Chapter 15: Banquets with Bastards

Harker huffed as Carol furiously rubbed an absorbent cloth against his golden hair, the man sitting cross-legged on a lavish couch whilst she knelt behind him and tended to the knots and dampness he had brought out of the baths.

Milanun watched on with a bitter taste in her mouth, her arms suspended to assist the maids who scuttled about her feet, cinching and clipping her formal gowns in place to flatter her royal figure. She sighed and tilted her head to allow a tint to be brushed delicately onto her lips.

"How long is the dinner going to be?" he asked and the princess quickly turned her head, smiling happily when she saw a pouty, blue eye peering at her from under the cloth.

"Hours, prince," she giggled, smile stretching when she saw how he groaned in dismay, the whine of 'can I sleep through it?' bubbling up. "My parents will likely ask you for many details, so I don't think so, no."

There was a faint, dramatic sob and Milanun let out a laugh, the sound sweet to the ears and caused the guards outside her room to peek in. She hummed as the burst tapered off, her hair twisting as it was pulled into the fashion of the nobles.

"Oh, come now, it's not all bad," Milanun insisted, "They only wish to thank you, after all, you saved their daughter."

"But I don't like parties," Harker whined, before giving a grunt as Carol scrubbed his head one last time and pulled the cloth away, combing her fingers through to fix it up.

And ugly feeling welled in the Hattian princess' chest as Harker cooed and relaxed at the touch, cerulean eyes falling shut as he leant into the white woman's fingers. Milanun clenched her teeth as an earring was slid into place, piercing her ears like the gentle sound of Carol's laughter as she cuddled into Harker.

She took a breath and instead focused her attention on the man's attire, her anger quelled by the sight of her prince dressed in Hattian garbs. She liked the way it hung off of him in flowing, loose forms, covering him well - unlike those small cuttings of cloth the Pharaoh had made him wear, exposing his milky skin to every hungry eye in the court.

"I'll try to make this one worthwhile," Milanun promised, walking over and taking his hand in hers, so very warm to the touch. "I'll make sure you enjoy it, prince."

()()()

Harker frowned as he sat beside Milanun at the long head table of the hall, amongst the royalty of a foreign and ancient land and before the eyes of tens of excited, curious and awed people. His calcite hands were fisted atop the table of dark timber, and his gilded plate sat empty as he breathed through his bared teeth. Eyes carved from the sky were furrowed into a pissed glare as he surveyed the room as if estimating the worth of every breathing morsel before him, making the people shiver in fright and delight.

Carol gave a quiet yelp as Ismir yanked her by the wrists yet again and azure eyes slashed to the noise, the man having to crane his neck to see around the princess, King and Queen, and assure that his companion was safe - as she could be given the conditions.

When they had walked nearer to the banquet hall Ismir had all but dragged Carol to his side and the Australian had shouted gutturally in anger at having his friend removed, resulting in guards stepping up and shoving him back. Milanun had caught him when he had stepped from the push and had urged him to calm down, promising that no harm would come to Carol, but Harker had seen the look in the prince's eye and had bared his teeth in a snarl.

Now, all he could do was shut up and sit quietly until the banquet was over, his royal friend placing her hand over his hoping to ground his rage.

"Eat, Harker," Milanun urged gently, pulling his plate forward and scooping rice and meats onto it. "It's been days since we last ate anything but fish. Have some beef, pork; some fruit."

"Why does Carol need to sit with Ismir?" Harker asked roughly, keeping his voice down even as the celebrations roared over them. "Surely there is more willing company just about anywhere. Or is it for appearances, like a jewel?"

Milanun bit her lip at the harsh growl or the word, wishing her prince would unwind now that he was in her lands. She sighed and leant against him as to calm his temper with the touch of her body, her chocolate eyes gazing up imploringly.

"Prince, please," she murmured and saw the man bow a bit to hear her better. "I believe it may be for the symmetry of the table - but," she quickly continued when she saw anger simmer in his gaze. "Some developments may have taken place before we arrived."

