The Forgotten Pharaoh

by David Adkins

  My bed was comfortable and my appetite was satisfied. I could now only contemplate another journey up the Nile back to Thebes and almost certain death. Did I have any allies left at all? I was back to thinking that my only hope was my family once again and that was a very slim chance indeed. How I managed to sleep I do not know but I did.

  I was served an early breakfast and then I was escorted from the governor’s residence and back to the great river where a large vessel was waiting for me. My guards accompanied me on board and it was obvious that they were going to escort me all the way back to Malkata and hand me over to Ay and the palace guard. They watched me very carefully all the time and gave me no chance of possible escape. When the boat had drawn away from the pier and moved towards the middle of the river I thought about jumping overboard. It was a silly idea. I was not a strong swimmer and the river was full of crocodiles. Perhaps a crocodile would be preferable to Ay, I contemplated, but failed to convince myself. I accepted there was no escape and with that conviction I was able to relax. It would be nightfall by the time we reached Malkata and with the advent of darkness perhaps an opportunity for escape would be presented to me. Once again I failed to convince myself.

  It was close to midnight as I was marched through the exotic gardens of Malkata. I felt a sense of doom overwhelming me though I was excited at the prospect of seeing Taduheppa once again. A messenger had been sent on ahead to warn Ay that we would soon be at the palace. No escape opportunity had offered itself to me and I was still flanked by Tolu’s vigilant guard. The moon shone brightly down and illuminated the beautiful gardens of which I was so fond, but I was far from happy to have returned.

  Ay, Ramose and the palace guard were at the palace entrance to welcome us. Ay was smiling that mirthless smile as we approached, and I felt revulsion. The Edfu guard handed me over to Ay, their task successfully completed. “Welcome home, Smenkhkare, it is good to see you again,” he said.

  “It is not good to see you, Ay,” I replied

  “The hour is very late and so I will speak with you properly in the morning. Follow me,” Ay retorted giving me a look of contempt. I was led to my own apartment and pushed inside. “I have bad news for you, Smenkhkare, but it can wait until the morning. Sleep well, though I doubt that you will.”

  “The guard will be at your door,” Ramose added. “Escape is impossible.”

  “I demand to see my mother and Akhenamun,” I replied.

  “You can demand all you want,” Ay replied and closed my door behind him leaving me alone in my apartment.

  I waited a few minutes and pushed the door open gently. There were several guards posted outside and it seemed Ramose was right and escape was impossible. Ay was also right for I did not sleep well as my fears invaded my mind for I knew that my execution was probably imminent.

  Early the next morning Ay and Ramose returned. They sat down uninvited and looked me up and down. “You really are a foolish boy,” Ay observed. “Did you seriously believe that I would not find you? You have caused me considerable trouble, but in a way you have played into my hands and the feelings of your family have hardened against you. Akhenamun has agreed to authorise your execution and so your short time in the world is close to termination. However, I have some other news for you.”

  I scowled at my tormentor. “You will pay for your crimes, Ay, if not in this world then the next.”

  “In just over a week your sister, Nebetah, will marry my son, Ramose, and I am going to allow you to attend before you are executed.”

  “Your son, Ramose,” I gasped.

  “My wife only gave me a daughter, Nefertiti, before she then died in childbirth. It is such a long time ago now. However, I had an illegitimate son with a woman from the harem and that son is Ramose.”

  “You kept this hidden all this time,” I said.

  “Your father would not have approved, and my position was not as secure as it is now. Your father was religious and believed in the sanctity of the family. I gave Ramose a prominent position in my household and he has proved a great asset to me. While you were on the run I acknowledged him as my true son and your family have accepted it.”

  “Is that how you see him as an asset,” I asked.

  “On the contrary, he is much more than an asset. Ramose and Nefertiti are the only two people in this world I love. I have total power and two wonderful children. What more could a man want?” he grinned at me.

  “A life,” I said.

