Muts Festival

The story takes place in Egypt during the 18th Dynasty. The places are real as are some of the characters. Hepshetsup, though a woman, was Pharaoh of Egypt at the time the story takes place, around 1430 BC. The Festival was real and did take place annually at the Temple of Mut in the Karnak Temple Complex, across the Nile River from the Valley of the Kings. Otherwise, the story is a purely fictional story of the young woman, Neha. Hope you enjoy.

Mut stood at the edge of her balcony and looked down at the sun parched land of Egypt and the life giving waters of the Nile that snaked it's way north to the sea. "The Festival will begin soon," she thought. "Another like all the others." "What would she find of interest this year?" she wondered. For more than ten years the Festival had been disinteresting. "Why do I continue to bless this shallow land?" she asked herself.

Amun stepped to her side. "What do you see, my love?" he asked.

"Nothing. Only a faint hope. Maybe one who will save me from my boredom," she answered in frustration.

*****

The Lady Neha watched the dark green water slide quietly along the sides of the dhow. The sun had not even risen above the mountains to the east when she had boarded the boat in Memphis for the five-day sail up the Nile to Karnak. Now it was close to noon on the fifth day and the brutal Egyptian sun beat down. The awning over head shaded Neha, but even so, it was already becoming warm.

She reached out and took a pomegranate from the bowl next to her divan and handed it to her servant girl, Seta. Seta opened the fruit and carefully scraped the succulent seeds into an alabaster bowl. Neha stretched on her divan and wondered when they would reach the temple complex.

As she looked around, she could see many more dhows moving against Nile current. "Soon," she thought. "Soon we will reach Karnak and the coolness of the Temple." Neha stretched again and sat up. She stood so she could just glimpse the white, limestone temple in the distance.

"Yes, my lady," said Kha, the boat captain. "We should be there shortly. We have a fair wind at out backs and are making good time."

"How long, captain?" asked Neha as she looked toward the south.

"We should be there by mid-day, my lady."

Neha went back to her divan and began dipping her fingers into the bowl of pomegranate seeds. These she washed down with wine from the Pharaoh's "House of Atum" vineyards in the delta. Both the seeds and wine were warm, but they did pass the time. "And the Chief Vintner, Penamun, always produced the finest, most delicate wines," the thought.

"If I had anyone to play with I could play Senet to while away the time," she thought. "My young cousin, Djehutymes, played the game incessantly. Then, those who were destined to be Pharaoh did. They need to prepare for the great game with Osiris in the afterlife." Then with a grimace, she thought, "But who would I play with? Seta is much to dull and the captain is just so common." Neha thought back to the many hours she and her husband had played Senet together under the cool arbor in their garden. Of course, she always let him win. That was only fitting.

A shout went out from the boat just ahead of Neha's. She rose and moved forward to see. Now that the boat was closer, she could see next to the dock at Karnak the great dhow of her aunt, Queen Hepshetsup. The boat was spectacular. Its hull was made from the finest cedars from Lebanon. The boathouse was decorated with fine paintings, burnished with gold and lovely tapestries. The boat had no sail, but it did have six oarsmen to propel it through the water. But the most striking thing was the size. The boat was easily twice the size of Neha's dhow.

"Oh. The Queen has come to the festival too this year. This is going to be just a wonderful time," she told the captain. Neha went to her divan and sat. "Hurry, Seta. You must fix my wig, she said, "It wouldn't do to be received by the Queen looking like a common street woman."

Seta set to work arranging the braids and gold bands in Neha's black, shoulder length wig. "And bring me the gold and lapis pectoral. The one with the scarab. And the gold arm bands." Neha picked up a bronze mirror and looked at her dark face. "Pretty, I think," she thought. "Seta, fix the black around my eyes. It seems smudged."

As the boat glided up to the dock, Neha rose to her full height and stepped across the gunwale onto the stone pier. Seta followed a step behind with an ostrich feather fan to shade the Lady Neha as was fitting. Neha's leather sandals clicked on the stone as she walked toward the Sacred Lake. There she found a great deal of activity. Under awnings, vintners readied their wines. Brewers cooled their beer with ice brought from the Nubian mountains and everywhere people milled about as they chatted and drank from gold, lotus shaped wine cups.

Under a large, ornate awning, sat Neha's aunt, Queen Hepshetsup flanked by two Nubian slaves with large Ostrich feather fans. On her head, the Queen wore the tall white crown, The Hedjet, of Upper Egypt. Her pleated skirt and bodice were nearly the same as those worn by Neha. The young women moved directly to the Queen and prostrated herself before her.

