Quick A/N: Crown Prince Thutmose (brother of Amenhotep) was recognized as the heir to the throne, but he died young, so next in line was Amenhotep. He never did get a chance to be pharaoh. Oh well, we can pretend that he lived long enough for the crown.
Quick info on characters:
Lapis (the main one, the protagonist, POV)
Tabia: Talented (Lapis' mother)
Ziyad: He shall add (Lapis' father)
Sharifa: Respected (Lapis' older sister)
Yahya: Given by god (the main Priest)
(Chapter 1): An Old Horizon Beyond the South
"The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises." Ecc. 1:5
Egypt. My beautiful Egypt. Where my feet get burnt every time, I run barefooted in the hot sands, and the blue sky is always standing still, never moving. My grandfather once told me it is the same sky where the god, Amen-Ra, came down to bless the pharaohs, the kings of Egypt. The same sky I am looking at is where Amen-Ra travels every day across the sky in broad daylight in his gold chariot full of precious stones. Maybe at this same hour, he is up in the heavens with the sun waving down at me. A blush creeps through my cheeks now, and it is not only because the sun is warming up my face.
"Lapis!" I hear my mother, Tabia, yell at me, and I turn to face her carrying a basket full of clothes, probably getting ready to head to the Nile for washing with my older sister, Sharifa. "Stop daydreaming and go help your father harvest the crops in the fields."
"Yes, Mother!" I shout towards my mother, removing my hair from my face because of the strong winds. I head for the biggest river in Egypt, the Nile River, in which is the same river where the evil god, Seth, tricked Osiris into getting inside the casket and throwing out in the river. I shake my head softly to dismiss the thought, and I start running to see Father, Ziyad, in the fields, leaving my mom in the dust.
Regularly I would be playing dolls with Sharifa or dancing with her wasting my time with meaningless actions, but since we are running low on currency and of produce, I try to help Father sow, water, and harvest the crops (with the help with the oxen of course). So the farming process will be more quickly and efficiently. I mean, I think it will be more efficient? At first, both Mom and Dad were opposed to the idea of me working, stating: "That work is only for boys not for pretty girls who should be playing with dolls and practicing singing." But when more income came from my hard work in the fields, both Mother and Father stopped giving me the same old sermon and actually wanted me to help every day. For that, I am grateful to the gods. We offer them what little we have as an offering in our small altar outside of our mud home to dedicate to the gods, and they, in return, bless us, but even more grateful that we did have a crisis because I know my life is more than entertaining strangers. Although I quickly dismiss the thought, hoping the gods did not hear me and curse my family for flourishing greater.
"Lapis." I hear Father tell me when I reach the bank of the sparkling Nile, taking a break from harvesting the beans and clearing his sweat on his forehead with the back of his tan hand. "I thought you got lost or something grave happen."
"No, nothing is wrong, Father. I just took a long way." I partially lie as I look at the waves of the river crashing softly unto each other and fixing my white pearl long, sleeveless dress, not telling him along the way I was half daydreaming. "Well, here I am ready to harvest the crops." I beam Father a real smile to show him that I am ready to work while I get the equipment available to start collecting the unripe beans that Father must have forgot to gather, and he, in return, stops what he is doing just to smile back.
"I am glad Yaquelin is a good and hardworking daughter." Father thought when he beams his face to me, not only the sun shining brightly now.
. . .
"Father," I tell him in the middle of harvesting the cabbages as I am already done with the beans. I stop at my task at hand and look at the blue sky, barely noticing that the sun moved just a little from the hours spent on gathering the beans and now unto the cabbages. Hours did pass, correct? Is Amen-Ra having problems?
"Humph…" Father grunts from laboring, not looking up to me, thinking that I will question him more about the gods and their glorious adventures.
"Is Pharaoh Thutmose going to die?" I question Father as I am still looking up unto the pale blue and cloudless sky in wonder with a pang in my chest.
"Lapis," Ziyad replies sternly. I sense his brown eyes on me now, not at the fertile, black silt. "If it is the god's will then let it be so." He says too calmly for my taste.
Has he not heard of his brother, the Prince Amenhotep, wanting to add some random order to the religion or of changing it? The blasphemy! Just because he is a descendent of the god, Horus does not give him even the slightest power to add or change the already perfect religion of mine. Even Amen-Ra, the god all-powerful, will be furious like me when he hears of the prince's treachery.
"My daughter, stop wasting time on thinking and help me with finishing collecting the cabbages." He finishes still picking the light-green cabbages, interrupting my thoughts.
But I am not done…
"Though it seems the sun has not moved all day long," Father states, also noticing the strange phase of Amen-Ra. "It has been on the same spot since we started working from harvesting the beans, and that was practically hours ago."
Oh, god up in the sky, holding up the scorching red sun; what are you thinking of? Of the same blasphemy as I?
