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Feb. 17th, 2006 08:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismeninHello! Nice sunny day in Welsh Wales. My porridge is on, my orange juice awaits, and I get to see Casanova later today! 12A so not expecting it to be very exciting, but, hey it was either that, or summat along the lines of "The Happy Elf" or "Penguins in Space." Yes, indeed. So there it is!
Anyway, me dears, here is SoS for you. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks you all for being so valiant. xxxx
See sig pic for detail!! :D
Grateful thanks to the still sick LSR for her beta skills. Hugs her.
Anyone who recognises Lij's "I am your anointed king..." speech, give yourselves a pat on the back. And a small guinea pig.
Part 10 - Confrontation
Today was going to be the day that we confronted him. We had planned it carefully. Nat, Menkh, Imhotep, Soraya, Lygia, Kerasonb, Zeser...all the palace guard ...were with us. Amongst all the other people in the palace, there was no-one of more senior rank or of more importance than these good people.
I was still feverish, but able to think quite clearly. I knew what had to be done. I had secreted what Lij needed in a chest in my own apartments, and when I did this, I found something there which I had totally forgotten. I wondered why I had not given this item to the false Lij. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that somewhere deep inside me, something elemental knew that it wasn't my Lij.
I put it in a reed basket with all the other things I had gathered and had a servant carry it to Menkh's apartments. Menkh had told me that the Great Royal Spouse was apparently above such behaviour as basket carrying.
Menkh had it brought to Lij's rooms when I had gone there. I had seen the imposter robed for the Assembly, and watched him walk down the corridor with two of his guard, Bithar following behind him like an obedient lap-dog.
As soon as he had turned the corner, I went to my Lij.
The basket sat at the foot of the bed, buckled tightly. I glanced at it before giving Lij a morning kiss that threatened to undo both of us. Reluctantly we gave ourselves to the matter in hand.
I started unloading Lij's royal regalia from the basket. I had taken things that I thought wouldn't be immediately missed. Things not often worn. The peacock cloak was brought out and spread upon the bed. The pectoral and jewellery were mine. I had amassed in the past years more jewellery than Lij. I had - have - a great liking for colourful decoration.
I stopped. There at the bottom, was a plain wooden box. I took it out and knelt at Lij's feet, and bowed my head. "Dom?" He said, quietly, and put out his hand to help me up. I shook my head.
"My pardon, Great One, for this deception. Cassawn, our loyal Irish guard gave it into my keeping. He was afraid to tell you what he had done. He said that Nekeb wouldn't let him...."
I couldn't finish the sentence. I just held up the box and bowed my head.
He took it. "Get up, my love," he said in a low voice, trembling with emotion. He knew now, what the box contained.
He opened it. There, lying on a silken bed was the double crown of Egypt. Lij stifled a sob. "Dom!" he whispered, reverently taking it out and staring at it with eyes clouded by emotion.
"Tell me!" he urged, as I rose to my feet. I told him that Cassawn had not been able to bring himself to bury Pen-Nekeb wearing the crown as Lij had decreed.
"He felt very strongly that Nekeb did not want him to do it, Lij. That is all the excuse I have for disobeying your direct order. I have no idea why I have not given you this before now...I do not know why. I am your loyal servant, and I deserve your punishment, for that and ...other things."
I meant my marriage to him whilst I was still married to Ede, which had yet to be resolved. This was punishable by ten lashes of the whip. Fifteen if he felt I merited it. It was an unalterable edict. And we were home, now, in the land where the laws applied. The punishment had to be given if his word was to mean anything.
He put the crown carefully on the bed, and took me in his arms. "How many lashes did he give you, a stor, during his so-called ‘love play’?"
"About ten," I whispered into his neck.
"Consider that your punishment, Dom. You believed it was me. Let it be done with. There is to be no more talk of punishment between kings of equal rank; and you, too, are now Egypt. And, more important than that, you are my love. Kiss me!"
I kissed him.
*****
As we left the room, the servants waiting to enter took one look at Lij and abased themselves upon the floor with alacrity. If nothing else they recognised the crown. And the bearing. Lij, now he was able to behave as was normal for him, was every inch a king.
We entered the audience chamber to an audible gasp. Lij had his hand on my arm, and we walked, side by side into the room.
The imposter was in the process of condemning some poor man to fifty lashes for not bowing quickly enough. The man was elderly and deaf. That sentence meant death.
He stopped in mid word and stared at Lij. Then he barked at Kerasonb "Seize this imposter!" Kerasonb did not move.
"Guards!" he yelled. "To me! This is treason!" No-one moved. All eyes were fixed on Lij...my Lij...and there were eyes shining with joy and tears.