"We are not decoration, princess," he hissed, and she nodded as she cupped his face.

"I know and I do not see you as such," she soothed, relishing in the feeling of eyes on them, of the observers seeing their closeness. "I will talk to my brother, I promise you. But just for tonight, please, let me be mindless in my joy in returning home."

Harker paused before letting out a breath and giving the woman an apologetic expression, ducking his head a little to lean closer to her.

"Sorry, you probably just want to have a good time, huh?" he sighed, glancing off in shame. "Okay, princess. I'll leave it alone tonight. For you."

"Thank you," Milanun smiled and her eyes fluttering as her prince grazed his lips again her temple.

They must have looked like lovers. Oh, it made her heart race with the thought. To think that all these people of her land and kingdom could finally see her in Harker's embrace.

Milanun shivered a bit and Harker responded by pulling her closer, his gentle soul obviously thinking her cold despite how she ran hot and flushed when held to his chest. She crooned to herself and leant into him before urging him back to his plate, wanting her love to be fully fed and resting in her bed by the night's end.

The man quirked his lips a bit but accepted the push and took up his spoon, making a show of eating it.

"Do you like Hattian food?"

"Yeah," Harker nodded, looking about the place. "There's a lot of meat here. Do you usually eat this much?"

"Not at all," Milanun hummed, plucking a morsel from his plate and popping it into her mouth. "We don't consume much meat throughout the year. It's disrespectful to the lands. We only hunt for special events and festivals. Like now, as a welcome to us!"

"Really? That's rather idyllic of you."

The princess beamed happily before pushing a neat cut cube against his petal lips, feeling the soft skin brush her fingertips as the celestial rolled his eyes and took it from her with his teeth. She flushed and ducked her head for a moment, feeling utterly transcendent as she touched the hand on her shoulder.

"So," the Hattian Queen began, and Harker swallowed despite himself before turning to her. "Milanun says you saved her..."

She had forgotten his name already, but Harker wasn't very surprised.

"Yes, mother, Harker saved me," Milanun smiled, leaning back against his side, angling herself to face her mother. "I would surely be dead if not for him!"

The idea seemed to visibly unsettle the woman, and the Australian had half the mind to urge the eagerness to recite the story out of the royal girl, not wanting to cause the Queen any more distress.

"Well, we are truly grateful to you, Harker," she uttered, taking up her goblet and not bothering to make eye contact. "It must have been quite the plight for you."

"No...problem," Harker uttered slowly, not quite sure to make of the woman's behaviour.

"He came and rescued me from that horrible, dark cell while everyone was out receiving a ship," the princess explained, her eyes gleaming. "He managed to sneak me through the whole palace, right under everyone's noses and cared for me. Cleaned and tended to my wounds while I rested to regain my strength."

"Princess," the man interrupted softly, and she derailed to his attention immediately. "I'm not sure your mother is ready to hear about that."

"Huh? But why?" Milanun blinked.

"No," the Queen denied, "No, I need to hear it. Tell me everything, Milanun."

Harker frowned a bit at the woman but didn't press it again, allowing the Hattian princess to revisit her time in Egypt.

"Harker brought me food and drink every day and kept me hidden by casting out the servants and tidying the chambers himself."

"And what of the wench, Princess Isis?" the mother asked, and Harker turned his head slightly.

"She doesn't really talk to me," Harker shrugged, "I guess she doesn't think I'm very important or something," then he paused before adding, "But she's a bit of a bitch to Carol."

The Queen jolted at the term 'bitch' and Milanun squeaked as if just remembering how uncouth such language was. Especially in the presence of the Queen of Hattie.

"Harker," she scolded quietly, and he winced before murmuring an apology.

"While I don't think I'd say it that way myself," the woman coughed, clearing her throat. "I find myself with little choice but to agree with the sentiment."

"See? It wasn't that bad," Harker hummed and got a smack to the chest from the princess.

