“Go away!”
Mahad let out a sigh. As a first order went, that was pretty clear, however... “I’m sorry, my Pharaoh, but I can’t follow that order.”
“Don’t...” A half sob emerged from the room he was trying to enter, a stifled, half hidden sound that spoke of someone attempting to deny grief, attempting to stand strong when all that was wanted was time and solitude so that their collapse into misery went unnoticed. “Just go away, Mahad.”
Despite her words he couldn’t let his friend bare this alone. Though Mahad could not have known that her father would sicken and die within a day of learning the truth of the Millennium Items and confronting his brother, he could not help but feel responsible for the former Pharaoh’s death.
The priest took a deep breath, well aware that, should she desire, the newly crowned Pharaoh could have him killed without a moment’s notice. Then he pushed open the door and stepped into the darkened chamber within. The sun had long set, but none of the torches within had been lit. The inhabitant of the room, who had fled there the moment her duties had been done, didn’t want the light.
It took Mahad’s eyes a few moments to adjust and he left the door ajar to allow some of the light from the hallway into the room.
Once he could make out outlines in the darkness, he moved towards the lump on the bed, avoiding the discarded regalia as he did so. He sat next to the lump, which was facing away from the door.
“My Pharaoh.” Mahad put his hand on her shoulder gently, aware that he had already crossed the line and that this was sacrilege. Touching the Pharaoh without their permission was punishable by death but he had already refused to follow orders and entered the Pharaoh’s bedchambers without permission. At this point he was already risking death. “I’m sorry...”
A loud sob escaped the girl on the bed. That was the only warning he got before she wheeled around and latched onto him, sobbing into his chest. Mahad hesitated for just a moment before wrapping his arms around her, letting the distraught ruler cry herself out.
“It’ll be okay.” He murmured, rubbing her back, “It’ll all be okay.”
He stayed there, holding the sobbing Pharaoh until she cried herself to sleep, and then laid her down gently and moved away from the bed, pausing by the shadows near the door, where a figure was hiding.
“I’ll look after her.” Ba-Khu-Ra promised from her hiding place, “Go settle the morons. I won’t let anyone disturb her until she’s ready to deal with them.”
“Thank you.” Mahad was surprised by her willingness to do this for the Pharaoh.
“I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for her.” Ba-Khu-Ra snapped. “Now go.”
For once Mahad didn’t object to the former thief trying to order him around. Instead he went to deal with the fallout and left the slumbering Pharaoh in the care of the one person in the entire palace that he could actually trust not to bend to the other High Priests.
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