⊱▬║≬≬≬║▬⊰
"The Dark Creature and the Lady of Set — before they were evil, they were human. Good. After the Creature died, his sister rewrote her own story and made herself the darkest sorceress who had ever walked the earth."
⊱▬║≬≬≬║▬⊰
THEBES, 1289 B.C.E.
THE MARRIAGE OF THE NEW PHARAOH HAPPENED an exact year after the death of the old king. One year after Seti I had been laid to rest, his elder son Nebchasetnebet took the throne - and a Great Royal Wife by the name of Ahmanet. It had come as a shock to many, and a perceived near sacrilege, when the High Priestess of Isis, the most holy of all Priestesses and the most devoted, wed the new Pharaoh in a wedding of the century. Thousands flooded into the City of the Living, desperate for a glimpse of this new queen, who had been crowned so recently after the death of Crown Princess Nefertiri.
Some said she had died in a horrible accident, while others said she was poisoned. No one except those who resided in the royal palace truly knew, but none was more suspect than Ahmanet herself. Whispers rippled through the crowd that she had gotten rid of the late Pharaoh's only child to give herself - and her new husband - the crown, even as they stared up at the balcony where their new rulers were to appear to them.
Obligatory cheers rose from the crowd as they did so in a shower of pure gold. There she stood, head raised proudly at the right hand of the Pharaoh. Raised hands waved to the cheering crowd below them - but the cheering seemed to be muted in the glow of the sun even now. Perhaps that was due to the fear that the queen would be struck down for breaking her vows to Isis and marrying in her mortal lifetime. Love? Love and lust were allowed, but marriage was taboo to a Priestess of the goddess. To Priestesses of many goddesses, in fact - even Hathor, who was the patroness of love and marriage.
They demanded complete obedience to their vows - break them, and the wrath of the deity was said to come swiftly and painfully, a lesson for anyone else thinking of disobeying them too.
Ahmanet had not been struck down yet, however.
When she disappeared from the balcony, she followed her new husband into their palace. Servants and guards alike bowed to them, including the Medjai. She had a special hatred for them - they had condemned her brother to a fate worse than death. And Anck-su-Namun - Ahmanet wasn't even particularly sure what part of the desert her soul must be roaming now, only that it was and that she was far from resting peace.
But none of these embittered thoughts left her painted lips that curved into a smile as she glanced sideways at her new husband.
It wasn't that she didn't like men - she had slept with both men and women before. It was that her heart was captured, but the holder of her heart was buried somewhere in the burning sands of the desert and she would have to wait for years to even attempt any sort of resurrection. But soon, she vowed to herself as she followed Nebchasetnebet into his bedchambers and let servants begin undressing her for their wedding night. Soon.
For now, even as he laid her down on the bed and moved on top of her, she resolved that she would bear this marriage out of necessity. She gained no pleasure from it, nor from him, though he believed them to be in love. Why else would a High Priestess leave her goddess to marry a man?
She let out a breath and stared upwards as he began moving.
This was out of necessity.
⊱▬║≬≬≬║▬⊰
TEMPLE OF ISIS, 1288 B.C.E.
She bore a single son to her husband almost a year later.
The pregnancy had been harder than expected, leading her right back to the steps of her goddess. Ahmanet was not so nearly graceful as she used to be when climbing these steps, but then, she hadn't had a swollen belly or swollen feet before. Exhaustion ran through the queen like a flood, and she felt the sweat dripping off her shoulders and arms in rivulets. She had forgone her usual vulture crown, favoring instead a simple gold circlet with a uraeus rearing off of it. Indeed, today was simply too hot for the headdress that covered most of her head, especially when her single trip outside the palace led her to the temple, and nowhere public.
The new High Priestess had been summoned forth by two of her lower priestesses upon the very pregnant queen's arrival. Her litter and the Nubian slave men carrying it waited behind her at the foot of the steps in the scarce shade provided for them. They wore simple white linen wrapped tightly around their waists, a stark contrast to the near-pitch black of their skin.
"Your Highness, we were not expecting your arrival," came the soft voice of the newly-appointed woman as she approached her predecessor. Though before royalty, she did not bow. A small privilege of High Priestess the other women did not carry. The rest of them bowed before their queen and retreated with a wave of her hand. "Though it is good to see you here again."
"I did not send word," came her tired response, and she did not bother to respond to the second sentence, knowing full well it was a smooth lie to garner kindness from her. Kindness Ahmanet did not have. Her face, though adorned with layers of makeup, portrayed the tiredness of pregnancy that had become a constant companion to her. Though, thankfully, she was into her seventh month, so she had stopped throwing up. Her back pains had only seemed to worsen, however, and today they were particularly bad. She was not in the best of moods.
"Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, but you seem troubled. Perhaps if you are looking for ease with your child, you might go to the Temple of Bastet or Tawaret," offered the priestess. Her hands were folded against the pleats of her sheer skirt, another stark skin-to-cloth contrast in color. Gold glittered from her neck and her wrists, a sign of her status.
"But I did not," snapped Ahmanet. Her tone was starting to grow annoyed, and Tiye backed off. "I came here. I wish to pray to Isis." One of her jeweled hands wrapped around her swollen stomach. "Both for my child's health. . . and for mine."
"Of course. I will guide you to the outer shrin--"
"No. Take me to the very innermost shrine."
Tite thought to argue, but as she opened her mouth to tell the queen she was not in a position to go in such a holy place anymore, a new glint crept into Ahmanet's eyes. Tiye suddenly remembered that High Priestess or not, Queen Ahmanet held the true power here and Tiye also knew she was not above lying and cutting others down to get her way. Something Tiye had learnt under Ahmanet's span of years being High Priestess.
