Chapter Text
Their birth had been forbidden. Their lives were not meant to be. Ra had decree that Nut shall not give birth on any of the 360 days of the year. But Nut, their mother, was so desperate to have children. She went to Thoth, she begged him. There must be a way, I must have my children.
Thoth, god of Knowledge decided to help Nut and her husband Geb. He felt guilty; after all he had been the one to deliver the prophecy to Ra that caused her to forbid Nut from having children. So Thoth challenged Ra to a game of senet. They were both masters of the game. If Ra won, Thoth would give her another prophecy. If Thoth won, Ra would grant Thoth a boon.
Ra was confident of her skills, she had never lost a game before. However, Thoth was smart and cunning. Their game waged for four days and nights before Thoth trapped Ra’s piece in the house of water, allowing him to remove his final piece from the board and win the game. Ra was enraged, but she kept her word. Thoth was able to ask her for whatever he desired.
Thoth could have asked for anything. He could have asked for the throne. He could have asked for a massive library built in his name. He could have requested gold or jewels. But Thoth requested that four more days be added to the year. Ra readily agreed, glad that the request was so simple and did not cost her anything. It wasn’t until much later that she realized that these extra four days meant that her granddaughter could have her forbidden children.
Within these four days, Nut birthed four children. On the first day she gave birth in a lush rice field to a little boy whose cries made flowers bloom. She named him Osiris. He was strong, his soul bright. He was destined for great things and to be a great god.
On the second day, Nut traveled to the banks of the Nile. Here she birthed a beautiful daughter. When her daughter cried, the waters of the Nile rushed and brought life-giving water to the lands. She was named Isis and her soul shone just as brightly as her brothers.
On the third day Nut gave birth in the palace, angry voices echoing down the vast halls. She ignored the fights and focused on bringing her child into the world. Her second daughter came into the world quietly. She didn't scream or cry but let out gentle coos at her mother. As she babbled, the angry words in the background faded away. The sweet child was named Nephthys.
On the fourth day, Nut found herself in the desert. This labor proved harder than the other three. Her pains were worse, the child stubbornly refused to come and she was bleeding. Nut laid in the blood soaked sands all day as she tried everything to get her youngest to enter the world. She only had a few more hours to bring this child into the world. Once this day was over, Thoth’s four days would be done. Ra’s ruling would be in effect and the child would be doomed to die.
Night fell and still the child did not come. Nut felt her strength waning, she had lost so much blood. But she kept pushing, bearing down with all her might. This child had to come. The sun would rise in less than an hour and their time would be up. Nut bore down and used the last of her strength. She pushed and pushed and pushed. She felt something within her tear, and there was a rush of blood followed by a tiny infant.
Nut covered the child with a blanket, noting that it was a little boy. Her exhaustion and blood loss quickly claimed her and the world went black. She slumped over, her newborn nuzzled up into her chest. The little boy cries loud, ear piercing screams. His screams cause the desert to rise up in a sandstorm unlike any Egypt had ever seen before. Sha howled loudly, their cries in perfect sync with the infant. The storm raged on, the child cried, the sha howled, his mother unconscious beside him.
At the palace, Geb was worried. Nut hadn’t taken this long to give birth to the previous three children. Her time was almost out, had something happened to her or the child? She had been drawn to the desert for this birth, he knew that much. He remained behind to watch their other children. But as the hours passed, he knew that he needed to go to his wife.
Geb left the children with his mother and father, Tefnut and Shu. He found his aunt Bastet and her friend Taweret. Both goddesses dealt with childbirth and would be able to help Nut should she be in danger. The three headed out to where Geb sensed his wife to be. As they journeyed, a great sandstorm broke out. The winds whipped the sand around, the small grains biting into the three gods' flesh. They could hear sha howling from within the storm.
Geb used his power over the earth to keep the worst of the sands away from them, and they continued on. It seemed that the closer they got to Nut, the worse the storms grew. Soon, they could hear the angry cries of an infant. They all ran to the sound.
