(M) What I Desire Most Is... (Panu and Natora)

[Natora]

Amenhotep was more than willing to appease his father. He was less opposed to the idea of marriage than his dear sister and as such wouldn't mind taking the attention away from her as long as he could. He walked with his father through the crowd. It wasn't a hard thing to do. The crowd parted quite easily for the pharaoh and his son. Standing in the pharaoh's way would never prove worthy.

When they arrived to where Lady Delphi was standing and the pharaoh announced them, the people around stopped talking immediately to listen. When the pharaoh asked for more details, Lady Delphi smiled and bowed her head towards the pharaoh and Amenhotep. Amenhotep looked at the good Lady, she was being very coy and demure, almost batting her eyes at the crown prince. "Father I was speaking with her earlier. She has told me more than I shared. She is not only absolutely stunning but has learned to dance very well, she says, as well as the bells," he spoke while not letting his eyes wander from her.

Necolita walked around the night trying to find a man that was at least a little bit attractive but there was none of them that could hold her attention for very long. After a fair time wandering on her own she moved back to where Sethos was standing with the dancer that had attracted his attention. "I am certain that my brother is being a proper gentleman tonight," she said to the dancer that was leaning against the wall. "May I steal his attentions for a small time. I promise to return him in the same condition," she said to her softly.

Once the dancer walked away for a little bit, Necolita turned to Sethos. "You were right. The suitors are worse tonight than they typically are. Do you think I turned too many away to have a decent man?" she asked him curiously.

[Panu]

Sethos turned his eyes to Necolita when she walked over next to him. The dancer bowed her head towards Necolita and walked away for a bit and Sethos just smiled at Necolita as she spoke “dear Necolita, I’m sure the right guy will be there when you least expect it. You are such a beautiful girl and you look even more breathtaking tonight, so it will attract a lot of weird men, but the right guy will be among them somewhere, just be a little patient.” Sethos kept his eyes at her for a few seconds, she really was the most gorgeous girl tonight, he really couldn’t deny that.

A smile once again appeared on his lips as he rested a hand on her shoulder “just take a look at Amenhotep” Sethos softly turned her around in the direction to where the pharaoh, Amenhotep and Lady Delphi was talking “I sure Amenhotep feels more pressured about marriage than you, he’s the crown prince and need a heir soon, sure he’s more relaxed when it comes to marriage than you, but look, he has already found on” Sethos turned Necolita towards him again “so now father will be occupied about that the rest of the evening, so I think you can relax now, no need to talk with that boring suitors of yours anymore tonight”

Sethos signaled to a servant to come over “please bring a drink to my sister, and also, take the dancer over there to my chamber and tell her I’ll be there shortly” when the servant left Sethos eyes fell back to Necolita “finish the drink, not too fast and then I’m sure you can excuse yourself to your chamber, there won’t be happening more tonight, I’ll also excuse myself for now. If there’s something, you are always welcome to come to me” he bowed his head a little and walked over to Amenhotep and the pharaoh “honored pharaoh, dear brother, I’ll excuse myself from the feast for now, I hope you will enjoy the rest of the evening” he bowed his head and walked out of the hall and down the hallway towards his chamber.

The pharaoh had been listening as Amenhotep had told things about Lady Delphi “I will look forward to enjoy your dance in the future” he patted Amenhotep’s shoulder a couple of times in sign of approval “you have found a beautiful and unique flower my son” The pharaoh turned his eyes to Sethos when he came over to them to excuse himself for tonight and the pharaoh just nodded. Looking back at Amenhotep he said “there won’t be much more tonight, but I will arrange a meeting, so the two of you will be able to talk more in privacy”

[Natora]

Even though Sethos was adopted young you would never be able to tell with his grace and ability to demand things so easily and quickly. He near pushed Necolita around just as easily as Amenhotep would have. It was barely fair that Necolita was still the youngest of the three of them. She was only a princess and her brothers were supposed to defend her, not push her around as they wished. But she moved with the grace she was taught as Sethos turned her around and showed her that father and Amenhotep had found himself a wife. Well at least one child found a mate tonight.

When Sethos ordered her another drink and then said he was going to dismiss himself, Necolita smirked and then curtsied to him gently as he bowed to her. There were only three people in her life that she would curtsy to and they were her brothers and father. Even with visiting royalty she found it hard to bow but when required she did. As Sethos wandered away, Necolita took the drink the servant brought back for her. She started to sip on it before another suitor approached her. She smiled kindly and continued a conversation with him for the time being. He was there and she had to be at this party until she finished the drink so she might as well have a conversation with him. He wasn't terrible to look at and his conversation wasn't terrible though it all seemed to rotate around him. By the end of her drink, Necolita was more than ready to leave. She excused herself and moved to leave the grand room on her own. She had no want nor need to walk with anyone tonight.

Amenhotep nodded to his father as he dismissed everyone but assured his son that he would see the Lady Delphi again soon. Amenhotep smiled and gently said, "Thank you, father," as he gave him a bow. Turning back to Lady Delphi, he smiled and leaned to take and kiss her hand. "I look forward to that time together," he assured her. He spent a bit more time with the Lady Delphi. In fact, until the guests started to leave he had stayed there and spoken with her. When her father insisted they leave, he did not stall them but kissed her hand again before turning and retiring himself for the night.

