Sovereignty
[Note--this story has since been rewritten but has retained its original title. This is based on a very brief reference I read in a work of Budge's, which mentioned that the gods "Hu" and "Sa" came about when Ra mutilated himself...you-know-where. Why the hell would Ra mutilate himself you-know-where, I wondered?? Well...I wondered about it so much that I wrote this story, figuring that he had to have SOME good reason! Compare to the current version.]
STARS SHONE LIKE diamonds in the velvety sky. All was silent, the air, the earth, the heavens. Nothing stirred. A vote was being taken, and all that crawled upon the earth, soared upon the winds, or dwelled among the deities wished to know the results.
The vote, as it was, was to determine who should be king--Amon or Ra. Amon had been the first god that was, the creator of those who created those who created all that was, while Ra was the younger but more active, creator of mankind itself. It could not be resolved as to which should be crowned King of the Gods as both were quite powerful and would be apt rulers. So Thoth, the Mediator, had suggested a vote--those who were for Amon's ruling vote for Amon, those for Ra vote for Ra. That had been yesterday. Now today the ballots had been cast, gold rings for Ra and silver for Amon, and Thoth was counting them out while all of the other gods and goddesses waited outside with bated breath. Amon and Ra were there also, seated, Amon with his wife Mut and Ra with his mother, Neith. [Note--in my newest storyline, Amon is an "inactive" god, faceless and unknown. He would likely not seat himself among the company of the gods.] It was very late that night when Thoth at last appeared, his hand clenched. He held it up, and showed its contents--a single silver ring.
"Let it hereby be known," he announced, "that you have named Amon, Great Creator of the All, as your king!"
There was a great noise as the gathered deities turned and raised their hands to Amon, hailing him as their ruler. Ra rose, and bowed before him. This would have continued had not a sudden cry pierced the air and shattered their thoughts. All heads turned.
Neith stood alone--the only one standing, as all others were kneeling--her eyes burning with rage. She stared at everyone in the crowd, and everybody noticed then how much she and her son resembled each other.
She raised her arm and displayed her own ring, a snake of gold.
"This is the one," she shouted, and pointed to Ra. "He should be your king!"
Ra's eyes flashed with anger and embarrassment, and he darted a glance at the others behind him.
Neith whirled to Thoth, who knelt nearby, and snatched the silver ring from the surprised god's hand. "Count the rings again!"
"But--but I counted them twice--"
"Then let someone else do it!" She turned to Maat, Thoth's wife, who sat trembling to her left. "You can't tell a lie, it's known to all of us. Go count the rings again!"
The frightened goddess arose and went inside to do as her grandmother said. Several minutes passed while the deities waited again. Thoth peered at poor humiliated Ra, who still knelt before Amon, his visible fist clenching and unclenching beneath his golden cape. There was a murmur in the crowd and Maat returned, looking very anxious. She dreaded what must be coming, but held up her arm as Thoth and Neith had done, and shakily showed--a silver ring.
She started fearfully, in a stammering voice, "I--I counted all rings. Let it hereby be known--"
Neith, enraged, shrieked and struck the goddess across the face. The little ring clattered to Thoth's feet and he automatically took his wife's arm and helped her up. Neither said a word. Ra was cringing in front of Amon, who also looked shocked at this outburst.
Neith pointed to Ra again. "He should be your king!"
"Neith," Ra said in a warning tone.
"You should have voted for him!" She glared at Maat and Thoth, gesturing towards Amon. "And you two, have you gone over to his side?"
"Neith!" Ra hissed.
His mother turned to him, and they glared silently at each other. The stare lasted an eternity as neither would give up. This was finally resolved by Maat's sister Bastet and the funny-looking dwarf god, Bes. Bastet went to Ra and coaxed him sweetly, and Bes tried to distract Neith, whom he knew had enjoyed his entertainment in the past, by dancing and doing tricks, while the wolf Khenti, who wasn't on very good terms with Neith, nevertheless started to flatter both deities.
