by David Adkins
Following the royal family was a group of many priests led by the head priest. Behind the head priest was a sledge pulled by oxen and led by three of his more illustrious colleagues. These priests poured donkey’s milk over the firm, desert sands to help the sledge move more smoothly. I could not help being disrespectful as I remembered Taduheppa emerging naked from her bath of donkey’s milk. My wife was at my side and she grinned at me as if she read my thoughts. My mother joined us. “It is good to see you both getting on well at last,” she said.
“Yes, mother,” I replied.
She continued. “It is also good to hear that you have dropped these absurd accusations against Akhenamun and that you have resorted back to your former self.”
“Things have been difficult of late,” I responded.
“I know you took the death of your brother badly and then there was the awful incident with the cobra. After the funeral I will make it my business to find out which servant was responsible for such an action. Ay is wonderful on palace security and he has an idea on who it might have been.”
“Who?” I asked.
“I should not tell you but I will put you on alert. Ay believes that your servant Murat cannot be trusted.”
“Really, mother.” I gasped at the audacity of Ay.
Tiye walked back to the other members of the family and said something to Ay. Taduheppa whispered in my ear. “They think you are being a good little boy again. How little do they know.”
The sledge was moving smoothly, and on the sledge was the substitute for my father – a priest wrapped in linen. The preservation process had already started on my father who was at rest and protected in his open tomb. I glanced at the crouching figure that represented my father and smiled. I could not help feeling that some of the rituals that the priests insisted upon were strange and obviously Taduheppa found them bewildering. “A strange lot you Egyptians are,” she commented quietly.
Musicians walked among the procession playing their instruments and priests leaped about wearing their animal masks. The presence of Anubis was particularly prevalent as many priests wore the head of a jackal. Behind the priests followed notables who had been able to make the journey to Thebes for such a prestigious occasion. At the rear of the procession came the servants and slaves who carried items that would be buried in the tomb for use in the afterlife. The array of furniture, clothes, jewellery and even weapons was quite staggering. My father would be very well off in the afterlife as he had been in his mortal life.
We slowly made our way through the valley to the accompaniment of religious music. Iset came to talk with me, followed closely by my other sister Nebetah. “I hear that you accepted the official line,” she said. Nebetah scolded her. “Do not provoke him, sister.”
It seemed strange to me that Iset, to whom I had never been close, believed in my concerns while Nebetah, with whom I had shared so much over the years, was sceptical. It saddened me a little. “It seemed the sensible thing to do,” I explained.
“You have become a disappointment,” said Iset and walked away.
“Take no notice of her,” said Nebetah. “You are doing the right thing to accept what is undoubtedly the truth.”
Ay then came over to join us. “I think I heard Iset say that you have accepted the official line. If you achieve manhood then you may realise that is the only line possible for a member of your family.” There was a degree of scorn in his words.
“I intend to live for a long time yet, Ay.”
Ay put his arm around Nebetah. “Come, I think Akhenamun wants to speak with you,” he said and they left us.
“Can we execute him too, please,” said Taduheppa.
I was not sure if she was joking. “I am tempted,” I replied. I looked at Akhenamun, Ay and Nebetah talking. They were pointing at the tekenu who was still reclining on the sledge. “They are talking about the coming ceremony,” I added. I noted that Akhenamun had not said a single word to me since we left Malkata. He had clearly not forgiven me but then I had not forgiven him either.
We had arrived at the tomb. The first chamber was the tomb temple where my father was at rest, and deeper into the tomb was the chamber in which the body of Thutmose would be sealed. I would be able to tell him that I was keeping my promise. Each member of my family went in to have few private words with my father, Amenhotep, before the embalming process began. I kissed him on the forehead in greeting but I could not bring myself to speak to him. I had rarely spoken to him when he lived so there was equally little to say now that he was dead. The priestess of Isis entered as I was looking at my father and wailed at the passing of a great pharaoh, burned some incense and left. I shook my head at him and thought how astonished he would be if he knew that his successor would be his idiot son, Smenkhkare, the son he was so ashamed of. I kissed his forehead again. “I am not the idiot now, father.”
This was mainly Thutmose’s day and the family and chief priests gathered in his tomb for the opening-of-the-mouth ceremony. This was the most important ceremony and would set Thutmose off on his great journey to the afterlife. Everything was ready; his mummy was prepared and his needed possessions had been assembled. The sky boat was ready to take him on his final journey. The head priest placed the palm of his hands on the sarcophagus and started his prayers. He then touched the mouth, eyes, ears and nose to awaken the senses. Thutmose could breathe again and when he reached the afterlife he would be able to speak and use his body and his limbs. More prayers were said by the priest and now he could eat, drink and function again. My brother was transformed into a divine being and could take his place at the side of Osiris in the realm of the Gods. The priestess burned more incense and we each took one more look at Thutmose before the coffin lid was put in place. You will be avenged was the thought that I sent to him as I took my last look at my much-loved brother. I knew he understood, and that would make his journey to the afterlife even more serene.
