Characters:
Moses/Neferkheperura
– A
shipwrecked Extra-terrestrial
Dr.
Michael Beshter/King Tut – The Golden Pharaoh
Vivian
Carter/Ankhesenamon – Dr. Beshter’s love interest
Akh-Dar –
Chief Weapons Specialist for New Akhetaton in the Libyan Desert
Mosei/Caliph
Ibrahim – Spiritual Leader of the Blue Raven terrorist group
Clive
Lovington – CEO of MAAT
Sarah
Parkson – Media Consultant for ENN
Shai
–
High Seer of New Akhetaton
CHAPTER
2:
House
of Nebmaatra
Thebes,
Kemt (Egypt)
Two months passed by.
The fields of wheat dried up from prolonged daylight because the flash
floods subsided. Pharaoh had petitioned
Tefnut against the floods, so the result was dryness for several more
months. Then something else
happened. A pestilence entered Egypt
from the East, followed by boils on cattle, and swarms of locusts. The Prince Amonhotep would remember this for
many years. A new God had arrived in
Egypt from the East. But no one knew its
name.
A tribe of
Shepherds entered Pharaoh’s Court, claiming to be relatives of Yuya. Pharaoh Nebmaatra entertained them for a
week. He showed them the marvelous works
of the Kingdom – the pleasure Palace in Western Thebes with its custom lake and
sacred yacht, the marble-clad Pyramids, and the glorious Karnak Temples of
AmonRa with its 60 foot granite pillars and star décor ceiling.
“Your
Majesty, must we continue to entertain these guests? The Peasants are worried.
The Prophecy worries them,” Aperel said.
“They wish
to speak with Yuya. Why?” Pharaoh
Nebmaatra asked.
“Great.
All we need are more wily shepherds and their goats,” General Horemhab remarked
to his Guards. “Why not send us some
Cretans?”
Prince
Amonhotep greeted the Shepherds, offering to escort them to the Temple
Library. The Temple Seer was interested
in offering them advice on visions. One
Shepherd noticed a statue of Yuya, pointed to it and said something in broken
Canaanite. The Shepherds gathered around
it, and then one danced a jig to some music of a lute, drums, and ivory
clappers.
“This is
getting out of hand. Why don’t we just
tell them Yuya died a month ago from this foreign pestilence?” remarked Vizier
Ptahmose. Suddenly the music and dancing
stopped and all eyes were on him.
Apparently the Shepherds understood Egyptian.
“Is this
true? Is the Divine One Yu-Seph dead?” asked one Shepherd to Pharaoh, his mouth
quivering.
“The gods
took him last month just before you arrived,” Pharaoh replied. “He is still being embalmed in the House of
Death in the Mortuary Temple. That
statue is from it. The Pestilence came
like a shadow.”
“Then the
Prophecy was correct. We must convene to
our tents. You may excuse us momentarily…” the Shepherd Leader replied.
“What now?
Are they leaving?” Horemhab wondered.
“Finally?” he gasped. Pharaoh was
seated on his throne, with his fan bearer waving an ostrich-feather fan slowly
to comfort Pharaoh in the midday heat. A
servant brought in some Pomegranate Juice and fresh Ale with a platter of large
dates, figs and grapes. The throne was
situated below a kiosk of gilded wood containing rows of sun-crowned cobras,
carved hieroglyphs, with a footstool of Ebony wood showing figures of the Nine
Bows (the traditional enemies of Kemt). The
floor allowed a running carpet of red mosaic to greet the people entering the
Court, leading up to the throne. The
adjacent Mortuary Temple contained some six hundred statues of Sakhmet, the
goddess of epidemics, to contain the foreign Pestilence. Of course, statues by themselves are not a
cure – only the goddess, if rightfully petitioned, can do so.
The
Shepherd Leader returned after one hour.
“Mighty Pharaoh,” he started. “We
are the Children of Israel and seek your benevolence and accept our apologies
for this pestilence. Our God does not
always know whom to trust. We will
gratefully accept your son as our student, so that he may learn of Yuya’s
family and of our God.”
“Your God
is welcome if he can end this pestilence,” Pharaoh replied.
“Yuya’s
Prophecy said it would last seven years.
Has it been seven years?” asked one Shepherd.
“No. This is the first,” Pharaoh said.
“I
see. Well wishes, then…” the Shepherd
turned to leave. Amonhotep the Prince
followed after them with earnest to learn more about their God.
