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Essa was near bursting with excitement. It was the first day of the festival in honor of the Egyptian Peace Envoy. Usually she would be at the sidelines of such a thing, but not today. She had been asked to aid in translating, being fluent in Coptic. Languages had always come easy to her, and for the first time she truly could appreciate that gift.
Everyone was attending the festival in order to foster goodwill and morale amongst the people. She was escorting one of them herself - a Prince no less! It was terribly exciting. Probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to the young woman. Not only was she being treated as a useful grown woman with something useful to contribute, but she was getting to spend time with a Prince she wasn’t directly related to.
Those were a rarity it seemed.
She had taken great care with her appearance, knowing it reflected not just on her and her house, but on all of Colchis. In the end she chose a pale blue peplos that was decorated with intricate patterns of silver filigree. Her jewelry was adorned with aquamarine and accented with the pale green and lavenders of peridot and amethyst as was her fibulae. A proper celebration of the infamous Colchian mines. Her hair was woven up in an assortment of delicate braids, interwoven with chains and jeweled pins with the loose ends of her curls cascading down to just brush against the exposed skin of her neck.
Essa looked every bit the part of a royal lady. For once, the finery didn’t make her feel self-conscious. She had a great deal of pride in her country, and today, she had a purpose greater than herself. Greater even than her mother’s expectations. All the more reason she needed to be at her best. Colchis was depending on her and this was her chance to prove herself.
Making certain to hold her head high and move with poise and grace her mother would be proud of, she approached the agreed upon meeting place. It was difficult to miss the man who could surely only be a Prince. They had yet to formally meet, so she couldn’t be certain, but she forced herself forward with a confidence that wasn’t quite sincere. Her stomach fluttered with nerves, but she did her utmost to keep that from appearing in her expression. Instead she offered a warm smile, one of her curls falling forward into her face as she politely bowed her head. When she spoke, it was in perfect Coptic, though perhaps a bit more formal than conversational. She had never actually met someone from Egypt before after all. All her learning came from books. Nonetheless, it was more than sufficient and she secretly hoped he might be just a little impressed.
“Greeting, your Highness. I am Lady Essa of Drakos. I am to be your guide and translator today. I hope you are well and enjoying your time in Colchis thus far.”
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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Essa was near bursting with excitement. It was the first day of the festival in honor of the Egyptian Peace Envoy. Usually she would be at the sidelines of such a thing, but not today. She had been asked to aid in translating, being fluent in Coptic. Languages had always come easy to her, and for the first time she truly could appreciate that gift.
Everyone was attending the festival in order to foster goodwill and morale amongst the people. She was escorting one of them herself - a Prince no less! It was terribly exciting. Probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to the young woman. Not only was she being treated as a useful grown woman with something useful to contribute, but she was getting to spend time with a Prince she wasn’t directly related to.
Those were a rarity it seemed.
She had taken great care with her appearance, knowing it reflected not just on her and her house, but on all of Colchis. In the end she chose a pale blue peplos that was decorated with intricate patterns of silver filigree. Her jewelry was adorned with aquamarine and accented with the pale green and lavenders of peridot and amethyst as was her fibulae. A proper celebration of the infamous Colchian mines. Her hair was woven up in an assortment of delicate braids, interwoven with chains and jeweled pins with the loose ends of her curls cascading down to just brush against the exposed skin of her neck.
Essa looked every bit the part of a royal lady. For once, the finery didn’t make her feel self-conscious. She had a great deal of pride in her country, and today, she had a purpose greater than herself. Greater even than her mother’s expectations. All the more reason she needed to be at her best. Colchis was depending on her and this was her chance to prove herself.
Making certain to hold her head high and move with poise and grace her mother would be proud of, she approached the agreed upon meeting place. It was difficult to miss the man who could surely only be a Prince. They had yet to formally meet, so she couldn’t be certain, but she forced herself forward with a confidence that wasn’t quite sincere. Her stomach fluttered with nerves, but she did her utmost to keep that from appearing in her expression. Instead she offered a warm smile, one of her curls falling forward into her face as she politely bowed her head. When she spoke, it was in perfect Coptic, though perhaps a bit more formal than conversational. She had never actually met someone from Egypt before after all. All her learning came from books. Nonetheless, it was more than sufficient and she secretly hoped he might be just a little impressed.
“Greeting, your Highness. I am Lady Essa of Drakos. I am to be your guide and translator today. I hope you are well and enjoying your time in Colchis thus far.”
Essa was near bursting with excitement. It was the first day of the festival in honor of the Egyptian Peace Envoy. Usually she would be at the sidelines of such a thing, but not today. She had been asked to aid in translating, being fluent in Coptic. Languages had always come easy to her, and for the first time she truly could appreciate that gift.
Everyone was attending the festival in order to foster goodwill and morale amongst the people. She was escorting one of them herself - a Prince no less! It was terribly exciting. Probably the most exciting thing to ever happen to the young woman. Not only was she being treated as a useful grown woman with something useful to contribute, but she was getting to spend time with a Prince she wasn’t directly related to.
Those were a rarity it seemed.
She had taken great care with her appearance, knowing it reflected not just on her and her house, but on all of Colchis. In the end she chose a pale blue peplos that was decorated with intricate patterns of silver filigree. Her jewelry was adorned with aquamarine and accented with the pale green and lavenders of peridot and amethyst as was her fibulae. A proper celebration of the infamous Colchian mines. Her hair was woven up in an assortment of delicate braids, interwoven with chains and jeweled pins with the loose ends of her curls cascading down to just brush against the exposed skin of her neck.
Essa looked every bit the part of a royal lady. For once, the finery didn’t make her feel self-conscious. She had a great deal of pride in her country, and today, she had a purpose greater than herself. Greater even than her mother’s expectations. All the more reason she needed to be at her best. Colchis was depending on her and this was her chance to prove herself.
Making certain to hold her head high and move with poise and grace her mother would be proud of, she approached the agreed upon meeting place. It was difficult to miss the man who could surely only be a Prince. They had yet to formally meet, so she couldn’t be certain, but she forced herself forward with a confidence that wasn’t quite sincere. Her stomach fluttered with nerves, but she did her utmost to keep that from appearing in her expression. Instead she offered a warm smile, one of her curls falling forward into her face as she politely bowed her head. When she spoke, it was in perfect Coptic, though perhaps a bit more formal than conversational. She had never actually met someone from Egypt before after all. All her learning came from books. Nonetheless, it was more than sufficient and she secretly hoped he might be just a little impressed.
“Greeting, your Highness. I am Lady Essa of Drakos. I am to be your guide and translator today. I hope you are well and enjoying your time in Colchis thus far.”
If he was being honest, Sutekh had his reservations about being a part of the peace envoy. Not only was Colchis so far away from home as it took them at least a month to travel there, but in addition, he didn’t feel particularly qualified to host such talks between the two warring nations. He had grown up the eldest son of a Sirdar and his connections to the crown had only been recently revealed for the whole world to see. His bastard blood and mother’s lies had denied him the education that a prince would have received. If he had gotten the lessons that sons of the supreme kings or kings should have received, he would know the ins and outs of both the complexities of Greek Culture as well as diplomacy. Even though the few people he had confided such fears in told him that he would do well, the Bastard boy couldn’t shake that horrible feeling that his presence would only make things worse.
However, it wasn’t much that Sutekh could do in order to combat this. Not when both the council and the pharaoh had decided that Sutekh would be the one to meet with the Greeks. He would be the one to sit at the table with the leaders of these other nations as they all worked together to bring an end to this conflict that had torn their kingdoms apart. Granted, Sutekh was far from alone. Not only did he have a litany of advisors who were all working diligently to bring Sutekh’s knowledge to the level that the Greeks would expect from him, but he also had quite a few translators, scribes, and servants, all given to him in the hopes of this mission would be a success. In addition to all of this, Sutekh was lucky enough to have two more people sitting at the peace discussions with him; a lower-ranking councilmember and a general who had not yet been awarded a Hei. All of these men were supposed to help ensure that this mission was a success.
It didn’t fail to capture his attention though that everyone that had made the month-long journey to Colchis was expendable in one way or another -- Sutekh could only hope that this was from a lack of trust in the Greeks than some elaborate scheme constructed by Iahotep to have his brother-in-law killed without getting the blood on his hands.
If he was being truthful, Sutekh was afraid that the group would be betrayed by their host while the envoy was outside the safety that their own shores provided. Although it would be in poor taste, Sutekh couldn’t deny that it would be a grand morale boost to the Grecians if they could boast that they had killed a member of the royal family. As even though Sutekh was unwanted by his brother-in-law and stepmother, there was no denying that he was indeed a prince due to the blood of Imopehatsuma flowing through his veins.
These fears seemed to be unfounded though as the envoy was quite surprised to discover that in the day or so after landing on the cold, rocky shores of Colchis, a night festival was going to be hosted in their honor. As if that wasn’t welcoming enough, the three men who would have a place at the discussion table in the coming days would have the pleasure of being accompanied by a member of the Colchian nobility. The prince would be lying if he said that this tidbit of news did not pique his interest quite a bit -- as even though he did not have the highest hopes for Greek girls given their uncivilized culture, the long month he had spent at sea had made him weary. He longed to talk to someone, anyone, who had not seen the same ocean waves for a month.
As this would be the envoy’s introduction to the Colchian people, Sutekh and his entourage wasted no expense in dressing to impress. All of the men who would be attending this festival were adorned with gold in some fashion whether it be necklaces or bracelets. However, it couldn’t compare to the sheer amount of decorations that the Prince was adorned in from head to toe. Numerous pieces of jewelry hung from his neck, wrists, fingers, ears, and practically anywhere else a glittering gem could fit. In order to further highlight the clear display of his country’s wealth, Sutekh had also tied a simple, white linen cloth about his waist. That way at least he could upkeep the supposed Greek standards of modesty even though his upper chest would be entirely bare. He forwent any sort of golden circlet or other ornaments that would declare himself as a member of the Egyptian royalty as he was certain that the rest of the decadence on his sun-kissed body would be able to convey such information without any sort of crowns.