“Nut!” Geb called out. He could just make out his wife laying in the sands. If she had already had the child, why was she still out here? Was it because of the storm? He reached his wife and realized she was unconscious and lying in a pool of blood.
“Taweret, Bastet, she’s hurt!” He grasped his wife’s hand. What had happened, how had this gone so wrong?
Taweret and Bastet knelt by Nut’s side and started working. The little infant continued to whimper, but no one paid it any attention as they worked on its mother. The sandstorm had settled, now the sand just whispered across the ground in gentle waves.
“Placenta Previa and a ruptured uterus. The child literally tore its way out of her to be born. We can save her, but she will never have children again.” Bastet told her nephew. Geb nodded at the two goddesses and let them get to their work. He sat at her head the entire time, comforting her. It had taken a great deal of their powers and strength, but they were able to heal Nut. Had she been a mortal woman the birth would have killed her. As it was, she came perilously close to death despite her divinity.
Once healed, Geb scooped his beloved up into his arms and held her close. Bastet took a hold of her new great nephew. The child was small, with fiery red hair and eyes. He whimpered and fussed in her arms, sand stirring as he protested. They all headed back to the palace, Nut needing to rest from her ordeal.
Once they arrived at the palace Geb brought Nut to their chambers and settled her onto their bed. He sat next to his wife and held her hand. He had come so close to losing her he couldn’t imagine life without her. Taweret stood next to them, attending to Nut.
Bastet went to hand the child to Geb, but he turned away from her. “Geb, don’t you want to hold your son?”
“I can’t, no, not right now. Nut needs my attention. Just take him to a nanny.”
“Will you at least give him a name? He needs a name.” Bastet gently prompted her nephew. Perhaps if he named the child he would be closer to it. She knew that parents could have a hard time bonding after a difficult birth. She didn’t want that for her nephew or great nephew.
“Nut said if it was a boy he would be named Seth. He should be taken to a nanny or wet nurse, Nut needs to recover. It will be difficult enough with the other three, and they are older.” Bastet sighed. It was true, Osiris, Isis, and Nephys had aged in the past three days. Osiris was now nine months old, Isis six months old, and Nephys three months old. Their care was somewhat simpler than that of a newborn’s, but Seth still deserved to be cared for by his parents. Even his siblings were currently being cared for by Shu and Tefnut. But Geb requested that the little Seth be taken to a nanny, so Bastet did as she was bid.
Bastet took Seth to the palace nursery, which was currently empty of infants. It was staffed by one elderly woman. The woman stood up when Bastet entered the room, and she bowed to greet the goddess.
“This is Prince Seth, the youngest of Geb and Nut. You are tasked with his care.” She settled Seth into a cradle, and pressed a little kiss to the babe’s head. It was the first kiss, the first gentle touch the child had had in its short life. She turned back to the nanny. “Take good care of the little prince. I will be checking up on him.” She left the nursery and her little great nephew behind.
Nut recovered well. Within a week she was up and back to her normal activities. Osiris, Isis, and Nephys had returned from their grandparents and were living with their parents now. They continued to grow, the three now having the bodies of a one year old. Their growth would slow down now but they would still be children before Nut even knew it.
Despite Nut’s recovery, Seth remained in the nursery. Nut had visited him once, but she chose to leave the small infant where he was. Seth did not grow as rapidly as his siblings did, and he was a fitful child. He would cry at all hours of the day, and when he cried the sand would rise up and the sha cried with him. Nut thought it best for her other children if he stayed where he could receive one on one care.
Unfortunately the old nanny was not versed in the care of godlings. She typically only cared for the children of the palace staff, normal human infants. It unnerved her how the sand would rise up when the child cried, how the sha joined him in his cries and she found his fiery red hair and eyes disturbing. Her unease with him meant that she perhaps didn’t give him the best care that she could have. She didn’t cuddle him, or coo at him. She fed him, changed him, and placed him back in his cot. Nothing more, nothing less.
