Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ The Way of the Jackal ❯ Becoming ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Faia Saiyajin 
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Occult | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.05.2003 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 167 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action / Occult | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.05.2003 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 167 | Status: Completed
It seemed almost a dream, his being led down great corridors and vaulted rooms. The statues of Gods, Goddesses, and his father's likeness stared down at him from on high, passing judgment, leaving him in his sorrow. Colors seemed washed out, sounds muffled, as Anubis was led by Dais, flanked by Sekhmet and Kale. A party of nobles and Priests followed, as the Prince was led to where his father lay. The hall opened into the great room, a massive place of ultimate luxury. And there, laying on a raised couch, on a small platform of built into the floor, nearly covered by his mother's weeping form, was the body of his father. Servants cringed in the corners, mourning the loss of Great Pharaoh Nefer in their own way. The heady smells of incense burned his eyes and dulled his senses.
Dais stepped to the side, exposing Anubis to the scene. He was clutching the medallion to his chest, the metal still cold against his skin, which was hot from his time in the desert, and soaked in sweat. His breath was heaving, and he did not notice, as, in jerking, hesitant steps, he found himself walking to the divan. When he was standing over the corpse, did it hit him fully. The faint dark fuzz of hair on his father's bald head. The shining black of his goatee. All the fine lines around his eyes, and the small scar by his left ear. This was his father. Tears burned, hot and real, in his eyes, but he did not let them fall. His mother, realizing he was there, forgot death for life, turning from the cold corpse to her son. Wrapping him in a weak embrace, she buried her face in his chest. The kohl of her eyeliner had smeared, making her look even more haggard. Anubis swallowed with difficulty. Not taking the falcon medal away from his skin, he used his free hand to half-heartedly comfort his mother. She was moaning prayers, although they were hoarse and ragged from her crying.
Somewhere, deep inside his brain, it clicked. He was now Pharaoh. Now was not the time for tears. Straightening, he shot a look at Mia. She recognized it instantly, and came to him, whispering words of comfort as she pried the Queen away from Anubis. A swarm of serving women came to her, completely hiding her in a sea of crisp linen and skin. Some of the girls, captive Nubians, were naked to the waist, and they too aided the Queen, speaking soothingly in their strange clipped tongue.
Ignoring his mother, lest her mood affect him, he turned, rigidly, on his heel. His friends were standing there, High Priest, Captain, and Guard. Dais was his usual carved ice. Kale was as taut as a bowstring. Sekhmet was a coiled serpent, though there was sadness in his posture. "High Priest Dais." Anubis found himself saying harshly. His tongue seemed stuck to the roof of his mouth. He snapped his fingers, and a young Nubian girl brought him a chalice of sweet wine. He swallowed it all, not tasting it, in three large gulps, before putting it back on the tray it had arrived on. "Take the Pharaoh Nefer to the Temple. Begin the preparations for his journey to the next world." The High Priest bowed.
"As you command, so shall it be, Pharaoh." Technically, he had not yet been crowned. Even without the legality of the coronation, it was true. Anubis was now Pharaoh. It was best that everyone came to realize that. Especially his friends in the Priesthood. Dais stood, and as he did, he glared at the other Priests who were standing stock-still behind him. They came to life in a flurry of orders and prayers, ordering four soldiers to bring the wicker casket and litter. Whoever didn't stay behind with Dais bustled off to the Temple, to start the embalming process.
"Dais, I want you personally to oversee the process." Anubis said curtly.
"As you wish, Pharaoh." Dais had expected this. Anubis trusted the Priests to a certain extent, and botching the embalming process, purposely or not, was a severe punishment. His men were trained to perfection, he had done the teaching himself. He nodded once, and walked, with his common stately grace, to the Temple of the jackal-headed God, where the mummification would take place. Anubis wanted to be alone in his grief, and there was nothing wrong with that. So long as he did not allow it to consume him.
"If I may be of assistance, Pharaoh Anubis, -may the Gods smile down upon you forever."
