Through the eyes of the Pharaoh ♥ [Chapter 2]
Title: Through the eyes of the Pharaoh
Author: 4everxd
Pairing: YunJae (main), YooSu and Changmin x OC (slight)
Length: Chaptered
Genre: AU, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Smut.
Rating: PG-13, NC-17 (later)
Summary: The memoirs of a beauty and a legend, a time of war and love. In Ancient Egypt 1290 BC, the youngest king of Egypt seduced one the most powerful warriors on the earth - a passion that brought an empire to its knees. Their forbidden love will change the course of history…two people destined to come back in time, once again, together.
Inspired by the movies: the Mummy, the Mummy returns, the Scorpion King and Cleopatra.
A/N: Hello~ :D Is this update late? I am sowwwy~ ;3; They are going to be a little late because I have yet to finish the whole story OTL I kind of have writer's block, but I promise to get rid of it quickly XD So for today's chapter we learn a lot of things! And the inspiration for some scenes, you will know when you read them are these videos (1 and 2). I hope you enjoy this chapter, tell what you think ^^ <3
Poster made by me
Through the eyes of the Pharaoh
Chapter 2
“It’s a promise, Jaejoong, huh.” Jaejoong mumbled and gazed down, watching as the soldiers did all the kinds of formations for today’s night shift. He was out in his room’s balcony, touching the wall like railing as he sighed for the nth time that night.
He looked up, seeing the stars twinkling and the moon standing just above Imhotep’s private chambers. He was trapped in his own kingdom, literally.
The young man closed his eyes and breathed in, unwanted memories flashing behind his closed eyelids. It had been like this when his life changed and his world crumpled down.
Jaejoong clenched his teeth as the cold wind caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up on an end. It had been a night like this, when he almost lost his life, falling off the balcony, if it wasn’t for his savior and high priest who saved him the last second.
It all began three months ago…
Memphis: crown jewel of Pharaoh Ahhotep the first, the land of papyrus in 1290 BC. Thanks to the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the kingdom was quite rich and had many advantages thanks to the travelers that brought money and filled the ports with life. It was another normal day for the city of Memphis, everything going smoothly, the people happy and proud of the Pharaoh.
The Pharaoh ruled alone since his wife died just a few years after she gave birth to her son, Jaejoong. It was quite difficult for the monarch sometimes but thanks to the help of the High Priest of Osiris, Keeper of the Dead and loyal friend Imhotep, the kingdom managed just fine. Ahhotep loved his son dearly; he treasured him and made sure to remind everyone, everyday, that it was he that would rule after he passed away. However, despite the company of his son, the king was a lonely man and that’s why he had concubines to lighten up his life. Although, Jaejoong was neither a person to hate nor a person to disobey his father, it was clear that he hated the Pharaoh’s most favorite concubine, Ancksunamun.
It was that night that Jaejoong hated her the most in his nineteen years of life.
One day (that night), for the entertainment of himself and his courtiers, the Pharaoh decided for a celebration in the royal court. A feast was prepared, filled with delicious foods and nice wine. Every royal was there, including the high priest and the concubines. So, for the entertainment of Pharaoh, there was also a dance performance prepared to please him, in which Jaejoong participated.
“Begin.” The Pharaoh said sitting on his throne and clapped his hands once, indicating for the music to start. The royals were all around him, sitting down on the floor, waiting for the performance to start.
Slowly, the lights faded out, the golden walls with the paintings barely visible to anyone anymore, though the guards, the Medjai, still looked stoic and alert despite the calm atmosphere.
Jaejoong who didn’t participate in this specific dance was sitting next to the Pharaoh and had the honors of watching the dance too.
In the beginning all he saw were shadows but as the music went on, more torches were lit and the girls who were lined up could be seen clearly now. The girls didn’t do anything at first but they simply stood there -posing- their hands in geometric way; the way of an Egyptian.
When the first heavy beat dropped the girl on the far right bent her waist repeatedly following the rhythm of the song. Then, the girl on the far left started moving her waist sensually, belly dancing. Half of the girls were wearing white dresses that reached their ankles with handmade green belts around their waists secured, while the other half wore white skirts and simple tops, leaving their belly visible to the eyes. Each girl did her own little dance, going from the right to the left and the left to the right until finally reaching the middle of the line. With each belly dance, the girls posed in the same way and direction, their arms aligned in such a way as if pushing a door. When they all finished -moving hips and arms erotically- the girls step by step made their way out, walking along with the beat of the song, the show coming to an end. After it was over, everyone clapped happily, including the now pleased Pharaoh.
