Twang!
The arrow hit bullseye. Kahmunrah's face filled with satisfaction.
Twang!
The arrow three inches away from that large red dot painted in the middle of the wooden plank. Ahkmenrah groaned.
"How are you doing this so well?"
"Concentration little brother. Something I have and you lack"
Then as if to prove his point Kahmunrah took out another arrow from his quiver. He aimed again and let go of the bowstring.
Twang!
Splitting the first arrow in half.
Ahkmenrah rolled his eyes and muttered
"Show-off"
Kahmunrah let out a small chuckle.
The rest of their archery practice was filled with similar conversations. Occasionally discussing what drunken Ahkmenrah had done at the night of the banquet. Ahkmenrah went a violent shade of red every time Kahmunrah mentioned something that was utterly embarrassing.
As the archery practice ended Kahmunrah finally asked the question that had been eating at him since morning.
"What did father mean when he talked about entering the code?"
"Who knows" answered Ahkmenrah completely disinterested.
Kahmunrah grimaced. It was eating at his brain as if a crocodile had entered it. He needed to get his mind off it.
"Let's go to town" he proposed after a while.
-----
When they went into town they dressed in their least royal outfits. Blending into crowd so they won't be overwhelmed with problems that belong to the Pharaoh.
They walked among commoners, sharing their food and talking their talk. Only a few recognised them as the Princes of Egypt but didn't say anything. Most of the town dwellers saw them as they saw themselves. Simple people trying to live their lives.
They spent the whole afternoon talking to each other and giving their gold to the poor. Something they had done ever since they were children. Childhood memories brought something back in Ahkmenrah's mind.
"I say why don't we visit old Seknut." he asked his elder brother referring to their nurse-maid.
Kahmunrah gave a tiny nostalgic smile. "I thought you'd never ask"
They slowly sauntered towards the straw thatched house where their nurse maid lived in.
Kahmunrah knocked the door three times before a plump yet wizened old women opened the door.
"Why if it isn't my little idiots. Come in you'll catch a cold."
The boys smiled. That what they loved about their old nurse-maid. She never treated them like royalty. Then again it is hard to call someone "your royal highness" when you have been wiping their bottom ever since they were a newborn.
"Well don't stand there like stunned oxen. Sit down" chided Seknut.
So they sat on the plain wooden stools. Seknut brought a bowl of dates and honeyed bread.
They ate with relish. Craving the simple life that Seknut lived. They talked a lot with her about their lives. Then came up Ahkmenrah's 'little' moment of embarrassment at the banquet.
"I heard you caused quite a racket at the banquet last night Ahk" she stated.
Ahkmenrah's chiselled features turned red and smiled with embarrassment.
"I don't remember much of it" he muttered.
Seknut gave a hearty laugh. "I expect you don't. I heard you were quite drunk."
Ahkmenrah looked at his feet and swore rather blasphemously.
"Their shall be no swearing in my household and if I ever..."
"Hear me swear like that again you will wash my mouth with cow fat." finished Ahkmenrah grimacing as he remembered how Seknut used to of that to him.
Seknut smiled and directed her attention towards Kahmunrah. "Head Architect now are we?"
Kahmunrah nodded and gave a small smile giving his pale handsome face a slight glow.
"Why I've noticed you don't smile that often as you used to Kahmun where as your idiot of a brother can't help but smile"
The was no cheeky comebacks from Ahkmenrah instead his face turned even more red. Kahmunrah laughed at his brother's discomfort.
Seknut laughed along as well. It was good to have these two boys around. They were practically her own sons. Suckling from her breasts ever since they were newborns. Playing and laughing with them like any mother.
The talked until dusk, that was when Seknut kicked them out of her house. Not really but she pretended to.
Just before they left she called:
"Promise come next week. My niece will be coming over to visit me. I've told her so much about you. I'm sure she would love to meet you"
"Is she pretty?" Asked Kahmunrah clearly the womanizer out of the two brothers.
Ahkmenrah slapped his brother across the head "Lecherous idiot!" Then he turned to Seknut. "We promise"
Seknut chuckled and waved goodbye as they left. She slowly closed the door watching them as they left.
-------------------
As they walked back to the palace they decided on the excuse they should give to father for being away most of the evening.
"We could say that Seknut was ill" suggested Ahkmenrah.
"Remember what happened last time you said that" replied Kahmunrah.
"Oh...right...How about...?" But he never completed his sentence because at that moment the heard an ear shattering scream exclaiming.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
It sounded like a woman. The brothers looked at each other and nodded. They had to save this damsel in distress. They ran to the source of the noise. A dark alleyway.
Soon they saw three men with lecherous smiles on their faces and a young woman being pressed up against a wall. She has her eyes shut. The two brothers using the shadows of the alleyway sneaked upon the three men.
One of the men tried to kiss her but that was as far as he got because after ten seconds of fists and blood the three men slunk away in cowardice.
Ahkmenrah and Kahmunrah, the two saviours diverted their attention to the young woman. But all they saw was the cold hard pale eyes of Ismara looking back at them.
Ahkmenrah fell silent his face totally blank. He bronzed muscles tensed. How had he not noticed?
"Are you all right?" Asked Kahmunrah breaking the very tense silence.
"I didn't need your help!" Hissed Ismara.
"Clearly" muttered Ahkmenrah. Ismara gave him a cold hard glare.
"In any case. We are happy to help a maiden in need"
"Maiden my arse! She's no maiden!" Exclaimed Ahkmenrah.
A long tense silence followed. Ahkmenrah studied the stars in the sky and despite her previous ordeal Ismara smiled visciously. Because as Kahmunrah observed, every time his baby brother looked at Ismara his heart broke a little more. He missed his former love. Ismara knew it and revelled in this knowledge.