All in all, he was very hard to miss once the peace envoy descended upon the festival grounds. Sutekh was not blind to the stares that passed over him as the small group of foreigners made their way through the market. It was unsettling and the obvious language barrier that stood between them and him as he knew very little Greek made his cheeks burn bright red in embarrassment. He was used to being the center of attention, but this was different. The stares were just a tad too similar to the funny looks he had received after the truth of his heritage had come out…
Luckily, though his sheer visibility made it easy for his escort to find him. Sutekh was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of Essa. As the tiny, little thing introduced herself with a girlish grin on her face, Sutekh couldn’t hold in a beam of his own. It wasn’t his fault, her excitement was just that infectious. He was indeed impressed by her perfect Coptic as he had not expected such a highborn Greek girl to be a master of his language. In fact, it almost forced a blush to his face as he was forced to consider how this tiny wisp of a thing, dressed in such brilliant colors that Sutekh’s eyes kept drifting from hue to hue could be such a master of his mother tongue while he was so abysmal at hers.
“Lady Essa of Drakos,” Sutekh quietly said, more so testing the name on his tongue to ensure that he was pronouncing it properly through his heavy Egyptian accent, “It truly is a pleasure to meet you.” He added once he was certain that he had said her name correctly. The slight tenseness that had been with him before Essa had arrived was slowly dissipating with the comfort of being able to talk in his own mother tongue with such a lovely young woman. Sutekh could not lie, he was intrigued by Lady Essa. Not only was she beautiful, but he was also curious how a girl who lived so far away from the Kingdom of Sand had managed to perfect her Coptic. Surely, there would be more than enough time this evening to discover the story that lay behind this interesting aspect of his company for the evening.
“I’m afraid that you might have your work cut out for you, Lady Essa. My skills with the Greecian language are nowhere near as adept as yours seem to be with my own.” He said with a light chuckle as he made fun of his own shortcomings, “In fact, I would even say you’re a bit better than my hired translators.” It wasn’t overly funny, or even chuckle-worthy really -- but it was the sort of small talk that would be expected between two people who were as highly ranked as they were. It would be rather inappropriate for him to be cracking jokes at their first meeting -- but little did Sutekh know that this pair would soon not need to adhere to such strict rules of etiquette…
Either way, Sutekh was quick to offer the girl his arm for their stroll around the festival, not understanding that two of them standing this close to each other in such an intimate manner would be frowned upon by the majority of the Grecians around them, but that soon wouldn’t matter. The pair would quickly be absorbed in their own little world that would tun everyone who was not each other out. However, that ball had to get rolling if the fates were to weave their brilliant tapestry concerning the two together. Not that either of them knew this, of course, or otherwise Sutekh might have tried to initiate a conversation that was more interesting than the weather.
“Tell me, Lady Essa, is it always this cold in Greece? I feel as if I might freeze before this festival is over,” Sutekh asked, being oblivious to the fact that the majority of his chill likely came from the fact that his chest was completely bare. However, even if he was dressed properly, he still might have been cold due to how far north he now was in comparison to the scorching hot Egypt -- which of course would be a funny thing for Essa to have to explain as it was currently Spring in Greece and this festival was taking place in one of the warmer months!
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
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If he was being honest, Sutekh had his reservations about being a part of the peace envoy. Not only was Colchis so far away from home as it took them at least a month to travel there, but in addition, he didn’t feel particularly qualified to host such talks between the two warring nations. He had grown up the eldest son of a Sirdar and his connections to the crown had only been recently revealed for the whole world to see. His bastard blood and mother’s lies had denied him the education that a prince would have received. If he had gotten the lessons that sons of the supreme kings or kings should have received, he would know the ins and outs of both the complexities of Greek Culture as well as diplomacy. Even though the few people he had confided such fears in told him that he would do well, the Bastard boy couldn’t shake that horrible feeling that his presence would only make things worse.
However, it wasn’t much that Sutekh could do in order to combat this. Not when both the council and the pharaoh had decided that Sutekh would be the one to meet with the Greeks. He would be the one to sit at the table with the leaders of these other nations as they all worked together to bring an end to this conflict that had torn their kingdoms apart. Granted, Sutekh was far from alone. Not only did he have a litany of advisors who were all working diligently to bring Sutekh’s knowledge to the level that the Greeks would expect from him, but he also had quite a few translators, scribes, and servants, all given to him in the hopes of this mission would be a success. In addition to all of this, Sutekh was lucky enough to have two more people sitting at the peace discussions with him; a lower-ranking councilmember and a general who had not yet been awarded a Hei. All of these men were supposed to help ensure that this mission was a success.
It didn’t fail to capture his attention though that everyone that had made the month-long journey to Colchis was expendable in one way or another -- Sutekh could only hope that this was from a lack of trust in the Greeks than some elaborate scheme constructed by Iahotep to have his brother-in-law killed without getting the blood on his hands.
If he was being truthful, Sutekh was afraid that the group would be betrayed by their host while the envoy was outside the safety that their own shores provided. Although it would be in poor taste, Sutekh couldn’t deny that it would be a grand morale boost to the Grecians if they could boast that they had killed a member of the royal family. As even though Sutekh was unwanted by his brother-in-law and stepmother, there was no denying that he was indeed a prince due to the blood of Imopehatsuma flowing through his veins.
These fears seemed to be unfounded though as the envoy was quite surprised to discover that in the day or so after landing on the cold, rocky shores of Colchis, a night festival was going to be hosted in their honor. As if that wasn’t welcoming enough, the three men who would have a place at the discussion table in the coming days would have the pleasure of being accompanied by a member of the Colchian nobility. The prince would be lying if he said that this tidbit of news did not pique his interest quite a bit -- as even though he did not have the highest hopes for Greek girls given their uncivilized culture, the long month he had spent at sea had made him weary. He longed to talk to someone, anyone, who had not seen the same ocean waves for a month.
As this would be the envoy’s introduction to the Colchian people, Sutekh and his entourage wasted no expense in dressing to impress. All of the men who would be attending this festival were adorned with gold in some fashion whether it be necklaces or bracelets. However, it couldn’t compare to the sheer amount of decorations that the Prince was adorned in from head to toe. Numerous pieces of jewelry hung from his neck, wrists, fingers, ears, and practically anywhere else a glittering gem could fit. In order to further highlight the clear display of his country’s wealth, Sutekh had also tied a simple, white linen cloth about his waist. That way at least he could upkeep the supposed Greek standards of modesty even though his upper chest would be entirely bare. He forwent any sort of golden circlet or other ornaments that would declare himself as a member of the Egyptian royalty as he was certain that the rest of the decadence on his sun-kissed body would be able to convey such information without any sort of crowns.
All in all, he was very hard to miss once the peace envoy descended upon the festival grounds. Sutekh was not blind to the stares that passed over him as the small group of foreigners made their way through the market. It was unsettling and the obvious language barrier that stood between them and him as he knew very little Greek made his cheeks burn bright red in embarrassment. He was used to being the center of attention, but this was different. The stares were just a tad too similar to the funny looks he had received after the truth of his heritage had come out…
Luckily, though his sheer visibility made it easy for his escort to find him. Sutekh was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of Essa. As the tiny, little thing introduced herself with a girlish grin on her face, Sutekh couldn’t hold in a beam of his own. It wasn’t his fault, her excitement was just that infectious. He was indeed impressed by her perfect Coptic as he had not expected such a highborn Greek girl to be a master of his language. In fact, it almost forced a blush to his face as he was forced to consider how this tiny wisp of a thing, dressed in such brilliant colors that Sutekh’s eyes kept drifting from hue to hue could be such a master of his mother tongue while he was so abysmal at hers.
“Lady Essa of Drakos,” Sutekh quietly said, more so testing the name on his tongue to ensure that he was pronouncing it properly through his heavy Egyptian accent, “It truly is a pleasure to meet you.” He added once he was certain that he had said her name correctly. The slight tenseness that had been with him before Essa had arrived was slowly dissipating with the comfort of being able to talk in his own mother tongue with such a lovely young woman. Sutekh could not lie, he was intrigued by Lady Essa. Not only was she beautiful, but he was also curious how a girl who lived so far away from the Kingdom of Sand had managed to perfect her Coptic. Surely, there would be more than enough time this evening to discover the story that lay behind this interesting aspect of his company for the evening.
“I’m afraid that you might have your work cut out for you, Lady Essa. My skills with the Greecian language are nowhere near as adept as yours seem to be with my own.” He said with a light chuckle as he made fun of his own shortcomings, “In fact, I would even say you’re a bit better than my hired translators.” It wasn’t overly funny, or even chuckle-worthy really -- but it was the sort of small talk that would be expected between two people who were as highly ranked as they were. It would be rather inappropriate for him to be cracking jokes at their first meeting -- but little did Sutekh know that this pair would soon not need to adhere to such strict rules of etiquette…
Either way, Sutekh was quick to offer the girl his arm for their stroll around the festival, not understanding that two of them standing this close to each other in such an intimate manner would be frowned upon by the majority of the Grecians around them, but that soon wouldn’t matter. The pair would quickly be absorbed in their own little world that would tun everyone who was not each other out. However, that ball had to get rolling if the fates were to weave their brilliant tapestry concerning the two together. Not that either of them knew this, of course, or otherwise Sutekh might have tried to initiate a conversation that was more interesting than the weather.
“Tell me, Lady Essa, is it always this cold in Greece? I feel as if I might freeze before this festival is over,” Sutekh asked, being oblivious to the fact that the majority of his chill likely came from the fact that his chest was completely bare. However, even if he was dressed properly, he still might have been cold due to how far north he now was in comparison to the scorching hot Egypt -- which of course would be a funny thing for Essa to have to explain as it was currently Spring in Greece and this festival was taking place in one of the warmer months!
If he was being honest, Sutekh had his reservations about being a part of the peace envoy. Not only was Colchis so far away from home as it took them at least a month to travel there, but in addition, he didn’t feel particularly qualified to host such talks between the two warring nations. He had grown up the eldest son of a Sirdar and his connections to the crown had only been recently revealed for the whole world to see. His bastard blood and mother’s lies had denied him the education that a prince would have received. If he had gotten the lessons that sons of the supreme kings or kings should have received, he would know the ins and outs of both the complexities of Greek Culture as well as diplomacy. Even though the few people he had confided such fears in told him that he would do well, the Bastard boy couldn’t shake that horrible feeling that his presence would only make things worse.