"I've never seen you look so stunning, Lady Neith," he cajoled, slinking in between them. Bes put his fingers to his ears and stuck out his tongue, imitating the wolf. "You truly look fit to be the mother of such a god as Ra. And Ra! Never have you looked better. Both of you are certainly at your best."
"I'm a monkey!" Bes announced, and, chittering, dashed around the court.
"There's no need for arguing now," Bastet said, tugging gently on Ra's arm. "Come on, let's go play with the cats like we used to do when I was little."
"You're magnificent!" Khenti gasped, framing Neith's face with his paws. "Those eyes, that nose--"
"Quack quack!" Bes waddled in circles.
"Maybe we could sail your boat!" Bastet suggested. "Wouldn't the kittens love that?"
Ra and Neith finally relented, to the relief of everyone else. They still cast cold glances at each other, though, as they left.
"Start the party going!" Khenti cried. "Amon is our king!" And the music started, with singing and laughing.
The last thing Neith heard as she left was the joyful celebration. It hurt her ears and stung her pride; she covered her ears with her hands and walked away quickly, wounded.
Nothing could console Neith that night. The ingratitude those wretches had shown for her Ra, making him bow before that--that sheep! Half of them wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him. While she paced around her palace she had several visitors, all of whom soon left, repelled by her unkind behavior. The first was Thoth, who entered rather timidly and, bowing, tried to speak. But Neith wouldn't let him.
"I know what you're going to say," she said. "'I should have kept my mouth shut in the first place, and there'd be no Ra to cause trouble!' Well, I have something to tell you, Longbeak. It may have been your voice that brought him into the world, but I bore him and I was here before you, or your wretched little coward of a wife, Maat!" [Note--this was my somewhat-unsuccessful attempt at compromising two different myths as to Ra's origin--one which claims Neith as his mother, the other which claims that Thoth's disembodied voice brought him into being. I think I lean now toward Thoth's voice bringing the seeds of creation to Nunu, the watery chaos, who later became Ra's father by Neith--meaning Thoth was around WAY before Neith was.]
Thoth looked startled, but said no more--he didn't even dare to think lest the furious goddess could read his mind--and instead quickly departed.
The next was Khenti Amenti. He slunk in and started, "Beautiful Neith, Goddess of Women--"
"Go away!!"
The wolf yelped as if struck and did so.
Thirdly came her husband, Nunu. He was looking over his shoulder at the fleeing wolf, his tail between his legs.
"What did you do to him?" he asked. He turned to her, then said reproachfully, "You're behaving foolishly, Neith. The vote was fair. Amon was chosen. Ra is the loser, and you don't see him complaining, do you?"
"He's our son, the creator of the world," Neith replied. "He should be king--sitting on the throne, not bowing to some silly ram-headed god and his vulture wife. Leave now before I become angry with you too!"
Nunu sighed--it was useless to argue with Neith when she was so furious. So he left.
After he was gone from sight, Neith went outside to walk around. Morning was coming--Ra had returned to his boat--and pale blue light was just beginning to show. Neith looked to her side, still shrouded in darkness, then to the pale horizon. Then her head spun around to stare back to her side--for the darkness was not the only thing there.
At eye level could be seen two red glowing spots, like little fires in the air. There was a swift movement and the twin fires--she now recognized them as eyes--were put in place by a shadowy caped figure with a hooked, black beak. It grinned at her ominously.
More annoyed than afraid, Neith snatched an arrow from her quiver and fitted it to her bow, taking aim. "Show yourself before I shoot!"
The dark figure stepped silently out of the shadows, and Neith immediately recognized Sokar. To think that he should be there! She stormed over to him.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded.
"Watching you stomp around," was the simple answer.
She hated how he always grinned like that, as if he knew some deep, dark secret. She raised her hand in a fist. "Leave her before you have--!" She cut herself off abruptly, seeing he didn't even blink, and still smiled. Her own attitude grew less stormy in grudging admiration.
