Kevinutahn himself preferred to live in Karkur Tohl. His mother had been born there and he felt at peace in the small city on the very borders of Egypt. Karkur Tohl itself was in the Sahara, the reason for his journey to take him through the great desert. The sandstorm was getting stronger and Kevinutahn prayed that he would make it safely to the city. He would never have attempted such a dangerous journey had it not been for the importance of the message he had received. The great Pharaoh Smenkhare, his father, was dying.
Forcing his horse up a final sand dune Kevinutahn saw before him Thebes. The sprawling city was just a silhouette behind the curtain of sand that still blew. How odd for the storm to still be so strong on the edge of the city. The people would believe it was to do with the death of his father. He pulled the scarf around his face again to prevent swallowing any sand. Taking a deep breath he mentally prepared himself for the task that lay ahead of him. Kevinutahn shook the reins and his horse leapt off down the hill towards the main gates of Thebes.
As he neared the city it rose up above him like the doors to the other world. He shivered slightly. Even since childhood this mental image had scared him. He pulled up outside the main gates. Above the solid wooden doors on a platform the night fire burned and crackled. Kevinutahn had always felt the fire did not like him and it crackled with hostility at him.
"WHO GOES THERE?" The voice boomed out from the gatehouse to the left of the entrance. Kevinutahn took a deep breath and called out his reply.
"IT IS I KEVINUTAHN! I'VE COME TO SEE MY FATHER."
Kevinutahn waited patiently for the guards to open the main doors. They stood with spears and daggers at the ready. One of them stepped forwards.
"REVEAL YOURSELF!"
Kevinutahn winced. Why did Howylos have to continue shouting? Kevinutahn removed the scarf from around his head and smiled at his city friend.
"Howylos my friend, has it been that long since my last visit that you would forget my voice?"
Howylos appeared relieved that it was Kevinutahn. He put a strong hand to Kevinutahn's shoulder.
"It appears so. Sorry for the greeting," he turned and nodded to the soldiers who relaxed their fighting stance, "but the security of the city was broken by the Nubian rebels."
Kevinutahn stepped down from the chariot and gladly let his horse be taken for a well-deserved rest.
"Walk with me to the palace Howylos we have much to catch up on."
The guards were given their orders and the two men set off up the winding streets to the palace.
"Tell me my friend, how goes my mother?"
Howylos smiled at the eagerness to which he asked after his mother.
"She is well."
"Good."
They walked in silence for a minute or two. Howylos knew what the next question would be but was dreading giving the answer.
"So how is Tiy?" Kevinutahn thought of the beautiful girl he had fallen in love with before he left for Karkur Tohl. Her hair was long and black, her eyes a beautiful deep brown.
Howylos stopped and caught onto Kevinutahn's arm. "She is married."
Kevinutahn felt his chest contract at the words he had just heard. Married!
"To whom, Howylos? I swear I’ll" Kevinutahn grabbed Howylos's shoulders and shook him.
"Stop!" Howylos pulled back from his friend.
Kevinutahn looked at the ground in shame, "I’m sorry."
Howylos lowered his voice so only Kevinutahn would hear, "I sent Meritaten to warn you of the situation but you must have left before she got to you."
Kevinutahn bit his lip, "Or she never made it."
Howylos shook his head, "Let’s not think like that."
The two men began to walk again. Nearer to the palace Kevinutahn turned to Howylos.
"So who has she joined?"
Howylos looked into his friend's eyes. He knew he had to tell him.
"She was forced into it by her mother, Mutnedjmet."
"I might have known!" Kevinutahn spat angrily.
"Well, she married Brianahtan."
Kevinutahn stopped in his tracks and then turned and walked away from the palace.
"Come back! You can’t change it now!" Howylos ran after him back towards the dark streets.
Kevinutahn turned to face his friend. His eyes blazed with the anger inside him.
"But my own brother! Why?"
Howylos put an arm round his shoulders.