However, it wasn’t much that Sutekh could do in order to combat this. Not when both the council and the pharaoh had decided that Sutekh would be the one to meet with the Greeks. He would be the one to sit at the table with the leaders of these other nations as they all worked together to bring an end to this conflict that had torn their kingdoms apart. Granted, Sutekh was far from alone. Not only did he have a litany of advisors who were all working diligently to bring Sutekh’s knowledge to the level that the Greeks would expect from him, but he also had quite a few translators, scribes, and servants, all given to him in the hopes of this mission would be a success. In addition to all of this, Sutekh was lucky enough to have two more people sitting at the peace discussions with him; a lower-ranking councilmember and a general who had not yet been awarded a Hei. All of these men were supposed to help ensure that this mission was a success.
It didn’t fail to capture his attention though that everyone that had made the month-long journey to Colchis was expendable in one way or another -- Sutekh could only hope that this was from a lack of trust in the Greeks than some elaborate scheme constructed by Iahotep to have his brother-in-law killed without getting the blood on his hands.
If he was being truthful, Sutekh was afraid that the group would be betrayed by their host while the envoy was outside the safety that their own shores provided. Although it would be in poor taste, Sutekh couldn’t deny that it would be a grand morale boost to the Grecians if they could boast that they had killed a member of the royal family. As even though Sutekh was unwanted by his brother-in-law and stepmother, there was no denying that he was indeed a prince due to the blood of Imopehatsuma flowing through his veins.
These fears seemed to be unfounded though as the envoy was quite surprised to discover that in the day or so after landing on the cold, rocky shores of Colchis, a night festival was going to be hosted in their honor. As if that wasn’t welcoming enough, the three men who would have a place at the discussion table in the coming days would have the pleasure of being accompanied by a member of the Colchian nobility. The prince would be lying if he said that this tidbit of news did not pique his interest quite a bit -- as even though he did not have the highest hopes for Greek girls given their uncivilized culture, the long month he had spent at sea had made him weary. He longed to talk to someone, anyone, who had not seen the same ocean waves for a month.
As this would be the envoy’s introduction to the Colchian people, Sutekh and his entourage wasted no expense in dressing to impress. All of the men who would be attending this festival were adorned with gold in some fashion whether it be necklaces or bracelets. However, it couldn’t compare to the sheer amount of decorations that the Prince was adorned in from head to toe. Numerous pieces of jewelry hung from his neck, wrists, fingers, ears, and practically anywhere else a glittering gem could fit. In order to further highlight the clear display of his country’s wealth, Sutekh had also tied a simple, white linen cloth about his waist. That way at least he could upkeep the supposed Greek standards of modesty even though his upper chest would be entirely bare. He forwent any sort of golden circlet or other ornaments that would declare himself as a member of the Egyptian royalty as he was certain that the rest of the decadence on his sun-kissed body would be able to convey such information without any sort of crowns.
All in all, he was very hard to miss once the peace envoy descended upon the festival grounds. Sutekh was not blind to the stares that passed over him as the small group of foreigners made their way through the market. It was unsettling and the obvious language barrier that stood between them and him as he knew very little Greek made his cheeks burn bright red in embarrassment. He was used to being the center of attention, but this was different. The stares were just a tad too similar to the funny looks he had received after the truth of his heritage had come out…
Luckily, though his sheer visibility made it easy for his escort to find him. Sutekh was pleasantly surprised by the arrival of Essa. As the tiny, little thing introduced herself with a girlish grin on her face, Sutekh couldn’t hold in a beam of his own. It wasn’t his fault, her excitement was just that infectious. He was indeed impressed by her perfect Coptic as he had not expected such a highborn Greek girl to be a master of his language. In fact, it almost forced a blush to his face as he was forced to consider how this tiny wisp of a thing, dressed in such brilliant colors that Sutekh’s eyes kept drifting from hue to hue could be such a master of his mother tongue while he was so abysmal at hers.
“Lady Essa of Drakos,” Sutekh quietly said, more so testing the name on his tongue to ensure that he was pronouncing it properly through his heavy Egyptian accent, “It truly is a pleasure to meet you.” He added once he was certain that he had said her name correctly. The slight tenseness that had been with him before Essa had arrived was slowly dissipating with the comfort of being able to talk in his own mother tongue with such a lovely young woman. Sutekh could not lie, he was intrigued by Lady Essa. Not only was she beautiful, but he was also curious how a girl who lived so far away from the Kingdom of Sand had managed to perfect her Coptic. Surely, there would be more than enough time this evening to discover the story that lay behind this interesting aspect of his company for the evening.
“I’m afraid that you might have your work cut out for you, Lady Essa. My skills with the Greecian language are nowhere near as adept as yours seem to be with my own.” He said with a light chuckle as he made fun of his own shortcomings, “In fact, I would even say you’re a bit better than my hired translators.” It wasn’t overly funny, or even chuckle-worthy really -- but it was the sort of small talk that would be expected between two people who were as highly ranked as they were. It would be rather inappropriate for him to be cracking jokes at their first meeting -- but little did Sutekh know that this pair would soon not need to adhere to such strict rules of etiquette…
Either way, Sutekh was quick to offer the girl his arm for their stroll around the festival, not understanding that two of them standing this close to each other in such an intimate manner would be frowned upon by the majority of the Grecians around them, but that soon wouldn’t matter. The pair would quickly be absorbed in their own little world that would tun everyone who was not each other out. However, that ball had to get rolling if the fates were to weave their brilliant tapestry concerning the two together. Not that either of them knew this, of course, or otherwise Sutekh might have tried to initiate a conversation that was more interesting than the weather.
“Tell me, Lady Essa, is it always this cold in Greece? I feel as if I might freeze before this festival is over,” Sutekh asked, being oblivious to the fact that the majority of his chill likely came from the fact that his chest was completely bare. However, even if he was dressed properly, he still might have been cold due to how far north he now was in comparison to the scorching hot Egypt -- which of course would be a funny thing for Essa to have to explain as it was currently Spring in Greece and this festival was taking place in one of the warmer months!
It was hard not to stare as she approached the Egyptians in all their finery. Covered in gold, they seemed to literally shine as bright as the sun itself above them. Yet all that paled in comparison to the man among them who surely had to the prince. He was adorned in a stunning amount of jewelry, the golden tones of the metal only accentuating the sun-kissed color of his skin. Her eyes caught instead on the simple white linen he wore around his waist, leaving his entire upper body exposed. It was a sight unlike anything she had ever seen and enough to make the young girl blush.
She ought to have been embarrassed, but the shade of red staining the prince’s own face was reassuring in a way. At first she found herself puzzled by this observation, but as she approached she realized she was far from the only Greek whose gaze had sought him out. That yanked on her heartstrings in a way that surprised her. She had expected someone with the arrogance of a prince, and instead what she saw before her was something all too familiar. Someone uncomfortable with the attention of many upon them. They hadn’t even spoke yet, and already she found herself feeling comfortable with him, feeling as though they could understand one another.
Finally, she greeted him, pleased by the wide smile that he offered. Her expression softened to something resembling tenderness at the quiet care he took in repeating her name. The way it sounded in his Egyptian accent sent a rush of delight through her, finding it seemed so much more than the name she heard every day of her life. She nodded enthusiastically, a silent assurance that he had done well in his pronunciation.
Now that she was closer, it was not his exposed skin that caught her attention, but his face. There was a softness to it that was only accentuated by the dimple of his chin and the short cropped curls that framed his face. His eyes were darker than any shade of brown she’d ever seen, seeming almost black and yet... there was a gentleness in their depths that eased her nerves on an instinctual level. For a stranger, she felt remarkably at ease around him - a feat of no small significance for the shy young noble.
His kind compliments had her blushing fiercely and dipping her head. His words brought a soft giggle to her own lips as she looked up at him once more. “I’m flattered that you think so. It is truthfully the first time I’ve had the opportunity to speak in your tongue. Until now I’ve found myself rather limited to the written word. If anything, I am grateful to your arrival for giving me such a wondrous opportunity to expand my knowledge, and honored for the chance to accompany you today.”
Essa accepted his arm with a shy smile. With anyone else, this would be beyond scandalous. In truth, she could easily cite propriety were she inclined to keep her distance. Just as easily as she could say she was merely respecting his own culture by complying. This thought should have come before her choice rather than as an afterthought, yet there was something within her that wanted to be close to this mysterious prince.
“Oh no, not at all,” she responded quickly before looking up at him with a smile that could only be called mischievous. “It can get quite colder in the winter months.” Her laughter was soft and teasing. “This is actually growing rather warm for us, though not as much as the heat summer will bring. I can only imagine how different it must be from your desert home though,” she continued, her voice still warm but more reserved as she answered his question.
“If it gets to be too cold for you, we could always buy you some authentic Greek attire,” she continued, that teasing tone returning to her soft voice. Her deep-hazel eyes seemed to dance with light - or perhaps it was merely the reflection of his gilded attire - as she looked to him once more. “I imagine you would look quite handsome in such. Of course, as someone who surely must look dashing in anything, I’m certain you already knew that.”
Essa blushed at the sudden rush of courage that inspired such bold words from her lips. It was so unlike her. She could only hope she hadn’t embarrassed herself too badly in doing so. She glanced up at him shyly, looking for any sign of offense, only to quickly look at her own feet once more, afraid of what she might see written on his face. Swallowing hard, she tried to think of something, anything, to distract from her fear that she had just made a terrible fool of herself. “What are your interests?” She winced slightly before she forced herself to quickly continue on, curiosity overcoming her.
“I’d love to show you the best of what my country has to offer, but I’m afraid I don’t know you well enough to guess at what might be most enjoyable for you. What is it that you love to fill the leisurely hours of your day with?”
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It was hard not to stare as she approached the Egyptians in all their finery. Covered in gold, they seemed to literally shine as bright as the sun itself above them. Yet all that paled in comparison to the man among them who surely had to the prince. He was adorned in a stunning amount of jewelry, the golden tones of the metal only accentuating the sun-kissed color of his skin. Her eyes caught instead on the simple white linen he wore around his waist, leaving his entire upper body exposed. It was a sight unlike anything she had ever seen and enough to make the young girl blush.
She ought to have been embarrassed, but the shade of red staining the prince’s own face was reassuring in a way. At first she found herself puzzled by this observation, but as she approached she realized she was far from the only Greek whose gaze had sought him out. That yanked on her heartstrings in a way that surprised her. She had expected someone with the arrogance of a prince, and instead what she saw before her was something all too familiar. Someone uncomfortable with the attention of many upon them. They hadn’t even spoke yet, and already she found herself feeling comfortable with him, feeling as though they could understand one another.
