The Awakening Aten

by Aidan K. Morrissey

  Kha was convinced that this royal head was so much more than could be seen.

  With great difficulty he climbed the sand around the head and managed to stand directly behind it. He felt a remembered youthful excitement and wanted to climb to the top, but this would have been disrespectful. As a child he might have ignored decorum, but as a man he could not bring himself to do it. Instead he turned and rested his back against the god’s headdress. What he saw surprised him. He changed his position. Excited, he slid own the sand dunes and ran to where his chariot rider was resting by the horses.

  ‘Come quickly. Take me over there,’ he shouted, pointing out into the desert.

  ‘There’s nothing out there,’ came the reply.

  ‘Just do as I ask.’

  Kha surprised himself at his commanding tone. The charioteer was used to obeying orders and this man was a guest of the Prince and therefore one to be obeyed. After they headed east for just a few minutes, Kha tapped the charioteer on the shoulder.

  ‘Stop here.’

  The horses came to a halt, as if they were obeying his voice and not the reins in the hands of the charioteer.

  Following Kha’s instructions, the chariot moved right, stopped, turned round and headed to the left. Every time the chariot stopped, Kha jumped down and stared towards the god’s head. He spent an hour or more doing this, then spoke to the charioteer.

  ‘Thank you, please let us go back. Take me to the base of the middle pyramid, that of the God-King Khafre.’

  The charioteer obeyed without question but was thinking that his passenger was suffering from effects of the strong sun. Once at the pyramid, Kha again stared at the statue. He walked half way to the largest pyramid, that of Khonsu, who had been regarded as the manifestation of Ra whilst he lived and worshipped after his death. He reversed his steps and walked towards the smaller of the pyramids, where Khafre’s own son Menkaure lay. Again he stopped midway and looked at the statue.

  The charioteer was told to go back and rest the horses. Kha walked to the great head, his mind racing. He was still deep in thought when he heard the approaching sounds of the Prince and Yuya. There was laughter and shouting and Kha felt as if he had been awoken from a dream. He was in a place of ancient magic, he was blessed.

  Kha and Yuya’s chariots came to an abrupt halt under the statue and they jumped down.

  ‘Kha,’ said the excited Prince, ‘you should have joined us. The lions were ferocious but I managed to kill three, Yuya’s tally was only two.’

  ‘What have you been doing?’ Yuya asked Kha.

  ‘Admiring the workmanship of the pyramids and of this magnificent, ancient head of Horus. All the writings and teachings do not come close to explaining the greatness of these monuments or their significance. That the eyes in this great head greet Ra, rising victorious from his nightly battle, is known by all. However, he does not stand alone. He is a part of everything around us. Look at the shining white pyramids behind you, he’s joined to them. They’ve been positioned so that their peaks form signs of the akhet, the horizon, and from distance the head of the god can be seen sitting in the middle of the two horizons, just as Ra, the sun, does. This has been the most inspiring day of my life; I have seen Horus himself in the horizon, Hor-em-Akhet. But, it’s both fascinating and sad.’

  ‘Why sad?’ asked Yuya.

  ‘It all seems not right,’ replied Kha. ‘There’s something missing. The true glories here are hidden from us.’

  ‘Don’t worry about such things, artist,’ it was Prince Thutmose who spoke. ‘I won’t have sadness today. Tjay, bring me some girls and more poppy beer, I’m minded to relax and rest in the shade provided by my ancestor’s head.’

  Tjay did as he was asked. Yuya and the others left Thutmose to his relaxation and found other shade in which they drank some wine and ate bread sweetened with honey. The poppy infused beer was not to their liking, not because of the taste, but it seemed to have a strange effect which not everyone took to. This didn’t apply to the Prince, who seemed to have an insatiable thirst for it. The small group tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to ignore the sounds of Prince Thutmose enjoying the company of the girls and the beer, and were grateful, when they heard him say.

  ‘Now leave me, I need to sleep a while, here where Ra has rested his shadow to protect me.’

  It was only a short time later that Prince Thutmose awoke, shouting excitedly and a little incoherently.

