Introducing SEXY TITLES!
The Realm of Millions of Years
The World of an Atenist Egypt
Chapter 5
A Storm Gathers
The Per-Nesu, Akhet-Aten, Regnal Year 10 Under His Majesty King of Upper and Lower Egypt Neferkheperure-Waenre, Son of Ra Akhenaten Given Life, Stability, and Dominion
“Why does he alone keep writing to me?” His Majesty remarked with a moan. The king and his brother were seated at a table, discussing matters of state that Iahames was loath to put off any longer for the mere sake of his brother’s worship schedule, as noble a pursuit as that was.
“You are his lord and sovereign; and his city of Kebny
[1] has for years been tormented by the upstart king of Amurru
[2], who flouts Your Majesty’s authority and conspires with the vile Hittites against our allies in Naharin
[3]. He merely requests soldiers for the protection that Egypt has long guaranteed him.” Responded Iahames, calmly.
“The king of Amurru… This is Abdi-Ashirta? The same Abdi-Ashirta who has called me brother, who has bowed before me seven times and seven times?” Inquired the king.
Iahames leaned over the table and looked his brother in the eye, “Abdi-Ashirta is a vile dog will speak one way and act in another… He allows the king of Hatti
[4] to wander through the land of Retjenu, past Your Majesty’s garrisons at Sumur and Kadesh, to challenge the authority of Naharin along the river Purattu
[5]… He incites the people of Ammiya
[6] to kill their lord, causing chaos in the land. He may claim to bow before you seven times and seven times, but he then swiftly turns his back and says to his cronies: ‘Let us assemble in the temple of Ninurta, and then let us fall on Kebny. Look, there is no one that will save it from us. Then let us drive out the mayors from the country, that the entire country be joined to Amurru. Should even the king of Egypt come out, the entire country will be against him and what will he do to us?’
[7]… This is the nature of the king of Amurru. You must not be blinded by his flattery!” The prince paused after his tirade, watching his brother, the king, digest the slew of information.
“And this king of Kebny, Rib-Hadda, he is loyal to me?” said Akhenaten, after a brief moment of reflection. Iahames reached below to his feet and produced a sack of clay tablets, which were quickly strewn over the table.
“These are the letters from Rib-Hadda for the past few years – even with Akhet-Aten under construction, we were able to file them appropriately. Among these letters are duplicates, sent out from Kebny by different couriers to ensure they reach Your Majesty’s ears. Now, admittedly, I thought at first he was overreacting, but I ordered the commissioner of Sumur to remain at his post anyway, to monitor the situation
[8], and he confirms Rib-Hadda’s claims. Additionally, the sheer volume of the king’s missives, which you see before you, in my opinion clearly demonstrates his loyalty to Your Majesty – would he not have otherwise thrown in his lot with this vile Abdi-Ashirta?” Iahames took a breath and awaited his brother’s reply.
“You speak truly…” said Akhenaten. “I suppose I should send you to Retjenu, to see that he receives the aid he requires.”
“With all due deference, I should not be the one to go to Retjenu, Your Majesty; it is you who should lead the army to the gates of Kebny, to crush this Abdi-Ashirta into the dust from whence he crawled.” Iahames retorted.
“How can I do such a thing?” Akhenaten protested, “Our father never had to march into Retjenu! I would not know where to begin!”
“Our father had that luxury because our grandfather, his father, and his grandfather before him had pacified the region in the name of the Two Lands! When the sovereignty of A’akheperure
[9] was challenged by the seven chiefs of Takhsy, he did not sit idle! He took his armies into the land of Retjenu and returned with their bodies swinging upside-down from the mast of his boat!” Iahames paused briefly, and encountering no resistance, continued, “If I take the army to Retjenu, and leave you here in Akhet-Aten, what then will the king of Amurru say? He will say, ‘Look, the king of Egypt will not even face us! He sends his servant to do his bidding!’ And then we will lose Amurru – and all of Retjenu – to his schemes and to the machinations of the Hittites!”
A pregnant silence followed.
“You are not my servant. You are my brother.” Said Akhenaten, finally. “And you are also right…” He added with a sigh. Iahames bowed his head. The king rose from his seat and gazed out the window, across the Royal Road, where the Great Royal Palace filled his sight. “… But how can I lead an army?”
“That, you will not have to do…” Said Iahames, “All that matters is your presence – Allow Mai, Nakhuempaaten, and Paatenemheb
[10] to lead the armies, and I will instruct Seti
[11] to ensure your safety at all times, should battle be joined. You may not even have to fight; Abdi-Ashirta is clearly not expecting us to react, and your appearance may very well drive him back to his hole
[12]… I can even come with you, if that is what you wish.”
Akhenaten nodded lightly “No, you must stay here…” He said, “Nefertiti can handle our duties to the Aten, there is no question about that, but I need you to keep the state in good order, as you have done while my heart has been with our creator in the sky…”
“Your Majesty, I never meant to suggest that you have been neglectful of the state! Quite the opposite, in fact… Your revelations have enriched the Two Lands a million times over – the Aten recreates Egypt daily as a pristine beacon unto all lands, all through your tutelage!” Iahames interjected, bowing low.