Lij let go of my arm and walked towards the man seated in the throne, who was glaring at him, pure hatred in his eyes. "You!" he spat as Lij approached him.
"So you survived! I did not pay the idiots enough to kill you, then. Or else you charmed them. You have the knack of it. It was always you, was it not? From the first you were preferred before me. Mother and Father, the bitch Menep...everyone... always, always loved you more than me. I was the eldest. It was not fair."
Lij was trembling, but so was the imposter - trembling with rage. The man came down the steps and stood in front of Lij, venom seeping out of him like viscous poison.
Lij stared at him. Then he found his voice. "Nyn? Is it you?"
The man laughed bitterly. "Yes, brother, it is I. Who else would it be?"
The room was silent. No-one moved. We all knelt or stood according to our station, to watch the brothers meet.
"But you are dead! Menep told me you were..."
Nyn...Knefer-Nynetijer, twin brother of Lij, tossed his head with anger.
"That old witch! It was she persuaded your father to have me confined on that island in my seventh year. She who orchestrated the whole thing...over a few tortured kittens and some dead dogs. Such loving feelings for animals she had, and no understanding of why I had to do these things."
Lij gazed at his brother in astonishment.
Suddenly Nyn smiled. "I was practising killing, you see, my brother. I stabbed them through the heart. I had to. I had to see if I could do this because I loathed you and wanted you dead. You were such an obedient son..."
Lij shuddered. This man was totally evil. Like Ede, it exuded from his pores. You could almost smell it.
Menkh came forward and addressed the assembly. "It is true that the Lady Menep told us Prince Nynetijer had died. Even his mother believed it. We all believed it. There was no reason for us to think otherwise."
Menkh turned and cast a glare at Nyn, standing there, hands on hips, defiant even in defeat. "But there was more than the dog, was there not, my lord prince? A case of a lord's son?"
Nyn stood his ground. "I did not kill him. He drowned. I watched him die. He begged most prettily for me to save him."
Lij could not bear it any longer. "Did you do nothing to save him?" he cried, his voice trembling. Nyn's voice however, was level and clear. So unlike the husky tone we were used to; it grated somewhat on the ear...hard and cold.
"He was an awful child. Always snivelling. I was glad to see him dead. With my eyes half closed, I could almost believe it was you. Why would I save him?"
Nat stepped forward at this time, rage suffusing his features, and Menkh grabbed his cousin by his arm, refusing to let go. "Do not touch him, Nat. He is deliberately goading you," he said urgently. "His is still anointed flesh. He was meant to be king. You will die for it. No-one can kill him but Lij..."
"Ah!" Nyn said with some relish, grinning at Nat. "I remember, now. It was your son, Iri-Natjer, a pathetic, mewling boy."
Lij raised his hand in protest at this declaration. Nat would not be held by one man, if he wished to kill Nyn in outraged and passionate anger. If Nat slew Nyn it would mean Nat's death. It could not be.
"He was my only son, Knefer-Nynetijer. My only..." Nat's anger seemed to drain away suddenly as his voice failed him. He leant against Menkh for support, and Menkh placed his arm around his cousin's shoulder.
Lij dragged his eyes from Nat, and addressed the guard.
"Take this being away, Kerasonb. Guard him well until Lord Garmen arrives to remove him to a place of safety, but do not lay a violent hand upon him. It is still death to harm the Anointed, even as evil as he has become. I give you permission to restrain him if necessary, but do not hurt him.
His servant, Bithar, shall not be allowed to be with him until I have sifted his involvement in recent matters. Let him, for the present, be housed elsewhere. He is not to be imprisoned. I have yet to find him guilty of any crime, except perhaps, excessive love and loyalty - but he is not allowed to see his master until I give the order."
Bithar made a sound of dismay. " Great One, do not part us! I...he needs me...I...please!"
The man moved forward and knelt before Lij. "Please, Great One..."
If Lij noticed the title that Bithar gave him, he did not show it, but Nyn did. He struggled against his captors, protesting. No one however, gave him a second glance. All eyes were trained on Lij.
Lij motioned for the servant to stand. "I commend your faithfulness, Bithar, if not the person to whom it is addressed. If you are innocent of any collusion with Lord Nynetijer, you will be freed. I..."
Lij was interrupted by a short burst of laughter. "The All-Merciful Lij. All Hail! You are soft, brother! Too soft for kingship. You let your love for your Irish bitch colour your view. A king can trust no-one. No one!
The kingdom will fall if you continue forgiving both enemy and friend. You used not to be so soft-hearted. I remember being told that on the day you met Sen-Adom, you condemned a man to death for sniggering at the Mighty Bull of Ma'at. I know that man's son...so do you, Mighty Bull. Look what you have become. More a prize heifer!"
