Portrait of a Pharaoh • Ahkmenrah x Reader (NATM) ✔️

Chapter 29 | soulmates

Tonight was the night, under the stars you'd make your soul permanently bound to your lovers. There was nothing you and Ahkmenrah wouldn't do for each other, so jumping right into the ritual was a no-brainer. Neither of you cared what you had to do, or what the consequences were. You had to do it.

And so as soon as the museum had woken up for the night, you were making your way up to the roof to be out under the stars as the ritual required. The tablet in hand and being followed by half the museum who wanted to watch, you took a spot on the roof out in the open and sat opposite each other. The tablet lay in between you and Ahkmenrah parents stood over you to direct what to do.

Glancing up at the stars, you made a mental note to check up on the progress in the space exhibit later. It was due to open soon after all.

"I'll ask this one last time, are you positive?" Merenkahre asked.

Even though he approved of you, it was still a big intimidating seeming him loom over your with his staff in hand and tall crown on his head. A constant reminder he was a powerful pharaoh who'd ruled longer than his son was able to.

"Of course I am father, I was positive the moment the tablet first shocked us. No more like the moment I saw (y/n)..." Ahkmenrah replied.

"I'm positive. I don't care what happens, I just want to stay with him forever" you agreed.

"In that case... let's begin"

You and Ahk turned to face each other, and looked down at the tablet lying before you. Reaching out, you both touched your right hands to it and picked it up. Feeling a slight shock like the time you'd touched it before, you flinched but kept a grip on it. At the instruction of Merenkahre, you both put your left hands on it, so you were both holding either side with both hands. Another shock went through you, forcing you both to tough out the slight pain and grip the tablet tighter.

"It'll feel a lot longer than it is. It'll be over in mere seconds, but the time will seem to slow down for you both as you're able to see into each others souls and thus, memories. Be prepared for a moment of weakness when it's over" Merenkahre warned.

"Ready?" Ahk asked.

"Ready" you confirmed.

Leaning over the tablet together, your lips met to place a gentle kiss. The moment they touched, time seemed to slow down around you and images flashed before your eyes as your souls mingled together. The tablet lit up brightly, glowing under your and illuminating your kiss.

It felt kind of like you were dreaming as you saw snippets of Ahkmenrahs life through his point of view.

Looking up at his parents loving smiles as a baby, his mother tucking him into his basket to sleep singing lullabies in ancient Egyptian. Playing in the shores of the Nile as he got older, being splashed by his friends. The landscape from his window in the royal chambers, half built pyramids on the horizon. A slightly older boy, that you came to quickly realise was his brother sitting across the floor from him with parchment as the two learnt to write.

Something about seeing Kahmunrah sent shivers down your spine, knowing what would happen in the future.

Dancing late into the night as he became a teenager, at feasts and celebrations. Trips to the temples to praise the gods, and lay offerings. The people of Egypt cheering when it was announced Ahkmenrah would take the throne, and the moment the crown of lower Egypt was placed on his head. The short but exiting time he was on the throne doing his best to make the kingdom a better place.

And eventually, the terrifying moments as he slipped on the parchment and fell right into his own death. Stabbed by his own brother and left bleeding.

The brief sight of the memory made your blood run cold. It was a horrific sight.

But it wasn't over, he had more memories from when he awoke thanks to the tablet. For a while we was alone in his tomb, but his parents joined him once they died. And for a long time it was just them spending time together in their tomb at sundown. Until very abruptly he woke up in Cambridge after being discovered and excavated.

You could feel his confusion as he tried to make sense of the language he didn't know and the modern scenery, but as the time went on he slowly began to figure things out thanks to all the research in the Egyptology department where he'd sneak around at night and compare hieroglyphs to English notes and decipher them. Soon he was reading everything he could to learn about the new world, and eavesdropping on the researchers when they stayed late and he was hiding in his sarcophagus.

After a while of Cambridge memories, it switched to a very long chunk of time being trapped in darkness. The 54 years he was stuck in his sarcophagus at the museum. You could feel the ache of his fists when he bashed the lid trying to get it open, the fear of the darkness, the feeling of the walls closing in around him. It was such a gross, icky feeling.

But finally, there was light. And he was face to face with Larry setting him free. And from there, all the memories were mostly happy ones of late night parties with all the other exhibits. And finally, there was the memory of seeing you for the first time.

It was odd to see yourself through someone else's eyes, and you did find it admittedly a bit amusing his confused you looked when he rose from his death.

The whole experience felt at least 30 minutes long, several vivid memories flashing before your eyes. It wasn't until it was over you remembered it'd actually only been a few seconds. The feeling of Ahk's lips against yours snapped you out of the daze when the two of you suddenly felt a wave of weakness and slipped away from each other slightly delirious.

The tablets glow died down, and you could hear happy chatter around you congratulating you as if you'd just gotten married.

"Woah..." you muttered.

"That was such a surreal feeling..." Ahk replied.

Shepseheret ducked down to your heights sitting on the ground and put a hand on each of your shoulders.

"You're both feeling ok? Not too woosy?" She asked.

"I'm alright, just a little dizzy" you replied, blinking a few times to clear your vision.

"Better than ok, now that I'm bound to my guardian" Ahk replied.

"Ok, very sweet but seriously Ahkmen, you're ok?" Shepseheret giggled.

He nodded, easing his mothers nerves. The ritual was done, and aside from a bit of dizziness and lightheadedness you were both ok, and everything went smoothly.

"You and I seem to have some childhood experiences in common" Ahk said.

"You've seen my embarrassing memories now, oh no" you joked.

"And you've seen mine. Looks like splashing in the nearby river was something we both did as kids.

Even though it was about 4000 years apart and on the other side of the world, you did share that in common. He paddled in the Nile and you splashed in the river next to your childhood house.

With a smile, he reached out and pulled you into a tight hug. One you accepted gladly, squeezing him just as tight.

"I can't wait to spend eternity with you, my love" he said.

You placed a kiss on his cheek, making him smile even brighter.

"And I, you... my lotus of the Nile"