A/N – To Egypt, my first love, so you might learn more of that ancient land than you want! It also introduces two characters who are nothistorically real but belong to my novel and are my own creations – Ty and Maks.(Actually one is - Maks is based on a figure in the tomb of Maya, one of his brothers who was called Meryankh.)
>
>
>
>
>
Chapter Twelve
I took the fleet to the port of Pelusium in the Egyptian delta, and then sailed down the tributary of the great Nile, keeping pace with the army marching beside us. We were heading for the Egyptian capital – Mennefer. It meant 'White Walls' and had been founded, so my guide assured me, back in the days when the land was first united under one king, almost three millennia ago. My mind couldn't process the idea of such antiquity but the young man, an Egyptian by birth from the capital called Ankhtefi, was more than willing to tell me all I wanted to know. He told me of their kings, called Pharaohs, and that they were believed to be gods, the sons of Amun, begot by the god on the Queen Mother. This all seemed so bizarre to me then but soon it would take on a very different meaning – to more than one of us.
We sailed past cities that had been old when Pella had never existed, until we hit the main Nile and sailed up to Mennefer. What greeted my eyes there was a bustling port like many I had seen, overshadowed by a massive temple of an architectural style I had never seen before – it was the great temple of Ptah, the god of this city and built by one of Egypt's greatest Pharaoh's, Rameses. The entrance was flanked by two huge pylons, higher than the walls of Tyre, painted white and decorated with colourful scenes of the gods and kings in battle and worship. Flag poles, four in all, stood in front of the pylons, two each, their ends tipped with gold catching the sun, the coloured flags whipping out in the breeze.
In the distance, through a soft haze, I saw a sight that left my jaw dropping like a stone – the Pyramids. All around me the crew had fallen into silence, staring open-mouthed at these legendary structures, shining brightly as the haze lifted, the gold pyramidions on their peaks flashing like fires. I was mesmerised, over awed by it all, far more than I had when I visited Athens with Alexander. It was as if giants had built them rather than men.
We reached the capital where the Persian governor, a man of common sense called Mazaces, decided to bow to the inevitable and welcomed my king in.
A few days later, riding in front of the army in full parade dress and order, rode my Alexander astride a very buffed up Buchephalus; the king was very 'buffed' up too, a golden diadem settling into his bronze mane and his dress armour complemented by a cloak of heavy Persian silk, that had once belonged to Darius.
On all sides the Egyptians were yelling themselves hoarse, crying his name and calling for the gods to bless him and his face shone with delight – I could almost feel him absorbing all that love and admiration being thrown at him. For indeed he was beautiful to look upon. As I watched from the palace steps beside Mazaces, my heart nearly burst looking at him and knowing he was mine, my Alexander – though I had to share him with others this day I could not begrudge him this time. He thrived on love as others did on food or wealth, and it had been so sparse these past eight months. Watching him come to me I smiled in the knowledge that soon the night would come and I would no longer be sharing him with anyone.
The palace was a huge complex set beside the temple. There were no windows, only ones high up to keep the heat at bay, but the rooms were nonetheless light and airy – white or decorated with brightly coloured friezes of animals and birds. Most rooms opened out onto a courtyard which had a huge pond in its centre that helped cool the rooms even more. Alexander's rooms were on the second storey looking out over a balcony to a spectacular view – the Pyramids at sunset.
We stood in silence as the white forms turned yellow through to blood red then black as if the sun was literally climbing the pyramids to their before, in one last blaze of glory when it hit the golden tips, it flew up to the heavens. I heard Alexander's intake of breath at the sight, matched by my own.
"Ankhtefi told me they were called the Gateways to the Stars – the dead king would use them to raise himself to the heavens and become one with the stars."
"They did not lie."
Stepping back into the room I went to pour us wine whilst he walked about looking at the various statuettes of gods placed in niches and on the tables. They were more than strange to me – I was used to the gods being portrayed as human not with animal heads on their shoulders.
"Do they truly believe their gods look like this?" he mused as I handed him a goblet. He was holding a small statue of a seated woman with a lion's head, Sekhmet, wife to Ptah and goddess of war and healing.
"Apparently not. The animal components are merely the Egyptians way of representing that their gods shared the qualities of these beasts – or at least I think that's what he meant! He seemed a little unsure himself. He actually told me their religion allowed them to believe in two diremetrically opposed ideas at the same time!"
"How is that?"
"Well, they argue that as no one can actually know the truth of the gods, then one theory has much chance of being right as another."
The smile that crept over his face brought a smile to my own and I know we both shared a sort of epiphany at that moment – here was a way to unite people if ever there was one!
