As the royal barge slipped slightly into the docks at Thebes, Sutekh knew that he shouldn’t be here. This city was simply no longer a safe place for him. After all, the protections his sister had granted to him only extended as far as the walls of the Evening Star Palace and even that was shaky at best. Here in Thebes, practically a world away, the threat of angering the young queen was not as strong as it would be in the capital. Any angry soul who was eager to restore the supposed ‘honor’ of a family who thought nothing of casting him out could quickly take their revenge and slip away into the night. They would be long gone and Sutekh already well on his way to greet Anubis by the time word arrived back in Cairo. Although even he had to admit this line of thought was a tad extreme, the newly-instated prince was not going to be foolish enough to dismiss the dangers entirely. The wound in this city was too fresh and it was still more than raw in some places. Sutekh could certainly testify to that.
Perhaps that was why Sutekh could not cast off the impending feeling of doom that washed over him as he climbed the steps to the Temple of Ra. Even though he was entering a house of the gods, there was still a fair amount of danger. The young man could only hope that the god would be kind enough to grant him some sort of safety as he moved through the gold and obsidian halls. This was a familiar journey to the boy as he had been in this building a thousand times before. However, this time it was vastly different. All of the other times he had simply been a lord’s son. A boy who was destined to become a future Sirdar. This night though? He was a Prince. Sutekh was the son of a Pharaoh.
Even though he was a bastard, the sheer divinity that now technically flowed through his veins could not be ignored; especially now that her Evening Radiance had accepted her brother and had given him all the titles that their shared bloodlines demanded. It was still a lot to take in without Sutekh also needing to sort through the sheer trauma of losing the only family he had ever known. He needed the sort of guidance that only the gods could provide. That was why he was here. He needed to speak with the gods and he wanted to do it in peace, without fear of interruption or being overhead as the worries and troubles he needed to admit were not things he wished to be conveyed back to the Palace. He couldn’t get that in Cairo, but he could here. That alone was worth every risk that came with appearing in a city that was endlessly loyal to the Sheifas.
Though it seemed to be that he did not need to worry so greatly as the only other soul he saw as he made his way through the halls that carried the lightest scent of the brimstone burning bright in the night torches, was the Priest that greeted him before the statue of Ra. After a brief exchange, Sutekh was shortly left alone to fall onto his knees before the mortal representation of the King of the Gods. A quiet cascade of prayers tumbled from his lips, practically captivating the boy as he spoke to Ra until the early rays of the dawn began to make its way through dawn.
It was only when the whole building was finally washed in a bright glow did Sutekh rise from where he stood and made his way out towards the barge. Although no voice answered him, a great sense of peace settled over him as not only did he feel as if he conversed with the god, but also with another. He couldn’t explain why, but Sutekh felt as if he had also spoken with his father, Imopehatsuma. It was an odd feeling, but given that the Pharaohs were gods on earth, the prince was not going to question it. Instead, he was rather grateful for getting a chance to return to Thebes, even just for a night.
But now it was time to return.
Just as silently as Sutekh had slipped into the city, he left. Glancing back at the city he had called home for twenty-four years as the barge sailed up the Nile, it still felt wrong to be leaving so soon. The temptation to visit his family was strong, the boy knew that it was not safe enough to do that now. There would be other opportunities to return to the family who had raised him. For now, he needed to return to Cairo to be at his sister’s side for as long as it would take to set the world right.
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