Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Empty Sands ❯ Chapter 4
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Niu Shiy-Ue 
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.18.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 789 | Visits: 278 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / / Angst | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.18.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 789 | Visits: 278 | Status: Work In Progress
No more stuff at the beginning! If you don't know anything about the story already, why are you on Chapter 4?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sethos smirked at the neophytes. All those who turned twelve in the past year would now be moving on to participating in the rituals of their cults. For the cult of Ra, this meant getting up before the sun rose to greet both Horus and Ra. This first time, the teachers were lenient, those who fell asleep would be prodded awake, but no punishments would be administered. If they continued to slack, however, extra duties, reduced rations and other penalties would be applied. And if that didn't work, the whippings would begin. When Sethos had first become a priest, he had been proud of the fact that he alone of Ra's fledglings had no stripes on his back. It was merely a small part of his drive to be the best, however he took pride in whatever victories he could manage.
Moswen was easily found, the unruly black hair flamboyant among the shaved heads of the other acolytes. To Sethos's surprise, he found him wide-awake and looking around the plateau with startled eyes. Sethos would have expected him to be as bleary eyed and inattentive as the rest of the neophytes, maybe even more so, since he was used to the hours of the cult of Osiris.
He shook off his wondering and turned towards the rising Eye of Horus. The ceremony wasn't long, but the faster he got through it, the sooner he could attend to his other duties.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moswen was obviously paying for his earlier alertness. Midway through the afternoon he was yawning and struggling to keep his eyes open, even as he delivered his reports to Sethos. After repeating the report from Thebes three times, he stopped Moswen from continuing. "And here I thought you didn't sleep at all."
"<yawn> Pardon?"
"You seemed quite awake this morning."
"I'd never seen a sunrise before. It's like the sunset, yet at the same time very different."
"How so?"
"Oh, well, um, it's difficult to describe." Violet eyes cleared a little as they continued the conversation. "Are they all like that?"
"What's all like what?"
"Sunrises."
"They're a commonplace occurence."
"But when you've never seen one before, it's truly remarkable. It's dark and then the sky goes this beautiful blue, like clear, clear water. And then the sun peaks and suddenly a band of gold limns out the horizon. And it's so quiet, like everything's holding it's breath and then the chanting starts. A sunset is never quiet, the chanting blends in with the sounds from the marketplace and all the people living their lives."
"I've never really noticed." Sethos couldn't remember the last time he paid attention to the sunrise itself. Yes, he had led Kemet in greeting Ra for the past three years, but it had become downright routine for him. Perhaps tomorrow he would try to see the ritual anew.
Moswen couldn't stifle the yawn this time. "How did you manage to wake for the ceremony this morning?"
"The same way any true priest of the cult of Osiris does when they need to be awake first thing in the morning. I stayed up all night."
Sethos laughed at that. That was the complete opposite of what acolytes of Ra are told to do. "No wonder you're about to keel over. Here." he wrote a note in chalk on a slate tablet. "Take this to your instructor. It will excuse you from your duties the rest of this afternoon and also from the evening ceremony. I don't think you would get much out of it in your state, besides, I'm sure you've at least seen the ritual for the departure of Ra before."
"Ah, thank you, my Pharoah. Shall I return tonight to help-"
"No. You are dismissed from all duties for the rest of today, including your studies with me."
"Yes, but as your-"
"No buts. It won't kill me to undress myself for one night. Just catch up on your sleep. After all, this is going to be your daily routine from now on."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: Although this definitely doesn't fit historical fact, Akunumkanon's, Atemu's and Sethos's capital will now be at Amarna. I really should have put it in Lower Egypt or Thebes, however I wanted it upriver from Memphis, but not too far that they wouldn't have worried about invaders.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sethos smirked at the neophytes. All those who turned twelve in the past year would now be moving on to participating in the rituals of their cults. For the cult of Ra, this meant getting up before the sun rose to greet both Horus and Ra. This first time, the teachers were lenient, those who fell asleep would be prodded awake, but no punishments would be administered. If they continued to slack, however, extra duties, reduced rations and other penalties would be applied. And if that didn't work, the whippings would begin. When Sethos had first become a priest, he had been proud of the fact that he alone of Ra's fledglings had no stripes on his back. It was merely a small part of his drive to be the best, however he took pride in whatever victories he could manage.
Moswen was easily found, the unruly black hair flamboyant among the shaved heads of the other acolytes. To Sethos's surprise, he found him wide-awake and looking around the plateau with startled eyes. Sethos would have expected him to be as bleary eyed and inattentive as the rest of the neophytes, maybe even more so, since he was used to the hours of the cult of Osiris.
He shook off his wondering and turned towards the rising Eye of Horus. The ceremony wasn't long, but the faster he got through it, the sooner he could attend to his other duties.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Moswen was obviously paying for his earlier alertness. Midway through the afternoon he was yawning and struggling to keep his eyes open, even as he delivered his reports to Sethos. After repeating the report from Thebes three times, he stopped Moswen from continuing. "And here I thought you didn't sleep at all."
"<yawn> Pardon?"
"You seemed quite awake this morning."
"I'd never seen a sunrise before. It's like the sunset, yet at the same time very different."
"How so?"
"Oh, well, um, it's difficult to describe." Violet eyes cleared a little as they continued the conversation. "Are they all like that?"
"What's all like what?"
"Sunrises."
"They're a commonplace occurence."
"But when you've never seen one before, it's truly remarkable. It's dark and then the sky goes this beautiful blue, like clear, clear water. And then the sun peaks and suddenly a band of gold limns out the horizon. And it's so quiet, like everything's holding it's breath and then the chanting starts. A sunset is never quiet, the chanting blends in with the sounds from the marketplace and all the people living their lives."
"I've never really noticed." Sethos couldn't remember the last time he paid attention to the sunrise itself. Yes, he had led Kemet in greeting Ra for the past three years, but it had become downright routine for him. Perhaps tomorrow he would try to see the ritual anew.
Moswen couldn't stifle the yawn this time. "How did you manage to wake for the ceremony this morning?"
"The same way any true priest of the cult of Osiris does when they need to be awake first thing in the morning. I stayed up all night."
Sethos laughed at that. That was the complete opposite of what acolytes of Ra are told to do. "No wonder you're about to keel over. Here." he wrote a note in chalk on a slate tablet. "Take this to your instructor. It will excuse you from your duties the rest of this afternoon and also from the evening ceremony. I don't think you would get much out of it in your state, besides, I'm sure you've at least seen the ritual for the departure of Ra before."
"Ah, thank you, my Pharoah. Shall I return tonight to help-"
"No. You are dismissed from all duties for the rest of today, including your studies with me."
"Yes, but as your-"
"No buts. It won't kill me to undress myself for one night. Just catch up on your sleep. After all, this is going to be your daily routine from now on."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: Although this definitely doesn't fit historical fact, Akunumkanon's, Atemu's and Sethos's capital will now be at Amarna. I really should have put it in Lower Egypt or Thebes, however I wanted it upriver from Memphis, but not too far that they wouldn't have worried about invaders.