"Well, you're different," she said. "You don't even run when I raise my hand against you; you don't even flinch. I still wish to know why you're here, though!"
"I've already told you."
"I know you and you're not here in fun. Who sent you? Was it Ra?"
"Why would he send me to spy on you? He hates me. Everyone knows." [Note--see the short story "Challenge" for the story behind that.]
"You have some reason for being here and I demand to know what it is!"
"I hope you know that Nunu was wrong when he said you're acting foolish. I can tell you now that you aren't acting."
Neith started to protest, then realized that there was no one there to protest to. The empty darkness met her eyes. Sokar had utterly vanished.
"No wonder Ra hates him," Neith muttered, putting away her arrow. She knew this wasn't the real reason though. The real reason Ra detested Sokar so much was that when Sokar first came to the Great Company of the Gods, he did so rather rudely--by entering Ra's palace unannounced and challenging him to a fight. Of course Ra had been incensed at this intrusion and accepted the challenge--if accept is the right word--and lost. Sokar vanished, to reappear some time later and ask for a palace of his own, in the west, and to be the bringer of death, darkness, and shadows. This was all that Ra was opposed to, himself being the giver of life, light, and sunbeams, but he couldn't refuse the request because the only reason he had to do so was his hate. So Sokar's request had been granted, and the two gods afterwards left each other alone.
Alone, Neith thought. She looked around her. I'm all alone. No one agrees with what should be right! Not even Ra. Not even my own son.
"I'll just have to make him agree," she said aloud, and quit her palace.
Neith entered Ra's palace when he was due to return from his sunboat. The place seemed strangely devoid of sunhawks, since most were hiding, knowing how Neith hated having the pesky little gossipers around. She and Ra rarely agreed on anything. When he came in, she saw how he nearly paused and darted a quick look into a nearby hall (he appeared to be deciding if he should run or not), then continued, noticeably averting his eyes. She went towards him.
"We must talk," she said.
Ra now looked directly at her, his eyes glinting over his hooked beak. "I think there's nothing left to talk about."
"Yes, there is," Neith said. "Don't pretend you don't know. You know very well what I'm talking about. This whole fiasco with Amon is what--you bowing to that lowly wretch and his worthless wife!"
"Fiasco!" Ra retorted. "If anyone started a fiasco it was you! Don't you know how humiliating it would be to have your own mother scream at everyone, accusing them of all being stupid, ignorant fools? And how you treated Maat is inexcusable."
"The little wench lied!"
"Lied!" Ra said, furious. "You have no right to speak so of my children!"
"I raised you!" Neith shot back. "I held you at my breast when you were but a child and now you repay me like this! You're to go to Amon immediately--do you know what they did? They added your name to his as Amon-Ra, King of the Gods! You're going to complain to him--tell him you're the rightful ruler!"
"You can't tell me how to live!" Ra shrieked at her, his eyes afire.
"You lowly coward!" Neith shrieked back. "The pride I felt for you has been crushed under your own feet. You're so fainthearted you can't speak your feelings, and because of that you're not fit to be my son!"
Ra's response was an immediate change of appearance. His proud stance faltered, his fists unclenched, and the fury in his eyes was replaced by shock and hurt. Neith felt a pang of remorse in her heart at this, but what was done was done, and she turned and left before words of apology could come to either of their mouths. She half wished Ra would run after her, begging for forgiveness and asking to be accepted back, but no such luck. As she exited she glanced back at him. Her son still stood there, only he wasn't her son anymore, and he was completely different, a total stranger--a mere shell of the proud, defiant Ra she had known so well, he stood slumped slightly, his head bowed forward and his bewildered eyes staring a pained stare into emptiness as if in search of something long lost. [Note--CRAP did that sentence go on forever!]