“So
they’re leaving? Because I have locusts in my sandals,” Ptahmose replied. Horemhab grinned slightly.
A month
passed by almost like the rain during Flood Season. Prince Amonhotep eagerly studied the
knowledge of these Shepherds, though they lacked books.
“So, your
God has no form? How do you recognize him?” the Prince asked one of the Shepherds.
“Our God is God.
He is alone and invisible – like the same being said of your
Amon-Ra. No one has seen his face. We hear his voice, the voice of wisdom. We feel his presence in the winds, and his
love in the sunshine. We see his
handiwork on Earth – the insects, the birds, the mice, the cats and the watery
creatures below. Have you wondered why
insects, mice, cats and birds all have the same kind of reproductive organ as
people?” asked the Shepherd Leader.
“No, I
hadn’t noticed,” Amonhotep replied.
“What about the Sun, the Aton?”
“Your
father is the Aton’s bodily form, as Aton-Ra.
When you become Pharaoh you will be Aton incarnate. Then you may decide whom you wish to alliance
with, your God or God himself,” the
Shepherd Leader said.
“Then your
God is a spirit? Like our Ancestors in Duat?” the Prince interjected.
“All Gods
are of the Spirit, but God alone is greater than all the lesser Gods combined,”
he said. “In time you will see that he
alone controls the elements, and not simply calling a name, for his name is
sacred and cannot be known.”
“What is
his name?” the Prince asked.
“We… We
carved the name of Yuya in our language once.
Then we adopted Egyptian language to spell it in the way you do… the
result was a composite word ‘Y-H-W-H” or Yuya the Eternal, using Y and W for
his name and the two H’s for Eternity,” the Shepherd said.
“So it’s
not Yahweh?” the Prince asked.
“That
would be Phonetic, or based on sounds.
Move the W around and you will see the expression, Yu-Wa HeH, or Yuya
the Eternal,” he replied.
“You mean
Yuya, Living Forever?” Amonhotep asked.
“Yes, that
is true. We wrote it on his Mortuary
Temple inscription. His name among our people
was Jo-Seb or Yu-Seph,” he said.
“Why did
you use Yuya as your God’s name?” the Prince inquired.
“God has
no name because to utter a name will cause something. When Egyptians worship the name Tefnut, does
it rain? When Amun is called does the wind blow? When Ra is spoken does the Sun
shine? And when Apophis is mentioned is there Darkness? And with Seth, is there
war and Chaos? Names are powerful. As God is almighty and all-powerful, to say
his name would cause the most powerful disaster ever. So we just call him ‘God’ in
replacement. He acknowledges us from
this trade word,” the Shepherd Leader said.
“You can do the same with Aton-Ra, if you like.”
“I
will. I will ask Nebmaatra about this,”
Amonhotep remarked. “Does the God have a
family?”
“We are
all his family, young Prince. The
Universe is his Body, and we are his blood.
We live according to his Will…” the Shepherd trailed.
“I mean,
the Children of Israel – who are they?” Amonhotep inquired.
“The word
El means God, and only those of our people have El in our names. Ra is your God. We hope to unite Egypt with our people, for
our people were Chosen by God for greatness not yet realized. We are Shepherds from Canaan waiting for our
Liberator to guide us to the Promised Land.
We will know him by three qualities: he will be of our lineage, he will
be a King and a God, and be anointed with sacred oils. Our people were chosen by God to become his
Kingdom,” he said to the Prince.
“How do
you talk to your God?” the Prince asked.
“We… We meditate
and inhale a fiery brew made of this
hemp plant’s leaves and flowers once
burnt. Egyptians use it for bindings in
ships or in Carpentry,” the Shepherd replied slyly. “God then shows us all we need to know.”
CHAPTER
3:
House
of Nebmaatra and Neferkheperura,
The
Co-Regency Begins
Nebmaatra was aging in his years and wanted to share his
government with his only surviving heir, Amonhotep Neferkheperura. Also because he feared his son would not be
able to rule on his own, due to certain recent behavioral conditions.
