The Egyptian rose
1341 BCE
Chapter 10
Meritaten had cried herself to sleep and woke up very late the next
morning. She had no way of knowing what time of day it was other than by
the way the sun shown through her window, casting longer shadows than
usual. Gently touching the bruises forming on her body, she moaned in
pain as she found each spot still tender from where she was hit from the
assault of stones. It was then she realized she was alone—no one had
woken her for the morning meal and no one tended to her morning bath.
There weren't even sounds coming form the gardens, where her sisters had
been known to play.
Jumping out of bed and reaching, painfully, for her robe, she quickly
threw open the doors of her bedroom to find a guard standing there
looking down at her, a stern stare on his face. When she attempted to
leave her room, his hand shot up, blocking her path. She peered up at
him questioningly, but he did not speak one word to her. Instead he
pointed his finger towards the room and waited for her to turn around
and stomp back in, the sound of the heavy doors shutting behind her.
Once again, her eyes filled with tears. This time though they were
because she was a prisoner in her own room. She didn't know how it had
gotten to this point but she was scared, for the third time since this
whole situation turned her life upside down. The feeling she elicited
now though was because she didn't want to know what her father would do
to her when he found out the truth, since she knew Nakhte had something
to do with her being locked away in her room.
She sulked down into her bed, curled her knees up to her chest, and
sobbed again, not sure if she was upset because of the pain from the
bruises or because of the pain in her heart as it started beating faster
with every thought. She knew the truth—his truth. She never
knew how cruel her father or any Pharaoh could be until that moment. Now
she understood and everything seemed to flow together in her mind. All
the gods she had never prayed to that the others still did, she never
knew about; all the times her father ordered another temple be
destroyed, more people turned to their gods for help.
All she ever knew was the Aten, the great sun god her father prayed to
every day. But what did he pray for—a greater empire, a more tolerant
people, a son to carry the crown? That last thought hit her too hard and
she stopped crying, pushed her legs down and sat back on the bed,
leaning against the wooden headboard. Nakhte's words rang in her ears
and she understood that her father had no intension of giving her power,
the way he had allowed her mother to have. It was her destiny to be the
next Prince of Egypt's Great Royal Wife, and so taking on the same role
as her mother.
A sharp knock at her door broke her thoughts away from her fears. When
the door opened her father stood there, an unrecognizable expression on
his brow. She swallowed hard and tired to make eye contact but knew it
was too difficult. His voice cut through the room like a dagger.
"Nakhte tells me they tried stoning his house and stoned you instead,
while he watched in vain. But Nefertiti says you claimed it was Nakhte
himself who took you away." She hated the way he spoke of her mother by
her first name, making it sound too formal. He continued to speak slowly
to her so that she could understand every word.
"I'm going to give you a chance to tell me the truth. I only asked you
to go and solve this issue to prove yourself as fit to rule this empire
but you seem to have gotten too involved. Now you have a chance to
redeem yourself before I ask the Aten for his assistance in this
matter."
She couldn't lie to her father, knowing if she did, it would make matter
worse. With all the strength she could muster, she lifted her head and
faced his watchful eye. Sighing, she opened her mouth to speak but was
interrupted when a guard raced into the room, out of breath as if he had
been running.
"Nakhte needs to speak with you right away. It is an urgent matter!" he
proclaimed, still trying to catch his breath.
Akhenaten took one last look at his daughter and said, "we're not
through with this!" and stormed out of her room.
Meritaten let out the breath she had obviously been holding and watched
both men walk away. None of her ladies came to help her dress or bathe
so she opted to do it herself, which she had done on occasion. If her
father was going to outcast her, she needed to be more independent
anyway. Relieved that she did not have to tell him anything more than he
already assumed, she grew anxious with the thoughts of how Nakhte would
be received and what urgent matter he was going to fabricate this time.
* * * * *
Ramla left him in his room, still brooding over Kamenwati. Khenti did
not even bother to notice when Baruti entered after she had left. He
cleared his throat loudly, attempting to get Khenti's attention, but
when Khenti turned around to face his friend, there was still anger
etched into his face. Perplexed as he was, Baruti was the one to speak
first.
"What happened to you? Are you still brooding because they took the
princess away?" Baruti asked, not speaking of Meritaten by her real
name.
"Kam is my father!" Khenti abruptly shouted, now fully realizing how the
admittance made him feel.
"What?!" Baruti stammered.
"Ramla just told me Kam is my father." Khenti slumped down into his
chair with a thump.
Baruti eyed the boy suspiciously, trying to deduce his emotions, but
found only the tell-tale sign of anger. "Did Ramla give you an
explanation at least?"
"My mother and I were buried alive and he left us for dead!" he growled.
"I'm sure there was more to it than that," Baruti attempted to comfort.
Khenti eyed his friend cautiously, lifting his eyes up and peering
through the lashes. "My mother is dead, my father abandoned us, and you
think there's more to it?!"
"We should go see him," Baruti concluded after a bit of thinking.
"What?!" Khenti exclaimed.
"He's in jail and we need to go see him—"
"We don't have to do anything!" Khenti interrupted. "We
also didn't hand deliver Meritaten into Mahu's hands! Was that what you
planned with him, Baruti?!" he accused.
"I didn't know he was here waiting for her!" he defended.
Khenti grumbled under his breath, feeling every emotion from anger to
frustration, but refused to give in to Baruti's requests or argument. If
Kamenwati was truly his father, then he deserved to stay in jail, for
having left them both for dead, as his mother's life was extinguished
under the fallen pillars of stone. Khenti's entire life was lived in the
comfort and security of himself while he grew up alone and betrayed by a
man he did not even know—a man that was right in front of him the
whole time!