She saw him raise his head and take one step forward, straining to regain his shattered dignity, only to slouch again, his whole appearance wracked [sic] by agony and shame. He put his hands to his face and moaned, "I've been dishonored," and, turning, staggered away.
Neith followed his example, tears now streaming down her face, likewise transformed by hidden pain.
"If I know my own father, I know there's something wrong," Tefnut, the rain goddess, said, addressing the twenty-odd gods and goddesses gathered around her. Among them were most of Ra's children--Selket, Hathor, Bastet, Geb the earth god, Shu, Nut the sky goddess, Sakhmet the lioness goddess, and Maat. The others included Sokar, Unnu and Unnut the hare deities, Thoth and his other wives Seshat and Nehmauit, Khnum, the Nile goddesses Anuket and Sati, and Ra's brothers, Khepri, Tum, and Tutu the sphinx. Khenti Amenti was not present at the moment.
"Be to the point," Seshat said. "I hate mysteries."
"Then I suppose you wouldn't get along with either Sokar or Selket very well," Unnu said. Several of them laughed quietly. Tefnut went over to Khepri.
"You know how it is," she said. "Every day, at the break of dawn, Ra has dilligently [sic] awakened and sailed his boat across the sky. Now he won't even leave his palace. Instead he has a sunhawk ask you to sail, and then makes them all leave hi grounds so he can be totally alone. Ra isn't normally like this. Something must be wrong."
"Perhaps he's just resting for a while," Anuket suggested. "I mean, it could become tiring after a while--"
"Sailing your boat back and forth, back and forth, I know," Unnu said. "Over and over and over, again, again, and again. Back and forth, back and forth."
Sakhmet, Unnut, and Nehmauit yawned. Khnum almost looked ready to get ill.
"It must be Neith," said Selket. "She's so overbearing on him. She doesn't want him to make any of his own decisions."
"And you saw how she acted with Maat," Nut added. "Slapping her own granddaughter and accusing her of lying right in front of everybody like that."
"Knowing very well she can't lie," Tutu finished, stretching a leg.
Maat kept her eyes downcast.
There was a scratching sound. Hathor arose and left, and a moment later she and Khenti Amenti returned.
"I know it all now," the wolf said. He went right to telling his story, not even adding the usual dramatic flair.
"It seems Neith paid a visit to Ra some days back," he started. "One of the sunhawks listened in. They got into a pretty bad argument. Ra told Neith to keep out of his business, and Neith..."
"What? What did she do?" several of the others pressed.
Khenti looked mildly uncomfortable. "She--sort of...disclaimed him as her son."
All was silent. Everyone was shocked, knowing well how shameful it was to be disowned by one's parents. They'd never even heard of it being done before. And to think that Ra had been dishonored so startled every single one of them.
The first one to speak did so quite unexpectedly.
"Of all the foolish, lowly things to do," Sokar muttered, half to himself.
Thoth--and most of the others, for that matter--looked at him, surprised that it should be him to speak so of someone who detested him, but wisely said nothing.
"So what do we do?" Sakhmet asked.
"There's nothing we can do," Thoth replied. "Only Neith can. She can either accept Ra back, or--"
"Dismiss him from the family," Maat finished for him. She looked to be half in shock.
No one said anything after that. There just didn't seem to be anything left to say.
"You disclaimed your own son?" Nunu cried, whirling to face his wife who sat sullenly nearby.
"Yes," she replied in a low voice.
"That's the most dishonorable thing that can be done! Don't you know what that means?"
No reply.
"That means you don't recognize him as your son anymore!" Nunu said for her, pacing back and forth. "He could be a total stranger now--he could even be a mortal compared to you!"
"I know."
"No wonder he hasn't sailed his boat. He's probably too ashamed to show his face. Do you know what you must be putting him through?"
"He'll get over it!" Neith said. "He's only sulking. Nursing his wounds. He'll get over it, and he'll come begging to be forgiven, and only then I will. Only then will I accept him back."