"After you left that last time, after the argument, he started pestering her. She stood by you and refused to marry anyone else."
"Then why?"
Howylos silenced Kevinutahn.
"When he got nowhere with her he tried her mother who forced her to marry him."
Kevinutahn stared ahead of him at the palace. It stood out above the city, menacingly. He should have stayed away and simply let Brianahtan have the throne.
"Kevinutahn, you must win the throne! All of Egypt is putting their hope in you."
He looked at Howylos. They had been the ringleaders of the Nubian revolt for a while now and had hoped that if Kevinutahn won the throne that Egypt would be spared the rule of Brianahtan. Smenkhare had scarcely done a good job with the country and famine and disease were on the rampage. Kevinutahn could see what had to be done to bring Egypt out of the chaos but his father and brother disagreed.
"You're right! Let’s go."
The two of them walked towards the palace in complete silence.
* * * * *
"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT?" Tiy fell to the floor at her husband's feet. Tears streamed down her face. All she had said was that he would look better in a simple cap instead of the royal one.
"You’re not the Pharaoh yet." She managed to stammer.
He bent down to her level, "Then you thought wrong my dear."
He would have said more but a servant came running into the room. The man prostrated himself before the Pharaoh's son then stood up.
"Your brother is here. He demands you see him at once and take him to see the Magnificent one."
Brianahtan dismissed the man and told him to bring Kevinutahn to him.
He turned to Tiy, "Now you will see you have the better brother."
Tiy spat on the floor before him, "He will be mad when he learns what you did, you foolish idiot!"
He made as if to run at her, "GET OUT AND MAKE YOURSELF PRESENTABLE! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!"
Tiy ran from the room sobbing. Once in the corridor she headed for her room. She ran past the beautifully decorated walls with their blue and yellow patterns and turned into a room on the left. The room was totally different to the rest of the palace decoration. Tiy had demanded that her room was to be prepared how she wanted it. It had been the only demand that Brianahtan had ever granted her. The walls were white at the top with a lilac colour at the bottom. All over the white at the top were painted beautiful little flowers in various shades of purples. A large window gave her a view over the Western Desert but she had blotted it out with a gauze curtain.
Sitting at a small dressing table she looked into the mirror that sat on it. Her face looked worn and tired, yet her eyes were bright and sparkling. She ran a hand over her face to wipe away any stray tears and looked at her pile of cosmetics. Her face broke into a frown and with one graceful movement she knocked the whole lot to the floor.
"I don’t need these!"
The noise caused her maid to come running in.
"Mistress Tiy are you ok?"
Tiy turned to the pretty young girl, "Yes I'm fine but I'm not so sure about these cosmetics Ariaea."
Ariaea smiled at Tiy, "You can buy more."
Ariaea had come from the ruins of Crete after the Egyptians had destroyed it. Tiy's mother had been born in Crete but had left before the Egyptians came. Ariaea held up a dress. The top was held up by a gold collar. The dress itself was white with a gauze skirt over the top. Tiy looked at it. She hated it. It was the dress that she had worn when she married Brianahtan. Ariaea knew what she was thinking.
"Please Mistress! The One said you were to wear it."
Tiy looked at Ariaea, "The One is in no fit state to talk! How did he tell you he wanted me to wear this?" Ariaea realised her mistake and hastily tried fix it, "I didn’t mean to call him that! I was just.."
"Calm down Ariaea."
Tiy took the dress from her and changed into it.
* * * * *
Kevinutahn stood outside the room he knew his brother to be in. He was pacing up and down. Howylos had been admiring a beautiful vase but his friend’s anxiety distracted him.
"Sit down."
"He’s doing it deliberately!" Kevinutahn stood at the window of the white room and sighed in annoyance.
Suddenly a voice came from the other room.
"ENTER."
Kevinutahn stalked into the room, closely followed by Howylos.
Brianahtan had been sitting on a wicker chair but stood up when his brother came in.