Next, it was Jaejoong’s turn to perform. He, along with Ancksunamun would perform a dance dedicated to the great Egyptian gods. Jaejoong was wearing a simple white kilt with a golden belt to secure the garment in its place. Ancksunamun, however, was another case as she was the Pharaoh’s mistress. No man was allowed to touch her, not even Jaejoong, and her entire naked body had been painted in the ancient Egyptian manner, leaving only a small golden garment to hide her private parts. She was a beautiful and alluring woman, Jaejoong could not deny that, but something about her was suspicious to the prince’s eyes.
As they made their way over, towards the centre of the court, Jaejoong let himself forget his worries and focused on pleasing the royals and his father instead. He put both of his hands in front of his chest as if in a prayer and immersed himself into the music as it began to play. The musicians were hitting the doumbeks gently at first, as Ancksunamun went behind Jaejoong, hands held up high in the air, and the pose identical to the man’s. Then, she threw rose petals all over him, that she had been hiding inside her pressed palms. Continuing, she made wavy motions with her arms as if imitating the movements of a cobra. Afterwards, she went in front of Jaejoong, directly looking at him for a few seconds and then turned her back at him. Her face showed no emotion or whatsoever despite the Pharaoh smiling sweetly at her.
Now it was time for the dance to officially start. The beat changed into a faster one and Jaejoong who was behind her, spread his legs a little apart so he could reach her height. Both of them started making hands motions, their arms bent always in 90 degrees. They made geometrical shapes at the same time with the rhythm, almost touching each other because their hands went through each others’ -locking and unlocking- but yet there was to contact. They did many Egyptian poses -like the ones the paintings of Egyptians did on the walls- and simultaneously mirrored each other.
Ancksunamun was the one who showed him the dance but there was no way Jaejoong would let his father down. He performed flawlessly, making sure to reach the high stands the Pharaoh had set for him. The royals clapped many times in the middle of the dance, by far pleasantly surprised by the performance. The Pharaoh nodded and clapped too from time to time, being proud of his son and concubine.
Roughly three minutes later the dance was over and Jaejoong was left panting for breath. Ancksunamun slightly bowed to him and distanced herself while everyone was clapping happily.
It was then, the king stood up and everyone lowered their heads as he made his way towards his son. “Bravo, bravo.”
“Who better to protect the Bracelet of Anubis…” The monarch said and he motioned at a metallic chest a Medjai was currently closing and taking away. Ahhotep had entrusted Jaejoong with the task of watching over the ancient Bracelet of Anubis, the final remaining artifact of the Scorpion King, the ancient warlord, “than my lovely son, Jaejoong.”
The Pharaoh touched his son’s shoulder affectionately and showed him to everyone in the royal court room while Jaejoong smiled shyly because he was being the centre of attention.
“And who better to protect me,” Ahhotep extended his hand, motioning at Ancksunamun, “than my future wife, Anck-Su-Namun.”
And then the smile turned into a frown, Jaejoong’s eyes widening realizing what his father had just said. He glared at her as she bowed still keeping eye contact with him, a slight smirk on her lips as he eyed Jaejoong knowingly because she knew she had won the Pharaoh’s trust completely.
“Well done, my son.” Ahhotep hugged his son, not noticing the way Ancksunamun and Jaejoong stared at each other. The Pharaoh believed that she could protect him from any conspirators, leaving Jaejoong dismayed at the fact that Ancksunamun would be his step-mother. Despite being embraced by his father, he took note that the High Priest of Osiris, Imhotep was exchanging covert glances with her.
Imhotep and his priests, including Jaejoong’s most trusted person inside the palace and personal high priest -Junsu- followed the high priest and made their way out of the royal court room. Jaejoong closed his eyes and hugged his father tightly, hoping his instincts were wrong.
-o0o-
Jaejoong met Junsu when he was really young. It was a few months before his mother died, actually. He and his mother were near the royal river, the Nile. The queen had taken Jaejoong there to show him Mother Nature and to prey to the Gods. He wanted to teach his young son how things worked and which Gods he should favor the most. It was then his mother had jokingly said to him that he was the son of Isis.