One day when Seth was a little over a week old, he was in the middle of a horrible crying fit. He just wanted to be held, to feel the warmth of another person. He was so lonely in this cold and empty room. His cries made the sand rage and the sha cry. He was just a baby, he couldn’t control his powers. Why isn't anyone helping him? They helped his siblings. His siblings were loved by mother and father, why wasn’t he? He didn’t understand, so he cried.
Maat walked through the palace, intent on heading to her office. The path that she took led her past the nursery. An infant could be heard wailing from within; were the nursery staff not present? It was strange for the little one to be crying so desperately and seemingly no one was attending them. A mother herself, Maat entered the room. Her daughter was long since grown, but that did not mean that Maat would dismiss an infant in need.
Maat found a small infant in a cot. The child had flame red hair and was bawling its eyes out. There was no one in the room to attend to the child so Maat went over and picked the little one up. The babe settled once it realized that it was being held. Maat went over to a rocking chair in the corner of the room and settled, gently rocking the child. She could sense that this was an infant god, but she did not know why the child was alone. She waited for the nanny to return, intending to find out who the little one was, why they were alone, and where their parents were.
Maat sat with the child for three hours before the nanny returned. In that time she had changed the child- a boy, she noted, and fed him. The nanny wandered back into the room, not even looking for her charge. Maat cleared her throat, making the nanny jump.
“Oh, my…My Lady. Pardon me, how may I serve you?” she stuttered out.
“Why were you not present for your charge?”
“I, I was not gone that long. An hour or two, at most. He was napping, and I needed to get some food.”
“You were gone for at least three hours, likely more given how loudly he cried when I found him. What is the infant’s name and who are his parents?”
“Seth, your honor. He is the child of Geb and Nut. I can take him now, if it pleases you?”
Maat glared at the woman. “I will be taking him with me and I will be discussing your poor performance with Ra.” Maat would see that the woman was dismissed from her position, how could she leave a child alone like that? Anything could have happened, anyone could have taken him. The woman sputtered and tried to save herself, but Maat stood up and walked out of the room with the little baby.
It did not take her long to reach her niece and nephew’s chamber. She could hear the sounds of their boisterous children laughing and playing. Perhaps that was why the little one had been in the nursery, so that the older ones could play freely. It mattered not now, the nursery was not suitable for him. She knocked on the door and Geb answered.
“Maat, welcome. What brings you here?” he greeted, seeming to not notice or care about his son in her arms.
“I found your son all alone in the nursery, bawling his eyes out. The nanny had left him, and did not return for three hours. I do not think you should leave him there.”
Geb had an embarrassed look on his face. “Ahh. Right. Seth. See, it’s just, with the trouble that Nut had delivering, we had him go to the nursery. And now that the others are bigger and so demanding of time, we decided that it was better if he remained there. I will have to have a new nanny hired, since the one there wasn’t up to snuff. But you can take him back, we’ll have someone new by the end of the day.”
Maat had a look on her face that she typically reserved for those in her courtroom. “You do not wish to raise your son?” she grit out, anger clear in her voice.
“Well, of course we’ll be there for him. But he’s different from the others. His power is more chaotic, and it’s just too much with the others. So it’s best if he is raised on his own, where he can get one-on-one care.” Geb was seemingly oblivious to Maat's anger at him.
“With complete strangers, as opposed to his own family?”
“We’ll get a better nanny.” Geb reassured his aunt.
“Don’t worry about getting a new nanny. Since you have no desire to raise him, Thoth and I will.” Maat practically snarled at Geb. She left her nephew before she lost her temper. She did not wish to upset the sweet child in her arms. As she left, she caught an exchange between Nut and Geb.
“Geb, sweetie, who was that?” Nut called from within the chambers.
Geb turned back into the chambers, the door half closed. “Maat, she’s going to take care of Seth for us.”
“Oh, that’s so wonderful. Now we don’t have to worry about nannies.” Nut told her husband as he returned to their chamber and shut the door behind him.
Maat wanted so badly to yell and scream at them, but she instead headed to her chambers that she shared with Thoth. She would have to see if they still had any of Seshat’s baby things. It had been almost two hundred years since she had been an infant, but Maat was sure that they had saved some of her baby things. If not, then she would have to go to the market and purchase the required items. She couldn’t send Thoth, he had always been useless at markets. You could send him for papyrus and he would return with an armful of new scrolls.
