt that his earrings clinked loudly and he scanned the area from where she had come from. When his eyes fell on Jabari who was getting up on his feet by now, his whole body tensed and it reminded her of a lion who was about to pounce on its prey.

“You!” He shouted, his voice filled with smoldering anger, and Jabari looked at him with crazed eyes. “Are you the one who is responsible for this?”

“It's none of your concern,” Jabari barked. “Are you this city’s Medjay or what, hero?”

Nefertari swore she could hear the stranger snarl like an angered animal.

“I am worse than a Medjay,” he growled in a dangerous voice and then he leapt up to his feet and bolted towards the man in the river.