The
Pharaoh Nebmaatra commissioned a temple courtyard to contain the co-regency
names and titles of both sovereigns. Nebmaatra
also created a series of Scarabs to advertise this, as souvenirs of Egypt for
the foreign Heads of State that regularly visited, trading Egyptian gold for
chariot horses, copper for tools, and precious stones from the East. His traders to Nubia returned with a supply
of Incense trees, to be planted in the courtyard of Nebmaatra’s Mortuary
Temple. Some were also planted in
Hatshepsut’s Temple for effect. Nubia
supplied Egypt with mined gold, Ebony wood, Incense, livestock, Ivory and
furs. Nubians mostly wanted education,
fine wines, grain, and Egyptian watermelons in exchange. For those wanting an education, a contingent
of Nubian exchange-students or “Children of the Kap” were introduced to the
Temples. An education in Egypt was the
best in the known world outside of Greece.
Nubian artwork was of the highest esteem produced in the region. Nebmaatra received the trade secret of
glass-blowing from Cyprus and Crete, via ship traders.
In Thebes,
the highway was a system of waterways or canals connected to the Nile
River. Small Papyrus rafts or skiffs
floated in the canals, connecting to the Palace, Temples, Administration
buildings, and stopped at a hub for the apartment complexes near Hatshepsut’s
Valley Temple. The apartments had blue
faience tiles on the exterior. Interiors
allowed a set of painted columns to support the ceiling; multiple levels were
possible. Though some residents
preferred to sleep on top under the stars, air catchers on the rooftops acted
as air conditioning during the breezy afternoon Northern Winds. Some merchants sold their wares on the
canals, holding up traffic. Most trade
was done in the markets every week.
Pharaoh would occasionally walk the avenues of Sphinxes and inspected
the markets for trinkets, an occasional papyrus book, or cheap amulets.
Pharaoh
visited a pool within his Palace gardens one day. His son was studying the effects of Sunlight
evaporating water. “Amonhotep! How fares
you today?”
“Great
Falcon! Why does the water move like clouds on the surface?” Neferkheperura
asked his father.
“Aton must
be thirsty. Here, offer him this goblet
of Ale. Go and place it on the ground in
the sunlight,” Nebmaatra ordered.
Sure
enough the Ale started to vaporize.
“It’s…
Magic!” the Prince remarked excitedly. “How does this work?”
“Aton is
like fire, in the sky. When you are wet
and cold you sit before the fire and become dry. Apply this principal to Aton. Or you can say Aton is thirsty, and drinks
his fill,” Pharaoh joked. Neferkheperura
was serious.
“Ah… Maybe
I should consult Yuya?” the Prince said as he withdrew a patch of Hemp and
waved it before a lit torch until smoke emanated from it, from which he inhaled
deeply. “Ahh, better than Lotus oil…”
“Amonhotep?”
asked Nebmaatra.
“All
right, do you see the Boat of Aton in the sky? It’s right above the top of our
palace! Right there!” he said pointing up.
“Amonhotep,
have you been drinking?” Nebmaatra inquired again.
“No, I am
well. This boat binding reed is
fabulous, I think I’ll need my own garden of it,” Neferkheperura said.
“Give me
that! What is this burnt fiber, and why does it smell like Rhino Fart?” Pharaoh
asked about the pungent scent.
“Oh… The
Shepherds, the Children of Israel, they gave me some. It’s how they communicate
with their God,” Neferkheperura explained.
“It’s
hemp. We use it for boat
construction. I never burnt it before,
but then I never set fire to my own chariot house either. Son, we have our own Gods to attend to…”
Pharaoh replied.
“We have
too many Gods, father. We should only
have one, it’s easier to remember,” the Prince said.
“When you
are Pharaoh do so as you choose, for I will leave Egypt for the Fields of Peace one day… But remember
the Wise Ones and the teachings of Amonhotep the son of Hapu, or even
Ptah-hotep. A man does not live on bread
and wine alone. Nor does a country,”
Pharaoh said.
“Ah…
Bread, Wine and Hemp!” the Prince said. “When will I be married? As co-regent,
doesn’t that entitle me to a Queen?”
“Interesting. I will ask Vizier Aye. Perhaps his daughter
is available?” Pharaoh inquired.
“His
daughter? He has a daughter?” asked
the Prince while intoxicated.
“She’s a
good girl, decent, likes dancing, very influential in cosmetics and clothing
selection. She also studies politics,
and was useful in a few dispatches to the Mitanni two Seasons ago,” Pharaoh said.
“So she’s
smart. Is she ugly as well?” the Prince
asked.
“No, she’s
pretty. After we fix her attire you will
know,” Pharaoh said.