Finally, she greeted him, pleased by the wide smile that he offered. Her expression softened to something resembling tenderness at the quiet care he took in repeating her name. The way it sounded in his Egyptian accent sent a rush of delight through her, finding it seemed so much more than the name she heard every day of her life. She nodded enthusiastically, a silent assurance that he had done well in his pronunciation.
Now that she was closer, it was not his exposed skin that caught her attention, but his face. There was a softness to it that was only accentuated by the dimple of his chin and the short cropped curls that framed his face. His eyes were darker than any shade of brown she’d ever seen, seeming almost black and yet... there was a gentleness in their depths that eased her nerves on an instinctual level. For a stranger, she felt remarkably at ease around him - a feat of no small significance for the shy young noble.
His kind compliments had her blushing fiercely and dipping her head. His words brought a soft giggle to her own lips as she looked up at him once more. “I’m flattered that you think so. It is truthfully the first time I’ve had the opportunity to speak in your tongue. Until now I’ve found myself rather limited to the written word. If anything, I am grateful to your arrival for giving me such a wondrous opportunity to expand my knowledge, and honored for the chance to accompany you today.”
Essa accepted his arm with a shy smile. With anyone else, this would be beyond scandalous. In truth, she could easily cite propriety were she inclined to keep her distance. Just as easily as she could say she was merely respecting his own culture by complying. This thought should have come before her choice rather than as an afterthought, yet there was something within her that wanted to be close to this mysterious prince.
“Oh no, not at all,” she responded quickly before looking up at him with a smile that could only be called mischievous. “It can get quite colder in the winter months.” Her laughter was soft and teasing. “This is actually growing rather warm for us, though not as much as the heat summer will bring. I can only imagine how different it must be from your desert home though,” she continued, her voice still warm but more reserved as she answered his question.
“If it gets to be too cold for you, we could always buy you some authentic Greek attire,” she continued, that teasing tone returning to her soft voice. Her deep-hazel eyes seemed to dance with light - or perhaps it was merely the reflection of his gilded attire - as she looked to him once more. “I imagine you would look quite handsome in such. Of course, as someone who surely must look dashing in anything, I’m certain you already knew that.”
Essa blushed at the sudden rush of courage that inspired such bold words from her lips. It was so unlike her. She could only hope she hadn’t embarrassed herself too badly in doing so. She glanced up at him shyly, looking for any sign of offense, only to quickly look at her own feet once more, afraid of what she might see written on his face. Swallowing hard, she tried to think of something, anything, to distract from her fear that she had just made a terrible fool of herself. “What are your interests?” She winced slightly before she forced herself to quickly continue on, curiosity overcoming her.
“I’d love to show you the best of what my country has to offer, but I’m afraid I don’t know you well enough to guess at what might be most enjoyable for you. What is it that you love to fill the leisurely hours of your day with?”
It was hard not to stare as she approached the Egyptians in all their finery. Covered in gold, they seemed to literally shine as bright as the sun itself above them. Yet all that paled in comparison to the man among them who surely had to the prince. He was adorned in a stunning amount of jewelry, the golden tones of the metal only accentuating the sun-kissed color of his skin. Her eyes caught instead on the simple white linen he wore around his waist, leaving his entire upper body exposed. It was a sight unlike anything she had ever seen and enough to make the young girl blush.
She ought to have been embarrassed, but the shade of red staining the prince’s own face was reassuring in a way. At first she found herself puzzled by this observation, but as she approached she realized she was far from the only Greek whose gaze had sought him out. That yanked on her heartstrings in a way that surprised her. She had expected someone with the arrogance of a prince, and instead what she saw before her was something all too familiar. Someone uncomfortable with the attention of many upon them. They hadn’t even spoke yet, and already she found herself feeling comfortable with him, feeling as though they could understand one another.
Finally, she greeted him, pleased by the wide smile that he offered. Her expression softened to something resembling tenderness at the quiet care he took in repeating her name. The way it sounded in his Egyptian accent sent a rush of delight through her, finding it seemed so much more than the name she heard every day of her life. She nodded enthusiastically, a silent assurance that he had done well in his pronunciation.
Now that she was closer, it was not his exposed skin that caught her attention, but his face. There was a softness to it that was only accentuated by the dimple of his chin and the short cropped curls that framed his face. His eyes were darker than any shade of brown she’d ever seen, seeming almost black and yet... there was a gentleness in their depths that eased her nerves on an instinctual level. For a stranger, she felt remarkably at ease around him - a feat of no small significance for the shy young noble.
His kind compliments had her blushing fiercely and dipping her head. His words brought a soft giggle to her own lips as she looked up at him once more. “I’m flattered that you think so. It is truthfully the first time I’ve had the opportunity to speak in your tongue. Until now I’ve found myself rather limited to the written word. If anything, I am grateful to your arrival for giving me such a wondrous opportunity to expand my knowledge, and honored for the chance to accompany you today.”
Essa accepted his arm with a shy smile. With anyone else, this would be beyond scandalous. In truth, she could easily cite propriety were she inclined to keep her distance. Just as easily as she could say she was merely respecting his own culture by complying. This thought should have come before her choice rather than as an afterthought, yet there was something within her that wanted to be close to this mysterious prince.
“Oh no, not at all,” she responded quickly before looking up at him with a smile that could only be called mischievous. “It can get quite colder in the winter months.” Her laughter was soft and teasing. “This is actually growing rather warm for us, though not as much as the heat summer will bring. I can only imagine how different it must be from your desert home though,” she continued, her voice still warm but more reserved as she answered his question.
“If it gets to be too cold for you, we could always buy you some authentic Greek attire,” she continued, that teasing tone returning to her soft voice. Her deep-hazel eyes seemed to dance with light - or perhaps it was merely the reflection of his gilded attire - as she looked to him once more. “I imagine you would look quite handsome in such. Of course, as someone who surely must look dashing in anything, I’m certain you already knew that.”
Essa blushed at the sudden rush of courage that inspired such bold words from her lips. It was so unlike her. She could only hope she hadn’t embarrassed herself too badly in doing so. She glanced up at him shyly, looking for any sign of offense, only to quickly look at her own feet once more, afraid of what she might see written on his face. Swallowing hard, she tried to think of something, anything, to distract from her fear that she had just made a terrible fool of herself. “What are your interests?” She winced slightly before she forced herself to quickly continue on, curiosity overcoming her.
“I’d love to show you the best of what my country has to offer, but I’m afraid I don’t know you well enough to guess at what might be most enjoyable for you. What is it that you love to fill the leisurely hours of your day with?”
Sutekh was not going to lie. When his brother-in-law, the Pharaoh, informed the boy that he would be the one to sail across the sea, he did not have high hopes in this business trip of sorts ending well for him. After all, had the man not just spent the entire course of the war attempting to have Sutekh die at every turn? Why on earth would he suddenly change his mind and give the boy a comfy vacation to a Greecian kingdom with the all-important task of negotiating peace on behalf of his sister’s family if there wasn’t some sort of catch to it -- probably ending in his demise, of course. This track record from his brother-in-law was enough to convince Sutekh that this was a place that he should be watching his back at every turn.
Yet? He hadn’t felt the need to do that since stepping onshore. Granted, it was clear from all the stares from the Colchians that both the Prince and his entourage were not welcome in this land. Sutekh was not going to stand here and undercut the clear waves of hatred that were radiating towards him. However, the Colchian royals had been kind enough, greeting the convoy with a festival, taking the time to introduce the foreign boy to their culture… and then there was Essa.
It was safe to say that Essa was far from anything that he expected. Sutekh had been told all of his life that the Greeks were either mangy dogs or haughty snobs at the best of the times. Colchians, in particular, were touted to be the worse of the whole lot given their inability to hold a conversation and desire to kill anything that moved… but his new translator was none of these things. They may have only exchanged a few words, but Sutekh could feel himself being drawn to her in an odd sort of way. As if her sweet and gentle nature was almost comforting in the wake of what the Prince had been expecting. Not to mention that both of them could already tell that they had a bit more in common than just both sharing two higher-ranking titles and the same language. She was just as flustered as he was and it wasn’t in some coy way either. It was weird for the militant turned royal to describe, but she was so honest and genuine that it was honestly refreshing for the young man who had been forced to assume the worst in others due to the situation that he had been thrust into on account that he was unlucky enough to be born.
Not that he would articulate any of this though. Although Sutekh was fairly certain she would appreciate the praises he was internally lauding upon her, based on her initial reaction to him complimenting her on her Coptic skills, Essa may grow more flustered from them. Plus not to mention it would be kind of a strange thing to say given that he was fairly certain that she would not want to know the strange circumstances of his life. There was no way he could explain how appreciative he was of her genuine nature without also explaining how he had been sent in the Pharaoh’s place just in case this was some sort of elaborate trap and he was deemed expendable due to his bastard status.
Resolving to set this aside until later when it would be more appropriate to bring up these gratitudes, Sutekh instead tried to focus on the conversation at hand. However, that was a rather difficult thing to do when he was practically struck dumb by the fact that the Greecian Isles got colder than what he was already experiencing. His eyes widened in sheer surprise, not fully sure if he could comprehend how anything could be colder than this. For goodness sake’s if his blood wasn’t already so warm from being so flustered, he would practically be shaking like a leaf at this moment.
“You can’t be serious” Sutekh sputtered out with a disbelieving laugh, “It gets colder than this? How are you all not frozen into blocks of ice?” His question might have been more rhetorical than serious, but truthfully Sutekh really couldn’t fathom how the temperature could drop even lower than this. He was used to deserts so hot that if you missed a single oasis on your journey across the dunes, you were more likely to find your grave than your destination. Comprehending a kingdom being so cold that every year the water turned solid and yet somehow the people survived this was just impossible for the Prince who only experienced chills at night when Ra left the sky.
Realizing too late that he might have caused some offense to poor Essa who did not have control over how cold things could become, Sutekh was quick to backtrack as he hastily spoke, “My apologies, Lady Essa. I should have spoken so boldly... it’s just… I think it’s clear from my outfit that I am used to boiling underneath the rays of our Egyptian sun. This is my first time truly experiencing what ‘being cold’ feels like.” It might have been a bit strange, but it was the truth. Winter was a foreign concept in the south and it was just as strange as some of the clothes that these Grecians were wearing -- the very same clothes that Essa offered to purchase for the visiting prince.