Nyn grinned at Lij...a feral look of hatred transforming his features. "Runt! Pale shadow of the Great Thothmes. You..."
"Silence! Lij said in a voice loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly. Every soul in the hall except Nynetijer knelt and bowed their heads at the authority and strength Lij exhibited with just one word. Lij signalled for them all to rise. Then he stared coolly at his brother.
"You have spoken; now you will be silent. Captain, bring me a scarf."
Kerasonb took a scarf from the nearest lady and handed it to Lij with a low obeisance. Lij went forward and bound Nyn's mouth with it.
"It is my turn to speak," said Lij, facing the assembly. Nyn seethed, clasped between two of the Nubian guard. One, I found out later had been the brother of one of the murdered guards. He was held fast.
"You have lied, cheated, murdered and lain falsely with those who thought you were their lord and husband. Many of you present know this is so. There will be no attempt to gloss over important truths. I wish it to be noted that no blame is attached to those who acted in good faith."
He turned to speak to his brother, despair and anger writ clear upon his face. "I cannot believe the same womb nourished us. You are clearly mad. Evil and mad. However, you will be taken care of as befits the son of a king. You will be treated as a Prince of the Blood Royal, with all due courtesy and respect. Scribe, write it so."
The young scribe bent his head and wrote out the king's words, incising them carefully into the wax.
Lij continued in a firm but kindly voice, "Those who have died will be buried as kings. Their families recompensed - though there is little recompense to be made for lives lost - their children nurtured as my own.
The land has suffered at my bro...at the hands of the usurper. Alliances that took years to build have been broken. Kings have been treated as of less worth than slaves. This must - and will - be remedied.
I am your anointed king. I will not be by violence constrained to do anything. I thank the gods that I am endowed with such qualities that were I turned out of my kingdom naked, I could live in any land and amongst any peoples.
This is my land. I choose to live here, amongst you, amongst my people.
In the light of recent happenings I present myself before you for your approbation and for your voice of assent. I, Knefer-Lijedefer, son of Thothmes the God, ask the nobles of this court for their fealty."
Lij stood as still as a statue as Menkh strode forward and addressed the throng. "Bend your knee and swear fealty to your undoubted king.
"Kneel before your God - Horus, the Mighty Bull of Ma'at".
"He who is Diademed with the Fiery Uraeus. Beloved of The Gods. Beloved of Ma'at. Making Hearts to Live. Lord of the Earth. Lord of the Thousand Years. Lord of Nekhbet and per-Uarchet, Son of the Sun. Son of Gods. Pharaoh Knefer-Lijedefer, Living Forever.
And kneel ye before Him who saved the God Lijedefer from the sea and from the wicked ones who would have taken his life, the King Sen-Adom, Great Royal Spouse and co-ruler of Egypt from this day.
He who is Diademed with the Fiery Uraeus. Beloved of The Gods. Beloved of Ma'at. Making Hearts to Live. Lord of the Earth. Lord of the Thousand Years. Lord of Nekhbet and per-Uarchet. Mac Tire. Son of Gods. Lord of Tolan and of Memphis. Prince and Lord of Kishlan and Hivara. Beloved of Ra. King of Kings, Pharaoh Sen-Adom, Living Forever."
This announcement shocked me so much I could barely move. Lij came towards me and took my hand. We ascended the steps and sat side by side on the two thrones.
The assembly knelt as one and touched their heads to the floor. Then they lifted them, shouting, "Hail, Knefer-Lijedefer, King of Kings. Hail, Sen-Adom, our undoubted King!"
My heart was full. I looked at Lij, and he smiled at me, love shimmering in every atom of his being. "I love you, Lord!" I mouthed over the cheering.
"Come, my love," he said, still smiling. "We must announce this to the people. Herald, sound the gong. All will assemble at the Temple of the Great Thothmes so that the people can know I am their god."
*****
We spent the day mending fences, explaining, inviting affronted kings and leaders to meet with us. The news of what had occurred in Egypt would fly on wings to both our friends and our enemies.
Lij and I wore out three scribes by late afternoon, when we stopped, exhausted, to eat.
After the meal was over, Lij and I went to do something neither of us had the stomach for, but which had to be done. We had to deface the Pharaoh's cartouche that Nyn wore.
We took six witnesses with us. The two God's Wives - Soraya and Lygia - Menkh and Imhotep, and two of the high priests of Hathor.
Nuba, the man who had made and given us our original brands was there, watching a long branding iron heating in the flames.
Nyn sat in a chair backed by three Nubians of immense size. He did not stand when we entered. We had not expected him to.
"You understand why we are here, Knefer-Nynetijer?" I said, hoping to lessen the pain for Lij by saying what had to be done.
