3 Chapter 3

Ramses 4th,

The king stood at the first step eyeing the magnificent temple of Sekhmet.

"She who is powerful." The goddess of war and destruction. And also the patron of physicians and healers.

She is the protector of the pharaohs and led them in warfare. That is why they celebrate and honor her.

Tekh festival was perfect because Ramses felt that there is a storm brewing in the distance.

He stood silently eyeing the greatness of her temple and his body shook from his reverence.

This is where the most powerful goddess resides and her strength would be lent to him today.

The high priestess bowed to him saying silently that they need to start the celebration.

The king took a deep breath and followed the priestess silently and with each passing step he felt more in awe.

Sekhmet is the punishment that Ra unleashed on humanity before, after seeing them disobey him.

Sekhmet came to Egypt and spared none, she was fierce in her punishment. She taught us, mortals a lesson.

But when she almost annihilated Egypt the great god took pity on us and spared our lives after seeing the goddess drink her victim's blood.

Ra then orders the goddess of beer, Tenenet, to fill the Nile with 7000 jugs of red ale, right in Sekhmet's path of destruction.

The goddess gleefully drank the ale thinking that it was blood but then she fell to the ground drunk and woke up as Hathor goddess of love.

And to honor Sekhmet and to show their regret to her and the other gods of Egypt, they celebrate the Tekh Festival, where they give offers to the gods and then they drink for days.

It is the pharaoh's role to pray and give the goddess the offering on this special day, to support his rule and give him strength.

At the entrance of the great temple and right between two statues of the fierce goddess, Ramses walked inside.

He inhaled deeply closing his eyes feeling the warm presence of the goddess already.

A few head shaved priests who wore nothing but a piece of cloth that hid their middle, bowed to him and took his hands leading him to a side room.

It was one of the inner chambers which typically lay along the axis near the back of the temple building.

After being shaved from head to toe, Ramses was given a bath in the fragrant natron water.

Then they helped him to wear his silk golden embroidery robes. He wore minimal jewelry, humbly offering them to the goddess.

The high priestess who witnessed everything nodded her head in approval.

The king then after was led to the middle of the temple. It was called the sanctuary which was the focus of the temple ritual.

The place where the divine presence manifested most. And where a huge statue of the lioness goddess laid there.

She stood in the middle of the huge hall, her black granite statue glimmering because of the sun rays that descended on the big golden sun desk on top of her head.

Under her feet were the offering he brought and some of the noble entourage that accompanied him.

He put the jewelry he was supposed to wear beneath her feet and bowed before kneeling there.

Incense smoke filled the room with a sweet, tantalizing aroma. And the soft music sound filled the air.

Dancers began to twirl and move around him while he kept on kneeling at the goddess's feet.

The high priests began to recite her prayers and after she was finished she began to praise the goddess and ask for strength and success for the king.

"O Sekhmet Eye of Ra, Great of Flame,

Lady of protection who embraces us all,

Come to this humble King, (Lord of the Two Lands) . . .

Protect him and guide him away from arrows and spears,

And every evil of this year.

O Sekhmet who filled her soul with our blood,

Who punished to the limits of all she sees,

Come towards this kindred king image, the Living god king,

Protect him, and banish away all evil,

And every arrow of this year."

The ground began to shake and Ramses raised his head to the blinding light.

The lioness's granite face moved and her golden eyes regarded him. The king's breath almost hitched at her fierce gaze.

The goddess looked around her, eyeing the mortals and their offering before regarding the king again.

He felt his entire body vibrate when he heard the goddess voice inside of his head.

"I bless you 'Chike' son of Ramses the third and bless your rule may Ra light and guide your way always."

And with that, the light, the pressure of the goddess's presence, and the shaking stopped.

Ramses panted harshly his hands caressed his chest, for the first time this had happened to him.

Never since he performed these rituals did the goddess grace him with her presence.

What does that supposed to mean and why did she call him by his given name, not the royal one?

This was the name his mother has given him when he said that he hated his father's.

The high priestess helped him to stand up with her eyes full of tears and wonder.

She also didn't understand what had happened but from the look in her eyes, she thought that was a good omen.

But why does he feel that it is the opposite?

He looked at the statue of the goddess to will it to move again or for her to speak to him with no luck at all.

"Did you see or hear that?"

He asked the high priestess who was eyeing him openly forgetting all the protocols and costumes.

"All what we felt was the presence of the goddess and the shaking of the ground before the offering had disappeared. Same as every year."

Ramses scowled at her and eyed the other priests and dancers but they all shook their heads.

