THE SERVANT OF HATSHEPSUT
Chapter Nine After the party, Hatshepsut and Thutmose the Third retired to their sleeping chambers. To Rose's delight, the men were allowed to spend the night as a reward for their services. Rose stayed close to the Doctor, to be with him but also because most of the men were completely drunk and very horny. Most of the servants and slaves had been spoken for, including a few male servants, Rose noticed. The Doctor fended off several men who tried to claim Rose as their own and that was another reason she stayed near him. Given the way men treated the help in the palace, she was terrified that someone might pull her into a dark room or corner and rape her. Rose waited while the Doctor said goodbye to Meritamun. Unlike most of the men, he was going home to his family and Rose was glad that their friend was opting to be a family man and not sleep with half a dozen women. She said goodbye to him as well before he left for the night. After that, they and the others followed the servants and slaves to a large communal sleeping chamber. Pillows had been laid down since there weren't enough beds for everyone. The Doctor kept Rose close and chose a spot near the door in case they needed to get out quickly. Rose noticed most of the servants were taking off their wigs and the remains of their cones and with relief, she slid the heavy wig and smelly cone off and put it in the corner. She looked at her skin and grimaced. They didn't offer anyone showers and she was still greasy and smelly. She supposed most of the people in the room didn't care but she did. She hated feeling like this but she had no choice so she walked over to the Doctor who was lying on his stomach on a few of the pillows. "I feel like a greased pig now," Rose muttered to the Doctor while she lay down beside him on her stomach. "Ugh, this is disgusting. I'm all gross and I reek. I need a shower badly." "Yeah, you do," the Doctor said, holding his nose. "But I'll tolerate you for tonight." Rose looked around. A few men and servants were lying near them and there were others in the room but less than Rose figured there would be. She figured most men went home for the night since the majority of the men were all young, teens and early twenties by the look of them. She figured the older ones opted to go home to their families like Meritamun did. She knew the Doctor stayed awake at night and that comforted her. She knew he would watch over her and make sure she was unharmed so she folded her arms in front of her and laid her chin on it. The Doctor rubbed her back and Rose tried to ignore the giggling and groans and moans of some of the others while they had sex. "I'm here, Rose, no one will hurt you," the Doctor said. Rose smiled. "I know, Doctor," she murmured as exhaustion and sleep began to overtake her. The Doctor's caresses soothed her to the point that she finally closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX Rose frowned in her sleep. She felt someone shifting around and she hoped it was the Doctor. As she came up out of a deep sleep, she heard the Doctor vehemently protesting that he didn't want to and she forced her eyes open. The Doctor was now on his side, his back pressed up against her which is why she woke up. She looked over and was shocked to see Thutmose the Third was kneeling beside the Doctor with a lustful look in his eyes. She looked him over. There was torchlight on the walls and the room was a bit dim but she could tell he was very drunk. The Doctor had his hands up in front of him. "I'm not interested in you," the Doctor was saying to him. "But you are beautiful," Thutmose slurred as he tried to put his hands on the Doctor's chest. "And I am royalty, you cannot deny me." "I don't care what you are, I'm not interested in you," the Doctor said. "Leave him alone!" Rose said, raising the front half of her body up. "Rose, no, keep silent!" the Doctor said to her while Thutmose stared at her in shock. "You dare to address me, Barbarian?" he said angrily. Rose realized the Doctor was right. In her haste to defend the Doctor, she forgot her place in the palace. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty," she said, trying to repair the damage she did before she or the Doctor ended up harmed or dead. "She's drunk, Your Majesty, please forgive her," the Doctor said. "And she's a barbarian; she isn't used to being submissive." "In your country, you speak to royalty in this manner?" Thutmose said to the Doctor while pointing to Rose. "In our country, we have no royalty. We have a senate, a body of men who make decisions," the Doctor said. "We have no protocol for dealing with royalty." Especially drunk, randy ones, Rose thought to herself. But to her relief, Thutmose was backing off and the Doctor lowered his hands when he noticed the same. Rose looked around at the others in the room but everyone else was either asleep after having sex or too drunk to notice that the Pharaoh Regent was in the room. She was just glad Thutmose didn't come after her since she was sure the Doctor wouldn't have shown the same restraint he did when it was only his body being threatened. Thutmose was sitting beside them, not doing anything at the moment so Rose relaxed. "I've never been anywhere," Thutmose said. "I didn't even leave the palace until a few years ago. I grew up behind these walls." "As the ward of your aunt," the Doctor said. Thutmose nodded. He didn't say anything to the Doctor about talking back to him but Rose figured it was because he was a man and maybe because the Doctor just told him that they didn't have any experience dealing with royalty back in Greece. But when she looked at him now, she saw a lonely little boy rather than a horny, haughty emperor and she felt for him. She kept quiet though since she figured Thutmose still didn't like being talked to by a woman who didn't know her place. "It must be interesting being a laborer," Thutmose said, glancing at the Doctor. "At least you get to create something. I sit most of the time, except when I'm out reviewing the troops." Rose was fascinated by this. Thutmose was visibly drunk and she figured that's why he was being so open with the Doctor. She hadn't been in the palace for very long but she couldn't imagine Hatshepsut sitting down with her and talking openly like this. It also floored her that moments ago, Thutmose was trying to rape the Doctor and now the two of them were having a heart to heart in a room filled with drunken, snoring partiers. She lay there listening while Thutmose poured out his heart to the Doctor about being raised most of his life behind palace walls and the Doctor's sympathetic responses. After awhile, Thutmose rose and left the room and the Doctor lay back down. "What was that all about?" Rose said softly to him. "I believe that was a lonely soul trying to find a sympathetic ear," the Doctor said to her. "So he found you?" Rose said. The Doctor shrugged. But Rose had witnessed it before after thinking about it. People seemed to pour their hearts out to the Doctor and tell him things they normally wouldn't tell others. He could get the most stubborn person to talk to him. He had a talent for getting people to open up to him and Rose figured Thutmose was no different. But perhaps Thutmose recognized another lonely person and that's why he was so eager to talk to the Doctor about his troubles. She figured no one in the palace probably gave a damn, certainly not his aunt. She became more sympathetic to the young boy after that. XOXOXOXOXOXOX The next morning, the Doctor and Rose got up with the rest of the laborers. Most the men in the room had intense hangovers and some of the women did too. Rose watched while Tawaret walked over to her, rubbing her head and wincing. "Headache?" Rose said while the Doctor stood beside her and watched them. "Yes. I'll have to go to the apothecary before I start my duties this morning," she said. "You look unaffected." "I didn't have that much to drink," Rose said. "And the man from the window," Tawaret said as she looked at the Doctor. "Nice to finally meet you face to face, Tawaret," the Doctor said, bowing his head. "So you slept with her last night?" Tawaret said, nodding at Rose. "Yes, we're old friends," the Doctor said. They watched while a young muscular man came up behind Tawaret, grabbing her from behind and squeezing her breast while she giggled. He kissed her cheek and whispered to her that he had a wonderful time before letting go and leaving the room. Tawaret blushed at that. "He was the man I spent the night with," she said, gesturing to the doorway. "He was very nice." The Doctor accompanied the women as they headed for the doorway. Rose noticed a few palace guards were now standing there but she figured they were probably there to make sure everyone left the room and didn't hide under the pillows. But when they got to the door, the guards crossed their spears and blocked the door just after Tawaret went outside. "You and you, you are to come with us," one of the guards said as he pointed to the Doctor and Rose. "You, go!" he said, turning to Tawaret who was staring at her friends with confusion. "This is no concern of yours!" "I'll see you later, Tawaret," Rose said to her, trying to calm her fears since her confusion had now turned to worry and dismay. Tawaret nodded and hurried away. The guards uncrossed their spears and beckoned for the Doctor and Rose to follow them.
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