Sutekh glanced at the chitons warily. He could not understand how a person could wear so much fabric and not feel stifled by the weight of it all. Throughout his life, he had always seen light clothing with modesty being second class to comfort. Some even went as far as to shed any sort of fabric entirely if the day was particularly hot. It seemed to be that one chiton had enough cloth to cover two people and then some. Although the Prince was cold and he did naturally consider the offer, his wariness for having to deal with so much fabric was shown as he pointed out a man wearing both the traditional garment of her people and a chlamys to boot. “How does one even put on an outfit like that? He appears to have been swallowed by the fabric... ” He knew that maybe he shouldn’t be asking so many questions of Essa. After all, the noble girl’s job was merely to translate his words so that the people of Greece might understand him, not sign up for satisfying his curiosity about this culture he was raised to hate. However, in a weird sort of way, that might have been just as much of her job as making sense of his Coptic tongue did. It would do him no good if she just told him what these strange words like chiton and peplos meant if there was no proper equivalent in his own language!
His confusion over how the greek outfit worked almost blinded him to the brief flirtation that Essa offered the so-called ‘handsome’ prince in her company. A fierce blush overtook his cheeks when Sutekh registered what the girl had said, momentarily unsure of how to respond. She seemed to be so sweet and innocent that it seemed almost incredulous that such words would pour from her mouth.
Not that she had said anything necessarily that bad so to speak. Sutekh had most certainly heard worse in his own home country where people thought nothing of practically fucking each other in the streets. However, he had just been unexpecting such a thing from Essa and thus he was completely unsure of how to respond. “Uhhh… oh um… you look beautiful as well” He managed to sputter out, completely flustered and off guard. Instantly he was kicking himself for uttering such an awkward mess of a response. Really? That was the best he could come up with? Really?
Sutekh was not going to lie. He did find Essa to be beautiful and it extended far beyond the makeup that might have been splashed onto her lovely face. She really was unlike any other girl he had ever met (outside of his family, of course) as Egyptian girls were practically trained since birth to be sultry temptresses. She was the exact opposite of that. Essa was kind, sweet, and truly seemed to hold no judgments against him for where he had hailed from. Was it true love in the making? Probably not. Sutekh was not going to leap so far to assume that this would be anything more than light flirtation, but it was enough that encouraged Sutekh to try again after wincing at his own failure and having an awkward moment to gather his thoughts. “Well if Colchis is truly as cold as you say it is… we should probably see if your suspicions are true, hmm?”
There. That was much better.
However, he had no idea if his words had made that much of an impact or not as the topic shifted away from Colchis and towards the Prince himself -- or more specifically what his interests were. That was… a complicated question to say the least. Given that Sutekh had been so focused in the past few months on the war effort and not being killed by his brother-in-law he wasn’t sure what the answer was anymore. After all, he could easily default to the things that he liked before he had learned that he was the son of Imopehatsuma. However, that would be lying wouldn’t it? He wasn’t that man anymore, after all, but he didn’t want to seem as if he was some sort of war-mongering dog by just listing his war specialties, no matter how much they truly mattered to him.
“Archery and board games, I suppose. There isn’t time for much else with a title like my own.” He eventually admitted with a small shrug, nervous that the girl might think poorly of him for liking a sport that could so easily create carnage on the battlefield. That was probably why he was so quick to explain where his own interest stemmed from, “My father died when I was young, but he was a great warrior. Taking up the bow only seemed natural, it brings me closer to him.” He was careful to not even hint at the fact that he was a Bastard as he did not know if Essa was aware of this piece of his personal history. It wasn’t something that he necessarily wanted to disclose as he had already had to deal with a lifetime of stigma for it and he was not keen to have another person to view him in the same disdainful light over something that had always been out of control. Hoping to brush over this quickly, the Prince further continued by also explaining his second answer in a way that was far more innocent than needing to hide bastard blood. “As for the board games, my sisters love to play and are always in need of opponents so I had to learn to love it as well.”
Turning his head to his companion, Sutekh continued this line of questioning, genuinely curious to learn more about his tour guide of this rocky kingdom and the things that brought her joy, “And you? What hobbies take up your free moments Lady Essa -- besides learning foreign tongues, of course?” A small boyish grin crossed his face as he spoke, catching himself in his mistake of forgetting that she had already revealed one such interest. Gods be good, it seemed almost incredulous that this boy could have almost been the Pharaoh of Egypt if he was really making himself out to be this sheepish mess. Hopefully, Essa might see the charm in it though, right?
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This character is currently a work in progress.
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Sutekh was not going to lie. When his brother-in-law, the Pharaoh, informed the boy that he would be the one to sail across the sea, he did not have high hopes in this business trip of sorts ending well for him. After all, had the man not just spent the entire course of the war attempting to have Sutekh die at every turn? Why on earth would he suddenly change his mind and give the boy a comfy vacation to a Greecian kingdom with the all-important task of negotiating peace on behalf of his sister’s family if there wasn’t some sort of catch to it -- probably ending in his demise, of course. This track record from his brother-in-law was enough to convince Sutekh that this was a place that he should be watching his back at every turn.
Yet? He hadn’t felt the need to do that since stepping onshore. Granted, it was clear from all the stares from the Colchians that both the Prince and his entourage were not welcome in this land. Sutekh was not going to stand here and undercut the clear waves of hatred that were radiating towards him. However, the Colchian royals had been kind enough, greeting the convoy with a festival, taking the time to introduce the foreign boy to their culture… and then there was Essa.
It was safe to say that Essa was far from anything that he expected. Sutekh had been told all of his life that the Greeks were either mangy dogs or haughty snobs at the best of the times. Colchians, in particular, were touted to be the worse of the whole lot given their inability to hold a conversation and desire to kill anything that moved… but his new translator was none of these things. They may have only exchanged a few words, but Sutekh could feel himself being drawn to her in an odd sort of way. As if her sweet and gentle nature was almost comforting in the wake of what the Prince had been expecting. Not to mention that both of them could already tell that they had a bit more in common than just both sharing two higher-ranking titles and the same language. She was just as flustered as he was and it wasn’t in some coy way either. It was weird for the militant turned royal to describe, but she was so honest and genuine that it was honestly refreshing for the young man who had been forced to assume the worst in others due to the situation that he had been thrust into on account that he was unlucky enough to be born.
Not that he would articulate any of this though. Although Sutekh was fairly certain she would appreciate the praises he was internally lauding upon her, based on her initial reaction to him complimenting her on her Coptic skills, Essa may grow more flustered from them. Plus not to mention it would be kind of a strange thing to say given that he was fairly certain that she would not want to know the strange circumstances of his life. There was no way he could explain how appreciative he was of her genuine nature without also explaining how he had been sent in the Pharaoh’s place just in case this was some sort of elaborate trap and he was deemed expendable due to his bastard status.
Resolving to set this aside until later when it would be more appropriate to bring up these gratitudes, Sutekh instead tried to focus on the conversation at hand. However, that was a rather difficult thing to do when he was practically struck dumb by the fact that the Greecian Isles got colder than what he was already experiencing. His eyes widened in sheer surprise, not fully sure if he could comprehend how anything could be colder than this. For goodness sake’s if his blood wasn’t already so warm from being so flustered, he would practically be shaking like a leaf at this moment.
“You can’t be serious” Sutekh sputtered out with a disbelieving laugh, “It gets colder than this? How are you all not frozen into blocks of ice?” His question might have been more rhetorical than serious, but truthfully Sutekh really couldn’t fathom how the temperature could drop even lower than this. He was used to deserts so hot that if you missed a single oasis on your journey across the dunes, you were more likely to find your grave than your destination. Comprehending a kingdom being so cold that every year the water turned solid and yet somehow the people survived this was just impossible for the Prince who only experienced chills at night when Ra left the sky.
Realizing too late that he might have caused some offense to poor Essa who did not have control over how cold things could become, Sutekh was quick to backtrack as he hastily spoke, “My apologies, Lady Essa. I should have spoken so boldly... it’s just… I think it’s clear from my outfit that I am used to boiling underneath the rays of our Egyptian sun. This is my first time truly experiencing what ‘being cold’ feels like.” It might have been a bit strange, but it was the truth. Winter was a foreign concept in the south and it was just as strange as some of the clothes that these Grecians were wearing -- the very same clothes that Essa offered to purchase for the visiting prince.
Sutekh glanced at the chitons warily. He could not understand how a person could wear so much fabric and not feel stifled by the weight of it all. Throughout his life, he had always seen light clothing with modesty being second class to comfort. Some even went as far as to shed any sort of fabric entirely if the day was particularly hot. It seemed to be that one chiton had enough cloth to cover two people and then some. Although the Prince was cold and he did naturally consider the offer, his wariness for having to deal with so much fabric was shown as he pointed out a man wearing both the traditional garment of her people and a chlamys to boot. “How does one even put on an outfit like that? He appears to have been swallowed by the fabric... ” He knew that maybe he shouldn’t be asking so many questions of Essa. After all, the noble girl’s job was merely to translate his words so that the people of Greece might understand him, not sign up for satisfying his curiosity about this culture he was raised to hate. However, in a weird sort of way, that might have been just as much of her job as making sense of his Coptic tongue did. It would do him no good if she just told him what these strange words like chiton and peplos meant if there was no proper equivalent in his own language!
His confusion over how the greek outfit worked almost blinded him to the brief flirtation that Essa offered the so-called ‘handsome’ prince in her company. A fierce blush overtook his cheeks when Sutekh registered what the girl had said, momentarily unsure of how to respond. She seemed to be so sweet and innocent that it seemed almost incredulous that such words would pour from her mouth.
Not that she had said anything necessarily that bad so to speak. Sutekh had most certainly heard worse in his own home country where people thought nothing of practically fucking each other in the streets. However, he had just been unexpecting such a thing from Essa and thus he was completely unsure of how to respond. “Uhhh… oh um… you look beautiful as well” He managed to sputter out, completely flustered and off guard. Instantly he was kicking himself for uttering such an awkward mess of a response. Really? That was the best he could come up with? Really?