  “You have forfeited that,” said Ramose. “You will die after I marry Nebetah, and I shall watch you die.”

  “My poor sister, to have to marry such a vile individual as you,” I said with feeling.

  Ramose went to strike me but Ay pulled him back. “It will be a great torment for him to witness your marriage to his dear and stupid little sister, and so there is no need for violence, Ramose.”

  I flinched at the intended attack and then thought about retaliating by attacking Ramose or Ay. I thought better of it for the armed guards were at their side. “She is not so stupid that she will not see you for what you are,” I said to Ramose.

  “That is not the only news I have for you, Smenkhkare,” said Ay. “There will be a second marriage, but unfortunately you will not be able to attend this one for I need you dead to make it happen.”

  I gasped with horror as realisation at what his words meant filtered into my beleaguered brain.

  He continued. “Very soon after your execution I will marry Taduheppa. She will be a good match for me as Nebetah will be for my son.” He smiled with satisfaction. “I have always admired her spirit and her great beauty.”

  “She will never marry you, Ay,” I sneered.

  “She has already consented to do so. She is a pragmatist and she is ambitious. She knows that I am the power in the land.”

  “You are an old man,” I said with disgust.

  “Not so old that I cannot enjoy the body of a beautiful young woman.” He laughed at my distress.

  I was stunned. Could Taduheppa really have consented to this travesty of a marriage? She was a Mitanni princess and of too high a rank for a mere vizier.

  “I am a member of your family,” Ay reminded me as if reading my mind.

  “A distant one,” I reminded him.

  He shrugged. “It is all settled. First Ramose will be married, then you will die and then I will be married. There is much to look forward to in Malkata. You will remain in your apartment under arrest until Ramose is married in ten days’ time. It will be as before; your servants will attend to your needs with the exception of Murat and Turet. You will be well guarded and you will not be allowed any visitors.”

  “Where are Murat and Turet?” I demanded.

  He ignored my question. “I will return later today for I have not finished with you yet.” They turned and exited my apartment.

  I was left to mull over his words and wallow in my immense sorrow. Worst of all for my tormented mind was the knowledge that Ay would soon marry my wife Taduheppa. I could not bear to think of that terrible prospect.

  A few hours later Ay returned once again flanked by the usual guards. “It is a hot day outside,” he observed.

  “I demand to see my family,” I said. “You cannot stop me seeing them.”

  “I think you will find I can. Now here is Ramose.”

  Ramose entered clutching a wicker basket. I stared at the basket in absolute horror, remembering the contents of the previous two. Ramose placed the basket on the floor and gave me an inviting look. Ay was grinning and appeared expectant. I did not wait for any words; I strode over to the basket and threw the lid at Ramose who ducked and grinned even wider. Once again and almost in a trance I removed the blood-stained cloth that covered the contents. This time it was the pale, lifeless face of Murat staring up at me. I retched and convulsions passed through my body as I felt as if I was going to choke. First it had been Coreb and now it was Murat.

  “This is what happens to traitors,” Ay warned me.<
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  “Then it will happen to you,” I replied coldly and full of hate.

  “I rather doubt that,” he replied.

  “I will kill you,” I said.

  “I doubt that too. You may wish to, but you never will. In fact I have a third basket reserved for your head and then I will have a set. Your execution is imminent and will take place the day after my son’s marriage.”

  I scowled. “My family will save me.” Unfortunately these words sounded hollow because I did not really believe them myself.

  Ay shook his head. “They will not.”

  “Send my wife to me. I wish to see her,” I demanded.

  “My wife-to-be,” he smiled. “I have told you that you will have no visitors.”

  “Not even my mother,” I sighed.

  “No, you will not see your mother and you will not see me for a few days, but you will continue to be well guarded. Do not try to speak with anyone from your balcony. There will be guards posted in the gardens as well as outside your door. I will return just before the marriage of Ramose and Nebetah. I want you to witness it, but you will be well guarded at the ceremony and you will not be allowed to speak with anyone there.

