Falling for the Pharaoh

Atemu - [The Best Friend]

I sat on the top of a brick wall that divided the palace from the outside, looking out. This was where I would usually be when I had nothing better to do. It was fun to look out and see what the Egyptians were up to this late in the evening. You would sometimes see some boys playing pranks on other families, or a couple sneaking out to spend time with each other, and things like that. Of course, I never saw a lot... all of the people looked like ants from all the way up here, especially the ones who lived farther away.

But it was late, and I was thinking, wondering how ready I was to actually get married. I had already taken such a huge step forward in my life... was I already ready to take another one?

“Hey.”

I was only a little startled by the voice, but when I realized who it was, I couldn’t control my smile.

I turned my head and looked down into the palace. My best friend, Whati, waved at me.

He then walked over to the ladder that him and I had put up when we were children, and began to climb up. The second he got up and adjusted himself, he slapped my back.

“Hey, Pharaoh!” He winked.

“Why weren’t you at the coronation?” I asked, looking at him carefully.

He froze.

“As my best friend, I expected you to be there.”

“Oh, well, you see...” He scratched his head, which was covered with black hair that he tied back, leaving a stub of hair on the back of his head.

“Well?” I asked.

He sighed. “I was at the funeral—”

“But not at your best friends coronation?”

“Atemu!” He frowned. “You’ve got to believe me... I had meant to come!”

“Really?” I asked. “Then why weren’t you there?”

He rolled his green eyes, eyes that all the girls around here would never stop talking about, including my sisters.

Whati was my best friend since I was born. His mother and my mother had grown up together too.

We were both so different... but there were certain things that we had in common which is what made us best friends.

For example, he stuck around the bad girls, whereas I preferred the good ones. But we both loved to do things we’re not supposed to do.

Whati, tall, somewhat muscular and very sporty, had thought of almost everything that we could do which would get us into trouble. We had done most of them at least once.

Of course, they weren’t serious things... just things that would annoy people around the palace.

“I was just really busy, Atemu...” He said.

I laughed at that. “Busy? You?”

I frowned. “Okay fine!” He shouted, giving up. “I guess I realized that as of the coronation, I’d be the best friend of the almighty Pharaoh Atemu... not the little Prince Atemu...”

I forced back a laugh that was trying to come out. “And? Are you scared now?”

“Well... no, I realized that we’re never gonna have a good time anymore!”

“A good time?”

“No more drinking! No more girls! No more messing around!”

I raised my eyebrows. “Why would you say that?”

“Because people care now! Imagine if they saw—”

“So where exactly were you this morning?”

“Recovering from my last drunk night.”

I laughed.

His cheeks started to change colours. “I had too! I can never drink again! Now people will think something if they see the Pharaohs best friend is drinking! Or enjoying himself with girls or messing around!”

I had to balance myself while I was laughing, I didn’t want to fall off.

He smacked my arm with the back of his hand. “Oh stop.” He said. “I have a point.”

I looked at him, trying to stop my laughter. “Are you forgetting, Whati, that as of this morning, I’ve become the most powerful man in Egypt?”

He raised his eyebrows.

“We can drink all day and all night if I wanted too.”

“But your father—”

“Whati!” I shook my head mockingly. “I’m a Pharaoh who has lived for only eighteen years. What do I know about being a king?”

He began to grin.

“That can be our excuse.” I winked.

He laughed. “That’s my friend! We’ll never stop being rebels, will we?”

I laughed too. “Of course not.”

“Now that that’s over with, I’ve been hearing some strange rumours...”

“Of?” I asked, though I knew what he was going to say.

“Apparently you’re marrying Khenti’s younger sister?”

“Khenti?”

“Lord Asim’s son? His name is Khenti.”

“Ah, yes...” So that was his name. “Yes...”

“So?” Whati asked. “Are you marrying her?”

“Well...” I started. “I believe so.”

“Oh god!” Whati shouted. “Have you seen that woman?”

That made me smile. “I have.”

“She is the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on!” He said. “Oh what I would do to get my hands on her!” He grinned.

I elbowed him and grinned. “Just a reminder, Whati, this woman may be my future wife.”

He laughed. “May be?” He asked. “You better do everything you can to get that girl!”

I smiled.

“I wonder if she’s a virgin...”

“Whati!”

