"Associative Looseness"

Where is he?”
“Who is he?”
“He lives right here in the temple with us. He is Tutankhamun.”
“Tutankhamun? But isn’t he your nephew?”
“You said that yourself, Tutankhamun is your nephew… how did he became the King’s son?”

“Tutankhamun’s mother is my sister; she was the Pharaoh’s second wife. Princess Kia died of childbirth, and only I, knew of Tutankhamun’s existence.”
A great secret was revealed along the walls of the Temple, that the young Tutankhamun is the Pharaoh’s only son, an only heir to the throne. The Vizier Ayê evolved a plan of arranging Tutankhamun’s accession to the throne.
“What in Amun’s name are you talking about Uncle? Just yesterday, you told me my father was a simple merchant who only happens to impregnate my mother and then killed by the Hittites!”
“I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that. This is the truth. You are the King’s only son.”
“How do I know you’re not lying again this time? Huh? I myself can’t believe you, how much more the people of Egypt, who loved the King and his family? This is absurd!”
“ Don’t be such a nuisance boy! I have already planned that. You will come with me to the palace today.”
“I can’t. I have work to do.”
“Leave it. You will not be doing work like that again. Go change and come with me.”
“But, Uncle… I really have something else to do. It is very important…”
“More important than being the King of Egypt? Go now at once!”
Poor young Tutankhamun’s heart was broken. How could he meet with Ankhsenamun at the lagoon today if he would go to the palace? Certainly, Ankhsenamun lives at the palace… but she will be waiting at the lagoon…for him.
At the palace, Ankhsenamun was restless for she was not permitted to go out today. They were instructed to stay at the palace for the arrival of the Vizier with an important announcement. The truth is she doesn’t care about the announcement… she doesn’t care about Egypt at all. She just wants to go out in the lagoon and meet her love, Tutankhamun. She’s planning to escape but the palace was heavily surrounded with soldiers. Protecting them from danger, keeping her away… from the loving arms of the waiting Tutankhamun. Tears welled down from her eyes… she felt weak in the knees. She felt nauseated. She felt the world spinning so fast, and then it became dark.
“Welcome Great Vizier! What do we have here? Glad of you to come boy!”
“Where is the Queen? and the princesses? I request them to be at the court today…””The Queen is indisposed. She is not feeling well. She has been in her bed since last night and has not risen. She instructed me to tell you to go on with your announcement with her permission.”
“And the princesses?”
“They will be coming to see you, great Vizier… except for Princess Ankhsenamun.”
Sorrow swept over the gentle face of Tutankhamun. Surely, it was her excuse not to attend court today, to say that she was sick, and then secretly escape and meet him at the lagoon. Certainly, she is already there… alone and lonely from the death of her father, and in need of support, in need of his love.
“We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of a great King. He had ruled Egypt with great joy and Egypt loved him for it. However, the King was also a man, and as a man committed mistakes. Now that he is dead, we are left with no successor… but the King has entrusted to me the care of his then infant son, whom I reared and taught to be a young educated man. The King feared for his son’s life in making this decision. Who am I to disobey the orders of a great King? So I kept his son hidden in the temple, telling every curious eye that he is my nephew. Today, now that I am left with no other choice, I give to you the next king of Egypt…the young Tutankhamun!!! Now to strengthen the ties of the family of King Amenhotep, I propose that Tutankhamun choose one among his half-sisters to be his bride.”
Tutankhamun stood there in the center of the elevated platform. Looking over everybody’s shoulders, expecting to see his ladylove Ankhsenamun, but she is waiting at the lagoon for him? So how could she be here? Looking directly at the five princesses before him, he could not help but close his eyes and refuse to let the tear drop. He looked over to the Vizier Ayê for help. Must he choose a bride now? Now that the woman he loves is not here?
“Tutankhamun…we are waiting… choose now a bride for the wedding will be tonight…”
Flashed with frustration and desperation, he tried looking more closely at the eldest; he went nearer to her inches away and in a whisper:
“I was told you still have a younger sister, the sixth…where is she?”
“She is in her room… Sire?”
“Why is she not here?
“She suffered pain in the head, Sire?…shall I go and fetch her?”
“You could do that?”
“Yes… sire?, for a moment please?”
“Certainly…”
Now, as the eldest princess arose from her seat to fetch Ankhsenamun, Tutankhamun felt a flash of hope and happiness overcome him. He can choose Ankhsenamun, and she will be his wife…for all eternity. He prepared himself for the surprise, surely Ankhsenamun hates surprises, but this will be the surprise she’ll never forget.

