Pharaoh’s Pet [BL]

The grand court of Thebes had never been more alive.

Nobles adorned in the finest silks and gold-lined robes whispered behind their jeweled hands, their eyes glinting with curiosity and cruel amusement. Priests of Anubis stood in solemn ranks, their presence a reminder of divine judgment. Generals, men who had once fought beside and against Nofri-it, lined the edges of the chamber, their expressions unreadable.

And at the heart of it all—

Azech-I sat upon his throne.

The golden seat, carved with images of jackals and falcons, loomed above the gathered court. The Pharaoh was dressed in black linen, his broad chest adorned with a heavy pectoral of lapis lazuli and onyx, the insignia of his reign gleaming beneath the torchlight. His kohl-rimmed eyes were dark pools of amusement, shadowed by something deeper—something far more dangerous.

The grand doors groaned open.

All heads turned.

Nofri-it was led into the chamber.

A hush fell over the court.

He did not look at them.

His gaze was fixed forward, his body rigid with the last remnants of defiance.

Yet the weight of his golden shackles—adorned with chains too decorative to be anything but a mockery—pressed against his skin, forcing him to move with slow, deliberate steps.

A conquered prince.

A failed assassin.

A pet, meant to entertain the Pharaoh and his court.

The whispers swelled like a tide:

"That is him?"

"He looks… smaller than I remember."

"He once stood at our feasts, a guest of honor—"

"Now he kneels."

Nofri-it clenched his teeth.

The guards dragged him to the base of the throne's steps, forcing him down onto his knees before the ruler of Thebes.

Silence stretched.

Then—

Azech-I rose.

His movements were slow, deliberate, each step echoing in the vast chamber as he descended toward his captive. The chains in Nofri-it's wrists rattled as he shifted, fighting against the weight of them.

The Pharaoh stopped before him.

The air between them crackled with something unspoken, a battle of wills fought in silence.

Azech-I tilted his head.

"You kneel before me at last," he mused.

Nofri-it's jaw tightened, his eyes flashing like tempered steel. "I knelt before Pharaoh Cairo once," he said, voice hoarse but unwavering. "I will kneel before no other."

Gasps rippled through the court.

Azech-I chuckled—a low, rich sound laced with amusement.

Then, before anyone could react, he moved.

His fingers wrapped around Nofri-it's jaw, tilting his face upward, forcing their gazes to lock.

"You will," Azech-I murmured, his voice a mere breath against Nofri-it's lips. "You already have."

Nofri-it's breath hitched.

The court watched, waiting, their silence heavier than any proclamation.

Azech-I released him and stepped back.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he turned to the nobles.

"Let it be known," he declared, his voice ringing across the chamber, "that this man, once a prince, once a warrior, once a shadow in the night—"

His gaze flicked back to Nofri-it, dark and unreadable.

"—is now mine."

The chamber erupted into murmurs, applause, knowing laughter.

Nofri-it remained frozen, his body betraying nothing.

But inside—

Inside, something twisted.

Not with fear.

Not with humiliation.

But with something far more dangerous.

Hatred.

And something deeper, buried beneath the surface.

Something he could not name.

To Be Continued...