Nyn's eyes raked me, hotter than the coals in Nuba's brazier. "Call your bitch off, Lij. I will not speak with him. He is...I do not speak as equals with my bed-things."
I felt the effort Lij was putting in to remaining calm. Nyn saw it too, and his mouth widened into a huge smile.
"Have at me, brother! You may do your worst! See? I will help you!"
He flung off his kilt and stood naked except for his jewels. Lij stared at the brand low on his brother's hip.
"How did you know of this?" he pointed, his finger far from steady.
"That is my secret, Great King. I shall never say. Get on with it. I have a young lad waiting for my attentions. Oh, fear not, he is willing. You may ask him if I am not the best lover he ever had. Or you could ask your own bitch."
I could almost hear the grinding of Lij’s teeth in anger.
With a sudden gesture, Lij motioned Nuba forward, but Nyn stopped him. "Not him! No common man may touch me, Lij. You will have to do it yourself - if you have the stomach for the smell of burning flesh - which I doubt!"
I had had enough. "Hold him!" I said sharply to the Nubians, and took the branding rod out of the fire.
Nuba whispered to me, and I followed his instructions. I tapped the iron on the edge of the brazier to remove particles of ash and metal and counted twenty before I touched the smoking rod to Nyn's belly, causing an oblique line to appear right through the copy of the love-brand that had so deceived me into thinking him my Lij.
He drew in a sharp breath, but he did not cry out, any more than had Lij or I had when we had received the original brands.
The defacing of the cartouche though, high on his inner thigh, made him weep. Not so much from the pain, I suspected, but because he was now no longer the Anointed of the gods.
"You will pay for that, Irish bitch! You and he will pay in blood for it!" he sobbed as the Nubians escorted him into his bedroom, followed by Soraya and her basket of unguents.
I admit it here, freely. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed causing him pain and grief. It is not the expected behaviour of a king, but I admit to leaving the iron two beats longer than Nuba had said. I wanted him to hurt, for the hurt he had caused me and all whom I loved.
I suddenly felt very hot and weak in my limbs. Lij, noticing this immediately, took me to his rooms, which he had had cleansed and purified that morning, and put me carefully into the new bed standing there against the wall. I looked about me. Everything was new. The furniture, curtains, rugs...everything. The room where Nyn had petitioned the Dark Lord Set had been bricked up. Lij had even disposed of his clothing, as Nyn, he said, polluted everything he touched.
"Let the servants have what Nyn does not want. They are welcome to it," he said in a low voice. "I tried one of the new pairs of sandals he'd had made. They were too wide for my feet; we are not exactly alike after all."
I smiled at my love, my spouse. "You are not alike at all in any way that matters, my Lij. Truly you are not. For you are loving and kind, and I love you so."
He sat on the edge of my bed in some of my clothing. Luckily there was not that much to choose between us. We were much of a size. I had slightly the advantage in height, but we were almost the same in body.
He touched my hand, gently. "Thank you, a stor, muh chree."
I closed my eyes and slept.
********
I was lying on crisp linen sheets, trying not to shake, but the fever had returned, and Soraya was muttering long and volubly about patients who did not listen to their physicians' advice.
"How long shall I keep him in bed?" Lij asked, a smile playing around his lips.
She looked at me shrewdly. "Two days should be enough, Great...um, Lij." she said, grinning. "If you can keep him there that long, now you are equals, so to speak."
Lij looked at her from under long dark lashes. "In certain situations, some of us are more equal than others, lady. He will do as I command."
I blushed. In our personal relationship Lij led the way. That was as I preferred it. I would do as he said. Always. I was totally his.
*****
Lygia brought me some warm broth, and I was glad of it. My mouth had that fevered taste about it that reminded me forcibly of mushrooms under the trees and the loamy smell of the woods in Erin.
I drank it gratefully, and thanked her for the bedgown. She said it had taken four of the young priestesses a year to complete the embroidery on it, so she was glad I liked it.
She did not bring our daughter to see me, fearing the child would be upset at the sight of her father sweating like a boar and hot with fever. I asked her to kiss little Evgren for me.
I asked her why they had come back to the palace whilst Nyn was still at large. "Raya needed to see her patients," she said. "After the first fear had passed, we had to return."
Yes, I understood. It was enough. "Besides," she continued, softly, "we knew when Menkh told us Lij, the real Lij was coming, that we'd be safe. He is, after all, our god."
I smiled. I believed he was god-given. So, apparently, did others.
*****
I did not eat much that night, but insisted Lij ate properly. It was a pleasure for me to watch him. Just to see him. To touch him.
We talked much about Nyn and why Menep had done what she had. We came to the conclusion that it was the only option open to her, and she took it. W would hear her story when she returned.