It was also then, when sudden crying brought their attention to the nearest bushes, full of flowers by the river. From there emerged a small child, crying and all alone. Jaejoong’s mother quickly took pity on him and brought the child to her embrace. It was Junsu -Rasui- as his mother named the boy right there. Dream, because when the cute boy shushed, a happy smile on his lips, the duo shined with happiness too.
Junsu was a bright boy indeed. As the years went by, he and Jaejoong became best friends and helped each other through thick and thin. They trusted each other completely, they were close like blood related brothers would be. Junsu was Jaejoong’s ball of sunshine, especially when his mother died and he needed help. They told each other everything, they shared secrets and no one could separate them.
So when one day, Junsu entrusted him with some information involving Imhotep and his whereabouts, Jaejoong realized they were some things that he did not know of. Imhotep was the High Priest of Osiris in his adult life but had also carried out other positions as well, being advisor and close friend to Ahhotep I and an architect as well -said to have devised the means of moving the large bricks of the pyramids.
Imhotep himself, in 1280 B.C, designed and overseen the construction of the temple of Amun-Ra.
Jaejoong knew that basic staff thanks to his father, but they were some other things royals did not speak of.
Like for example, according to Junsu who was trained to be a high priest from him and his followers, the man knew how to use the Book of the Dead, the Book of the Living and knew how to cast spells. Junsu told Jaejoong all about it and everything he learned, hiding nothing from the prince since they knew that even though Imhotep looked like the most trusted person to the Pharaoh’s and the royals’ eyes, the two young men did not trust him at all for some reason.
The Book of the Dead was an Egyptian book made of pure obsidian. Known colloquially as ‘the Black Book’, the Book of the Dead was an ancient volume that was held in such reverence for the ancient Egyptians that to speak of it was blasphemy, and so was kept stowed away from any interference in the necropolis Hamunaptra. It contained ancient spells and incantations that could resurrect the dead and give life. The Egyptians, their ancestors, kept the Book inside the statue of Anubis at Hamunaptra where it was declared forbidden to use and had a small puzzle-box-like object that, when opened, acted as the key with which to open the Book.
Its counterpart, the Book of Amun-Ra, known as the ‘Book of the Living’ and was made of pure gold with brass hinges, it could only be opened by the use of a puzzle-box-like object that would fit directly onto an emblem on the cover. “The Golden Book", contained ancient spells and incantations that could take life away from mortals, meaning the reverse incantations to the Book of the Dead and was kept inside the statue of Horus at Hamunaptra.
Hamunaptra was an ancient lost city that served for many centuries as the resting place for the Pharaohs of Egypt and their wealth. The vast necropolis contained precious artifacts and antiquities from the wealthiest of Egypt's Pharaohs, as well as their remains. Set in a remote area of the vast Sahara, Hamunaptra was known as the ‘City of the Dead’ and held such high importance that none but the Medjai and the High Priest of Osiris could ever know its location. The city was fiercely guarded by the Medjai warriors and by warrior priests, with any that found the city silenced so as not to divulge its location; a burial within the city could only be attended by the High Priest of Osiris and his priests, accompanied by soldiers and slaves. Slaves were made to do the hardest work when in the city, digging graves, wherein they were promptly killed off by soldiers that were in turn murdered by the priests so that none might ever reveal the exact location. The City of the Dead had been established some time into the ascent of the New Kingdom, replacing the Pyramids of old as the resting place of the Pharaohs and their possessions, and was host to a number of different booby-traps and deterrents of grave robbers and plunderers.
Jaejoong was shocked by all this to say the least. He never knew any of this and the fact that Junsu had all this knowledge and his life was at stake just by saying all the secret things to Jaejoong was even more outrageous. All the things his mother had taught him when he was a child was nothing compared to this. And Junsu had just simply sealed his fate when he was just a baby. Meeting the queen and her baby and becoming a priest, having no choice since he was from no royal family and having to listen to the Pharaoh’s orders. But what worried Jaejoong the most was just how much power Imhotep held in the palace. If Junsu was right, Imhotep was pretty influential and his opinion was nearly as strong as the Pharaoh’s. That would mean trouble if something bad ever was to happen. So Jaejoong -and Junsu secretly of course- from that day onwards became even more wary of high priest Imhotep.