"I must meet this young man." He said after awhile.
"I agree. I would also ask permission for me to spend time here studying their organisation – they've had a kingdom and bureaucracy for thousands of years and they could teach us so much to make the army, and your own empire, run more smoothly."
"You need not ask, Phaistion. I always trust your judgement, even if I don't always agree with it."
"Will you trust it now when I say – it's time for bed?"
"Oh, yes."
Our lovemaking was slow; we took time exploring each other's bodies as if it were the first time – we had started a new beginning here in Egypt and our joining in passion sealed our pact with each other and the strange gods of this land who had deemed us worthy to rule their ancient homeland.
I took Acte with me when I visited the scribes at the Residence, as the administration quarter of the city was called; ignoring the pointed looks of derision I received from Philotas and Craterus. They had caused enough rumours to fly about the camp and one time recently I actually punched Philotas – he had said, to my face, that I had taken advantage of her grief at Solon's death to make her my mistress and did I have no respect for the memory of a man, who 'after all, died in your place!' which was when I hit him. No one interfered and I think I saw Cleitus actually give a nod of approval to me, though I could have been mistaken – the man hadn't said more than a dozen words to me in a month.
She was not my mistress. In fact she treated me like a younger brother and was quite a bully, especially if she decided I wasn't eating enough or sleeping proper hours or, in general, not doing what she thought was the best for me. I found it quite comforting in the main if a little annoying at times – but what brother doesn't?
"Have you noticed the women here in Egypt, my lord?" she commented as we, and Ankhtefi, walked to the Residence through the broad streets of Mennefer – or Memphis as it was now called by us Greeks.
"I've been a little busy to watch women!"
"That's not what I meant. Look about you."
To shut her up I did so. The women were the usual mixture of young and old, fat and thin, ugly and beautiful. It suddenly dawned on me however the number of them there and none had a slave as an escort! They were shopping, visiting, talking to men who were evidently not their relations in familiar ways – some even called a greeting to Ankhtefi and asked him something, pointing a finger at me and then laughing. My friend blushed but said nothing merely smiled and walked us on.
"What were they saying, Ankhtefi?" I asked.
"Oh – nothing of consequence, my lord." He replied and Acte laughed out loud.
"You don't need a translator to know exactly what they were asking – 'who is the handsome foreigner?'"
As Ankhtefi blushed even more I surmised she had gotten it right. No Greek woman would have been so forward unless she was a prostitute and this was no such quarter.
"You seem shocked, General?" he asked.
"Of course he is, Ankhtefi. Greek women stay at home or only go out, wrapped to the gills, with a slave for protection. They do not accost beautiful young men in the street."
"Acte! For Zeus' sake, behave."
"That is what I was saying to you, my lord – the women here are free from any restraints. Is that not so Ankhtefi?"
"In most respects. Egyptian women have equal rights under the law." Here I choked. "Oh, yes, sir. If they divorce they retain any property they brought to the marriage and are entitled to one third of their husband's assets. They can instigate a divorce themselves; run a business, even have a career, though few do that. We have female doctors too."
"Oh – come now!"
"Truly, my lord. Only three to be sure, but their there nonetheless."
Olympias would love this place, I thought darkly – thank the gods she was in Macedon.
"I thought it to be the same in your land, my lord, as the lady here works for you as a secretary?"
"No. Acte's position is – unique."
The two chattered on together as we walked whilst I tried to get my mind to take in all the information I was hearing and seeing. Egypt truly was a different world.
The Royal Scribes at the Residence were more than eager to help and I spent an excellent day discussing systems of finance, tax collection, storing of supplies and transportation organisation. They promised to send translations of all the areas I had shown an interest in from their 'Books of Guidings' as they called them and I sat and waited for Acte to return; she had gone to see the secretarial department and Ankhtefi had gone with her. Leaning back in the shadows between a pillar and a life size statue of an old pharaoh they couldn't see me, but I could hear them and I was their topic of conversation.
"So you are not his mistress?"
"Absolutely not."
"Does he have one or a wife?"
"No."
"Strange. Such an important man and with such beauty – surely he cannot chose to be alone?"
"Oh, he's not alone, Ankhtefi – can I shorten that in any way without offence?"
"Of course – my family call me Tefi. Who then does he share his private time with? We have all seen how important he is to the king as a counsellor and friend…"
"Their relationship is, well – I can only say they are one."
"Ah – now I understand."
"Really? Few others seem to."
"We had a similar couple in our past history – the Pharaoh Neferkare Pepi and his best general were rumoured to be – close."