"For his sake you'd better be right," Nunu said. "I know he's always been good, but he most certainly inherited your temper and that doesn't combine well with your commands. He needs to make his own decisions without your help. For goodness' sakes [sic], he may be--may have been--your youngest son--and mine, also--but he's grown up now! He doesn't need you telling him what to do anymore. That's all up to him. And whether or not sovereignty really belongs to him is his decision too." He turned his head away from his wife's sorry figure to look outside at the gathering darkness.
"For his sake, I only hope he does take himself off of his crumbling pedestal and ask for forgiveness before it collapses beneath his feet." He closed his eyes. "For his sake."
Ra sat alone in his palace, utterly alone. No sunhawks were present, no visitors were allowed, and no servants were on duty. He'd dismissed them all, just so he could be alone to think. But thinking hadn't come to him easily lately. Ever since Neith had cast him out of the family he had been able to think of nothing else. As night became day and day night, his only visitor was Khepri, who would steer the boat into port and then leave as quietly as possible.
The fountains and tables sat unattended, gathering dust. Ra's staff with its ebony ankh leaned against the wall, unused. He didn't even look into his magic watermirror to see what Neith might be doing. Instead he sat all by himself, thinking.
That day his thoughts were, as always, on himself. How wretched he was. To think that Neith and Nunu had gone all this time putting up with him! If Neith hated him so much, why had she never said so before? What an embarrassing burden he must be to them.
"A shame," he said to himself. "A shameful wretch."
His anguished eyes wandered the room. What could he do? Then his sights fell on a knife a bit away from him on the table, its golden handle glittering. Strange hurried thoughts rushed into his head.
Not fit to be my son, Neith's words echoed. Not fit to be my son...my son...my son...
"Not fit to be your son," he whispered. "If I'm not fit to be your son, I don't deserve to be anyone's son."
He reached across and picked up the knife, bringing it closer to look at it. It sparkled in the light, silver and gold, and he could see his own face, distorted, in the blade. Instantly he was filled with revulsion. He stood and left the hall, going to his chambers. The door closed behind him.
A few minutes later a soft sound was heard. A single shadow fell on the floor as Shu entered the hall. He'd stayed outside to watch Ra and see if he was alright [sic], and had seen him take the knife. He went to the door and tried to open it, then held up his hand. He sensed a magical locking field. That meant he couldn't enter; he wasn't powerful enough. But Nunu might be. He turned and exited as quickly as he could.
Behind the door Ra was still staring at the knife. He didn't know what to do with it. He considered a swift plunge into the chest, but then thought that would be over with too fast. He'd made his parents suffer so he should suffer too. He had been nervously fingering the plaits of his kilt until now when a different idea struck him. It made him shudder, but he decided he had to do it. Moving his hand, he raised the knife above his head, faltered, and swiftly brought it down.
The pain was so horrifyingly excruciating that he did not even scream. Instead he managed a choked gasp and swayed unsteadily from side to side. The knife, now bloody, clattered to the floor; his legs gave out and he collapsed in his own blood. Merciful unconsciousness overtook him, and the last thing he saw before he blacked out was the knife. There was his own reflection, in shades of red.
There was a call. Nunu turned and Neith lifted her head. Shu nearly ran in and executed a short bow.
"What is it?" Nunu asked, never seeing the god so agitated, unless, of course, he was creating the winds.
"It's Ra," Shu replied. "He just went into his room and locked the door behind him."
"And?" Nunu pressed.
Shu said gravely, "He had a knife."
Nunu had gone before Shu finished his sentence. Neith followed close behind.
Not long after the three ran into Ra's palace. "Ra!" Nunu called.
There was no answer except for his own voice echoing within.
He dashed along the hall with his wife and grandson at his heels. Before he even reached the door he found himself shouting a counterspell. At first the door didn't open, but when it did the three very nearly fell in. Neith gasped and Shu staggered, trying to catch himself.
"Ra!" Nunu cried.
He dropped down beside his unconscious son and held up his head, then looked at the blood.