He looked at me. “Well it’s a reasonable question! It’s something you should know!”

I rolled my eyes.

“But if you don’t end up marrying her, you better let me have her.”

I laughed. “Whati, you amuse me too much.”

“But why are you not sure?” He asked. “What on earth would make you not want to marry a girl like her?”

I shrugged. “I only met her today, Whati. How can I be sure that she’s the one?” I asked. “She’s beautiful... yes... but that’s not all a man looks for. There’s so much more I need to see in her, especially now that I’m the Pharaoh.”

“I think beauty is everything. What more do you need?”

I elbowed him again. “She’s going to be the queen of Egypt.” I said. “She can’t just stand there and look pretty. She must be hard working, independent and kind hearted. All of that is much more important than her beauty.”

“I disagree.”

I gave him a look. “Whati. If she is just pretty, and ends up being a... a b***h, like most of the very pretty Egyptian girls are, how can I depend on her to rule the kingdom when I’m gone?”

“Your mother will help.”

“Whati. What if she doesn’t respect my mother?” I asked.

That made him look at me. He knew how important my mother was to me.

“I’d rather hit a woman than watch her be disrespectful to my mother.” I said as I looked away.

“Well, think about it this way,” Whati started, “she’s Lord Asim’s daughter... Khenti’s sister! You know the personality of Lord Asim. And since you don’t know Khenti very well, let me tell you, he is very kind.”

I looked at him.

“If she’s Lord Asim’s daughter and Khenti’s younger sister, how can she be any different?”

I nodded my head, he was right.

“Besides, if you don’t like her, you can just get a new wife!” He grinned, but his grin faded when he saw my frown. “Oh c’mon Tem. You know I’m just joking.”

He sighed. “There’s just so much to consider... and so little time...”

“I think you need to relax.”

I didn’t say anything. I just looked out at the village.

“Let’s do something fun.” He said, hitting me arm.

“Like what?” I asked.

“I’ll get the chariots ready if you get the horses.” He grinned.

I looked at him, and couldn’t hide the grin that was forming on my face. “Got it.”

We sped down through the village, shouting like lunatics, just as we had a few days before I had become the Pharaoh of Egypt.

He ran his chariot into mine, almost knocking me off.

“Hey!” I shouted. “That’s playing dirty!”

He grinned. “Like you’re father always said, there’s no such thing as playing dirty in war!” He laughed.

“Fine then!” I shouted back.

We continued to run our chariots into each other, making loud crashing noises, and shattering the beautiful gems that were placed onto the chariot.

I saw people leave their homes and come out to see what the commotion was, but they were too slow, we were already so far away that they could barely see us.

“The head charioteer is gonna kill us!” Whati laughed.

“Kill you!” I said. “He can’t kill the Pharaoh!”

He looked at me.

“Besides, it was your idea!”

Whati scoffed. “You mutt!” He yelled as he attacked me again.

I laughed but then gasped as I almost lost my balance. When I looked back to the side, I saw Whati charging at me again with a huge grin on his face.

I quickly tugged at the reins, making my horse neigh loudly as he slowed down.

His chariot and horse missed us as they charged right past us.

I looked to my left and saw Whati frown, annoyed. “Why are you so good at this?”

I grinned but then tugged at the reins. My horse began to charge towards him and the second my chariot smashed into his, the connection between his chariot and the horse unexpectedly split. The wood cracked loudly and his chariot fell backwards. Whati flew off the chariot and fell hard into the sand.

I stopped my horse immediately and jumped out, running over to Whati. “Are you okay?” I asked as I helped him up.

He rubbed the back of his head. “Oh god...”

I grinned. “I guess I win?”

He rolled his eyes and then looked at the chariot. He cursed and then looked out at the horse. “There goes another one....”

I laughed. “If anyone asks, we have no idea.”

He grinned and then looked at me. “Let’s go to Tales!”

Tales was the bar that Whati and I would drink at, owned by Tales, a kind and funny old man.

I tried to hold back my smile, knowing that I could drink at Tales and no one would ever find out. “Fine.”

Whati threw his arm around my shoulder. “That’s my Tem. Nothing will change you.” He shouted. “We shall celebrate our friendship tonight! The never ending friendship that we’ll always have!

I laughed as we got onto my chariot and then spent the rest of the evening at Tales.