“I know, brother…” Said Akhenaten, smiling warmly, “But at times, I do wish I could spend every hour in adoration of the Aten… And it’s at those times that I’m most grateful that He saw it fit to place you on this earth.”
Another pause followed, in which Iahames bowed humbly before the king once again.
“You know, brother…” Akhenaten continued, “You have inspired me… This talk of campaigns has reminded me of our father’s grand tour of the Nubias, conducted just prior to his jubilee… Do you remember?”
Iahames nodded in affirmation. “He had a temple to the divine sun built at the fortress of Menenu-Khaemma’at
[13], with a solar court… Not unlike the temples here…”
“That is correct!” Replied Akhenaten. “Our father was already ascending to his place as creator, as divine sun… And he was extending his radiance to the Nubias by building his temple there… Perhaps it is my duty to do the same in Retjenu; people of all lands should know the grace of the Aten, who made them.”
“Indeed they should.”
Akhenaten clapped his hands together. “I’ll take Tutankhaten
[14] with me! He will see the Aten’s light spread first-hand, and from the generals he will learn to defend Egypt from men like this Abdi-Ashirta.”
“That is a most-excellent idea, Your Majesty…”
“And you…” said Akhenaten, clapping his brother on the shoulder, “You will remain here as Prince-Regent, to safeguard the Two Lands until I return with the Aten’s blessing.”
* * *
Waset, Upper Egypt, three weeks later…
Four cloaked, hooded figures wound their way through the city’s labyrinthine alleyways. They kept their heads down, ignoring the calls of hawkers and vendors plying their wares and cheap trinkets. Eventually, they came to a small, crowded market square, wherein the food vendors were beginning to put out their fires and pack up their stalls as the first beams of twilight coloured the western horizon.
“Is that the place?” Asked one of the cloaked men, gesturing to a run-down tavern crammed into a corner of the square, near an alley from which poured the scent of souring beer and urine.
“How many other taverns in this city have a desiccated crocodile’s tail pinned to lintel?
[15]” Another replied, pointing to the grisly trophy hanging above the door.
A shrug and a scoff later, and the four men were cramming themselves into the tavern. Here, the smells of sour beer, wine, and urine mixed with a smattering of body odour and another medley of scents that none of the hooded men even dared to contemplate. They wound their way through the tables full of drunken, singing, arguing patrons to a larger corner table, where another four men, one of them not cloaked and sprawled over the table, were already seated.
“Who’s the fourth? There were only supposed to be the three of you!”
“Clearly he’s not with us… He came here just before you arrived, drunk like it was a festival day… He only got half-way through his name before passing out.”
“Shove him off… We don’t want to be overheard.”
One of the seated cloaked men, who had a walking stick leaning against the nearby wall, took it in his hand and contemptuously prodded the drunk man until he rolled off the table with a groan, dragging himself in the direction of the door not long after making contact with the packed dirt floor. One of the standing figures spat as he passed, and then the four latecomers took their places at the table.
“We don’t want to be overheard, so we come to a dingy tavern full of common scum whose lips have been loosened by enough alcohol to fill the Sha-Hapu?”
A hiss.
“Look around! Do you see anyone paying heed to us? They bury their faces in bowls of drink… Were we to meet in seclusion, any incidental passer-by would be sure to hear us. Here, there is no such risk.”
A forced cough, the speaker turned. Behind him was a serving lady, a commoner with a lazy eye and several missing teeth, balancing a number of jugs in her left arm.
“What do you want?” She inquired.
“I’ll take a beer.” Said one of the seven.
Six vitriolic glares were directed his way.
“Or… I’ll give you a qidet
[16] of copper to leave us be…” he mumbled, correcting himself and tossing a copper weight in the shape of a hare onto the floor.
“Whatever you say…” said the serving lady, bending to pick up the qidet and disappearing into the crowd of patrons. Despite the noise of the establishment, a bubble of silence enveloped the seven as they exchanged glances and cast another cursory look around the room, to ensure no more surprises.
“So…” One finally spoke, “Why is it that we’ve gathered in this latrine?”
“Brothers, I don’t need to tell you that we are out of favour… Surely, you’ve noticed how we have been cast aside, ignored by that heretic…” Said another.
“You speak of the king…”
“Of course I speak of the king… That blasphemer sits on the Horus Throne, denying the very existence of the god to whom he owes his position. He enrages the gods by shutting up their houses; he declares that Amen is dead!”
“Precisely… Can you imagine a greater heresy? The Lord of Truth, Father of the Gods, Maker of Men, Creator of all Animals, Lord of Things that Are, Creator of the Staff of Life…
Dead!”
“
Yes! And then he builds palaces and wallows in luxury; he builds walls around open fields and has the gall to call them temples! And what of-…” The speaker cast a nervous glance around the tavern and lowered his voice. “-… And what of us? What of we who have served the gods since time immemorial? We are the ones who have kept Ma’at intact while the kings of this festering dynasty have swung their swords in Retjenu and the Nubias!”