[Panu]

Sethos retreated to his chamber and when he arrived the dancer was already there waiting for him and he just smiled at her “you haven’t had dinner yet, right? I’ll order some dinner for you and while waiting you can take a shower if you want to” he called a servant and ordered some food with some fruits as well. Sethos would always treat his girls food and comfort if they needed it. He knew that some of them didn’t come from a good home, so if could help them feeling comfortable and get enough food for one night, he would do it.

It took some time before the dancer had taken a bath and gotten some food to eat, but Sethos didn’t care, he was patient and just waited for her. Afterwards he approached her, even though he had someone else on his mind, he would still treat her well and spend the night with her. The next morning, Sethos woke up when Amenhotep walked into his chamber, Sethos was barely covered by a blanket and when the dancer woke up, she almost jump out of bed and went on knees to bow for Amenhotep even though she was naked. Sethos looked down at her and got out and covered her with a blanket “you should take a shower to freshen up” he smiled softly and let her walk over to the bathtub.

Sethos quickly got dressed and walked over to Amenhotep “wait a minut” he hurried to call a servant and ordered some breakfast for the dancer before he walked back to Amenhotep “congratulation on finding a wife, she was beautiful” Sethos wrapped an arm around him “that is the way to do it” he couldn’t help but to laugh “so how was the rest of the night?”

[Natora]

Amenhotep spent the night alone but let the dogs sleep in his chamber. They liked to take turns between Sethos and Amenhotep and since Sethos was entertaining someone tonight Amenhotep had no problems being the one to keep them for the night. They were loveable creatures and didn't bother Amenhotep much while they were all asleep. He only hoped that the night had been just as fruitful for Necolita.

The next morning he was up and dressed more simple than the night before though still like a prince of Egypt. There was nothing planned for today so they would be able to do as they pleased rather than plan all day to prepare. So, his first stop was in finding his brother and deciding what they would do for the day. As he walked into Sethos' room without bothering to knock he found that he wasn't as welcome as he should have been. He covered his smirk with a hand and watched as the dancer scuttled off. He looked to Sethos and nodded that he would wait for his brother and laughed gently when he finally mentioned his new wife. "Well obviously it did not go as well as yours," he said with a smirk. "I made a more mature decision and thought that I should make sure my wife-to-be will not be too disappointed with my actions after I voiced my intentions. Do you know how Necolita is? You spoke with her last night more than I did," he said simply, changing the subject to the sibling he could not walk in on.

Necolita spent almost as much time with the maids that night as she had during the day to make sure that her hair was undone and the makeup on her face was properly washed off. Once her hair was out of all the braids she looked almost like her head had tripled in size and the pounding headache that came of it didn't help much either. She slept unsoundly dreaming of men that would never treat her properly or take what she had to say for consideration. Being up so late she chose not to wake as early in the morning as her brothers did.

[Panu]

Sethos laughed together with him “well there is a difference between just one night and your wife-to-be” he smirked “as far as I know, you also have to wait with your wife-to-be, until you are married, or am I wrong? I don’t really think about marriage, so I don’t know the rules” a sighed left his lips when he mentioned Necolita “it was a bad night for her, they were all boring and not interesting at all, believe me, I was watching the whooole time, really horrible suitors” Sethos sighed once again “if this continues, she will never find a good guy and father will probably force her to marry some boring and annoying guy” it annoyed him that Necolita would end up marrying someone she didn’t like, it just wasn’t fair at all.

The dancer returned from the shower and Sethos walked over to her “I have ordered some food for you, get something to eat and gather your strength, afterwards a servant will show you out. Unfortunately I have to go now, but thanks for a good night” Sethos softly planted a kiss on her hand and walked over to a servant “when she is done eating and ready to leave, please show her out of the palace” Sethos went to Amenhotep and walked out into the garden with him “it’s good with some fresh air, so where were we? Oh yeah, besides from being beautiful, tell be about your wife-to-be” Sethos sat down and waited for Amenhotep to tell more.

The pharaoh was sitting in a meeting with other important people, they had a really busy schedule to follow today and most of it was concerning some of the neighbor regions which they were not getting along with that well. Things were getting out of hand and they had to work on a way to fix it and come to some agreements before it would end out in war instead.

[Natora]

As Sethos took care of the dancer, Amenhotep watched on more than amused. There had been a few weeks since he had taken any woman in his bed and watching how Sethos was dealing with it not only reminded him of what he had done in the past but also how terrible it looked from this angle of things. Nonetheless, he held his tongue until they were in the hallway together. "That poor girl just lost her heart over you," he said with a smirk as he walked with his brother towards the gardens, hesitating only a moment by Necolita's door. He kept moving when he heard her soft snoring. "Poor sucker who marries her," he teased before moving out with his brother.