"Because Harker and Princess Isis don't get along," Milanun gave him a look, which got her a sheepish smile in response. The same one she was all too weak for, "She never came to his chambers, nor was seen anywhere around it. I was perfectly safe there, save for the rare servant who ran in now and then."

"And that one time the Pharaoh barged in," Harker added, remembering the time. "You had to hide behind a curtain. You were really hissy after that."

"It was hot and he wouldn't shut up," Milanun pouted, both of the youths missing the wide-eyed look they received from the royal mother. Then the playful, huffy mood dropped in the girl's eye and she turned back to her mother and said, "When Carol returned to Egypt, I had to leave. We couldn't trust her to keep my presence a secret."

A glance was sent in the golden girl's direction and Milanun felt her prince tense when they saw the way Ismir leered down at her. Her only refuge was the way it caused Harker's arm to tighten around her shoulders, and she liked to think it was a promise that he'd keep anyone from looking at her in the same way.

"Harker took me into Goshen, a slave village," she continued, letting herself be held and relishing in it. "A woman named Sephora took me in, and I remained with her until I was well enough to travel."

"You were forced to hide in a slave village?" the Queen stressed, before narrowing her eyes into a severe expression. "Because of the girl, Carol?"

"Carol isn't great at keeping secrets. The Pharaoh or Princess Isis might have pressured her into telling them about Princess Milanun," Harker said slowly, "I thought it'd be better if she just didn't know."

"But because I was so far away, Harker had a harder time getting to me," Milanun pouted, "That putrid Pharaoh barely let Harker out of his sight most days, let alone straying beyond the castle walls."

"I heard," the Hattian drawled carefully, "The Pharaoh of Egypt is...fond of his 'Golden Set'."

Milanun thinned her lips into a tight line, not at all liking how the term of ownership had spread to even her own country. It was like the Pharaoh had beat her here too.

"He keeps us on a tight leash," Harker admitted, "He likes looking at us. I try to ignore it."

The Princess put her hand on the white man's arm to quell the bitterness on her pallet. Her mother seemed to not be satisfied with the response but didn't press further as Milanun sent her a glance and then urged her prince to finish his plate.

The Hattian Queen pursed her lips then turned her attention to her daughter, tutting about her sickly pale skin and bruises. She frowned and told her ways to cover the blemishes with clay cosmetics.

Milanun listened attentively as she leant against Harker's side, touching the arm around her shoulders, tracing his alabaster knuckles. She felt quietly euphoric, in Harker's arms and at home. Finally.

Then Ismir stood and walked to the centre of the court to address the room, leaving Carol to all but crawl around the back of the banquet table and the King and Queen's chairs.

Milanun felt her body go rigid as Harker removed his hands from her and opened his arms to receive the Nile's frantic Daughter, bundling the girl to his chest as she shuddered all over like Ismir's touch had been clammy and diseased.

"You okay, Carol?" Harker asked soothingly, as she pressed her face into his shoulder to hide away from the prying eyes. "Hey, take a breath, don't let them see you break. Come on, girl, take a second to get your breath back."

"Yeah," Carol shivered, clutching at his dyed sash of vibrant colours. "Yeah, just a second to catch my breath. Just to catch my - my breath."

The Australian man held his friend tightly as she gave hasty pants, each inhalation coming slower until she breathed normally. He hummed and rubbed her back as she continued to hide, giving clicked little coos into her ear encouraging her to relax a bit.

Milanun caught her mother's eye.

The regal woman sent the pale figure's intertwined bodies a glance and saw her daughter's subsequent dissatisfaction. She frowned, not pretending to understand why her daughter wanted such a man but decided that she had suffered enough these past weeks and that she deserved to be spoilt for a while.

The Hattian Queen called for a servant and whispered to them to prepare Milanun's chamber for two people, to make the room lavish and comfortable. She pulled back and smiled at her princess who gained a gleam in her eye before touching the pale man's arm.

