The Egyptian rose
1341 BCE
Chapter 14
Amisi was pushed forward into a cell adjacent to Kamenwati's, while
Meritaten was held back, forced to watch. Nakhte smiled as the gate shut
behind her with a loud clang. Kamenwati looked up into Meritaten's
confused and scared eyes and knew she would pay dearly for what they had
done. There was no telling now what the king would do once he found out
his own daughter was involved with them. He silently cursed Khenti for
bringing her into this time and again, knowing both girls were with
Khenti when Nakhte tried to find him.
"Keep a close watch over them while I deliver the king's daughter,"
Nakhte ordered.
An officer nodded in response and stood directly in front of Amisi's
cell, staring down at her sternly. Nakhte grabbed Meritaten's arm
forcefully and pulled her out of sight, causing her to wince in pain and
try to wiggle herself free. As soon as they were outside, Meritaten
tried to shield her eyes from the bright setting sun, but was thrown
down onto the ground hard. She tried to get up but found her body too
weak and all she could do was look up at Nakhte as he spoke harshly to
her.
"You have been nothing but trouble since the day you were born!" he
spat.
"What have I ever done to you?" she questioned loudly.
"You have been in my way! Your father put me in charge of dealing with
these people! Then he took it all away by asking you, his daughter, to
go out and talk with them! Don't you know you can't talk to them
and get them to listen?"
"I was only doing as my father asked!" she protested, again shielding
her eyes from the sun. "I was only trying to help!"
"Yes, but of course! Only a child would help by being a fool!
These people don't need another ally! They need to be stopped!"
Nakhte towered over her now as he scolded her just as her father had
done. She again tried to stand but found her body still too weak. Not
wanting to argue anymore, she knew that if she kept him talking, someone
might hear them and come to her aid. Unfortunately, nightfall was
approaching quickly and no one seemed to be around when she need them to
be.
"And what if I could have stopped them?" she attempted to challenge,
with the intent to keep him talking.
"You are just a little girl! You know nothing of the politics involved
in keeping Egypt properly maintained and functioning! In fact, I'm still
unsure why your father even bothered to nominate you in the first place!
But believe me, once he finds out the truth, he will surely surrender
the opportunity to crush these people once and for all!" Nakhte slyly
smiled, his cruel words revealing his plan.
"No!" she screamed, hoping someone, anyone, would hear her. "You can't
hurt them! They've done nothing wrong!"
"Only defied the almighty Pharaoh! That in itself is punishable by
death!" he returned.
"And what about what the king has done to them? What do they get in
return for their entire lives being uprooted for the sake of Egypt?" she
spat angrily, forgetting all her words would be used against her
somehow.
"Blasphemy!" he retorted, pulling her aggressively up by the arm and
leading her away. "The king's first born daughter speaks blasphemy
against Egypt!"
* * * * *
Baruti found Kiya exactly where Mahu had said—the North Palace. This
was one of the three palaces built in honor of the Pharaoh in the new
city and was strategically placed on the outskirts of the main city
center, against its northern border. It hugged the river Nile and was
more secluded than the other two palaces, which were used more for
living and conducting business. This palace was used strictly for what
Mahu had suggested—the king's lesser wives.
Mahu had been able to get him safely from the jail to the Palace without
any problems. When they entered the gardens, though, it was then that he
saw his wife. Kiya was seated on the front steps, her head buried in her
hands, her whole body shaking as she cried openly. He quickly picked her
up and cradled her in his arms, allowing her to wrap her arms around his
neck and bury her face in his shoulder. He did not attempt to ask
questions nor did he sooth her; he simply walked them home, using the
river to guide him.
When they reached their house, he gently placed her feet down, making
sure she was steady on her feet, before proceeding to sit on the grass
facing the river. Looking up at her, he silently gestured for her to sit
with him. Hesitating slightly, she wiped her eyes and sat in front of
him, leaning back against his chest as he wrapped his arms protectively
around her. When he finally spoke, it was nothing more than whisper.
"I'm sorry. I should have come sooner."
