Chapter 1. Hatshepsut's Mission.

First draft.

 

Hatshepsut stood on the balcony of her mortuary temple. The workmen had been busy all day creating the murals which told of her recent trip to Punt. She wanted this to be the best portrayal of the journey as she knew that those who came after her would recognise the story and know exactly what it meant. She looked out over her newly created avenue and the Myrrh trees which stood at its beginning. The sphinxes which lined it made it look so beautiful. She had created a beautiful garden which ran all the way down to the pylons and as she looked across the landscape she could see the obelisks she had placed in the temple in Karnak on the other side of the Great River. Their golden light shone out across all of Thebes and she was greatly pleased. Thebes would remain great as long as the sacred light spilled out across the land of Khemit. Without it it would die again. She remembered back to when Amun had first told her of her mission. She was to make Egypt great once more, to restore the temples and the sacred rites so that that the land could be fed again. It had become a barren place. But she knew that it would not be as easy to rule as a woman, even though she was more than capable of it. She also knew that her life would not be her own and that she would not have the great love she so desired. Her mission here was to recreate the sacred energies of fertility and the Goddess and she would do everything in her power to achieve this. She already knew it would be a lonely job. Not many women had her strength and determination to succeed.

She thought longingly of her night spent in holy communion with the Father God Amun. Only she knew, that it was not truly Amun who spoke but the spirits of the Otherworld. The spirits who guided her feet. But the people were not ready to hear this, they would not be ready for a very long time. Perhaps many years into the future when her land would need replenishing once again by those who knew the rites and rituals of Life.

She sighed, her heart at once glad and heavy. Time and time again did this work have to be accomplished and many times would it take a soul who was unafraid to do it. Often she wondered why it was she who had chosen this task. She felt tired too often, unworthy of the mission. She was capable, she knew, but she didn’t quite feel godly enough and she was supposed to be a god in human form. It upset her sometimes to know that she could not forsake this land, even if she wanted to, when the going became too hard for her to manage. She had struggled then to maintain her composure. To not allow the temple priests of Amun to see her apparent weakness as they would pounce on her and she would have failed. Her son Tutmoses, so like his father, openly disliked her. But there was nothing she could do about it. She would just have to be careful.

She walked back into the courtyard and supervised the work. She had made very clear plans of how the mural should look and she was determined that it be perfect. She wanted the world to know the lengths to which she had gone to fulfil her mission and that those who came after would know where to go. She was creating a coded map which only those initiates who had gained access to the inner sanctum would recognise. They would then have access to the sacred mysteries of the Great Goddess Hathor, Mother of all and could ensure that the sacred mysteries survived the coming times.

If only they knew, Hatshepsut thought to herself. If only they understood that we are all safe in the arms of the Mother, that all we have to do is ask and our needs will be met. She looked up behind her where the mountains spread out like the wings of Isis, holding her beautiful temple. She heard an eagle scream into the air, hunting for small rodents on the rock face. The sky was deep blue now, deepening to azure as the sun went further down behind the mountains. She smiled at the wonder of it and gave thanks for all the Goddess had given to her.

The men were beginning to pack up and leave, carrying their tools in leather bags. As they left Hatshepsut noticed one man who seemed reluctant to leave.

She waited until the others had left before approaching him. He was lighter skinned than the rest of the men, she noticed, even with the dust of the stone covering his face.

As she walked towards him he bowed. “Mistress,” he said, “please forgive my intrusion.”

“Stand man and say what you wish to say”, she replied. She was intrigued. No workman had approached her in this manner before and she was curious as to why this one had now.

“Mistress, I have been instructed to give you a message.” He said, his eyes kept low.

“A message? From whom?”

“That I cannot say, but you will understand when you see this,” and he took out a tiny package of papyrus and handed it to her. Opening the package she noticed the glint of gold and a small ankh with a ruby embedded in its loop fell out into her hand.

She took a sharp intake of breath.

“Where did you get this?” she asked, turning it over in her hand, examining it. “Who gave you this?”

“One who knows and understands”, was the man’s reply.

Hatshepsut stood staring at the ankh for a moment.

“You mentioned a message”.

“If you will permit me holiness the message is this: Your life is in danger. You must be careful who you trust. I need to meet you so that I can help you to prepare .Do not share this message with anyone but come quickly to the inner temple and I will explain further.

Hatshepsut’s heart sank. Once again she was in danger. Did anything ever change? Who wanted her death now? she wondered. Which one had she put false trust in?

“Thank you for bringing me this message although it makes my heart sore to hear it.” she said to the messenger. “Tell your master that I will come as he has asked. I will be there as soon as possible.” Then she spoke again “Here, in gratitude for your message which was delivered so well”. She unhooked her turquoise necklace and undid two of the beads and handed them to him. She knew they would feed his family, if he had one, for months to come.

The messenger was overawed “Your holiness, I am overcome………” and he bowed so low he could nearly touch her feet with his head. She stepped back.

“Go now and give my reply to your master”, and she watched as the man ran down the steps and through the gardens, the darkness of evening swallowing him until she could see him no more.

 

 

 

Reviews

[R J Askew]

Marvellous stuff! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to read this. I was put off by the title for a while, or not drawn in by it. BUT... when I did at last read it I was gripped. You bring history alive most vividly here. We all see the big stones in places like the British Museum or as tourists, but most probably never get beyond that. But your story spans thousands of years. We are there! I am not qualified to comment on the accuracy, but I suspect you know a great deal about your subject and, at least from a general reader's point of view, I was convinced by the picture you call up here. Your story makes it real. We focus on the artefacts, and rarely the artists. They must have been fantastic artists and architects and mathamaticians. And they must have had such a pride in their work. And of course the god rulers were real people and some would have had a good eye for what was being created for them. But of course their beliefs must have been of a high order also. And the setting ... the climate ... the river... You got me with the eagle. I suspect you must have seen this yourself at some point. I reckon you could develop this into something longer.

[Michiko]

It is a great start. Looking forward to reading more. It is nice to see a female character with such strength and passion. Can't wait to read more.

You have a wonderful start here. You have brought in a character who has to lead, and yet has enemies she has to face as well.

It will be a difficult journey for her, and there will be those who will help her as well.

Well written, I like the setting, it would be nice to see more colors and scenery

A wonderful piece.

[.:Naiira Harlow:.]

Even if its unfinished its great! I freaking love it! Thanks for writing this up for me! I'll continue to read it!
-Twilight