Sutekh was not going to lie. He did find Essa to be beautiful and it extended far beyond the makeup that might have been splashed onto her lovely face. She really was unlike any other girl he had ever met (outside of his family, of course) as Egyptian girls were practically trained since birth to be sultry temptresses. She was the exact opposite of that. Essa was kind, sweet, and truly seemed to hold no judgments against him for where he had hailed from. Was it true love in the making? Probably not. Sutekh was not going to leap so far to assume that this would be anything more than light flirtation, but it was enough that encouraged Sutekh to try again after wincing at his own failure and having an awkward moment to gather his thoughts. “Well if Colchis is truly as cold as you say it is… we should probably see if your suspicions are true, hmm?”
There. That was much better.
However, he had no idea if his words had made that much of an impact or not as the topic shifted away from Colchis and towards the Prince himself -- or more specifically what his interests were. That was… a complicated question to say the least. Given that Sutekh had been so focused in the past few months on the war effort and not being killed by his brother-in-law he wasn’t sure what the answer was anymore. After all, he could easily default to the things that he liked before he had learned that he was the son of Imopehatsuma. However, that would be lying wouldn’t it? He wasn’t that man anymore, after all, but he didn’t want to seem as if he was some sort of war-mongering dog by just listing his war specialties, no matter how much they truly mattered to him.
“Archery and board games, I suppose. There isn’t time for much else with a title like my own.” He eventually admitted with a small shrug, nervous that the girl might think poorly of him for liking a sport that could so easily create carnage on the battlefield. That was probably why he was so quick to explain where his own interest stemmed from, “My father died when I was young, but he was a great warrior. Taking up the bow only seemed natural, it brings me closer to him.” He was careful to not even hint at the fact that he was a Bastard as he did not know if Essa was aware of this piece of his personal history. It wasn’t something that he necessarily wanted to disclose as he had already had to deal with a lifetime of stigma for it and he was not keen to have another person to view him in the same disdainful light over something that had always been out of control. Hoping to brush over this quickly, the Prince further continued by also explaining his second answer in a way that was far more innocent than needing to hide bastard blood. “As for the board games, my sisters love to play and are always in need of opponents so I had to learn to love it as well.”
Turning his head to his companion, Sutekh continued this line of questioning, genuinely curious to learn more about his tour guide of this rocky kingdom and the things that brought her joy, “And you? What hobbies take up your free moments Lady Essa -- besides learning foreign tongues, of course?” A small boyish grin crossed his face as he spoke, catching himself in his mistake of forgetting that she had already revealed one such interest. Gods be good, it seemed almost incredulous that this boy could have almost been the Pharaoh of Egypt if he was really making himself out to be this sheepish mess. Hopefully, Essa might see the charm in it though, right?
Sutekh was not going to lie. When his brother-in-law, the Pharaoh, informed the boy that he would be the one to sail across the sea, he did not have high hopes in this business trip of sorts ending well for him. After all, had the man not just spent the entire course of the war attempting to have Sutekh die at every turn? Why on earth would he suddenly change his mind and give the boy a comfy vacation to a Greecian kingdom with the all-important task of negotiating peace on behalf of his sister’s family if there wasn’t some sort of catch to it -- probably ending in his demise, of course. This track record from his brother-in-law was enough to convince Sutekh that this was a place that he should be watching his back at every turn.
Yet? He hadn’t felt the need to do that since stepping onshore. Granted, it was clear from all the stares from the Colchians that both the Prince and his entourage were not welcome in this land. Sutekh was not going to stand here and undercut the clear waves of hatred that were radiating towards him. However, the Colchian royals had been kind enough, greeting the convoy with a festival, taking the time to introduce the foreign boy to their culture… and then there was Essa.
It was safe to say that Essa was far from anything that he expected. Sutekh had been told all of his life that the Greeks were either mangy dogs or haughty snobs at the best of the times. Colchians, in particular, were touted to be the worse of the whole lot given their inability to hold a conversation and desire to kill anything that moved… but his new translator was none of these things. They may have only exchanged a few words, but Sutekh could feel himself being drawn to her in an odd sort of way. As if her sweet and gentle nature was almost comforting in the wake of what the Prince had been expecting. Not to mention that both of them could already tell that they had a bit more in common than just both sharing two higher-ranking titles and the same language. She was just as flustered as he was and it wasn’t in some coy way either. It was weird for the militant turned royal to describe, but she was so honest and genuine that it was honestly refreshing for the young man who had been forced to assume the worst in others due to the situation that he had been thrust into on account that he was unlucky enough to be born.
Not that he would articulate any of this though. Although Sutekh was fairly certain she would appreciate the praises he was internally lauding upon her, based on her initial reaction to him complimenting her on her Coptic skills, Essa may grow more flustered from them. Plus not to mention it would be kind of a strange thing to say given that he was fairly certain that she would not want to know the strange circumstances of his life. There was no way he could explain how appreciative he was of her genuine nature without also explaining how he had been sent in the Pharaoh’s place just in case this was some sort of elaborate trap and he was deemed expendable due to his bastard status.
Resolving to set this aside until later when it would be more appropriate to bring up these gratitudes, Sutekh instead tried to focus on the conversation at hand. However, that was a rather difficult thing to do when he was practically struck dumb by the fact that the Greecian Isles got colder than what he was already experiencing. His eyes widened in sheer surprise, not fully sure if he could comprehend how anything could be colder than this. For goodness sake’s if his blood wasn’t already so warm from being so flustered, he would practically be shaking like a leaf at this moment.
“You can’t be serious” Sutekh sputtered out with a disbelieving laugh, “It gets colder than this? How are you all not frozen into blocks of ice?” His question might have been more rhetorical than serious, but truthfully Sutekh really couldn’t fathom how the temperature could drop even lower than this. He was used to deserts so hot that if you missed a single oasis on your journey across the dunes, you were more likely to find your grave than your destination. Comprehending a kingdom being so cold that every year the water turned solid and yet somehow the people survived this was just impossible for the Prince who only experienced chills at night when Ra left the sky.
Realizing too late that he might have caused some offense to poor Essa who did not have control over how cold things could become, Sutekh was quick to backtrack as he hastily spoke, “My apologies, Lady Essa. I should have spoken so boldly... it’s just… I think it’s clear from my outfit that I am used to boiling underneath the rays of our Egyptian sun. This is my first time truly experiencing what ‘being cold’ feels like.” It might have been a bit strange, but it was the truth. Winter was a foreign concept in the south and it was just as strange as some of the clothes that these Grecians were wearing -- the very same clothes that Essa offered to purchase for the visiting prince.
Sutekh glanced at the chitons warily. He could not understand how a person could wear so much fabric and not feel stifled by the weight of it all. Throughout his life, he had always seen light clothing with modesty being second class to comfort. Some even went as far as to shed any sort of fabric entirely if the day was particularly hot. It seemed to be that one chiton had enough cloth to cover two people and then some. Although the Prince was cold and he did naturally consider the offer, his wariness for having to deal with so much fabric was shown as he pointed out a man wearing both the traditional garment of her people and a chlamys to boot. “How does one even put on an outfit like that? He appears to have been swallowed by the fabric... ” He knew that maybe he shouldn’t be asking so many questions of Essa. After all, the noble girl’s job was merely to translate his words so that the people of Greece might understand him, not sign up for satisfying his curiosity about this culture he was raised to hate. However, in a weird sort of way, that might have been just as much of her job as making sense of his Coptic tongue did. It would do him no good if she just told him what these strange words like chiton and peplos meant if there was no proper equivalent in his own language!
His confusion over how the greek outfit worked almost blinded him to the brief flirtation that Essa offered the so-called ‘handsome’ prince in her company. A fierce blush overtook his cheeks when Sutekh registered what the girl had said, momentarily unsure of how to respond. She seemed to be so sweet and innocent that it seemed almost incredulous that such words would pour from her mouth.
Not that she had said anything necessarily that bad so to speak. Sutekh had most certainly heard worse in his own home country where people thought nothing of practically fucking each other in the streets. However, he had just been unexpecting such a thing from Essa and thus he was completely unsure of how to respond. “Uhhh… oh um… you look beautiful as well” He managed to sputter out, completely flustered and off guard. Instantly he was kicking himself for uttering such an awkward mess of a response. Really? That was the best he could come up with? Really?
Sutekh was not going to lie. He did find Essa to be beautiful and it extended far beyond the makeup that might have been splashed onto her lovely face. She really was unlike any other girl he had ever met (outside of his family, of course) as Egyptian girls were practically trained since birth to be sultry temptresses. She was the exact opposite of that. Essa was kind, sweet, and truly seemed to hold no judgments against him for where he had hailed from. Was it true love in the making? Probably not. Sutekh was not going to leap so far to assume that this would be anything more than light flirtation, but it was enough that encouraged Sutekh to try again after wincing at his own failure and having an awkward moment to gather his thoughts. “Well if Colchis is truly as cold as you say it is… we should probably see if your suspicions are true, hmm?”
There. That was much better.
However, he had no idea if his words had made that much of an impact or not as the topic shifted away from Colchis and towards the Prince himself -- or more specifically what his interests were. That was… a complicated question to say the least. Given that Sutekh had been so focused in the past few months on the war effort and not being killed by his brother-in-law he wasn’t sure what the answer was anymore. After all, he could easily default to the things that he liked before he had learned that he was the son of Imopehatsuma. However, that would be lying wouldn’t it? He wasn’t that man anymore, after all, but he didn’t want to seem as if he was some sort of war-mongering dog by just listing his war specialties, no matter how much they truly mattered to him.
“Archery and board games, I suppose. There isn’t time for much else with a title like my own.” He eventually admitted with a small shrug, nervous that the girl might think poorly of him for liking a sport that could so easily create carnage on the battlefield. That was probably why he was so quick to explain where his own interest stemmed from, “My father died when I was young, but he was a great warrior. Taking up the bow only seemed natural, it brings me closer to him.” He was careful to not even hint at the fact that he was a Bastard as he did not know if Essa was aware of this piece of his personal history. It wasn’t something that he necessarily wanted to disclose as he had already had to deal with a lifetime of stigma for it and he was not keen to have another person to view him in the same disdainful light over something that had always been out of control. Hoping to brush over this quickly, the Prince further continued by also explaining his second answer in a way that was far more innocent than needing to hide bastard blood. “As for the board games, my sisters love to play and are always in need of opponents so I had to learn to love it as well.”