"Kevinutahn! Brother!" Brianahtan held his arms out wide.
"You’re no brother of mine!"
The statement hung in the air. Brianahtan put on a hurt face.
"Why do you say this brother? What troubles you?"
"Tiy."
All friendliness left Brianahtan's face. He became deadly serious. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped by a voice from the doorway behind him.
"Did I hear my name?"
Tiy stepped into the room. Kevinutahn stared at her. She was as beautiful as ever. She smiled at him. Before he could stop himself Kevinutahn had run across the room and swept her off her feet. She held him tightly in response.
"Tell me it’s not true." He whispered to her.
"I’m sorry," She stepped away from him.
There were tears in her eyes that were mirrored in Kevinutahn's. Brianahtan watched the whole scene with amusement. Howylos looked at the triumph on his face. It made him angry. Brianahtan didn't love Tiy, he had simply done it to get at his brother.
Kevinutahn turned to Brianahtan, "Why?" He didn't need to say anymore.
Brianahtan shrugged, "I was bored and thought I could do with a bit of excitement."
Howylos was beginning to get worried. He could see the strain on Kevinutahn's face. He was usually calm and in control but this time his brother had gone too far.
Any further arguments or accusations were saved for later as their father's vizier walked in. A vizier was someone who advised the Pharaoh what to do all the time. Like his father and his brother, Nickataten didn't agree with Kevinutahn's new ideas.
"Sons of The Magnificent One, walk with me to his chamber."
Kevinutahn scowled at Brianahtan one final time before setting off after the vizier. Brianahtan clicked his fingers at Tiy who miserably left for the Harem. At the entrance to their father's room they stopped. Nickataten turned to Kevinutahn.
"The One asks for you first."
Ignoring the look of annoyance on Brianahtan's face that his brother should go in first Kevinutahn stepped through the curtain and into the room beyond. What he saw horrified him. His father was paler than the white sheets he lay in. The once great Pharaoh was reduced to a quivering wreck. He rushed to his father’s side. He held his father's hand tightly and kissed it.
"Kevinutahn." The voice that had once carried down the Nile on summer mornings could scarcely make itself heard.
"Father."
"Listen to me son. I was wrong, you’ve been right all along. They’re poisoning me you know. One more and I`ll be visited by Anubis." (Anubis is the God of the dead)
"What are you talking about father?"
Kevinutahn looked at his father's eyes and saw the fear and pain. Tremors of shock ran through him. Brianahtan was poisoning their father! Smenkhare gripped his son's hand tightly, desperately.
"Fight your brother my son and may the magic eye of Horus protect you."(This is a good luck charm) Kevinutahn let the tears run freely down his face. Nickataten came in and signalled that it was the end of his meeting. As he left the room Kevinutahn gave Brianahtan a hard stare. His brother responded with a yawn before going into the room with Nickataten. Kevinutahn thought it was very suspicious that Nickataten had to go into the room with Brianahtan. He gently pulled at the corner of the curtain so that he could see into the room without being seen himself. The sight that met his eyes was to become ingrained in his nightmares for many years to come. Brianahtan was trying to force Smenkhare to drink something. Judging by the look of the bottle that Nickataten was holding it could only have been poison.
"I won’t drink it! I don't understand why Brianahtan." Brianahtan savagely twisted his father's arm.
Smenkhare cried out with the pain.
Kevinutahn wanted to rush into the room and stop it all but that would have been foolish. Brianahtan would blame it on him and Nickataten would support him. Kevinutahn would end up dead and there would be nobody to challenge Brianahtan.
"You know why father"
Kevinutahn heard no more for he was interrupted.
"Kevinutahn." The voice sounded more musical than a harp and far more beautiful.
