☥ NILEA ☥
The bright, red sun had shone on my face, waking me up to the warmth of the Egyptian dawn. I sat up on my bed, still, choosing not to move as I thought about last night's events. "Hey." Duamutef cheerfully exclaimed, popping his head into my room. I turned my head to face him before choosing to turn around and ignore him. There was no way that I was going to let him act like he didn't betray me or himself by pretending to be okay with Imset getting the throne.
When he realised that I wasn't going to reply to him, he sat on the edge of my bed and looked at me, "Look, I am sorry about everything. Especially for last night and leaving you the other time." He was referring to the night that all three of us (the youngest three in the family) had agreed to rebel against father and convince him not to give the throne up so easily, and sabotage Imset's royal preparation. That, obviously, never happened since Imset managed to manipulate Duamutef, resulting in the entire plan failing as Qebehsenuef and I ended up getting caught.
I still didn't reply, so he spoke more, "Ni, seriously, give me a break. I know I was wrong and shouldn't have left either of you like that. I want us to go back to how we were before."
I stared at him in sarcastic awe, "Go back to how we were before? Are you kidding me? We can't. You know that better than anyone else." He was out of words and just stared at me sadly, "If you really want things to go back to normal, then for starters stop trying to manipulate me with the sweet talk that Imset is asking you to use on me. I don't get bought that easily. I bite and fight and will continue to do so."
He still couldn't find the right words to use to talk to me properly. I gave up and sighed before walking towards my dresser when he stopped me by pulling on my hand. "You don't understand do you?" I looked at him, confused. "I am asking you this because you don't have a choice. Yes, I know I was wrong to come to you several times to persuade you to stand with Imset. But this time, it's different." He was pleading to me.
"Different? How?" I loudly said back, annoyed at the fact that he still hadn't learnt and was choosing to hurt me like this.
"Imset. He's throwing Quinn out and handing him completely to the Greeks. You won't ever get to see him again. And he's doing this out of anger for what you did last night." He explained remorsefully to me.
"What I did?" I was shouting now, "I did nothing. It was all you guys. You asked for that to happen."
"Do you not want Quinn?" He was shouting over me now.
"You don't know what I want." I scowled back, but it was at that very moment when Qebehsenuef shoved his body into my room, grabbing all of our attention to himself.
"It's Imset. He's going insane." My brother announced in hurried breaths, I looked at him cluelessly. "He's forbidding anyone from ever loving someone out of our own Godly region. Not just that, he's also putting a ban on us from ever loving a human." I stared at my brother in regretful sorrow.
"I am so sorry." I whispered to pretty much just myself. Qebehsenuef looked at me before deciding to plead, "Please just give into his desire of allowing him to rule and side with him. Please Ni." My brother moved towards and placed his hands on my arms, while looking deeply into my eyes, in search for any unmistakable humanity. I nodded before walking towards the door, only to have Duamutef pull me back again, "Change first." I nodded and did as I was told.
Practically running out of my room with my two brothers behind me, I headed towards the royal hall, only to walk in on my family arguing as the Greek Gods tried to talk but couldn't find the right opportunity to intervene. My entrance managed to bring silence and suspense into the atmosphere as I walked towards my brother.
I looked at him and spoke in low whispers so that only he could hear my words, "Reconsider your actions." I instructed.
"You should've thought of the consequences before your lovely little outburst yesterday." He sarcastically replied.
"So this is your reaction? Make everyone, especially your family, regret ever allowing you to become the heir to the throne?" I mockingly replied. He became stiff as he looked at me angrily. I had never once rebelled against Imset because I respected and loved him, as he once used to treasure me. But that was all long gone ever since he knew he had a better chance at getting the crown than we did. He purposefully worked harder and flaunted his abilities and knowledge to make himself seem more suitable for the crown than the rest of us, and just that ruined our once loving relationship by breaking it completely.
"If you want to change the rules, then you must do it yourself." He announced in a loud and clear voice, so that everyone could hear him. I looked at him shocked as to what he meant. "Fight me in a rightful dual." His eyes were narrowed into a smirk as he awaited my response. I took a few steps back and turned to look at the audience. Quinn's eyes were wide with worry as my brothers' were gawking at the scene before them. I finally made eye contact with my parents, neither of them wanting for me to agree to the challenge or even consider it. I disregarded the warnings everyone had sent out, "Fine. I accept your challenge." The second I had agreed, everyone in the room gasped as my father stared at Imset angrily while my mother looked at me worryingly. Esphion was now looking at Imset with heated rage, but he refused to look at her, saving himself from her painful reaction. My brother looked at me with a cruel expressions that indicated that he was impressed at the general fact that I accepted his challenge.
Wordlessly, I chose to ignore everyone and stormed out of the room. Quinn followed behind me, "Are you insane?" He grabbed my hand and spun me around to face him.
"Yes, okay! I just want everything to go back to normal. I want my family, and my brother, back. I also want you back." I replied in sad yet loud words.
"You can't get that. No matter how badly either of us want it. Lea, that is not something that you can get, no matter what you do." He told me in a calm yet worrying tone. I looked at him with tears gathering in my eyes, "Listen, you still have time to get out of this mess."
"I can't. I am going to fight for what I want. Imset was right, I should start taking things into my own hands. If only I searched hard enough for a way to stop either of us getting hurt, maybe then we wouldn't have had to go through all of this." I spoke between sobs.
"There was no other way back then." He replied cautiously, "Please change your decision before you get hurt." I shook my head, not wanting to listen to him. He held me firmly in his arms and made sure that I was listening, "This will end with one of the two of you dying, or if you're lucky, getting badly hurt. There is no safe and happy way out of this if you go through with it. And even if you both find a way out of it without getting hurt, you will not be bringing your family together but you'll end up ripping it apart."
