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When Sutekh had left his home several years ago to train as a soldier, everything had been perfect. His family had been content and loving. However, he could no longer say that as it seemed in the last seven years, his mother and father had declared war on each other; leaving the children in the middle of their ceaseless fighting.
Sutekh had only known his parents to be loving and devoted to one another. Now the smallest things could set his parents off. A slave misplaced some cream that his mother liked to use? She would blame Onuphrious. There were some illegible numbers in his father's ledgers? It had to be Iaheru's fault. Ever since he had come home he felt as if everyone was walking on eggshells and it was even worse for Sutekh. As the dutiful son, he felt as if he was trapped in the middle of it all as his parents asked without words for him to choose a side. There was no grey area in the Sheifa household. Every issue was a matter of black and white with Sutekh needing to choose the so-called right side. It was nothing short of maddening and made the boy wish that there had been allowed to remain with the unit. Being out in the middle of nowhere with the other soldiers was far more appealling than being trapped in the war that was his household.
Clearly, Sutekh wasn't having the easiest time at home and no one could blame the twenty-four-year-old for wanting to escape from the chaos for a few hours. That was how he ended up here, on the bank of the Nile on the far side of Thebes. This was as far as he dared to go without any sort of entourage of guards as he knew that would be the start of another inescapable fight if his parents learned where he had been. He also didn't want to bring any more men then absolutely necessary as he needed a chance to think. So, that was why Sutekh stood alone with just a single slave with him. If Sutekh had his way, he wouldn't have even brought this servant along for the journey, but he couldn't have lugged the target through the city. The gods knew what rumors would crop up if the heir of such a well-standing family was seen doing such menial labor. He would never hear the end of it from his family. Oh well, at least the boy could retrieve any stray arrows that flew off course.
There usually weren't many as he had been training as a soldier for the better part of a decade, but the small cascade of emotions that had been bubbling up within him after being witness to so many arguements had taken its toll. His anger would cause him to grow careless in how he aimed, inadvertantly forcing him to miss every now and then. Which would in turn would make more angry with himself and like a twisted self-fulfilling prophecy, the process would repeat over and over again. Just like everything else in his life, it was maddening. However, he stuck to it and nine times out of ten, he would hit his target. Sutekh was far from perfect, but he was still more than good enough for the rank that he had held when his time with the army came to an end. Even though he knew that it was a far fetched dream, the heir still had hopes of one day returning to the unit and rising above the rank of captain. It was unlikely to happen given that he was needed here by Onuphrious's side, but a boy could dream couldn't he.
Even though the odds of him going back were low, that faint dream of escaping the chaos of his house to somewhere that had been far more bearable than this was what had encouraged Sutekh to come to the banks to practice. After all, he didn't stand a single chance of getting back if his bow arm was not in peak condition. It also didn't hurt that this method of escape was far more acceptable than the ones that his brother and sister took part in with their opium dens. No scandals could come from him practicing alone on the banks of the nile. Not when there wasn't anyone nearby to even take notice of the man who would be revealed as a bastard within a month.
However, this was where Sutekh was wrong. There was someone who was watching him as he practiced out here in the middle of nowhere and she was not someone who would be content with not making her presence known to the Sheifa boy...
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This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
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When Sutekh had left his home several years ago to train as a soldier, everything had been perfect. His family had been content and loving. However, he could no longer say that as it seemed in the last seven years, his mother and father had declared war on each other; leaving the children in the middle of their ceaseless fighting.
Sutekh had only known his parents to be loving and devoted to one another. Now the smallest things could set his parents off. A slave misplaced some cream that his mother liked to use? She would blame Onuphrious. There were some illegible numbers in his father's ledgers? It had to be Iaheru's fault. Ever since he had come home he felt as if everyone was walking on eggshells and it was even worse for Sutekh. As the dutiful son, he felt as if he was trapped in the middle of it all as his parents asked without words for him to choose a side. There was no grey area in the Sheifa household. Every issue was a matter of black and white with Sutekh needing to choose the so-called right side. It was nothing short of maddening and made the boy wish that there had been allowed to remain with the unit. Being out in the middle of nowhere with the other soldiers was far more appealling than being trapped in the war that was his household.
Clearly, Sutekh wasn't having the easiest time at home and no one could blame the twenty-four-year-old for wanting to escape from the chaos for a few hours. That was how he ended up here, on the bank of the Nile on the far side of Thebes. This was as far as he dared to go without any sort of entourage of guards as he knew that would be the start of another inescapable fight if his parents learned where he had been. He also didn't want to bring any more men then absolutely necessary as he needed a chance to think. So, that was why Sutekh stood alone with just a single slave with him. If Sutekh had his way, he wouldn't have even brought this servant along for the journey, but he couldn't have lugged the target through the city. The gods knew what rumors would crop up if the heir of such a well-standing family was seen doing such menial labor. He would never hear the end of it from his family. Oh well, at least the boy could retrieve any stray arrows that flew off course.
There usually weren't many as he had been training as a soldier for the better part of a decade, but the small cascade of emotions that had been bubbling up within him after being witness to so many arguements had taken its toll. His anger would cause him to grow careless in how he aimed, inadvertantly forcing him to miss every now and then. Which would in turn would make more angry with himself and like a twisted self-fulfilling prophecy, the process would repeat over and over again. Just like everything else in his life, it was maddening. However, he stuck to it and nine times out of ten, he would hit his target. Sutekh was far from perfect, but he was still more than good enough for the rank that he had held when his time with the army came to an end. Even though he knew that it was a far fetched dream, the heir still had hopes of one day returning to the unit and rising above the rank of captain. It was unlikely to happen given that he was needed here by Onuphrious's side, but a boy could dream couldn't he.
Even though the odds of him going back were low, that faint dream of escaping the chaos of his house to somewhere that had been far more bearable than this was what had encouraged Sutekh to come to the banks to practice. After all, he didn't stand a single chance of getting back if his bow arm was not in peak condition. It also didn't hurt that this method of escape was far more acceptable than the ones that his brother and sister took part in with their opium dens. No scandals could come from him practicing alone on the banks of the nile. Not when there wasn't anyone nearby to even take notice of the man who would be revealed as a bastard within a month.
