Over The Nile (BoyxBoy)

He Returns

The day had come, not that he cared much for it really.

The day the Crown Prince Khaldun would return and they were here on the palace grounds on the usual straight line, standing in front of Thabit with frowns on all their faces.

There was nothing that ruined the moods of celebration than having to contribute immensely to it.

Thabit had most of them on kitchen duty and Milah could see them mentally contemplate whether or not to return to the temple and retract their prayers for the Head Slave's freedom.

If they weren't he sure was.

"Wipe that look off your faces you pack of freeloaders!" Thabit yelled at them, his loud voice booming in the space of air, Milah was not surprised by the Head Slave's attitude.

He was stickler for perfection on a normal day but the need for perfection seemed to have increased by the fact that his neck was on the line if this didn't work out the way the Queen would have liked.

Milah shivered at the thought of what would happen to Thabit.

"If you scoundrels don't work like you're supposed to, I will behead each of you!" the Head Slave shouted, Milah turned to look at his friend Nefertiti when he heard her snicker beside him, questioning her with his eyes.

Shaking her head at him she turned her face to Thabit feigning attention "Now off to work!" Thabit voice rang out before the other slaves scattered to their duty posts.

"I don't understand why we do this" Nefertiti spoke out loud as they picked out vegetables from the fields "Do you want to eat?" Milah asked with his eyes focused on pulling out the vegetables.

"Of course I do, why do you ask?" Titi replied, pausing her picking to look at Milah with a glare.

"Well in this life you have to work to eat" he answered with a little bite, he was getting sick and tired of her snipes and snobbish attitude, it was getting exhausting to be around her these days.

"The royals don't work" she snarled throwing the vegetables into the basket with a little thud "Do we look like royalty to you?" he snapped standing to his full height and lifting his basket before turning to leave.

Placing his basket on the ground of the large kitchen, so large that if he could afford to wager he would say it was the entire size of the slave quarters, the slave quarters was quite large.

"Oh thank you Milah!" Jumoke the kitchen head chef said as she collected the baskets and passed it onto her assistant who was giving Milah a stink eye, Chuma.

He could feel a shudder coming on, "It's no problem really" he replied turning his blue gaze to Jumoke who gave him a toothy smile in return "So helpful" she gushed as she pinched his cheeks.

The only people who could make him feel like less of a man was Jumoke and his grand mother who made it a point of duty to pinch his cheek any time they were happy to see him. He had a very painful childhood.

"Bye Jumoke!" he yelled as he made his way out the royal kitchen, ignoring the way the hairs at the back of his neck stood up at the feeling of being watched, he knew who it was.

"Milah!" he heard his name being called as he headed for the royal store to get the curry used for the festivities, turning to face Thabit who was bracing his hands on his knees as he panted loudly.

For a man with such strong body build he was not the best of runners, "Sir?" he answered after he was sure the Head slave would not double over and die in front of him.