A Brother's Promise - Complete

Chapter 4

An old memory…

“Kah! Kah!” seven year old Ahkmenrah ran up to his older brother who was in the middle of talking to a young woman he was interested in. “Ahkmenrah, how many times have I told you not to run off!” Kahmunrah scolded his brother who had escaped his teachers once again. Ahkmenrah whimpered slightly, Kahmunrah only shook his head as he picked up his brother and sat him on his knee. The young woman Kahmunrah’s soon to be wife known as Layla only smiled at the young boy. “Enough pouting, what is it?” Kahmunrah asked, having run out of patience. 

Ahkmenrah frowned, snuggling into his brother's chest as he said, “Tahmunrah has returned”. Kahmunrah felt his blood grow cold, Layla tightened her grip on his knee. “What? Why wasn’t I informed?!” “Mother told me to come and get you, so we can hide together and…” Kahmunrah turned to look at his baby brother wondering why he had stopped only to realise Ahkmenrah was looking behind him. 

Kahmunrah turned only to groan when he saw his 21 year old brother walking towards them with their mother and father. Kahmunrah groaned, he tightened his grip on both Layla and Ahkmenrah. Yes he was 23 and the oldest but that didn’t mean he had to like all his family members. In fact Kahmunrah only hated one person in the whole universe and when he meant hated, he actually meant wished dead. Kahmunrah couldn’t count the amount of times he prayed to the gods to take his brother early, Tahmunrah was an evil human. 

“Ahkmenrah, I told you to inform Kahmunrah that your brother was home safe from his journey and not to leave us…” 

“I’m sorry mother”

Tahmunrah smiled, “It is fine, Mother. It seems the little bird still needs to go through his lessons before he has a correct understanding of what you actually requested”. Shepseheret only nodded at her middle child, inwardly she was angry but for now she would let her husband deal with it. Merenkahre gestured for Layla to leave, with a quick curtsey and kiss to Kahmunrah she left intending on going back to her chambers. 

Kahmunrah only groaned as he held Ahkmenrah’s hand tightly in his own.

“Kahmunrah” 

“Tahmunrah” 

Merenkahre didn’t miss the snarky tones of his two elder sons, instead his eyes fell on his youngest who seemed to be watching the birds in the small pond while ignoring his brothers who seemed to challenge each other silently. The pharaoh could never understand why his eldest sons never got on. 

“My sons please wash up. We have prepared a banquet for Tahmunrah’s return, we are celebrating his new marriage. Kahmunrah please help Ahkmenrah get washed and show Tahmunrah to his new chambers” Merenkahre ordered as he took his wife’s arm and walked back towards the palace, he hoped leaving the brothers on their own would do them some good. However, their parents were oblivious to their rivalry. 

Kahmunrah was quick to lift Ahk onto his hip furthest away from Tahmunrah. During their gentle walk back towards their chambers, Kahmunrah hoped the silence would last but sadly that wasn’t the case for one particular moody brother. 

“So Kahmunrah, how have you been in my absence? Has the brat been behaving?” Tahmunrah asked while holding one of his daggers in his hands. It was so clean that one could see their own reflection in it, if they dared looked. “I have been happy and content, Ahkmenrah has been great. We haven’t had to deal with a bratty prince complaining about his daily life in killing his wives off” Kahmunrah snarled, turning to his brother who wore a look of anger, Ahkmenrah by this time was hiding behind Kahmunrah’s legs.