However, this was where Sutekh was wrong. There was someone who was watching him as he practiced out here in the middle of nowhere and she was not someone who would be content with not making her presence known to the Sheifa boy...
When Sutekh had left his home several years ago to train as a soldier, everything had been perfect. His family had been content and loving. However, he could no longer say that as it seemed in the last seven years, his mother and father had declared war on each other; leaving the children in the middle of their ceaseless fighting.
Sutekh had only known his parents to be loving and devoted to one another. Now the smallest things could set his parents off. A slave misplaced some cream that his mother liked to use? She would blame Onuphrious. There were some illegible numbers in his father's ledgers? It had to be Iaheru's fault. Ever since he had come home he felt as if everyone was walking on eggshells and it was even worse for Sutekh. As the dutiful son, he felt as if he was trapped in the middle of it all as his parents asked without words for him to choose a side. There was no grey area in the Sheifa household. Every issue was a matter of black and white with Sutekh needing to choose the so-called right side. It was nothing short of maddening and made the boy wish that there had been allowed to remain with the unit. Being out in the middle of nowhere with the other soldiers was far more appealling than being trapped in the war that was his household.
Clearly, Sutekh wasn't having the easiest time at home and no one could blame the twenty-four-year-old for wanting to escape from the chaos for a few hours. That was how he ended up here, on the bank of the Nile on the far side of Thebes. This was as far as he dared to go without any sort of entourage of guards as he knew that would be the start of another inescapable fight if his parents learned where he had been. He also didn't want to bring any more men then absolutely necessary as he needed a chance to think. So, that was why Sutekh stood alone with just a single slave with him. If Sutekh had his way, he wouldn't have even brought this servant along for the journey, but he couldn't have lugged the target through the city. The gods knew what rumors would crop up if the heir of such a well-standing family was seen doing such menial labor. He would never hear the end of it from his family. Oh well, at least the boy could retrieve any stray arrows that flew off course.
There usually weren't many as he had been training as a soldier for the better part of a decade, but the small cascade of emotions that had been bubbling up within him after being witness to so many arguements had taken its toll. His anger would cause him to grow careless in how he aimed, inadvertantly forcing him to miss every now and then. Which would in turn would make more angry with himself and like a twisted self-fulfilling prophecy, the process would repeat over and over again. Just like everything else in his life, it was maddening. However, he stuck to it and nine times out of ten, he would hit his target. Sutekh was far from perfect, but he was still more than good enough for the rank that he had held when his time with the army came to an end. Even though he knew that it was a far fetched dream, the heir still had hopes of one day returning to the unit and rising above the rank of captain. It was unlikely to happen given that he was needed here by Onuphrious's side, but a boy could dream couldn't he.
Even though the odds of him going back were low, that faint dream of escaping the chaos of his house to somewhere that had been far more bearable than this was what had encouraged Sutekh to come to the banks to practice. After all, he didn't stand a single chance of getting back if his bow arm was not in peak condition. It also didn't hurt that this method of escape was far more acceptable than the ones that his brother and sister took part in with their opium dens. No scandals could come from him practicing alone on the banks of the nile. Not when there wasn't anyone nearby to even take notice of the man who would be revealed as a bastard within a month.
However, this was where Sutekh was wrong. There was someone who was watching him as he practiced out here in the middle of nowhere and she was not someone who would be content with not making her presence known to the Sheifa boy...
Sameera was used to going unnoticed. It was partially her identity as a twin, identical to her sister, Safiya, who always seemed to take up much more room to others than Sameera did. She envied her sister's bubbly personality, her willingness to get in on things that others did, and admired her ability to change her mind so quickly.
It was that ability that Sameera had tried to emulate as she made her way down to Thebes and outside to the Outer Plains, dressed in a kalasiris she had chosen randomly, of the ones she had already known. She tried to think of what she would do if she was doing things on a whim, for the sheer excitement of it all. It was incredibly odd to her, as normally she enjoyed having a plan, something to do, a list of tasks to accomplish, even.
Her first instinct upon seeing the older Sheifa boy would have normally been to make her presence known first, clarifying which of the Haikaddad twins she was. She seemed to recall that Sutekh had experienced some trouble with that in the past, though it wasn't an uncommon mistake for someone to make. Perhaps if she inscribed her name on her forehead the mistake would become less common.
She was more familiar with his sister, Nenet, than she was with him, though as they were all part of noble Heis, not at least recognizing the faces of each other would be nearly impossible.
Perhaps she might ask what he was doing all the way out here. She suspected that he would ask her the same if she did that, and if she was being truthful with herself, she didn't have a good reason at all, which was rather embarrassing, so she allowed herself to watch for a few seconds to gather an idea of what was going on. A combination, she decided, that was most likely unlike Safiya, who Sameera thought was bold, always charging into things.
The action of today seemed to be archery, something Sameera was familiar with in theory, though her ink-stained fingers had rarely, if ever, made contact with a bow. And this was what some of the soldiers practiced for, for such a long time. To be a man must be an interesting experience, Sameera considered. You had a great many choices that would have never been offered had you been a woman.
It was odd, but Sameera thought she had a good understanding of what she would say, how she would prepare, and so with a pleasant smile and the hopes that her call was placed well enough that she would avoid any unpleasantness that could come from accidentally having an arrow shot into one's body, she said, "Hello!" She waved her hands so that she would be more noticeable as a human and not as a target, just in case.
She stepped closer, taking care not to trip as she might have done were she more focused on talking than walking. Unfortunately, as she was focused on walking instead of talking, the next words out of her mouth were the ones she had just finished telling herself she wouldn't say. "Are you enjoying it all the way out here?" she paused. Then she simply smiled again, though mentally she was kicking herself.
