The Arrangement Pt.6

Dinner was...interesting, to say the least. Strange and exotic foods were presented to Athena. Flavors and spices she had never tasted before greeted her palate. She wasn't sure if she like any of the food, honestly, but she was so hungry that she wolfed down whatever was offered. She contributed to the conversation when necessary, but for the most part, she sat back and kept silent, watching her new husband with curiosity. His voice was deep and masculine, and he spoke with confidence. Though it was becoming clear to her that he was not a man of many words, whatever he did say carried weight. Though they were far below his social class, many of the servants and ladies-in-waiting standing around the perimeter of the dining room hung on his every word when he spoke, clearly smitten with his good looks and charisma. Athena's own pulse quickened whenever he looked her way or attempted to draw her into the conversation.

At last, the queen yawned and stretched. "I think it is high time we all retired for the evening," she announced, standing. Athena and Atem followed her lead, getting to their feet and bowing to her. Some kind of unspoken conversation happened between Atem and his mother that Athena couldn't quite interpret. Atem twitched slightly in irritation and his mother giggled. She nodded to us and then departed. Atem stared after her for a moment, his jaw working, and then he turned to Athena, bowing formally to her, "Come, let us retire."

She raised her eyebrows at him questioningly, but followed after him when he headed for the door.

After escorting Athena back to her chamber, he attempted to follow her inside, naturally assuming that he was now welcome back into his own room.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded when she saw him going to close the doors.

Atem looked surprised, "I thought...?"

"Well, don't even think about it. Go away immediately." Athena then promptly shoved him out of the room and slammed the doors shut behind him, sliding the bolt in place from inside for good measure.

Atem sighed and then chuckled to himself as he headed for his temporary quarters. I shall never tire of her he thought. 

It was a couple of weeks before Athena finally let Atem return to his own room and sleep in the same bed with her. They had been spending significantly more time together each day, and she had begun to see little by little that her husband was a good man. She felt safe with him. In fact, second only to his mother, she preferred his company above all others. He was kind and gentle with her, but also playful in his own subtle way. There were times that he would say or do something that would set off her temper, and only after she had been scolding or ranting at him for a few minutes would she realize that he had been teasing her. All the time, he never lost his good humor, and he would simply watch her, smiling, with that infuriatingly even temperament. The only reason she felt more comfortable around his mother was that there were no expectations for physical affection.

A week after her arrival, Atem invited Athena to go hunting with him. She lit up immediately at the prospect, flexing her fingers involuntarily as she remembered her bow. When he led her to the stables, she was surprised to see servants preparing two chariots for them. Athena had never driven a chariot in her life. All of her hunting had taken place on horseback or on foot. Noting her sudden hesitancy, Atem asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Do you not hunt on horseback?" she inquired, stepping up to one of the chariots and fingering the reins curiously.

"Occasionally, yes," he admitted, then asked, "Have you never hunted with a chariot before?"

"No," she shook her head, "I've never even driven one before!"

Atem smiled, "Then you shall learn today." Addressing the servants, he said, "We only require one chariot today."

The servants bowed and began unhooking the two horses from the second chariot. Atem whistled loudly, and moments later, two great hounds came bounding into the stables, tails wagging and tongues lolling out the sides of their mouths.

Immediately, Athena's face fell at the sight of them. As she knelt to greet them, homesickness washed over her, and she began to sob as the two hounds washed her face with kisses.

"Athena?" Atem was immediately beside her, "Athena, what is wrong?"

Taking a deep breath, Athena forcibly pulled herself together and scrubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. "Basil," she whimpered, scratching the hounds behind their ears, much to their delight.

"Basil?" he repeated, not understanding.

Athena shook her head, "It's nothing." She tried to smile up at him "Forgive me. I just felt homesick is all. But I'm alright now."

Deciding to let it lie, he allowed her to act brave for the time being. He offered her his hand, "Come. Let's get your mind off of things."

She took his hand, smiling genuinely now, and let him help her up. He led her to the chariot and helped her mount the standing board. She looked around, surprised, and asked, "Is there not a seat?"

"No. You're meant to stand when you ride."

"Well, that seems incredibly precarious," she noted distastefully.

"It just takes practice," he assured. "Now," he mounted the chariot and stood behind her, reaching around her to take the reins in his hands, "I'll show you how it's done for a few minutes, and then I'll let you take over."

"Alright," she agreed, grasping the front of the chariot to brace herself.

He found her eagerness and obvious affinity for sportsmanship wildly attractive. He suddenly wanted to impress her. Prompting the horses with a smart slap from the reins, the chariot jerked forward. Even though she was still holding on to the front of the chariot, the momentum threw Athena back against him with a thump against his chest. She reached back with one hand to capture her hair as it whipped in the wind, helpfully keeping it out of his face. And then he heard the most beautiful sound in the world: Athena laughing. She laughed, and then she started to whoop as the chariot raced down the road. After several minutes, Atem pulled on the reins and brought the horses to a stop. "Are you ready?" he asked. Her excitement was infectious.

Instead of replying, she eagerly snatched the reins from him, whipped the horses with a practiced hand, and nearly sent him tumbling off the back of the chariot as it surged forward. He managed to grasp the sides at the last second and was surprised that she had managed to maintain her footing on her own. As they raced down the roads and wide streets of the city, Atem became lost in the thrill of the race. The rattling of the chariot as it soared over rock and dust, the wind in his ears, Athena's strong arms tensed with practiced control as she guided the horses through the streets...Atem wanted nothing more than to stand close to her like this always.

Making their way back to the palace, she eagerly insisted that they take both chariots out for a ride. Atem couldn't say no. He had never seen her look so vibrant and alive. He always wanted to see her like this. Wild, carefree...and happy.

They raced one another on the chariots for a few hours through the streets. He felt fairly certain that there would be plenty of gossip to go around about the prince and his new bride racing through the streets like a pair of wild savages. But watching Athena skillfully racing the chariot as it bumped and jostled along, her face alight with a wide smile, eyes squinted against the wind, her long hair and flowing gown flying out behind her, she looked far from savage. For lack of a better word, to him, she looked glorious.

Toward the end of the day, however, after the chariots were returned to the stables and they separated to go bathe, the memory of her sadness returned to him, and it troubled him. As he sat soaking in the bathing pool, he remembered Pharaoh telling him that she would be coming to a new land and new people and customs. But it hadn't really occurred to him until now that she had left everything and everyone she had ever known behind. And then the word she had said through her tears came back to him. "Basil..." he murmured thoughtfully.

One of the servants, mistaking his musings for a request, inquired, "My prince?"

Atem turned to the servant, "Bring Lord Masudah to me. I would speak with him."