Three
weeks later, Amonhotep Neferkheperura was married to Aye’s daughter, Nefertiti,
on the royal barge that floats in the Sacred Lake of Queen Tiye in Nebmaatra’s
pleasure Palace grounds. Nefertiti was
initially covered in yellow bands of cloth, slowly unwound until her face and
semi-nude body was made visible. Then a
flat crown with a golden uraeus cobra diadem was placed on her shaven
head. Her beige skin was identical to
the portrait bust made by her sculptor Thutmose. Her name meant “the beautiful woman has
arrived,” though Neferkheperura was too drugged to notice much. His addictions contributed to his
actions. She appeared to be so beautiful
that Neferkheperura dropped to the ground to kiss her ankles, legs, and then
neck before introducing himself to her.
“Hmm… An
Interesting scent. Is it Nubian cologne?”
Nefertiti asked her husband.
“May I?”
asked the Prince as he escorted her to the dancing stage. He instructed the musicians to play something
exciting. The Hittite Sonnet seemed
appropriate. Drums, clappers, and a harp
set the tone. This was followed by
rattles, sistra, and a lute. The couple
danced for an hour.
Over the following months, Nefertiti and her
husband Neferkheperura Amonhotep celebrated in the Palace of his father. The Amon-Ra Priesthood was a growing concern
to the royal house of Pharaoh, because the Temple Economy was becoming stronger
than the King’s landholdings. This was a
form of Feudalism – Land was Power. The
Military was reduced to guard duty over the past seven years of peace and
prosperity. Temples had guards now,
gobbling up the military positions held by General Horemhab’s Army. Rumors circulated that the Pharaoh was dying
from the foreign Pestilence. He hasn’t
been seen in public for six months, and his wife, the Great Royal Wife Tiye,
only recently visited her son with Nefertiti at a State Dinner in the Theban
Palace.
To make
matters worse, Amonhotep Neferkheperura took over some gold offerings from
other Temples and appropriated the funds to build a new city dedicated to
Aton-Ra away from Thebes. This new city
was similar to his father’s pleasure Palace, but was built on virgin land. He conscripted workers from the other Temples
to construct Akhet-Aton, or the “Horizon of Aton.” This was hard, back-breaking work and
consumed as many laborers not known since the days of Pyramid building.
The new
Palace and tomb sites covered an area far from the influence of the Amon-Ra
priests. The land was not owned by the
Temples, for it was purchased from local farmers. It was flat mostly, and canals had connected
to the Nile River for transportation of building materials.
The new
city was unknown to Nebmaatra. Pharaoh
was almost bedridden by the Pestilence.
As Fluoride was unknown in Egypt, teeth were subject to cavities and gum
disease. Pharaoh had both ailments. Because of his health conditions, he did not
exercise much. The Statues of Sakhmet
did not heal him, nor did the Mitanni gift of Ishtar. As he was nearing his ultimate end, he saw
the Court of his son, Neferkheperura with all the young harem women (mostly
from his own harem’s daughters). He wished to be young again. This yearning was his last act as Pharaoh
before he succumbed to a coma, never awakening to see the City of the Sun.
“In peace,
in peace… The Great god has passed into the ether like Horus into the sky,”
chanted a priest performing Nebmaatra’s Last Rites.
Nefertiti
was crying. Her daughters cried,
too.
The new
Pharaoh Amonhotep Neferkheperura ruled independently now for about five years,
until the coregency with his wife, Queen Nefertiti and his other bodily son,
Smenkhkara. In that time, there were
changes.
Amonhotep
decided he didn’t like the Amon-Ra Priesthood telling him what he can or cannot
do with the State coffers. So he
separated the State from the Priesthood, first by changing his name to
Akhenaton, and second by closing the Amon-Ra Temple in Karnak. He drew the Army closer to secure his
position. Orders came from his Palace,
rather than from the Viziers or the Temples.
He wasn’t done yet.
The people
wondered why the great Karnak Temple of AmonRa was abandoned; its hinged gates
sealed and locked in clay impressed by the Royal Seal. Students were turned away from the
temples. Offerings were diverted to the
one Temple of Aton in Akhetaton. Akhenaton
created new powers of the King via legislation on stone tablets. No Temples were allowed to print “gods” only
“God.” Statues and all images of the
divine were smashed and buried. Priests
who did not share Akhenaton’s totalitarian beliefs were fired. Akhenaton ordered the Military to go about
and desecrate the other temples, hacking out the plural of Deities until they
read only one Deity. They attacked the
noses of all statues of past Pharaohs, to prevent breathing or animation. This included the Great Sphinx at Giza, which
Akhenaton’s grandfather helped to excavate from the encroaching sands. If people did not recognize Akhenaton as
God’s form on Earth, they were arrested and mutilated. Akhenaton confiscated the farms, produce,
gold and gems from all other Temples in Egypt and sent them to his Temple,
wherein he was its only Priest.