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Sameera was used to going unnoticed. It was partially her identity as a twin, identical to her sister, Safiya, who always seemed to take up much more room to others than Sameera did. She envied her sister's bubbly personality, her willingness to get in on things that others did, and admired her ability to change her mind so quickly.
It was that ability that Sameera had tried to emulate as she made her way down to Thebes and outside to the Outer Plains, dressed in a kalasiris she had chosen randomly, of the ones she had already known. She tried to think of what she would do if she was doing things on a whim, for the sheer excitement of it all. It was incredibly odd to her, as normally she enjoyed having a plan, something to do, a list of tasks to accomplish, even.
Her first instinct upon seeing the older Sheifa boy would have normally been to make her presence known first, clarifying which of the Haikaddad twins she was. She seemed to recall that Sutekh had experienced some trouble with that in the past, though it wasn't an uncommon mistake for someone to make. Perhaps if she inscribed her name on her forehead the mistake would become less common.
She was more familiar with his sister, Nenet, than she was with him, though as they were all part of noble Heis, not at least recognizing the faces of each other would be nearly impossible.
Perhaps she might ask what he was doing all the way out here. She suspected that he would ask her the same if she did that, and if she was being truthful with herself, she didn't have a good reason at all, which was rather embarrassing, so she allowed herself to watch for a few seconds to gather an idea of what was going on. A combination, she decided, that was most likely unlike Safiya, who Sameera thought was bold, always charging into things.
The action of today seemed to be archery, something Sameera was familiar with in theory, though her ink-stained fingers had rarely, if ever, made contact with a bow. And this was what some of the soldiers practiced for, for such a long time. To be a man must be an interesting experience, Sameera considered. You had a great many choices that would have never been offered had you been a woman.
It was odd, but Sameera thought she had a good understanding of what she would say, how she would prepare, and so with a pleasant smile and the hopes that her call was placed well enough that she would avoid any unpleasantness that could come from accidentally having an arrow shot into one's body, she said, "Hello!" She waved her hands so that she would be more noticeable as a human and not as a target, just in case.
She stepped closer, taking care not to trip as she might have done were she more focused on talking than walking. Unfortunately, as she was focused on walking instead of talking, the next words out of her mouth were the ones she had just finished telling herself she wouldn't say. "Are you enjoying it all the way out here?" she paused. Then she simply smiled again, though mentally she was kicking herself.
Sameera was used to going unnoticed. It was partially her identity as a twin, identical to her sister, Safiya, who always seemed to take up much more room to others than Sameera did. She envied her sister's bubbly personality, her willingness to get in on things that others did, and admired her ability to change her mind so quickly.
It was that ability that Sameera had tried to emulate as she made her way down to Thebes and outside to the Outer Plains, dressed in a kalasiris she had chosen randomly, of the ones she had already known. She tried to think of what she would do if she was doing things on a whim, for the sheer excitement of it all. It was incredibly odd to her, as normally she enjoyed having a plan, something to do, a list of tasks to accomplish, even.
Her first instinct upon seeing the older Sheifa boy would have normally been to make her presence known first, clarifying which of the Haikaddad twins she was. She seemed to recall that Sutekh had experienced some trouble with that in the past, though it wasn't an uncommon mistake for someone to make. Perhaps if she inscribed her name on her forehead the mistake would become less common.
She was more familiar with his sister, Nenet, than she was with him, though as they were all part of noble Heis, not at least recognizing the faces of each other would be nearly impossible.
Perhaps she might ask what he was doing all the way out here. She suspected that he would ask her the same if she did that, and if she was being truthful with herself, she didn't have a good reason at all, which was rather embarrassing, so she allowed herself to watch for a few seconds to gather an idea of what was going on. A combination, she decided, that was most likely unlike Safiya, who Sameera thought was bold, always charging into things.
The action of today seemed to be archery, something Sameera was familiar with in theory, though her ink-stained fingers had rarely, if ever, made contact with a bow. And this was what some of the soldiers practiced for, for such a long time. To be a man must be an interesting experience, Sameera considered. You had a great many choices that would have never been offered had you been a woman.
It was odd, but Sameera thought she had a good understanding of what she would say, how she would prepare, and so with a pleasant smile and the hopes that her call was placed well enough that she would avoid any unpleasantness that could come from accidentally having an arrow shot into one's body, she said, "Hello!" She waved her hands so that she would be more noticeable as a human and not as a target, just in case.
She stepped closer, taking care not to trip as she might have done were she more focused on talking than walking. Unfortunately, as she was focused on walking instead of talking, the next words out of her mouth were the ones she had just finished telling herself she wouldn't say. "Are you enjoying it all the way out here?" she paused. Then she simply smiled again, though mentally she was kicking herself.
It was almost ironic how Sutekh had turned to archery of all things during this time of distress. With his parents fighting at home, there were a thousand things he could have tried to distract himself with in order to block out the noise of the screaming and shouting. Certainly, he had ledgers to shift through, meetings to attend, friends to visit, so on and so forth. He could have taken a page out of Nenet’s book, quite literally, and finally pick up one of those stories his sister had been begging him to read. He could have gone to a warehouse in order to make sure that the mercantile system that the Sheifas had built for themselves did not suffer while his parents were preoccupied. Really, there were just countless other things that he could have done not only escape the tense situation at home but do what he did best, make himself useful. Yet, he turned to this. The craft of a soldier. This wasn’t something that one would expect from a Sheifa of all people.
That was the root of it though. Sutekh wasn’t a Sheifa.
Unbeknownst to the boy and practically everyone else in Egypt, Sutekh was instead the last male heir of the Naddar line; the only son of the late Pharaoh Imopehatsuma. This was a closely guarded secret held by his mother and was hidden from the entire world, including Sutekh himself. He was not the product of some grand mercantile family. Instead, he came from the bloodlines of soldiers. Powerful men that earned their sway not through trade and taxes, but instead through bronze and blood. That was the Naddar way. Or at least it had been for his father who was well-versed in the trials of war. Imopehatsuma had found seen his success come from the battlefield and he died through his failures from it; ultimately returning home from the front in a burial shroud a decade ago. Had the truth been revealed in his lifetime, there was a good chance that the man who had been desperate for heirs might have seen Sutekh legitimatized. Had things not turned out the way they did, Egypt would have had its pharaoh ten years ago instead of needing to wait for the young Hatshepsut to come of age.