  ‘He has spoken to me. He has spoken and revealed everything to me.’

  Yuya and the others ran to where Thutmose was standing looking up at the head.

  ‘He has spoken to me,’ he repeated.

  ‘It must be that beer,’ Yuya whispered to Kha.

  ‘What is it Prince?’ asked Tjay.

  The Prince turned and looked at the worried faces approaching him and laughed.

  ‘It’s good news,’ he exclaimed. ‘No, it’s more than that, it’s great news.’

  ‘What is?’ asked Yuya.

  ‘I was lying here when sleep seized me,’ began Thutmose. ‘Whilst I was sleeping, the statue spoke to me.

  ‘Look at me, and see me, my son Thutmose. I am your father, Hor-em-akhet-Khepri-Atum, and I shall give you the Kingship on earth, in front of all the living ones. You shall wear the White and the Red Crowns upon the throne of your forefathers. The earth in all its size, everywhere illuminated by the Eye of Horus shall be yours. The bounty of the Two Lands together with the great tributes of all foreign lands shall be yours. Your lifetime will be great in years. My face and my heart are yours as you are my protector. I am like one who is in need, all my limbs feel as if I have been dismembered as the sands of the desert upon which I lie are covering me. So hasten to me, have done all I desire, knowing you are my son and my protector. Come forth, and I shall be with you, I shall be your guide and leader.’

  ‘Don’t you see? The god has spoken to me. He is suffering under the weight of the sands that time and wind have heaped upon him. He needs to be free. Kha was right, although he only saw a small part of things. The god has spoken to me directly.’

  Thutmose didn’t pause for breath.

  ‘Quickly, all of you, we have no time to rest now. We must return to Ineb-Hedj. Sacrifices must be given to honour the god who has spoken these words to me. I give my pledge that I will soon return and do as the god has asked of me. I’ll clear away the sands from around the whole of this majestic statue. He has revealed to me that his limbs and body have lain buried for centuries. We must open our hearts to the god’s beauty and glory and reveal his manifestation in its entirety. We must make his splendour visible to the world. Kha, you must be my hands in this task. We’ll discuss plans tomorrow, now we must prepare to honour the god who spoke to me.’

  They left. In all the excitement Kha had forgotten to inspect his stela, which had been the purpose of his visit.

  ‘Next time,’ he thought.

  The Prince’s great plans were to be thwarted. On the party’s return to Ineb-Hedj there were instructions that Kha was to go immediately to Waset. There had been an accident at the proposed tomb of the Prince’s father and Kha was ordered to assess the damage and see if the works could be salvaged or if a new tomb would need to be started.

  ‘My father puts great faith in your work Kha. So you see, it seems that the gods living on earth and in the afterlife know you and have plans for you. I’m sure my task for you can wait a little longer. Hor-em-Akhet, has waited a thousand years to be free, he won’t mind if the wait is a while longer. He didn’t place a time on my promise and he knows that I’ll keep it.’

  Yuya and Kha had no time to take part in the sacrifices and celebrations marking the great revelation. Their boat had been made ready on the King’s orders and they set sail immediately. Kha stopped briefly in Khent-min explaining, to Merit, his instructions to go to Waset. As Asenath had predicted, Merit remai
ned. She promised she would join her husband as soon as was practical.

  ‘Asenath is not strong, Kha. It’s more than my friendship she needs right now.’

  Kha didn’t ask any questions. Asenath was like a sister to him and Merit. His wife’s bond with Asenath was as deep and important to them, as his attachment with Yuya was to him.

  ‘Whatever life and the gods have in store for us Merit, we’ll always have each other. Distance won’t separate us and time will not destroy what you mean to me, now and always.’