He turned to look at Tiy. Her beautiful face was streaked with tears and she looked as if she would faint at any moment. He carefully picked her up and carried her to the garden of Ra. (Ra is the sun God) He put her down on the edge of a fountain. He looked around him. He believed Ra to be a false God created by his father before he was born. All the same the garden was beautiful. It was shielded all round by trees. It was done in such a way that you could not see into the garden but the sun could reach nearly every spot. It was very dark at that moment though.
He sat next to Tiy and looked up at the stars.
She huddled up to him, "Am I dreaming?"
He took her hand, "no my love, but soon the nightmare will be over." He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.
She sat up and looked into his eyes. They sparkled in the darkness with his tears. She leant forwards and kissed his cheek, "Don't cry for your father. Hold your tears for later."
Kevinutahn turned and looked at Tiy. In her eyes he saw the love they had all that time ago. Those beautiful brown eyes held him mesmerised. He gently brushed his hand against her cheek. She closed her eyes, savouring the moment.
"I still love you with all my heart and always will. There will be no other."
Tiy pressed herself against him, "If you defeat Brianahtan then we can be together."
He stroked her long black hair. It felt like the purest of silk under his fingers.
"He may cheat."
Tiy made no reply. Kevinutahn sat back from her. "He's going to cheat isn’t he?"
Tiy tugged at his arm, "Please stay here!"
"You wouldn’t have told me!"
"I was going to devise a plan to defeat him first," Tiy held Kevinutahn's hand tightly.
He looked into her eyes. They were full of fear and worry. She was not lying. He held her close to him.
"KEVINUTAHN!"
They sprang apart as if they were sat on the asp. (The snake thought to have killed Cleopatra).
"Who is it?" Kevinutahn walked towards the entrance to the garden. Nickataten came marching through.
Although it was dark he could make out Tiy sitting on the fountain edge.
"Having a party were we?" Nickataten sneered, "What would the Pharaoh think my lady?"
Tiy came and stood beside Kevinutahn, "I am not married to the Pharaoh, why should he care? I simply felt faint and Kevinutahn carried me out here."
Nickataten brought his face close to Kevinutahn's, "You know the penalty for rape?"
Kevinutahn pushed him away, "Why are you here?"
"Your father is dead."
Kevinutahn turned to Tiy, "Then I must go to meet with Brianahtan."
Tiy grabbed his hand, "No!" she cried, "He’ll kill you!"
Nickataten roughly pulled Tiy away from Kevinutahn, "You will return to your quarters until this matter is dealt with!"
Tiy did something then that she had never thought she would ever do. Turning she landed a heavy punch to Nickataten and he fell to the ground, out cold.
Kevinutahn took her hand and they went into the palace.
"Where will he be?" Kevinutahn stalked ahead down the dark corridor.
Tiy stopped suddenly, "Setepenre!"
He stopped and turned to her, "My mother! Where is she? I was too angry to notice she was not here!"
Tiy tried to think clearly. She had last seen Setepenre the previous night as she was on her way to see Smenkhare. She had not been seen since. Tiy told Kevinutahn this.
"She will have been kept out of the way so that Brianahtan can carry out his plans." He told Tiy.
"You go to Brianahtan and I'll look for Setepenre." Kevinutahn turned to go.
"Kevinutahn?"
He turned round. Tiy put her hands around his neck to pull him down and kissed him. It left them both breathless.
"I love you." She whispered.
"And I you." He whispered back.
They parted and went their separate ways.
* * * * *
Nickataten swept into the main room where the Pharaoh received guests to see Brianahtan scrabbling behind a rush mat hung on the wall. He jumped and turned round when Nickataten walked in.
"Oh, it’s only you."
"Nice to see you too!" Nickataten added sarcastically.
"What have you done to your face?"
"That bitch Tiy punched me."
"Well, where is she now?" Brianahtan stood with his hands on his hips.
"Don't know and don't care."
Brianahtan turned to the wall again.
"What are you doing?"
Brianahtan turned to Nickataten and grinned wickedly, "I'm making sure that Egypt worships me as its new Pharaoh!"
