by Max Overton
I have the military might to take the throne--five legions of my own, five waiting to see the outcome of my bid for power, and only one actively opposing me. The throne is mine, and I only have to stretch out my hand to take it. Yet I would rather not spill any more Kemetu blood to take what is mine, which is why I made the offer to Tausret. Bind her family to mine in bonds of marriage and there is nothing left to fight for. I did not think she would leap at the opportunity, so was not surprised when she temporised. She may or may not accept my offer, but it does not matter if she rejects me--it just means that the blame for further bloodshed falls on her head.
Tausret is comely enough and the sight of her stirs my aged loins, but I am happy enough with my Tiy-Merenese, mother of my son Ramesses. The Queen is older than my son, but their marriage would not be for the sake of an heir, despite what I intimated to Tausret. Ramesses has a wife already, and a young son to succeed him, and while a king may have many wives, he does not need a son by that one. I shudder to think of it--that a son of Tausret should one day sit on the Double Throne. No, her purpose is solely to lend legitimacy to my family. The marriage is to merge two families--the present rulers and the future rulers. After a few years, when the people can appreciate that Ma'at has been restored, she can quietly disappear into the Women's Quarters along with a host of other wives and concubines, or into death. I care not which. She will be granted a simple tomb somewhere--certainly not the grand one excavated for her in the valley which houses the kings. I will find another use for it.
Ament is another matter. He hates me, and I him. When I become king, one of my first acts must be to eliminate him, otherwise he will always cause trouble. Ramesses spoke the truth when he mocked Ament's intimacy with Tausret. Rumours are rife, and seeing them together, it is obvious they are lovers, though he is a commoner. That is another reason not to let the woman breed. How could my son trust that a child he planted in her was his, when her field had been ploughed by a common man? And if he was allowed to live, would he then claim the child was his and attempt to disrupt the new ruling family? It is not to be countenanced, and so Ament must die.
What then of the other men of note within the kingdoms? I am prepared to let Tjaty Paraemheb and Tjaty Hori live and continue on in their positions. Whether they will do so after me is a matter for my son to decide. The army commanders are, for the most part, capable of loyalty to me, so I will let them live too. Exceptions might be Ramose, Commander of Khent-abt, as he is altogether too close to Ament; and Mose, acting Commander of the Set legion. I think I will remove them as a precaution. Iurudef I shall leave for now as General of the North, for he is an experienced army officer. He has shown he knows I will succeed, by keeping his legions in Iunu and not attempting a rescue of Lady Tausret.
So, I await Lady Tausret's decision. If she agrees to the marriage, then I will stay in Men-nefer long enough to see her wed to my son and then go immediately to Waset to be crowned as king. If she does not agree, then my task is a little harder, and my coronation must be delayed. I will have to stay until the city is taken. I could leave Ramesses in charge, but he is headstrong and I do not want him to be deceived by Ament. Furthermore, I want him with me to name him Crown Prince publicly in Waset. Our strength lies in Waset and Ta shemau, and the people of that southern kingdom deserve to know all their woes have been rewarded by a king from among them.
It is no great thing whether my coronation is delayed a few months or not--I am effectively king already and when the scribes start the accounts of my reign, they will date my accession to the death of Seti-Merenptah. In the eyes of the gods, the child succeeded his father Userkheperure, who was the last legitimately crowned king of Kemet, and I succeeded the child when he died. It is two years since Seti-Merenptah died, so I have been king for two years already. What gods shall I choose to honour above all others in my throne name? Re of course, and Amun, but also Ma'at, I think, for I shall be restoring all good things to Kemet. I shall reign with Truth and Justice; Order and Balance shall rule the kingdoms; Harmony and Law will govern the people's lives, while Morality and Generosity bathe their hearts.
Chapter 49
Year 2 (7) Sitre Meryamun Tausret
Tausret said very little when she returned to the palace after the meeting with Setnakhte and Ament took this to mean she was seriously considering the marriage proposal made by the southern General on behalf of his son. It angered him, and a measure of his anger had its roots in jealousy.
