Dreams of the Desert [[DreamerxSkye Pilot]]

[ShadyPrincess]

Aioâ??tri, having been going from here to there in the Palace, now had his normal entourage in flow. Usually, only one Guard would follow him about within the walls of their sanctuary. But, with the palace bustling with preparations, At least two would follow. And depending on what else might be going on, there might be 3 or more. Outside of the palace, if he had a need to leave, even more would follow, which was always standard procedure. Even though the preparations didn't seem that out of place, the Prince did wonder if his father had received another threatening message, not at all uncommon.

The rest of his entourage consisted of several teachers a cleric, and several of his personal slaves.. Aioâ??tri, came back to his room, while Tahirah and Raziya were still fussing with the clothing and bedding in his room. He barely noticed they were there, his mind focused on other things... mostly how the noise all the footsteps that followed him seem to grow by the day. He stepped over to that had been cut out from one of the massive stone walls, putting a few scrolls back, and looking for others. Each scrol was tied up in a neat little roll, a different colored string used to secure each one. As he searched for the one he was looking for, he caught another glimpse of Tahirah out of the corner of his eye.

After he stuffed several of the papyrus scrolls under his arm, his followers left right along with, just as swifly as they had all entered. On his way out though, Aioâ??tri made sure to flash Tahirah a coy little smirk. He turned his head away and walked out the door, well before he could see her reaction. After a moment, the two slave girls were alone again in the Prince's room.

The rest of the morning, Aioâ??tri spent doing more reciting, more prayers, and being told infomation he already new. It was all becoming so tedious anymore. He needed a break from it all, something he knew was not going to be on the schedule anytime soon. The way everyone made a such a palaver around him nearly drove him sick. Most of the time anymore he did his best to block out as much as he clould.

At lunchtime, the Pharoh had invited all of the royal officials and advisers to a grand lunch, which was exactly where the Prince was headed to now. The long wood table in the places grand halls had been covered with a golden cloth. Fresh fruit, crackers, and some cheeses were laid out all along the table, everyone casually enjoying the appetizers. He was one of the last ones to arrive, which earned him a scornful look from his father. Aioâ??tri pretended like he didn't see it, but it was so intimidating, he knew everyone could feel it. He knew his father had also planned some sort of announcement, though Aioâ??tri had no clue what exactly that might be.

Raziya and Tahirah folded the clothes with almost mathematical, mechanical precision. Or Tahirah did, anyways - she was allowed longer to put away the clothes because she had to teach Raziya exactly how to fold the garments so that there were no creases and that it fit perfectly in the box without being able to move around too much. After doing the first garment by herself, Tahirah allowed Raziya to try the next one that required a box. The girl seemed nervous but she tried - Tahirah only had to step in a few times to retrace her last few steps, the girl nodding as she learned the more intimate details. Such a simple thing to the Prince, like the folding of his clothes, was a huge deal to the slaves. Though quickly learned, the process could not be quickly forgotten. Her days were filled with this same activity over and over and over again. She could probably fold clothes in her sleep.

Tahirah figured that this was one way that her and the Prince were similar. Their days were spent in throngs of people, though she knew that he was treated far, far better amongst his than she was amongst hers. She was an equal to the people around her while he was the next ruler to a country, high respected. Even still, they were surrounded by people that they didn't necessarily share any commonalities or ties with and that drug them from place to place. Their days consisted of the same drone of activities, though his was less back-breaking labor, she figured it was mentally debilitating and tiring. In a daydream about the Prince's day, she took no notice as he walked in the room followed by a group of guards.

That is until Raziya stopped moving and stared. Thinking that something was wrong, Tahirah finally looked up and saw, snapping her fingers in front of the girl's face. "Enough of that... You can't stare like that," she said in a hushed whisper, indicating for the girl to get a box. When she finally had, the lifted the garment in and stacked it with the others that they'd folded. All that was left in the baskets now was the sheets.

"Alright... We have to strip the bed. Do NOT put the blanket on the floor," she urged, raising a brow and Raziya nodded softly. Engrossed in the work she was doing, Tahirah looked up only briefly as she heard the rustling of papyrus scrolls and the shuffling of feet past the bed. Seeing the coy smirk she stopped dead. Was he serious? First he'd flashed himself at her, now this? She wasn't sure how to take it. His stares had escalated to teasing and she wasn't sure what to do. It was almost scandalous and his smile had not evaded the careful eyes of Raziya either.

Waiting until the Aoi'tri was far out of earshot, and his guards were closing the doors, she finally spoke. "Ooooo..." was all she said at first, smirking softly. "What was that all about? I mean, that was-" she started but stopped when Tahirah looked at her.

Tahirah bit her lip. "It was nothing. Take the pillowcases off and the sheets... Set the pillows on the table with the blanket," she instructed carefully. Was it nothing? Certainly it was. She shook her head a bit and helped Raziya to strip is bed. When Raziya wasn't watching, she took a soft smell of the cotton and let a smirk pass quickly over her lips. It smelled like he did, a subtle mixture of sweet almonds and flowers. Suddenly realizing what she was doing, she shook herself back to reality and placed the sheets in the basket to be brought back to the washing room. The new sheets did not have the same smell, though she knew after he'd laid in the bed a few times, it would come back.

Sighing quietly after they'd finished and made up his bed perfectly, she sent Raziya on with the rest of her chores as she carried the dirty sheets, and the rest of his unclean laundry, back to the wash room. She would not be bringing the Prince his lunch that day for he had some sort of high-toned engagement and so she would not see him again until later in the day, likely dinner or maybe in passing before then. Either way, the though for some reason seemed to disappoint her a little.

