Chapter Three
Makara
I was dressed accordingly and ready to leave half an hour before my uncle had told us when to meet. I hadn't seen my Father in a couple of months now, and truth be told, I was looking forward to this visit. I missed him.
Whenever we went to my father's house in the city, Mother and I were always accompanied by Aunt Huy and Sete. It would look less suspicious, the King claimed, and if we were ever attacked or present at the time of some chaos within the city, it was always handy to have a trained soldier walking with us; protecting us from the dangers outside the palace walls.
Of course, we all had some kind of disguises that we would wear whenever we went outside the palace grounds to visit Father, so that people would not identify us as we wandered by. It was not safe for the Queen and her daughter to walk around in the city by themselves, so we had to try and blend in as much as possible.
Aunt Huy would often help with that. She was similar in size to Mother so she would give the Queen one of her old dresses. And since Aunt Huy could make her own clothes, she tailored some of her old ones to fit me. It was a change to what I was used to, but it wasn't unpleasant. Even though I would never truly be like them, it was beneficial to witness how the majority of our country lived first-hand.
We usually left the palace around midday, when the people were in the middle of their working day. This avoided many citizens walking around the streets; less people to notice and maybe pick up something that wasn't quite right about the seemingly normal 'family' walking down the pathways in a hurry. Occasionally, however, we would leave the palace early in the morning - around the same time that the markets would begin. People would be huddled around small stalls on either side of the street. Those who were poor kept to one side and examined trivial items such as bread and pottery, whereas those who were rich kept to the other and tended to by more affluent items such as fancy clothes and jewellery; those who were neither rich nor poor wandered around aimlessly on both sides.
I quite enjoyed the markets, even though the risk of exposure was much higher than when we were simply meandering through the streets in the middle of the day. The markets were much more vibrant; more entertaining to walk through. There were different smells, different voices - an entirely different atmosphere. I loved it. It almost made me wish at times that I wasn't a princess - that I was simply an ordinary citizen of Waset. But who was I to question the god's ruling? They had destined me to live as Makara, daughter of the Queen. That was their choice they had made for me and who was I to question it?
"Ah, the Princess Makara of Egypt. How nice it is to see that you have not been confined to your chambers as punishment for disobeying the Queen's orders."
The familiar voice approached me from behind. Sete was dressed in clothing similar to what he usually wore, but without all regalia that might be expected of a palace guard. Of course, he still had his khopesh. The man wouldn't even leave his bedchamber without the sword. Not that it was a bad thing, of course. It would be worse if he didn't bring it, and we ended up being attacked or something.
"Indeed," I replied dryly, turning around to face him. "I practically had to beseech Mother to allow me to come today."
Sete rolled his eyes in a fake-mocking manner. "How terribly shameful of a Princess of Egypt."
"I know - I'm terrible!"
Sete snorted, leaning one one of the marble-white pillars that stretched up to the sky just like the lotus flower that it was designed after. "We shan't have to wait much longer. I'm sure that Huy would wish your Mother out of bed as soon as possible. I'm surprised they aren't here already."
I shrugged in reply. "I've been ready for a while now."
The palace guard nodded, leaving us in an awkward silence while I was growing impatient. Where was Mother and Aunt Huy? Why were they making us wait so long? Sete was right; surely Aunt Huy would want Mother to be ready as soon as she could?
It seemed like an eternity had passed before Mother and Aunt Huy finally joined Sete and us at the palace gates. It was clearly evident, from the frown on Mother's face and from the way Aunt Huy was practically dragging the Queen, that she had tried to get Mother here as fast as possible. It was evident to see who excited about this trip, and who was not - to say the least.
"Come on, let's go," Mother snapped, pushing her long, natural hair out of her face. Mother usually wore a wig for daily life, a different one every day, but if she wanted to blend in, a wig was not the way to go. "The sooner we leave, the sooner I can return to my chambers."
"I don't think so," Aunt Huy laughed as she danced out of the palace gates. "You are not returning to that imprisonment of a chamber of yours until I see fit. You shall be eating with the family once we return, and not only that, I'm sure the King will be overjoyed if you came and joined him in Evening Prayers tonight."