Turning his head to his companion, Sutekh continued this line of questioning, genuinely curious to learn more about his tour guide of this rocky kingdom and the things that brought her joy, “And you? What hobbies take up your free moments Lady Essa -- besides learning foreign tongues, of course?” A small boyish grin crossed his face as he spoke, catching himself in his mistake of forgetting that she had already revealed one such interest. Gods be good, it seemed almost incredulous that this boy could have almost been the Pharaoh of Egypt if he was really making himself out to be this sheepish mess. Hopefully, Essa might see the charm in it though, right?
Already, the Egyptian Prince was far from what she had expected. She had heard many tales of Egyptians, though she tried not to believe the worst of them. They might have been their enemies, but that didn’t make them a terrible people necessarily. Even if their hedonist ways were quite foreign. She’d heard that they wore next to nothing, and fornicated in public for all to see. Yet when she looked at the Prince before her...
Well, he didn’t seem so bad at all. If anything... he seemed more like, well, her than anyone she had ever met before. Surely they were more different than alike, but he seemed to carry himself with the same sort of kindness and uncertainty that she felt all too strongly. It was refreshing to feel even slightly understood.
Yet, Essa couldn’t fight the giggle that bubbled forth from her lips, even as her hand flew up to cover her mouth. She didn’t mean to laugh at him, but his reaction to the cold was just so... endearing. It wasn’t the polished reply of a courtier but a breathtakingly honest reaction of a man.
“In the winter, if you stay outside too long, especially high in the mountains, freezing to death is a true danger,” she answered simply, though her smile was not unkind. “And in the worst of winter, the rain that falls is frozen as well,” she added with a grin. She couldn’t help but try to imagine the look on his face if he could see snow. She certainly didn’t think she had the skill to properly describe it to him.
“I almost wish it was winter, just to see how you’d react to it,” she mused softly, blushing as she realized that she had spoken aloud. “Please, there is no need for apologies. I’m sure I’d feel the same in the heat and sand of your homeland though,” she added reassuringly. “I’m far from offended, Your Highness,” she continued, a hand shifting over his arm in a comforting gesture without a second thought. “It is a pleasure to hear one speak so freely.”
She watched him as he studied the chitons she had gestured towards. She wondered what it must be like to see such a thing for the first time, through fresh eyes. So many things that were commonplace to her must be confusing and astounding to him. At last he gestured towards a man, asking his question. Her smile grew wider still. She paused, considering how best to answer. It wouldn’t help to throw a bunch of names at him that he couldn’t relate to anything. “Well, he is wearing multiple layers to fight the chill,” she explained softly, before turning his attention back to the chiton. “As for this, it is a matter of careful folding and gathering. Think of it like a woman’s hair of a sort. It can be twisted and fastened in a number of ways, yes? Our garments are much the same.”
Essa gazed up at him, hoping her explanation offered some sort of clarity. The blush that spread over the tan-skinned man’s face as he registered her compliment however, took her by surprise. It was enough to bring a blush to her own face - far more evident on such fair skin. She quickly looked away, silently scolding herself for making such a remark. What had she been thinking? She looked up only as he stammered out a compliment of his own. She hesitated, wanting to apologize, but fearing that would only intensify the awkwardness that was now between them.
Why had she said such a thing? She would be cursing herself for days to come over this she felt certain. “Thank you,” she murmured softly, though she couldn’t quite bring herself to meet his eyes. The pink on her cheeks was now a fierce shade of crimson instead. “Forgive me, I spoke out of turn,” she mumbled meekly, hands folded before her and eyes downcast.
‘We should probably see if your suspicions are true, hmm?’
His words caught her so by surprise that her head snapped up to look at him once more, wide eyed and open mouthed. Now, it was her turn to be flustered. For a moment - one that lasted far too long to be polite - she could only stare at him. “Oh, yes,” she exclaimed suddenly. “Um, I think you’ll find yourself far warmer in any such case, Prince.. I mean, your Highness,” she stammered.
By the gods, she was hopeless as ever it seemed. Thank goodness her mother wasn’t here to see this now.
Conversation quickly shifted the what she had asked him of himself. She listened with interest even as she could feel her still-lingering blush burning on her skin. “Archery is an impressive skill,” she said, awe in her voice. Colchis was more appreciative of battle arts than some other Greecian lands. Her eyes widened as he spoke of a slain father. “That’s beautiful,” she whispered, finding tears springing into her hazel eyes. She hastily wiped them away. “Forgive me,” she said hurriedly. “My own father was much the same. An impressive warrior, slain in battle. I... I never knew him,” she confessed, surprised to find the truth shared so easily. “I’m not certain if he ever even knew of my birth, truth be told. I... I wish I had a way to feel close to him at all. I hear he was a wonderful man.” The sort who wouldn’t scold her for following her heart the way her mother did.
She shook her head, as though banishing such dreary thoughts away. “What a kind brother you must be,” she said, her voice brightening. “Your sisters are surely quite lucky to have you. I hope they know it.”
He turned the question about on her then, and she quickly chuckled in a sheepish sort of way. “I much prefer the company of my books more often than not,” she confessed. “Though foreign languages are a skill I’ve been keen to develop. Not that I am afforded many opportunities to practice. I am far better with the written word than the spoken I’m afraid.” There was something mesmerizing about the smile he offered when he spoke. The sort that made her almost forget her foolishness from earlier - a feat that was truly remarkable for the anxious girl. It was charming really, and he seemed to truly be interested in her answers.
“I wish I could confess to scholarly pursuits, but what I enjoy most are story books. Sweeping tales of romance and adventure... It must seem silly to a man so important as you, I realize,” she continued with a blush. “But there is a comfort in losing oneself in a faraway world. Stepping away from the limits of reality as though one could truly be... something more than they are.” Her voice had turned soft as she spoke, vulnerable almost. Admitting a truth she wouldn’t usually share so easily. Yet with the Egyptian Prince, it felt easy. Perhaps it was merely because she knew she wouldn’t see him again. Or perhaps it was just her usual tender-hearted ways. It was difficult to know.
Essa shook her head, laughing softly. “Forgive me, you didn’t travel all this way to listen to such girlish notions.” She smiled up at him. “I would be a terrible guide if I left you to freeze, no?” With that, she moved forward towards the merchant stall, purchasing a crisp white chiton for the foreigner, much like the linen that he wore about his waist. It would contrast not only the golden finery he wore, but the deeper tone of his skin as well. She flushed at the thought. This was a terrible time for one of her pointless crushes. Yes, he was handsome, and kind, and showing more interest in her than many she had known most her life.
But she had a job to do. She had to do not just her family, but her country proud.
She held the fabric towards him, hesitating. “I could try to explain,” she began hesitantly, “but I fear it might only confuse you more. It might be simpler if I just...” put it on. The words hung unspoken in the air as she gestured vaguely. “If you don’t mind that is, of course. I... I would never want to make you uncomfortable, Your Highness.” The blush that had finally begun to fade was once more entirely too present upon her face. She could feel that cursed feeling of humiliation overwhelming her once more. It was as though there was no escape. “I... I’m sorry, perhaps this was a bad idea." She began to turn away from him, reconsidering her options. "Perhaps a himation would be better,” she murmured more to herself than anything, afraid she had offended him with her forwardness, however innocent her intent may have been.
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Already, the Egyptian Prince was far from what she had expected. She had heard many tales of Egyptians, though she tried not to believe the worst of them. They might have been their enemies, but that didn’t make them a terrible people necessarily. Even if their hedonist ways were quite foreign. She’d heard that they wore next to nothing, and fornicated in public for all to see. Yet when she looked at the Prince before her...
Well, he didn’t seem so bad at all. If anything... he seemed more like, well, her than anyone she had ever met before. Surely they were more different than alike, but he seemed to carry himself with the same sort of kindness and uncertainty that she felt all too strongly. It was refreshing to feel even slightly understood.
Yet, Essa couldn’t fight the giggle that bubbled forth from her lips, even as her hand flew up to cover her mouth. She didn’t mean to laugh at him, but his reaction to the cold was just so... endearing. It wasn’t the polished reply of a courtier but a breathtakingly honest reaction of a man.
“In the winter, if you stay outside too long, especially high in the mountains, freezing to death is a true danger,” she answered simply, though her smile was not unkind. “And in the worst of winter, the rain that falls is frozen as well,” she added with a grin. She couldn’t help but try to imagine the look on his face if he could see snow. She certainly didn’t think she had the skill to properly describe it to him.
“I almost wish it was winter, just to see how you’d react to it,” she mused softly, blushing as she realized that she had spoken aloud. “Please, there is no need for apologies. I’m sure I’d feel the same in the heat and sand of your homeland though,” she added reassuringly. “I’m far from offended, Your Highness,” she continued, a hand shifting over his arm in a comforting gesture without a second thought. “It is a pleasure to hear one speak so freely.”
She watched him as he studied the chitons she had gestured towards. She wondered what it must be like to see such a thing for the first time, through fresh eyes. So many things that were commonplace to her must be confusing and astounding to him. At last he gestured towards a man, asking his question. Her smile grew wider still. She paused, considering how best to answer. It wouldn’t help to throw a bunch of names at him that he couldn’t relate to anything. “Well, he is wearing multiple layers to fight the chill,” she explained softly, before turning his attention back to the chiton. “As for this, it is a matter of careful folding and gathering. Think of it like a woman’s hair of a sort. It can be twisted and fastened in a number of ways, yes? Our garments are much the same.”
Essa gazed up at him, hoping her explanation offered some sort of clarity. The blush that spread over the tan-skinned man’s face as he registered her compliment however, took her by surprise. It was enough to bring a blush to her own face - far more evident on such fair skin. She quickly looked away, silently scolding herself for making such a remark. What had she been thinking? She looked up only as he stammered out a compliment of his own. She hesitated, wanting to apologize, but fearing that would only intensify the awkwardness that was now between them.
Why had she said such a thing? She would be cursing herself for days to come over this she felt certain. “Thank you,” she murmured softly, though she couldn’t quite bring herself to meet his eyes. The pink on her cheeks was now a fierce shade of crimson instead. “Forgive me, I spoke out of turn,” she mumbled meekly, hands folded before her and eyes downcast.
‘We should probably see if your suspicions are true, hmm?’
