Chapter Four: The most you've lost

"How was this allowed to happen?" Atemu hissed, waving his hands about animatedly as he paced about. He had moved to anger over this incident, opposed to sadness, feeling someone needed to pay for this. "They train for months, get access to the best weapons and armor in the world, are told precisely what to do...and for what? That was exactly the sort of thing we trained them to prevent, and they failed!"

"Honey." His mother attempted to soothe. "When you're...an important person, of high status, these are the risks you take when you wake up in the morning. Pharoahs have been targeted in many assassination attempts over the years, it comes with the job. Your father knew the risk."

The prince, Amaunet, Aknadin, Seto, and a guard were positioned within the small room, which contained only a few chairs along the walls, and a large bed on which Pharoah Aknamkanon was laying. Covered by a white sheet, eyes closed, stable but unconscious. Amaunet, Aknadin and Seto were seated, the guard stood in front of the doorway in and out of the room.

"It doesn't matter. We had guards in position, we had security protocols planned, and they failed! Why is that?" Atemu insisted, looking down at his father every few steps. "Are we ever going to get a status update on him?"

"No one's denying that security failed us." Amaunet said, her hands folded in her lap. "But my point is, whoever these people are, they wanted the Pharoah dead badly, so don't blame yourself."

Atemu froze midstep, whipping his head around to face his mother. "What?" He breathed.

"I know what you're...thinking, somewhere in the back of your mind." She explained slowly. "I know that, deep down, you partially blame yourself, and you shouldn't."

"Well, it was his party." Aknadin interjected, arms crossed over his chest, sitting to the left of Amaunet. "It was his idea to have it open to the general public. No security measure in the world can offer full protection against a party like that."

"Aknadin." Amaunet said warningly. "Please."

"No, he should hear this." Aknadin insisted. "Royalty isn't supposed to mix with the commoners like that, and we never had to before you demanded it at your birthday parties so feverishly! But your father has to spoil you so much, he actually gives in to this request, which no Pharoah before would have even considered!" He stood up and pointed at Atemu's chest. "Those parties exposed the Pharoah to more danger than any Pharoah in the history of Egypt had ever exposed himself to before!"

"Stop!" Amaunet hissed. "Don't be ridiculous. You don't just make an attempt on the Pharoah's life for fun. Maybe the party left Aknamkanon in the open, but if he wasn't at the party, these...assassins would have just found another opportunity to make the attempt. The party didn't change anything."

"Made it easier." Aknadin grunted. "And he's eighteen now, stop sugarcoating everything."

"Well, it doesn't matter. Whoever these people were, they would have done whatever it took to take him down." She said, finality in her voice.

That caused Atemu to pause for a moment, thinking. "Who were these people?" He finally asked. "Who would want my father dead? Want it enough to organize an assassionation attempt like this?"

"Any neighboring country, looking to take our land and resources." Aknadin mused. "An old enemy that we don't know about. Perhaps simply an agent of chaos, wishing to spread havoc on Egypt."

Quite suddenly, a duo of guards stormed into the room, sidestepping the one guarding the threshold quickly and coming to attention before Atemu.

"More bad news, sir." The one on the right quickly began, catching his breath even as he delivered the information. "A stealth attack was launched on the temple. Three low level priests dead."

Atemu felt his stomach turn and his heart go into overdrive, clutching at it nervously. They weren't talking to anyone else. He wasn't just listening for the sake of knowing what was going on. They were telling him, and only him.

"The murderers?" He wheezed out.

"Killed." The guard continued. "Furthermore, one of the water tanks in the barracks was contaminated with poison, leaving dozens dead or sick. And...Rahotep has been killed as well."

Atemu nearly fell right over at this. Rahotep was the Pharoah's best and favorite assassin. Experienced, strong, agile, intelligent, large, feared, respected, and proficient with all weapons, Rahotep was always to be counted on in cases of singular, significant kills. For years, he had been depended on in so many ways, and even Atemu had grown somewhat close to him. Well, they occasionally held short conversations and saw each other in passing. But he was hardly a faceless, nameless, expendable soldier.

"Why are we just being informed?" Aknadin asked suddenly, quick to compose himself in the face of adversity.

"It just happened...all three incidents came to fruition as one." The guard continued to elaborate. "We hurried here as quickly as we could."

A light knock came from the threshold leading into the room. Everyone in the room rapidly turned to face a small, wiry man, looking confused and scared as he examined the overly busy room, his fist resting on the wall where he had knocked.

"Excuse me?" He began quietly. "What's going on?"

"There's been an incident." Aknadin said briskly, as Atemu stood rooted to the spot, paralysed by all this activity and confusion. "Are you here about Aknamkanon's condition?"