At last he settled down beside me, and we slept peacefully, side by side until morning.
It was perfect. My Lij, in our bed - together, as it was meant to be.
Anyway, me dears, here is SoS for you. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks you all for being so valiant. xxxx
See sig pic for detail!! :D
Grateful thanks to the still sick LSR for her beta skills. Hugs her.
Anyone who recognises Lij's "I am your anointed king..." speech, give yourselves a pat on the back. And a small guinea pig.
Part 10 - Confrontation
Today was going to be the day that we confronted him. We had planned it carefully. Nat, Menkh, Imhotep, Soraya, Lygia, Kerasonb, Zeser...all the palace guard ...were with us. Amongst all the other people in the palace, there was no-one of more senior rank or of more importance than these good people.
I was still feverish, but able to think quite clearly. I knew what had to be done. I had secreted what Lij needed in a chest in my own apartments, and when I did this, I found something there which I had totally forgotten. I wondered why I had not given this item to the false Lij. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that somewhere deep inside me, something elemental knew that it wasn't my Lij.
I put it in a reed basket with all the other things I had gathered and had a servant carry it to Menkh's apartments. Menkh had told me that the Great Royal Spouse was apparently above such behaviour as basket carrying.
Menkh had it brought to Lij's rooms when I had gone there. I had seen the imposter robed for the Assembly, and watched him walk down the corridor with two of his guard, Bithar following behind him like an obedient lap-dog.
As soon as he had turned the corner, I went to my Lij.
The basket sat at the foot of the bed, buckled tightly. I glanced at it before giving Lij a morning kiss that threatened to undo both of us. Reluctantly we gave ourselves to the matter in hand.
I started unloading Lij's royal regalia from the basket. I had taken things that I thought wouldn't be immediately missed. Things not often worn. The peacock cloak was brought out and spread upon the bed. The pectoral and jewellery were mine. I had amassed in the past years more jewellery than Lij. I had - have - a great liking for colourful decoration.
I stopped. There at the bottom, was a plain wooden box. I took it out and knelt at Lij's feet, and bowed my head. "Dom?" He said, quietly, and put out his hand to help me up. I shook my head.
"My pardon, Great One, for this deception. Cassawn, our loyal Irish guard gave it into my keeping. He was afraid to tell you what he had done. He said that Nekeb wouldn't let him...."
I couldn't finish the sentence. I just held up the box and bowed my head.
He took it. "Get up, my love," he said in a low voice, trembling with emotion. He knew now, what the box contained.
He opened it. There, lying on a silken bed was the double crown of Egypt. Lij stifled a sob. "Dom!" he whispered, reverently taking it out and staring at it with eyes clouded by emotion.
"Tell me!" he urged, as I rose to my feet. I told him that Cassawn had not been able to bring himself to bury Pen-Nekeb wearing the crown as Lij had decreed.
"He felt very strongly that Nekeb did not want him to do it, Lij. That is all the excuse I have for disobeying your direct order. I have no idea why I have not given you this before now...I do not know why. I am your loyal servant, and I deserve your punishment, for that and ...other things."
I meant my marriage to him whilst I was still married to Ede, which had yet to be resolved. This was punishable by ten lashes of the whip. Fifteen if he felt I merited it. It was an unalterable edict. And we were home, now, in the land where the laws applied. The punishment had to be given if his word was to mean anything.
He put the crown carefully on the bed, and took me in his arms. "How many lashes did he give you, a stor, during his so-called ‘love play’?"
"About ten," I whispered into his neck.
"Consider that your punishment, Dom. You believed it was me. Let it be done with. There is to be no more talk of punishment between kings of equal rank; and you, too, are now Egypt. And, more important than that, you are my love. Kiss me!"
I kissed him.
*****
As we left the room, the servants waiting to enter took one look at Lij and abased themselves upon the floor with alacrity. If nothing else they recognised the crown. And the bearing. Lij, now he was able to behave as was normal for him, was every inch a king.
We entered the audience chamber to an audible gasp. Lij had his hand on my arm, and we walked, side by side into the room.
The imposter was in the process of condemning some poor man to fifty lashes for not bowing quickly enough. The man was elderly and deaf. That sentence meant death.
He stopped in mid word and stared at Lij. Then he barked at Kerasonb "Seize this imposter!" Kerasonb did not move.
"Guards!" he yelled. "To me! This is treason!" No-one moved. All eyes were fixed on Lij...my Lij...and there were eyes shining with joy and tears.
Lij let go of my arm and walked towards the man seated in the throne, who was glaring at him, pure hatred in his eyes. "You!" he spat as Lij approached him.