Kale growled under his breath. Sekhmet shot a glare full of venom at the newcomer. Anubis' face became carved stone. The man who stepped into the great hall was a frightening sight to behold. He was deathly pale, almost blue. Bald beneath a strange headpiece of feathers and gold, his face was drawn, cheeks and eyes sunken, his lips drawn into a tight line above equally thin mustaches. The rest of him was gaunt, almost wasted away, though his large linen shift was voluminous enough to hide that. It swirled around him in a wide arc, as he bowed with too much flourish.
"Bademon." Anubis said dryly. The ghostly witch-doctor was hardly ever away from his master, the Royal Vizier, unless delivering a message. The Vizier had no other name, none that any respectful Egyptian dared utter. He was simply nameless, and usually faceless, as well. No one knew what the Vizier looked like. He had been in service for generations, always advising from his own palace somewhere in some desolate wasteland. "What advice does your invisible master have for me?"
Bademon bowed again, and the acrimony between the pair was all but tangible. "None, Great Pharaoh. I come of my own volition. I feel that you may need guidance in this difficult time."
"I have all the guidance I may need." He said to the man's back, as he was still bowed. From across the room, he and Kale locked eyes. The Captain was smirking, and Anubis barely concealed his own self-righteous smirk. 'Guidance', indeed. Bademon was after something. Hardly ever did his services come without a price.
"But--"
"No buts, Bademon. I have spoken. I will not require anything you have to offer." He looked at the falcon head in his left palm, his fingers curled around the edges. It suddenly went warm in his grasp. He turned his gaze back to Bademon, who stood erect.
"As you wish…" His words were almost hissed, and he backed out of the room in a half-bow, his wide shift swishing against the ground. The heavy stares of the three men followed him until he was lost in the throng of people clustered in the hall.
The Queen and her serving girls had vanished, leaving the men, and a handful more of servants. The censers had finally burned out their contents, but the scent was still in the air, a sickly sweet, dense and oppressive. Anubis turned again, finding it difficult to breathe. The noise in the hall was deafening, droning on like angry mosquitoes. He could not take his eyes away from the divan. Kale stirred behind him.
"Pharaoh…"
He whirled. "Leave me." The words were more callous than he had intended, but he made no apology. Kale looked startled, stopping dead in his tracks.
"Phar-"
"I said OUT! All of you!! Remove yourselves from my sight at once!"
The servants bustled out like Seth was nipping at their heels. Sekhmet and Kale were more reluctant. Sekhmet retreated first, the nobles giving him wide berth as he strode past. Kale was left alone in the center of the room, at the steps of the platform. Even though Anubis had spoken to him harshly, the Guard Captain understood perfectly. He bowed slightly, his right hand flat against his chest, fingers splayed.
"As Pharaoh wishes. I will be in my quarters if he seeks me."
Anubis did not turn. "Close the doors on your way out. And get rid of those buzzing idiots in the palace. Tell them what they want to hear. Make an announcement to the public. No use in keeping secrets."
"Understood, Pharaoh." He straightened, as two guards positioned at the double doors went into action, pulling the gold-gilded doors closed, leaving only a space between large enough for Kale to pass through. He stopped at this entrance, and turned, to look at the back of the new Pharaoh. He cleared his throat, trying to find his voice. It came, after what seemed like a long while. "I'm sorry, Anubis."
If he had heard, he made no acknowledgment of it. Kale left without another word, and the doors closed shut with a clang.
Anubis waited, as he heard Kale shouting over the people, shooing them away. When the silence had gone undisturbed for a full ten minutes, did he move again. Itching to be away from all of the smells and sights in the great room, he crossed the remaining half of the room, to the large patio. It ran the length of the room, extending 20 feet out, floor tiles and railings in pristine white. The baking hot Egyptian sun was in full effect now, directly overhead. Almost at the foot of the floor, a pond had been dug, complete with rushes and a few fish. Dragonflies danced along the surface of the water, their metallic bodies gleaming bright green against sun-dappled blue water. On his side of the railing, there was another couch, and Anubis dropped onto this as if his legs had been cut out from under him. He managed to get into a sitting position, drawing his knees up to his chest. The falcon head medallion was cupped in his palms, the gold chain twined around his fingers. Reflecting the light perfectly, the falcon seemed almost alive. Unlike Nefer.