Akhenaton
looked about himself. Every child of his
was female, except for the one son by a minor wife named Kiya, who bore him
Smenkhkara. His eldest daughter was
Meritaton. The second daughter Maketaton
died from the Pestilence or from a loose crocodile in the Nile while washing
clothing. Akhenaton resulted to incest,
though for mysterious reasons he had both female and male reproductive organs,
a gift from his God. So he modeled Aton
has having these qualities as justification.
Akhenaton was both male and female, so on some artwork he was depicted
realistically as female, while on others as male. No sons were ever shown on these
portraits.
Nefertiti
stopped giving birth because she only bore daughters. Pharaoh needed a son as heir. He mated some harem ladies, but nothing.
Who would
carry on the new religion? Akhenaton mated Meritaton, his first born
daughter. She gave birth to a girl. Akhenaton mated Ankhesenpaaton; another girl
was born. Nefertiti found this out and
they had an argument that lasted several days.
Nefertiti threatened to divorce Akhenaton.
In his own
little world of sex, deceit and drug addiction, Akhenaton became worse as a person. He lavished affections onto Smenkhkara in one
painted scene – perhaps this was an artist’s opinion or fact, we will never
know. Smenkhkare was now in his
twenties, Akhenaton was in his forties. Akhenaton
mated his mother Tiye, and had another daughter named Baketaton. Daughters! Akhenaton then, desperate, forced
his son Smenkhkara and his own daughter, Meritaton, to reproduce. After a year of this, she gave him the prize
he was waiting for – an heir, a boy! A Prince!
Akhenaton
was a proud father now. He wrote on his
Temple and Palace walls that “his” bodily son, Tut-ankhu-Aton, was his heir and
Prince of Egypt, to carry on his religious reforms.
Meanwhile
the Citizens rebelled. The cities were
dark – oil lamps could not be lit due to oil shortages. The farms sent ½ of all proceeds to the
Pharaoh. Union Strikes occurred daily. The
Empire which relied heavily on gifts of Gold from Egypt collapsed with the
Hittites invading the region from the North.
Riots occurred in all Temple districts due to unrest and unemployment
was at 70%. Tombs were robbed and
violated. All this happened while
Tutankhuaton was growing up.
Nefertiti
and Smenkhkara conspired against Akhenaton.
“You will
not be allowed to trash Egypt like it’s your personal playground, Akhenaton!”
Smenkhkara shouted in anger. “Tiye would
be ashamed of you, bless her Akh.”
“My God
will destroy you, heathen! May a thousand cockroaches infest your beds!”
Akhenaton threatened.
“Your God
is a god of fantasy and that reed you smoke all day is the end of you,”
Nefertiti said. “What would poor little
Tutankhuaton think of this? He’s your
son, have some respect!”
“The
Canaanites showed me real power, not
from some lifeless idol of stone!” Akhenaton yelled from across the room.
“Then why
don’t you go live with them, and
their smoked filth?” Smenkhkara suggested.
“Leave Egypt to us, Akhenaton.”
“All
right, I will! I, Akhenaton, Renounce My
Throne! I shall live with the Canaanites and be their High King! Just as
soon as I bring my Hemp with me, some horses, and my hunting bed…” Akhenaton
said.
“Fine. Leave! Take your filth and go!” Nefertiti
shouted back.
“Egypt
will be safe with us, Akhenaton,” Smenkhkare replied.
CHAPTER
4:
In
Exile, Somewhere, North of Egypt
Akhenaton arrived in a tribal region in the Sinai area,
East of the Delta of Lower Kemt. His
baggage consisted of a cedar chest for clothing, a horse, a robe, and a snake
that he found in the desert. The snake
was the type of Egyptian Cobra that becomes stiff as a defensive mechanism when
pressed on his neck. So the snake became
his walking stick. The chest contained
some gold bars stamped with the Seal of Prince Akhenaton, some scrolls of
Papyrus, Scribe equipment, a canteen of water, and some rare Green Stones (pilfered from an Egyptian
tomb on the way over). All royal attire
was absent. This includes jewelry and
cosmetics.
