The Forgotten: Aten's Last Queen (4 page)

“My queen, Henuttaneb has been taken into the world of the dead.” Maia’s voice was heavily weighted with emotion.

The queen simply looked down at the boy and began rocking him gently. It was as if she had not heard the nurse. Maia was about to speak again when Nefertiti finally interupted the mournful stillness surrounding them, “Pharaoh must know of this right away. Our God, Aten, has sent us a message.”

Maia bowed her head in grief. She had been with Henuttaneb during the pregnancy to help ease things for her and try to ensure a healthy labor. But before the tears could fall, there were orders to be followed.

“Clean up this mess with the other attendants that were present. Pharaoh should not be troubled by this sight. Burn the remains so we make sure the demons no longer linger to infect the rest of us who continue to bear Pharaoh’s future.” Then Nefertiti smoothly turned away.

Maia began the preparations for the cleanup and for the pyre. It was obvious by the queen’s tone of voice that there would be no funerary rites. Henuttaneb was to be burned along with anything else associated with her. It was the worst sort of command, to destroy the body and thereby lose the soul itself. But with great sickness and fear of an evil that could spread, there could be no other choice. At least, that is how I understood mother’s motivation behind her directives. The other more vengeful motivation is one I do not think my mother would dare let drive her decisions. She would have to answer for it in the Afterlife if that was her real reason for erasing Henuttaneb’s existence.

Nefertiti purposefully walked to Pharaoh’s chambers with Merytaten close behind, the two traveling silently away from the sadness and turmoil nipping hungrily at their heels. Mother’s moves were lioness-like in their elegance and strength. They never seemed to waver in their sureness of purpose. Her body was always sleek and graceful even when it was filling with child. She could intoxicate all men around her, but she only wished for the devotion of one.

The walk to the pharaoh’s chambers was all the way across the palace from the harem’s quarter. Henuttaneb had not yet moved into the royal apartments as construction of her room was unfinished, and thus she had delivered her child where she had spent her days. The harem quarters were decorated lushly and had its own garden area. But this paled in beauty the closer one got to the royal house where extraordinarily more colors and details could be found.

It was amazing what my father had accomplished in such a short period of time. The palace was a beauty to behold. It lay in a perpendicular line to the Great River and rested in the perfect spot to absorb the long arms of Aten, which were ever reaching down to warm His followers. The light reflected across the floors, giving them the appearance of a smooth surface like that of the Nile on a calm morning. It was a testament to the beauty of Aten. At this moment, though, it was dark and somber all around Nefertiti. The smell of blood was beginning to permeate the corridors and up onto the bridge, which took mother over the Royal Road and into our house, despite the nursemaids’ best efforts to clean up the mess that was left of Henuttaneb.

A sharp sound preceded her, the staccato clicking of Nefertiti’s sandals as she walked. Merytaten’s feet were a delicate rustling against the floor like grass brushed against itself by the wind. Otherwise, there was no sound around them. It was as if all life had disappeared except for four footfalls stippling along the torch-lit gypsum tiles. The firelight danced on the colored pillars and floors making strange shapes and reflections off the beautiful structures. Even the golden doors and decorations, gold being the precious skin of the God Aten, seemed menacing as the firelight played with it and contorted its images. Fire was a tricky element, using both shadow and light to deceive.

My mother walked up to the second level of rooms. This was where Pharaoh and his royal wives slept. She passed by the guards outside Pharaoh’s quarters quickly as they parted his doors for her. They did not even have time to announce her arrival.

His chamber was lit with dozens of candles. He paced nervously across the floor until he saw Nefertiti. At that moment, his heart seemed to sink a little. It was as if he already knew what was about to be said. Merytaten had never seen such a look before. She decided to stay in the gloom where the candlelight would not touch her in case her father got angry. The last thing she wanted was to be noticed when Pharaoh got mad.

Nefertiti spoke clearly and crisply, “My Pharaoh, my beloved, the good God Aten has spoken. He has taken Henuttaneb into the Underworld. His message is clear, this son is to be
my
son. We will raise him as our own. Aten has decided to bless
me
with this child, a son Henuttaneb was unfit to bear, and I bring him now to you, my love.”

