The King's Court by Erin Chase

Author:Erin Chase
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, historical fiction, kidnapping, revenge, war, queen, slave, ancient egypt, pharaoh
Publisher: Erin Chase

Chapter 29

Weeks turned into months. Months turned into seasons. Seasons turned into hentis. Everyone had given up hope of finding the young prince; everyone except his mother, Sheshamun.

“I know he’s still out there,” the queen begged her husband.

“My dear, we have not seen any trace of Sutenrekh, Meriamun, or Tokahiru for a long time. They could be absolutely anywhere. I’m not sure if they’re even still alive.”

Crocodiles, hippopotami, and lions were known to take and kill the odd villager who wandered too far into the desert or were too close to the water’s edge.

“I think we have to accept our fate and move on.”

Sheshamun refused to believe him. She knew deep down her son was alive. It was obvious Ramose wanted to hear nothing more of the matter. Sheshamun knew her husband was still struggling with the disappearance of their son, but he bottled everything up and refused to talk about it. The queen felt like she was on her own.

Hela and Serera consoled her on a regular basis. Though neither of them believed she would see her son again, they were dutiful friends and helped keep her hope alive. Sometimes they thought that was the only thing that kept her alive.

Sheshamun maintained her daily worship of Bastet, but she added other deities to the complement. Each day she offered to a different god or goddess. She paid obeisance to Horus, the falcon-headed god. She made offerings to Isis, Horus’ wife. The queen prayed at the Temples of the goddesses Mut, Sekhmet, and Ma’at. Sheshamun consulted priests, seers, and prophets, but nothing came of her efforts.

While his wife was praying and seeking guidance from every walk of life, Ramose buried himself in his royal duties. The temple reform committee had seen to the replacement of the high priests at the Temples of Isis, Horus, and Thoth – many of the temples his wife had been praying at. He hoped she hadn’t turned over too much of their gold and silver to the charlatans. I’ll end up getting it back anyway, he realized.

The temple reform had been relatively easy compared to overhauling the justice system. Since Sheshamun was in no condition to present her committee’s findings, Unsu stepped forward. He presented the figures to Ramose, who was most shocked by the death tally. He agreed with all of their recommendations as to who should stay, who should be given a lighter punishment, and who should simply be released.

Ramose wanted to help bring his wife out of the depression she had fallen into. The first names slated for freedom were Phimeah, Phileah, and Phu. He thought it would help bring Sheshamun to her old confident and outgoing self. However, she offered a weak smile and thanked him for his diligence. She’ll be better when the women show up at the palace, he decided.

While he waited for Sheshamun’s friends to arrive, the pharaoh continued through the list of prisoner names. For those set to be released and absolved of their crimes, they would be returned to their nearest relatives.

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