His horse
traveled across the Sinai Desert for 3 days until finding a Shepherd’s Fiefdom
with a water well. Inside a tent was the
Shepherd of Midian. Akhenaton drew some water and ate some fruit before falling
asleep in the simple forest of Date Palm Trees.
He awoke
at night to screams of women.
“Go away
from our well, thief!” cried one woman dressed in Canaanite attire.
“This
water is free, woman! All Water is Free!” said the rogue.
“This
water belongs to the well of my father, the Sheik!” she said.
“I don’t
see your name on it, villager!” another rogue replied.
“Will it
be needing gold?” asked a stranger.
“What
gold?” the rogue asked, startled.
“Gold?”
asked the other two rogues in unison.
Akhenaton
hurled two gold ingots to the thieves, knocking them on the head. One picked up an ingot and smiled, then
glanced upwards to witness Akhenaton’s walking stick hit him across the head,
knocking him unconscious.
The women
gathered around the stranger.
“Where did
this gold come from?” asked one girl.
“Akhenaton!
That’s the name of the Heretic King
of Egypt!” shouted a woman. “If I see
him, I will tear his filthy eyes out!”
Akhenaton
thought for a moment.
“Who are
you, stranger?” asked a woman with clear blue eyes and rugged brown hair.
“My name?
I am Akh--- I mean, (coughs) I am Ptah-Moses of North Egypt. But you can call me Moses for short,” Akhenaton lied.
“Moses!
What do you do, Sir Moses?” the woman inquired.
“I’m… I’m
a Carpenter and I was a Farmer, until
the drought killed my crops and the
trees all died from Pestilence. But… I am free now. I am a Free Man,” Moses (Akhenaton) replied.
“A Man!”
said a village girl. “We need a Man!”
“Well, Sir
Moses, I am called Zipporah, the eldest daughter of Jethro, a Priest of
Midian. Welcome to his Sheikdom, the
Land of Midian,” she smiled.
Moses
lived in Midian for the duration of three or four Pharaohs following his
voluntary exile out of Egypt. This
lasted about 43 years.
Once
Akhenaton was gone, the political structure in Egypt underwent minor cosmetic
changes. For one, heirs to the Pharaoh
could be either male or female.
Smenkhkara and Nefertiti ruled together for a few years, until Nefertiti
could find a solution to the problem. Smenkhkare
ruled with his sister-mate Meritaton once Nefertiti resigned from politics, and
so cared for the heir Tutankhuaton in Akhetaton.
The people
demanded Smenkhkara reopen the Temples.
In doing so, he was assassinated by a group of discontent Atonists armed
with clubs and maces. Meritaton buried
him in the Valley of Kings, and then ruled alone for four months. When she tried to appease the people by
publicly appearing in the Window of Appearance, she was murdered. Her face was
slashed, and she was stabbed multiple times.
Nefertiti was alone.
To calm
the people, Nefertiti showed the heir of the throne to the crowd in the Window
of Appearance – the young boy Tutankhuaton, then only seven years old. She said she would be his co-regent until he
matured, and that Egypt would have a new government. This seemed to work, for now.
Tutankhuaton
was renamed Tut-ankh-Aton. He was
crowned before his tenth birthday, while still nine years old. He was given his sister as consort,
Ankhesenpaaton, according to the laws and customs of Akhetaton. Tut was tutored by the Grand Vizier Aye. General Horemhab served as his guidance
counselor when Tut was angry. Horemhab’s
Army was in Akhetaton to protect the royal family from the angry mobs outside
the walls.
Tut
remained in the city for two to three years.
During that time, he worshiped Aton by making liquid offerings in the
open-ceiling Temple so Aton could drink its offerings daily. The city was quiet for the most part. Soldiers guarded every doorway, archers
marched in the halls, and chariots parked near the Pylon Gates, with Priests of
Maat administering Justice.
The
artwork of Akhenaton demonstrated realism – ugly people were shown in their
faults: sagging bellies, robust arms, and feminine legs. Tut did not want to be seen for his faults,
so he banned the practice on his twelfth birthday. It was then that he was told what had been
happening to Egypt.
“Grand
Vizier Aye? Why are the temples closed to the people?” Tut asked Aye.
