Chapter 36: The Senator's Fury

First there was darkness, and then there was light; and as a result of that light, there was the resurrection of Seti's temporary slumber. The Pharaoh's eyes slowly opened. Presently, his world was a blur, so he blinked a few times to become more lucid. When partially awake, and his sight now restored, Seti gawked around the room, and observed that he was not in his own bed; he was in the infirmary. Everything surrounding him was a neutral color, and upon lifting his head to see over his chest, he was saw that he was the only patient there. Then, his stomach churned; he wanted to vomit. Suddenly, a voice arose:

"Father, you look unwell again."

The Pharaoh swiftly jerked his head to the right, and noticed Moses in a chair beside his bed, holding a small wooden basin; readying for Seti's wave of sickness to arrive from the inside. Moses thrust the basin towards his father, but Seti refused the gesture; instead, he swallowed the bile rising in his throat.

Seti responded, "I am unwell." Moses said nothing in return. The Pharaoh then saw a worried expression plastered upon the young man's face. He attempted to put the pieces of the puzzle in their correct place; it was evident that he underwent unconsciousness at the Hebrew colony but was unsure of how he came to be at this specific place. His curiosity peaked; he continued, "What happened, Moses?"

Moses answered, "Father, some Egyptian guards brought you here last night. All of them said that they found you injured at the stairs of the temples. By the time I caught news, and reached the infirmary, they finished bandaging your wounds."

Seti raised a brow at that statement. Temples? He thought to himself, "So someone is covering my ass." Seti then took a glance at his arm which was tightly bound; blood was still soaking through the material. Suddenly, a wave of pain shot through his head; he winced. Moses slightly panicked, but once the pain subsided, Seti grumbled, "Moses, it's okay."

"Father."-

"It's okay, son. If they found me at the stairs, it is appropriate to say that I must have fallen. I think I hit my head too. Maybe that's why I feel sick." Seti shifted his attention back to Moses and took in the sight of his 'son'. It was obvious that the adopted child was exhausted, but Seti refused to acknowledge the boy's well-being. Seti's thoughts only circled around the events of last night; when he journeyed to the Hebrew colony on his own accord, meeting Moses' birth mother, having a deep, slightly intellectual conversation with her, and giving her a job out of kindness; something that was unfortunately foreign to him. The longer Seti stared at Moses, the longer he could see the resemblance between the boy and his mother. Moses was a smart boy; it was not inherited, it was earned; and if he spent too much time in the kitchen, around his mother, then he would surely see the similarities and question his heritage. He was already starting to show signs that he was aware of his differences in the Egyptian culture; sometimes thinking that he didn't belong in the majority.

Moses questioned, "What were you doing at the temples, father? It was late."

How could Seti possibly admit the truth? How could he say that he was in the Hebrew community, spent time with his birth mother, and got stabbed by his birth father in the process? Seti now wondered what became of Moses' father after last night. Surely if he survived Yocheved's hit, it would be most appropriate to say that he would tell his comrades about their encounter. Would anyone believe the Hebrew? Probably not; so Seti brushed that thought off of his shoulder. Yocheved would be working at palace now, and that was most important.

Seti said, "Son, I was there for personal matters. That is all. You need not worry, it had nothing to do with you."

Just then, a hand gently lay on Moses' shoulder. The boy looked up and laid his eyes upon his mother. With fire-lit eyes, and a tired smile, she said, "Moses, I suggest that you see to the high priests. Your brother is studying there. It would be wise for you to do the same."

Moses retorted, "But mother, I don't want to go. I'll just be thinking about father."-

Tuya interjected, "Moses, go and study. Should I make that statement an order?"

"Fine, I'll go study." Listening to his mother, Moses rose to his feet and relieved himself from the infirmary. When Moses was out of sight, Tuya sat on her husband's bedside. She grabbed Seti's hand and locked her eyes with his. Her face was not contorted with worry; it was relaxed due to relief of her husband's safe return.

Tuya squeezed their interlocked hands tighter. She said, "Why were you at the temple, Seti? You didn't tell Moses the full truth. You're hiding something from him…you're hiding something…from us?"

Seti gathered his thoughts. Then, he said, "Tuya, you are aware of my nightmares. I didn't sleep well last night, so I decided it would be a good idea to pray and meditate."

Tuya acknowledged her husband's words. She quietly said, "I figured."

So Tuya had also been deceived.

"Anyway," Seti said, "I'm fine now. I'm alive…so don't you worry. I'm sure I'll be out of here just in time for dinner."

Tuya slightly chuckled. She then leaned forwards and gently placed her lips onto his. After, she pulled away from the kiss and gently wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. She said, "I'm just glad you're safe."