Needless to say, the past couldn’t be changed nor could one completely ignore the call of their blood. Although Imopehatsuma may be long dead and buried, a part of him still lived on in Sutekh and was the ever-present voice encouraging the boy to take up the pastime of his father. That was why Sutekh was the one to break the typical mold of what was expected from a Sheifa heir and put down the ledgers in order to pick up a bow instead. He had convinced his parents to let him join the family’s harakat and his own personal skill saw him rise to the rank of Captain. Maybe if he had been allowed to remain in the force, he could have gone higher, but the duty at home had called him back. Sutekh may be home now with the expectation that he would leave the fun he had as a soldier behind in favor of him taking up the duties of an heir, but there was little that could be done to deny him the wordless call of the father he had never known.
That was ultimately why he was out here on the bank of the Nile, utterly alone with a scowl on his face. His mother, Iaheru, had tried to teach him that he should approach these frustrating moments of everything falling apart with his chin held high and a certain level of calm befitting someone of his status… but that was really hard for him to do. The gods knew how many times petty disputes with his brother and sister and ended up with all of them brawling on the floor because of none of them could keep their tongues in check. Sutekh didn’t know how to ignore problems as if they were weren’t even there. He couldn’t just block out the fighting and pretend that it wasn’t making him angry. There was no way that the boy could act as if the demands for him to choose a side wasn’t getting to him, that it didn’t bother him to see the two most calm and loving people in Egypt now suddenly be ready and eager to rip out each other’s throats. He simply couldn’t do it. It was like a bubble inside of him, threatening to pop if his mother or father screamed one more time.
This was quite literally the closest thing he had to diffuse it. Archery was easy to let his emotions take control. Anger made his arm pull back the loaded string with a bit more force than he would have done under normal circumstances. That put more power into the arrow when it was launched which in turn made the resounding THWACK when it hit the target all the more satisfying. Sutekh could literally feel his anger over the current state of his homelife wash away with every single arrow. Or it could have been the exhaustion setting in as he fired arrow after arrow. After all, archery might look easy, but it certainly took a toll on the body and Sutekh felt it the longer he stood out here with this poor slave boy who was tasked with retrieving the Sheifa lord’s arrows. His arms ached and the need to sleep was beckoning him to return home, but his need to loosen this tight emotional valve was stronger and encouraged him to stay and focus on solely the task at hand.
Maybe it was this tiredness that failed to alert him to the presence of another when one of the Haikiddad girls made her way to the river’s edge. His mind was so preoccupied on his anger and his body so focused on the task at hand that the young man was not even aware that another was present until he saw the slave boy turned his head towards Lady Sameera out of the corner of Sutekh’s eye. Having drawn back his bow as she approached, the secret Prince did not turn to face whoever had caught his slave’s attention right away. That would be a dangerous thing to do with the bowstring taunt like this. What on earth would he do if he accidentally shot her? That was something that Sutekh didn’t even want to begin to fathom.
It seemed that Sameera also sensed the danger of accidentally disturbing someone with a bow in hand as the young woman did not attempt to grab Sutekh’s attention until the arrow was let loose and hit the board just shy of the center of the target. Only then did Sutekh turn around, eyebrows furrowing in confusion at the sight of one of the twins standing in front of them. Which one? Sutekh didn’t know. He had never been any good with sorting out which twin was Safiya and which one was Sameera, even though he had known both girls for years. It didn’t matter that Sutekh knew that one was bold and the other was more reserved, he could barely tell the difference between the two of them before they spoke and their personalities really began to shine through their words.
That was probably why he didn’t immediately rush to greet the Haikiddad girl as she approached Sutekh. His desire to never cause offense by accidentally mistaking one girl for another always had him wait to see which twin he was dealing with. He had suspicions that this was Safiya as she seemed to be the twin who would wander along the banks of the Nile, but then again he didn’t know her sister quite as well as the elder twin. Maybe this was Sameera taking him by surprise? Either way, Sutekh opted to take the safer option and avoid using any sort of names as he nodded his assent to her question. In truth was he enjoying himself? No. Not really. He didn’t like the fact that he had to go to the river in order to find any sort of peace as his own home had become a warzone, but regardless if this was Safiya or Sameera, that wasn’t something he was willingly going to divulge. His mother had taught him the importance of keeping up appearances and Sutekh would never live to be sidar if Iaheru caught wind that her precious son was airing the family’s dirty laundry.
Not that it would really matter in the long run anyway. At least not when the boy was less than a week away from learning the truth about who had sired him and being cast out of Onuphrious’s life.
Either way, his emotions were clouded by the turmoil at home. Sutekh really didn’t know how to pretend to be a fraction as cheery as Sameera seemed to be at that moment. He didn’t have much to smile about right now and neither was he a decent actor. If he even tried to pretend that he was happy, the girl would see right through it and take offense at his demeanor. After all, she would not see any reason as to why the young man was so grumpy right about now. The last thing that Sutekh wanted was for her to be angry at him for some silly reason like Sameera thinking that the Sheifa boy didn’t like her or something of that accord. However, it wasn’t that easy to explain what the real reason was for him being fairly standoffish right now beyond a simple, “It’s… been a day.”
As much as Sutekh did not want to reveal that really anything was amiss at all, this was a safe answer, at least. His vague phrasing could mean practically anything. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of his bed that morning? Or had found himself under a pile of paperwork? The Sheifas were known for their mercantile endeavors and his family was grooming Sutekh to inherit it all. Perhaps she would think that maybe there was some issue at one of the many warehouses that Sutekh had to sort through. The young man would be happy with anything really, as long as it wasn’t the unspeakable truth.