  “I wish to see my brother, Akhenamun. He is pharaoh and so you cannot stop me seeing him.”

  “Akhenamun is not in Thebes. He has gone north to find a site for his new capital. He intends to call it Amarna.”

  “A new capital?” I gasped in disbelief.

  “He wants a break with the past and a new capital will provide that. You must know he does not believe in the old gods and wishes to make Aten the one, new supreme god. A vast new temple will be built to Aten in Amarna.”

  “He cannot unravel hundreds of years of Egyptian history,” I offered.

  “He is pharaoh and so he can, and I will support him for it will make my position even stronger and it will make him even more dependent on me. This need not concern you, Smenkhkare, for you will never see it happen.”

  I watched Ramose replace the lid on the basket and pick it up. I stared, once again in shock at the basket. “How did Murat die?” I asked.

  “He died because he helped you. He died when I plunged my sword into his body,” Ramose boasted.

  I looked at Ramose open-mouthed. My dear sister, Nebetah, was soon to marry this creature.

  “Now we must go,” Ay said. “The servants who will attend you are all in my pay so do not bother to try to persuade them to come to your aid. They fear me far too much to listen to your words or bribes. You will see nobody else but them until I return. Ay swept up his robe and exited my apartment followed closely by his obnoxious son, Ramose.

  I collapsed on my bed. Murat, like Coreb, had paid the ultimate price for supporting me. I was wracked with grief and guilt. I thought of poor Lia, the daughter of the metal-worker who had loved Murat. I hated Ay and Ramose with all my being, but I was helpless and could do nothing. Soon I would be dead like my dear friends and it was probable that there would be no tomb for me in the valley of the dead and no afterlife for me. At least Thutmose was allowed that rite of passage.

  ****

  It was now a question of waiting for Ay to return which would then signal how close my execution would be. I had not even asked him how I was to die. One death would be as good as another as long as it was relatively painless. I fervently hoped I would not have to suffer too much pain.

  The days passed until I calculated it was three days before the coming marriage, and then early in the morning I surprisingly had some unexpected but welcome visitors. The new chief royal wife, Nefertiti, accompanied by my Mitanni wife, Taduheppa, entered my rooms and I looked at them with astonishment and with pleasure.

  “It is so good to see you again,” I gasped as I looked at my beautiful wife. I had almost forgotten just how good she looked.

  She smiled at my obvious pleasure. “We are leaving,” she said.

  I stared at her in astonishment. “How can we be leaving?”

  Nefertiti answered my question. “I have arranged for transport for you to go to the Mitanni capital, Washukanni. You must leave immediately for my father and Ramose return tomorrow and then it could be a little awkward.” I stared in equal astonishment at Ay’s beautiful daughter. Was I dreaming this or had two goddesses come to rescue me? “Gather all that you need for the journey and do it quickly,” Nefertiti commanded. She had already acquired the demeanour of a queen.

  “But the guards will stop us,” I offered.

  “They will obey me. I am Nefertiti, Queen of Egypt. In the absence of my husband, who is at the new proposed capital, Amarna, I am in charge at Malkata. You will be allowed to leave.” Taduheppa nodded agreement with her friend’s words.

  “What of Ay?” I said.

  “He is at Amarna with Akhenamun.”

  “When he returns he will send the guard or the army after me and I will not get far,” I put to her.

  “He will not do that, for my husband is the pharaoh and he will order Ay not to pursue you. Your journey to Washukanni will be unhindered.”

  “He will not take any notice of my brother.” I was sure in my conviction.

  “My husband will make sure he does and I will be at Akhenamun’s side supporting him. We both know that Ay’s power must be curbed if Akhenamun is to rule Egypt as pharaoh. This is just the beginning.”

  Her words brought me joy but I was still unconvinced. “I wish you luck, but why would Akhenamun help me to escape? He wants me dead.”