She placed her hands over his arms and whispered back through a shaky
voice. "I know you tried."
"Did he hurt you?" he cringed as he asked the question, unsure he wanted
an honest answer from her.
There was a long pause before she could answer his question. "No. He did
nothing to hurt me."
"Good. I don't know what I would have done if he hurt you."
Lacing her fingers with is and pressing the conversation further, she
said, "Nakhte hurt me though."
Baruti's grip on her hands became a little tighter as he asked, "what
did he do to you?" She simply shook her head in reply, fresh tears
forming in her eyes. He turned her around in his arms and lifted her
chin with his fingers, gaining access to her reddened eyes. "What did he
do?" he repeated, a bit more sternly than he would have liked.
"He said he needed to 'prepare' me for the king," she sobbed, lowering
her forehead to his chest as she began to cry again.
Baruti clutched at his wife, encircling her with his large arms. He
didn't press the issue further and understood her subtlety enough to
know Nakhte would pay for what he had done. Allowing the moonlight to
shadow their bodies, he rocked her gently in his arms, soothing her
crying by stroking her long, dark hair and whispering words of affection
into her ear.
* * * * *
King Akhenaten was busying himself by preparing for bed when his wife
angrily threw open the door to their bedroom and stormed in. He refused
to look her in the eye as she danced around the room trying to
desperately to make eye contact with him. She finally stepped in his
path and clasped her hands on either side of his face, demanding his
full attention.
"Our daughter has been missing all day and I believe Nakhte has her!"
"Nakhte has been too busy today to kidnap your daughter. I have made
arrangements for her to be kept under lock and key so she hasn't been
missing at all," the king replied, twisting his face out of her grasp.
"Yes, well, she's gone again, so I suggest you find her before something
happens to her," Nefertiti stood her ground.
"She's your daughter—you go find her! I have more
important things to attend to than chasing after a girl who doesn't know
her place! Besides, she's already gotten hurt, now we just need to make
sure it doesn't happen again!"
Nefertiti squared off against her husband. "How dare you treat her as if
she were a servant! She is your daughter, your first born, and I
refuse to allow you or anyone else to treat her without the respect of a
Princess of Egypt!"
Her angry words shot through him like a poisoned arrow. He retorted with
his own stinging words. "You have cursed me with all daughters! You have
poisoned this line of succession with tainted blood! Egypt needs kings,
not queens who only hold the power of motherhood at their breast!"
"The power of creation is by far stronger than the power of
destruction!" she countered fiercely.
"I have rebuilt the empire of Egypt upon the ashes of the old! And it is
upon those very ashes that Egypt will rise higher than it has ever risen
before!" he bellowed.
"You have destroyed homes, lives, even afterlives of the very same
people you claim are what makes Egypt, Egypt! These people trusted you
and you destroyed their temples—the very sacred spots they would sing
your praise!"
"There needed to be change!" he argued.
"Changes do not include killing the weak and innocent, burying them
alive among their own temples! Changes do not include relocating an
entire city to a place of your convenience!"
"Know your place and hold your tongue! Have these people of Egypt
poisoned your mind as well as your daughter's?"
"I was there, Akhenaten, or have you forgotten already? I was there when
we destroyed Thebes and Memphis; when we rebuilt the
city!"
"Enough woman, I have heard enough!" Akhenaten threw up his hands in
defeat. "I'm going for a walk in the gardens. Do not follow me! I wish
to be left alone!"
* * * * *
Under the shield of darkness, Nakhte pulled Meritaten through the
streets from the jail to the Great Palace in the center of the city. As
they came closer to the Palace, a slight smile crept across his face. He
knew everything was unfolding beautifully and nothing could foil his
plans, not even the king himself. Little did he know though, that inside
the Great Palace, someone stood waiting for him.
"Come on, little one, I have something you need to sign," he hissed,
urging her forward into the Great Hall.
