Daughter of the Nile (a Percy Jackson AU)

A Strange Marriage Proposal

     ***Hazel***
My day was going fine until I received an unexpected marriage proposal. I had been discussing war tactics with my generals when the door to our meeting room was opened and an unwelcome visitor came in. "Can I speak to the pharaoh?" the high priest of Amun-Ra asked.
"Alone," he added.
I stifled a sigh. I didn't want to talk to a priest with a heart a hundred times heavier than the feather of truth. My generals went up to leave. "Tell us if you need anything," Frank said.
I looked at Octavian's expression and I felt a twinge of fear. "I would like that you stay, Frank," I said, my voice a bit higher than normal.
Frank nodded and sat down across from me. Octavian quickly rearranged his scowl into a smile after Jason and Tyson left. "I have something to tell you," Frank began to say, but he was cut off by Octavian.
"Pharaoh Hazel," Octavian said with a hard smile. "As beautiful as Hathor herself. I know that you are looking for a groom."
It was true. I needed to get married and give birth to an heir as soon as possible. If I died, the kingdom might be thrown into chaos. Still, I didn't like how Octavian looked at me as if I were a bull that he wished to sacrifice. "Your point," I said tersely.
"Nothing would legitimize your rule to the throne as much as marrying the high priest of Amun-Ra, which is I," he said. "I know that I can propagate offspring, which you desperately need."
I stared at him in shock, which he interpreted as desire. "I know that I am quite handsome," he continued. "I would make a great pharaoh and you could be my pretty queen."
I stood up, outraged. "I'm the pharaoh!" I said.
Octavian sneered at me. "You're a Roman pretending to rule," he said. "You're as much of a pharaoh as a jackal is."
"Leave Pharaoh Hazel alone!" Frank said, standing up and towering over me.
"You must marry me," Octavian said. "I am the high priest of Amun-Ra. I can turn the people against you. That won't be hard."
"You're speaking treason," I hissed. "You blackmailing son of Set!"
Frank stride forward and grabbed Octavian. "Should I arrest him for treason?" He asked me.
I nodded. "His fate will be decided after the battle," I decided.
*****
      The battle was more brutal than I had ever envisioned. Our ambush of the Hittites began with our archers shooting them and then I signaled for the chariots to overwhelm and encircle them, pinning them against the Nile. I rode on one of the chariots, outfitted in soldier's garb.
    I had prayed to Horus the avenger, the warrior goddess Sekhmet, and Amun-Ra for guidance and luck in battle last night. Now, it was time to see if the gods favored Egypt or the Hittites. Flicking the reins, my chariot careened forward, startling a squadron of armored soldiers.
     The Nubian mercenaries fighting alongside my army were equally brave and fierce. I believe that seeing a pharaoh of Nubian blood might have cemented their loyalty in a way that payment alone could not. I unsheathed my bronze sword and partied with soldiers, disarming them and driving them into a panic.
     Further downstream, the Hittites were pinned right alongside the Nile and many had been forced to battle while knee-deep in its waters. When a crocodile snapped up one man, the others panicked and surged forward. Their terror gave them strength and I grieved to see several of my men fall down.
        I turned my focus back to the Hittite soldiers in front of me, who were trying to join their comrades downstream. I signaled for more of my soldiers to block their way and Frank led several chariots where I directed. With his broad shoulders and close-cropped hair, he look like a powerful foreign god.
          I chided myself and partied a Hittite who had snuck up on me. I felt a stab of pain as their sword sunk into my side, but it was a shallow wound. I used my sword to send their bloodied weapon flying and they scampered away in fear.
        Gasping at the pain, I drew my chariot forward, hoping the speed and size of it would frighten the Hittites. The ploy worked and dozens of them fled to the river. I felt a jolt of pride as I saw my well-trained soldiers cutting off all escape routes.
            As I urged my horses forward, an arrow hit one of my stallions and they bucked. The other horses ran to the left in fear. I felt myself flying in the air and tried to orient myself, but I was too woozy from my sword sound. I felt a stab of fear-as sharp as the wound itself-as time seemed to slow down and I realized that I might die-crushed against the ground.
       I closed my eyes and prayed to Amun-Ra to make my death swift and as painless as possible. To my surprise, I felt a tremor through my body. I opened my eyes to see a pair of kind eyes staring at me, the person's arms wrapped around my body. It was Frank.
      He set me down. "Your Highness," he said. "You are injured."
     I winced; my wound was throbbing now. "The Hittites?" I faked, my voice raspy from thirst.
        "Your soldiers subdued them," Frank said. "We have taken the survivors as prisoners."
         "And our soldiers?" I asked.
          "We lost five hundred men," he said, his voice shaking, "but it could have been worse. General Tyson is having the wounded soldiers sent to be treated. You need that too."
       I nodded. "Are you alright?" I asked.
        He shrugged. "I only got bruised," he said. "I've fought in countless battles. This was one of the least violent."
     I shuddered at the thought of the other battles he had seen. Frank noticed my expression. "I don't relish in bloodlust and carnage," he said. "And I too feel fear, but I do my duty for my pharaoh and for Egypt."
      "General Frank," I said. "The gods smile upon you. You're right, I need to be treated and then I must deal with Octavian."