Mother groaned in protest, but Aunt Huy simply laughed once more and wandered on ahead of us.
She was always happiest when she was out of the palace. Aunt Huy, traditionally, was from the city. Not Waset, but another one - one I was never told much about, other than that it far away. She was born and bred in the bustling city, and as much as she tried to deny it, palace life would never truly suit her. She only chose to be a maid because it was the only way she could still be close to Mother. Not only that, it provided Father with an excuse to visit the palace. If she had her ideal life, Aunt Huy would still be roaming the city streets without a care in the world, just like she did almost ten years ago now. There was no way that she would still be with us, in the palace.
By the time that were were walking through the streets of Waset, the markets were just begin to close up for the day. It was approaching midday, and the people had left their workplace to return home for meals. There were a few citizens walking around, but not many at all.
The stall owners paid little attention to us, more focused on packing up their items into small cotton bags that they had no doubt weaved themselves out of papyrus threads from the banks of the great River that ran through the centre of Egypt. The River was the greatest gift to us the gods had given, and as a member of the royal family, my sworn duty no matter what would always be to protect the River at all costs.
It sustained us. It sustained our people. It sustained the very land we stood on. And as descendants of the gods themselves, why wouldn't we do our best to save and preserve it?
My father was a soldier in the army so lived at the back of the city, closer to cliffs. This was where all members of the army were required to live so that if there was a war, it would not take long to gather all the soldiers. Father had been granted permission to move out of the actual complex itself - given to him by Sete - but he still needed to live nearby.
The city was shabbier around this area; much, much dirtier. The buildings and houses were taller and the streets narrower so that not much sun could shine through and illuminate the pathways. There were less people around here, but the entire area gave me a feeling that made me glad we were being accompanied by a palace guard. I hung on to Mother's hand much tighter.
"Nearly there!" Aunt Huy sang, skipping along the path, seemingly oblivious to the ominous feeling. She was just like a ray of sunshine. She had been blessed by Amun-Ra - it was easy to see.
"Thank the gods," Mother groaned. "I don't think I will be able to walk much further."
"Oh, stop complaining, Ankhesenamun," Aunt Huy remarked, rolling her eyes. "You're fine."
Mother grumbled quietly under her breath but made no effort to talk back to her. I think that she knew it was hopeless. Aunt Huy would get her way no matter what. There was no arguing involved. If Aunt Huy said she was fine, then that was that. No questions.
The streets began to widen out a bit and houses became less and less common. A large, brick wall became apparent to us in the distance; not far - perhaps only a couple hundred cubits away? The wall marked the military complex, and Father's house was just outside of it - within view.
"Look, Makara!" Aunt Huy said to me, bending down and pointing. "He's outside, waiting for you!"
Aunt Huy was right. Sure enough, there was my Father, sitting on the ground outside his small house, waiting for us.
"Father!" I shouted, running over to him. I was excited; I hadn't seen him in months. I had missed him. And there he was, almost right in front of me.
Father stood up and stretched out his arms. "Makara!" he replied, laughing as I ran into him, hugging me. "You've grown! A lot! Soon you will be as tall as me!"
"Really?" I asked, hopeful. I hated being short. Yes, I was only young, but everyone I knew was so tall. I always had to look up to speak to them. It was dreadfully annoying.
By this stage, Aunt Huy had caught up with me. "Kahmose, boy, what were you - raised in the desert? Invite us in! Have you no manners?"
"Nice to see you too, sister. What has it been - a week or two?"
"Not long enough," Aunt Huy replied instantly, opening the door to Father's home on her own. They always acted like this whenever they were together. Of course, Aunt Huy secretly enjoyed being with her brother, but she would never tell him that. Never in a million years.
"Where's Ankhesenamun?" Father asked casually, trying to hide his anticipation.
"She's lagging behind with Sete," Aunt Huy replied, taking my hand and pulling me inside. "Have you any boiled water, Kahmose? Do you not know how to treat guests?"
"I'm not the palace, Huy," Father replied, rolling his eyes. "You've grown accustomed to luxury. Maybe you should live with me for a month or two - perhaps that would jog your memory."
