1648 B.C.:
Nahanit stood on the balcony, sipping wine. The guards had long since taken her husband's dead body away. She had heard their shouting as they went after Enkartep; he was most likely dead now, or about to be.
She fought back a smile as she took another sip. The high priest had been so easy to seduce, so easy to turn against his pharaoh. He had thought they were in love, when in reality he was a pawn in her machinations.
Love makes fools of even the smartest men.
Beyond the balcony was the expanse of Memphis. She could see through the city, past the buildings and lodgings, to the rivers linking the city to others.
And it's all mine.
Mersekhemre had had no children, which meant that the next pharaoh could be anybody with a hint of noble stock. Whoever was chosen would need people to believe that they could legitimately be the pharaoh.
They would need a wife. Perhaps that of the previous pharaoh...
Nahanit had yet to meet a man she could not manipulate in some way.
Footsteps sounded from the corridor. She turned, setting her goblet on the railing, adopting a stricken expression for the guards who would inform her of Enkartep's death.
Instead of guards, a tall, pale man strode through the doorway. A strange power radiated off of him. It took her a few moments to realize that this strange man was in fact, Enkartep.
"My love," she said, recovering quickly, "what happened to you?"
He was taller than usual, his body devoid of hair, skin smoother and more muscled. There was something foreboding in the small smile on his face.
"You must understand," she began to say, striding towards him, subtly bringing her shoulders back, making sure her lush cleavage was on full display.
Halfway towards him, she stopped moving. It was as if there was an invisible wall in front of her. She tried to raise her foot, to keep walking, but could not so much as budge a single inch. Her eyes glanced down to the floor; there was nothing there blocking her way. When she glanced back up to Enkartep, his smile had grown wider, and her fear spiked.
"What do I need to understand?" he asked, his voice soft, yet powerful.
"I...I...I had plans for us," she finished lamely. Her mind raced as she sought to come up with a feasible solution.
What happened? He should be dead...
"No," Enkartep said, walking towards her, "I was in none of your plans, beyond poisoning the pharaoh."
Had she had inches to move, she would have been trembling in fear.
"My love, I'm sorry," she said, her eyes wide and pleading.
"You never loved me," he said, his voice full of regret.
"I did, I swear, I did, you have to believe me!"
"I do not need to believe you," he said, raising a hand. She could not even flinch as he placed it on her forehead.
"I can simply see for myself..."
His hand pressed against her skin, and a feeling like dozens of burning-hot needles came against her forehead. The pain seared into her, and suddenly, her mind flashed back, memories fluttering by like papyrus. Nights spent with Enkartep, days spent with Mersekhemre, alone time spent plotting. Enkartep watched them along with her, his small smile returning as they went back through her memories. The flow finally stopped, at the recollection of their first meeting, years ago, at a royal banquet. She had begun her seduction there; he had not even known it yet.
"Love makes fools of even the smartest men," Enkartep said. The pain receded as he took the hand away. Nahanit fell to her knees, gasping for air, her temple throbbing with residual ache. In front of her were his bare feet, and she focused on them, trying to recover her senses and wits. She was terrified; he had some new, strange power, and she was outmatched. All she could do was put herself at his mercy.
"My love," she purred, summoning tears to her eyes, "I was a fool to treat you so. Please, forgive me. Forgive me, love."
"Why?" he simply asked, that peculiar smile still gracing his lips.
She dropped down to her knees again, this time of her own volition.
"You have great power," she began, her mind still racing. She did not understand how he had escaped a certain death. Obviously, he had gained some strange and formidable power.
He would have to do something with it.
"Use it, love. Take Egypt. Make it yours. Shape it to your liking."
He cocked his head.
He's listening.
"You shall be a true pharaoh. More powerful than any other that ever lived."
Her eyes brimmed with tears, her smile as bright as ever. She could see his smile grow wider.
He likes what I'm saying.
"And if you would have me, I would be at your side. A beautiful queen for a powerful king. It is only right, my love."
Her little speech ended, a few tears slipping dramatically down her cheeks. He kept silent for the longest few moments of Nahanit's life.
"I shall take Egypt," he said softly. Nahanit smiled in relief.