Seti sauntered into the throne room. He was recently released from the infirmary; however, he was ordered by the healer to lay in bed for the next few days; but alas, the King of Egypt refused to heal properly, and thus he journeyed to a place where he could ease his mind; where he could think of the Hebrews, Yocheved, and their God.

As Seti walked along the perimeter of the vast room, he noticed a familiar figure standing at the throne, also taking in the sight of Egypt at night. Seti was surprised to see Senator Kai; fully dressed in his formal attire - rings, tassels and all – in the room at such a ridiculous hour and not at home with his wife. Did something happen? Did Kai he even go home? Mind you, Seti was unsure even if he had even seen the man at all in the last two days. With one swift step, Senator Kai faced the empty throne, just staring, and breathing heavily. His hands were clasped together in front of his body, his sleeves covered his hands, and his shoulders were rigid. Seti could see that Kai's neck and jaw muscles were also tightened.

Seti approached the throne. When the King spoke, Kai's back was still facing the Pharaoh, but it was apparent that his ears were wide awake. "Senator Kai, it's late. What are you doing here?"

Kai did not move. He responded in a passive-aggressive tone of voice, "That's funny, Pharaoh. I was wondering the exact same thing about you."

Seti frowned. "Senator, please. Why are you in here at such an hour? You should be at home with your wife and furry children."

Kai loosely bowed his head, but the rest of his body intensified. "My wife thinks I'm working, and I am. I'm on guard watch."

"Guard watch?"

"To make sure that you don't escape. Why else?"

"Senator, what's wrong with you?"

Just then, the Senator turned around, revealing a fearsome expression that Seti had not seen for several years. It was an appearance that reminded Seti of his dark past; of the senator that he once knew before he became a traitor of the monarchy; who was swallowed by darkness and obsessed over potential power that he could never grasp. Seti internally prayed to Ra that Kai was not exiling himself into that same darkness. Or, was he being driven by something else; by another force or emotion? Maybe the senator wasn't insane, maybe his was just expressing anger. Senator Kai started:

"Pharaoh, what the hell were you thinking? Going out there, into Hebrew territory and almost getting yourself killed by a wretched lowlife? How could you even think of associating your royal blood with those people?"

The Pharaoh said, irritated, "Senator, do not question my motives. I am King, and also an independent individual. I can do whatever I please."

Continuing to stand at the foot of the throne, the senator aimed a finger down at Seti, beginning to tear a strip off of the Pharaoh as hard and efficiently as he could. "No, that's where you're wrong, Pharaoh. Yes, you are King of Egypt, but that doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want. You could have gotten yourself killed. You went on some sort of s…suicide mission! And to gain what?"

Seti growled, "Senator, it is none of your business."

The Senator snapped. "It is my business to know what the King of Egypt does when regarding politics, and believe me, this was political. You got out alive, but hurt, and the Hebrew that hurt you is probably still alive, and he will tell the others. And then guess what? The general is going to have a mess on his hands, and the numbers of Egyptian injuries and deaths will be far out of his reach."

"Senator, stop questioning my motives!"

"You don't think of anyone but yourself! Just think for a second, Pharaoh. If you would have gotten killed, guess who would have gotten the throne?"

"Senator,"-

"Tell me!"

"Rameses would have gotten the throne."

"And how old were you when you were coronated?"

Seti said hesitantly; unsure of where this conversation was going, "I was sixteen. I was too young to be King as far as I am concerned."

"If Rameses became King today because of your idiotic decision, then what age would that make him?"

"Fifteen."

The Senator caught the Pharaoh in his trap; and it was glorious. Kai said with a sly grin. "Aha, I got you, Pharaoh. That is younger than you. And yet, you continue to say that your son is not yet ready for the throne!"

"He's not."

"If you would have died that night, the poor boy would have all of Egypt on his shoulders, with barely anyone to guide him. How fair is that? Because of your selfish purposes, you don't think he would suffer?"

Seti stopped climbing at the first step of the staircase. For how terribly tall Seti was, he didn't have to go far before both of them reached nose to nose. Seti responded, "The boy has examples to go by. He may not be ready, but I believe that his weak mind will grow stronger each day."

Kai sneered, "Examples to live by…" he said with sarcasm drooling from his lips, "Yes, because you are such a great role model to your sons. And what about Moses? Didn't you ever think of him?"

"Moses does his own thing. What his father's affairs are, he could care less."

"But he care's Pharaoh! He thinks the world of you. He loves you, and looks up to you. He only wishes that he could be as great a father as you are to him. Though he is a Hebrew, you took him in during our darkest times, and cared for him as your own."