"Of course," came her next smooth response, though it was punctuated by a slight waver of what could be described as nervousness. "Follow me, my lady."
"Your Highness will do fine."
"Of course. . . Your Highness." Tiye did not allow her anger at the minor correction to seep into her expression or voice, and turned on her bare foot to pad further into the temple. She weaved through a maze of columns, priestesses and visitors, before the noise of prayers and life here died away to an eerie silence. The only sound left was that of breathing, heavy from Ahmanet's part, and a steady pattern of footsteps against the stone floor.
Tiye paused before the gold doors, and this time, she threw in an unnecessary bow to the queen. If she hoped to gain any sort of goodwill, she was wrong when Ahmanet barely even noticed the bow, sweeping through the doors as they parted for it.
Tiye shut the doors behind the queen.
⊱▬║≬≬≬║▬⊰
TEMPLE OF SET, 1288 B.C.E.
Ahmanet found time to visit the temples of Bastet and Tawaret the following week, and she prayed for what any expecting mother prayed for - a healthy child, and to survive through the birth. Though she also specifically prayed for a son - a boy to succeed her and the Pharaoh on the throne, and continue her bloodline for what she hoped was thousands of years to come.
Though of course she planned on being there in thousands of years, too. With her plan, if it all went right, she would be here for ages to come, ruling as Egypt's Eternal Golden Queen. She had successfully rid herself of the pest that was Princess Nefertiri through a simple poisoned meal, which looked like all the other assassination attempts on her life that had been unsuccessful. Ironic that her close friend should be the one to finally kill her. Once Nefertiri had been removed, Ahmanet had relaxed a little. Now as long as she bore a son, her blood would continue to be on the throne.
Amongst visits to Isis, Bastet and Tawaret, Ahmanet made her way to one very distant temple. This time, she took no Nubian slaves, no Medjai guards. Only herself and two trusted servants. She rode for half a day into the desert, guided by one of her servants to a ruined temple. Ruined, but not abandoned.
There she dismounted, and as a red-clad figure appeared at the top of the stairs, her servants approached as well. Both women carried baskets, heavy baskets with lids that held gold. Gold coins and goblets and jewelry. Enough to pay off the Priests of Set to let her pass through their temple doors and try to summon their god.
"What do you want?"
The rough voice came from the leader. Ahmanet, clearly pregnant and clearly wealthy, threw back her hood and moved to the foot of the stairs. "I, Ahmanet, Queen of Upper and Lower Egypt, former High Priestess of Isis and Advisor to Pharaoh Himself, come for an audience with Lord Set."
"Hah! Lord Set has not appeared in thousands of years, Queen Ahmanet. Not even for queens such as yourself. What makes you think he'll come forth now?"
Ahmanet gestured forward her servant girls, and they laid the baskets down before her. An offering to the priests. "Give me a chance. I believe what I have to say to him will be enough to make him come forth. I have gold enough here for you to sustain you for years. You can rebuild your temple, buy whatever you please. And if that is not enticing enough, then imagine if Lord Set does come back - imagine how pleased he would be with the priest who allowed me through his temple doors."
Silence fell at her words. It was quite a tempting offer, too. No harm could come from him not appearing - but if he did? And was pleased? That could bode very well for his priests indeed. And yet the High Priest still hesitated. "Leave, queen. And do not come back."
So she would have to invoke her brother? What was it with men and only listening to women when they invoked other men?
"High Priest, you may not be aware, but my brother was Imhotep. Keeper of the Dead, High Priest of Osiris and Hamunaptra," she called out once more. It was not a well-known fact - after Anck-su-Namun's betrayal, and Imhotep's subsequent attempt to resurrect her only to be mummified alive, she had kept their relation a secret, afraid of what would happen to her. Not even Pharaoh himself knew he had wed the sister of one of Egypt's worst traitors. He was also the only one to have ever undergone the Hom-Dai. Not the best relation for a High Priestess of Isis, or the future Queen of Egypt.
And yet for the High Priest of Set, this is what made him turn back. With a single gesture of his hand, he gave approval and Ahmanet began the climb up the stairs to the temple. She was greeted by the High Priest, and watched as her servants gave over the gold to the other priests, who immediately began sifting through them and fighting over the best pieces. Pharaoh wouldn't even notice anything was gone. He spent his money fast, and he would assume this portion had also been spent by himself.
After several moments, Ahmanet found herself at the top and a little out of breath, though she straightened up. No queen ever showed weakness - and especially not to a priest of the dark god Set.
The High Priest came forward. He glanced at her swollen belly, and looked back up. Without a word, he held out his hand, and Ahmanet complied after a minute, laying hers in his. He used his free hand to turn hers palm up, and then held it out for another priest. "Your Highness, come back a month after you have borne your baby. Lord Set spoke to me of your coming. Forgive me for not immediately welcoming you, but he spoke of the sister of Imhotep. Not of Egypt's queen." He paused only for a heartbeat. "He has given us specific instructions. Wait one month after your babe is delivered, and come back to this very spot. Here, he has promised to speak to you."
Ahmanet was taking all this in, listening to every word he spoke carefully. She could do that. She could wait another few months for her revenge - she had waited a year already. "Has he spoken anything about what my child will be? Can he promise me a son?"
A strange smile curved the man's lips.
"He has promised you a son, my queen."
⊱▬║≬≬≬║▬⊰
Comments (0)
See all