Falling for the Pharaoh

Nathifa - [The Death of the Pharaoh]

“I was speaking with Anippe yesterday.” I started. “And she told me that her father has begun to look for a husband for her.”

“Your point?” Was Ausar’s response.

I frowned. “My point is, when my father hears of this he’s going to start doing the same for me.”

“And?”

I pushed him and he laughed. “You have got to hurry and talk to my father.”

He snorted. “Your father would have my head.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

He thought for a moment. “I think I should speak to your brother first.”

I nodded. “Excellent idea! My brother would accept... then he’ll talk to Mama... and then she’ll talk to my father.” I looked at him. “Right?”

He nodded, looking a little dazed.

“Ausar.”

He turned his head. “What?”

I sighed, and shook my head. “Do you even want to marry me?” I asked as I stopped walking.

He turned and looked at me. “Of course I do, Nathifa.”

“Then why don’t you seem the least bit concerned with the fact that—”

He placed his hand over my mouth and smiled. “I am, trust me. I’m just trying to... lighten up the mood.”

I looked at him for a moment and then sighed as I took his hand away from my mouth. “Fine...”

Ausar was the love of my life. We had known each other since we were children, but admitted to liking each other two years ago.

He was tall and dark skinned, his black hair was short after recently being cut and he had dark brown, almost black eyes. He was sporty, almost always playing games with his friends.

And he wasn’t serious. We argued about that often, about the fact that he never took anything seriously.

“Lady Nathifa!” I heard a maid, Anat, call.

I turned my head and saw her rushing towards me. “What’s the matter?”

When she approached me, she dropped the formalities. “Nathifa, your father is returning.”

I turned to Ausar. “Then I will be leaving.” I said to him.

He smiled and kissed my cheek. “I will see you later.”

I smiled too and then left with Anat.

“Apparently something horrible has happened to the Pharaoh!” Anat said.

I looked at her. “Do you know what?”

“No, Nathifa, but what I do know is that this may be the last time you see your father for quite some time.”

I frowned.

“Oh... I’m quite scared... what could have happened to the great King?”

I took her hand in mine and looked at the small girl. She was a year younger than me, but much shorter. Her black hair was always tied back into a bun and she always wore simple clothing. No matter how often I asked her to take one of my outfits, she would say no and that she prefers her simple clothes. She had beautiful brown eyes and skin that was always soft, but her palms were rough, rough from all the work she does. “Don’t worry...” I said to her. “If something bad happened... the gods will save us.”

She looked at me and smiled. “You’re right.”

My relationship with the servants of my home was different from the relationship others had with their servants. I treated my servants as friends and allowed them to call me by my name. It was one of the reasons for why so many people loved me... they found me to be one of the most kind hearted young ladies in Egypt.

Of course, I wasn’t kind to my servants just to get a name like that. I did truly love them, they were like my family, I grew up with almost every single one of them.

“Nathifa!” I heard my mother call as I stepped into our large home.

I looked up and saw her push aside the silk curtains that covered her dressing room door.

“Come child.” She said as she finished braiding her long black hair. She then looked at Anat with her beautiful brown eyes and warm smile. “Thank you darling for finding her, cold you please warm the oils up, they have gotten a bit cold.”

Anat bowed. “Yes, my Lady.”

My mother then took my hand and guided me into her dressing room.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her.

She sat me down on a stool and made me face a mirror. “We’re going to the palace.”

“We are?”

She nodded.

I looked at my mother. She had a sad expression fixed onto her young face.

My mother looked a lot like me. We were both tall and thin and had large brown eyes. My mother, however, had skin that was a light shade of brown whereas I had olive coloured skin. She also had thicker eyebrows and a round nose. My eyebrows were always curved and I had a sharper nose like my father.

My mother brushed through my hair silently.

“Mama—”

“You’re going to take a bath and then Anat will assist you with putting the lilac oil onto your skin. I have left your dress out for you, so put that on and then call me when you have finished.” She said. “Oh yes... Eshe!” She called.

One of the older slaves came rushing into the room. “Yes, my Lady.”

“Please dry Nathifa’s hair when she gets out of her bath, and be quick, I don’t want to be late!”

