His new lover

A lullaby of stars and moonlight

Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

There was no moon in the sky. Of all the things he remembered of that night, this seared itself into his memory. There were no pale beams to guide him in the darkness after he blew out the candles. He stumbled to his bed, lifting the blanket before laying down on the soft mattress. Tired from the long day, he closed his eyes and welcomed sleep.

Ssssssssssssssssss...

The hissing sound was muffled beneath the blankets. He frowned, not fully registering what the sound was in his drowsy state.

Something cold and smooth brushed his foot, but before he could react, piercing fangs sank into his calf, and he screamed. The heavy darkness swallowed his shrieks, and no one heard him, and he was completely and utterly alone.
Ahkmenrah gasped, eyes flying open.

Bright...
light...

Golden sunlight. He shook beneath his blanket, body covered in sweat and heart racing. It was just a dream. Just a dream.

Sitting up stiffly and wiping away the tears from his face, he took a deep breath and rose to greet the dawn.

"Excuse me, are you Akin?"

It was not long past sunrise, and Lev had decided that it was time he began working in the palace. Not sure where to start, however, Lev had sought out the servant that Ahmenrah had told him about. He had gone to the stables and found a man there, brushing down a horse.

He had light skin and cropped brown hair, and his pale blue eyes held a jolly twinkle in them. The servant, Akin, turned at Lev's question and smiled. "Hello there!

You must be the new kid!" He put down the brush and walked over to Lev. "My name is Akinyemi, but everyone calls me Akin."

Lev smiled and said, "Hello, Akin. My name is Lev, and it's nice to meet you. I was wondering if you could help me. I've been here for a few weeks now but I haven't done any work. I was hoping you would have something for me to do."

Akin heartily clapped Lev on the shoulder. "You've come to the right place, my friend!" He guided Lev over to the horse he had been brushing. "This lovely mare is Sesmet."

Lev laughed. "Sesmet? Really?""Our prince Ahkmenrah was quite young when he received her as a gift, and he was the one to name her.
Sesmet was what he called her and Sesmet is what she will always be called."

Lev shook his head in amusement; only Ahkmenrah would name his horse 'Horse' and keep the name. He reached forward to pat the mare on the head. "She is very beautiful," he commented, Sesmet nickering happily as he stroked her glossy black coat. Akin nodded.

"Indeed she is! Now," Akin said, picking up the brush and handing it to Lev, "you are going to brush her down, and when you're done, we'll take her and Resheph out and let them stretch their legs." He gestured to the opposite stall, where a brown stallion with a white streak running from his forehead to his muzzle stood patiently. "Understood?"

Lev saluted playfully. "Understood!"

They both began tending to their respective horses.
"So, Lev," Akin started, not looking up from Resheph's coat. "a little sparrow told me that you and the prince have grown close."
Lev's hand faltered mid-stroke upon Sesmet's back, and he licked his lips, something he did almost all the time but never noticed (though Ahkmenrah certainly did).

"Uh, yes, we're um, well, we're good friends."

"Just friends?" Akin paused his brushing to look up at Lev in the other stall. Lev determinedly kept his eyes fixed on Sesmet's back and continued brushing, trying to fight the blush creeping onto his face. He wasn't ashamed of his feelings for Ahkmenrah - far from it! - but he didn't know if Ahkmenrah wanted him telling everyone who asked that they were...well, certainly more than friends, though what exactly they were, he wasn't sure. Akin saw Lev's discomfort and laughed heartily.