We exited his tomb chamber, past the empty tomb intended for my father and through the tomb temple, in a solemn group but now it was time for celebrations. We would now have a feast to celebrate the start of Thutmose’s glorious journey to the afterlife and when the feast came to an end the tomb chamber of Thutmose would be sealed. We were all happy for Thutmose was, in theory, no longer dead. The problem was that I knew he was still dead despite the promises and acclamations of the priests.
It was a huge banquet for the pharaoh’s eldest son. Dancers performed the sacred dances and musicians played the sacred tunes. Taduheppa danced with the man she despised but this time she also danced with me. Wine and beer flowed in copious amounts and food was consumed on a huge scale and I knew that in 60 days it would be repeated all over again for my father. We had all drunk and eaten our fill and the tomb had been sealed when we returned on the royal barque for the journey back to Malkata. I was the exception for I had been cautious, knowing I had such a big day ahead. Ay occupied the seat next to me on the boat much to my distaste. “You were not celebrating as hard as your siblings,” he observed.
“It is not my way.”
“It is not my way either.” He smiled his mirthless smile. “I think, Smenkhkare, that our feuding has gone on long enough. Perhaps I will bring you a gift to show you the sincerity of my words.”
“I am touched, Ay, but that is not necessary.”
He shrugged. “A new era is about to begin and—”
“May I sit next to my husband?” Taduheppa interrupted him.
Ay moved away and Taduheppa sat next to me. “What did he want?”
“I am not sure,” I replied.
Night had fallen when the royal barque docked at Malkata. We crossed the gardens and we all made our way to our separate apartments. I was sorry to be alone for I knew that sleep would not be easy, for in some ways I dreaded the coming day.
“Good luck tomorrow, husband,” Taduheppa whispered in my ear as she left me to return to her own apartment. It would be a long night.
Chapter 11
It was indeed a long night or so it seemed. My sleep was intermittent and punctuated with fears of the reaction of my family to what I had done. I was confident that my plot had not been discovered because Akhenamun and Ay had attended the funeral and did not appear suspicious. I roused myself from my interrupted sleep and rose from my bed before dawn and hastily dressed in one of my finest tunics. I wanted to look my best when I entered Malkata at the head of the army.
It was still dark when I stealthily left the palace and made my way through the vast gardens towards the exit gate close to the river. It was the very early hours of the morning and the palace and the world seemed quiet and at peace. When I reached the gate I looked back at the palace which was barely visible in the poor light. I did have a final regret with regard to what I was doing, but assured myself that this action was essential if I was to be sure of surviving and avenging my brother, Thutmose. I left the palace behind me and made my way south following the course of the river Nile and being cautious to avoid any of the night dangers.
I did not travel far, for the plan was that I should meet Coreb and his troops close to the palace. I would then take my place in a chariot next to Coreb and we would make a grand entrance into Malkata. There was no sign of Coreb or the army. This puzzled me considerably for I felt there had to be some sign of the assembled troops. It would be a small army of selected troops for even a small brigade would heavily outnumber the palace guard. I waited but there was still no sign of my troops and I grew ever more concerned for even a small army should make its presence known.
The rays of the rising sun were now making a spectacular appearance above the distant horizon and I was still quite alone. I decided to make my way further down the river for it was possible they had assembled further to the south than originally planned. I walked for an hour but there was still no evidence of any army. The world was still completely at peace but I was beginning to feel a sense of panic. The call of the birds as they flew above the waters of the great river seemed to mock me and I knew now that something was seriously wrong. I decided to wait a bit longer feeling that Coreb would surely get a message to me if he had temporarily called off the coup for some reason.
I waited but no army appeared and no message arrived. Coreb had certainly aborted our plan, of that there was no doubt. Perhaps he had encountered some unforeseen complication and it was difficult to get a message to me. When the middle of the morning was reached I decided that I could not stand around waiting any longer. I had two options as I saw it. The first was to return to Malkata and behave as if nothing had happened and wait for a message from Coreb. The second was to find a boat and cross the Nile to the army encampment and seek out Coreb for an explanation.
I decided on the first option. If Coreb had a problem I did not want to wander into it and perhaps add to it by my presence which might further complicate matters. I also knew that Taduheppa would be at her wits end with worry when it became obvious that I was not going to appear at the head of a conquering army.
I trudged my way north once again staying close to the mighty river until Malkata came into sight. I was nervous with the fear that the plot had been discovered and that was why Coreb had not taken the intended action. I entered the gate that I had exited hours ago before dawn and all was still peaceful. To my relief there was no Akhenamun and the palace guard were not waiting to arrest me for treason. Malkata was bathed in sunlight and there was no sign of any human activity in the gardens. The palace was still at rest after the exertions of the previous day. However, I did not let the silence fool me completely for I knew something had gone badly wrong. As I made my way through the exotic gardens I felt growing trepidation and wondered if I should turn around and even now cross the river and seek out Coreb at the army camp.
I then saw Taduheppa rushing from the palace. She hurried towards me, her long green dress flapping around her ankles and blending in with exotic green plants of the Malkata gardens.“What has happened?” she demanded.