"He's losing blood quickly," he said. "Help me find the wound."
Shu complied and helped Nunu turn Ra over a little, trying not to move him too much. Nunu stared, confused. There was no cut in the heart. Where could it be? His gaze traveled around, searching, until he finally found it. A wave of sickness swept over him and he fell back.
"What is it?" Shu asked.
"He tried--" Nunu stammered, horrified. "He tried to--to--to c-cas--"
Shu moved suddenly, looking. He started to shake and, letting go of his father, stumbled back, sickened at the mere thought.
"What? What did he do?" Neith cried.
Nunu looked at her. His eyes told all. "He--he tried to castrate himself."
"No!" Neith dropped to her knees also and took his head in her hands. Ra did not awaken. "Call Thoth! Someone call Thoth!"
Shu ran for the door as best as he could, soon disappearing. Nunu stood, hi arms bloody, while Neith rocked back and forth on her heels with Ra's head in her lap, crying. "Please, please, please, forgive me, I didn't mean it! I never should have said it, I never would have said it if I knew you would do this! Please be alright [sic], please, please be alright [sic]!"
After an eternity Thoth rushed in with Shu. Nunu and Shu pulled Neith away from the unconscious god and Thoth knelt by him. He took a quick look at him to see what was wrong since Shu hadn't had the time to tell him, then held his eight-topped staff up and chanted some unintelligible words. The staff flared and hummed. As they watched, the blood on Ra's kilt disappeared. Then, slowly, his eyes opened.
"Ra, Ra!" Neith exclaimed, taking his head again. "Are you alright [sic], can you hear me?"
Ra's beak opened and he tried to speak, but at first no words came out. But finally he managed to whisper something. Neith bowed her head forward closer, and could barely hear him say, "I'm sorry."
"No, no, it shouldn't be you," she said. "I'm the one who's sorry. I never meant anything I said, not a word of it. I didn't mean to disclaim you. I was just so angry at it all. You were always my favorite and I wanted you to have the best of everything. I thought it so unfair that Amon should win instead of you."
"I'm sorry I dishonored you," Ra said faintly.
Neith shook her head. "It was I who dishonored you. I behaved so foolishly. I'm sorry and I apologize to Maat also." She looked up, noticing Thoth again. "And...I apologize to you, and Nunu and Khenti and Sokar. And especially to Amon and Mut. I never meant anything I said. You can be my witness."
Thoth bowed his head slightly, indicating he accepted her apology to him and his wife.
"Let's bring him into the light," Shu suggested. "Perhaps it will help him feel better."
The others agreed and helped Ra to his feet. His legs were still bloody from where he had been collapsed on the floor, but the others ignored it, deciding to clean it up later when time permitted. The knife lay left behind also. The five of them had almost reached the door when a humming sound distracted them. They looked around, puzzled.
"Thoth?" Neith inquired.
Thoth shook his head. "It isn't my staff! It sounds like it's coming from--"
They turned. There was nothing to be seen, yet the humming grew louder. And then--to their great surprise--the knife began to dance!
It spun around on the floor, its tip tracing trails in the blood. It hopped and jumped crazily, and suddenly shot into the air and floated, still.
"What..." Shu said.
A blinding light appeared around the handle of the knife. It took the form of a human hand. The glow spread and grew larger and finally disappeared, revealing--a young full-grown god.
Before anyone could say a word, the hum came again. The knife lifted into the air and moved to the side, dropped, spun around, rose, and then another glow surrounded it. There appeared another god.
No one spoke now that they had the chance. The seven of them instead all stared at each other. But finally Thoth stepped tentatively forward and said, "What--what are your names?"
The first god's confused stare was replaced by a sort of relieved smile. "You ask now--" he started, then jumped at the sound of his own voice. He laughed quietly. "I speak and I hear my own voice. It's a strange thing to hear one's own voice for the first time! My name is..." He trailed off, thoughtful, and replied, "I suppose I have none. I've only just come here and know barely anything yet, though somehow I feel I do know."