His words caught her so by surprise that her head snapped up to look at him once more, wide eyed and open mouthed. Now, it was her turn to be flustered. For a moment - one that lasted far too long to be polite - she could only stare at him. “Oh, yes,” she exclaimed suddenly. “Um, I think you’ll find yourself far warmer in any such case, Prince.. I mean, your Highness,” she stammered.
By the gods, she was hopeless as ever it seemed. Thank goodness her mother wasn’t here to see this now.
Conversation quickly shifted the what she had asked him of himself. She listened with interest even as she could feel her still-lingering blush burning on her skin. “Archery is an impressive skill,” she said, awe in her voice. Colchis was more appreciative of battle arts than some other Greecian lands. Her eyes widened as he spoke of a slain father. “That’s beautiful,” she whispered, finding tears springing into her hazel eyes. She hastily wiped them away. “Forgive me,” she said hurriedly. “My own father was much the same. An impressive warrior, slain in battle. I... I never knew him,” she confessed, surprised to find the truth shared so easily. “I’m not certain if he ever even knew of my birth, truth be told. I... I wish I had a way to feel close to him at all. I hear he was a wonderful man.” The sort who wouldn’t scold her for following her heart the way her mother did.
She shook her head, as though banishing such dreary thoughts away. “What a kind brother you must be,” she said, her voice brightening. “Your sisters are surely quite lucky to have you. I hope they know it.”
He turned the question about on her then, and she quickly chuckled in a sheepish sort of way. “I much prefer the company of my books more often than not,” she confessed. “Though foreign languages are a skill I’ve been keen to develop. Not that I am afforded many opportunities to practice. I am far better with the written word than the spoken I’m afraid.” There was something mesmerizing about the smile he offered when he spoke. The sort that made her almost forget her foolishness from earlier - a feat that was truly remarkable for the anxious girl. It was charming really, and he seemed to truly be interested in her answers.
“I wish I could confess to scholarly pursuits, but what I enjoy most are story books. Sweeping tales of romance and adventure... It must seem silly to a man so important as you, I realize,” she continued with a blush. “But there is a comfort in losing oneself in a faraway world. Stepping away from the limits of reality as though one could truly be... something more than they are.” Her voice had turned soft as she spoke, vulnerable almost. Admitting a truth she wouldn’t usually share so easily. Yet with the Egyptian Prince, it felt easy. Perhaps it was merely because she knew she wouldn’t see him again. Or perhaps it was just her usual tender-hearted ways. It was difficult to know.
Essa shook her head, laughing softly. “Forgive me, you didn’t travel all this way to listen to such girlish notions.” She smiled up at him. “I would be a terrible guide if I left you to freeze, no?” With that, she moved forward towards the merchant stall, purchasing a crisp white chiton for the foreigner, much like the linen that he wore about his waist. It would contrast not only the golden finery he wore, but the deeper tone of his skin as well. She flushed at the thought. This was a terrible time for one of her pointless crushes. Yes, he was handsome, and kind, and showing more interest in her than many she had known most her life.
But she had a job to do. She had to do not just her family, but her country proud.
She held the fabric towards him, hesitating. “I could try to explain,” she began hesitantly, “but I fear it might only confuse you more. It might be simpler if I just...” put it on. The words hung unspoken in the air as she gestured vaguely. “If you don’t mind that is, of course. I... I would never want to make you uncomfortable, Your Highness.” The blush that had finally begun to fade was once more entirely too present upon her face. She could feel that cursed feeling of humiliation overwhelming her once more. It was as though there was no escape. “I... I’m sorry, perhaps this was a bad idea." She began to turn away from him, reconsidering her options. "Perhaps a himation would be better,” she murmured more to herself than anything, afraid she had offended him with her forwardness, however innocent her intent may have been.
Already, the Egyptian Prince was far from what she had expected. She had heard many tales of Egyptians, though she tried not to believe the worst of them. They might have been their enemies, but that didn’t make them a terrible people necessarily. Even if their hedonist ways were quite foreign. She’d heard that they wore next to nothing, and fornicated in public for all to see. Yet when she looked at the Prince before her...
Well, he didn’t seem so bad at all. If anything... he seemed more like, well, her than anyone she had ever met before. Surely they were more different than alike, but he seemed to carry himself with the same sort of kindness and uncertainty that she felt all too strongly. It was refreshing to feel even slightly understood.
Yet, Essa couldn’t fight the giggle that bubbled forth from her lips, even as her hand flew up to cover her mouth. She didn’t mean to laugh at him, but his reaction to the cold was just so... endearing. It wasn’t the polished reply of a courtier but a breathtakingly honest reaction of a man.
“In the winter, if you stay outside too long, especially high in the mountains, freezing to death is a true danger,” she answered simply, though her smile was not unkind. “And in the worst of winter, the rain that falls is frozen as well,” she added with a grin. She couldn’t help but try to imagine the look on his face if he could see snow. She certainly didn’t think she had the skill to properly describe it to him.
“I almost wish it was winter, just to see how you’d react to it,” she mused softly, blushing as she realized that she had spoken aloud. “Please, there is no need for apologies. I’m sure I’d feel the same in the heat and sand of your homeland though,” she added reassuringly. “I’m far from offended, Your Highness,” she continued, a hand shifting over his arm in a comforting gesture without a second thought. “It is a pleasure to hear one speak so freely.”
She watched him as he studied the chitons she had gestured towards. She wondered what it must be like to see such a thing for the first time, through fresh eyes. So many things that were commonplace to her must be confusing and astounding to him. At last he gestured towards a man, asking his question. Her smile grew wider still. She paused, considering how best to answer. It wouldn’t help to throw a bunch of names at him that he couldn’t relate to anything. “Well, he is wearing multiple layers to fight the chill,” she explained softly, before turning his attention back to the chiton. “As for this, it is a matter of careful folding and gathering. Think of it like a woman’s hair of a sort. It can be twisted and fastened in a number of ways, yes? Our garments are much the same.”
Essa gazed up at him, hoping her explanation offered some sort of clarity. The blush that spread over the tan-skinned man’s face as he registered her compliment however, took her by surprise. It was enough to bring a blush to her own face - far more evident on such fair skin. She quickly looked away, silently scolding herself for making such a remark. What had she been thinking? She looked up only as he stammered out a compliment of his own. She hesitated, wanting to apologize, but fearing that would only intensify the awkwardness that was now between them.
Why had she said such a thing? She would be cursing herself for days to come over this she felt certain. “Thank you,” she murmured softly, though she couldn’t quite bring herself to meet his eyes. The pink on her cheeks was now a fierce shade of crimson instead. “Forgive me, I spoke out of turn,” she mumbled meekly, hands folded before her and eyes downcast.
‘We should probably see if your suspicions are true, hmm?’
His words caught her so by surprise that her head snapped up to look at him once more, wide eyed and open mouthed. Now, it was her turn to be flustered. For a moment - one that lasted far too long to be polite - she could only stare at him. “Oh, yes,” she exclaimed suddenly. “Um, I think you’ll find yourself far warmer in any such case, Prince.. I mean, your Highness,” she stammered.
By the gods, she was hopeless as ever it seemed. Thank goodness her mother wasn’t here to see this now.
Conversation quickly shifted the what she had asked him of himself. She listened with interest even as she could feel her still-lingering blush burning on her skin. “Archery is an impressive skill,” she said, awe in her voice. Colchis was more appreciative of battle arts than some other Greecian lands. Her eyes widened as he spoke of a slain father. “That’s beautiful,” she whispered, finding tears springing into her hazel eyes. She hastily wiped them away. “Forgive me,” she said hurriedly. “My own father was much the same. An impressive warrior, slain in battle. I... I never knew him,” she confessed, surprised to find the truth shared so easily. “I’m not certain if he ever even knew of my birth, truth be told. I... I wish I had a way to feel close to him at all. I hear he was a wonderful man.” The sort who wouldn’t scold her for following her heart the way her mother did.
She shook her head, as though banishing such dreary thoughts away. “What a kind brother you must be,” she said, her voice brightening. “Your sisters are surely quite lucky to have you. I hope they know it.”
He turned the question about on her then, and she quickly chuckled in a sheepish sort of way. “I much prefer the company of my books more often than not,” she confessed. “Though foreign languages are a skill I’ve been keen to develop. Not that I am afforded many opportunities to practice. I am far better with the written word than the spoken I’m afraid.” There was something mesmerizing about the smile he offered when he spoke. The sort that made her almost forget her foolishness from earlier - a feat that was truly remarkable for the anxious girl. It was charming really, and he seemed to truly be interested in her answers.
“I wish I could confess to scholarly pursuits, but what I enjoy most are story books. Sweeping tales of romance and adventure... It must seem silly to a man so important as you, I realize,” she continued with a blush. “But there is a comfort in losing oneself in a faraway world. Stepping away from the limits of reality as though one could truly be... something more than they are.” Her voice had turned soft as she spoke, vulnerable almost. Admitting a truth she wouldn’t usually share so easily. Yet with the Egyptian Prince, it felt easy. Perhaps it was merely because she knew she wouldn’t see him again. Or perhaps it was just her usual tender-hearted ways. It was difficult to know.
Essa shook her head, laughing softly. “Forgive me, you didn’t travel all this way to listen to such girlish notions.” She smiled up at him. “I would be a terrible guide if I left you to freeze, no?” With that, she moved forward towards the merchant stall, purchasing a crisp white chiton for the foreigner, much like the linen that he wore about his waist. It would contrast not only the golden finery he wore, but the deeper tone of his skin as well. She flushed at the thought. This was a terrible time for one of her pointless crushes. Yes, he was handsome, and kind, and showing more interest in her than many she had known most her life.
But she had a job to do. She had to do not just her family, but her country proud.
She held the fabric towards him, hesitating. “I could try to explain,” she began hesitantly, “but I fear it might only confuse you more. It might be simpler if I just...” put it on. The words hung unspoken in the air as she gestured vaguely. “If you don’t mind that is, of course. I... I would never want to make you uncomfortable, Your Highness.” The blush that had finally begun to fade was once more entirely too present upon her face. She could feel that cursed feeling of humiliation overwhelming her once more. It was as though there was no escape. “I... I’m sorry, perhaps this was a bad idea." She began to turn away from him, reconsidering her options. "Perhaps a himation would be better,” she murmured more to herself than anything, afraid she had offended him with her forwardness, however innocent her intent may have been.