"The best fruits in all of Egypt are sold here!"
"Fish, the best fishes are sold here!"
"Beautiful lady, your jewelry awaits!"
"Dresses, hey pretty lady this dress would look fetching on you!"
Most of the vendor owners yelled at every passerby even the ones that didn't look like they could afford it, desperate for someone to buy their goods.
Milah wished he could be like them, proudly displaying their vocation without a care.
He wished he didn't have to rely on somebody's interest in his body to put food on the table.
He hated it really. The act of stripping naked for someone he had not promised himself to felt even more humiliating than the act of fornication itself.
He wished his father had been privileged enough to leave without debt then maybe he wouldn't have had to do what he did.
"The Crown Prince is coming, a feast is to be celebrated on our streets for the return of our prince!" a town crier yelled as he walked through the market place.
"A feast that is to last for three days, an order direct from Pharaoh Nebtawi!" now he understood the unusual forcefulness the traders were using to get their goods sold, the order must have been made today, he thought.
A feast lasting for three days would mean for the usual busyness of the market to come to an halt in the days of celebration.
He found it rather amusing that while the traders were calculating the amount of money they would lose, he was thinking about the amount of money he could gain because a three days celebration for most meant three days of whore services.
"Buy your special oil here!".
Milah turned to the vendor trader with a smile, pointing to the type of oil he wanted, three days of whoring ahead of him he had at least be prepared.
He had to get to the palace before the sun set so he was in a hurry. He didn't want twenty lashes of cane just because he was busy getting 'tools' for his side job.
He could just see the look on Nefertiti's face when he gets to the palace with a bottle of oil that was used in very special situations.
After paying the trader and leaving with a friendly smile he rushed to the palace grounds and he hadn't got there when he could hear the sounds of Thabit's voice as he loudly ordered the slaves.
"Sa! Clean the gardens" Milah chuckled, he knew Sa and also knows that he was no gardener so it would do more damage than good but he won't be the one to correct Thabit on the matter.
Tip-toeing into the back of the line while pressing a finger to his lips to keep the others from saying a word, which they seemed to understand because they smiled at him conspiring.
All except Odji who he could see from the corner of his eyes was giving him a glare that he pointedly ignored.
"The rest of you do your normal jobs after eating in the quarters," Thabit finished with an annoyed glare.
"Where were you?" Nefertiti asked as soon as he entered the slave quarters. The large room was crowded with people rushing to get their breakfast and a few talking in the sidelines.
"The market place" he replied after collecting his food from her, "What is the matter?" he asked at the look of excitement on her face.
"I heard from Aluni who was told by Gigiasa that the prince is going to pick a personal attendant among us on his return!".
Giving her a very unimpressed look, he replied "So?".
Nefertiti looked like she was near giving him a slap when she replied "It means triple the wages and the power to boss even Thabit around...with the prince's permission of course," she replied with a look of power hunger on her face.
He chuckled as he wondered the horrors that would befall Thabit if the prince chooses her.
His best friend was quite the beauty; light brown eyes with a chocolate skin that shone when she came out to work in the sun, of course the prince would choose her.
After spending almost all his life living on the palace grounds, he still didn't understand why everybody seemed to worship the very dirt the prince walked on, his beloved agreed with him on that subject.
He remembered when he first let it slip from his lips his dislike for the prince, Khal had laughed at him and said of how he also thought the same.
Milah always wondered how it was possible to have fallen in love at that age with a boy whose first words to Milah was that his blue eyes were beautiful.
He remembered being ashamed of his eyes when he was little and still was, he does not know of an Egyptian with blue eyes so it made him feel alien.
Khal was such a beautiful boy that Milah was sure that when they grew up to become men, he would be incredibly handsome.
He hated thinking this way but what if Khal returns and doesn't want him anymore after finding out that he had defiled himself.
He hated himself enough for it, he didn't think he could handle the love of his life hating him for it too, he did what he had to do to survive.
He just had to do it, he had no choice in the matter "Milah, are you alright?" he heard Nefertiti ask bring him out of his thoughts.
Looking around to see the slave quarters empty he turned to his friend with eyes of question "We should get to work" she said standing up and motioning for him to follow.
"Ah, the queen finally arrives we can now go forth and sow our seeds" he heard Odji say but chose to ignore him instead, hating the fact that Thabit had made him come back to working on the fields.
They had been working in silence, picking up weeds from the palace farm for longer than he expected when Odji said "Don't stress that body too much, you'll need all the energy for the celebration".
Milah tensed as his breath stilled for a second or so.
"I'll take your advice" he replied politely as he was aware that many other people were working on the fields with them and any fight would land him fifteen lashes of cane even if he was in the right.
"I can't believe Thabit lets you work" Milah frowned as he continued to pull the weeds out of the ground. "I mean he...cares about you, right?" he heard Odji say with a sly tone.
Turning to look at the short man Milah asked "What do you mean?".
Odji laughed at him mockingly before he replied "What I meant was that-" a guard walked up to them interrupting Odji's sentence.
"The king has ordered that you all go to Ra's temple with the offerings and pray for the prince's safe return" the guard relayed to them, his armor glinting in the sun.
Sighing Milah dropped the useless plants from his hands and stood up from his place.
The argument with Odji forgotten as he made his way to the palace to collect the offerings that Thabit was handing out to the other slaves.
Running up to Nefertiti who was already looking around for him "We are going to the temple".
"I know" Milah replied as he walked beside her to the temple that was three miles away from the palace.
