Nergal actually looked sheepish when Ninlil came between him and Nanna. Her quiet words were enough to make him stop teasing his brother. He had stepped over the line when he had said his brother wasn’t being fed properly. Nergal hadn’t missed the way his brother’s jaw clenched before their mother’s timely appearance.
“Apologies, Nanna. I meant no disrespect to Ningal.” He gave his brother a small smile. He did love his older brother very much. “And apologies to you, Mother. I would not want to ruin our family dinner.”
He took a glass from Ninkasi, nodding his thanks to her. He was going to make a special request, but he decided against it. Nanna was making an order and Nergal did not want to push Nanna out of the way. Besides, even Ninkasi’s simplest brew was far superior to anything else he had ever tasted.
“Dinner smells wonderful, Mother. Thank you for having us all this evening.” He took his seat to Ninlil’s left. Nanna would have the seat on her right hand, as was his privilege as the first born son. He may tease his brother and even may try to steal his glory, but he never disputes Nanna’s rights as the eldest son. He would never tell Nanna that, however. He did need to keep his brother on his toes.