"You need a name," Thoth said.
"I--" Neith started, then cut herself off, turning to Ra. "No, you. They're of you, so you should name them."
"Sa," Ra said weakly. "The intelligence. For--Thoth." [Note--now I believe I spell this god's name as "Saa."]
"What of the other?" Shu asked.
Ra was barely conscious or he would have been as anticipatory as the others. Instead he merely murmured, "Hu. The taste," with his eyes closed. [Note--Hu and Saa are gods with dual functions, from what little I can remember. Saa had some sort of physical sense function in addition to being the god of the intelligence. Hu was the god of taste--but he was also the god of divine speech. Seeing as I utilized Saa's more spiritual function in this story, I would nowadays probably focus on Hu's more spiritual function--the divine speech--too. "The god of taste" just seems kind of out of place in this story.]
"He needs sleep," Nunu said. "Lead the new ones away. We'll show them to Amon and he will decide what to do. Neith, you can--stay behind if you like."
Neith nodded. The five gods exited, Hu and Sa staring at Ra--their new father--as the door closed behind them.
"Here," Neith said, picking up a cloth and wiping off Ra a little bit. "Now you need to get to bed. I'll see to it that the floor is cleaned up, and no one will otherwise disturb you."
Ra looked at her half-tiredly, half-reprovingly. Neith flushed slightly. "That is, unless you wish." [Note--I think I meant, "That is, IF you wish." As a matter of fact, judging by eraser marks, it looks like that's what it originally said.]
He managed to smile just barely as she helped him to the bed. "No, you're right. I'll have to take over my boat again soon."
"Khepri can take care of it until then. Ra...I'm truly sorry. You're still my son; in fact, you never stopped being so. I was foolish. All I wanted for you then was sovereignty."
"You weren't foolish, because sovereignty is what I wanted also," Ra said.
Neith's eyes widened--almost hopefully--as she looked up at him. "Really? So you don't disagree? You really wanted it, just as much as I?"
Ra nodded as he replied, "I want sovereignty...sovereignty over my own life."
Tears, tears of gratefulness for having someone so special, overflowed Neith's eyes and she hugged her son close. "Of course," she said, "of course I'll let you have it. That's all you ever needed to ask me for." [Note--the rewrite of this story received a "fantasy awardicon" on the writing website where I posted it. It wasn't up against much competition--in fact, it wasn't even a contest, just a choosing by the editor of the fantasy newsletter--but I still puzzle over why THIS particular story got the award! As much as I like the honor, I find this story a very odd choice for such a thing. Oh well. The purple e-ribbon was nice.]
"I never knew God Ra could ever be so upset," Qebusenuef said when Khenti Amenti finished his tale.
"Anybody can be," the wolf said. "Even me. And I probably have, only I don't remember right now."
"What happened to Hu and Sa?" Hapi asked.
"Simple. They were formally introduced to the other deities and let into the Great Company of the Gods, right, Khenti?" Duamutef said. [Note--I believe they would have been let into the LITTLE Company of the Gods, now.]
"You're right," Khenti replied. "If you'd pay closer attention you'd see them among the gods at Judgement. Which is where you four should be ri--"
"Wait a minute!" Duamutef retorted. "I want to hear another one."
The others clamored their agreement.
"Ohhh, I knew this would be a mistake," Khenti moaned, covering his eyes with his paws. "I'll never get any sleep now!"
"Qebusenuef got his choice last time," Duamutef stated matter-of-factly, "so now it's my turn. You've said so little of Anubis. I want to hear a story about him."
The wolf perked up immediately. "Ah, Anubis," he said. "Now there's someone with more than a few stories to tell! Which would you like to hear--the one about Kebehut? Or with him and Horus?"
"Tell us everything," Duamutef said.