"So you survived! I did not pay the idiots enough to kill you, then. Or else you charmed them. You have the knack of it. It was always you, was it not? From the first you were preferred before me. Mother and Father, the bitch Menep...everyone... always, always loved you more than me. I was the eldest. It was not fair."
Lij was trembling, but so was the imposter - trembling with rage. The man came down the steps and stood in front of Lij, venom seeping out of him like viscous poison.
Lij stared at him. Then he found his voice. "Nyn? Is it you?"
The man laughed bitterly. "Yes, brother, it is I. Who else would it be?"
The room was silent. No-one moved. We all knelt or stood according to our station, to watch the brothers meet.
"But you are dead! Menep told me you were..."
Nyn...Knefer-Nynetijer, twin brother of Lij, tossed his head with anger.
"That old witch! It was she persuaded your father to have me confined on that island in my seventh year. She who orchestrated the whole thing...over a few tortured kittens and some dead dogs. Such loving feelings for animals she had, and no understanding of why I had to do these things."
Lij gazed at his brother in astonishment.
Suddenly Nyn smiled. "I was practising killing, you see, my brother. I stabbed them through the heart. I had to. I had to see if I could do this because I loathed you and wanted you dead. You were such an obedient son..."
Lij shuddered. This man was totally evil. Like Ede, it exuded from his pores. You could almost smell it.
Menkh came forward and addressed the assembly. "It is true that the Lady Menep told us Prince Nynetijer had died. Even his mother believed it. We all believed it. There was no reason for us to think otherwise."
Menkh turned and cast a glare at Nyn, standing there, hands on hips, defiant even in defeat. "But there was more than the dog, was there not, my lord prince? A case of a lord's son?"
Nyn stood his ground. "I did not kill him. He drowned. I watched him die. He begged most prettily for me to save him."
Lij could not bear it any longer. "Did you do nothing to save him?" he cried, his voice trembling. Nyn's voice however, was level and clear. So unlike the husky tone we were used to; it grated somewhat on the ear...hard and cold.
"He was an awful child. Always snivelling. I was glad to see him dead. With my eyes half closed, I could almost believe it was you. Why would I save him?"
Nat stepped forward at this time, rage suffusing his features, and Menkh grabbed his cousin by his arm, refusing to let go. "Do not touch him, Nat. He is deliberately goading you," he said urgently. "His is still anointed flesh. He was meant to be king. You will die for it. No-one can kill him but Lij..."
"Ah!" Nyn said with some relish, grinning at Nat. "I remember, now. It was your son, Iri-Natjer, a pathetic, mewling boy."
Lij raised his hand in protest at this declaration. Nat would not be held by one man, if he wished to kill Nyn in outraged and passionate anger. If Nat slew Nyn it would mean Nat's death. It could not be.
"He was my only son, Knefer-Nynetijer. My only..." Nat's anger seemed to drain away suddenly as his voice failed him. He leant against Menkh for support, and Menkh placed his arm around his cousin's shoulder.
Lij dragged his eyes from Nat, and addressed the guard.
"Take this being away, Kerasonb. Guard him well until Lord Garmen arrives to remove him to a place of safety, but do not lay a violent hand upon him. It is still death to harm the Anointed, even as evil as he has become. I give you permission to restrain him if necessary, but do not hurt him.
His servant, Bithar, shall not be allowed to be with him until I have sifted his involvement in recent matters. Let him, for the present, be housed elsewhere. He is not to be imprisoned. I have yet to find him guilty of any crime, except perhaps, excessive love and loyalty - but he is not allowed to see his master until I give the order."
Bithar made a sound of dismay. " Great One, do not part us! I...he needs me...I...please!"
The man moved forward and knelt before Lij. "Please, Great One..."
If Lij noticed the title that Bithar gave him, he did not show it, but Nyn did. He struggled against his captors, protesting. No one however, gave him a second glance. All eyes were trained on Lij.
Lij motioned for the servant to stand. "I commend your faithfulness, Bithar, if not the person to whom it is addressed. If you are innocent of any collusion with Lord Nynetijer, you will be freed. I..."
Lij was interrupted by a short burst of laughter. "The All-Merciful Lij. All Hail! You are soft, brother! Too soft for kingship. You let your love for your Irish bitch colour your view. A king can trust no-one. No one!
The kingdom will fall if you continue forgiving both enemy and friend. You used not to be so soft-hearted. I remember being told that on the day you met Sen-Adom, you condemned a man to death for sniggering at the Mighty Bull of Ma'at. I know that man's son...so do you, Mighty Bull. Look what you have become. More a prize heifer!"
Nyn grinned at Lij...a feral look of hatred transforming his features. "Runt! Pale shadow of the Great Thothmes. You..."