So it was only him? But why today? What does this mean?

The older woman put her hand on his freshly shaved head and closed her eyes murmuring something.

"I feel her within you, my son. She will bless each and every step you take and not till the next year. This protection is infinite."

She said after a long heartbeat and the king nodded his head still confused with all of this.

"Keep everything she said to heart my king and tell no one about it. And let us go out, your people are outside waiting for you."

Ramses went back to the cleansing champers and wore one of his formal attire.

The priests helped the king wear his "Silk Shent" and secured the small skirt with a golden ornamental belt.

Then they put his 'Usekh' that covered his naked chest and shoulders.

Which was a broad collar necklace glazed with ceramic beads and precious gemstones, they shined as the sun rays hit them.

Then they helped him to put the heavy "Nemes" crown on top of his head.

The stiff cloth was itchy and hurt his sensitive head but he has to wear it.

It has two decorative flaps called lappets, which hang on either side of the head behind the ears and over the shoulders.

The remaining cloth was gathered and tied into a ponytail in the back, symbolizing a lion's tail. And a rearing cobra adorned the front.

He almost groaned when the high priestess handed them the golden fake beard.

"It is a sign of power and strength."

He wanted to roll his eyes badly, the damn woman always told him that since he was sixteen.

He slipped his feet into his golden sandals and looked at himself in the mirror, eyeing his reflection.

He looked powerful and regal a truly Egyptian pharaoh. A god king.

His people cheered the moment they saw him and the king smiled proudly, he was loved by them.

He raised his golden chalice and drank the red ale that was prepared in the temple by the priests.

This festival was about honoring the goddess and getting drunk the same as her that day.

He then descended the huge steps and went to be between his people laughing and dancing with them.

Ramses knows that this isn't very kingly of him but why not indulge them and himself a little.

The laughter then filled the air with the dancer women moving around holding their sistrums that added to the rhythm of the music.

Their bare full chests jiggled and bounced as they eyed the king seductively making him chuckle and dance harder.

By the time the sun was in the middle of the sky, the pharaoh was a sweaty half-drunken mess.

He bowed to the people who were barely sober by now and walked toward his chariot to head back to the palace.

The day has been exhausting to him and his stomach didn't approve of the amount of ale he drunk.

But when he reached there he noticed the disturbance. The horse was agitated and the men couldn't control him.

He knows that 'Gahiji' doesn't like to be tied to a chariot and the crowds always distressed him.

But the king can't ride or trust any other stead but his. They have a long history of friendship.

Ramses took a much-needed breath and began to talk slowly to his horse; he raised his hand in front of the animal's eyes and tried to block the crowds.

"I'm here my friend, worry not. I apologize for leaving you here like that. A mistake I will never repeat you have my word."

The horse looked at his owner, eyes hazy with rage and his nostrils flaring.

He bared his teeth at him as if he was going to snap at the outstretched hand, but Ramses mimicked him and growled.

"Enough, Gahiji. We will leave now and you will run freely for the rest of the day."

The horse snorted and shook his head violently but accepted the caress from the king and lowered his head to reach him farther.

But then someone pumped his back and the huge animal neighed loudly before raising his front legs.

The king dodged the big hooves barely and tried to regain his footing to try to calm the agitated animal.

The huge steed jumped multiple times before turning around after he got loose and the chariot set him free.

Shouts and screams filled the place as it galloped away snapping at anyone who crossed his path.

Ramses ran ignoring his advisor's calls and tried to reach the enraged animal, he knew he can cause a lot of damage in this state.

His heart fell when he saw a little girl hugging herself staring at his horse as it charged her way.

"No Gahiji. Stop."

He tried to shout and call its name but it was no use. Suddenly a small figure jumped in front of the horse and caught the girl before jumping away from the now furious animal.

The king stood there gasping for breath, his ears ringing and his chest expanding painfully to inhale big gulps of air.

He walked toward the small ball of two people and then crouched to talk to them.

"Are you two alright? I apologize for what happened. It is my fault. Please accept my sincere apology."

The small ball of bodies unflared and a head peeked back at him.

His eyes widened when he saw a dirty face and emerald eyes staring back at him.

He stood up still staring at those beautiful shining gems even as their owner murmured something and helped the little girl stand up.

Some woman in the distance cried something and then fell to her knees hugging the kid as people around them talked in hushed voices.

Ramses took a few steps to stand straight and tower over the small figure of what he can confirm now that it belonged to a woman.

"Omari, this is the last candidate, take her to the palace."