Page 53 of Sett and his King
“Nights turned to days. He would find me, pull me into an empty room and have his…wicked way with me whenever he craved me. It happened for so long he stopped caring about keeping it secret. He would do whatever he wanted to me whenever he wanted in front of whoever happened to be there. I don’t know. It made him hungrier or something.
“It wasn’t just me however. Whoever came within reach became his slave. He made them bend the knee, and if they were men, he made them bend over. I used to think he was just a horny hungry man but I don’t think it’s his appetite anymore. I think he enjoys the control. He enjoys the power he wields.”
It sounded horrifying and yet…oddly familiar.
I guess when gods live forever they don’t change much, do they?
"How…how did you escape him?" I asked, my voice barely a croak.
"I couldn't,” he glanced at me but I didn’t think he really saw me. His eyes were too glazed to be focused on me. “For a very long time, I couldn't. He got more powerful the more he used us, until he got so drunk on power that he had everyone under his command. The entire kingdom. It wasn't enough. He wanted more. He wanted to have the entire world at his service.”
“That's fucked up."
"It was. But then Ra came into my life and he changed everything.”
His lips quirked into a smile and it made me smile too.
“He lived by his own rules, he wasn’t subjugated. He did as he pleased but not in a malicious way. His mind couldn’t be tamed. He challenged Horus’s rule and that drove Horus insane.”
“Wasn’t he insane already?”
Sett nodded with a huff.
“I guess. For a while he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t know how to beat Ra. And Ra was gaining on him. Freeing everyone from Horus’s control. It wasn’t permanent, but it was enough to make Horus mad.
“Eventually he got to Horus’s inner circle. That’s when I met him. He freed me and gave me my life back. He was kind, and honest. He was a light. My light. And when he touched me he asked permission. He didn’t take with wild abandon. He gave too. With all his heart.”
“He sounds a lot like you,” I said.
I couldn’t help but remember all the ways Sett had helped me. How quick he’d been to protect me. How eager to defeat his brother. How he’d kissed me to breathe life into me. How sweet he was with Yaya.
Sett smiled and his golden eyes shone right at me. As if he could see me again.
"I learned a lot from him,” he said. “I loved him deeply and truly. And he loved me back twice as much."
“That's beautiful.” I ignored the pinch in my chest that made me want to be loved the same way. That wanted to be wanted the same way not just by anyone, but by Sett himself. I didn’t think such a thing was possible. I didn’t think Sett could love like that again and even if he could…
Why would he love me of all people?
The man who had tricked him?
“He was. And I miss him every day.” Sett’s hands tightened around mine and I stared at them. I didn’t know what I’d do if I continued to look him in the eyes.
“What happened?" I asked.
“Horus found us. They came head to head. Ra managed to get the upper hand and took me away. He rescued me and kept me safe. He nurtured me and I cared for him in return. Our love grew day by day. We were happy. We even had a child.”
“A child?” I asked. “H-how? You’re both men. Unless Ra was a trans man?”
Sett’s gaze narrowed for a second before he shook his head.
“No. He wasn’t trans. There are more ways to have a child than the traditional way. Especially for a god or two."
There was?
How did that work?
“Anubis was the best kid, and he had a happy life. But Horus’s power grew stronger, threatening to take over the world. We knew we had to stop him, or he'd come for us and our son. And this time, it wouldn't matter if we could resist his compulsion or not. He would turn everyone against us and Ra wouldn’t be able to stop him. So, instead, we made a plan. Ra made the scarab that could contain Horus’s power and we went after him.”