Nickataten half smiled, "I see. So you drive him backward into the spear concealed behind the mat. How clever! Why didn't I think of that? Maybe because everyone will see that you cheated!"
"Not if I demand we fight alone."
Nickataten wasn’t convinced that this would be allowed.
"Look," Brianahtan explained, "we can say it was my father's final wish. They’ll accept it."
"Who will accept what?"
They both spun around to see Kevinutahn in the doorway.
"Except that I will be Pharaoh." Brianahtan smiled.
Kevinutahn felt his hands ball into fists, "Don’t be so sure."
"Where is your friend?" Nickataten looked inquiringly at Kevinutahn and he knew then that Meritaten had been taken under Nickataten's orders.
"Family business," He returned.
"Shall I fetch your weapons?" A servant appeared in the doorway.
Nickataten nodded and the servant hurried to do his bidding. He then turned to the two brothers to recite the right words as tradition stated.
"You two brothers, twins, are both first born. This means you must fight to the death and the survivor will be Pharaoh. May Horus look over the true Pharaoh." (Horus is the God closest to the Pharaoh)
"He will." Horus was one of the few Gods that Kevinutahn genuinely believed in.
"Certainly," Brianahtan stared at Kevinutahn. He stared back at his brother. The tension in the room was beginning to mount. Both men had said their final words before the battle and all that was left was to await the weapons.
* * * * *
Tiy ran through the corridors of the palace with tears streaming down her face. She had to find Setepenre. She eventually slowed to a walk. As she wondered past a small room she heard a voice call to her. "Hello, who is that? Can you help me?"
Tiy ran to the door, "Setepenre!"
"Tiy my child!"
Tiy pressed her ear to the door, "Your husband is dead and Kevinutahn has gone to fight Brianahtan."
"Stop them!" Setepenre called in distress, "Brianahtan is going to conceal a spearhead behind the mat in the main room to kill Kevinutahn!"
Tiy didn't wait to hear anymore but set off through the palace, hoping that she would not be too late.
The servant returned to the room and handed them both a sword. Wordlessly he and Nickataten left the room. The two men stood for some time just staring at each other. Brianahtan had his back to the mat and decided to move first. He lunged forwards at Kevinutahn who smartly sidestepped him and cut a slit in his right arm. Brianahtan stared at the blood on his arm. He would make his brother pay for that. He thrust at Kevinutahn with his sword. Kevinutahn defended himself but was being driven backwards towards the wall. Unaware of the trap he allowed himself to be steered in that direction. They were now face to face. Sweat poured down their brows as they struggled to push each other away. Kevinutahn was directly infront of the spearhead. Brianahtan could feel himself losing to his brother’s strength. In one final burst of energy Brianahtan threw Kevinutahn back onto the trap. He felt the pain slice into his back before he felt the mat brush against it. Brianahtan stood back breathing hard as he watched his brother die. Kevinutahn was finding it difficult to speak. His breath came in ragged short gasps. He pulled himself from the wall and fell to the floor.
Tiy came running into the room. Her scream sounded a million miles away to Kevinutahn. He tried to focus on her face as she knelt by him.
"Kevinutahn! NO!" she felt as if all the reasons to live had been dragged from her already miserable life. She looked into his unfocusing eyes.
"I love you. Don't die!"
He raised a shaking hand to her face and managed to croak out, "I’ll love you wherever I am and forever. We will be united again soon."
His hand fell to the floor as his eyes closed and the painful breathing appeared to stop. Tiy cried out like a wounded cat. Brianahtan still stood staring at the body of his brother. The noise from Tiy had caused Nickataten to come running. He looked at the scene before him and fell to his knees before Brianahtan.
"Lord of the North and South, what is your first wish you would have me fulfil?"
"Put the body in the tomb until mummification can begin. He never existed." Brianahtan said coldly.
And so the reign of Brianahtan had begun.