Jewel Of The Nile [COMPLETE]

Chapter Thirteen

"Princess Ankhesenpaaten, the Council requests your presence in the Grand Chamber," bowed a messenger, interrupting my lessons with Ahmose.
I groaned. "Who really requests my presence?"
"The Council is lead by the Pharaoh Smenkhkre and Queen Meritaten, if that is what you mean," he replied.
I stood up. "I thought nothing less. I suppose I cannot disobey the Council's demands. My apologies, Ahmose, for missing yet another lesson."
Ahmose shook his head. "No apologies needed, Ankhesenpaaten. We can't deny the will of the Pharaoh."
I smiled slightly and followed the messenger up to the Grand Chamber. He paused quickly, before opening the Grand Doorway and indicating for me to stay put.
The messenger bowed. "My Lords and Ladies, the Princess Ankhesenpaaten."
I walked up the chamber and bowed when I came to the throne. "You wished to see me, High Council?"
Ay cleared his throat. "Princess Ankhesenpaaten, you are required here today to speak about your recent crime."
"My crime? What did I do?"
Smenkhkre glared at me. "You put the entire palace and all its residents at danger!"
My confidence sagged as I realised what he was talking about. But that happened ages ago! And everyone was safe; no harm came to anyone!
"Brother, nobody was harmed. Everyone was safe. The disease was eliminated," I tried to say in an upbeat tone. But he would not listen.
"And did you know that? When you carried them in the palace, were you absolutely certain that it would not affect others? No. You did not. And that is why you are here today. Your first priority should be us! The palace! Not some minorities from the worst side of the city."
I knew better than to argue with him - even though I really, really wanted to.
Ay continued for the Pharaoh. "Princes Ankhesenpaaten, you are here today because we are discussing your punishment."
"I was under the impression that my punishment was two months of isolation," I replied. Ay shook his head.
"No. That was quarantine, since you also put yourself at risk. Your punishment may or may not be different."
"Ankhesenpaaten, please stay right there while myself and the rest of the Council discuss your punishment," Smenkhkre said calmly. Then, addressing the Council: "Feel free to state your opinion. The majority of answers will be the solution. What shall her punishment be?"
The entire Council of about twenty nobles began talking at once. "I believe she should be tried for treason!" someone shouted. "She could have been responsible for the death of the Pharaoh!"
"She should be forbidden from ever stepping foot outside the palace as long as you rule!"
"No," disagreed Smenkhkre. "That will not work. What if we are to be going to the Temple? Or a Public Appearance?"
"I do not believe she should be punished at all," spoke up Meritaten. "My sister was merely trying to save her friend's life. How is that a punishable offence?"
There were a few people murmuring in agreement.
"She is being punished, my darling," said Smenkhkre in a strained voice. "Because she put all of us at risk of contracting the dreaded plague."
"But no one did - not even Ankhesenpaaten, who was with the boy the entire time. Should the threat of her friend nearly dying and being isolated for two entire months be enough? You know about all the things she missed out on."
"Wait - what happened while I was in quarantine?" I asked.
Meritaten smiled and proceeded to answer me. "We had many guest, foreign guests - even the King of Nubia and his entourage themselves. There were many lavish parties and feasts too."
Smenkhkre did not say anything. I curtseyed. "My Pharaoh, I promise to take whatever you sentence me too with a strong heart, and without complaints. But let me say this in my defence - what if Meritaten was ill? Dreadfully, horribly ill - on her deathbed? You would stop at nothing to save her - would you not?"
Smenkhkre considered this. "But Meritaten is my wife and the Queen - you are not married to your friend, and nor are they royalty."
"The concept remains. If Meritaten was neither of those but still a great friend, you would still do everything in your power to save her. Kahmose and Huy were the first real friends I have ever had, and I did not want to lose them so soon," I explained, hoping Smenkhkre would understand.
He still remained silent. I continued.
"I did not mean to put the rest of the palace at danger - it never really ran through my head that by bringing them here I would do that. I would never purposely threaten this place - it is my home. But I had to help Kahmose, otherwise he would have died." I bowed once again, then stood up straight, waiting for a reply.
The Council started talking again.
Smenkhkre held up his hand. "Silence."
He studied my face carefully, before speaking again. "Those of you who think Princess Ankhesenpaaten should be punished, please move to my side of the room. Those of you who think she is innocent, move to the Queen's side."
Everyone moved but Ay. "My Lord, my answer remains the same as you."
"Well I am asking you to choose a side. There are equal numbers on both; you are the deciding vote."
Ay looked at me carefully. I tried my hardest to convey a calm, collected facial expression, but inside I was screaming. Please, save me. Do not let me be punished! I did naught wrong, I am innocent.
Ay looked at the Pharaoh, and slowly walked to Meritaten's side of the room.
I sighed with relief. I would not be tried for treason, or anything like that. I was deemed innocent. And I was. But I would not be punished, and that was the main thing.