"According to the spy we have placed in Egypt, the Pharaoh's army is sailing toward Hatti as we speak," Ismir announced, and Harker hissed a breath between his teeth. "However, I believe this poses a great opportunity! We shall make Egypt a part of Hatti. Swallow them and their country whole!"

"Ismir, is this really the time?" the Queen asked, gesturing to the celebration, but her husband hushed her, intrigued by what their son suggested.

"Father, I have already something we can use to win this war," the Prince continued, his gaze sweeping the room and all its occupants, demanding attention. "There is a legend hidden deep within Egypt's mythology; 'when the star Soteisu appears over Egypt's sky, a beautiful girl will appear on the river Nile. She is the daughter of the Goddess, Hapi'."

"I don't know of any legend like that," Harker murmured, racking his brain for the stories his mother murmured to him when he was young. "Carol?"

"No," she denied, shaking her head. "Perhaps it was lost to time?"

"'The Daughter will bring happiness and prosperity wherever she goes. She is the messenger of good luck; The protector of all Egypt.' Father, the Daughter of the Nile is in our hands!" Ismir finished, and the room filled with murmurs.

"Carol, the Daughter of the Nile!" they cheered darkly, and the American girl curled further into her companion's chest.

"She will be our weapon against Egypt!"

"That's right," Ismir agreed, raising a fist. "Those Egyptians will fear for Carol's life and won't be able to attack! That will be their weakness!"

"Everyone be ready," the Hattian King boomed, riding on the enthusiasm. "To fight the Egyptians troops!"

"Oh God," Carol gasped, her chest tight, unable to breathe. "Oh God, oh God. Harker, this can't happen!"

"Carol, breathe. You need to breathe, Carol," Harker urged, but the girl shook her head and sank her nails into his biceps.

"No, no! Harker, all my lectures, all my books, all the inscriptions! None of them ever mentioned this war, because it never happened! Harker, history is changing!"

"What?" the man hissed and Milanun spun at the lethal sound.

"We cannot allow this to happen," Carol pressed, visibly shaking. "Harker, please. We need to stop this. I know this is my fault, so please, help me."

"They're already sailing, we'd have to meet them halfway."

"If Memphis sees us, he'll forget about the war!" she insisted, "He'll be satisfied with containing us again, it's the only way at this rate!"

"Harker?" Milanun asked, pushing down how livid she was to see the girl's nails sink into her prince's skin. "What's wrong?"

"We can't let this happen, Milanun," Harker sighed, cupping the back of Carol's head of gold and urging her to hide in his shoulder and calm down. "We can't let this war happen."

"Prince?" she uttered slowly.

Harker glanced to her out of the corner of his eye, before sighing and resting his cheek on Carol's crown.

Milanun blinked and stared, stunned. She bit her tongue and tore her gaze away to face forward, refusing to lose herself in a place so public. She could handle this; she was the Hattian Princess. Harker was her's, she just needed to remind everyone of that.

()()()

Harker sat in the room he had been shoved into by guards after having Carol dragged away from him again, his arms crossed and his jaw set as he glared out to the dark shore as he tried to settle his temper. He had been left alone, Milanun off to gossip with her mother and have her father finally pay her an ear now that his son was no longer rallying troops.

The Australian sighed and scratched his scalp, wondering how they were going to get Carol out with that Prince breathing down their necks.

"He keeps us on a tight leash'," Ismir quoted mockingly as he walked into the room and stood behind the man. "'I try to ignore it'."

"Speak of the devil," Harker scoffed as he turned and sat on the windowsill, drawing a knee to his chest and got comfortable as he stared down the other man. "So what? "

The prince stopped just short of the centre of the room, fire casting the two in warm light as they watched the other. There was no more than three metres between them, and Ismir hated the half-lidded, unbothered look he was receiving from the stranger.

"You are a man with no pride," Ismir scoffed, standing tall and tilting up his chin. "You submit to your captor without hesitation and pander for his favour."