Arriving at her chamber, Maat opened the door and walked in. Seth was giggling in her arms, taking in the new sights. Thoth, on their couch, looked up when he heard Seth giggle.
“Maat, love, is that a baby I hear?”
Maat went to her husband and sat next to him. “This is Seth. Geb and Nut’s youngest. For some absurd reason, they have no interest in him and they passed him off onto the nursery staff. I found him on his own, wailing. The nanny did not return for three hours. When I confronted Geb and Nut, they said that he was too difficult.”
Thoth blinked and tickled the baby, earning a giggle. “He seems sweet enough.”
“His powers are chaotic. When he cries the sand rises up and the sha howl along with him. This is apparently too much for my niece and nephew to handle. So I told them that we would raise him.”
Thoth eyed his wife and sighed. “I feel like I should have seen this coming. You were just complaining about the house being so empty ever since Seshat moved out. I think that we still have some of her stuff at the cottage. Now, if you are going to make me a father again, let me hold the baby.”
Maat laughed and passed the little one to Thoth.Thoth cradled the baby and drank in his sweet newborn scent. He then bent down and blew a raspberry on the baby’s tummy. The baby giggled hysterically and reached out with its little hands, attempting to grab Thoth’s hair. Thoth deftly swept his hair behind his ear, having experience with grabby baby hands and his long hair. He had learned to be quick if he wanted to avoid losing chunks of his hair. “He’s so little. I don’t remember Seshat ever being this small. I can’t believe that Nut and Geb would do this. After everything that I did to ensure that they could have a child, they go and abandon their youngest just because he is not what they were expecting.”
“I know. I don’t understand it either. To want a child so badly only to discard them when they are not up to your standards. I believe his care is why he is so little. They have been giving him bottles of goat’s milk and I’m not sure that it agrees with him. He was sick after I fed him earlier today. I was going to summon my sister so that she could take a look at him and make sure that he is growing as he should.”
“I can send a bird for her, if you would like.” Thoth offered. It would be the quickest way to summon Bastet. Maat smiled at her love, and gently removed the baby from his arms. Thoth walked over to their window and reached out. A small sparrow flew to him. He whispered to the bird and the bird flew away, carrying his message to Bastet.
While they awaited the arrival of the other goddess they busied themselves setting up a makeshift cradle for the infant. A chest usually used to store scrolls was lined with blankets and linens. It would do until Maat was able to get to the market and purchase a cradle. Hopefully they would have enough of Seshat’s old stuff at their cottage that they wouldn’t have to get too much. Maat wanted to go to the cottage as soon as she could. It was a much better place to raise a child.
A knock on their door signaled that Bastet had arrived. Thoth let her in and brought her to their bedroom where Maat was sitting on the bed, Seth cradled in her arms. Bastet raised her eyebrows at the sight of her sister cradling her youngest great nephew. “Maat, why do you have Seth?”
“Nut and Geb left him in the nursery where he was neglected. The nanny left him all alone, for hours. I found him wailing for food. When I brought him to Nut and Geb, and pointed out the shortcomings of the nursery, they just told me to take him back and that they would hire another nanny. I was disgusted, so I told them that if they didn’t want to raise their son then Thoth and I would.”
Bastet knew that her niece and nephew had had some trouble bonding with their youngest, but she had not realized that they had dismissed him completely. To all but abandon him to the care of a mortal, in the nursery? It was unheard of. He was divine, and he should be raised by the divine. “I can not believe that they would abandon him like that. He is the sweetest baby. Is that why you called for me, to inform me of their failure as his guardian?”
“Actually, I was hoping that you could take a look at him. They have been feeding him goat’s milk and he doesn't seem to tolerate it well. And he is so small.” Maat wanted to make sure that she was doing everything right for her new little son. He may not be hers by blood, but she was going to love him and care for him just as much as she loved and cared for her daughter. He would always have someone on his side.