Seti panicked. "Senator, Moses doesn't know." –

Kai assured. "As far as I know, Moses still believes that you are his biological father, but that's besides the point. The child cares for you, and looks up to you, and blatantly throwing your life away will do him no favours; and he unfortunately, may follow in his father's footsteps. He already causes enough trouble as it is. You, dying by the hands of your own stupidity would only cause further trouble for Moses."

"Senator, I no longer believe that this is political. I think this is getting out of hand."

"You're only trying to stop me from talking, because you don't want to hear the truth!"

"Oh, I've heard it alright, and I think I've heard enough! I can justify what I did."

"Justify what? As far as I know, you went to the Hebrew colony for selfish purposes."

"You are being bold, Senator. Be careful, or you may lose your position."

"That's where you are also wrong!"

The Pharaoh raised a brow. "In what way?"

"As the Senator of Egypt, I have the authority to deem you insane, and I can temporarily take you away from your position, until your senses are back in their rightful place, and I would take over until then. I am attempting to see with my own eyes whether the King of Egypt is compromised or not. If he is, then he will be removed, and I will offer the throne to someone else; that being Rameses."

"You're joking."

Kai snarled. "I am not."

"You, accusing me alone of madness won't sway anyone's train of thought. I am the morning and the evening star."

Kai said in disbelief, "You really don't get it do you?"

Then, another body appeared from the shadows. The Pharaoh deeply growled in the back of his throat when he observed the General, dressed in everyday Egyptian attire. It wasn't uncommon for General Maximus to be discreet. He would carefully watch people in silence and follow them without their knowledge, gathering dangerous information, deeming himself a very dangerous man. The General displayed a neutral expression, and wasn't angry like Kai was, but some frustration was evident in his voice. The General said, "Kai needs a witness to his accusation."

To Seti, history was repeating itself. His comrades were rising against him. He took a step backwards, and said, "This is a conspiracy! You planned this! It is the truth! You planned this all along!"

The General shook his head. "Pharaoh, we are doing this for the greater good of Egypt. We don't want to compromise you, but if it means that Egypt will benefit from your removal of your kingship, then it must be done."

Seti said, "So this has turned political. Tell me, even if you do remove me from my position, would one of you kill my children, and my wife in order to take the throne?"

Maximus said, "Pharaoh, we would obviously give it to Rameses. You would live on. We wouldn't execute you or torture you in any way."

Kai then added, "My Ra, if the Egyptian people heard about this mess, they would definitely lose confidence in their government. So, General Maximus, what do you make of this?"

Maximus answered, "I don't believe Senator Kai mentioned the well-being of your wife. Poor woman-while Kai was slaving away, trying to figure out your whereabouts, Queen Tuya was busy crying on my shoulder. She could only think of the worst. For some reason she thought you went off and killed yourself, and as time passed, I was beginning to believe her. If you had died, the woman you committed your life to would no longer be beautiful. See? Your decisions don't just impact politics, it impacts your personal life and the ones who you think are the strongest."

Kai then asked the million-dollar question, "Why did you go there? What was the purpose?"

Seti said, "I went to seek answers from the Hebrews and I found them. I was disguised, but it had failed. Please, I am not mad, and this was not political. It was strictly personal."

General Maximus sighed heavily. He said, "Honestly Senator, I believe that the king is still in his right mind; he is capable of doing his job. He just made a stupid decision that would only have deeply affected those closest to him; not Egypt as a whole."

Seti winced at that statement.

Kai sneered, "I look up to you, Pharaoh. Always have and always will. And seeing you throw your life away like that not only scared me but questioned whether I can trust and follow somebody that I thought cared about their life and others he cared about before his own egotistical purposes; and it is only now that I can see that you aren't that kind of person."

Seti said, "Senator, you may want to hold your tongue now, or else you may not have a job in the morning."

Kai exclaimed, "Blast my job!" Then, without another word, Kai quickly left the throne room. Instantly, the Pharaoh knew that Kai would not be returning to work the next morning; the younger man needed to cool down. He is angry - a fair human emotion - and he is free to express it; there would be no point in firing him from his position. When the Senator was gone, the Pharaoh turned his attention to Maximus. "Well general, I believe that the senator is finished with his lecture. Would you like to add your two cents before we go to bed?"

The General shook his head. "No, I believe that he said everything that needed to be said. Good night, Pharaoh, I must go back to my family now. For although I go to war, and into danger every single day, I continue to promise them that I will return home; and I always do. It's a miracle you came out alive."

And with that being said, General Maximus fled the premises, leaving Seti cold and alone once more.

Chapter 37 is coming soon…