Eshe bowed. “Yes, my Lady.”

My mother then took my arm and guided me into the bath. She quickly stripped me naked and pushed me into the water, ignoring my cries of how cold the water was. “Now hurry child, don’t take too long.”

I shivered for a long time, but eventually the shivering stopped. Soon after, Anat entered the room. “Nathifa, you are taking too long, have you applied to soap?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Then hurry, friend!” She said as she sat on a stool.

I picked up the soap that my mother had left and began to clean myself, washing all the makeup and scents that were already on me. When I had finished, Anat passed me a linen towel which I dried myself with and then wrapped around my body.

“Sit now.” Anat said.

I smiled at her, always finding it funny when she commanded me, but did as she said.

She pulled out a piece of metal and bent down to look at my legs. She immediately began to pluck out the two or three hairs that had decided to grow back.

I had gotten so used to this that the pain was nothing to me, I didn’t even blink. “I wonder why you must do this.” I said. “My dress will cover my legs anyway.”

She smiled and got up. “Then show me your face. Your dress won’t cover your face.”

I smiled and closed my eyes as she fixed my eyebrows.

“Do you know what I always wonder?” She asked as she prepared the oils.

“What is that?” I asked, beginning to dry my hair with the extra linen towels.

She turned and walked towards me, pulling the extra towel out of my hand and dropping it on the floor. She then took my arms and began to rub them with the lovely scented oil. “Why do you even bother with makeup? You are so beautiful Nathifa.”

I smirked. “I don’t think I am, since I have such a need for makeup.”

“Oh shush. You are, as everyone says, the most beautiful young lady in all of Egypt.”

“With makeup.”

Anat rolled her eyes. “Without makeup as well. I would know.”

“Anat, you know... you are very beautiful. More than I, I belive.”

Her cheeks turned pink. “I am not.”

“Yes you are. All you wear is simply eyeliner and you still look marvellous.”

She turned around to dab her hands in oil again. “Well, if that was true than how come no boy ever turns when I walk by?”

“Maybe because you’re so worried about what you have to do for mother that you never notice them gasp as you walk by.”

“Lies.”

I laughed. “No, Anat, I’m telling the truth.”

She paused for a moment, but then continued to rub the oils onto me, and then paused again. “Are you really telling the truth?”

I smiled warmly and touched her cheek. “I am, my dear friend.”

Her cheeks turned a deeper pink, but then we both jumped when we heard my mother. “Anat! Have you finished?”

“Almost, ma’am!” She yelled back.

We both then started to giggle and I got up to help put the oils on me.

After Eshe had dried my hair, my mother came in and looked at me. “Ah, what a nice smell. Anat always does do an excellent job.”

I nodded. “She does.”

My mother walked over to me with her pot of makeup. In most households, the servants put the makeup onto their ladies... my mother didn’t allow that here. She preferred to put it on herself, she also preferred to put it on me and my three younger sisters.

“Are Khepri, Hafsa and Ife ready?” I asked.

“Your sisters are always ready before you. You always take the longest.”

I frowned. “Mama, you aren’t ready either.”

“But I don’t take as long as you.” She smiled. “And don’t frown. It doesn’t suit you.”

This only made my frown deepen, and my mother laughed.

My mother hurriedly put on my makeup and even though it was hurried, it was still done well. Right when she had finished, my father had arrived.

My mother quickly made her way to the bath to get herself ready and when I got up, my father walked into the room.

“My beautiful daughter.” He smiled as he walked over to me and gave me a tight hug.

“Papa.” I hugged him back. “Mama is getting ready, she should be ready soon.”

My father nodded as he took off his headdress. He rubbed his bald head with a sigh, and as he sat down, I noticed the distress on his face.

“What’s the matter, papa?” I asked as I walked towards him.

He shook his head. “The king...”

I waited for a response, watching my father’s dark brown eyes water ever so slightly. This shocked me. My father was a tall, and frightening man whose eyes were enough to scare us when he is angry. So seeing him tear up was not a familiar sight for me.

“Papa?”

“The King has passed. He has left our world to go to the next.”

