Seumulyeoseot
twenty-six
WARNING: GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF BATTLE
Fatigue was starting to set in but he would not allow it to deter him from the current task at hand. A long narrow gash traveled down the side of him, streaming blood in rivulets. His entire body was covered in sweat and the hair from his once neat topknot had started to come a loose, messily framing his face and neck. The beast stalked him, circling him, teeth bared in a menacing snarl. But yet it too had cuts and wounds inflicted by his geom. Neither let the other out of its sight and the beast decided it would try to attack, lunging at him. He lifted the spear and shoved it outward, piercing the side. One of the paws swiped him, sharp claws digging deep into him. He let out a pained growl and shoved the spear deeper into the side of the beast. Removing the provided geom, he panted and huffed as the beast snapped the spear in half with his jaws.
The eyes of the spectators were all on him, up above sat the royal family, Tiye, her brothers, sisters and Queen Mother. They all watched, some with concern, some with fascination...all at the edge of their seats. This time he didn't waste any time, running head on towards the beast. He took it down and wrapped his legs around it. Burying a hand into its mane, he tightened one arm around its neck while with the other he used to stab the beast. He roared and thrashed around but he continued to impale him. Embedding the geom into him, he forced the blade to cut through the skin of the belly, forcing hot blood to spray up onto his hands. Leaving his belly he pierced his neck, ignoring the gush of blood that drowned his face. He felt the beast weakly growl before it took its last breath, soon relaxing against him, surrendering its defeat.
He let the knife fall out of his hand and let go of the now slain lion, soon coming to hover over it. To the surprise and shock of the crowd, he encircled it with his arms and buried his face into the mangled mane. He felt tears seep out of his eyes, emotions too many to name all hitting him in the chest. Panting harshly against the beast, he whispered something against it before finishing the kill and cutting the head from the body.
Slowly, he lifted up onto his feet and drifted his gaze up to the Pharaoh and that of his brothers. Finding the eyes of the Queen Mother and the other princesses of Kush, he bowed his head. Lastly, his eyes found Tiye's. Her gaze roamed him from head to toe before one of them brought her vision away. Applause, yipping and sounds of thanksgiving soon filled the arena and a few awaiting servants beckoned him to follow.
"Come this way brother. Let us clean you." Nodding, he let them take him into the Palace where a warm welcomed bath and physicians awaited him.
***
To say that she was beyond pleased would have been an understatement. Days later, her sisters were still talking about it. Had she been given the chance, she would have went straight to his tent and demanded he take her right then and there. Injuries, sweat and blood be damned. Seeing him fight the beast had brought about an almost animalistic hunger that set her womanhood on fire each time she dwelled on him. Though desire wasn't abnormal, the ferocity of it concerned her. In talking with the priestess, she revealed that a solar eclipse was approaching. Because of it, the energy of the moon was intensifying within her, her feminine force seeking out the sun and masculinity in him. The perfect time she reasoned for them to wed.
