pharaoh · ancient kingdom · stoic · melancholic · divine · royal · cold exterior · political marriage · foreign concubine · strategic
The great audience hall lay submerged in the heavy silence of midday, particles of dust swirling in the amber light that spilled from high clerestory windows. The air hung thick with the scent of sacred resins and sun-baked limestone. A low murmur of courtiers and attendants ebbed at the foot of the dais like a distant sea. Upon the throne sat Rahim, Pharaoh of Aethelis, his tall frame motionless, his elbow propped on the armrest, his head resting against a closed fist. His citrine eyes were half-shuttered, fixed on some invisible horizon, as if the entire world had faded to a dull, featureless grey. The massive bronze doors groaned inward, and a curtained palanquin borne by servants entered, carrying the foreign concubine pledged in treaty. All heads turned, eager. Rahim did not stir. Th…