"Well, you won't have a better offer than that, will you?"
Tausret said nothing; just looked at him.
"He already has a wife and an heir too, but I don't suppose that matters to you. He's young enough still to pleasure you."
One of the ubiquitous servants entered the room with a wine jug and cups. He hurriedly set the tray on a low table and as he turned to go, bumped the table and some wine slopped over the edge of the jug.
Ament strode over and clipped the servant across the head. "Clumsy oaf!" he roared. "Get out before I batter you senseless." He pushed the servant and the man scurried from the room.
"Don't take your frustrations out on the servants," Tausret said mildly. "It ill becomes you."
"What do you care? I'm just another one of your swarming servants--useful for a time and then cast aside." Ament poured himself a cup of wine and downed it, spilling the rich liquid down his chin and spattering his tunic.
"Where is this coming from?" Tausret asked. "What have I done to offend you?"
"Offend me? You? As if you didn't know." Ament poured more wine and drank more slowly this time, wiping his mouth with his forearm. "I suppose that show out there pleased you? One moment a king in your own right about to lose your throne, the next a queen of a revitalised family with a virile young man to plough your field."
"Pour me some wine, Ament."
Ament scowled but did as he was told, handing Tausret the cup.
"Thank you, Ament." She sipped. "When did you hear me say I accepted Setnakhte's offer?"
"You said you'd consider it. How could you even contemplate it? Just because he's descended from Usermaatre..."
"Is that important?" Tausret asked.
"Well, of course it is. Even I know that a royal lady cannot bed just anyone if she hopes to produce an heir."
"And there is the good of Kemet to consider." A faint smile lit Tausret's face and she sipped from her cup again. "If I did not lie with Ramesses, who should I lie with?"
Ament mumbled something and examined his own cup closely.
"What was that you said, Ament?"
"I said, 'exactly'." He shrugged. "You are the king, you will lie with whomever you choose."
"I'm glad you understand that."
Ament sighed and put down his cup. "My apologies, Sitre Tausret. I don't know what I was thinking, making utterances like that."
"I do," Tausret said softly. Louder, she asked, "You will really help me take the man of my choice to my bed?"
Ament went pale but he nodded. "Whomever you choose, my Lady."
Tausret regarded Ament for a minute, but he stood a few paces away, staring at the floor. "Do you really not know the man I want, Ament?"
Something in her tone made Ament look up and he saw a smile on Tausret's face.
"Don't you know I love you?" she asked.
Ament's jaw dropped open. "Wh...wh...what?" he stuttered.
"Will you hold me, Ament? I am greatly in need of comfort."
Ament did not say anything but stepped forward hesitantly and awkwardly embraced her. After a few moments, she pressed herself against him and laughed.
"You hold me with a show of reluctance, Ament, but your body tells another story."
Ament blushed and held her tightly. "I cannot help it, my Lady, for I have always loved you."
Tausret turned her face up and stood on her toes, kissing Ament gently. A second or two passed and he returned it, hesitantly at first, and then with passion.
"My bedchamber lies t
hrough that door," Tausret said. "Will you not take me there?"
Ament held her at arm's length and searched her face. "Are you sure, my Lady? You are...the king, and I am just a commoner."
"You are not 'just' anything, and as for being sure, I have wanted it almost as long as I have known you."
"Then..."
"Yes."
Ament took Tausret to her bedchamber and together they slaked the love they had felt for so many years. After, they lay together naked on the bed and talked, remembering.
"You are the first...and probably the only man I have truly loved," Tausret said.
"But my Lady, what of the king your husband? Userkheperure?"
"You can use his personal name when we are alone, dear Ament, just as you can call me Tausret or any other term of endearment you choose. None of this 'Lady' nonsense." She snuggled closer. "You have to understand that my marriage to my brother Seti was arranged from an early age. It is standard practice within royal families, and a woman is considered fortunate if she loves the man she must marry. I was very fond of Seti, and I honoured him, but I didn't really love him. Instead I fell in love with a dashing young Leader of Five when he escorted us to Waset so many years ago."