"Meritaten felt the same when her father betrayed her," he finally spoke
to Baruti without lifting his head. "When she found out he had done all
those horrible things to us, she felt the same way as I did the minute I
realized I had no father to share the loss of my mother with."
"I'm sorry." It was only at these two words that Khenti looked up at his
friend.
"My father thought I was dead but never knew my name. All this time Kam
called me Khenti because that was the name Ramla gave me. He treated me
like a child when he didn't even know I was his child! He
reprimanded me when I tried to overstep my boundaries in the group and
he even scolded me for not obeying his line of reasoning! He acted more
like my father when he didn't even know he was!"
"I knew it!" a female voice said in the doorway. Both men looked up
abruptly to see Amisi standing there wide-eyed.
"Amisi," Khenti grumbled under his breath, not wanting to meet her eyes.
"Baruti, can you give us a few minutes, please?" she asked, knowing the
man would never protest. He stepped quietly from the room as she stepped
in and closed the door behind her.
"Before you go on and on about how wonderful this family reunion is,
there's more to the story you should know," Khenti said, cutting her off
before she could speak and getting up from his chair.
"I didn't—" she stammered.
"Look, he was never my father before, he's not going to be my father
now!" he interrupted her again. "He was more your father than mine
anyway."
"But—"
"No, Amisi, he left me for dead, now I'm leaving him right back!"
"You're being stubborn!" she finally got the words out.
"Me? Ok, sit down," he instructed, pulling her over to the chair and
sitting her down in it forcefully. Before she could look up at him, he
told her the same story he had told Baruti before.
"I'm sorry," she replied, looking up at his eyes, trying to catch a
glimpse of emotion.
"I don't want your pity or your sorrow. I think I've done well without
him!"
Amisi lifted herself from the chair and placed a cool hand on his cheek.
"You've done very well." She leaned in and kissed him soundly on the
lips. He wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss, and almost
forgetting the purpose for his madness.
* * * * *
Akhenaten entered Nakhte's office with a commanding footstep. He was beginning to hear too many different stories from too many people and he wanted to know the truth once and for all. Nakhte was seated at his desk, a wide smile on his face, knowing his plan for power was unfolding beautifully and the king was playing right into his hands. Akhenaten's eyes showed his deep anger for the growing situation and he knew that his Vizier would be the only one that had reasonable answers."Tell me what is going on!" his voice bellowed through the room.
Nakhte's smile grew even wider before he answered very enthusiastically. "It was awful! We found her by the river and they were having one of their rallies!"
"What? Are you saying she was with them?" he exclaimed, stumped by the news he was just given.
"She was there among them, listening intently to their 'stories'," he continued, knowing he was in fact telling the truth but that it would only make his argument better.
"Why didn't you take them all then?" Pharaoh demanded. "It's obvious that she couldn't do as she was told!"
"And risk her life?" Nakhte pointed out to the overreacting king.
"Why didn't you take her away when it was all over?" the king questioned, again with more demand than he really needed.
"They were everywhere and we could not risk having her be hurt if they tried to retaliate in panic," Nakhte explained calmly.
"But she was hurt! In trying to protect her you allowed her to be hurt anyway!" Pharaoh pounded his fist to the desk.
"When they attacked my house with stones, she was with them," he answered, being to contort the truth and insert his own lies. "She attempted to run to me for safety but was struck by several of their stones. They were obviously trying to stop her from telling us what she knew."
"For years I have tried to protect her from the outside world and the minute I ask her to go out and do the bidding of the Aten, she is hurt by them! They must be stopped, all of them!"
"But how should we stop them?"
"You are the Royal Vizier—you figure out it!" Pharaoh bellowed, turning around and walking away.
"Believe me, I already have a plan," Nakhte spoke under his breath, his smirk wide with anticipation.
The minute Akhenaten left the Great Palace, Nakhte rounded his officers. He was going to settle this problem once and for all and then the path to the crown would be that much closer. Quickly, he left his office with them close behind, and headed down towards the river. Upon reaching Baruti's house, he signaled his officers to surround it, making sure all windows and doors were blocked. Stepping to the front door, he politely knocked, waiting for the right person to answer the door. When the door opened, Kiya gasped and began to close the door but Nakhte's foot was in the way, stopping her from shutting it completely.
"There's someone who would like to see you," he smirked as he pushed the door open wide, forcing her backwards.
She took a step or two back before turning and running from him. He grabbed for her arm to stop her but she eluded his grasp and scurried towards the back door of the house, with him in close pursuit. He heart was racing and beat loudly from her chest, but she pulled open the back door with all the force she could muster and ran outside. Unfortunately, she ran directly into an officer who had been standing in front of the door, waiting for her.
"Let me go!" she struggled to free herself.
"When I said someone would like to see you, I meant that as now!" Nakhte replied. "Bring her to the North Palace and inform the king she is awaiting his arrival!"
He pulled her chin up with his fingers, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "He has had his eye on you for awhile. You will keep him entertained enough to keep him out of my way!"
"You won't get away with this!" she spat.
"Well my dear, where is your precious husband to save you? I bet he's gone off to find himself a new love interest, perhaps someone as beautiful as the young Amisi. I could swear I've heard that he had his eye on her from afar," he smirked.
"Baruti loves me!" she protested, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"If he loved you my dear he wouldn't have left you all alone this way," he said pointedly.
"Nakhte, leave her alone!" an angry masculine voice said near them.
Nakhte turned to face Baruti, who had come to rescue his beautiful wife. But Nakhte had other plans for her and grabbed her out of the officer's hands, pulling her close to him and placing a knife to her throat. Baruti just stood silently, unable to move, without fear of him hurting her.