one.

[al_malik]

He had watched the evening sky. Seen the sun go down. Saw the starlight glimmering on the silvery skeleton of an empty bridge. He'd remained by the ledge in the daze of this disease and watched the world go by for days and days. Sometimes he'd left - to walk, perhaps to ease his misery. There were times when he caught glimpses of Nephthys, and it could have, might have, been enough. But often he'd contemplated his own happiness gazing onto the house of his brother from so many paces away. And he was reminded why justice seemed so dishonest. There were days he held the barrel of a gun against a glass pane and felt the trigger sink; and he thought, if loaded, then surely he could have what he wanted. And there was no place under the sun where he and his brother could exist together. Yet, given any chance on any day, having seen that house so many times now and before, he'd thought - not today, not today. Osiris won't die today.

As for himself, he could never be charitable enough to sacrifice his life even if it meant a century of peace for them both. Though he wondered whether the thought of peace, obtained in this way, could ever have such appeal; not if this meant he'd surrendered. Not if this meant he loved his brother more than he cherished his wife. Not if this meant he'd accepted the terms of a birth which gave him no rights.

There was madness now, as he watched Ra sink into himself, as though the sun would dim. And he could hear his heart pounding through his ears, pounding against his chest. Perhaps the fates wanted him gone - punishment for his past crimes, or were they future crimes? He released the tightly clutched drapes and took to bed.