Regardless, Sutekh wasn’t comfortable with all this attention being focused on him right now. His weird emotional state made him a bit awkward around Sameera as he had anticipated being alone during this impromptu archery session and with his mind still on the target, it was hard to slip into that sociable persona that all courtiers had. This was likely why Sutekh was eager to change the subject and not elaborate on what kind of day it really had been for the Sheifa lord.
“What are you doing all the way out here? Isn’t this a bit far from home?” Although he tried to play off his inquiry in a playful manner, something that usually came easily with the Haikiddad girls, there was a certain gruffiness to it that almost made it accusatory. As if it was less about curiosity and more about Sameera needing to explain herself before Sutekh brought her home. Once he heard his own words and realized this, he winced, as he truly did not mean to cause offense. But that was such an easy thing to do when you were in a sour mood like Sutekh was. He could only hope that Sameera could see that Sutekh wasn’t exactly himself and would forgive him for his accidental callousness.
However, that would be entirely up to her, wouldn’t it?
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It was almost ironic how Sutekh had turned to archery of all things during this time of distress. With his parents fighting at home, there were a thousand things he could have tried to distract himself with in order to block out the noise of the screaming and shouting. Certainly, he had ledgers to shift through, meetings to attend, friends to visit, so on and so forth. He could have taken a page out of Nenet’s book, quite literally, and finally pick up one of those stories his sister had been begging him to read. He could have gone to a warehouse in order to make sure that the mercantile system that the Sheifas had built for themselves did not suffer while his parents were preoccupied. Really, there were just countless other things that he could have done not only escape the tense situation at home but do what he did best, make himself useful. Yet, he turned to this. The craft of a soldier. This wasn’t something that one would expect from a Sheifa of all people.
That was the root of it though. Sutekh wasn’t a Sheifa.
Unbeknownst to the boy and practically everyone else in Egypt, Sutekh was instead the last male heir of the Naddar line; the only son of the late Pharaoh Imopehatsuma. This was a closely guarded secret held by his mother and was hidden from the entire world, including Sutekh himself. He was not the product of some grand mercantile family. Instead, he came from the bloodlines of soldiers. Powerful men that earned their sway not through trade and taxes, but instead through bronze and blood. That was the Naddar way. Or at least it had been for his father who was well-versed in the trials of war. Imopehatsuma had found seen his success come from the battlefield and he died through his failures from it; ultimately returning home from the front in a burial shroud a decade ago. Had the truth been revealed in his lifetime, there was a good chance that the man who had been desperate for heirs might have seen Sutekh legitimatized. Had things not turned out the way they did, Egypt would have had its pharaoh ten years ago instead of needing to wait for the young Hatshepsut to come of age.
Needless to say, the past couldn’t be changed nor could one completely ignore the call of their blood. Although Imopehatsuma may be long dead and buried, a part of him still lived on in Sutekh and was the ever-present voice encouraging the boy to take up the pastime of his father. That was why Sutekh was the one to break the typical mold of what was expected from a Sheifa heir and put down the ledgers in order to pick up a bow instead. He had convinced his parents to let him join the family’s harakat and his own personal skill saw him rise to the rank of Captain. Maybe if he had been allowed to remain in the force, he could have gone higher, but the duty at home had called him back. Sutekh may be home now with the expectation that he would leave the fun he had as a soldier behind in favor of him taking up the duties of an heir, but there was little that could be done to deny him the wordless call of the father he had never known.
That was ultimately why he was out here on the bank of the Nile, utterly alone with a scowl on his face. His mother, Iaheru, had tried to teach him that he should approach these frustrating moments of everything falling apart with his chin held high and a certain level of calm befitting someone of his status… but that was really hard for him to do. The gods knew how many times petty disputes with his brother and sister and ended up with all of them brawling on the floor because of none of them could keep their tongues in check. Sutekh didn’t know how to ignore problems as if they were weren’t even there. He couldn’t just block out the fighting and pretend that it wasn’t making him angry. There was no way that the boy could act as if the demands for him to choose a side wasn’t getting to him, that it didn’t bother him to see the two most calm and loving people in Egypt now suddenly be ready and eager to rip out each other’s throats. He simply couldn’t do it. It was like a bubble inside of him, threatening to pop if his mother or father screamed one more time.
This was quite literally the closest thing he had to diffuse it. Archery was easy to let his emotions take control. Anger made his arm pull back the loaded string with a bit more force than he would have done under normal circumstances. That put more power into the arrow when it was launched which in turn made the resounding THWACK when it hit the target all the more satisfying. Sutekh could literally feel his anger over the current state of his homelife wash away with every single arrow. Or it could have been the exhaustion setting in as he fired arrow after arrow. After all, archery might look easy, but it certainly took a toll on the body and Sutekh felt it the longer he stood out here with this poor slave boy who was tasked with retrieving the Sheifa lord’s arrows. His arms ached and the need to sleep was beckoning him to return home, but his need to loosen this tight emotional valve was stronger and encouraged him to stay and focus on solely the task at hand.
Maybe it was this tiredness that failed to alert him to the presence of another when one of the Haikiddad girls made her way to the river’s edge. His mind was so preoccupied on his anger and his body so focused on the task at hand that the young man was not even aware that another was present until he saw the slave boy turned his head towards Lady Sameera out of the corner of Sutekh’s eye. Having drawn back his bow as she approached, the secret Prince did not turn to face whoever had caught his slave’s attention right away. That would be a dangerous thing to do with the bowstring taunt like this. What on earth would he do if he accidentally shot her? That was something that Sutekh didn’t even want to begin to fathom.
It seemed that Sameera also sensed the danger of accidentally disturbing someone with a bow in hand as the young woman did not attempt to grab Sutekh’s attention until the arrow was let loose and hit the board just shy of the center of the target. Only then did Sutekh turn around, eyebrows furrowing in confusion at the sight of one of the twins standing in front of them. Which one? Sutekh didn’t know. He had never been any good with sorting out which twin was Safiya and which one was Sameera, even though he had known both girls for years. It didn’t matter that Sutekh knew that one was bold and the other was more reserved, he could barely tell the difference between the two of them before they spoke and their personalities really began to shine through their words.
