Wepet Renpert
(The New Year)
Chapter Summary: Wepet Renpert was the Opening of the Year - This was the New Year's Day celebration.
IUNU (Heliopolis)
The appearance of the brightest star in the sky after 70 days of absence was the only warning Egyptians got before the floods of the New Year began.
This star's appearance is also the announcement of the start of the Wepet Renpet Festival, the end of the five days of darkness and the start of a New Year.
Priests and priestess from all over the kingdom were gathered in the City of the Sun God, waiting for its rebirth during sunrise. This time, the ones presiding over the ceremony were the high priestesses from the Temples of Isis and Nephthys, since most of the main ritual was in theirs to perform.
Moments before sunrise was supposed to start, the priestess, prompted noblemen and other sacred people to start the procession to the river.
As the representation of Osiris in Land, the Pharaoh was leading the procession; on his left side, the Priestess of Isis, in representation of Osiris mythical sister-wife. Behind her, the priestess of Nephthys was carrying the sacred scrolls and besides her, a representative of the sacred men of the Palace.
Then, came the rest of the noblemen, as well as the dancers, the performers and the people who were to offer a feast to the people.
When dusk was giving way to twilight, the priestess disengaged from the rest of the group and approached the Nile. At the first sign of light coming from the horizon, they started to chant.
"I am Nephthys, your beloved sister! Your foe is fallen, he shall not be! I am with you, your body-guard, for all eternity".*
As more rays of sunlight started to appear, the chanting continued. Little by little, the sun started to rise. The ritual was perfectly timed, and by the time the priestess of Isis said "Come to your courtiers, King our Lord!", S unris e was already upon them.
Their combined "Lo, He Comes!" marked the moment when the sun fully rose up. It was then that the festivities began.
Music started suddenly, and with it, the dancers began to perform some intricate dances that were well known by the people.
Soon, food and beer was being distributed, both by the people of the pharaoh and by the rest of the people who brought things to share with everybody.
Some brought gifts to the pharaoh's tent, some in hopes to see the man themselves and some just because he was an Egyptian too who deserved to join in the party spirit.
The man, however, was nowhere to be found, and if not because everybody saw him at the beginning of the ritual, some would have thought that he was not actually there to join in.
Thinking that probably the man was somewhere among the throngs of people, those searching for him quickly forgot about him, and decided to better enjoy everything that was happening.
"Wepet Renpet Nefert!"
"Wepet Renpert Nefert to you too!"
Avoiding another couple dancing, the young pharaoh in disguise was trying his best to blend among the people, and trying to not bring to their attention that he was not actually comfortable in the rather simple clothes he was wearing.
They were still ceremonial robes designed for this exact festivity, in white and red, but they were not as soft as he'd have wanted. The jewelry he was wearing was not as lavish, and the sandals he borrowed were not as comfortable as the ones he left behind on his tent.
Then again, he could not risk being discovered in his secret endeavor because of something so simple.
Trying to remember everything he learned about his mysterious priestess, he started to look for her among the dancers and other performers. When that was rendered fruitless, he started to look at food tables, sing stations and even small temple posts to see where he could find her.
Two hours later and she was nowhere to be found.
He briefly contemplated the possibility that his Intel was wrong, and that people from the Anubis temple on Hardai were not actually attending the festival at Iunnu. Still, he was sure they would have at least sent a representative in case they were unable to attend, since it could be seen as an offence to the deities of the day.
He sighed audibly, admitting defeat in his secret endeavors and resigning himself to hear the gossip of his courtiers or the complaints of some of the noblemen lounging in his tent were sure to make.
It was then that he collided with Her.
He was distracted and she was running from something. And by the time he felt the collision, he was already falling while she was clinging to him.
He noticed some interesting things then. First, her eyes were actually blue, were not a trick of the lights and they were incredibly highlighted by the heavy use of kohl. She was wearing a wig just as long and just as pretty as the one from before. Her dress was of a lovely shade of red, and when she got up after their fall, he noticed that the red and gold jewelry she was wearing make her look like some sort of mythical firebird.
He also noticed that she was prettier than what he originally thought when he first laid eyes on her.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there! Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?"
"Uh, she's even cute when she's freaking out" the young Pharaoh thought at seeing her frantically inspect him over for any she may have caused.
"Oh god, I actually broke him! Atem is going to kill me!" Massika wailed in despair, when he did not answer her previous inquiries. It was this sentence which broke the pharaoh from his daydreaming, and made him start to pay attention to the girl again.
He managed to utter a quick "I'm fine, don't worry" when she was about to run again, now in search for help. Turning around to face him, she scrutinized him, trying to decipher if he was telling the truth or was just trying to reassure her before looking for help on his own.
Nodding in acceptance of his statement she promptly introduced herself. When she asked for his name in return, he only hesitated a bit before saying "My name is Akh".
His given name was not common knowledge, especially since most of the people knew him by the name he got on his coronation day, so he was sure it was safe to go by it during his secret stint.
Even better, if things with the girl went as well he was hoping to, he could always argue that he never lied to her regarding his name.
They talked for the better part of the morning. In fact, once the young Pharaoh managed to shake off his nerves at finally meeting her, he indulged in asking her about anything he could think of.
In return, he fed her his cover story, which was, just as his name, a strange mix of half truths and a couple of lies.
"I live in Memphis, though I am actually from Thebes" he told her when she mentioned she was from Hardai and that he worked with the Pharaoh's closest advisors at her inquiry on what was he doing there.
He told her some stories from his actual childhood after asking her about life in her city and told her about the gardens of Abydos when she mentioned wanting to travel to said city.
They shared food and a couple of drinks. They even joined a group of dancers when they were caught in the middle of an intricate dance.
Everything was, in Akh's opinion, going according to his plans. That is until another known figure found them laughing at some silly thing.
"High Priest Khaba!" Massika suddenly yelled, making the man in question turn around to see who was calling him.
Khaba's sharp gray eyes landed upon them, softening a bit when they spotted the girl. Massika then, proceeded to drag the Pharaoh to where her other friend was, eager to introduce them.
Akh knew something was wrong the moment Massika introduced him, as the priest's eyes hardened in an instant. His gaze was scrutinizing him thoroughly, and making him feel as if he was naked in his eye.
His stoic demeanor was not helping matters and all in all, Akh was left feeling like he was an insignificant being, which was a new and unpleasant sensation for the young Pharaoh.
The sensation left him the moment the priest averted his eyes, deeming him undeserving of his attention.
Akh knew there was something wrong about this guy. And he needed to know exactly what.
NOTES: The city known as Heliopolis, used to be known as Iunu, same thing as Hermopolis used to be known as Khmunu. you know, just in case you want to look for those cities.
Also, our dear Pharaoh in none other than Kaitou Ace.
* This passage is part of the "Isis and Nephtys Lamentations"