"Father…" He felt his throat tighten, and those tears well up again. This time, though, he made no effort to stop them. Resting his head on his kneecaps, hugging the medal to his chest, Anubis wept.
Dais stepped to the side, exposing Anubis to the scene. He was clutching the medallion to his chest, the metal still cold against his skin, which was hot from his time in the desert, and soaked in sweat. His breath was heaving, and he did not notice, as, in jerking, hesitant steps, he found himself walking to the divan. When he was standing over the corpse, did it hit him fully. The faint dark fuzz of hair on his father's bald head. The shining black of his goatee. All the fine lines around his eyes, and the small scar by his left ear. This was his father. Tears burned, hot and real, in his eyes, but he did not let them fall. His mother, realizing he was there, forgot death for life, turning from the cold corpse to her son. Wrapping him in a weak embrace, she buried her face in his chest. The kohl of her eyeliner had smeared, making her look even more haggard. Anubis swallowed with difficulty. Not taking the falcon medal away from his skin, he used his free hand to half-heartedly comfort his mother. She was moaning prayers, although they were hoarse and ragged from her crying.
Somewhere, deep inside his brain, it clicked. He was now Pharaoh. Now was not the time for tears. Straightening, he shot a look at Mia. She recognized it instantly, and came to him, whispering words of comfort as she pried the Queen away from Anubis. A swarm of serving women came to her, completely hiding her in a sea of crisp linen and skin. Some of the girls, captive Nubians, were naked to the waist, and they too aided the Queen, speaking soothingly in their strange clipped tongue.
Ignoring his mother, lest her mood affect him, he turned, rigidly, on his heel. His friends were standing there, High Priest, Captain, and Guard. Dais was his usual carved ice. Kale was as taut as a bowstring. Sekhmet was a coiled serpent, though there was sadness in his posture. "High Priest Dais." Anubis found himself saying harshly. His tongue seemed stuck to the roof of his mouth. He snapped his fingers, and a young Nubian girl brought him a chalice of sweet wine. He swallowed it all, not tasting it, in three large gulps, before putting it back on the tray it had arrived on. "Take the Pharaoh Nefer to the Temple. Begin the preparations for his journey to the next world." The High Priest bowed.
"As you command, so shall it be, Pharaoh." Technically, he had not yet been crowned. Even without the legality of the coronation, it was true. Anubis was now Pharaoh. It was best that everyone came to realize that. Especially his friends in the Priesthood. Dais stood, and as he did, he glared at the other Priests who were standing stock-still behind him. They came to life in a flurry of orders and prayers, ordering four soldiers to bring the wicker casket and litter. Whoever didn't stay behind with Dais bustled off to the Temple, to start the embalming process.
"Dais, I want you personally to oversee the process." Anubis said curtly.
"As you wish, Pharaoh." Dais had expected this. Anubis trusted the Priests to a certain extent, and botching the embalming process, purposely or not, was a severe punishment. His men were trained to perfection, he had done the teaching himself. He nodded once, and walked, with his common stately grace, to the Temple of the jackal-headed God, where the mummification would take place. Anubis wanted to be alone in his grief, and there was nothing wrong with that. So long as he did not allow it to consume him.
"If I may be of assistance, Pharaoh Anubis, -may the Gods smile down upon you forever."
Kale growled under his breath. Sekhmet shot a glare full of venom at the newcomer. Anubis' face became carved stone. The man who stepped into the great hall was a frightening sight to behold. He was deathly pale, almost blue. Bald beneath a strange headpiece of feathers and gold, his face was drawn, cheeks and eyes sunken, his lips drawn into a tight line above equally thin mustaches. The rest of him was gaunt, almost wasted away, though his large linen shift was voluminous enough to hide that. It swirled around him in a wide arc, as he bowed with too much flourish.