He nodded quickly. "Yes."

"Well, what?" Atemu demanded, snapping out of his state of inactivity, given knowledge concerning his father was the subject.

"Well...the Pharoah has fallen into...what we call a 'comatose' state. He's unconscious, asleep, and he's simply going to stay like that. He can't be awoken like a normal unconscious or asleep person can be. He's stuck there." The physician described.

"For how long?" Atemu asked, looking down at his father slowly, laying peacefully on the bed.

"Well, comatose states are completely unpredictable. He could wake up...now...tomorrow...a year, ten years...he could never wake up, and one day just die." The doctor said nervously, feeling a distinct 'kill the messenger' vibe from the unstable Atemu. "There's nothing we can do to accelerate the revival process. He's stable, all we can do is work to keep him there."

Atemu gulped down a load of bile, slowly walking towards the bed. "There's...there's nothing-"

"I'm sorry, Prince Atemu." The doctor said sadly. "At this point, we have no idea if he'll wake up or not, of when he'll wake up if he does." With that, he bowed and quickly backed out of the room, hoping to avoid any form of punishment for this message.

Atemu bit his lower lip, reaching his hand down to grab his father's hand, raising it up slightly. He felt the anger within him, replaced by sadness. He had been confronted by hard evidence that there was a good chance his father was, for all intents and purposes, dead. He couldn't even imagine such a world. He was in the middle of a reign marked by stability and happiness, by stern kindness and wise leadership. It wasn't his time...it couldn't be his time...

"Sir!" Came an exclamation from the doorway. Atemu snapped his head around to find yet another guard, cramming himself into the already-packed room. "I bring an important message!" He gasped, breathing heavily, attempting to catch his breath.

Atemu just stood there, rock still, for a few seconds, until nobody else responded. "Come in." He managed to squeak. "You two...you're excused." He said in barely a whisper, motioning towards the two guards. They bowed deeply and backed out of the room.

"The man who assassinated Rahotep had a message on his person, to be delivered to the Pharoah, apparently." He swallowed hard, then moved forward to present a small piece of rolled up parchment to Atemu.

Atemu glared at it for a few seconds, unsure of how to react, before slowly looking up to the messenger. He opened his mouth, then quickly closed it back up, not sure what to say.

"Go on, son." Amaunet said quietly, snapping Atemu's attention to her. "Take it. You're the Pharoah now."

"My father isn't dead yet." Atemu said reflexively. "No, I'm not. My father is still alive."

"He is incapable of acting as Pharoah. As such, you must succeed him." Amaunet said soothingly. "Please, Atemu. Just do it. We'll talk about your father's condition and status later."

Atemu gulped down some bile, then extended a shaking hand out for the slip of parchment. The guard extended it out further, assisting in the transfer. Atemu grabbed it, prying the end open with his fingernail and unrolling it.

He swallowed again, looking at the writing on it. "We need to talk. You can't bring your father back from the dead, but you can save yourself, your kingdom, and begin your own reign with a new influx of gold. Message us back soon, and further violence can be avoided." He slowly looked up at his mother and uncle. "Jacob."

Aknadin grunted. "I knew those Israelis loved their gold. I knew they were ruthless. But this-" he shook his head. "This is beyond crossing the line. You don't start aggressive negotiations by killing the Pharoah."

"Do they really believe we'd go into business with them...help them...after this?" Amaunet said to no one in particular.

Aknadin snorted. "Do we have a choice?" He stood up and began to pace about. "Who knows what else they're capable of? Especially during a shifting of power from one Pharoah to another. We're vulnerable and unstable. And they know it."

"Israel is such a distance away." Amaunet pointed out. "Do they really believe they can hold a war over such a long distance? Do they honestly believe they could consistantly count on stealth attacks to succeed over several countries?"

"They're backed by all surrounding countries." Aknadin theorized. "They need Egyptian cooperation for the narcotics trade to be all it can be."

Both Amaunet and Aknadin looked right at Atemu, who hadn't spoken since finishing the note.

"Honey, why don't you go to bed? It's late. I know your head must be...swimming right now. We can talk about what to do in the morning. I'll arrange for the priests to have an induction ceremony for you first thing tomorrow, and then we'll talk about this situation." Amaunet advised.

Atemu swallowed hard, yet again, then nodded slowly. And then, he stiffly marched out of the room, dearly hoping he might wake up right about now.

""""

"I'm sorry, Atemu." Seto said, trying to sound sympathetic, something he wasn't terribly good at. "I really am."