"It's not merely a physical thing Tefi; they are truly as one…"
I coughed at this point to let her know I was there and we returned to the palace so I could report to my king on my day. Who was Pepi?
We had been in Egypt two weeks or so when Alexander was crowned Pharaoh of the Two Lands, as the Egyptians called their land; it was in remembrance of a time when the country was divided so duality was the key to all things in Egypt: two crowns, the Red and the White, conjoined into one to represent the Two Lands; the fertile valley, home of the living, against the arid desert where the dead were laid to rest.
There was an ancient ceremony that had to be followed exactly and so we left all of it to the Egyptian priests to organise, including our own roles in the proceedings. It was funny to watch these physically slight men bossing around battered war veterans, most of whom towered over them, and ordering about Macedonian generals and officers as if they were raw recruits on a parade ground. Some did not find it at all amusing, Philotas especially, who nearly walked out altogether until Cleitus stopped him.
Tefi stood beside myself and Ptolemy explaining to us what was going on as Alexander, dressed in Egyptian attire, was led about from one side chapel to another throughout the huge temple to be shown to the gods; before seating himself on a large black marble throne, which had to be freezing cold, and having the crown of the Two Lands placed on his head. Then he was hailed as Pharaoh and god, son of Amun Ra.
"A god?" Philotas sneered loudly. "Next he'll be asking us to worship him!"
Tefi was shocked at the outburst. "It is the custom here, Philotas," I whispered. "He is doing it to show the people he is no tyrant as Ochus was. We need their full support to continue our campaign against Darius."
"You believe that, loyal Hephaestion, but that's what you're here for, isn't it? To lick his arse."
If I could have at that moment, Parmenion's son would have died there and then but I was constrained by the place and the circumstance to do nothing.
"Philotas." A voice behind him said quietly. It was Cleitus. "Shut – the fuck – up."
The shock on my adversary's face was evident but he never uttered another word through out the ceremony.
At the banquet that followed, Alexander explained what had happened in the various chapels.
"I presented each god with a bowl of burning incense."
"You didn't sacrifice?"
"No – they don't do that as we do. When they kill cattle in the butchers yard to pay the wages of the temple staff, a portion is kept aside for the god – to kill in the actual sanctuary is forbidden."
"Cleaner at least."
"I also have five names now!"
"Wasn't one enough?"
"I am called Meryamun Setepenre Alexandros – Beloved of Amun, Chosen of Re, Alexander."
"But you'll still just be Xander to me! That's only three."
"Can't remember the other two…why were you arguing with Philotas?"
"When don't we argue?"
The next day ' Meryamun Setepenre Alexandros' visited the quasi-royal, quasi-divine Apis Bull – a huge creature with a very nasty way of eyeing you up and looking ridiculous in his garlands and gold painted horns. A predecessor had been speared and roasted by the Persian king Ochus, supposedly, much to the horror of all Egyptians. Alexander made sacrifice to it, giving it food and burning incense under its nose – with not a spear in sight. I'll be honest the whole thing seemed idiotic to me but the Egyptians were ecstatic! More and more he was entrenching himself fully into their hearts and on the throne of Egypt – she would become his most loyal province.
Alexander now put thought to the men who had battled and fought so tirelessly at Tyre and Gaza and announced Games and celebrations in their honour. Contestants from all over Greece – athletes, musicians and actors - poured into Egypt, including Thettalus.
It was a meeting of revelry and culture, marred only by the now constant bickering between Philotas and Craterus. Where this had all started I did not know. Usually the two were as thick as thieves and I was their mutual target of hatred. But something had occurred to set them against each other and their recriminations and counter accusations nearly spoilt this quiet interlude of rest and peace. I could have killed the pair of them for that alone.
After the Games had finished we moved back up to the Delta to a place near a huge lake. There was a natural harbour here and a blind man could see it was a perfect spot for a port city. For the next four days we tramped all over the low lying land, planning out the new Alexandria, the one that would be his greatest triumph. It was funny to see him sprinting about from place to place whilst his less athletic architects and engineers tried to keep up with him.
Temples, market places and homes were all marked out with the only thing available, grain. As he laid his markers down, flocks of sea birds would swoop down and eat it up. Fortunately the Egyptian scribes were fast enough to take it all down on papyrus before it was all eaten. The seers said it was a good omen that the city would prosper. I certainly hoped so.
It was on the night of his founding this city that he confided in me his next adventure. Whatever I had expected, it was not what he told me. I was seriously worried he had finally lost his mind.
TBC