"I'm smart," Harker uttered, unaffected by the slander. "I know better than to fight the Pharaoh because I'm not just fighting against him but his whole army. So, tell me, Ismir," the pale man drew closer and glared, "What do you think is better? To die a pointless death, or to live to fight another day?"

Ismir took a sharp breath in at the sudden proximity, able to smell sea salt and some sort of smokey eucalyptus with every inhalation. He grit his teeth and felt his hand inch towards the hilt of his sabre, blue eyes too deep cutting in their scrutinising.

"Harker?" Milanun called, stepping into the room.

"Hey, princess," Harker greeted, giving Ismir one more long look before breaking off and going to join the youngest royal sibling. "All caught up with your parents?"

"Yes, they're settling down for the night now," she smiled, putting her hand on his arm before turning her attention onto her brother. Ismir continued to glare at the pale man, teeth bared in aggression. "What were you and brother talking about?"

Harker looked to Ismir over his shoulder and regarded the other man carefully, a smile working his way onto his lips when he recognised the aggravation he had caused in Carol's latest harasser.

"We were just introducing ourselves," the Australian hummed, "He was discussing some...opinions with me."

"Oh, that's good," Milanun cooed, visibly pleased. "But I think it's time to turn in now, right, Harker? We've had a hard journey, and a proper bed on stable ground will do us well." The princess smiled sweetly and then said, "Goodnight, brother," and obvious excusing from the room.

"You don't intend to sleep in the same room as this strange man, Milanun," Ismir snapped, looking at the arrangement of the bed and the hold his sister had on white skin.

"Well, yes! Harker deserves one of the most comfortable rooms in the palace!"

"Milanun!" he gasped, appalled at the idea. "What would our parents think?"

"Mother helped prepare the room," the princess smiled, not at all fazed - and perhaps a bit satisfied - by how aghast her brother appeared at the concept. "You do not need to worry, brother. Harker and I have had to share lodging many times in our journey. I've grown quite used to it."

Ismir thinned his lips at the reminder that his young sister had travelled back to Hatti on her own - or, in that company of Harker. The dismissal was simple and clear, however, and his only bit his tongue as he walked from the room.

Harker waited until the Hattian prince was long gone before he looked at his companion, who had busied herself with plucking the pins and clasps from her hair by a table-vanity.

"I need to stay with Carol tonight, Milanun," he stated, flatly, deciding not to dance around the matter. "I can't leave her alone another night."

Milanun paused her down dressing and looked over her shoulder, lips pulled into a thin grimace.

"She'll be fine, Harker. Ismir won't-"

"I don't think our views on your brother match, princess," Harker huffed, coming up to stand beside the woman and gently unravel another pin from her dusty brown locks. "He's not someone I would trust as an outsider. He's too rough with her; she's already been hurt."

"The court physicians have been looking after her, mother said as much," she assured quickly.

"Princess, please," the man sighed, unclasping her necklace as she pulled her hair out of the way. An entourage of servants stood in the corner, too stiff to step in and only watched. "try to think of it from Carol's perspective. We've got you home, Milanun, you're safe now. But she's still in a precarious position here. I need to be with her."

There was a beat of silence, the princess holding something on the tip of her tongue as her beloved placed down her necklace beside the discarded pins.

"But what about me?" she asked softly, playing with a ring on her finger. "I've grown so used to sleeping beside you. I don't think I'll be able to rest without you there. I don't want to."

Harker hesitated at the words and looked guilty for a moment, before he proposed a tentative, "Maybe she could come here?"

"Harker!" Milanun gasped, twisting to face him. "Do you know what you're suggesting?"

To bring another woman to their bed! The very idea made her stomach roll nauseatingly, the image of Carol wrapped up in Harker as she was forced to lay isolated at their backs. She grit her teeth and felt her complexion pale.

"I could sleep on the windowsill if you want more room in the bed, and you girls can sleep together?" he offered, rubbing his nape. "I don't mind."