It was before sunrise, within Atemu's lavish room. Atemu hadn't been able to sleep well that night, for obvious reasons, so had decided to rise early and call in Seto to talk. He was seated on the bed, holding a half-dozen golden coins in his hand, flipping them around absentmindedly. Seto stood up before him, at attention, trying to adjust his demeanor to one of a person standing before the Pharoah.

"It's nobodies' fault." Atemu replied. "And stop standing like that. You're still my brother and my best friend, Seto. Nothing can change that."

Slowly, uneasily, Seto eased up, moving next to Atemu and sitting down on the bed next to him. "So what are you thinking?"

Atemu took a deep breath. "I'm thinking that I should have kept my mouth shut at that dinner. I'm thinking I shouldn't have had that party. I'm thinking I should have spent more time listening to the advice of my father over the years. It's times like this that magnify every mistake you've ever made, Seto."

"What's done is done." Seto insisted. "What matters now is how you respond to this, that's what people will remember."

"Are you sure about that?" Atemu said, rattling the coins in his hand. "There's a reason why their first move was to knock off my father. They knew I was hot for the drug deal because of what I said at that dinner."

"Are you still hot for it?" Seto asked.

"Yes." Atemu admitted. "But that's neither here nor there. If I take their offer, it's not because I want to make gold."

"When's the induction ceremony?" Seto asked.

"Sunrise." Atemu said quickly. "This isn't right. My father isn't dead yet."

"I actually did some reading last night." Seto said quickly. "In situations where a Pharoah is incapable of acting as ruler, the heir will take over, as if the Pharoah was dead. When the previous Pharoah is capable of acting as ruler again, the new Pharoah will have the option of either keeping his position or handing it back over."

"I see." Atemu said, nodding slightly. "I suppose I can't count on him to wake up in time to deal with this situation. He'd know what to do." He slipped the coin on the top of his small stack to the bottom, cleverly flipping it around in his fingers and settling it at the bottom.

"I think it'd be nice if you had a plan of action right after the coronation." Seto suggested. "For all we know they have sleeper agents all across Egypt, ready to kill more people."

Atemu blinked a few times, turning his gaze to the floor. "They think he's dead. The Israeli group, they think he's dead. We should keep it that way." He nodded to himself. "They might try to finish the job."

"We haven't yet made his condition public." Seto commented. "But we'll have to say something."

"You're right. We can't say he's dead, not to our own fellow Egyptians. We'll say he's in critical condition and fading, for now. That'll buy us some time. Once this situation is handled, we can say he's made a miraculous recovery. The Israelis won't attempt a second assassination if they believe the Pharoah is near dying on his own." Atemu spoke, slowly and thoughtfully.

"Sounds good." Seto admitted. "What else?"

Atemu was still looking down at the floor, giving everything he said a great amount of thought. "They've shown us what they're capable of. Right now, we're forced to believe they may have infiltrated our society. Three priests and an elite hitman, dead, and the Pharoah critically injured. Egypt and Israel are too far away for a long term war, be it open war or a stealth war. They have the backing of all other countries in this region, so even if we tried to go to war, they'd surround us and keep us far away from Israel."

"Are you sure the other countries back Israel to that degree?" Seto wondered. "Maybe they wish to be business partners, but will they risk war for it?"

"Egypt would be outnumbered greatly. They'd see it as an opportunity to destroy our kingdom. We're lucky they don't try it right now as it is. With backing from Israel, they'd crush us." Atemu pointed out.

Suddenly, a quiet creak sounded from the doorway leading into the bedroom. Seto and Atemu looked up to see Aknadin walking through the doorway, shutting it behind him.

"Good morning." Atemu said as Aknadin shuffled in.

"Hardly." His uncle said gruffly. "At least you're finally starting to admit it."

"How long have you been listening?" Atemu asked, looking up at Aknadin.

"Long enough to hear some surprisingly wise words from you." Aknadin said quickly. "Regardless, we need to talk."

"What do you want?" Atemu inquired, setting the coins down on the bed.

"Atemu...this situation is delicate. Very delicate." Aknadin began. "I have watched your father, my brother, build up this kingdom of Egypt. He expanded it, made it stronger. The people happier. He's worked very hard over the last ten years."

"I was right there with him, just as you." Atemu pointed out. "What are you getting at?"

"This is the greatest challenge any Pharoah has faced in hundreds of years. And he isn't here to resolve it." He took a short breath. "This is a great kingdom, Atemu." He moved to sit down on the bed, next to Atemu and across from Seto. "You're a eighteen year old boy, unprepared for even the generic duties of being a Pharoah. And here you are, looking at one of the greatest challenges in Egyptian history."