"Silence! Lij said in a voice loud enough for everyone present to hear clearly. Every soul in the hall except Nynetijer knelt and bowed their heads at the authority and strength Lij exhibited with just one word. Lij signalled for them all to rise. Then he stared coolly at his brother.
"You have spoken; now you will be silent. Captain, bring me a scarf."
Kerasonb took a scarf from the nearest lady and handed it to Lij with a low obeisance. Lij went forward and bound Nyn's mouth with it.
"It is my turn to speak," said Lij, facing the assembly. Nyn seethed, clasped between two of the Nubian guard. One, I found out later had been the brother of one of the murdered guards. He was held fast.
"You have lied, cheated, murdered and lain falsely with those who thought you were their lord and husband. Many of you present know this is so. There will be no attempt to gloss over important truths. I wish it to be noted that no blame is attached to those who acted in good faith."
He turned to speak to his brother, despair and anger writ clear upon his face. "I cannot believe the same womb nourished us. You are clearly mad. Evil and mad. However, you will be taken care of as befits the son of a king. You will be treated as a Prince of the Blood Royal, with all due courtesy and respect. Scribe, write it so."
The young scribe bent his head and wrote out the king's words, incising them carefully into the wax.
Lij continued in a firm but kindly voice, "Those who have died will be buried as kings. Their families recompensed - though there is little recompense to be made for lives lost - their children nurtured as my own.
The land has suffered at my bro...at the hands of the usurper. Alliances that took years to build have been broken. Kings have been treated as of less worth than slaves. This must - and will - be remedied.
I am your anointed king. I will not be by violence constrained to do anything. I thank the gods that I am endowed with such qualities that were I turned out of my kingdom naked, I could live in any land and amongst any peoples.
This is my land. I choose to live here, amongst you, amongst my people.
In the light of recent happenings I present myself before you for your approbation and for your voice of assent. I, Knefer-Lijedefer, son of Thothmes the God, ask the nobles of this court for their fealty."
Lij stood as still as a statue as Menkh strode forward and addressed the throng. "Bend your knee and swear fealty to your undoubted king.
"Kneel before your God - Horus, the Mighty Bull of Ma'at".
"He who is Diademed with the Fiery Uraeus. Beloved of The Gods. Beloved of Ma'at. Making Hearts to Live. Lord of the Earth. Lord of the Thousand Years. Lord of Nekhbet and per-Uarchet, Son of the Sun. Son of Gods. Pharaoh Knefer-Lijedefer, Living Forever.
And kneel ye before Him who saved the God Lijedefer from the sea and from the wicked ones who would have taken his life, the King Sen-Adom, Great Royal Spouse and co-ruler of Egypt from this day.
He who is Diademed with the Fiery Uraeus. Beloved of The Gods. Beloved of Ma'at. Making Hearts to Live. Lord of the Earth. Lord of the Thousand Years. Lord of Nekhbet and per-Uarchet. Mac Tire. Son of Gods. Lord of Tolan and of Memphis. Prince and Lord of Kishlan and Hivara. Beloved of Ra. King of Kings, Pharaoh Sen-Adom, Living Forever."
This announcement shocked me so much I could barely move. Lij came towards me and took my hand. We ascended the steps and sat side by side on the two thrones.
The assembly knelt as one and touched their heads to the floor. Then they lifted them, shouting, "Hail, Knefer-Lijedefer, King of Kings. Hail, Sen-Adom, our undoubted King!"
My heart was full. I looked at Lij, and he smiled at me, love shimmering in every atom of his being. "I love you, Lord!" I mouthed over the cheering.
"Come, my love," he said, still smiling. "We must announce this to the people. Herald, sound the gong. All will assemble at the Temple of the Great Thothmes so that the people can know I am their god."
*****
We spent the day mending fences, explaining, inviting affronted kings and leaders to meet with us. The news of what had occurred in Egypt would fly on wings to both our friends and our enemies.
Lij and I wore out three scribes by late afternoon, when we stopped, exhausted, to eat.
After the meal was over, Lij and I went to do something neither of us had the stomach for, but which had to be done. We had to deface the Pharaoh's cartouche that Nyn wore.
We took six witnesses with us. The two God's Wives - Soraya and Lygia - Menkh and Imhotep, and two of the high priests of Hathor.
Nuba, the man who had made and given us our original brands was there, watching a long branding iron heating in the flames.
Nyn sat in a chair backed by three Nubians of immense size. He did not stand when we entered. We had not expected him to.
"You understand why we are here, Knefer-Nynetijer?" I said, hoping to lessen the pain for Lij by saying what had to be done.
Nyn's eyes raked me, hotter than the coals in Nuba's brazier. "Call your bitch off, Lij. I will not speak with him. He is...I do not speak as equals with my bed-things."