Smenkhkre nodded. "The Council has spoken; there will be no punishment coming into you for this. Everyone is dismissed."
I waited politely while the entire Council dispersed, then I tried to exit the room. "Ankhesenpaaten," Meritaten called. I turned around.
"Yes, sister?"
She looked at Smenkhkre, and nodded. "Please meet me in my chambers right away. I will be with you in a moment."
I nodded and bowed. "Yes, my Queen."
I left and headed towards Meritaten's bedchamber like she requested. Since she became Queen, her bedchamber was moved to the Queen's chambers - much more larger and regal. I knocked on the door and waited for some servants to open it.
"Queen Meritaten sent me to wait in her chambers for her, allow me inside now," I told the girl who had checked to see who it was. She bowed, and opened the huge double doors. I meandered in, seeing if it was any different than how mother had had it. It was not. The colour scheme was more blue and gold than white and gold, but that appeared to be the only difference. I sat down in a seat next to the window and waited.
The doors opened and Meritaten strode in, clearly distressed. Was it Smenkhkre? Had he been horrid to her again? I remember how ghastly he had been to her when we had gone chariot racing one day. Had he done that again?
"Leave us," she commanded to her servants and maids. The scuttled out of the room in a hurry, all except for one. "Yes, you too, Bakt."
The maid - Bakt, I presume - hesitated. "Madam, are you - are you sure?"
"Yes Bakt, I am. I am the Queen of Egypt, I know what I am doing. Please leave us."
Bakt left without a further word. What was that about? Perhaps I should ask later.
Meritaten sat on her bed. "Sister, we need to talk. What happened today, you cannot let it happen again."
"Meritaten, I thought you were on my side!"
"I am, believe me, I am, but Smenkhkre had a point. You did put everyone else at danger. And we need to make sure it will not happen again."
"You are going to prevent me from seeing my friends, are you not?" I asked miserably.
"Not forever, no," disagreed Meritaten. "But just for a while, so that everyone calms down. If Ay and Smenkhkre find out that you have been sneaking out to see these friends straight after this as happened...their reactions will not be pleasant. I understand they are you friends. All I am saying is wait a couple weeks, a month at the very most, before you next leave to see them. Is that alright?"
I nodded. What else could I do? "I suppose that is fair."
Meritaten smiled. "Good. I knew you would comply. You are never any trouble for anyone; you are great. But there is one other thing I need to talk to you about," she paused. "One the Pharaoh does not know yet. Nor mother, for that matter. Ay told me this in confidentiality. But they will know soon."
"If Ay told you this secretly, how will I know what it is? He has not spoken to me informally in ages."
"Ankhesenpaaten, I know father wished you to wed Tutankhaten."
Oh. That is what she meant. "Yes, he did. And it was his last command as Pharaoh - to me, at least. I want to honour it, even if I do not want it personally. I want to marry Tutankhaten for father's sake. I was going to talk to you after I spoke to mother about it, perhaps in a couple of weeks," I explained.
Meritaten nodded in understanding. "I am not supposed to know. You will tell mother in a couple of weeks, and you will tell her I do not know about it. Then the both of you will come to me, and after, I will go to Smenkhkre and discuss it. I am sure he will be eager for the marriage as well."
"But Meritaten," I said. "There is one thing I do not understand. Father said I will be Queen, but that will only happen if you do not have a child. But you will have on, won't you?"
"I do not know," Meritaten replied sadly. "I doubt it, however. Smenkhkre and I have been trying at least once a week since we were married. I do not think I can bear children. Often, that is what the fights with the Pharaoh are about, anyway. We will still try, but Smenkhkre is getting old. He is almost thirty. Our time is running out, so in all chances we will not have a child. So yes, father was correct. When you marry Tutankhaten you will become the wife of the heir, and when Smenkhkre dies you will become Queen."
"But sister, you can still try to have children, can you not?" I pleaded.
"Ankhesenpaaten, we are trying. I just said that. But we will not have any children. You will become Queen, we just do not know when," explained Meritaten. I felt so sorry for her. She must have been feeling terrible - that she let down her husband, her family, her dynasty, her country, by not being able to produce an heir. Egypt was just lucky it had Tutankhaten.
I do not know why I was so eager for her to have a child. Perhaps because the thought of becoming Queen scared me. I had seen how it could help people, but also corrupt them. I had never in my life believed I would be Queen. There was always a chance Tutankhaten would be Pharaoh, but I always thought I would be married off to some foreign Prince, or High Noble. But Queen? The thought never crossed my head.

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Hey Everyone!
So I'm going to be starting this new thing where I'll be asking some questions on what you think about what happened in the chapter, every chapter. I'm also encouraging you guys to leave some comments if you wish!

So what did you guys think about Ankhesenpaaten going without any punishment? Do you think she got off easy; that she should have been punished? Or do you agree with her being innocent?

Leave you answers in the comments!!!