“‘Take this cool water to soothe your heart, this water from the ritual font at the burial ground; receive this offering, so that your soul may reside in my shadow,’” Ahmeni recited effortlessly.
“Our celestial mother is the one who gives us life,” said Ramses. “She also places the spirit of the pharaohs in the starry fields of eternity.”
“Perhaps you’re thirsty, Majesty. I’ll go get you—”
“Stay, Ahmeni. I’m tired, my friend, a deathly fatigue has come over me. Remember the old days, when we talked about true power? You thought only Pharaoh could wield it, and you were right. Only Pharaoh, as long as he follows the law of Ma’at, tirelessly fighting the forces of darkness. If that power wanes, the connection between heaven and earth is broken, and humanity is subjected to violence and injustice. The history of a pharaoh’s reign should be the history of a feast, my father said. Both the great and the humble should receive their sustenance from Pharaoh, and both must have their just share. Today women come and go as they please, children laugh, old people rest in the shade of trees. Thanks to Seti, thanks to Nefertari, thanks to the friends and faithful souls who have worked for the increasing grandeur of our civilization, I’ve tried to make the country happy and act in rectitude. Now it’s time for the gods to judge me.”
“No, Majesty, don’t go!”
Watcher sighed, a long sigh deep as the primordial ocean, peaceful as a sunset on the Nile. The last in a long, faithful line quietly expired at his master’s feet.
Summer was coming, and Ramses the Great had just stepped into eternity, beneath the Western acacia.
Ahmeni did something he had never dared attempt in eighty years of unfailing friendship. He took the Pharaoh’s hands in his and kissed them fervently.
Then Pharaoh’s sandal-bearer and private secretary sat down in the classic cross-legged scribe’s position. Taking a new brush, he drew hieroglyphs on an acacia tablet.
“I’ll consecrate the rest of my life to writing your story,” he promised. “In this world and the next, no one will forget the Son of Light.”
Ramses, Volume V Page 30