"Ah, niece. Arise and join me," the Queen said. Immediately a low stool was brought for Neha and placed at the Queen's left along with a gold, lotus shaped cup of wine. Neha's cousin, Djehutymes, sat at the Queen's right hand as was traditional.

"I'm so glad your husband allowed you to come this year, Neha. And where is your husband?" the Queen asked.

"I'm afraid he was held in Memphis by work, my Lady," replied Neha. "Affairs of state it seems. There is some trouble in the east."

"Ah, Pandar. That jackal. He needs to be taught a lesson." Then as she turned to her Captain of Chariots, she said, "Lotansep! Pass the word. I want Pandar before me in chains before I return to Memphis." The Captain of Chariots bowed low and withdrew.

"Now, Neha, have you ever been to the festival before?"

"No, my Lady," Neha said with a bow of her head.

"Well. Let me explain. We will ask the mother, Mut, for her protection and the prosperity of our nation. This is a very important festival."

Again, with a bow, Neha acknowledged the Queen's words.

"And what will my brother, you husband, think when you tell him of 'wandering in the marsh' at the festival?"

Neha thought for a moment. Then said, "And does my husband need to know other than I came to the festival?"

Hepshetsup laughed. "No. I think not, young Neha. Maybe the less said of the matter the better in this case."

A trumpet sounded and Queen Hepshetsup stood. "Follow me, my young, Neha. It's time to go to the Temple." The Queen strode out onto the stone apron around the sacred lake. Neha and Djehutymes followed her closely. Others joined them at a respectful distance.

As Queen Hepshetsup reached the top of the steps to the Temple of Mut, she stopped and turned to face the crowd gathered in front of the Temple.

In a loud voice so all could hear, The Queen began to intone the traditional prayer, "Friends and countrymen. We gather here at this Temple to petition the Mother, Mut, for her protection and the continued prosperity of our lands. Mut is the mother of us all. Mut and her consort, Amun, and their offspring, Khonsu have guided and looked after Egypt for millennia. It is by their will that we prosper. It is by their will that our country is great, our army unbeatable in battle. And it is by their will that we shall continue."

The Queen turned and walked into the Temple to prostrate herself before the great, Vulture-Headed statue of Mut. In the darkness at the rear of the Temple came the sound of chanters who sang accompanied by a drum. Hepshetsup chanted along from her prostrate position. The chanting grew louder until the entire Temple reverberated with their singing. The spectators and guests assembled at the steps joined in adding to the sound. At its peak, the Queen stood and raised her arms to the statue and all the voices ceased. The Temple was silent.

With a wave of his hand, the head priest motioned for slaves to bring offerings to the statue of Mut. Before the statue, they laid meats and bread, beer and wine. Finally, a he-goat was brought and slaughtered for a blood offering.

Queen Hepshetsup turned and walked out to the portico. There she again raised her arms. This time to the crowd who cheered.

As the Queen returned to her awning the bands began to play and the vintners poured the finest wines. The brewers poured the best beer. The libations flowed freely. Dancing began. Everyone gave themselves to the Festival spirit. Even Neha drank freely under the watchful eye of her aunt. Cup after cup was brought to Neha by Seta, her servant.

The time was now long into the afternoon and great platters of food were brought for the revelers. Everyone sat in clusters and ate. There were platters of roast Ibex and ducks. Different fish and sweet fruits. And, of course, more wine and beer. The feast continued into the evening.

While dancing, the Queens half brother, Sutan Anu, handed Neha a blue lotus blossom. She smelled the pungent, yet erotic scent of the flower. The scent was over powering. The scent made her body tingled. The more she sniffed the blossom, the more she tingled. Finally, Sutan Anu took her arm and guided her to a bench next to the Sacred Lake. They sat together while Seta refilled their cups with the fine, dark red wines of the Nile Delta vineyards. Together they drank, chatted, and laughed at silly jokes and the people around them.

An hour after the sun set behind the crags that surrounded the Valley of the Kings across the Nile River, servants set up torches to burn around the Sacred Lake. A cool wind blew off the river and Neha shivered. Sutan Anu took her hand and stood to help her to her feet. Oddly, Neha seemed to be unsteady. "It must be the wine," she thought, "And the Lotus smells so sweet." She staggered forward but Sutan Anu caught her before she fell.