My eyes widened as I placed my hand over my mouth. Though I had expected something bad, I had never expected his death. But now I was able to understand my father’s sadness. He and the Pharaoh were very close friends, my father being his most trusted Vizier. “W-what now, papa?”

He took a deep breath. “The news is being passed around the country. The funeral is tonight and the crowing of his son will be tomorrow, early in the morning. We will be staying at the palace for tonight.”

I nodded my head. “Is the Prince ready, though?” I asked. “This death... it was so sudden... and the Prince is only eighteen.”

“Prince Atemu is mourning his father’s death... but I believe he is more than ready for this. His father raised him well.” My father said. “He may be young but he is a thousand times more mature than any other boy his age.”

I nodded, believing that. Though I hadn’t seen the Prince myself in years, I heard from many that he was a kind and admirable young man.

My father then stood up. “I suppose I should go speak with Anippe’s family, they may want to come.”

I nodded again. “You should, Anippe’s father loved the Pharaoh dearly.”

“Yes.” He said as he started to walk off. “Where, dear, is your brother?”

“I don’t know.” I said as I followed him out. “Mother had said that he was getting ready.”

My father nodded. “Tell your mother to hurry.” He said as he left.

When I turned my head I saw Anat in tears.

“Anat!” I called as I walked over to her and hugged her.

“The Pharaoh has passed!” She cried.

I rubbed her back, holding in my own tears. “It’s alright, Anat... he left his trusted son for us... remember, this is what the gods wanted. The gods wouldn’t take him for no reason.”

Anat nodded her head. “Y-you’re right...”

When we had arrived at the palace, we being Anippe’s family and my own, we could sense the dark mood.

The funeral was long, and horribly sad. Egyptians crowds surrounded the palace, covering miles and miles of land. I had only realized how large our country was that day.

It was the first funeral of a Pharaoh that I had witnessed, and I hoped it to be the last. I prayed that evening, when the funeral was over, that the new Pharaoh would live a long, prosperous and happy life.

And I knew thousands of Egyptians were praying the same thing.

We were awakened early in the morning and Anat had helped me get dressed again.

My father had told my mother that I was to look extremely stunning today. I had no idea why until I found that I would be holding the Pharaohs crown.

It was a great honour and I was thrilled, but at the same time I was scared out of my wits. One mistakes and I could be beheaded.

But what could go wrong? I accidently brought a dagger with me... oops?

When the ceremony had started, the priests had made me pray for the pharaohs life once again, purified me by splashing some sacred water on me and then told me that all I had to do was walk down the hall, up the steps, hand the priest the crown, bow and return to my parents.

Seemed simple enough.

But I had forgotten about the thousands of eyes that were watching me.

I pushed the thought aside though, since when was I afraid of being watched? The boys would admire me, some girls will be jealous and spiteful, and others would admire me as well. All the older Egyptians would be too concerned with praying for the wellbeing of their Pharaoh to care about anything other than that.

But when the doors opened, and I saw the Prince turn his head and look at me, I felt like I was going to pass out.

Thankfully I didn’t and I snapped out of it when a priest told me to hurry.

I walked forward, reminding myself that I wouldn’t trip because there were a group of girls holding my long robe, preventing it from getting caught in my legs.

But I couldn’t take my eyes off the Prince.

He had grown to be so gorgeous in the years that I hadn’t seen him. He was tall and looked brave. His brown eyes had a look that made my heart race and his chocolate coloured skin covered his muscular body. He wasn’t too muscular though... he didn’t look scary, like his father before him, but he looked very strong. He had short, black hair and a chiselled face. And his body was covered with heavy jewellery; all of it was pure gold and enough to make me wonder how on earth he was standing straight up.

When I had walked up the steps and handed the priest the crown, I bowed.

A moment after I went down, I felt the Princes hand on my head. “You may rise.” He said. His voice was soft and in some ways teasing, but at the same time he sounded strong... definitely like a king.

I got up and looked at him.

He smiled a warm smile. “Thank you.”

And I knew at that very moment that if I wasn’t already madly in love with another man, I would have fallen head over heels for this Prince. And then I would have probably killed myself because I couldn’t have him.