🥺💜

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Skill - Orator

Head bowed as Khaemwaset mused, Hotep only flicked an ear at the mentioned of godhood. I have no such ambition, Pharaoh. Though it is a great honour to be compared to such as the man you describe. I give only that which is required of me, and need no accolade for the doing. A priest destined for godhood would have been able to turn Akhenaten onto a better path. In this, Hotep felt undeserving.

Lifting his head, he watched Pharaoh's gave turn heavensward and swallowed again, mouth dry. Still Hotep faintly quivered, but less now perhaps, that the wound was lanced, and no additional pain was forthcoming. I am glad to hear you say these things. It is a balm upon my heart to see you shine with such confidence, Mighty One. He answered, but averted his gaze again when the gilt-iron stare of his god-king returned.

I will tell the mothers of your generosity and virtue, of the wonders of Satriya and the blessings that may rain down upon their heirs. And Pharaoh would speak to Queen, and perhaps Hotep would be able to believe he had affected some positive change for Ma'at, after many past failures.

khaemwaset felt quite well now, better than he had in some time. good. let it be done. there was no need to speak more upon these things; pharaoh was satisfied and favored setemhotep with an even smile.
he was granted a vision then, a glimpse of an image so beautiful that his heart came to ache: a square window in the high stone wall. sunlight streaming upon the masoned floor of the obelisk, pouring honeygold over merneith, reclined upon a simple couch of fine elegance. in his nostrils, the scent of her perfume. setemhotep, bowing toward pharaoh after what seemed an examination.
her face was radiant. that of the sesh was content.
khaemwaset let out his breath. it was as if the pictures had come to life by painting that was not his own, as if the shapes had been placed there. he still felt the touch of the sun, smelled the cloying crush of a thousand lotuses softly wilting in the heat.
you have pleased me, sesh. pharaoh stretched, shut his eyes. as physician to all, including the queen, i will not ask anything too precise, setemhotep. but -- and now his face took on a shine of youthful hope, if only for a moment; i wish to know if there is any change in her -- condition. immediately and without delay, at any hour.
the tension eased to a single rope in his chest would be forever quelled if Hathor should bless merneith upon their expedition.

that vision aaaaaa ;A; 💜

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You have pleased me, sesh.

Hotep felt as if the sun itself had turned to shine just on him, and he was glad for the darkened fur about his cheeks to hide the heat rising there.

He was not, of course, blind to the meaning of this appointment. As servant in the shadow of Pharaoh on this great march North, Hotep knew much of the comings and goings of his royal benefactors.

Yes. He knew of their affections for one another: not only in soul, in heart, but in body as well. Which was all to say — he knew what changes might arise, given time. And if Pharaoh was set upon the comfort of heirs, this seemed a better fixation than sowing wildly among foreign fields in hope something germinated.

Risk was not entirely absent. The royal pair were young, still.

But Hotep believed there was time before such worries became necessary. For now, they only practiced, and this was suitable in sesh's eyes.

He thought again, though briefly, of Azalea, and her lost child. He recalled her plea to warn other girls of what heat could do to a mind and body, both. Surely Pharaoh and Queen had been taught this already...?

Sesh bowed.

I will inform you with the very same breath that draws in certainty. He replied. But I humbly urge patience in this regard, also, Divine King.

Next a calculated, but cautious glance up, to gauge whatever reaction followed: I beg you not begrudge my plainness, for it is better there be no mistaking. More than that, I am a physician, and there is nothing which can embarrass me regarding the natural cycles of the body. Did your tutors or kin tell you of the changes that a woman's body makes, when it is prepared to conceive? Or the effects this change may have upon men who enter her presence?

pharaoh had not heard these things before. they intrigued and astonished him, but there was no kernel of disbelief in the god. i went away on the emissary duties of a crown prince early. i overstepped much knowledge of this sort in order to pursue Ma’at.
a wry look took pharaoh's face now, became pleased and silken. there has been only the god-queen. now you say more is coming to us, sesh?
after his swim and this rush of powerful emotion, khaemwaset was hungry. but he did not want to stop, he did not want to send for a meal or do anything to break the line of his talk with setemhotep. the hunger of his body did not outweigh this abrupt ravening in his mind, to consume all that was to be known, the things he had foregone in order to set their futures.
lest, thought Horus, he lose the nerve, feel this sudden tinge of unsurety pressing at the gilt boundaries of himself.
he did not like the amorphous idea of men. there were none worthy to look upon merneith and only one helmed to answer the call of this cycle, as the physician put it. khaemwaset did not shift his position, as that might indicate discomfort, but one ear did gracefully slant and then uplifted yet again.
he tried to picture again; he had reached for a dream and found it. but this second element in between, some event unseen and as such, he had no plans around it.
silently he wondered if his sesh spoke only as a learned man or as a man who had learned for himself. the thought amused him. pharaoh swallowed down his childish smirk and waited.