"And what blasphemy is that?" Ziyad turns to face me with amazement spread on his face, stopping his work altogether.
Did I say that aloud?
"Well?" Father waits for the response, crossing his tan arms, and I could sense anger reaching his surface. I know I should take heed to my words, but this burning fury of mine cannot be controlled.
"The blasphemy of Prince Amenhotep trying to be pharaoh to change our already perfect religion!" I shout to skies hoping for the gods to heed the warning of that horrible statement of becoming real.
"Lapis! Do not repeat that wickedness again!" He shouts at me his tan face full of anger now.
"But it is –"
"Enough!" Interrupting me again though this time in my speech and not in my thoughts.
Uh-oh!
"You are the one blaspheming against the gods! Do you think the gods will approve of this treachery thinking of yours? Do not speak ill of the pharaoh or the prince for they are descendent of the gods that you are so highly devoted to!"
He finishes looking at me with white fury, the pang in my chest doubling with agony. I did not want to start an argument or to make Father cross with me; I was telling him the truth of the treason of prince Amenhotep to prepare him for an almost imaginary battle that will turn into a vivid war. I just wanted to enjoy Father's company and have a splendid time together sharing his stories when he was young to me, or I will reveal to him the pranks that I do to the village boys. Not to argue.
It is because I am devoted to my gods that I know the gods will disapprove. But I keep the thought to myself not trying to cause another feud and fuel the fire there already is, and I merely state softly hoping he will hear my sincereness, ignoring the voices in my head. "I apologize, Father."
"No, my daughter, do not apologize." His eyes turning soft now. "It was my fault that I lash out at you… please forgive me."
I genuinely smile. "Father, you do not need to apologize for anything." I'm grateful that the argument has ended.
He smiles back. "Let us get to work then for the cabbages will not harvest themselves now, will they?" He wipes his hands on his white, weightless loincloth, dirtying it.
I laugh a real laugh. There was no tension in the first place, to begin with. I pick up the materials to start again, but before I do, I quickly glance at the fiery red, blistering sun, hoping it did move a little during the slight quarrel. But I could not see the tempting sun up in the middle of the faint blue sky. It was at the edge of the earth setting west ready to be swallow by the goddess Nut and noticing my father also noting the strange behavior of Amen-Ra. Is he in trouble?
"Tell me, priest." Prince Amenhotep, dress in a simple pleated kilt of white linen but adorned with exquisite, heavy gold bracelets and rings with a necklace of beads and gold so large that it covered his chest, questions the Priest Yahya. "How is my brother?"
"Your brother, Pharaoh Thutmose, is…" The Priest pause to fix his white robe.
"Well!" Prince Amenhotep shouts at Yahya a little too loudly and angrily.
"The pharaoh is not getting better sire." He bows down not because of showing respect, but more because of fear.
"Ah, I see…" He replies too calmly that the Priest looks up to face him with bewilderment in his eyes.
"What my husband means." Princess Nefertiti, the wife of Amenhotep, also dress like her husband, but instead with a beautiful, plain dress, comes to join in the conversation from looking down the valley from the open terrace in the pharaoh's palace. She touches her husband's shoulder and eying the prince for being so foolish. "Is Pharaoh Thutmose going to get better?"
"If it is the god's will, princess." The Priest replies, acting more calmly now. "The other priest and I will get ready to start the ritual tomorrow to pray to the gods to heal the calamity of the almighty pharaoh."
"Let it be so Priest Yahya." The queen states roughly, dismissing the Priest for his exit.
"At your will Prince Amenhotep and Princess Nefertiti." The Priest bows down before them officially leaving the royals to themselves. They both wait for a few seconds until the footsteps of the Priest fade away deeper into the grand palace.
"My wife, you said the poison will take effect on my foolish brother, the damn pharaoh, months ago!" Amenhotep shouts but not too loudly in fear of others will hear him passing by the hallways, knowing the walls talk when they're angry.
"Relax, my dear husband." She calms Amenhotep by placing her rough hands on his narrow, tan, and long face. "It has to be slow so it will look like the wretched pharaoh dies from an illness, not poison. It is slow, but he will surely die."
"My beloved Nefertiti." He holds her tan hands and kisses the palms. "You are so evil it is so attractive." Nefertiti only smiles wickedly at him.
"Now, now my dear husband let us only celebrate to the death of your damn, worthless brother and soon we will get rid of those damn make-believe gods to worship only one – "
"Aten," Amenhotep whispers seductively to his wife, caressing her long, slender back.
"Of course, my dear Amenhotep and soon not only the people will bow down to us but the imaginary gods with the one and true god, Aten."
"Oh, my beloved Nefertiti, it will not do us any harm is we celebrate early."
She laughs wickedly. "Of course, not my dear and true husband." Her voice made of cold ice.
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