“Coreb and the army did not turn up,” I said simply.
She grabbed my arm. “Look, the gardeners are beginning to start work, and so let us get back to your apartment where we can talk secretly without interruption.”
“They are late in starting work,” I commented.
She looked at me with a degree of scorn. “Come,” she said. I followed her into the palace and along the empty corridors towards my apartment.
We dived inside and closed the door behind us. “Well, what happened, Smenkhkare?”
“I told you, Coreb and his army did not turn up. I waited and I waited but they did not show, so I returned to the palace.”
“You are a fool. Everyone thinks you are an idiot and I should have listened to them. I should have known not to trust you with such an undertaking. We have probably been discovered.”
Once again I felt a degree of panic and hit back. “I should not have trusted you, Taduheppa. You were the only one who knew of our plans. Did you sell them to Akhenamun for the price of being his chief wife?”
She slapped me hard across the face and stormed out of my apartment. My face tingled and reddened from the force of the blow and I was at a loss at what to do next. I called for Murat, but instead a female servant answered my call. “Where is Murat?” I demanded.
“I do not know,” the nervous servant replied.
I dismissed her with a wave of my hand. It seemed that Coreb and Murat had both disappeared and I was left with my treacherous wife. I had to think and form some sort of plan in case the plot had been discovered as I feared. I had to think what to say in my defence – or should I simply flee the palace.
Murat then hurried into my apartment, his face full of concern. “I heard you were back and wanted to see me,” he said.
“Cross the Nile and see Coreb at the army encampment. I want a full report from Coreb on where we stand in our undertaking. Now hurry and come back as soon as possible for I need to know what the situation is.”
His eyes were full of understanding at my plight. “I will go immediately and return with news,” he said and quickly strode out of my apartment. I was left to continue to ponder on what could have gone wrong.
My thoughts were soon interrupted by the return of my wife. She entered my chamber arm in arm with my sister, Nebetah. My sister was smiling nervously. “Taduheppa said you wanted to speak with me, brother.”
“Did I?” I replied somewhat bewildered.
What happened next took me completely by surprise. Taduheppa struck Nebetah a blow across the face so hard it knocked my sister off her feet. She was kneeling on the floor, sobbing as Taduheppa took a fistful of her hair and forced her to look at me. “Tell your brother how you have betrayed him,” she demanded.
“I have done nothing,” protested Nebetah.
“Have you gone mad, Taduheppa? Let my sister go,” I said disbelieving the scene that I was witnessing.
She did not let her go but instead kicked Nebetah in the ribs which resulted in more sobs. “She is always sniffing around the palace and having secret talks with Akhenamun. She knew what you were up to because you had part confided in her, believing her to be your dear, innocent little sister.”
I looked at Nebetah. “Is there any truth in these accusations,” I asked.
“No!” she screamed.
Taduheppa then began to drag Nebetah by her hair across my apartment from the outer chamber to the inner chamber and then towards the balcony and I followed bemused. “I am going to throw you over the top if you do not tell the truth,” she threatened.
I was about to intervene on my sister’s behalf when Nebetah sobbed. “I did not mean any harm to come to Smenkhkare.”
I was stunned by these words and I knelt down on the floor facing Nebetah while Taduheppa stood over her, still holding her hair in a tight grip like a dark avenging angel of death. “Tell me everything,” I said sympathetically.
“I am so sorry, brother, but I did not think it would come to this,�
� she wailed.
“Tell him!” Taduheppa demanded giving her hair another tug.
“Let her talk,” I said to Taduheppa.
Nebetah groaned and started to speak. “Father and mother had found a husband for me. It was the King of the Kushites and he is an old man. I was desperate for I did not want to marry him and leave Malkata to live in Kush.”
“Why did you not tell me?” I asked.
“What could you have done?”
“What has this to do with my present predicament?” I asked.
“When father became seriously ill I went to plead my case with Akhenamun as he would shortly be the new pharaoh. I could not bear to leave Malkata, Smenkhkare, for this is my home and I love it here. I could not be sent to some strange land and marry an old man.”
“Was Akhenamun sympathetic?” I asked for I knew that he had always been kindly disposed towards his little sister, perhaps the only person he was kind to.
“Yes, he promised me that I would not have to leave Malkata.”
“What was the price of his promise?” I asked starting to feel uneasy at these revelations.
“He said that he would make me his minor wife but I would not have to live in the harem with the other minor wives.”
“You were happy with that arrangement to be a minor wife?” I was astounded. “You are a princess of Egypt.”
She sobbed again. “He was being kind to me. He said I could then stay in Malkata and be with the man I love.”
I was even more astounded. “The man you love?” I repeated.
“Ramose,” she sobbed.
I could not believe my ears. My sister was in love with Ay’s steward. “Did you know of my plans and did you tell Akhenamun about them?”
“I had worked them out by what you had said to me and by your numerous visits to Coreb. I feared that you were planning a revolt. Akhenamun is the rightful heir and he had made me promises.”
“So you were willing to sacrifice me to be with your lover?”