Her voice seemed to ring across the entire palace. By morning, everyone knew of Queen
Nefertiti’s
son. Henuttaneb’s place would be forgotten quickly, her life erased from the walls of our house. A wet nurse would provide the baby with the nourishment he needed as he grew. “It all fit together, designed well by the God” the servants would say as convincingly as they could. Some of them had been with Pharaoh’s family since before Akhenaten’s birth. They knew the royal family like their own. They had loved Henuttaneb and had a hard time seeing her erased from their lives. Being one of the youngest of her siblings, she had the privileges of being a princess but without the stress that weighed on her older siblings. Though slightly spoiled, she had always been cheerful and abundant with her smiles. She resembled her mother, Queen Tiya, more than any child. Now a goodbye could never be given to her. There was no tomb to leave offerings and prayers. There was nothing of her life left.

Later that night, a celebration was held, and the bells of the temples rang clear for the new baby. No one asked questions, they would all accept the new child of Akhenaten and his great wife. Temple carvings were begun in a few short hours after the baby’s arrival. The carvings never said Nefertiti was his mother, but they did not use his birthmother’s name. I never asked why this was for fear of mother’s answer and a menacing spirit lingering behind it… just like I never asked about burning the body.

“What shall we call our new son?” Nefertiti asked awakening Pharaoh from his mournful silence. “He looks just like his handsome father. He is a strong and worthy heir for our lands!”

Nefertiti brought the babe to Pharaoh. Father was tall, a head taller than my mother, but this did not make him a lean man. His thighs had girth to them that were not from muscle. He had a small protruding belly that stuck out over his belt, which he never tried to conceal. His face was long and thin with sharp cheekbones. He had narrow eyes and full lips. His chin and neck seemed flow together as if one piece, like the trunk of a young tree. His fingers and toes were elongated. His eyes were a deep blue and could command attention. If smiling, he was not an unattractive man. In fact, all his features seemed well-crafted when absorbed together.

Though a little shaky, Akhenaten’s strong arms wrapped around the little boy protectively. He enveloped his son close to his chest, as if Akhenaten was trying to grasp the last of Henuttaneb’s life which had slipped out of the palace. His eyes glistened with tenderness, and he took in a deep loud breath.

Though Akhenaten seemed to struggle for a moment to speak, he did not cry. Merytaten always said how scared she was to see our father tremble and hesitate in such a way. He was always so confident and strong. But in private, his strong façade quickly faded into that of an emotional man who loved his family and his self-driven religion deeply. In moments like this, he let his emotions waver ever so slightly in the presence of his wives. He feared the people would think him mad showing such a display of feelings, but he needed these moments to let go of the conflicting emotions that tormented him during his days in keeping his monotheism strong and avoiding conflict from the former priests of those now-unnamed gods. He would even keep his emotions hidden from us, his daughters, lest rumors spread from our mouths accidentally. It was a difficult and draining task every day to run this new kingdom, but he kept strong for everyone outside and around the palace.

Right now, this was a time when he was allowed a little emotion. Merytaten stood still, hidden in the darkness which danced in the candlelight and filled the corners of the room.

Pharaoh’s voice was thick as he spoke, “Our God
has
sent us a blessing, so we shall call him what he is, the living image of Aten. Prince Tutankhaten.”

The room was quiet then, and Merytaten thought this moment as a good time to slip away. She could not escape our mother’s notice though. They say a mother always knows, and when Nefertiti called Merytaten’s name to stop her, she did not sound surprised by her presence. Merytaten could not even recall mother’s eyes cast toward her.

“Mayati, my curious girl, gather the princesses. They must meet their new brother.” Nefertiti ordered, her voice filled with a hint of slyness as if she shared in the secret of Merytaten’s eavesdropping.

Mother’s voice was its own supple, sharp whip. The softness to her tone was almost worse than a harsh reprimand. It made us think that no matter what we sisters did, our mother would always know. Mother was very smart, and she was very good at planting seeds and watching them grow. This was just another of her seeds that she used for Merytaten to warn her not to try to sneak up on her or her husband again.