"Even then, my La...Tausret? I fell in love with you too, before I ever knew who you were. I imagined all sorts of things happening between us on that journey."
"Oh? What sorts of things? Tell me."
Ament's hands moved. "I'd rather show you."
He did, and for another long while nothing was said. They slept and woke and made love again. Nobody disturbed them, though servants came and went in the outer rooms. Knowledge of Ament's revised status spread rapidly through the palace but few were surprised by it, having assumed something must already have taken place between a man and a woman who so plainly loved each other.
Toward evening they rose, bathed and sat down to a light meal in the privacy of the royal chambers. Not much was said as they ate, but they looked in each other's eyes and fed each other morsels of food.
"What do we do now?" Ament asked, wiping his lips with a linen napkin.
"Do? We enjoy each other's company for as long a time as the gods allow us."
"There might be a way we can increase that time. I have been thinking."
"What about?"
"About our situation here in Men-nefer and Setnakhte outside."
Tausret sighed and stretched her limbs like a cat. "How like a man to be thinking of what comes next even as he sows his seed. A woman thinks only of the present, of being in her man's arms, but a man always seeks something more."
"That is not true, my love...well, not completely true. We cannot remain in your chambers all our lives...much as I would like to," he added quickly. "Events outside these walls won't wait for us, so we must prepare ourselves."
"I suppose you are right. What is your plan?"
"We can do nothing if we wait behind these walls until the food runs out. The people will most likely throw open the gates and surrender. However, we do not have the strength to fight Setnakhte--he has five legions to our one--unless we can use the northern legions."
"That won't work. Iurudef remains in Iunu, just waiting for the city to fall so he can kneel before Setnakhte. He will never come to our rescue."
"Not if we only send messages," Ament said. "But what if I appeared before him with the royal warrant giving me supreme command of the army? He, or more likely the legion commanders, might see sense then."
"But we're surrounded. The city is effectively walled off from the rest of Ta Mehu. How can you possibly appear before them?"
"A man might be able to slip past the legions unseen."
Tausret shook her head. "It is too dangerous. I won't lose you having just found you."
"I won't get caught. I go and come back to you unharmed; I promise."
"How can you possibly promise that?" Tausret demanded. "This is just another one of the games you men delight in playing. I'm bigger than you, tougher than you, smarter than you. Well, I won't have it. Send somebody else if you must but I won't risk you."
"The legion commanders won't obey anyone else," Ament said gently. "Believe me, there's nothing I want more than to stay here in your arms, but I have to go. If I don't, there's no future for us."
Tausret argued some more but Ament knew he had won, though he wondered why it felt like a loss. It was agreed that Ament would slip out of the city in the middle of the night, so he left the royal suite to make his preparations. He returned late in the evening, dressed in coarse servant's clothing.
"I hardly recognise you," Tausret said.
"As long as the legion commanders do," Ament replied with a grin.
"Here is your letter of authority." Tausret handed over a scroll.
Ament opened it and scanned the contents. He then rolled it back up and slipped it into a small waxed bag, drawing the strings tight. Tausret's gaze was upon him, asking the question she could not bring herself to ask, so he told her.
"The river. It's the only way. I've arranged a diversion and I'll slip into the water at the northern end of the docks, allowing the current to carry me past the blockading boats."
"You can't swim to Iunu."
"Just past the blockade. Then I'll steal a boat."
"Crocodiles?"
"I'll drift for the most part and only swim when I must. If I don't splash around they won't know I'm there."
"If they...if they catch you?"
"I'll bluff it out. I'm just a poor fisherman caught up in the war and looking to get home."
"They won't believe you if you have that document on you."
"I'll get rid of it." Ament stepped closer and took Tausret in his arms. "Stop looking for excuses," he said. "I have to go and I've planned for every eventuality."
"I can't help it. I've only just found you and I can't bear the thought of losing you."
"You won't. I've waited all my life for you and I'm coming back with the legions to rescue you so we can spend the rest of our lives together."