“Of course. If I may hold him?” Maat carefully passed her sister the now sleeping infant. Bastet carefully used her powers to check the health of the little one. He slept through her through review of his health and he continued sleeping when Bastet passed him to Thoth, her exam completed. Thoth sat next to Maat and waited to hear what Bastet had to say.
“He has lost some weight, close to a pound. You are correct, he does not tolerate goat milk, and he will not tolerate cow milk either. He will need to be breastfed. I do not believe that Nut bothered to give him any of her milk. I know that she did for her other three. Maat, I can use my powers to induce lactation, so that you can feed him. If you do not want to do that, we will have to find a wet nurse.
“Other than being so small, and the weight loss, he is in good health. I believe that once he starts receiving the proper nutrition, he will start to gain weight and grow as he should.”
Maat looked at Thoth, who shrugged. “If he needs breast milk, then that is what he needs. It’s your choice if you want a nursemaid or the spell.”
Maat kissed her husband. “I would like to feed him on my own, if you could help me sister.”
Bastet nodded and placed her hands on Maat’s chest. A silver glow enveloped the goddess’s breasts as the magic settled in. “The spell will take effect slowly, over the course of the day. I was wondering sister, do you intend to stay here or will you and Thoth return to your cabin?”
“We will return to our cabin. It is so much better for a little one.”
“Have you let Seshat know about her new little brother yet?” Bastet knew that they likely hadn’t. If they had then her niece would have been present, cooing over her new little brother. Her suspicions were confirmed by the embarrassed look on Maat and Thoth’s faces. “I will go and fetch my niece. The two of us can prepare your cottage for your arrival. This way everything will be ready for you when you arrive.”
“Thank you sister.”
“Yes, thank you Bastet.”
The goddess smiled at the couple and left the room.
Seth squirmed in Maat’s arms as he started to become fussy. Matt rocked him. It was unlikely that he needed to feed, he had eaten not that long ago. She would also like to try and hold off on feeding him until her milk came in. She didn’t want to subject him to any more stomach aches than he had already been forced to endure.
The source of Seth’s discomfort was revealed when a loud sound emanated from his diaper, a foul stench following it. The baby calmed down after he passed his noxious load. In fact, he looked quite proud of himself. Maat stood so that she could take the baby to an area better suited to changing him but her husband came over and took the child from her.
“It’s ok, I can change him.”
Well, if he wanted to be subjected to the diaper of an infant with a goat milk intolerance, she was not going to object.
Thoth took baby Seth to their sitting area where he laid down an old towel. He grabbed a few washcloths, a bowl of water, and an old towel that he could use as a diaper. Maat had followed him into the room, wanting to see her husband change the baby boy. He had changed their daughter when she was an infant, but as far as she knew he had never changed an infant boy.
Thoth undid the old diaper and made a gagging sound. “Uggh. Oh my. Such a powerful smell. And it’s everywhere. Let me get a cloth and wipe you down.” He grabbed a cloth and dipped it in some water. “OK now I’m just going to-AHHHH!” Seth started peeing straight into the god’s face. Maat covered her mouth to hide her laughter. “OHHH, ugh. Ohh, it’s in my mouth!”
“Baby boys do that sweetie. You have to cover their parts when you take the diaper off.”
“You mean baby boys just pee every time you change them! Oh dear. Maat, he’s giggling at me. You think that this is funny, don’t you? Yes you do you little tinkle man.” Thoth followed Maat’s advice and was able to complete the diaper change without any more interruptions, although there was a great deal of gagging as he cleaned Seth up. “How in the world did something so small produce such a big stink? Are you the god of stinky things?”
Seth giggled the entire time that Thoth changed him. This was the most interaction that he had ever had in his short life, and he was soaking in every ounce of his new parent’s attention. He was, for the first time since his birth, a happy baby. Seth may have lost his birth parents and his blood siblings, but he had gained new parents, even better parents. He had a new sister too, one that he would soon meet.
Baby Seth had no idea how much his fate changed that day. He had no idea of the trials and tribulations that lay before him. All he knew was that he was happy and loved.