"Bademon." Anubis said dryly. The ghostly witch-doctor was hardly ever away from his master, the Royal Vizier, unless delivering a message. The Vizier had no other name, none that any respectful Egyptian dared utter. He was simply nameless, and usually faceless, as well. No one knew what the Vizier looked like. He had been in service for generations, always advising from his own palace somewhere in some desolate wasteland. "What advice does your invisible master have for me?"
Bademon bowed again, and the acrimony between the pair was all but tangible. "None, Great Pharaoh. I come of my own volition. I feel that you may need guidance in this difficult time."
"I have all the guidance I may need." He said to the man's back, as he was still bowed. From across the room, he and Kale locked eyes. The Captain was smirking, and Anubis barely concealed his own self-righteous smirk. 'Guidance', indeed. Bademon was after something. Hardly ever did his services come without a price.
"But--"
"No buts, Bademon. I have spoken. I will not require anything you have to offer." He looked at the falcon head in his left palm, his fingers curled around the edges. It suddenly went warm in his grasp. He turned his gaze back to Bademon, who stood erect.
"As you wish…" His words were almost hissed, and he backed out of the room in a half-bow, his wide shift swishing against the ground. The heavy stares of the three men followed him until he was lost in the throng of people clustered in the hall.
The Queen and her serving girls had vanished, leaving the men, and a handful more of servants. The censers had finally burned out their contents, but the scent was still in the air, a sickly sweet, dense and oppressive. Anubis turned again, finding it difficult to breathe. The noise in the hall was deafening, droning on like angry mosquitoes. He could not take his eyes away from the divan. Kale stirred behind him.
"Pharaoh…"
He whirled. "Leave me." The words were more callous than he had intended, but he made no apology. Kale looked startled, stopping dead in his tracks.
"Phar-"
"I said OUT! All of you!! Remove yourselves from my sight at once!"
The servants bustled out like Seth was nipping at their heels. Sekhmet and Kale were more reluctant. Sekhmet retreated first, the nobles giving him wide berth as he strode past. Kale was left alone in the center of the room, at the steps of the platform. Even though Anubis had spoken to him harshly, the Guard Captain understood perfectly. He bowed slightly, his right hand flat against his chest, fingers splayed.
"As Pharaoh wishes. I will be in my quarters if he seeks me."
Anubis did not turn. "Close the doors on your way out. And get rid of those buzzing idiots in the palace. Tell them what they want to hear. Make an announcement to the public. No use in keeping secrets."
"Understood, Pharaoh." He straightened, as two guards positioned at the double doors went into action, pulling the gold-gilded doors closed, leaving only a space between large enough for Kale to pass through. He stopped at this entrance, and turned, to look at the back of the new Pharaoh. He cleared his throat, trying to find his voice. It came, after what seemed like a long while. "I'm sorry, Anubis."
If he had heard, he made no acknowledgment of it. Kale left without another word, and the doors closed shut with a clang.
Anubis waited, as he heard Kale shouting over the people, shooing them away. When the silence had gone undisturbed for a full ten minutes, did he move again. Itching to be away from all of the smells and sights in the great room, he crossed the remaining half of the room, to the large patio. It ran the length of the room, extending 20 feet out, floor tiles and railings in pristine white. The baking hot Egyptian sun was in full effect now, directly overhead. Almost at the foot of the floor, a pond had been dug, complete with rushes and a few fish. Dragonflies danced along the surface of the water, their metallic bodies gleaming bright green against sun-dappled blue water. On his side of the railing, there was another couch, and Anubis dropped onto this as if his legs had been cut out from under him. He managed to get into a sitting position, drawing his knees up to his chest. The falcon head medallion was cupped in his palms, the gold chain twined around his fingers. Reflecting the light perfectly, the falcon seemed almost alive. Unlike Nefer.
"Father…" He felt his throat tighten, and those tears well up again. This time, though, he made no effort to stop them. Resting his head on his kneecaps, hugging the medal to his chest, Anubis wept.