Merytaten looked toward her father, but he did not seem to see her at all. He only had eyes for his new son. Merytaten quickly left the room confused, scared, and on command.

It was then that Nefertiti and Akhenaten were alone with the newborn boy. Nefertiti stood straight and tall beside Akhenaten as he took a seat in a chair. He simply stared at the small child whose life had taken away another’s. By now, Tutankhaten had fallen asleep.

“My son.” He said quietly.

“Our son, my beloved.” Nefertiti cut in.

Finally, Akhenaten looked up at his first wife. His eyes were a mixture of sadness and joy. His voice was quiet and peaceful, but it was also firm enough to keep his eager wife quiet, “By Aten, this may be His will, but it is not easy for me to accept. Please, my love, allow me this moment to mourn my sister.” He then continued to gaze at his son.

And all was quiet for but a moment…

*****

Adornments on the walls were quickly created to honor the new son of the God Aten, future king of Kemet. Bak, Father’s chief royal sculptor, was a prominent figure around the palace. By his hand, the carvings he had started of Henuttaneb were replastered. Instead, Nefertiti stood beside her husband with all of us girls in the new family wall carvings. In a few of them, the new prince was held by his wet nurse, Maia, as Nefertiti stood over the family.

Maia loved the new attention she received. She would stand and stare at the reliefs with her image on them. She would smile and say to the rapidly growing boy, “Look, there we are. Surely, God will never forget us.”

The women in Maia’s family had been with royal households for as far back as her lineage could be traced. Maia was a faithful servant for Nefertiti and served us girls tirelessly. We all loved her warm hugs and gentle pampering. We were allowed to be kids around her and not princesses. We all had our own nurses, but Maia was always there at the palace.

Maia was taller than most women, which I know she was self-conscious of. She had large, round eyes with a pointed nose separating them. Her lips were thin but almost always curved into a smile around us. Her face was round and her cheeks full despite the fact that the rest of her was small-framed. Her hair was a lighter shade than most citizens had. Her skin was dark and her limbs strong from constantly holding one of us. She was not shy about playing with us, and her knees and elbows were almost always scratched up. She had no fears of getting silly or dirty along with us. Our favorite game was Monkey, Monkey, Crocodile. Maia saved me a number of times from always being picked as the crocodile as I was the youngest sister playing.

But Maia never left the palace grounds. She had nowhere else to go as she had lost her own family shortly after my birth. Many of the wet nurses had homes of their own outside the palace walls. They would come to serve us to earn food and beer for their families. Maia had a family once, but her husband died suddenly from a disease that swept through their neighborhood. It also took her two young daughters. Her oldest son, attending school in Man-nefer, was spared. So Maia accompanied my family to Akhenaten even though we did not need a wet nurse (Tia had been named as mine). But mother asked her to come, and I think we helped to heal her. She was given more palace responsibilities as well as her regular wet nurse duties to other families.

The death of Henuttaneb had been a crushing blow for her, but being named Tutankhaten’s wet nurse again gave her a purpose. Tutankhaten was her full-time charge, and she loved him fiercely. Again she had a child to care for and love. And now her life would not be forgotten either. She was painted on palace walls and carved forever in stone. She was happier than I had ever seen her. Her losses became less consuming. Even when she was alone, her eyes were alight, which had been missing for many years beforehand. I think she finally felt peace with her life and with Aten.

The baby boy adored Maia in return. They were often giggling together throughout the palace. We girls also vied for the new baby’s attention. Babies were the best entertainment we could ask for. Usually Merytaten scolded us younger ones to be careful, to which Meketaten and I would reply with a roll of our eyes and shared snickers. Soon enough, however, our sister was born from my mother’s womb, and she snagged the attention away from our brother. She was born as Tutankhaten neared his first-year celebration.

After Tutankhaten’s first-year banquet, my mother changed. The warmth of her love left our presence. Perhaps it was this change which started to tilt our family balance on its head. A great distance began to separate my parents after their fourth child came into our lives. Again, my mother delivered a girl. My new sister Nefernefruaten Tasherit was strong and healthy, but nevertheless she was another girl.