Curtains were pulled back as a couple of servant girls wandered around the room. They set a tray of food on the table beside the bed, before waiting for the prince to awaken. The women were at the foot of the bed, cleaning up his mess from the night before, as they spoke to one another in hushed tones. He groaned in a low voice, audible only to himself, and the ghosts he shared his bed with. Behind him, the servant girls continued to behave as though he was still asleep. Being too prepared for this scene, the prince refused to move or make a sound, despite hiding his face in his pillow while he was wide awake.
He eavesdropped on their conversation, enjoying the overwhelming sharing of gossip and secrets that belonged to others.
"Clearly, the prince was far too drunk to complete the night with a sane and functioning mind," one of them whispered too freely. Duamutef's pride was bruised and he wanted to correct them for the way they spoke of him, but he knew better than to move. So, he stayed still and continued his little game.
"He has been working so hard these days, unusually hard. I am not surprised he drank more than he could handle last night." He recognised this voice. It belonged to a servant girl with an olive complexion and dark red-hair. Her voice brought back memories of herself beneath him, over and over again. Hanan was known for her discretion, and her loyalty to him after serving him since they were young adolescent fools. But even as they matured with time, the two often failed to put an end to their foolish habits of dancing in the dark together.
"It seems the royal children must put an end to working so hard then." Duamutef frowned at the other girl's words, finding them too insulting for his desire.
"And why do you think that?"
The unfamiliar maid spoke with an arrogant tone, "Another prince has been caught in a rather compromising situation."
"Who? And in what way?"
"Hapi. Apparently, the prince awoke this morning and sent his guards to retrieve a silk dress worthy of a noble's status, to dress his bed mate in." Duamutef wanted to jump at the revelation, as worry clouded his judgement. But his hangover held him down.
"Which guard? Who else knows?" Hanan asked.
"The prince's bodyguards were seen speaking to the prince and returning with a jade-coloured dress for the girl. Not too many moments later did she come out. Neith, the daughter of Akil, was who he bedded last night. And neither were discreet enough, the servant quarters are filled with the whispers of their doings."
"She is betrothed to another."
"And now she is tarnished, ruined. No one will want her know." Duamutef heard the vile tone of accusation and amusement in the servant girl's voice. Her tone had forced him to groan loudly and pretend to have just awoken.
"Out! Now!" He instructed the girl who delivered his morning meal. She nodded and whispered easily-dismissed words of apologies to him, before leaving with her hands full with his clothes from the night before.
Hanan stood before him, looking unamused and exhausted. She watched him with a bored expression as he stared back at her with a furious one. The prince groaned as he pushed the thin sheet of cloth off of himself, climbing out of his bed with his full nakedness on display to the servant girl who was too fond of him.
"Can neither of you behave after finding the bottom of your cups?" For someone who would not be affected by the scandalous situation, she seemed far more irritated at the revelation than he was. It amused him.
"Worried, my lady?"
"Do not toy with me, Duamutef," she warned him with a stern voice. She stood up and brought his clothes to him, "None of you practice precaution well enough."
"I have practiced it well enough to have kept you safe," he replied, irritated by her tone.
She rolled her eyes, "Only so far. But you cannot even keep yourself from the rumours of being known as a drunk. With Hapi ruining a girl's life, and you being pulled away from the party, none of you will be spared from judgement."
He sighed, "I will fix that. I will prove to our people today that I am not some incapable prince who can only drink through the night."
"You better, my prince," she warned him as she wrapped a leather belt around his waist, securing his knife within it. He smiled as she stood close to him, placing a finger beneath her chin and lifting her face up so she would look at him. His face descended towards hers slowly, the motion disrupted by her placing her hand on his chest and pushing herself away from him. He frowned and she said, "The king arrives in a matter of days, until then, all eyes on you and your siblings. One has already damned himself. Now, everyone will be looking for reasons to shame you all and condemn you to a life of exile or humiliation, whichever they deem fit. Do not make a single mistake. Or you will ruin me as Hapi has ruined Neith."
Hanan did not wait for him to reply with an overly-confident sense of assurance when she started walking away from him. She stood in front of the door and turned to say, "Eat your breakfast, my prince, work awaits for you in the small council room."
He nodded as he watched her leave the room. Duamutef sighed and moved towards his breakfast, looking at the hot bread that was left for him to enjoy. Beside it were various sides of hummus, olives and figs. A long glass of wine stood by his plate, seducing his appetite and encouraging him to devour it all too quickly.