That was probably why he didn’t immediately rush to greet the Haikiddad girl as she approached Sutekh. His desire to never cause offense by accidentally mistaking one girl for another always had him wait to see which twin he was dealing with. He had suspicions that this was Safiya as she seemed to be the twin who would wander along the banks of the Nile, but then again he didn’t know her sister quite as well as the elder twin. Maybe this was Sameera taking him by surprise? Either way, Sutekh opted to take the safer option and avoid using any sort of names as he nodded his assent to her question. In truth was he enjoying himself? No. Not really. He didn’t like the fact that he had to go to the river in order to find any sort of peace as his own home had become a warzone, but regardless if this was Safiya or Sameera, that wasn’t something he was willingly going to divulge. His mother had taught him the importance of keeping up appearances and Sutekh would never live to be sidar if Iaheru caught wind that her precious son was airing the family’s dirty laundry.
Not that it would really matter in the long run anyway. At least not when the boy was less than a week away from learning the truth about who had sired him and being cast out of Onuphrious’s life.
Either way, his emotions were clouded by the turmoil at home. Sutekh really didn’t know how to pretend to be a fraction as cheery as Sameera seemed to be at that moment. He didn’t have much to smile about right now and neither was he a decent actor. If he even tried to pretend that he was happy, the girl would see right through it and take offense at his demeanor. After all, she would not see any reason as to why the young man was so grumpy right about now. The last thing that Sutekh wanted was for her to be angry at him for some silly reason like Sameera thinking that the Sheifa boy didn’t like her or something of that accord. However, it wasn’t that easy to explain what the real reason was for him being fairly standoffish right now beyond a simple, “It’s… been a day.”
As much as Sutekh did not want to reveal that really anything was amiss at all, this was a safe answer, at least. His vague phrasing could mean practically anything. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of his bed that morning? Or had found himself under a pile of paperwork? The Sheifas were known for their mercantile endeavors and his family was grooming Sutekh to inherit it all. Perhaps she would think that maybe there was some issue at one of the many warehouses that Sutekh had to sort through. The young man would be happy with anything really, as long as it wasn’t the unspeakable truth.
Regardless, Sutekh wasn’t comfortable with all this attention being focused on him right now. His weird emotional state made him a bit awkward around Sameera as he had anticipated being alone during this impromptu archery session and with his mind still on the target, it was hard to slip into that sociable persona that all courtiers had. This was likely why Sutekh was eager to change the subject and not elaborate on what kind of day it really had been for the Sheifa lord.
“What are you doing all the way out here? Isn’t this a bit far from home?” Although he tried to play off his inquiry in a playful manner, something that usually came easily with the Haikiddad girls, there was a certain gruffiness to it that almost made it accusatory. As if it was less about curiosity and more about Sameera needing to explain herself before Sutekh brought her home. Once he heard his own words and realized this, he winced, as he truly did not mean to cause offense. But that was such an easy thing to do when you were in a sour mood like Sutekh was. He could only hope that Sameera could see that Sutekh wasn’t exactly himself and would forgive him for his accidental callousness.
However, that would be entirely up to her, wouldn’t it?
It was almost ironic how Sutekh had turned to archery of all things during this time of distress. With his parents fighting at home, there were a thousand things he could have tried to distract himself with in order to block out the noise of the screaming and shouting. Certainly, he had ledgers to shift through, meetings to attend, friends to visit, so on and so forth. He could have taken a page out of Nenet’s book, quite literally, and finally pick up one of those stories his sister had been begging him to read. He could have gone to a warehouse in order to make sure that the mercantile system that the Sheifas had built for themselves did not suffer while his parents were preoccupied. Really, there were just countless other things that he could have done not only escape the tense situation at home but do what he did best, make himself useful. Yet, he turned to this. The craft of a soldier. This wasn’t something that one would expect from a Sheifa of all people.
That was the root of it though. Sutekh wasn’t a Sheifa.
Unbeknownst to the boy and practically everyone else in Egypt, Sutekh was instead the last male heir of the Naddar line; the only son of the late Pharaoh Imopehatsuma. This was a closely guarded secret held by his mother and was hidden from the entire world, including Sutekh himself. He was not the product of some grand mercantile family. Instead, he came from the bloodlines of soldiers. Powerful men that earned their sway not through trade and taxes, but instead through bronze and blood. That was the Naddar way. Or at least it had been for his father who was well-versed in the trials of war. Imopehatsuma had found seen his success come from the battlefield and he died through his failures from it; ultimately returning home from the front in a burial shroud a decade ago. Had the truth been revealed in his lifetime, there was a good chance that the man who had been desperate for heirs might have seen Sutekh legitimatized. Had things not turned out the way they did, Egypt would have had its pharaoh ten years ago instead of needing to wait for the young Hatshepsut to come of age.
Needless to say, the past couldn’t be changed nor could one completely ignore the call of their blood. Although Imopehatsuma may be long dead and buried, a part of him still lived on in Sutekh and was the ever-present voice encouraging the boy to take up the pastime of his father. That was why Sutekh was the one to break the typical mold of what was expected from a Sheifa heir and put down the ledgers in order to pick up a bow instead. He had convinced his parents to let him join the family’s harakat and his own personal skill saw him rise to the rank of Captain. Maybe if he had been allowed to remain in the force, he could have gone higher, but the duty at home had called him back. Sutekh may be home now with the expectation that he would leave the fun he had as a soldier behind in favor of him taking up the duties of an heir, but there was little that could be done to deny him the wordless call of the father he had never known.