  Merit watched as her husband’s boat disappeared into the distance. He was now an important man in Kemet, even if he himself didn’t realise it. For all his importance, he was still the same man she married. She, like him, wished for a more normal life. They hadn’t been born into royalty or high class and, although she enjoyed the luxury, it all felt unreal. She would not, however, leave Asenath, love and duty bound her to her friend, for as long as she was needed.

  chapter eight

  Kha worked on the tomb of the King for several years. He also built a house for himself at the edge of the worker’s village. It was not grand, like the house of Yuya in Khent-min. It didn’t have limitless grounds with ornamental lakes and gardens, but it was large enough for his needs and Merit was very happy when she came to see it.

  ‘This is a good house to raise children in,’ she said. ‘Here we are amongst our own kind, and our children will be able to lead normal lives.’

  ‘If ever we are allowed to be together.’

  Kha immediately regretted the angriness of his reply.

  ‘It won’t be long now, I think,’ said Merit, making Kha feel even worse.

  In the time Kha had been working on the King’s tomb much had happened to Yuya. He had been reunited with his father and brothers. Kha had only heard the details second hand and he wished he had been present for the events. The brothers who had connived to be rid of Yuya, when he was a boy, selling him into slavery and the father, who had believed for so many years that his favourite son was dead, were now together again. The brothers had come to Yuya, in his capacity as Overseer of Granaries, to ask for help in finding food. As Yuya had predicted from the King’s dream there had already been two years of poor harvests. The waters of the flooding river were almost none existent. The eleven brothers were ignorant of his true identity. Yuya had tricked them, accusing the youngest of theft, only revealing his true identity at the last moment. Kha could only imagine the joy Yuya must have felt when he met his father again. He was happy for his friend.

  Yuya housed his family on his vast estates in the rich delta region. They had all they required, and much more. Yuya remained in Khent-min. He liked its position not too far from Ineb-Hedj to the north and Waset to the south. He was spending an increasing amount of time in both these centres of power. Asenath had borne Yuya another son, whom they named Hemiunu but the birth had been difficult and her already delicate health had deteriorated further. She was more reliant than ever on Merit and she would let no one else tend to her personal care.

  Merit had been right. Not long after her visit to see him and the house, Kha received a message from Yuya, saying that with the permission of the King, Kha was to leave his work and travel with all speed to Khent-min to attend the funerary rites of Asenath.

  There was to be no great tomb for Asenath, who had been very clear about her wishes. She was to be buried with her father and mother in Iunu, where she had been born. Her funeral was to be in the tradition of her ancestors and according to the rights of the solar Temple in which her father had served his life.

  Kha travelled with the embalmed body of Asenath together with Yuya, his two sons Tjebnutjer and Hemiunu, and Merit, on Yuya’s barge. The large sail in kek black, symbolizing death and emptiness, was hoisted throughout the voyage. Everything else on the barge was covered in white. Asenath had always preferred this non colour to the newer brighter colours which were becoming more popular in Kemet.

  ‘It is the colour of purity and cleanliness,’ she had said.

  ‘White is Asenath’s colour,’ Yuya insisted and the whole group were dressed in this, to honour her.

  ‘You look like a priest,’ Yuya said to Kha in a rare, light hearted moment. ‘You should have your head shaved more often.’

  Asenath had loved animals and now her coffin was surrounded by statues and representations of birds and lions. A large head of Hathor took pride of place. Everything was made of white alabaster, matching all but the black sail.

  The sombre ceremony was attended by Prince Thutmose and also Princess Mutemwiya, formerly known as Parukhepa, the Naharina royal hostage. There was a close intimacy between the two Royals. Thutmose was already married to his sister, Nefetari, but Kings and future Kings were not restricted to just one wife.

  ‘If I remain in favour, one day I shall be carving the name Mutemwiya in stone,’ thought Kha.

  Yuya kept his small sons close beside him holding onto their hands, or putting his arms around their shoulders, offering them what comfort he could. Tears in their eyes, husband and children had loved Asenath deeply and now their grief was clear for all to see.

  After the ceremony, Yuya spent a few hours with Thutmose and Mutemwiya, whilst Kha and Merit sat with the children. Food had been prepared and laid out together with wine, but no one had an appetite or thirst. Yuya’s brothers were there, but these were strangers to Kha and Merit.