Once breakfast was complete, the prince abandoned his bedchambers to make his way towards the small council room that he was expected to be in. Upon approaching it, he found the door open. He peaked through the small gap and found the youngest prince, Qebehsenuef, speaking to their father, Horus. He noticed how alike the two looked, except one was older and the other was younger with the eyes and lips of his mother. They made plans for what they would discuss once the other royal children had awoken and made their way to the room.
Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Duamutef fled the scene and snuck away to the royal gardens. He decided to enjoy a peaceful walk before returning to his duties and engaging with some of the most pompous groups of the Egyptian population. Despite his efforts to admire the dates that hung from the trees, and the olives that grew in the harsh temperatures of the dessert life, he could not forget the rumours that the servants were all enjoying. He wondered if his father knew of it, of whether he should be informed, or if the prince should approach his brother and leave the issue in his hands. But the entire situation was in Hapi's hands the night before, he was the most composed of his brothers, it should not have gotten out of hand.
The prince's pace slowed down as his concerns melted away entirely at the sounds of a woman moaning amongst the trees. Prepared to tell servants off for their misconduct, he approached the source of the sounds confidently.
The prince felt suffocated when he recognised the woman as his sister, Nilea.
Her back faced him, and her hair was wild with pleasure. her head was tilted backwards slightly, while her skirt was lifted at the front. He could see her bare thigh but was glad that her bottom was covered. Duamutef could not decide whether he should interrupt the pair to tell her off, or if he should immediately duel the man that was not visible to him for dishonouring his sister. But courage betrayed him and he immediately decided to flee the situation, after recollecting the conversation he had with his siblings, about how they were all sleeping with someone. The prince returned to the palace and decided to keep his mouth shut, at least until he could confront her privately.
Unaware that her brother had stumbled upon her being pleasured in the early hours of the day, Nilea arched her back and let another moan escape her mouth. Out in the large royal gardens, before the rest of the world could awaken, after the parties of last night, she was safe. She knew the technicalities of the chores about the gardens when she had brought her companion from the night before, Amun, to the middle of it.
They had not spent the night together, even though they both desired it. Nilea was careful enough to draw a line with the handsome and clever man, when he kissed her, after walking her to her bedchamber. She sent him away not long after, leaving herself in her own company, in the curious darkness, where she only thought of him and the kiss. At dawn, she enjoyed her breakfast with her handmaidens, before entering the library to find the man from the night before enjoying a book. Her interruption lead to her struggling to find the right words to escape a conversation with him when she not-so-intelligently declared that she would enjoy a walk, at which point he invited himself. They walked side by side, all the way to the back of the gardens, when he pushed her body against the trees, away from the pathway. His lips found hers and tasted her diligently.
Her hands wrapped around his neck, one nesting amongst the silky strands of his hair, while the other slipped beneath his shirt and tickled the skin on his back. In the meantime, Amun's hands found her breasts and squeezed them firmly, pushing for her to moan in their kiss. Soon, he abandoned the task of holding her breasts to pull up her dress skirts, exposing the naked flesh beneath.
"Stop," she moaned as she pushed his face away. She was hesitant and watched as his hands clung to the fabric of his clothes. He was eager to seek pleasure in her. But that was not a risk she was willing to take. Breathing quickly, she rushed to say, "Not like this. Use your mouth."
Amun groaned, setting his hands free to place them on her hips. He pulled his body closer to hers, making sure they were touching, when he said, "And what of me?"
She smiled, still incapable of slowing down her breaths, "I promise to satisfy you once you have satisfied me."
He smirked at her response, clearly pleased with the exchange. After pressing a deep kiss on her lips once more, he pulled away from her and let himself go on his knees for her. His eyes remained on her as he moved. Amun licked his lips, wetting them, before he let them touch her flesh. He could feel the heat that radiated from her when he made his tongue lick her flesh. From the opening, he could taste her pleasure, which he forced himself to ignore so he could tease the swollen bud between her legs.
With his skill, the way his mouth and fingers worked at her, it was a wonder that only her brother had heard them, that too at a close distance. After all, Nilea had abandoned all efforts of staying quiet or ensuring no one would hear her or catch them. It did not help that he encouraged it and told her that by the time he was done with her, she would be screaming his name. Of course, she dismissed his seriousness and joked about her calling his name only enabling for multiple nobles to mock him for his ability to pleasure a woman. He ignored her statements to torture her in the gentlest way he could think of. And despite his efforts to ensure he stayed gentle with her, she had clawed at his back, beneath his shirt, and let one of her legs hand over his shoulder. Nilea made no effort to commemorate his gentle efforts, which only encouraged him to abandon them entirely and to focus only on her pleasure.