The Pharaoh's Lotus

Chapter 34

"Open the doors!"

Her remaining servants shrieked at the riled voice, racing to huddle together out of fear. Isetnofret froze from her anxious pacing, spinning to face the doors as they were flung wide.

"All of you, out! Now!" The Pharaoh shouted, forcing the servants to scramble over each other as they fled.

"Ramses, please, I beg you to calm yourself," Isetnofret pleaded, her voice timid with fear. Never had she seen such a burning rage in his eyes, and this fear of the unknown now made her cower.

"You dare tell me to calm myself after what you have done?" He seethed at her incredulously.

"You goad your servants to attack an innocent young woman, almost killing her, and then you attack a fellow princess within my palace! Now the Queen lies unconscious, her waters broken far too early because you and said princess could not control yourselves! And you tell me to calm down?" It took all his willpower to prevent himself from lashing out at her again.

Isetnofret's anxiously bitten lips began to quiver, and thoughts of her beloved sister-wife took over her mind.

"H-how is she? How is Nefertari?" She squeaked. Even the hot-headed Princess could not escape the love and worry she had for her Queen, especially as the realisation of what she had potentially done struck her over and over again with its agonising guilt.

"You will address her as Queen." Ramses hissed, taking a deep breath through flared nostrils to calm himself.

"How is the Queen? Is she..." She began to correct herself.

"She is unconscious, her waters broken, as I just told you," he reiterated bitterly.

"Now, I did not come here to indulge you in idle chit-chat, Isetnofret," he spoke before she could respond.

"But I demand to know why. Why did you send your lackeys to attack Malawashina's maidservant? Why are you so hateful towards her when she has done nothing to provoke such ire from you? Because of you, her maidservant, the Queen, and the babe within the Queen's womb could die! Why do you wish to have their deaths on your hands? Damned you! Tell me why!" By now he had gripped her harshly by her shoulders and was almost shaking her. Tears had welled not only in her eyes but his also, for he struggled to comprehend the dastardly being she had become.

Isetnofret yanked herself away from his grasp. "You know why!" She screamed back at him, her body trembling as she clutched at her arms, bitter tears streaming down her high cheeks now.

"You know I would never wish harm against my sister-wife, against the Queen! But that Hatti bitch?"

"Do not speak such ill words towards her!"

"Do not tell me how to feel!" She shot back, her voice shaking, her face reddening with harrowing emotion.

"You know who it was who killed him, Ramses! You know her father stole his life and nearly took yours!"

Taken aback by such words, Ramses fumbled back as the image of that horrid day flooded his memories. Such was the pain that took hold of his soul, he gasped at the agony of it.

He looked into Isetnofret's distressed expression and felt his heart again torn. Not only because he had lost his best friend, one he had called a brother that day, but because of what had been revealed as his brother lay bloodied and dying in his arms.

Ramses stilled himself, reigning in the sting of the freshly salted wound.

"Malawashina is not responsible for Merneptah's death," he muttered, looking away from Isetnofret's dark eyes as he sniffed.