Jewel Of The Nile [COMPLETE]

Chapter Six

The door was locked, but we could still hear voices. It seemed that the Pharaoh's condition had not improved in the slightest. There were many voices, voices that were trying to be quiet and hushed, but failing miserably. Meritaten and I were pressed up against the door, attempting to hear something good, anything good. But so many people were speaking at once that it was hard to hear an individual voice for too long at a time.
"He needs to lie down!"
"More water - my Pharaoh, you need more water!"
"I shall send for a servant to fetch some medicines."
"Are you hot? Do you require a wet towel or something?"
"Akhenaten, you just need to rest. I will send those who do not need to be here away - and do not worry about the Nubian Princes. I am sure the Queen will take care of them."
"Enough!" Father commanded. The room was silenced. "I am fine. Ay is correct; I just need some rest. Tomorrow is going to be better. Tomorrow I will be on my feet once more. You need not worry about me. Now, the only people I want here are Ay, the Queen, my physician and one servant. The rest of you leave. Now."
Meritaten and I looked at each other in fright, then dashed back to her bedchambers, we collapsed on her bed, breathless.
"You see, Meritaten," I panted. "Father will be fine. You need not worry now."
She shook her head. "Did you not hear his voice? He was making it up. He did not want to worry anyone. There were lies in his voice, Ankhesenpaaten. And do not try to convince me otherwise."
I was, once again, at a loss for words. "I'm sorry, Meritaten."
"It is ok. You were only trying to help," she said. "Now leave me. If I am to be Queen on a few days, I must learn to keep my composure."
I opened my mouth to say something, then shut it again. What was there to say? All I could do was leave.