I felt the effort Lij was putting in to remaining calm. Nyn saw it too, and his mouth widened into a huge smile.
"Have at me, brother! You may do your worst! See? I will help you!"
He flung off his kilt and stood naked except for his jewels. Lij stared at the brand low on his brother's hip.
"How did you know of this?" he pointed, his finger far from steady.
"That is my secret, Great King. I shall never say. Get on with it. I have a young lad waiting for my attentions. Oh, fear not, he is willing. You may ask him if I am not the best lover he ever had. Or you could ask your own bitch."
I could almost hear the grinding of Lij’s teeth in anger.
With a sudden gesture, Lij motioned Nuba forward, but Nyn stopped him. "Not him! No common man may touch me, Lij. You will have to do it yourself - if you have the stomach for the smell of burning flesh - which I doubt!"
I had had enough. "Hold him!" I said sharply to the Nubians, and took the branding rod out of the fire.
Nuba whispered to me, and I followed his instructions. I tapped the iron on the edge of the brazier to remove particles of ash and metal and counted twenty before I touched the smoking rod to Nyn's belly, causing an oblique line to appear right through the copy of the love-brand that had so deceived me into thinking him my Lij.
He drew in a sharp breath, but he did not cry out, any more than had Lij or I had when we had received the original brands.
The defacing of the cartouche though, high on his inner thigh, made him weep. Not so much from the pain, I suspected, but because he was now no longer the Anointed of the gods.
"You will pay for that, Irish bitch! You and he will pay in blood for it!" he sobbed as the Nubians escorted him into his bedroom, followed by Soraya and her basket of unguents.
I admit it here, freely. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed causing him pain and grief. It is not the expected behaviour of a king, but I admit to leaving the iron two beats longer than Nuba had said. I wanted him to hurt, for the hurt he had caused me and all whom I loved.
I suddenly felt very hot and weak in my limbs. Lij, noticing this immediately, took me to his rooms, which he had had cleansed and purified that morning, and put me carefully into the new bed standing there against the wall. I looked about me. Everything was new. The furniture, curtains, rugs...everything. The room where Nyn had petitioned the Dark Lord Set had been bricked up. Lij had even disposed of his clothing, as Nyn, he said, polluted everything he touched.
"Let the servants have what Nyn does not want. They are welcome to it," he said in a low voice. "I tried one of the new pairs of sandals he'd had made. They were too wide for my feet; we are not exactly alike after all."
I smiled at my love, my spouse. "You are not alike at all in any way that matters, my Lij. Truly you are not. For you are loving and kind, and I love you so."
He sat on the edge of my bed in some of my clothing. Luckily there was not that much to choose between us. We were much of a size. I had slightly the advantage in height, but we were almost the same in body.
He touched my hand, gently. "Thank you, a stor, muh chree."
I closed my eyes and slept.
********
I was lying on crisp linen sheets, trying not to shake, but the fever had returned, and Soraya was muttering long and volubly about patients who did not listen to their physicians' advice.
"How long shall I keep him in bed?" Lij asked, a smile playing around his lips.
She looked at me shrewdly. "Two days should be enough, Great...um, Lij." she said, grinning. "If you can keep him there that long, now you are equals, so to speak."
Lij looked at her from under long dark lashes. "In certain situations, some of us are more equal than others, lady. He will do as I command."
I blushed. In our personal relationship Lij led the way. That was as I preferred it. I would do as he said. Always. I was totally his.
*****
Lygia brought me some warm broth, and I was glad of it. My mouth had that fevered taste about it that reminded me forcibly of mushrooms under the trees and the loamy smell of the woods in Erin.
I drank it gratefully, and thanked her for the bedgown. She said it had taken four of the young priestesses a year to complete the embroidery on it, so she was glad I liked it.
She did not bring our daughter to see me, fearing the child would be upset at the sight of her father sweating like a boar and hot with fever. I asked her to kiss little Evgren for me.
I asked her why they had come back to the palace whilst Nyn was still at large. "Raya needed to see her patients," she said. "After the first fear had passed, we had to return."
Yes, I understood. It was enough. "Besides," she continued, softly, "we knew when Menkh told us Lij, the real Lij was coming, that we'd be safe. He is, after all, our god."
I smiled. I believed he was god-given. So, apparently, did others.
*****
I did not eat much that night, but insisted Lij ate properly. It was a pleasure for me to watch him. Just to see him. To touch him.
We talked much about Nyn and why Menep had done what she had. We came to the conclusion that it was the only option open to her, and she took it. W would hear her story when she returned.
At last he settled down beside me, and we slept peacefully, side by side until morning.
It was perfect. My Lij, in our bed - together, as it was meant to be.