Khenti laughed. "That's next to impossible! But I'll start at the very beginning. You probably know that when your great-aunt Nephthys married Set, what he wanted most was a son. Correct?"
The four nodded.
Khenti continued, "Well, that's exactly what Nephthys vowed herself to give him. She was like your mother at first--very nervous. Only she didn't say anything. I don't know if it would have mattered, but the next day she was very tired and still a little sore. Hathor was worried about her and angry about Set, so went to her and pleaded with her to do something about it. Nephthys of course loved Set very much and didn't want to. So Hathor went to her other siblings Osiris and Isis and asked for their help. They said they wanted to, but couldn't unless Nephthys herself complained to them. She didn't, so Hathor had to let the matter rest.
"Certainly Nephthys was quite happy to find herself expecting, and would have set about preparing a nursery for the baby, boy or girl--if only she had ever had one. She was going down one of the halls inside when a sharp pain struck her in the waist. She doubled over there, alone, no one around to help. Something with the baby felt wrong, and blood was staining her dress."
"A miscarriage," Duamutef said softly. All others were silent.
Khenti nodded. "She miscarried, right there in the hallway. Fortunately, the lion god Aker came along just then, and called for Thoth and Hathor, who led her to Hathor's bed so she could lie down."
"Poor Aunt Nephthys," Qebusenuef said.
"It happened the next time, too, didn't it?" Duamutef said. It was barely a question.
Khenti nodded. "Set thought maybe it had been his fault so he was careful with her. But it happened again. This time Isis found her, in her room and crying."
"What about Set? How did he take this?" Hapi asked.
"Not too well," Khenti admitted. "After the second time he totally withdrew. He would barely speak to anyone, always excuse himself from parties to go hunting alone--and most of all he wouldn't even touch Nephthys."
"So that's why Set doesn't stay in the same room as her," Imseti figured.
"What happened after that?" Qebusenuef asked.
"It was some time later," the wolf explained, "that the deities threw a giant celebration. Everyone was invited, but of course Set declined. He was too embarrassed at being unable to have a child to attend. So he said no, he was going hunting then, thank you. Nephthys was upset, but her sister Isis and Osiris convinced her to come to relax, and she did. There was much drinking that night, and the party went on well past dusk."
"And then?" said Hapi.
"Isis and Nephthys both retired earlier than most of the others. Isis had stayed quite sober and, as Nephthys had had a little too much to drink, helped her to her room, then went to bed herself." Khenti put his head on his forepaws. "Now this is where the story gets uncomfortable. Set, knowing the party was going to be a long one, stayed out all night. And Osiris, back at the party, finally managed to excuse himself to go to bed, as it was very late."
"What went wrong?" questioned Hapi.
"Osiris had too much to drink too," Duamutef answered. "He had trouble finding his way to his room, right, Khenti?"
Khenti Amenti nodded again. "So much trouble, in fact, that he didn't--he found Set's room instead."
Imseti's, Hapi's, and Qebusenuef's eyes widened.
Qebusenuef said, "You--you mean he--?"
The wolf nodded.
"Oh, boy," Hapi sighed.
"Didn't Nephthys notice anything?" Imseti asked.
Khenti shook his head. "Osiris left in the middle of the night, maybe to get a drink, and by then was sobered enough to go back to his own chambers."
"So no one found out?" Imseti asked.
Another shake. "Not then. Set said nothing when he returned--since he knew nothing--so Nephthys did the same, and Osiris didn't show that morning--he had a hangover."
"And Isis?" Imseti reminded the wolf.
"Easy. She thought Osiris had gone out to join Set in his hunting, and returned later. So everything was nice and neat, with no one the wiser."
"So, how did anyone find out?" Qebusenuef asked, mildly confused.
"A bit later," Khenti said, "several months, to be exact, Set left again, this time for quite a while. Nephthys didn't want him to go, but then thought of what a surprise would be awaiting his return, so didn't complain, and watched him go. And the months passed by, and Nephthys waited..."
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