Chapter Text
It had been a miserable night when his gift was conceived. The sun hung low in the sky and a powerful sandstorm was approaching the palace. Ramses was not gentle that night, taking his anger with his ministers out on Moses, placing blood and bruises on his body that did not heal for days afterward.
Their relationship had not started out so harmful in nature, truly. Moses had been his right-hand, the rare advisor willing to argue with him while Ramses sat as regent for their father. Moses had always known that might be his role and he had prepared for it, so when Seti had grown old and needed Ramses to end his time hunting near the city, it was Moses who had dragged him into the palace. Ramses had never forgiven him for that.
Their first coupling had started when a mundane argument over the sale of grain shipments had ended with Moses shielding the council from Ramses' spear with his body. Those men had escaped, but his brother was not satisfied. The spear was thrown into a wall and his attempt to prevent Ramses from pulling it out turned into a scuffle that Moses lost. He kept losing, despite his best efforts and the guards would avoid his eyes when he made it out of the Council Rooms.
By the time his stomach started to swell, it had happened in every room they frequented and Moses felt sick in all of them. The priests of Amun were convinced to hold a ceremony that made Moses the Great Royal Wife in all but name, a smile and a threat all that was needed to acknowledge his place as a child of the Pharaoh and his own Great Royal Wife, Tuya. He had to be bound for most of that day, because no matter how draped in finery he was or how excited his noble and slave attendants tried to be, it felt humiliating for him.
At least it meant when he visited the priest-physician he was not met with horror. Instead, his healer was excited, summoning about a third of the Isis and Hathor’s high priests to tell them of the “good news” for the pharaoh’s consort was already expecting an heir. Ramses was not even crowned, but Seti’s declining health meant most had started to refer to him as pharaoh anyway. Moses did not see this event as such good news and promptly passed out. When he woke up, he was met with a full room, surrounded by priests, nobles, and a jubilant Ramses. He tried to deny it, but the sheer joy in the room assured him it was very true.
Ramses’ eyes had always followed him around the palace, curious to see what his brother would do but now they were more protective than malicious. An attendant and a set of guards shadowed him in every room, ready should he try anything. It seemed his brother knew him too well and had prepared while he was unconscious. The slaves and servants in the palace seemed to walk on eggshells now, ready to throw their bodies in the way if it ever seemed he would trip or collide with anyone. This child, this combination of Ramses and Moses would have to come out whole and healthy or Ramses would put them all to the sword.