"silently he wondered if his sesh spoke only as a learned man or as a man who had learned for himself. the thought amused him. pharaoh swallowed down his childish smirk and waited" AHAHAHAH

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Skill - Orator

Thank Bes Hotep had asked! But he would have to ascertain, now, as well, whether Queen was similarly ignorant — for there was good reason to worry about bringing her on the march if she had embarked, also, unaware and unprepared!

Maintaining a mostly serious face, despite a bit of fluster at the realization that some crucial parts of Khaemwaset's education were indeed sorely lacking, Hotep nodded once emphatically, Much more, Pharaoh. It is good that you should know this.

You may have heard soldiers making some mention of 'heat' in a woman. It was this they referred to. For several days at a time, a powerful urgency will arise, and in some it is even discomfort. For Queen, it may be many cycles of Khonsu from now, or in the very next. But once it begins, it should repeat itself upon set intervals, if all is well with her, until she conceives. It is very much like the flood of the River upon fields to replenish their fertility, and this is when a child is most easily conceived.

During this time the senses are often addled, as if drunk. The desire for — intimacies increases greatly, and her demands may even exhaust a man into impotence. Hotep could recite it with clinical detachment, but he did not necessarily expect the same mien of Pharaoh. Sesh allowed himself a faint smile, to indicate that forthcoming amusement in this matter was not entirely unexpected.

But there was warning, also, and he spoke next with gravity:

As well, the woman bears a scent; her sweetness increases greatly. And this stirs desire in a man to bed her, even at great risk and point of khopesh. Among hyksos, there may be bloody battles for the right. In more civilized climes, it is considered polite to retreat into privacy until these days have passed, for both safety and sensibility.

The choices any drawn into this spell make under its influence may be sharply misaligned from their sentiments outside of it. These urges are not irresistible. But especially to one inexperienced or undisciplined, may indeed feel as such.

Did Pharaoh understand? Barbarians might forego all subtlety in pursuit of a Desert Lotus, and unguarded, she may not be able to refuse them. This could topple alliance if mishandled. It put a charge upon him, too, to understand the vulnerability of any in such a position, and maintain his own presence of mind enough to act with forethought over base instinct.

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:DDDD

a spell.
khaemwaset had never known heka, dark or otherwise. by right might a court employ the services of soothsayers, sorcerers, astrologers, but these things were still an ignorance to pharaoh. he had grown motionless as was his way when his mind was clasped tightly in wandering those thoughts which had now sprung by dozens to his own mind.
setemhotep was explaining that an inundation of its own was coming to merneith. this, Horus found himself slightly unable to comprehend. he tried to think of it in terms of escalated desire, but that was not what the sesh spoke. cycles would begin for the queen, driven by some spirit of the river; she would enter a state of some prolonged divinity which even pharaoh himself was unable to fathom. a tiny sting of disappointment hissed inside him now, followed by surprise for its existence, and then bemusement to lay low both the first.
at such mention of impotence, khaemwaset grinned arrogantly, knowingly, at the little curve to the other's mouth, and their thoughts followed for a moment along the same trail. setemhotep did not speak of any such dangerous flame coming to scorch pharaoh himself, and so this power of generation must already be within him. was that why sapair had repeated this talk of heirs?
that slight shift in the physician's tone was not overlooked. he listened closely, feeling a catlike satisfaction, to have all suspicions against other men validated by the admonition. this age of cycles, of nile-rich fertility -- it would inflame the men around her.
again did pharaoh wonder if the sesh who educated him had been at the mercy of such a fire.
a silence. the obsidian lines of the Divine Incarnation became marble once more, and he said nothing else for a long while.
so we have only been practicing, pharaoh said first. this blessing begat by Hapi will descend upon my beloved and consume all in its path with desire. the queen must be more than treasured; she must be guarded. we do not know the hour nor the time, as you have said. but also, i must not put trust in men, and here his teeth glittered in an unfriendly expression.
do i already have this power, setemhotep? and do you believe the mazoi of satriya will be disciplined on this sort of battlefront?
the first was a matter of medicine; the second, far too heavy for an attendant to bear. and yet khaemwaset committed it into his care, brow smooth but eyes unblinking as he waited for an answer disallowed from imagination.