"I do!" she insisted. She wanted him to be comfortable here in Hattie! Not sleeping on hard stone nooks like he did in the Pharaoh's palace with Carol. "Why do you have to sleep on the window? If Carol must come here, why not her?"

"She's got a cut on her back," Harker shrugged, "And besides, I'm used to sleeping in weird positions, you know that."

"Look," he sighed after a moment, closing his eyes to relax. "You and Carol don't know each other well, so I can understand why you don't want her in your room on your first day back-"

"Yes, so please, prince-"

"So why can't I just sleep in another room? You're safe now, and it's not like I'll be here all the time. Might as well start getting you used to sleeping alone, right?"

Milanun felt her heart drop into her stomach, blood going cold at the reminder. Harker would leave. If she couldn't convince him that she was better, he would leave. The Hattian princess bit her lip until the skin peeled.

"Okay," she said slowly, playing her cards carefully. "Okay, Carol can come here. I'll send someone to collect her from brother Ismir's wing."

Harker blinked at the sudden change of heart but smiled, happy that he could watch over both women for the night. That smile made Milanun's heart ring itself and the tips of her ears flush before she gestured to a waiting servant who bowed out of the room and followed the unspoken order.

"I'll start setting up my window-bed," Harker uttered, only to be stopped as Milanun grabbed him by his arm and pulled him over to the bed. He gave an 'ooft' as he was shoved onto the plush mattressing and the princess followed after, curling into his chest in an almost indignant and pouty manner.

"...So, I'm sleeping on the bed then?"

"Yes," the royal woman answered, resting her cheek on his alabaster shoulder. "That Carol can take the other side of the bed."

If anyone ever heard of this, she'd be mocked to the grave. A woman allowing another to crawl into her bed and rest at the side of the one she intended to have as her own. What a pitiful fate. She just hoped she could wean Carol off of Harker before too long.

Her sour thoughts were interrupted, however, when Harker wrapped an arm around her and brought her up against his chest. From the way he moved, she could tell he was enjoying the luxuries of a proper bed, rather than the scratchy hammocks from the merchant ship.

She smiled and nestled down, letting her prince trace a circular design in the dip of her waist absently as he laid with his eyes closed but not asleep. This is what she wanted.

"Your highness, I have brought the Daughter of the Nile."

In less than a moment, Harker disentangled himself from the princess and left her lying on the bed and he went to receive Carol, the Western girl quick to leap into his arms out of relief and glee. They began talking in their ethereal language as Milanun sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, watching her love fuss over the golden woman and urge her to calm with secure embraces and low-tones murmurs of comfort.

She grit her teeth but didn't utter a complaint, sitting silently in her hatred as she bared down on the desire to drag Harker back to her bed and cast Carol out to the mercy of her brother.

Then she heard her name, Milanun, as it fell from Harker's lips, absolutely slathered in his thick, empyreal accent. A soft sound squirmed its way out of her at the sound and the two white folk turned to her, Harker looking amused and Carol looking hesitant.

"Sorry, you must be tired, princess," Harker hummed, the girl shifting unsurely at his side. "We should settle for the night then."

"Yes please," was all Milanun could utter as she watched the man come around the side and pull at the thin blankets.

Harker climbed into the bed and sighed as the material sank under his weight, a hum bubbling in his chest as the Hattian royal quickly curled into his side and rested her cheek on his chest. He smiled down at the princess and gently untangled a strand of brown hair from her earring, before looking to Carol who stood at the side.

"Come on, Carol," he sighed, growing more tired by the minute, sleep so very close and pressing against the back of his eyes. "Come sleep. Milanun's okay with it."

"...Okay," the American murmured softly, not wanting to disturb the princess and draw her ire. She shuffled into a comfortable position against her friend's side and smiled as he wrapped his free arm around her too, calming the part of her mind which feared Ismir would storm in and drag her away. "Goodnight, Hark."

"Mm," the man grumbled, "Goodnight, Carol. We'll have a lot to get done tomorrow."