"Them the breaks." Atemu grunted.

"It doesn't have to be like that." Aknadin insisted. "Today, at the ceremony, hand over the Pharoah scepter to me. I was Aknamkanon's brother, you are still a boy, it will be completely understood."

"Can that even be done?" Seto asked, jumping into the conversation suddenly.

"Of course." Aknadin replied. "I don't want to disrespect you, but you're not ready for this sort of challenge. I have seen many things in my years, and I can ease Egypt through these times."

Atemu stared his uncle down for a few moments, then looked back down at the floor, pondering. "Aknadin. I have spent my entire life following the laws of Egypt. Every time I turned around, I was told to do something because...the law demanded as such. Now, the law demands I become Pharoah." Atemu looked back up at his uncle. "I've made some significant errors over the past week. I'd like the chance to redeem myself."

"That chance could come at the cost of this entire country." Aknadin replied. "You know as well as I do this needs to be done."

"I'm sorry, Aknadin." Atemu said simply. "I know you don't believe in me. I know I seemed terrified last night when I was unofficially named Pharoah. I know I'm young. I know you're experienced in these matters. And I know you love Egypt as much as anyone else. But I need you to-"

"Stop being ridiculous!" Aknadin yelled, standing back up. "This kingdom needs me." He hissed, pointing at Atemu. "I will not sit back idly and watch you rip Egypt to shreds in this time of adversity!"

"What do you plan on doing? Killing me?" Atemu asked lazily.

"I'll lead a rebellion." Aknadin said viciously, pacing now. "If you don't hand Pharoah responsibilities over to me, I swear I will! You think these people want a child leading them right now?" He folded his hands over his chest. "I'll start a rebellion, and people will jump at the chance to be led by me."

"Funny." Atemu stood up, suddenly quite serious. "I never had you pegged as one so throne-hungry."

"To hell with that!" Aknadin yelled, throwing his arms to his sides. "If you don't have the wisdom to make the right choice here, I'll make it for you! Now, what's it gonna be?"

"A rebellion would certainly destroy Egypt. Are you selfish enough to do that?" Atemu asked, folding his own arms over his chest.

"I care enough to do that." Aknadin said. "Consider this the first decision of your reign as Pharoah. Do you have the wisdom to make the right one?"

Atemu glared at his uncle, sizing him up for a few moments. "Well. This is quite the situation." He slowly moved back towards the bed, as Seto watched in silence, not wishing to get involved. "I won't give you the throne, and you'll destroy Egypt from the inside. You can't stop me from taking the throne, and I can't stop you from destroying Egypt from the inside." He crossed one leg over the other, steepling his fingers in front of his face. "What we need is something we can both agree to."

"Correct. My suggestion is to get used to the idea of agreeing to give me the throne, because I will not let you destroy Egypt." Aknadin restated.

"You're a man of your word, aren't you?" Atemu asked, picking up the pile of gold next to him on the bed. "You wouldn't lie to your own nephew in a situation of significance, at least I don't think."

"I'm not a liar, if that's what you mean." Aknadin replied, beginning to calm down and level out.

"Alright. I'll give you a chance." Atemu said, dropping five of the gold coins to the sheets, leaving just one within his hand. "There's no logical way to solve this. So I suggest we turn it over to the gods." Slowly, he raised the coin up next to his face, showing the front of it to his uncle, who watched his movements closely. "What's the most you've ever lost on a coin toss?"

"Excuse me?" Aknadin asked, confused.

"A coin toss, uncle." Atemu said simply. "We can't solve this rationally. We're both too stubborn for that. So, let it be fate."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Aknadin spat. "You'd leave the throne to chance?"

"I'm not giving you the throne, uncle." Atemu said. "If you won't allow me the chance to act as Pharoah, you'll have no choice but to destroy this kingdom. And you don't want that. I know you don't. So, do you have a better idea for resolving this?"

Aknadin sputtered for a second, looking off to his right, mind racing. "We could ask the priests. Ask for their judgement. Agree to submit ourselves to their ruling-"

"Those biased minds?" Atemu interrupted. "We don't know what's in their heads. I won't turn this decision over to an unknown."

"But you'd turn it over to a coin?" Aknadin posed. "The ultimate unknown?"

"This coin," Atemu held the coin out towards Aknadin "will not lie, will not take threats, will not be bribed, and will not make a biased choice. It is incorruptible, completely oblivious to everything except the fifty fifty odds. There is no better judge."

Aknadin glared down at the shiny gold coin for a moment, then up at Atemu, lost for words.