“Yes! It’s we who have maintained the order of all things!”
“Yes! And now His Majesty would have us ignore over a thousand years of tradition to stand and bake in the sun? Nonsense! I will not bow before his sun, and I will not be tossed into the alley like common refuse!”
A jerk of a thumb in the latest speaker's direction.
“He wishes to be treated as
exalted refuse…”
Hisses all around.
“Be silent!”
“Have you no shame?”
Silence descended once more.
“But what would you have us do?”
“The gods are already showing their displeasure… A plague
[17] is moving through the villages of middle Egypt…”
“The gods are free to do as they doubtless will, of course… But in the mean time, we must be proactive ourselves.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
“I daresay you’ve heard, by now, that
His Majesty is preparing to sail to Tjaru
[18] where he will gather his armies for a campaign in Retjenu.”
“What of it?”
“With
His Majesty gone, the security of Akhet-Aten will be lessened… Slightly lessened, but possibly enough to slip into the servants of the palaces one who still carries the living gods in his heart… He will be our instrument, with which we will strike.”
“But with His Majesty gone, who are we to strike?”
“
His Majesty, vile blasphemer though he may be, should not be considered foremost among our concerns, at least not from a pragmatic standpoint. No, that honour goes to his loathsome brother, the scraper and bower who runs Akhet-Aten… He has been appointed Prince-Regent, have you heard? He may not even realize it himself, but he is the heart of the heretic regime… Cut out the heart, and the blasphemer’s body will whither and die…”
Silence descended once more, glances were exchanged anew.
“Then it’s agreed… The arrangements will be made as soon as time and good caution permit… The Prince-Regent has to die.”
*****************************************************************
The OTL events that took place in the Levant during the reigns of Amenhotep III, Akhenaten, and Tutankhamen are know from the Amarna Letters: a cache of official correspondence (found at the Per-Nesu in Akhet-Aten) written in Akkadian (the diplomatic Lingua Franca of the day) between the kings of Egypt and their Near Eastern vassals, allies, and contacts. However, the chronology of the Amarna Letters can, at times, be somewhat muddled, with different sources making contradictory claims regarding the time frame in which the event took place (I’m using butterflies as an excuse to adhere to this particular timeframe). It is known that Rib-Hadda of Gubla had a great deal of problems with expansionist Abdi-Ashirta of Amurru, to the point where after years of pleading the Egyptian court under OTL’s passive Akhenaten had Abdi-Ashirta assassinated.
The fix was temporary, however, and Aziru (the son of Abdi-Ashirta) would proceed to drive Rib-Hadda from Gubla and into exile in Biruta (Beirut), not long after which he would be killed by his own brother at Aziru’s behest. Aziru would be summoned to Egypt, where he apparently received nothing more beyond a slap on the wrist, and upon his return to Amurru he would renounce loyalty to Egypt completely and throw his weight behind the Hittite king Suppiluliuma, who through a number of campaigns had been terrorizing the Mitanni and undermining Egyptian dominance in Syria.
The whole sad affair concluded with the loss of Egyptian control over Amurru, Syria, and with the destruction of the Mitanni kingdom. That was the course of OTL events. However, with Akhenaten now marching north with his finest generals to confront Abdi-Ashirta and to spread the Aten’s light, it’s clear that in the world of the Realm of Millions of Years, the conflict will have a differently shaped outcome.
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[1] The Egyptian name of Gubla/Byblos
[2] Northern Lebanon/the Syrian Coast
[3] The “alliance” between Naharin (Hanigalbat – the Mitanni kingdom) and Egypt has for the past century been really more along the lines of de-facto vassalage. The Egyptians would say “jump” and the Mitanni would ask “how high?”.
[4] The Hittite kingdom
[5] The Euphrates
[6] Near modern Tripoli, Lebanon.
[7] Iahames is quoting an alleged transcript of Abdi-Ashirta’s speech sent to him in a letter from Rib-Hadda, the king of Gubla.
[8] This is a divergence from OTL, wherein the Egyptian commissioner of the garrison at Sumur was recalled from his post.
[9] Throne name of Amenhotep II, a recent ancestor of Akhenaten and Iahames renowned for his athleticism and strength in battle.
[10] Assorted military officials.
[11] Standard-bearer of the king’s bodyguard.
[12] Iahames is not being entirely honest, here. While he suspects there’s a good chance Abdi-Ashirta will stand down, he would much prefer it if he were pursued and executed.
[13] Modern Soleb, Sudan.
[14] The young prince is 9 years old, by this point.
[15] Points (and possibly a cookie) to whomever gets the reference!
[16] A weight of about 7.6 grams – 10 qidet made a deben, a weight frequently used to denote the values of goods by comparing their worth to a weight of metal. Basically, a proto-currency used alongside the far more prevalent barter economy.
[17] This “plague”, which occurred in OTL as well, may have been the first recorded outbreak of influenza.
[18] Sile/Tell el-Habua (possibly)