Tahirah was a nervous wreck around him, but there was something about him that intrigued her. A few times she'd glanced at him when he wasn't looking and he looked almost poetic, sad about something she couldn't put her finger on. She wondered about him, what it would be liked to just talk to him. Maybe he wasn't so different from her, or anyone else deep down - Divine, certainly; gorgeous in the way his face was almost a sculpture for sure, but something about his demeanor made him more human.

But as she set the basket down in the washroom and wiped a bit of sweat from her forehead, she knew she wouldn't ever know.

 

[Skye Pilot]

Aioâ??tri had taken his seat, the the left-hand side of his father, just as usual. He bottled up the sigh of withheld torment as he sat down into the wooden chair, not wanting to show his distaste for this lunchtime event. Even as he took his seat, the young prince knew that it would be quite some time before they even would be served some appetizers... Golden plates where set for the over 40 guests and officials, most of whom Aioâ??tri didn't even care about. He smiled and nodded through the conversions, laughing at their lame jokes as needed, but not because he wanted to. It was all a grand show for him, and if he did not show respect to all of those invited, the Pharaoh would surely take a whip to him. It was a lesson Aioâ??tri had repeated several times in the past before it finally sunk in. That lesson wasn't something he was wanting to repeat at this point.

Most of the guests and officials there today only wanted to talk about the upcoming ceremony for the himself. The decorations, the procedures, the little details... he had people to take care of all of that for him... none of it was Aioâ??tri's decision, and never had it been. The ceremony was almost the only thing on anyone's mind really... everyone cared so much about it, most of them seeming to care over it more than the prince himself. Aioâ??tri did care about it though, yet the procedures, prayers, words, and schedule had been so pounded and wedged into his mind over the last many weeks and months, that the upcoming day had lost it's original charm, along with the meaning.

With his stomach softly growling, some of the servants finally brought out trays of bread, cheese, mixed fruits placed decorativley on the platters too.. A few of the berries were not anything he had ever seen before, the Prince being cautious about trying them. Aioâ??tri wasn't one for new foods, especially when it might be very hazardous to his health. But, after a few of the guests had sampled the exotic fruits without any problems, he did take a few nibbles.

As the servants brought in the first course of food, Aioâ??tri's eyes tried to catch a glimpse of exactly which of the slave girls were doing so, looking for one in particular. None of them seemed to be the one his deep eyes searched for. One girl caught his attention from the corner of his eye, his heart skipping a beat. At first, he thought it might be Tahirah, but once his eyes cast their full gaze upon the dark skinned servant, it was more than obvious that he had mistaken her identity. The Prince sighed under his breath, wanting to catch just a peek of Tahirah this afternoon, but as time drug along, it became clear it would not happen.

After the appetizers, and much more casual talk that Aioâ??tri could hardly stand, the main course arrived. Large platters of roast pork, vegetables, and other tidbits were carried in, catching the boy's attention completley. After a small prayer from the priest, everyone tackled the large amount of food presented before them, the chatter coming to a quick end. The sounds of thier vocies merged quickly into the sounds of eating, little conversation slipping through their mutual gorging.

As everyone slowed down from gorging themselves, and the talk grew to a minimum, the Pharaoh finally stood up from his seat at the head of the long wooden table. Instantly, all eyes were cast upon him, lips sealed shut.

"My friends and colleagues..." The Pharaoh started, his large voice booming through the hall, commanding the attention he already had. "In a few days time, we will witness a great event... one which I have been planning for for such a long time. My only son, Aioâ??tri, will have a temple dedicated to him... and to commemorate this glorious event, I have an announcement to make..." Aioâ??tri felt his cheeks grow a it pale, not sure quite what to expect. He felt a little sick, actually, worrying about what his father might announce."My queen is carrying our next child, our next prince or princess," The whole crowd started to chatter amongst themselves, until the Pharaoh spoke again. " Aioâ??tri, being our firstborn is still entitled to our kingdom, but he will share it with our next born child..."

Aioâ??tri went completley pale, feeling his heart sink deep in his chest, nearly feeling sick to the core. He wanted it all, everything to himself. Aioâ??tri had plans, none of them including a little brother or sister... After what seemed like a small eternity, the young prince regained his composure, looking up to his father, catching the Pharaohs already stone-like gaze onto him. "Tha...Thank you father," He stuttered, still in shock, his mind a mess. A sibling would only complicate things so much more...

The meal continued on, with Aioâ??tri not saying much, keeping even more of his thoughts to himself. After the lunch started to dwindle down, the Prince took his leave, nearly dashing off to his room. The entourage Aioâ??tri carried with didn't even see, in the post meal gathering. The Prince sat down on his bed, barely noticing the sheets had even been changed, not really caring about the rest of his afternoon. His mind wrestled with itself over and over again. Gritting his teeth, the boy punched the wall, regretting it as son as his fist hit the stone wall, crying out in a gasp. Standing up, he paced about the room a few times, trying to think of how to handle this. Going over to the window, the cotton curtains drifting in the breeze, Aioâ??tri looked down upon the street below, clearing his mind. It looked so simple, so much easier down there... why couldn't that life be his instead? After one person looked up to his window, realizing who he had seen and starting a small clamor, Aioâ??tri pulled himself away from the window, going back to sit on his bed. With a sigh, he rested his face in his palms, contemplating the upcoming complexities to be had.