“Your
father closed them, much to the distrust of the Citizenry,” Aye replied. “I helped him do it.”
“And why
do they all hate us? Have you seen the depictions of the royals in the tombs of
the Valley? Nakht, my friend from the Temple, showed me one…” Tut said.
“Give them
a reason to love us, or they will always despise us,” said Nakhtmin, the King’s
Minister said from behind.
“What the
Minister meant by that was--,” Aye started.
“I know
what he meant, Aye,” Tut reflected. Tut
took a few deep breathes and exhaled loudly.
“All right. I am Pharaoh now.”
“Indeed. Please entertain our trust, Great One,”
Nakhtmin said.
“Aye, I
want you to reopen the Temples. Not just
one – ALL of them! Nakhtmin, establish a code of legislation on my desk by
tomorrow so I can start writing new laws.
I will inspect the Temples of Karnak today. Servants! I need a carrying chair so I can
travel to the Temple of AmonRa, now!” Tut ordered.
Guards
briskly followed Tut’s orders. A
Carrying-chair, or a chair held up by two long wooden poles, was carried by the
guards like a primitive automobile minus the engine. Tut had difficulty walking from a birth
defect.
He arrived
by midday. The Temple of AmonRa was
desolate, weeds had overgrown between the floor blocks, and animals used stones
to urinate on. The libraries were empty,
probably looted. All statues in it were
defaced or broken. Hieroglyphs seemed
smashed in places, with inked over words where the plurality of Deity
occurred. Temple granaries appeared
empty, except for rats.
Out of
disgust, Tut kicked a pillar. Then he
ordered the carriers to bring him to the Palace of Nebmaatra in Thebes, the
former Capital.
Nefertiti
greeted the young Pharaoh.
Ankhesenpaaton accompanied her with the harem. Tut ordered that the House of Nebmaatra
become his Palace, abandoning the City of Aton so the people won’t be
upset. This statement was now Law. He returned to the other Palace to pack and
to write new legislation the following morning.
Tutankhaton
had a temper problem. He became angry
easily. Maybe this started with his
parents always arguing, or the affairs of State, or how foreign nations thought
he was weak or incompetent. Once he
engaged in battle against the Libyan raiders on the Border States. This was one month after he was crowned King
of the Two Lands. He was riding on a
chariot, and was knocked down to the ground.
Then he wrestled a Libyan soldier, whom he made a slit up his stomach,
and then the neck with a dagger.
On
returning home, Vizier Aye bandaged Tut and applied medicine that caused his
wounds to burn. Tut needed to find new
ways to fight.
“My stupid
foot keeps getting in the way! Aye, find me a new weapon. I don’t care if it’s bronze, copper, iron, or
gold,” Tut complained.
“Here, I
prepared these sandals for you, Pharaoh,” Aye gave Tut a specially made sandal
for his left foot that was elevated inside.
To make him want to wear it, he placed images of his enemies on the
soles.
“What are
these figures of? Nubians, Syrians, and Libyans?” Tut asked Aye.
“Motivation,
young Pharaoh. You need to fight a
different way. Not with sticks and
stones, but with willpower and spells,” Aye said.
“Magic?
Seriously?” Tut replied.
“Yes. You need to learn to do new things,” Aye
said.
Over the
next few years, Tut utilized his new skills of Magical tools given by Vizier
Aye (whom was once a Kheri-Heb Priest, an
expert on Magic). He wrote letters
to foreign countries and their leaders, laced with Magical words and
intentions. Many enemies died under mysterious
circumstances. To make this activity
cease, Tut told them to send him Tribute – precious stones, gold, ivory, ebony,
wheat, incense trees, copper and horses.
This Magical Blackmail worked
without ever stepping one foot on foreign soil.
Tools
included Tut as a Sphinx trampling on enemies (drawn on a battle shield), bows
and arrows, walking sticks with Nubians or Syrians on the handle, footstools
with enemies on it, sandals with enemies shown on the soles so they are cursed
when he wears the footwear, and devices with magical Green Stones.
The
Atonists were imprisoned once Akhenaton was in exile. They watched Tut as his new slaves, being
forced to rebuild the Temples they damaged under Akhenaton. They noticed that Tut was always applied with
Anointing Oils, every day. So they made
a rumor that an Anointed One would one day save them from slavery and return
them home.
Copyright 2014 Michael J. Costa, All rights reserved.
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