[center][h2][b][i][color=00aeef]Qar[/color][/i][/b][/h2][/center]

"Hnnnfmph!"

[color=00aeef]"Try not to speak, it makes it harder for me to examine your malady and will only extend the pain.  I'm going to tilt your head a little.  That's it, hold still"[/color]  Qar stood behind a sitting man, his patient's head tilted back so that the sunlight properly penetrated his widely opened mouth.  In his hands Qar held two instruments, one nothing more than a metal spike and the other a similar tool but with a wide, flat and blunt base.  With these he tapped gently around what he felt was the source of the man's pain, a strange blackness at the base of a tooth.

His patient that morning happened to be a soldier, or rather a guard.  Once again Qar had been summoned to the palace with vague orders to remain in the event the new Pharaoh arrived that day.  Denied the opportunity to carry out what he felt was his duty as a healer in the wider city, Qar contented himself with seeing to the various maladies of the guards.  Earlier he had been walking to the chamber where the many officials required for the Pharoah's arrival waited every morning and had overheard the man complaining of pain in his mouth.  Ever eager to avoid waiting around men and women, mostly men, complaining about the wait he had leaped on the opportunity to dally a little outside.

[color=00aeef]"There appears to be corruption of the flesh in your gum.  I fear your diet may be lacking or unvaried but that is not uncommon."[/color]  Stepping back he allowed the man a reprieve from the odd sensation of Qar's prodding instruments and thought for a moment.  [color=00aeef]"I shall try and prepare a salve you can apply to it but I fear you may have to lose that tooth before we can treat the source of the corruption.  Tell me, when are you on guard?"[/color] After making mental notes on when the man would be available for treatment, Qar promised to return and see to the man's minor malady.  Reluctantly, he returned to his original purpose and made his way to the palace proper.

The meeting room was strangely abuzz with excitement that day and immediately Qar sensed that he had missed an important event.  Soon he learned from a passing slave that the long awaited Pharaoh had finally arrived and that the Viziers were to be introduced to their leader.  Thankfully he had not tarried too long and they were escorted by Iaret to meet the Pharaoh and instantly Qar was struck with how young he was.

They had all been made aware of Amenhotep's youth but Qar could well remember such a time himself and thought nothing of the matter.  Now, upon seeing the adolescent before them, the physician suspected that the relative youth of the Viziers, venerable Aperel excepted, had been a deliberate choice.  After all, what young man freshly elevated to the ultimate position of power would listen to old men who could barely remember the energy their youth had afforded them, with the impatience it brought?

To make matters worse, Aperel immediately insulted the young Pharaoh's only companion.  Qar struggled not to wince at the immediate misstep although when it was clear that the man himself, a huge man even to Qar's relatively tall stature, had arrived in time to hear the insult he could see the situation quickly spiralling out of control.  After the Priestess' timely intervention matters seemed to calm a little although there was a simmering tension in the air, something that Qar's studies of former rulers suggested was a bad omen.  Stepping forward he too bowed, unwilling to let the stand-off extend any further.

[color=00aeef]"My Pharaoh, my name is Qar, a physician by trade although I have studied matters of theology, history and a little warfare as well.  While my experience pales in comparison to that of Aperel,"[/color] he glanced at the old man, hoping that he had the wisdom not to create further tension with the young Pharaoh, [color=00aeef]"nor do I have the expertise in matters of Law that the Priestess possesses, I am well read in most matters.  I believe I was chosen to be here primarily with the intention of maintaining your good health."[/color] He turned to Zamonth and bowed to the giant of a man in turn.

[color=00aeef]"Zamonth, it is a pleasure to make the acquaintance of the Pharaoh's trusted companion. While I do not feel you or the Priestess have ill-spoken, I feel uncomfortable letting any unresolved conflict fester.  You were not chosen as a Vizier, it is true, which is why you were not brought here.  We have been chosen to serve the Pharaoh based on our skills, knowledge or experience however,"[/color] he glanced towards the young Pharaoh, struggling with his impulse to say nothing but he had, after all, been selected for this position for a reason, [color=00aeef]"if I may be permitted to be so bold, it would perhaps be suitable for the Pharaoh himself to make an appointment to his own council and that would prevent further... misunderstanding."[/color]

He did not expect, or await an answer and so stood back.  The Pharaoh was young and had lived a life far away from the court with its intricacies and had not been groomed to inhabit his current role; Qar did not believe he had misunderstood his position in offering advice, even at this early stage, to the Pharaoh.  He allowed himself to relax a little, resolved to live up to the expectations of his Temple and his fellows and for the first time feeling that perhaps he actually could serve a purpose here.  Healing was not just relevant to the mending of the body, after all, and the rules he followed in his craft could help a fledgling new reign survive its turbulent infancy.  If applied carefully, that was.