I sat down on the edge of the pool, and slipped my legs into the cool water. It was a huge, rectangular in shape and filled to the brim with pure, pristine, fresh water, collected from high in the cliffs.
The entire room had no roof, so I was able to look up and watch the sunset. Aten, like so many people in the city, was getting ready to rest, but I could not. I would not be able to sleep for many hours.
The room in which the pool was in was relatively large - not huge, but not small either.it was mainly empty, except for four stone pillars in each corner, a small bench against one wall, and, of course, the murals and decorated tiles - but that was like the rest of the palace.
The cool water felt refreshing on my legs; and it helped me calm down and clear my mind. It was so quiet and peaceful here; I often came here just to think.
A bang from behind me made me spin around, startled. One of the Golden Princes from earlier was cursing, and rubbing his head. I giggled. He looked up instantly. "Oh....I am so sorry for disturbing you....You are one of the Princesses, are you not? I apologise for my language. I hope I did not disturb you," he babbled nervously.
"No, you did not disturb me. I was merely thinking. Please, if you wish to use the pool, I will leave if you require. I can go elsewhere." I got up, letting my dress drop down to my feet again, ready to leave. But the prince shook his head.
"No, I was not going in the water. I was just coming to think, as well. But please, do not leave. If anything, I should leave," he said.
"There is room for both of us," I replied. "We both came here for calm - we may as well stay here."
"You are correct," the prince agreed, walking around to the bench and indicating for me to follow. "Such a simple solution."
I smiled, sitting down next to him. "Indeed."
"So, Princess, tell me - what is your name? For your Grand Vizier only introduced the name of your parents and brother - and I believe it would be quite rude to indulge with conversation with you without knowing your name."
"My name is Ankhesenpaaten."
"Princess Ankhesenpaaten, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He stood up and bowed. I laughed.
"Please, just call me Ankhesenpaaten. Everyone does. What is your name, O Mighty Prince from the Land of Gold?"
He rolled his eyes. "I am Taquir, and if I am not to address you by your proper title, then you shan't do that to me."
I giggled. "Yes, of course!"
He sat back down next to me. "Egypt is a beautiful place. You are very lucky to live here."
"It would not be beautiful if it had not been for your country's gold. Speaking of which, when are you returning?"
"My brother wishes to return soon. Tis a good two week's journey from here to Nubia, and he believes if we stay here we will be gone too long," Taquir replied. "But we only just got here. I want to stay a few days more, at least. Ankhetaten is very different from where I live. I want to see more of it."
"Surely your brother does not make all the decision ," I inquired. Taquir shook his head.
"Not all, no, but most. He is older than me - the heir, so of course he would. He tries to include my opinion, but often fails."
"Is he cruel to you?"
"Not directly, no. He can just be...insensitive."
I realised I was being very nosy. I apologised quickly, appalled at how inconsiderate I had been.
Taquir laughed. "Do not apologise. Really, it is fine. I do not mind talking to you about it."
I breathed. "Thank goodness. I was worried that I may have scared you off with so many questions."
"Well, I am still here, aren't I?"
I smiled. "Very funny."
We sat in silence for a little bit. I suppose to give us both time to think about what we came here to think about.
I thought about father. I hurt me to think it, but it was plausible that father could die in a few days. Since the month or so when he had first gotten sick (at the same time as Smenkhkre), he never fully recovered. What would happen if he did die? Smenkhkre and Meritaten on the throne of Egypt. Would they do well? Would they have a long reign? What was to become of me? There were so many questions about the impending future, and not enough answers.
"What are you thinking about?" asked Taquir, jolting me out of my trance.
"Um...nothing in particular," I stammered, caught off-guard. I could not tell him about father. It would be treason to tell a foreigner about the Pharaoh's deteriorating health. I would have to make something up. Please, forgive me, I asked my ib. "Just...wondering about...my friend. In the city. I have not seen her in a while."
Taquir frowned. "You have a friend in the city?"
I quickly realised that I had said the wrong thing, but it was too late now. "Yes, I do," I replied simply, unsure of what else to say.
"Is she the daughter of a person in authority?"
"No, just someone I met once when I was in the city."
Taquir nodded. "Are you two close?"
"Um, in a way, I suppose."
"I wish I had a close friend," he sighed. "All I have are my siblings, which is not a good thing. They are kind enough, but smart enough too. Each have their own plots to inherit my father's crown. Surely you would understand this."
I shook my head. "Not at all. My siblings and I are quite close. My brother Tutankhaten and I always play together - whenever he is not busy, of course. And my sisters are my sisters; there will always be a bond between us." I decided not to mention anything about Meritaten and Smenkhkre. With luck, I was improving with my relationship with Meritaten, however.
Taquir laughed. "Oh, how I wish things could be the same. I have three younger brothers, and four sisters - three are older; one is younger. In fact, my eldest sister is older than my brother. And all of them want to be the next ruler of Nubia. We are all close in age, too. From my brother down to my youngest sister, there are only five ears apart. Yes, they are kind to my face, but as I said before, they each plot the demise of, well, the rest of us. If I were to attempt to make a real friendship with them, I would be greeted by a knife to the throat."
I gasped. "Surely you do not participate in these as well?"
He shrugged. "I do not go out of my way to kill my siblings, but if my guards saw a threat to me, they would hunt down the person behind it and I would not stop them. Although I do not understand why my brothers and sisters target me. There is no way k will ever be King. It will be my brother. He will get married, become King, and have many children to take his place. I am destined to forever be in his shadow."
"You do not know that. He could die beforehand. That is how my father became Pharaoh. He once had an older brother, but he died before my grandfather. Thus, my father became heir and Pharaoh."
"Yes, but that does not happen often. Nonetheless, I have accepted my fate." He rose. "I must be going, otherwise my brother will be wondering where I have gone. It was a pleasure to meet you, Princess Ankhesenpaaten. Perhaps we can talk again before I leave?"
I curtseyed. "It would be an honour, Prince Taquir."
He nodded, a small smile creeping up the sides of his face. "Until then." He spun around on his heels and marched out of the room. After waiting a bit, I too left the pool and headed to my own chambers.