they had come home. satriyans filtered through the pyramid, and the rooms which had stood cold beneath dust now came to life with voice and sound. how odd! to be separated from merneith by walls of stone and hallways of polished marble onto which they would paint the glory of their reign. somewhere in their wanderings, pharaoh had become accustomed to the outside world, and like the others he slipped to it now.
there were delicate terraces above khaemwaset, but his feet wanted the firmness of good earth. one pass took him around the bold sharp sides of the pyramid. the air was chill where it should have been warm. Ra's absence stayed a sense of strain for Horus, who thought often of phoenix' pronouncement that a wolven sacrifice must be made. was this the bloodstain that might bring back the sun?
caught in his own stricken mind, pharaoh did not at once see the man before him. in fact, it was the perfume of the queen which greeted him first, inviting a look of pleasure to his face before he pointed it toward the fellahin prostrate in his path. the golden eyes moved across the downed shoulders, and within moments he was inquisitive.
rise, said khaemwaset, and when he was heeded, his gaze rested with frank appraisal on the face, the arms, the worshipfulness. a flick of the obsidian tail invited this man to finish the patrol, but for a moment he did not speak, only lapsed back into his own thoughts.
you are new to my sister's court, Horus murmured at last, eyes lifting to the great height of stone beside which they moved. how are you settling?