"Oh so you want to hear about Lady Delphi?" he asked with a small smirk. He hadn't learned absolutely everything about her yet but truly all she needed to be was a trusted woman and have a brain on her shoulders. Other than that, nothing else really mattered all that much. In public she would be a silent partner but in private a part of trusted council and a woman to lay with after a long day. "Well... she's talented; knows how to dance and play the bells," he started with a few nods. "She sounds quite lovely and is very respectful. Father is setting up a time soon for us to come to know each other better," he said simply. "And I want to talk to him about you. You need to find a wife too soon. He can't be setting all the pressure on Lita and I and simply ignore you. I don't see how that's fair," he told his brother.

[Panu]

Sethos sighed a bit at Amenhotep’s comment “I’m not someone she should lose her heart over, really not” he sighed again but laughed a little when they walked past Necolita’s room “I hope she finds a good guy” Sethos actually thought that it was cute that she was snoring a little and it wasn’t something he minded. After they came out Sethos listened to Amenhotep “it really sounds like you have found a good woman for marriage” he sat down and looked at a fountain, just staring at how the water was moving around “so you want me to get married as well? I think I don’t mind, so go ahead and talk with father about it. It is not fair for you and Lita to be the only two, it’s a lot of pressure to put on the two of you” Sethos smiled at Amenhotep.

They had been discussion girls and suitors for Sethos and he just leaned back “maybe it would actually be a good idea to get married, having someone to lay with after a long working or training day” Sethos laughed a little “by the why, when are you going to participate in the meetings father are holding, it’s soon time for you to get started on it, just so you can be trained in that kind of things” Sethos stood up and stretched his back “maybe I’ll go out to train, I have too much energy build up and I need to practice, so I can defeat you next time” he just laughed a little “you could go and talk with father about the whole marriage thing” he just smiled before leaving for the training hall.

Sethos was the only one training today, the rest of the army was off for today, so he was just practicing with his khopesh by himself in the sandbox, practicing defense and attacks.

The pharaoh had finished his meeting and was on the way to the dining hall, even though Amenhotep and Sethos had been up early, the pharaoh had been up before sunrise to work on a lot of reports which had been handed in the day before. For now it was time for breakfast, so the servants had served a lot of food and the pharaoh was just enjoying the food by himself, having ordered everyone to leave the room, so he could eat in peace.

[Natora]

Amenhotep discussed women with Sethos until he became bored of he subject and decided that training was a good idea for him. "Perhaps I will join you once I talk to father," he said with a smirk and a gentle shrug before moving over towards the palace again as Sethos left for the training grounds. Amenhotep walked slowly as he went back inside. He had to think of the right words, the proper thing to say to bring up the subject without doing it in a way that would make their father angry. And Sethos was right! Amenhotep should be allowed in the meetings. He would become pharaoh soon enough and he needed to know how to handle things.

When he arrived in the hall where his father was dining alone, he entered as quietly as he could before walking up to his father and bowing to him. "Father. There are some things I wish to discuss with you if I may," he said gently before waiting for his father's approval to speak. Even though they were alone, there was a better and more respectful way of doing things that he knew his father would appreciate.

Necolita woke in the late morning to the servants bringing her breakfast and water. She groaned as she sat up in bed. Her head was still pounding from all the braids that had been in it last night and the resulting poof hadn't died down almost at all from it either. She sat in bed and broke her fast alone, not caring to get up and out and about quite yet. She ate slowly and was careful not to spill anything even in the privacy of her own chamber.

Once she was done she got up and got dressed, still smelling nice from the oils and the bath last night that they had treated her to. She decided after finding that both her brothers were already up and moving today that she would take herself for a walk in the gardens. She needed to think after all that had happened last night and truly consider if there was even a small chance that she could manage to choose one of the suitors from last night.

[Panu]

Sethos had been training for some time now, he didn’t really knew for how long, but for some reason it had felt like a long time. It felt like his body was becoming heavier, even though he hadn’t trained that much; it was like it wouldn’t really response as it should. Just like yesterday, today was a really hot day and there had been no skies to cover for the sun. Sethos started to feel a bit dizzy as well but decided that it was probably nothing and continued his hard training. Not long after Sethos started to become unsteady on his legs and soon enough everything just turned black.

Not knowing how long he had been gone, Sethos opened his eyes slowly, finding out he was in his own bed. At first everything in the room was blurry but it soon became clear again. Sethos sat up and a servant looked over at him “you shouldn’t sit up so fast my prince, your body needs rest” the servant bowed and walked out of the room to get some food for him. Sethos sighed “I wonder what happened? Did I pass out?” still sitting up, he began to figure out why his body had suddenly given up. In the end, his conclusion was training really hard yesterday with Amenhotep, barely eating anything since yesterday and not getting sleep at all. Sethos hoped that the servants hadn’t said anything to his family, he wouldn’t make them worried.

The pharaoh ate and looked up at Amenhotep as he stood in front of him and then gave a sign to him that he was welcome to sit down. Seconds became minutes and the pharaoh looked at Amenhotep, waiting for him to say something “what is it you want to talk with me about Amenhotep?”