The temple was in his opinion an uncomfortable place, whores were littered in and around them giving services to men and women in the name of the gods.
He never understood it really, if a person was to whore themselves to put food on their table they were condemned.
"Oh Almighty Ra!
Thank you for gifting us Light and Life
We hold you in our heart in reverence
May we always remember we are children of the One God
May our heart and mind be joined with yours
May we be protected from all harms through your greatness and kindness
And so it is!"
The priest monologue echoed through the wide halls of the temple, the other priest began to spread ritual incense in the temple.
Incense that was clouding up his nose but it would be disrespectful to cover his nose in front of the scowling priests.
"He who lit the heavens and earth by his perfection" of course because Ra must have been such a Sex God even the heaven and earth were turned on.
"In the name of mighty Ra may Prince Khaldun return in safety".
Milah placed the offerings in front of the altar with the other slaves, oranges, pomegranates, lilies and Lapis Lazuli were arranged in a particular order.
Milah always wondered who ate all the fruits because it could not be these skinny priests who looked like they hadn't had food in a long time.
"In the name of Almighty Ra, the prince will return in health" the priest prayed to the altar swinging the incense lamp he circled the offering with practiced ease.
"In the Name of Pharaoh Nebtawi! May the prince return with wisdom fit for a king!" the priest prayed kneeling in front of the offerings and picking up one of the oranges.
Biting into it with full force before spitting it out in front of the statue of Ra, he muttered incantations in the language of the gods. Milah just thinks they were speaking gibberish
"Ra, King of the sun, Ruler of the heavens, please bring the prince wisdom to rival that of his father!".
The priest prayed squeezing the orange juice onto the altar as he prayed to Ra with the utmost concentration.
When the rituals was done and over with, Milah and the slaves were asked to leave so the priests could perform the rites of prayers, Milah just thinks they were finding an excuse to eat the offerings alone.
"I wonder what the prince looks like, Milah" Nefertiti said as the made their way back to the slave quarters. The heat of the sun was harsh and was burning his skin.
"Maybe he is tall and handsome with beautiful golden eyes," she wondered out loud, her eyes gazing at the sky in thought
"Or maybe he could resemble a Sidah" Milah replied humorously when they got to the dinning area for their lunch, Milah admits he was quite hungry.
"You should be more excited about the prince's coming" Nefertiti scolded him with a pointed finger. He could try to be more excited but he really didn't care for the prince.
"I am a grown man, Titi, I don't need to be excited to see anybody" Milah resorted with a glare.
"I don't know why I put up with you" she said parting from him to pick up their food.
"Well at least he eats with us commoners" a voice sneered from behind him almost after Nefertiti left as if they were waiting for her to leave.
Turning to the source of the voice, he was faced with Odji and for a second he wondered why he was surprised, the man was always looking for new ways to get under his skin and not in the why Nefertiti would like.
"What? Thabit doesn't feed you enough so you decided to lower your standards and eat with us, eh?" Odji mocked with a face full of disdain, a look that made him particularly nauseating to look at.
Milah was already used to his attitude so he took the confusing insult in stride.
"What? Are you too big to answer a low class like me?" Odji scowled with a wicked smile on his face, silence is the best answer for a fool, Milah kept repeating in his head as he played with the loose strand of thread on his sleeve.
He knew that if he so much as hit Odji he would be in trouble and he could not afford to not leave the palace on the three days of celebration.
"Odji, what is the problem here?" an authoritative voice asked just when Odji was about to say something, the Head slave was looking at them with a glare.
"N-noth-thing" Odji stammered as he stumbled away from Milah with an embarrassed blush on his dark cheeks.
Odd, since when was Odji embarrassed?
"How are you today Milah?" Thabit asked as he sat on the bench with him, what was this man getting at? He thought before he replied.
"I'm quite alright sir" the Head slave was about to talk when Nefertiti's voice interrupted him.
"Here's your food" she said placing his bowl of broth and bread in front of him before greeting the Head slave with a small smile.
"If only the food served here was better maybe Milah would be a little fattened up" she said giving the Head slave a pointed look.
"Um, I have to uh go?" Thabit left hurriedly without a good bye.
Nefertiti chuckled at his retreating figure with a shake of her head.
Milah was confused by his friend's attitude to the Head slave, maybe she is the one Thabit fancied.
It would be nice to see his friend settle down with someone, he thought as he dipped his bread into the warm broth.
"I mean what if he is in fact the most handsome in all of Egypt?" Nefertiti asked Milah as she squeezed water from her hair into the washing bowl. She did it every night, she says she wanted to look good in her dreams too.
"I have being told by a fortune teller that I was destined to marry the most handsome man in all of Egypt" rolling over to look at the mud ceiling.
Milah replied with a scoff "I had a fortune teller say I was destined to marry royalty, what does that tell you?".
Glaring at him playfully she replied "Don't spoil my dreams with that attitude of yours" huffing as she let her hair fall to her shoulders before getting off the stool and making her way to her own side of the room and getting on her bed.
"Maybe this is the year I find love," she said quietly but Milah still heard her. She and Thabit would look great together.
About the chapter: Ra had a liking of oranges, pomegranates, lilies and Lapis Lazuli that is why it is used in the offerings.
Her Royal Awesomeness: Whoa! 2,237 words, I'm so happy, longest chapter ever, I don't know if I portrayed Thabit pining for Milah well enough, tell me if I need to revise that part, did some research for this chapter too.
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