That was ultimately why he was out here on the bank of the Nile, utterly alone with a scowl on his face. His mother, Iaheru, had tried to teach him that he should approach these frustrating moments of everything falling apart with his chin held high and a certain level of calm befitting someone of his status… but that was really hard for him to do. The gods knew how many times petty disputes with his brother and sister and ended up with all of them brawling on the floor because of none of them could keep their tongues in check. Sutekh didn’t know how to ignore problems as if they were weren’t even there. He couldn’t just block out the fighting and pretend that it wasn’t making him angry. There was no way that the boy could act as if the demands for him to choose a side wasn’t getting to him, that it didn’t bother him to see the two most calm and loving people in Egypt now suddenly be ready and eager to rip out each other’s throats. He simply couldn’t do it. It was like a bubble inside of him, threatening to pop if his mother or father screamed one more time.
This was quite literally the closest thing he had to diffuse it. Archery was easy to let his emotions take control. Anger made his arm pull back the loaded string with a bit more force than he would have done under normal circumstances. That put more power into the arrow when it was launched which in turn made the resounding THWACK when it hit the target all the more satisfying. Sutekh could literally feel his anger over the current state of his homelife wash away with every single arrow. Or it could have been the exhaustion setting in as he fired arrow after arrow. After all, archery might look easy, but it certainly took a toll on the body and Sutekh felt it the longer he stood out here with this poor slave boy who was tasked with retrieving the Sheifa lord’s arrows. His arms ached and the need to sleep was beckoning him to return home, but his need to loosen this tight emotional valve was stronger and encouraged him to stay and focus on solely the task at hand.
Maybe it was this tiredness that failed to alert him to the presence of another when one of the Haikiddad girls made her way to the river’s edge. His mind was so preoccupied on his anger and his body so focused on the task at hand that the young man was not even aware that another was present until he saw the slave boy turned his head towards Lady Sameera out of the corner of Sutekh’s eye. Having drawn back his bow as she approached, the secret Prince did not turn to face whoever had caught his slave’s attention right away. That would be a dangerous thing to do with the bowstring taunt like this. What on earth would he do if he accidentally shot her? That was something that Sutekh didn’t even want to begin to fathom.
It seemed that Sameera also sensed the danger of accidentally disturbing someone with a bow in hand as the young woman did not attempt to grab Sutekh’s attention until the arrow was let loose and hit the board just shy of the center of the target. Only then did Sutekh turn around, eyebrows furrowing in confusion at the sight of one of the twins standing in front of them. Which one? Sutekh didn’t know. He had never been any good with sorting out which twin was Safiya and which one was Sameera, even though he had known both girls for years. It didn’t matter that Sutekh knew that one was bold and the other was more reserved, he could barely tell the difference between the two of them before they spoke and their personalities really began to shine through their words.
That was probably why he didn’t immediately rush to greet the Haikiddad girl as she approached Sutekh. His desire to never cause offense by accidentally mistaking one girl for another always had him wait to see which twin he was dealing with. He had suspicions that this was Safiya as she seemed to be the twin who would wander along the banks of the Nile, but then again he didn’t know her sister quite as well as the elder twin. Maybe this was Sameera taking him by surprise? Either way, Sutekh opted to take the safer option and avoid using any sort of names as he nodded his assent to her question. In truth was he enjoying himself? No. Not really. He didn’t like the fact that he had to go to the river in order to find any sort of peace as his own home had become a warzone, but regardless if this was Safiya or Sameera, that wasn’t something he was willingly going to divulge. His mother had taught him the importance of keeping up appearances and Sutekh would never live to be sidar if Iaheru caught wind that her precious son was airing the family’s dirty laundry.
Not that it would really matter in the long run anyway. At least not when the boy was less than a week away from learning the truth about who had sired him and being cast out of Onuphrious’s life.
Either way, his emotions were clouded by the turmoil at home. Sutekh really didn’t know how to pretend to be a fraction as cheery as Sameera seemed to be at that moment. He didn’t have much to smile about right now and neither was he a decent actor. If he even tried to pretend that he was happy, the girl would see right through it and take offense at his demeanor. After all, she would not see any reason as to why the young man was so grumpy right about now. The last thing that Sutekh wanted was for her to be angry at him for some silly reason like Sameera thinking that the Sheifa boy didn’t like her or something of that accord. However, it wasn’t that easy to explain what the real reason was for him being fairly standoffish right now beyond a simple, “It’s… been a day.”
As much as Sutekh did not want to reveal that really anything was amiss at all, this was a safe answer, at least. His vague phrasing could mean practically anything. Maybe he woke up on the wrong side of his bed that morning? Or had found himself under a pile of paperwork? The Sheifas were known for their mercantile endeavors and his family was grooming Sutekh to inherit it all. Perhaps she would think that maybe there was some issue at one of the many warehouses that Sutekh had to sort through. The young man would be happy with anything really, as long as it wasn’t the unspeakable truth.
Regardless, Sutekh wasn’t comfortable with all this attention being focused on him right now. His weird emotional state made him a bit awkward around Sameera as he had anticipated being alone during this impromptu archery session and with his mind still on the target, it was hard to slip into that sociable persona that all courtiers had. This was likely why Sutekh was eager to change the subject and not elaborate on what kind of day it really had been for the Sheifa lord.
“What are you doing all the way out here? Isn’t this a bit far from home?” Although he tried to play off his inquiry in a playful manner, something that usually came easily with the Haikiddad girls, there was a certain gruffiness to it that almost made it accusatory. As if it was less about curiosity and more about Sameera needing to explain herself before Sutekh brought her home. Once he heard his own words and realized this, he winced, as he truly did not mean to cause offense. But that was such an easy thing to do when you were in a sour mood like Sutekh was. He could only hope that Sameera could see that Sutekh wasn’t exactly himself and would forgive him for his accidental callousness.
However, that would be entirely up to her, wouldn’t it?
Sameera tried her best to remember what her sister might say in these situations, but she was considering how wise that might be. Her sister didn't know everything, and she certainly got into troubles of her own. Maybe it was better at times to be the softer sister, the one who listened to others telling their own stories and adventures more than she sought her own.
She had no idea what was in Sutekh's mind, either, but she suspected that it had something to do with wondering which one she was, which was a common enough thought to have. If she had been more bold, perhaps she would've asked him to guess, see how well her imitation of her sister held up. Most likely not as well as when they had been young girls, much more similar to each other, or rather, much more unnoticed. Ah, to be a child and unconsidered.