***
Ramose, the Commander of Khent-abt, accompanied Ament to the docks. Earlier, his men had thrown a cordon round the area, limiting the access the people had to the darkened streets and wharfs, and others were now waiting at the opposite end of the city to start a diversion. The two men slipped past the barricades and fortifications and crouched in the darkness near the water's edge. Men-nefer lay silent behind them, and aside from a chorus of frogs in a distant reed bed, the only sound that intruded was the lap of tiny waves against the mud bank.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, sir?" Ramose asked. "Let me get a couple of men to sail a boat through the blockade for you. It's risky swimming."
"A boat would make too much noise," Ament replied. "A lone swimmer, drifting with the current, will pass unnoticed." He rummaged in the bag he held and took out a jar of goose grease, smearing it all over his body.
"What's that for? Is it to make you too slippery to catch or as a tasty treat for the crocodiles?" Ramose stifled laughter.
"It keeps out the cold."
Ramose swirled one hand in the water. "It doesn't feel cold."
"It will after I've been in it an hour or so. I know, I've swum at night before." Ament finished smearing the fat on his body and slung his pouch and a larger waxed bag around his neck. Ramose was just a dark mass beside him but he felt an unspoken question. "Some decent clothes, my insignia of office and a weapon," he murmured. "Wish me good fortune, Ramose."
"Oh, I do sir. I will din the ears of the gods to keep you safe."
"Start the diversion."
Ramose clapped his General on a greasy shoulder and slipped away into the night. Time passed, measured only by the slow creep of the stars across the body of Nut. Just when he thought something must have happened to prevent the diversion, he saw a faint orange glow to the south. The glow grew, and suddenly there were thin streaks of fire arcing out from the city walls and plunging into the river. Then a f
ire arrow hit a boat anchored offshore and flames leapt high. Shouts of alarm came from the blockading boats and a lot of splashing as the sailors tried to extinguish first one and then several fires.
Ament slipped into the water, stroking slowly to carry himself away from the shore. Darkness swallowed him and he stopped swimming, allowing the current to take him. The shouting died away behind him as the fire arrows stopped and the fires on the blockading boats were put out. Ament found that the waterproof bag containing his effects was more buoyant than he had anticipated, and he found himself being pushed up in the water, riding higher than he wanted. There was only starlight to see by, but he needed to slip past the guard boats unseen, and the lower he was in the water, the better. He unslung the bag from around him and paddled one-handed while keeping a tight grip on the waxed goatskin.
He heard low voices, murmuring, somewhere ahead of him and stopped swimming, just letting the river's current carry him. A shape loomed in the darkness, and a dim light cast by a small oil lamp flickering in the night breeze. Ament could just make out two shapes of men, and then the current carried him past. No alarm call was given, and Ament grinned with the relief, lying on his back and letting the cool water carry him away.
The chill of the water bit into his limbs after a while, so he righted himself and started swimming toward what he thought must be the east bank. He was less careful about keeping quiet now that he was past the cordon of boats, knowing that he would have to be ashore and hidden before the dawn. Then a voice called out from very close by, and he immediately ceased swimming, sinking lower in the water.
"There's something out there," the voice said.
"Where?" asked another.
"There. See? Ah...it's a crocodile."
"Huge brute...it's gone..."
Ament was sure they had caught a glimpse of him and misidentified him, but then he felt a swirl in the water and something scaly touched his leg. He almost screamed, and for a few moments seriously considered calling out to the men in the boat for help. Captivity and humiliation was better than death in the jaws of a crocodile. His heart hammering, Ament lay still, waiting for the beast to take him but time passed and nothing happened. He started swimming again, slowly, trying not to disturb the water, and became aware that the current was moving more slowly. This was just as well, as exhaustion and cold sapped the strength from his limbs. It would have been so easy to just lie on his back and let the river take him where it wanted, but he clung to his mission. He thought of Tausret and what his new-found love would mean for the future, and the thoughts warmed his heart, sustaining him through the darkness.