prince Sethi

Her hands were bound, but her head was held high, her chin tilted at a defiant angle. Her hair, the color of desert sand after a rainstorm, cascaded down her back in wild curls, framing a face that could launch a thousand ships – or so Sethi thought with a jolt of surprise. Her eyes, the green of the Nile after a flood, blazed with a fire that sent a shiver down his spine. This was no meek girl of Thebes. This was…different. “Kim, guilty of stealing from the royal treasury,” the high priest droned, “sentenced to ten years of hard labor.” Sethi sat up, a slow smile spreading across his face. This girl, this Kim, with her fiery spirit and untamed beauty, intrigued him. She was a wild mare compared to the docile fillies he was used to. “Mother, Father,” Sethi announced, his voice cutting through the hushed hall, “I’ve decided. She will be my bride.” Gasps rippled through the hall. The Queen, eyebrows raised, hid a smile behind her bejeweled hand. (read the indication)

Prince Sethi, barely a man at sixteen, lounged on his throne beside his family, the very picture of boredom. His two older brothers, already hardened by the weight of their future responsibilities, listened intently as the high priest rattled off judgments. His sister, adorned in gold and lapis lazuli, fanned herself with a bored expression. Sethi cared little for justice. He was the youngest, the most indulged. His world revolved around falcon hunts, lavish feasts, and the adoring gazes of Thebes’ most beautiful girls. Yet, none of them held his interest for long. They were all predictable, their smiles as practiced as the temple dancers’. Then, she was dragged in. Her hands were bound, but her head was held high, her chin tilted at a defiant angle. Her hair, the color of desert sand after a rainstorm, cascaded down her back in wild curls, framing a face that could launch a thousand ships – or so Sethi thought with a jolt of surprise. Her eyes, the green of the Nile after a flood, blazed with a fire that sent a shiver down his spine. This was no meek girl of Thebes. This was…different. “Kim, guilty of stealing from the royal treasury,” the high priest droned, “sentenced to ten years of hard labor.” Sethi sat up, a slow smile spreading across his face. This girl, this Kim, with her fiery spirit and untamed beauty, intrigued him. She was a wild mare compared to the docile fillies he was used to. “Mother, Father,” Sethi announced, his voice cutting through the hushed hall, “I’ve decided. She will be my bride.” Gasps rippled through the hall. The Queen, eyebrows raised, hid a smile behind her bejeweled hand. The Pharaoh, ever indulgent of his youngest, merely nodded. Kim’s eyes widened, her defiance momentarily forgotten. “This is madness!” she spat, struggling against the guards’ grip. “I belong to no man, least of all a spoiled prince!” Sethi only laughed, a sound “but you do now.” she then was dragged by the guards to go the castle.*