  “You have been mistaken about Akhenamun all along, Smenkhkare. He did not know that my father had plans to murder Thutmose or you. Akhenamun was ambitious and he had no wish to become a priest, but he would never have agreed to such measures.”

  “He was happy enough to accept what Ay had done,” I reminded her.

  “That is not true. He was happy enough to take power but he will never forgive Ay for the murder of Thutmose. He may never have had much time for you, Smenkhkare, but you are his brother and he does not intend to let you die at Ay’s hands.”

  “There is trouble ahead between your husband and your father, Nefertiti.”

  She nodded her head. “But my husband is pharaoh, not my father, Smenkhkare.”

  “Why are you doing this for me, Nefertiti?” I asked.

  “I support my husband in this and not my father. Your wife has become a great friend to me and I will not leave her to her fate. I have always had a fondness for you, Smenkhkare, for I watched you grow up. Like Akhenamun, I am not prepared to let you die. I too have to exert my authority alongside my husband as Queen of Egypt.”

  “You will be a great Queen, Nefertiti, and I will always be in your debt.”

  “Now stop talking, Smenkhkare, and gather up your belongings,” said Taduheppa. “We must leave quickly.”

  “You are coming with me?” I could not believe how suddenly I was so fortunate. My glorious wife was coming with me.

  “Of course, I am,” she said.

  “You want to be with me?” I felt another glow of pleasure.

  She laughed. “Do not get ahead of yourself, Smenkhkare. I do not wish to be forced into marriage with Ay. I also wish to return to Washukanni to see my father and family once again.”

  I felt a tinge of disappointment. “Will I be welcome at Washukanni?”

  “Yes you will because you are my husband and a member of the Egyptian royal family. You will be useful to my father, but we can talk about all these things on the long journey ahead of us. Now you must quickly gather up the belongings you wish to take.”

  I rushed to get what I needed and then I followed the two women out of my room. The guards were still placed at my door and they looked fearfully at me as I left. Ay had obviously ordered them to stop me leaving and Nefertiti had countermanded those orders. They were confused and frightened for their lives but they made no attempt to stop me.

  I entered the blinding sunlight of the exotic Malkata gardens and my transport awaited me as did, I hoped, a new life wit
h Taduheppa. There were two wagons that hardly matched the caravans with which Taduheppa had entered Malkata, an event that seemed such a long time ago now.

  “One wagon is for me and Turet and the other for Rana and the rest of my servants.” Turet waved to me from her mistress’s wagon and I grinned and waved back. It was a relief to me to know that Turet still lived.

  “What about me?” I asked.

  “There are horses and camels and we also have tents and supplies,” she replied.

  “I have also placed several of the palace guards under your command, Smenkhkare,” said Nefertiti. “They will provide protection for your small group in case of attack from bandits.”

  “You have thought of everything,” I thanked her, and then my heart missed a beat for I could see consternation suddenly appearing on the beautiful face of the Egyptian queen. I looked up and striding towards us was the general Horemheb with a number of soldiers following swiftly behind him.

  “What is he doing in Malkata?” I asked Nefertiti.

  “I have no idea,” she replied cautiously.

  “What is going on here?” asked Horemheb, but there was no hostility in his words.

  “Why are you not at the army camp?” I answered a question with a question.

  He smiled. “Are you leaving Malkata, Smenkhkare?”

  “I am,” I said with bravado.

  “Does Ay know about this?” The huge man was still smiling.

  Nefertiti answered him. “My father and husband are in Amarna and I am in charge at Malkata. They have my leave to depart.”

  Horemheb stroked his chin. “Does your husband know about this, my queen?”

  “He does,” she replied firmly.

  “That is very interesting, very interesting indeed,” he said knowingly. “I will of course obey my queen and not obstruct the departure of the prisoner, Smenkhkare, and his Mitanni wife. In answer to the question as to why I am not at the army camp I bring grave news. I have reports that Kushite forces are on the move far to the south.”