Slowly he walked her back to an awning. There she reclined on a divan. "This has been so much fun, my friend," she said to Sutan Anu. He smiled and replied, "The Festival is not over yet."

Sutan Anu moved to sit next to Neha. Neha suddenly felt uncomfortable and tried to move away, but Sutan Anu took her in his arms. She struggled for a moment, and then melted against him. She held the lotus blossom to her nose as he kissed her neck, his hands moving over her back and down to her ass. She moved against him, overcome by the wine and the scent of the lotus.

"Oh, what's come over me?" she thought. Even then here hands too were moving over Sutan Anu's back and shoulders. Then he took her face in his hands and kissed her long and slow, his tongue played with hers. Neha could feel her nipples harden as the pressed against Sutan Anu's bare chest.

Sutan Anu's hand went to the tie at Neha's waist and with a single tug the sash holding her pleated bodice fell away exposing her breasts. His mouth went to her right nipple, which sent a shock wave through her body. Her fingers clutched at his wig. The wig slipped off in her hands leaving his closely cropped hair. She dropped the wig and her hands moved to his head and neck. Still their tongues played hide and seek as Neha pressed her body hard against him.

Sutan Anu's hand crushed her breast. Neha swooned. His hand slid under her pleated skirt and up her thigh. She opened her legs to receive his touch. His fingers delved the wetness between her lips. Her head fell backwards. Her mouth opened as hot breath streamed from her lungs.

Then she was on her knees with his hands holding her face. His throbbing cock caressing her lips. She took it in her mouth tentatively at first. Then it slid deep into her throat as Sutan Anu moved his hips, fucking her mouth.

Other hands moved over her ass and probed her dripping pussy. First one than two fingers slid deep into her. This only renewed her mouth on the cock deep in her throat. Then, as if in a dream, she felt the addition of a warm tongue on her clit as a cock pressed deep into her waiting pussy. Neha moved hard against the cock, moans came from her throat as she drifted to a higher plain, lost in the ecstasy of sex. The feeling of fullness between her thighs and throat were almost too much for her to stand.

Then with a grunt, Sutan Anu pulled his cock free of her mouth. Great strings of cum splashed over her face and ran down her chin. Again and again, Sutan Anu's cock squirted cum. With each new load, Neha lapped at the head of the cock to catch the spew in her mouth before it was lost.

Behind her, there was a slap of flesh against her ass as the second cock drove harder into her. She moved hard against it to take every centimeter inside.

Then a new feeling began to grow inside her loins. There began a deep burning that grew and spread until she was engulfed. With a scream, she shuddered and her face fell to the divan. Great contractions like those that she had never felt before ripped through her abdomen. Her pussy clenched repeatedly on the pounding cock as the waves of orgasm surged through her body. Adding to this, the cock throbbed harder and let loose with a great spew of cum inside her that filled her to over flowing. Time after time the cock spewed inside her until she could hold no more.

Neha moaned between gasps for breath. The tongue still worked on her clit. Again, she rose to orgasm with contractions that coursed through her body.

Soft hands caressed her. Eyes closed as she struggled for breath, Neha reached for one of the hands and held it tenderly.

"You did well, my niece," said Hepshetsup from behind her. "Very nice. Mut will be pleased."

Neha opened her eyes and looked at the Queen. Hepshetsup wrapped her arms around Neha and they kissed long and tenderly. The two women each felt the beating heart of the other. Hepshetsup's hand went to the side Neha's face.

"I am proud of you, Neha," she said then kissed her again as her hand explored Neha's naked body. Neha responded in kind. Tongues played. Fingers explored. Then the two women each buried their faces between the others to moans of pleasure.

The two women loved each other's bodies until the drummers came to wake the revelers at dawn.

Hepshetsup reclined on her divan beside Neha as servants brought sweet breads and beer for breakfast. Across the awning-covered encampment Djehutymes smiled knowingly, remembering how sweet, tight Neha had been, and how actively she had become engrossed in "walking the marshes" the night before. "Four more nights of Festival," thought the man who would in a few years ascend Hepshetsup's throne and be known by his "Throne Name", Thutmose III.

*****

Standing in the early morning sunrise on her balcony, Mut looked down on the Festival. With a smile her hand moved to softly caress the mound between her legs.

"And what of the Festival this year, Mut?" asked Amun.

"As I thought. This year there is one who brings a deserving blessing for the land of Egypt," she responded as Amun took his mistress in his arms. The time had come for Mut to join her own Festival revelries.