Sameera nodded her head at his words, deflating just a little. Not a good day, it seemed, but she couldn't know for certain what bothered him. Was he not having as much success with the target as he had hoped? Was he having difficulties with whatever it was men got up to when there were no women around?
Sameera considered responding to the statement with something about the weather, or perhaps with a few quick words about her own day. She couldn't think of anything witty enough, though, and passed her ink-stained fingers in the fabric by her sides. Touching the somewhat comforting texture of her dress had been a habit since she was younger, and one she barely noticed at that point.
Sameera raised an eyebrow at his words asking why she was here, of all places, as she couldn't tell the meaning of the way he said it. She wasn't nearly as good at reading people as she was at reading books. She decided to remain a bit neutral, though a flash of hurt ran across her face. She had always been more patient than Safiya.
"Just a little," she said, trying to sound more playful. She wasn't in Greece, after all, or out traveling with the Bedoan tribes her mother came from. Sometimes Sameera wondered if her mother felt like a fish out of water, living in Egypt when she had grown up around the people who were considered savages and baby-eaters by most. In truth, though, she was unsteady here as she would be in any of those places.
"Then again, maybe more travel is good for one. What better place is there to shoot arrows?" Sameera gestured towards the target. She didn't know much about arrows, other than what she had read in her stories, from what others had said. She wasn't the type to let anybody know when she was feeling out of her depth, for the most part.
It was not an unfamiliar feeling to her. She was less likely to participate in the hedonistic nature that her people were known for, less likely to spend time gossiping and more likely to spend her time scribbling down her thoughts while ink stained her.
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Sameera tried her best to remember what her sister might say in these situations, but she was considering how wise that might be. Her sister didn't know everything, and she certainly got into troubles of her own. Maybe it was better at times to be the softer sister, the one who listened to others telling their own stories and adventures more than she sought her own.
She had no idea what was in Sutekh's mind, either, but she suspected that it had something to do with wondering which one she was, which was a common enough thought to have. If she had been more bold, perhaps she would've asked him to guess, see how well her imitation of her sister held up. Most likely not as well as when they had been young girls, much more similar to each other, or rather, much more unnoticed. Ah, to be a child and unconsidered.
Sameera nodded her head at his words, deflating just a little. Not a good day, it seemed, but she couldn't know for certain what bothered him. Was he not having as much success with the target as he had hoped? Was he having difficulties with whatever it was men got up to when there were no women around?
Sameera considered responding to the statement with something about the weather, or perhaps with a few quick words about her own day. She couldn't think of anything witty enough, though, and passed her ink-stained fingers in the fabric by her sides. Touching the somewhat comforting texture of her dress had been a habit since she was younger, and one she barely noticed at that point.
Sameera raised an eyebrow at his words asking why she was here, of all places, as she couldn't tell the meaning of the way he said it. She wasn't nearly as good at reading people as she was at reading books. She decided to remain a bit neutral, though a flash of hurt ran across her face. She had always been more patient than Safiya.
"Just a little," she said, trying to sound more playful. She wasn't in Greece, after all, or out traveling with the Bedoan tribes her mother came from. Sometimes Sameera wondered if her mother felt like a fish out of water, living in Egypt when she had grown up around the people who were considered savages and baby-eaters by most. In truth, though, she was unsteady here as she would be in any of those places.
"Then again, maybe more travel is good for one. What better place is there to shoot arrows?" Sameera gestured towards the target. She didn't know much about arrows, other than what she had read in her stories, from what others had said. She wasn't the type to let anybody know when she was feeling out of her depth, for the most part.
It was not an unfamiliar feeling to her. She was less likely to participate in the hedonistic nature that her people were known for, less likely to spend time gossiping and more likely to spend her time scribbling down her thoughts while ink stained her.
Sameera tried her best to remember what her sister might say in these situations, but she was considering how wise that might be. Her sister didn't know everything, and she certainly got into troubles of her own. Maybe it was better at times to be the softer sister, the one who listened to others telling their own stories and adventures more than she sought her own.
She had no idea what was in Sutekh's mind, either, but she suspected that it had something to do with wondering which one she was, which was a common enough thought to have. If she had been more bold, perhaps she would've asked him to guess, see how well her imitation of her sister held up. Most likely not as well as when they had been young girls, much more similar to each other, or rather, much more unnoticed. Ah, to be a child and unconsidered.
Sameera nodded her head at his words, deflating just a little. Not a good day, it seemed, but she couldn't know for certain what bothered him. Was he not having as much success with the target as he had hoped? Was he having difficulties with whatever it was men got up to when there were no women around?
Sameera considered responding to the statement with something about the weather, or perhaps with a few quick words about her own day. She couldn't think of anything witty enough, though, and passed her ink-stained fingers in the fabric by her sides. Touching the somewhat comforting texture of her dress had been a habit since she was younger, and one she barely noticed at that point.
Sameera raised an eyebrow at his words asking why she was here, of all places, as she couldn't tell the meaning of the way he said it. She wasn't nearly as good at reading people as she was at reading books. She decided to remain a bit neutral, though a flash of hurt ran across her face. She had always been more patient than Safiya.
"Just a little," she said, trying to sound more playful. She wasn't in Greece, after all, or out traveling with the Bedoan tribes her mother came from. Sometimes Sameera wondered if her mother felt like a fish out of water, living in Egypt when she had grown up around the people who were considered savages and baby-eaters by most. In truth, though, she was unsteady here as she would be in any of those places.
"Then again, maybe more travel is good for one. What better place is there to shoot arrows?" Sameera gestured towards the target. She didn't know much about arrows, other than what she had read in her stories, from what others had said. She wasn't the type to let anybody know when she was feeling out of her depth, for the most part.
It was not an unfamiliar feeling to her. She was less likely to participate in the hedonistic nature that her people were known for, less likely to spend time gossiping and more likely to spend her time scribbling down her thoughts while ink stained her.