-o0o-
Later, that night Jaejoong visited the holy resting place -the temple- of the Bracelet of Anubis. He followed his father’s instructions and went down the mystic passage that the Pharaoh had created for safety proposes. He held the torch tightly in his hand, walking on the hallway, sometimes stopping by to read the sayings on the walls and enjoy the beautiful Egyptian paintings of the previous Pharaohs; a history lesson, indeed.
A few minutes later, he came across a big door and looked down to see the infamous key with the shape of the sun. He pushed it and turned it around first to the right, then to the left two times and then again to the right. The door immediately opened and Jaejoong let himself in.
He saw two guards and in the middle of them the metallic chest open, showing the Bracelet of Anubis. The man gave the torch to one of the guards because there was no free space to place his since the room was full of them to provide light. Jaejoong got down on his knees and prayed for his father’s and the kingdom’s safety, swearing to protect the holy bracelet.
Suddenly feeling uneasy, he left earlier than he had intended to go back to his private champers but of course not before giving the bracelet one last glance and locking the temple using the opposite way of how he had opened the door to do it.
Jaejoong walked over to the balcony, enjoying the nice view and the wind caressing his face. He put both of his palms on the wall like railing and looked down.
However, his attention was quickly averted when he noticed something weird was happening across him. He gazed out at Ancksunamun's residence, which was adjacent to his own and noticed that she and Imhotep were there together and very much alone.
He watched much to his horror as Imhotep and Ancksunamun kissed each other passionately. Feeling disgusted, he tried to look away, only to look back at them, alarmed when he heard his father’s voice and the couple breaking apart abruptly.
The curtains closed then and the high priest hid himself, all while Jaejoong started breathing heavily knowing something was off. His father came in, asking Ancksunamun why the paint on her skin was smudged but before the monarch could do anything, Imhotep made his presence known and confronted the Pharaoh with a blade.
Feeling his insides churning up with fear, Jaejoong shouted at the Pharaoh’s guards and pointed at the concubine’s champers. Jaejoong was too far away to do something.
“Medjai! My father needs you!”
Jaejoong gasped when he saw that Ancksunamun drew out a blade too and then she and Imhotep mortally stabbed his father several times.
“No, no, no-oh!”
Jaejoong was so worried about his father that he failed to see that he inadvertently leaned too far over the balcony. Just when he was about to lose his balance and fall off, he felt two hands grabbing him by the waist.
“Jaejoong-ah!” It was Junsu.
“What are you doing? Are you crazy?!” The high priest asked in high pitched voice, worry written all over his face as let go of the prince once he was sure the beautiful man was safe.
“My father, Junsu!” Jaejoong cried out and Junsu rushed to embrace him.
“I know…I know…”
Back in the present, it still feels like yesterday when Ancksunamun and Imhotep had purposefully lied to the royal court that the Pharaoh’s death had been an attack from the Upper Kingdom, an assassination all sorts of. The royals of course believed them since there had been no proof to prove otherwise. And if Jaejoong tried to talk, no one would believe him anyways, they trusted the high priest of Osiris too much.
Not only these two engaged an affair and a tryst but they made it seems like his father’s death was not done by them too. But, despite the royal court accepting them, they were still some people in the Lower kingdom that believed the young prince and not them. One of them was without doubt Junsu, his high priest.
That’s why with the help of Junsu and many more people who were trusted by the old Pharaoh; Jaejoong formed his own ‘kingdom’ in secret. The rightful Pharaoh also had a plan. He wanted to have his stolen throne back and in order to do that he decided to form an alliance with the Upper Kingdom.
It’s a win-win situation. With this plan, he would both bring peace to the whole Egypt and destroy Imhotep once and for all, since the man wanted to rule all Egypt by himself by taking over the Upper Kingdom too. This also explains the fact that there is an awful economical crisis all over the Lower Kingdom, thanks to Imhotep’s evil plans to conquer.
So, his original idea was to visit Thebes and talk with the Pharaoh, but it seems like the gods are with him since the prince of Upper Egypt came to him by himself. Now the only thing he had to do is to go and find Ramses- the sun god who was begotten by Ra- and end this one and for all.