The Pharaoh

Chapter 23

"Thank you," I whispered to Osiris as he handed me a tray full of food.

He nodded, "Make sure Aiden gets some too. Decisions like this can make a man lose his appetite."

"I will," I mumbled before closing the door. Why was I meeting so many scary gods? Osiris seemed nice and all, but holy cow how can anybody ignore those scars? They're literally everywhere! He looks worse than most of the soldiers in the infirmary!

"You learn to ignore them," Aiden called out from the bed.

"What?" I asked confused.

"The scars," he answered, "You forget they're there after a while. He might look scary but Osiris is alright... for a god."

My eyebrows scrunched together and I asked, "Why do you hate the gods so much?"

He scoffed and stood up, "How could I not? They're pure chaos! Humans mean nothing to them! They're just toys for them to play with and then throw away once they're bored. They do nothing but harm my people."

I waved my hand around and said, "But look at what they're offering you. They gave you a free pass to the realm of the dead just so you could say goodbye. They can't be that bad if they're willing to do something like that for you."

"All they're doing is messing with my emotions. My father is just punishing me for not saving them," Aiden grumbled. His gray eyes were fierce and for a moment I thought I could see lightning flashing in his eyes.

"This is a gift..." I tried to explain.

"How!" He yelled, "How is making me choose a gift? Don't you understand? I want to see all of them."

I sighed and sat on the bed. How can I pretend to understand? The only person I ever truly loved was Serena. I guess it's hard for me to realize that he has a real decision before him. He had four people that he loved equally, and all of them he wouldn't get to see again until well... he was dead. How could I understand when Serena had always won for me without even a second thought?

"I'm so sorry," I whispered to him, "I'm so sorry that this is on your shoulders."

"I just wish that I could see them all," he replied.

A single tear ran down his right cheek and seemingly glowed in the purple light of the room. I couldn't stand the sight of his tears and looked down at the white and gold swirls that made up the tile on the floor.

"What would you do?" He asked me quietly.

"Cry," I answered bluntly.

He let out a small laugh and shifted his whole body towards me. "I'm being serious. I know you've lost people. You've been trying to find your sister since before I even knew you. What would you do in my position?" He questioned.

"Again the answer is cry. Last time I checked Serena isn't dead so to find out she was would break me. My parents have been gone for a really long time and, to be frank, they're complete strangers to me. Even if I could speak to them I don't know what I'd say. It would be like walking up to a random person and trying to make a deep conversation happen," I admitted.

"Okay, I see where you're coming from, but I've already cried so what would you do after that?" He prodded.

"I guess... talk to the person I have the most left unsaid with? I really don't know," I grumbled.

His went serious and he whispered, "Rhett."

"Really? Rhett?" I inquired.

"He saved not only my life but my mother's as well. Yet I never thanked him since I was so afraid of what Ra would do to him. He was such an incredible man... I should have been kinder to him. I have so much I want to say still. I want him to know that while he wasn't my blood he was my father. That I appreciate all the things he taught me. That all those times I yelled at him and hurt him was never his fault. I've been kind to everyone who deserves it my entire life... except him. It wasn't fair. His death was the first time I truly realized how much I owed him," Aiden reflected sadly.

I put my hand on his shoulder and just let him think about what he just said. "Sounds like you know who to talk to," I told him.

He nodded with tears in his eyes. "I think you're right. Maybe he can tell the others what I wish to say to them for me?"

"I'm sure he will," I consoled.

"Well, Great Royal Wife," he sniffled, "You're pretty good at clearing my mind."

I placed a comforting kiss on his forehead and he froze. Why is he so stiff? Wait... touching and signs of physical affection mean more to him than they do to me. I probably went too far.

"I'm sorry," I said as I let my hand fall, "I wasn't thinking."

He grabbed my hand and placed a soft kiss right below my wrist. His gray eyes peaked up at me and he whispered, "You're my wife. You're allowed to touch me whenever you please."

"Still," I replied, "I know you're not the most comfortable with physical contact."

He moved over just enough for his face to be right next to mine. His face was so close that I could feel the heat coming off him. I felt a lump form in my throat and I suddenly seemed incapable of looking anywhere other than his lips.

"Help me get comfortable with it," he breathed. It was barely even audible. I almost didn't believe that he had said it.

He pressed his lips to mine, and it was then that I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he had indeed said those words.

He continued to kiss me and I gladly returned each action. He was everything that I had ever wanted. Strong yet gently. Kind yet fierce. He was simply perfect. He was everything that I couldn't be.

I felt his hand go to the strap of my dress and I broke away from his kiss. I looked at his slightly trembling hand and asked him, "Are you sure? We don't have to do anything past this?"

He looked down at the strap and gulped. I could feel his hand shaking a little bit harder than it had been previously. His eyes met mine and he nodded. "I want to," he answered, "Just remember that I've never done it before."

I smiled and said, "I haven't either."

"Really?" He asked a bit shocked.

"I know I seem really comfortable with the whole idea, which I am, it's perfectly natural, but I'm an Amari. A love connection of any kind wasn't exactly easy," I admitted.

He smiled then questioned, "Then do you want to be each other's first?"

His gray eyes went anywhere but my face. I smiled and answered, "Yes."

His eyes went wide and before he had a chance to say anything I kissed him. He was warm. He was invigorating. He was what I wanted.

That night, in the realm of the dead, we became one. The part of my soul that had been lonely for what seemed like an eternity was finally happy. I didn't think about the war back home, or the war that Aiden was fighting, or even Serena. It was just us.