Aunt Huy ignored him and went back to the front door. "Hurry up, Sete!" she shouted. "I'm boiling some water for us, since Kahmose is incapable of doing so himself."
"I'm not incapable," Father muttered, sitting down on the stairs. "I just didn't think about it."
"Yes, brother dear - and that's exactly the problem," Aunt Huy replied, walking back inside.
I giggled, watching the sibling exchange. Would this be what it would be like for me, if I had a brother?
"Do you want to sit out on the roof, Princess?" Father asked me, smiling. He didn't call me that as my title - rather, it was more of an affectionate nickname.
"Yes please!" I said excitedly. I always loved sitting out on the roof of my Father's home. It was interesting to see everything from a higher perspective. I felt taller than anyone else, which was a nice change from how I normally felt.
"Aren't you going to ask me if I want to sit on the roof?" Mother's familiar voice rang out as she stood in the entrance of the house and Father's facial expressions changed dramatically into a helpless grin.
"Ankhesenamun!" He exclaimed, picking her up and twirling her around. Mother laughed, the first time in days, and told Father to place her back on the ground. "You mistake me for a kite. No, I am more of a jackal."
"Ah, so you prowl along the sandy floor of the desert, eating scorpions, and digging up the graves of your lowly subjects, mankind?" Father joked in response. A kite was a bird, and the symbol of the goddess Isis, one of the most powerful goddess' of them all. When Mother said that she had been mistaken for a kite, she was truly saying that she did not enjoy not having her feet planted upon the ground; she was not a bird.
Mother smiled. "Perhaps more of a lion, then. I do not dig up graves."
"Ah, a lion! You lounge on the banks of the great River, eyes open constantly, always watching for some poor, unsuspecting animal to walk past before you pounce!"
"Perhaps just a mere cat, then. My moral remains the same. I am not a bird."
"No, you are a cat - you gobble up birds! Strutting around the city like you own the place, constantly licking and washing yourself. Always better than everyone else - very high and mighty."
Mother laughed once more. "Yes, that sounds about right. I am a cat. What about you, Kahmose? A crocodile? A hippopotamus? Lounging around in the water all day, being lazy, do nothing - sounds about right," she teased.
Father crossed his arms in mock frustration. "Excuse you. I do not do nothing all day."
"No, you eat and sleep for half the day too," Aunt Huy interrupted, searching through shelves. "Good heavens, man! Do you have any food left for us? Or have you eaten it all already?"
"Good heavens, woman! Could you get off my back just for a moment? You have barely been here five minutes and yet here you are, patronising me as usual!" He sounded mad, but he wasn't - not really. "Makara, go down to the local bakery, near the barracks - you know where to go - and buy us a honey cake, please. There's a jug of beer for you to trade downstairs."
"But what if she gets recognised?" Mother asked worryingly, but Father brushed her concerns away.
"The soldiers don't go there; they get their fair share of sweet foods distributed to them at their every beck and call. The only customers that bakery has is me and a couple of people who live in this end of town, and those who live here cannot afford to live in the centre of town. There is no way they would have any knowledge of what the Princess looks like. She will be fine. Besides," Father said, his voice dropping to just above a whisper. "I want to talk to you."
"Fine," Mother sighed. "Makara, go."
~~~~
Hey Everyone!
I feel like I owe you an apology. I promised you I would post every weekend, and you've been waiting for chapter 3 for three weeks. I'm sorry.
My reason is that because it has been the end of term, I had many exams that I needed to focus on. Thankfully, it's the Easter holidays now (The Lord has Risen! Praise be to God!) so I can focus on writing.
This will probably happen every term. During the last two weeks, I won't be able to concentrate on writing. But until then, I will try my hardest to upload every Sunday.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! For my readers who came here from Jewel of the Nile - what do you think of 27 year old Kahmose? Still the same, cheeky teenager? Or more matured? Let me know what you think in the comments!
If you enjoy reading about the life of Princess Makara and Queen Ankhesenamun, press that little star button at the top of the chapter! It means a lot to all authors, including me.
That's all from me. I'll see you all in Chapter Four. Have a great week!