Skill - Orator

Hotep tilted his head, You and Queen were littermates, and so your physical bodies prepare for this at a similar pace. You have surely noticed developments in your own masculinity, and a maturation of your appetites thereof, which mark the change. Your potency increases steadily, though it may not yet be fully peaked.

A wan smile, It is good to be familiar with each other and draw joy in the union. And though rarer, it is not altogether unheard of for a child to be conceived outside of this season, if that brings you comfort, Pharaoh.

Things for husbands and wives. Things for lovers. For equals. Hotep kept his mien, but felt the sharp clench in his belly of spear-gouged sorrow.

He then inhaled, expression growing serious once more. As to her safety, it would be wise indeed to ensure she is attended by at least one trusted warrioress or eunuch, if her contingent cannot be made of them entirely. Once it has happened many times — if your union does not spring forth fruit at the first — they will likely be more predictable in their timing, and you will gain maneuverability.

Sungold eyes flicked to the side, considering the question of their contingent. At the center of it, Hotep was forced to accept that he was now unaware how educated his countrymen even were on the matter, and in ignorance lay the greatest of dangers. Of the mazoi as a whole, I cannot say for certain. I would hesitate to speculate beyond my station. Their training belonged to another.

He thought of the hungering looks he had seen Sapair give some fellahin, and the Jodai's resistance to Merneith attending the procession North. Then added, But I would humbly support motions to ensure your entwined authority is well-established — let all know that being guarded in such a way does not make her a possession to contend for, but a power in her own right which demands unquestioned respect.

A brief pause, then he added, If Queen has said nothing to you, then I fear she may be equally unaware, and this should be remedied. If not by me, then surely by her handmaiden.

words to educate. khaemwaset opened his ears to them all, to their loving flow. you, pharaoh said at once when setemhotep had finished. it must be you, if you are to one day be named wr šdt nfrw nswt. Great Royal Nurse. he was smiling faintly, pulling to mind the vibrant images which had filled his head only moments ago. no one has held the title in my lifetime. but look how you ensure the learning already of satriya's youth, teased khaemwaset. i am comforted by all you have said.
it was easy to be ignorant in the man's presence, he found, for setemhotep did not essay any criticisms. indeed, the sesh spoke with such objectivity that Horus was comforted anew. ask audience with my sister and tell her all you have told me. she should trust you as i have come to do, if she is to rely upon your skill when the time comes.
trust. it felt almost slovenly to give over, and yet setemhotep had earned it with his willing ways, his advisement, his ability to fit any role put upon his shoulders. trust then, and for khaemwaset, this was synonymous with nearness to merneith.
one thing he had not heard in this lesson was that he was not without the power of fertility even now. this magick might strengthen in him, but pharaoh had taken from this that he already possessed its virility in some part. upon the notion he would dwell, now tempted by a more scientific desire to see what might grow from a sown field. the idea that there might be no conception did not register to him, for such things applied not to those divine. a eunuch, he said now, an unpleasant bleakness filling his baretooth grin, that of a rotted grandfather. a glimpse and thus gone. that is a man who has been forcibly deprived, yes? does it remove the desire as well? asked khaemwaset curiously, sickened by the notion and yet fascinated all the same. perhaps i shall instruct the mazoi that they may be promoted to eunuch should their eyes stray too close to the queen.
pharaoh liked the idea very much.

I will do as you command, Pharaoh. Hotep replied, It is gladness to bring you comfort, and if you think me worthy of the honour, I will serve as such in utmost faithfulness. Titles, it seemed, collected upon him like feathers. He wondered when his chest would feel lighter for it, as it was supposed to do. But there was still relief in the affirmation — in being given trust, in being seen as valuable. The gods asked much of him, and to answer the call came like instinct. He had purpose here, in the shadow of Pharaoh and Queen, and there was joy in it. Even warmth. Perhaps he would master his own heart in time.

But now Pharaoh asked of Eunuchs. It may be a practical warning, Mighty One. Did Horus not do the same to Set? Some called it a disgrace, but this calmed the god of storms, when naught else could.

As to the technical aspect, It is like oxen, my King. If castrated early enough, the desire may escape him entirely. Hotep tilted his head, Those with the memory, or changes of body, are more like to be drawn in, but the spell is not so powerful upon them, and discipline easier to maintain. In either event, they cannot seed, and so would not threaten a dynasty.

Some wedded women, he knew, had kept eunuchs for their own pleasure for just such a reason.