Neith

The Father

                                   The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

                                                                              - Albert Einstein

Adio's Pov

The sliver moon was full and the stars dazzled brightly in the night sky, illuminating everything their rays touched. The air was slightly perfumed by the sweet scent of roses that surrounded the garden, their various shades of red, yellow and white glowing softly, giving the rose garden a heavenly feel. 

I had always loved this garden. Something about it made me feel calm whenever I came here, which was exactly what I needed after finishing a two-hour strategist meeting with the Council. My headache already felt better. Perhaps this place had been blessed by the Gods.

I let out a deep sigh. I had to leave soon. Neith was probably still up and waiting for me. Maybe I could just stay for a bit longer, just a little bit more to clear my mind of everything? But instead, my mind started to wonder.

The new Pharaoh would be crowned soon and there was a tonne of work that had to be done before then. Just thinking about it made my headache all over again. I let out a frustrated groan.

I quickly shifted my thoughts to the Pharaoh to be, Aahotep. He was just a kid, only 15 years old. Although he was young, he did have promise. I just hope that it will be enough. After all, he is my best friend's son so I had to make sure I guided him properly. My heart contracted as I recalled Naten.

Akhenaten was a great king. His new order brought about a revolutionary change to our otherwise rigid system. The gods of the old were all replaced with a new sun god Aten, and the temples built in his name were open to the public so people could worship him, something that was prohibited and considered as a breach to the divinity of the gods before.

The priests of the old temples were stripped of their power, which was a good thing, as they all thought of themselves as untouchable gods. Those bastards deserved it.

Akhenaten made a lot of changes that benefited the common people, and so he was considered a great Pharaoh by them. But not everyone thought so; the nobles were angry as they weren't glorified nor did they possess the power they once had. This resulted in a series of riots that continued for a while, but as the years went by, they succumbed to the new tradition.

As much as he was a great king, he was an amazing friend to me. We grew up together, and I became the general of his army. We worked and fought side by side. He often referred to me as a brother, and the feelings were mutual.

When Akila passed away, he was there to support me. It had been one of the darkest moments in my life. He knew how much I loved her, and the loss almost drove me mad. If it weren't for him, I was sure I would have either ended up dead or locked up for being crazy. He even suggested I meet other women after a while, saying he would help find me an eligible maiden. Even though I wouldn't ever think of another woman besides Akila, I was grateful for his concern and presence in my life. But I let him down; I couldn't save his life. I failed as a friend and as a general to protect my king.

The war between Egypt and Hittites had been going on for a long time before I was even born. This time their attack was sudden and precise. Damn those bastards! If it wasn't for them he would still be alive. I clenched my fists as I recalled some really bad memories. I cursed them all to hell. We had won the war and his injuries were not severe at that time. After a while, he fell ill due to his stubbornness for neglecting his wounds and died. If only I had paid more attention this wouldn't have happened, damn it!

Naten asked me to take care of his son during his last moments. The riot caused by the nobles did die down but there were still people in this kingdom who would stop at nothing to bring it up again. I had promised him that I would protect his son from those wrecked souls. But it seemed like Aahotep didn't need my protection as much as I thought he did. He was wise beyond his years. The way he handled the situation after his father's death was quite remarkable. I smiled as I recalled the ashen faces of the nobles who were put into place by him. He truly was his father's son.

I sighed again. I missed Akila and Naten so much. I wondered if the pain would ever go away. Knowing the answer to it all too well I looked up at the sky and silently said a prayer to Aten, asking him to keep the people close to me safe and to be able to honor the promise I made to my friend. 

With that I left the rose garden and headed home to my family, wondering what my little girl could have prepared for dinner.