The Prince and The Slave [ON HOLD]

ii.

"WELL, THAT WENT well," Moses spoke sarcastically.

"Just go away." Ramses tossed his chalice filled with red wine down at Moses's feet.

"Could have been worse." Moses chided, leaning up against the great statue Ramses sat on top of while fiddling with a needle, some thread, and an old flour sack Danielle had provided for him when he'd asked. Politely, of course.

"You disappeared," Ramses observed, still sounding rather angry.

"Yup," Moses said. "Met this beautiful woman. Danielle." Ramses almost let a smile slip onto his face but if he was anything, it was stubborn. Especially when it came to grudges. "She kept me occupied," Ramses smirked.

"One of the chambermaids? Or a noblewoman?" Moses suddenly stiffened and swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn't exactly tell his older brother that he was the slightest bit infatuated with a slave woman.

"Chambermaid." Moses lied straight through his teeth.

"So, she kept you occupied, you say?" Ramses grinned teasingly at his baby brother.

"Certainly not in the way you're thinking of." Moses scolded Ramses but couldn't help the smile on his face.

"Oh, and what way is it that I'm thinking, Moses?"

"What about you? What's kept you occupied these past few hours?" Moses desperately tried to change the subject and thank the gods that it worked. 

Ramses' features hardened once more as the pain in his heart ached. The knife in his side whom he also loved and sought the approval of was disappointed in him for something that he had no control of.

"The weak link in the chain." Ramses ranted. "That's what he called me." Moses only grinned at his brother's problems.

"Well, you are rather pathetic." Ramses didn't fully acknowledge Moses's words and Moses knew that all too well. Ramses continued on, trying to get his feeling out of his system which is probably what Moses loved so much about messing with him.

"Irresponsible, ignorant of the traditions. He practically accused me of bringing down the dynasty!" Ramses finally looked down at Moses from the statue he sat upon. Moses chuckled at Ramses complaints, letting his feet wander toward the great open area where much of Egypt and their monuments were visible.

"Yeah, I can see it now. There go the pyramids!" Moses teased, laughing. Ramses scowled hard at him.

"You can laugh about it." Ramses accused but Moses ignored him.

"Statues cracking and toppling over, the Nile drying up. Single-handedly, you will manage to bring the greatest kingdom on Earth... to ruin." Moses seemed to be pushing Ramses a little too hard to get a reaction out of him. But after all, that was what brothers did.