  *

  Kha returned to Waset to finalise the King’s tomb and, with him, came Merit. Much was happening to Yuya and others in the group of former prisoners, but Kha was outside of all of that. He had rejected station and wealth to be where he wanted to be, doing what he wanted to do. He was no longer in the midst of major events.

  When Kha was satisfied that the tomb was exactly as ordered, he sent a message to the King’s steward in Waset that it was ready for inspection at the monarch’s convenience.

  With no commissions requiring immediate attention, Kha took Merit and Djoser to Iunet in the sixth sepat, that of the Crocodile, where Perneb, sentenced to death but saved by Yuya, had been granted the vacant seat of Governor. His standing invitation to Kha had finally been accepted. The visit was all too brief, just a few days, but Kha was anxious not to be away too long in case the King sent a message that he was coming to see the tomb.

  ‘You should relax, Kha,’ Perneb said. ‘I am now Governor of a city on the river. Protocol dictates that I’m informed if the King’s barge is to pass. We have to organise either a bed or a crowd to stand on the shore waving and cheering.’

  Perneb and his young wife, Nofret, were happy to have a visit from friends. There was no need to organise banquets and processions with dancers and jugglers. No need for formality, just relaxing times with food and drink, in informal surroundings, mostly in the garden shaded by vines and trees on cushions strewn on tiled flooring. Laughter rang out and children played. Stories were told, Kha was eager for news of Yuya.

  ‘He’s found it hard, since Asenath died,’ Perneb told him, even his children can’t be a comfort to him now they are no longer with him.’

  ‘What’s happened?’ asked Merit.

  Perneb relayed the story of how Yuya’s father had taken Yuya’s two sons to be cared for by him. Perneb had been with him when Yuya had been summoned by his father, who claimed he was dying.

  ‘Yuya’s father placed his hand on the head of Hemiunu, saying that even though he was the younger of Yuya’s two sons he would be greater than Tjebnutjer. This upset Yuya greatly, but worse was to come.’

  ‘Any children born to you from today will be yours, but these two, born in Kemet before I arrived, shall be mine. I shall raise them as I have raised your brothers. I shall give them names belonging to our people. They will be fruitful and leaders of men and founders of generations.’

  ‘Yuya was still suffering and mourning the loss of Asenath. Now his father was demanding
that he take away his two sons. Yuya couldn’t refuse his father’s wish, but his words had cut deeply into his heart. For the first time in the years I have known him, both inside and out of prison, I have never before seen Yuya descend into such a dark, introverted place. His smile has deserted him. He loves his father and could not refuse him, but he misses Asenath too and the children are his link to her; with them at a distance he feels Asenath too will become distant to him.’

  ‘Where is he now?’ asked Merit. ‘I think I should go to him.’

  ‘He is at Khent-min; he only leaves if summoned by the Prince or the King. The King’s health is not all it should be and the Prince is enjoying his poppy beer and the company of his dancing girls a little too much to think of things which need attending to, by Yuya. Soon it will be time to reap the harvest and Yuya and I will travel north to check the crops and your granaries Kha.’

  ‘Granaries? They have become much more like fortresses with their high walls and guards,’ Kha retorted.

  ‘The grain is more precious than ever after the lean years. Yuya needs to protect the wealth of Kemet which is as much in the grain to feed its people as in the gold and jewels in the King’s coffers.’

  ‘Kha, when you return to Waset I’ll head north to Khent-min and see Yuya,’ said Merit.

  ‘If you do,’ replied Nofret, ‘better you send no warning, as he is refusing visitors, even those he loves dearly.’

  ‘He won’t refuse Merit,’ Kha said.

  *

  Perneb sailed north with Merit to bring her to Yuya, as Kha sailed south back to Waset.

  ‘I can’t bring Djoser with me to Yuya; it will be too painful a reminder of his boys.’

  Kha couldn’t argue; he wished nothing that might upset his friend further. Nofret insisted that Djoser remain at Perneb’s house; he was enjoying playing with the servants’ children of his own age. Nofret was little more than a child herself.