"If you win the toss, I swear on the life of my father I'll hand you the throne and submit to your rule as Pharoah." Atemu continued. "I'm a man of my word, Aknadin. I hope you can believe me."

Aknadin took a deep, calming breath, closing his eyes as he did so. A few beats passed before he spoke again. "You're really not going to give me the throne willingly, are you?"

"No." Atemu answered, staring right into Aknadin's eyes, unblinkingly.

"Very well." Aknadin finally conceded. "Let it be known, that I still believe you are not yet fit to lead Egypt. However, I am a man of my word. If you win the toss, I swear on the life of my brother that I will submit to your rule as Pharoah, and will not lead a rebellion against you."

"I'm glad you could see reason." Atemu smiled. "Seto. If it was within your power to rig a coin toss, would you do so in favor of your best friend and brother, or your father?"

Seto looked at Atemu stupidly, blinking wildly, head spinning at this turn of events. "Atemu-"

Atemu tossed the coin over to Seto, which flew over and landed in his lap. He looked down at it, dumbfounded. "You know how to flip a coin, yes?"

Slowly, robotically, Seto reached down and grabbed it. He then stood up, cleared his throat, and took a deep breath. "If you say so." He said softly. He then held the coin out in his open palm, side with the Pyramid symbol facing upward. "Top." He announced, voice shaking. He pushed his index finger up, pushing the coin up and causing it to flip in his hand, showing a blank side. "Bottom." He closed his hand into a fist, pulling it back towards himself. "One flip. Aknadin calls."

Atemu and Aknadin both nodded, indicating they agreed with the terms.

"In the air." Seto specified, using his other hand to grab the coin out of his fist and position it on top of his balled hand, his thumb under the coin. He looked at Atemu, then Aknadin, expecting one of them to suddenly protest this method of choosing the Pharoah. When neither said anything, he sprung his thumb, sending the coin spiraling through the air.

"Tails." Aknadin said clearly, watching the glinting golden object rotate rapidly.

Seto caught it, quickly closing his hand into a fist, hiding the result under his fingers. Again, he glanced to Atemu and Aknadin. "And if I could rig a coin toss, in this instance, I'd do so in favor of my father." He commented.

Atemu, Aknadin, and Seto couldn't help but all share in a smile at this, before the situation escalated back up to tense. Seto then opened his hand, revealing the golden coin, pyramid facing up.

Seto and Atemu both looked up at Aknadin, who stood there, stiff for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "Very well." He turned around slowly. "Good luck."

"Thank you." Atemu called after him, as he began to walk away. "I hope you'll remain within the inner circle."

"Of course, my young Pharoah. I wouldn't set you out to drift now." He said over his shoulder. "And Atemu." He paused for a moment, just a step beyond the threshold. "Please prove me wrong."

""""

Had you combined the visitors to all his previous birthday parties, you would still not have approached the total in attendance for the ceremony today. Not that Atemu was surprised, given the significance of this scenario, but it was awe inspiring. The sun was just beginning to peek over the mountains to the east, shining on the town, bathing the palace entrance in a golden light. At the top of these steps, Atemu stood, feeling quite silly. He wore a false beard of goat's hair, held a sceptre shaped like a shepherd's crook, and also held a fly whip. Furthermore, he wore a Shemset apron and his back was protected by a 'bull's tail' hanging from his waist. These things represented, respectively, the god Osiris, his new status as ruler, his power and authority, and his strength. It was all too much, but tradition was tradition. And it was almost over. Just a few more words to be spoken.

The High Priest, Hortep, stood before him, holding a White Crown called the 'Hedjet.' He looked about at the people in attendance, feeling the somber glare, as a wise, veteran ruler was replaced by a child, in a time of turbulance.

"And so, to unite the new Pharoah with the gods he is descendent from, to give him the power to maintain cosmic and earthly order, we bring unto him the royal ka." He threw his hands about dramatically in front of Atemu. "It has passed from Pharoah to Pharoah over the years...and now, it is yours."

Atemu nodded, closing his eyes, then slowly going down on one knee in front of the High Priest.

"Now, Pharoah Atemu, feel it. From this day forth, consider yourself the son of Ra, God of the Sun, Horus, Falcon God, and Osiris, God of Life, Death, and Fertility. Now, Pharoah Atemu, you are truly divine. One with these great gods."

Atemu stood back up slowly, again nodding.

"Now, Pharoah Atemu, your coronation is complete. May your reign be long, prosperous, and without incident." Hortep finished, bowing over to him before backing away.

Behind Atemu, the crowd erupted into a mighty roar of approval, throwing their fists up into the air as they did so.

And in that moment, Atemu felt suddenly responsible for every one of them.