As they walked, their steps echoed around them and Meritaten attempted
to muffle her feet as best as she could. She was scared, more scared of
him now than she had ever been before. Nakhte had a look in his eyes
that would pierce into your soul and when he pulled her along it was
with such force, it nearly knocked her off her feet. When he unlocked
his office door, he shoved her forward, knocking her into the desk and
scattering his papers everywhere.
"Here," he demanded, "sit here!" as he pushed her shoulders down until
she was sitting in his chair.
He quickly rummaged through his paperwork until he found the one he was
looking for—a confession of treason. Throwing the paper down on the
desk, he picked up a feather and dipped it in ink, handing it over to
her. When she refused to take it from him, he grabbed her hand and
forcefully shoved it into her palm.
"Now sign the paper!" he shouted.
"Don't sign anything, Meritaten!" a stern voice called out from behind
the door as it was slammed shut from inside the room.
"Khenti!" she exclaimed, attempting to drop the feather and stand, but
Nakhte grabbed her shoulders and pushed down again, pushing her further
into the chair.
"Ah, Khenti! Just the man I was looking for! You can be her witness
before I send you to the jail to join the others!" Nakhte smiled.
"She's not signing anything and I'm not going anywhere without her!"
Khenti replied, glaring at Nakhte without acknowledging Meritaten's
presence in the room.
Nakhte ignored him and shoved the feather back into Meritaten's hand.
Holding onto her hand he re-dipped it into the ink and placed the paper
in front of her again. "Now, my child, sign your name!" When Khenti
advanced to stop her, Nakhte pulled a small dagger on him, pointing it
at his throat. "Sign it!" he screamed at her.
Slowly, as tears formed in her eyes, Meritaten signed the paper, the
hieroglyphic letters forming her name standing out among the rest. With
a devilish gleam in his eyes, Nakhte grabbed the paper and pulled her up
out of the chair, causing her to drop the feather onto the ground. He
then shoved her back into Khenti, almost sending them both careening
into the wall behind him. With the paper grasped tightly in his fist, he
looked up at both of them with fire in his eyes.
"Now, get out of my sight! I have what I want! And soon you will both
get what you deserve, but I'll give you a running start!"
Khenti cradled her with his arm around her shoulders and opened the door
to leave. There standing in the doorframe was the Queen herself! Khenti
quietly and gently pulled Meritaten to the corner of the room, because
it was obvious by the look in her eyes, she meant to do business with
Nakhte and not him. When Meritaten tried to run to her mother though,
Khenti held onto her, whispering into her ear to wait.
"Nakhte, from the moment you were appointed Vizier, I did not trust you!
Is it true what I have heard about you kidnapping my daughter?" she
demanded, searing him with her dark emerald eyes.
"See for yourself, my Queen," he mocked, pointing his dagger blade over
to Khenti and Meritaten in the corner of the room. "I have had my
suspicions about your daughter being one of them and now I have proof,
including a signed confession!"
"You liar!" Meritaten shouted as Khenti held her back. "You forced my
hand!"
"Only because you were afraid to confess! Afraid to find out what your
father would do to you when he finds out the truth!" Nakhte screamed
back at her.
Nefertiti waited until he was facing her once again before slapping him
across the face. As he clutched his cheek, he winced in pain, realizing
she had scratched him and drew blood as well. When she spoke, there was
pure anger in her voice, something Meritaten had never heard or seen
before in her mother.
"You have made a very grave mistake, Nakhte! Young man, unhand my
daughter and help me arrest this traitor that stands before me!" she
spoke directly to Nakhte's eyes.
"Khenti, if you know what is good for you, you'll stay where you are! I
can have your father killed in an instant!" Nakhte ordered.
Khenti stopped dead in his tracks. Meritaten came up behind him and
grabbed his arm. "But I thought you said your father was gone?" she
questioned innocently, bringing him back to reality. He had told Amisi
and Baruti the truth, but never told her.
"Khenti, you didn't tell her Kamenwati was your father?" Nakhte gasped,
his comment drenched with sarcasm.
"What?!" Meritaten exclaimed, pulling away, forcing Khenti to turn
around and look at her.
"Enough of this!" Nefertiti stated. "I'll do this myself!"