"What do you want me to do then? Sit and watch him take from us all and hurt us out of his clouded desire for power and control?" I finally spoke back. He was out of words. "Exactly." I said before turning around to walk towards my room. On the way, I could hear the echoes of my parents arguing with my brothers from my room as I changed myself into a completely black armour that was to raise questions about whether or not I was well guarded. I picked up my sword after equipping myself with all types of weapons that I could use against my brother.
"I can't believe this is actually happening." Esphion commented as she walked into my chambers, her tone was sad and dull.
"I always thought that you brothers would be the ones to compete, but that clearly isn't the case." My mother said as she walked in. I turned around and met her sad gaze, she held my hand in hers as a way of comforting and encouraging me.
"Why on Earth would you agree to fight your brother?" My father scolded me as he stormed in.
"It's better than fighting the other three." I joked as my three brothers entered my room. Hapi winked at me, a way of reducing the tension in the atmosphere. My attention lost all focus when Duamutef walked towards me, "Quinn is under the Greek's control right now. It's safer that way." I nodded as he placed an arm on my shoulder, before pulling me into a hug.
"I don't mean to sound rude or anything, but I think it's best we all left her and made our way to the arena. No one should be seen with her in case Imset wins." Hapi advised, looking at us all. No one moved out of confusion, so he explained more, "I mean that we should all get out of here fast. If he wins and knows we were supporting her, he might lose his mind and throw us all out. But we know that Ni can be trusted with secrets, whether or not she wins." Everyone nodded and started to make their way out, leaving Qebehsenuef alone with me, "I just want you to know that I have faith in you." He whispered to me before planting a light and loving kiss on my temple. I watched him leave my room before making my way to the arena too.
"You ready?" Noah asked me as he opened one of the doors into the field, so that the audience were safe but could watch. I shook my head, "I don't think I ever will be." He smiled as he placed his hand on my back, "He may seem scarier now, but he is still the very same brother of yours who didn't train the longest for a battle." I smiled before walking through the dimly lit tunnel that lead me to the center of the arena.
Releasing a nervous breath, I walked through the metal gates and found Imset smirking at me before smiling at the crowd. He seemed different for sure, like he was power hungry and wouldn't stop until he had all the power in the world. I looked up and stared directly at the sun, praying that we both made it out of here alive. The horns were blown as we both froze and prepared ourselves, before fighting and circling each other on the brown sand. Cheers faded as anticipation was built, they were waiting for one of us to move first. Being naturally cocky, I jumped up into the air and smashed my spear against my enemy's shield. Imset pushed me off by throwing my light body across the field, making me hit a thick wall of concrete. The crowd cheered their Crown Prince as my body effortlessly fell to the ground.
I lifted my head as I balanced my body on my elbows, Imset was walking towards me, the sharp end of his spear pointed towards me. I tried to steady my breathing as I watched each of his metallic steps corner me. He threw his spear to the side, my eyes followed before looking back at his face, his veiny arms reached for the sword that dangled by the side of his thigh. I bit my lip, trying to push my own weight off the ground. But I wasn't fast enough, he lifted his arm up, hoping to slice me in half or at least strike my head. I didn't want to die, so I lifted my own spear above my head, managing to slow him down as the long stick crumbled to splinters by my body.
"Imset." I whimpered his name, hoping he would mercifully let me go. But he kept moving forward.
"Fight back!" Quinn screamed from over the fence that kept the audience out, immediately I stood up and held my sword in front of me.
"Please don't do this." I pleaded hopelessly, not wanting to hurt him.
"You left me with no choice." He bitterly said before leaping out towards me to stab the knife into me. I pushed my weight off the ground and rolled against the sand as I avoided the blunt blade. The tip followed me and continued to threaten me. I swung mine against his body, but he blocked it, making sure that it didn't leave a mark. The crowd cheered as he blocked. Immediately, he swung his sword, as if to cut my hand off, making me drop my weapon on the ground in sudden fear.
I lunged onto him, pushing his sword out of his own grasp, and pushing his body weight to the ground while mine clashed against his, making me fall with him. I clenched my jaw as I punched him across the face before screaming in his face, "I hate you!" He stayed still under me, allowing me to hurt him as much as I wanted and could, until I stopped. I was tired. More than anything, I wanted my big brother back.
Without any warning, he threw me off of him and across the field. I tried to stop my body from flying across but I couldn't, I hit the border again, smashing cracks into it as I landed heavily on the ground, with no balance. I was weak and I had no idea how he was stronger. Or maybe it was just that, he didn't care and wanted me out of the way, while I didn't wanted to hurt him and wanted him back.
I slowly opened my eyes and tried to balance myself again, but kept hitting the floor. Imset walked towards me, dragging my own sword towards me before kneeling to look at me, "You really will always be weaker and less valuable to everyone than I am." His cruel words rang in my head as my sight slowly became blurry and out of focus. I watched his hand raise, pulling a shiny object with him as he did. I couldn't move, my body was giving up on me completely as death seemed to get closer. It all seemed to happen so slowly but also too fast as the blade started to descend, aimed in a perfect manner to kill me immediately. Just then a voice screamed, "No!" after the sound of metal breaking was audible. My vision was fading as everything came to a pause too quickly. The echoes of the cry made everything inaudible as the vibration of the blade clashing against the ground was felt by my nerves, after a cold breeze stabbed into my body, paralysing me.
Everything happened too fast as I lost control and track of it. But time slowed down for a small moment, bringing peace to my aching soul. "Sleep." A deep and masculine voice whispered into my ear before lifting my body into the air, in his arms. Before I could identify or realise anything, darkness had taken over and snatched my senses from me too.