Meritaten arose from her seat with haste. She can not afford to make the future king’s mind change for beckoning their youngest sister. Ankhsenamun, without knowing had save her life – her love. Standing at the court today, being told to marry a stranger so that Egypt will have a King- the face of her beloved flashed across her eyes. She can not marry anyone but her beloved. Now that the king is looking for Ankhsenamun, she and her beloved will live undisturbed, away from this ruckuss, away from them all, away from Egypt. She will just have to say her gratitude to Ankhsenamun later, now she has to go and wake her up.

“Sister, get up! The future king is looking for you. Besides, the Vizier thinks one of us must marry him tonight so as not to lose our hold of the crown. I think that is a great idea because, he is already our half-brother, and the kingdom will still be ruled by our family.”
“If that’s such a great idea then marry him! Why the need to make me go there?”
“You are still one of the Princesses, Ankhsenamun! And besides… I think he knows you…he purposely leaned over to me and asked for my younger sister… meaning you! Isn’t that amazing? You will be the future queen of Egypt!”
“I don’t care! I don’t want to be the Queen of anything! I just want to go out to the lagoon…please? Can you tell the guards to let me go? Please?”
“You’ve been such a stubborn young lady! Stop that nonsense and come with me at once! I am so sorry dear sister… tell you what, you can go out when we are finished in the court… but that won’t happen if you are not going… so come, take my hand… I shall take care of you…don’t worry.”
With heavy feet Ankhsenamun tread the hallway towards the court. Hoping secretly that everything will be over before the sun goes down…before Tutankhamun leaves the lagoon.
“Aha!!! Princess Ankhsenamun! Good of you to come and join us finally!!!”
The words seem like a thunder in Ankhsenamun’s ears. The whole courtroom is filled with people she doesn’t even know. Her sisters are sitting properly in their places, very timid and very behave, which is not extraordinary, after all she’s the only one who has enough spirit and joy in herself to even care to hum a simple song. She sat herself uncomfortably in one of those high back chairs with feathers of different birds stuffed inside it to make it soft. Her head seems to be very heavy to lift; her eyelids are closing on their own, when the Vizier again presented the future King. The man standing in the middle of the platform slowly turned around, in his face a very familiar and gentle smile is formed. He is looking directly straight at her, as if his eyes are saying that everything is fine…without much hesitation, Tutankhamun with a big grin in his face proceeded to take Ankhsenamun in his arms, to which the princess responded with so much love. The longing they had for each other earlier seems to be healed immediately as they stood there, in the center of the courtroom, in the middle of the faceless crowd; arms around each other, for they are now the core of the kingdom; the King and Queen of Egypt….
“Hail King Tutankhamun! Hail Queen Ankhsenamun! Hail the holy couple!! May the goddess Isis give them beautiful creatures and bountiful blessings!”
So the couple wed the evening after. Such grandeur and vast festivities took place. The court dancers and the court jesters never stopped in entertaining the people; everybody laughed, everybody giggled; everybody shared the happiness of the newlyweds. The Vizier, though not expecting something like this to happen, joined in the celebration and promulgated a toast for the endless bliss of the King and Queen of Egypt.
The celebration lasted for three nights and four days. In which on the fourth day, the couple are left alone to discover happiness by themselves. In their chamber, Tutankhamun seriously gazed into Ankhsenamun’s eyes, which moved the latter into a halting pause, and a questioning look of embarrassment.
“Why so profound my love? Do I not look the way you expected me to?”
“Until now, sitting here in this bed, I can not believe, you will share it with me…”
“I could just sleep in my own room tonight if that’s what His Majesty wants.”
“Why would I want such a dreadful thing?
“How will I know? I may own your heart, but not your mind! You see…”
“You never cease to amaze me… the beautiful stranger in the lagoon, the girl who almost broke my heart, is the woman who is now my wife…”
“And the stubborn mysterious stranger who doesn’t want to get off my land, the boy who made me cry, is now the man who I call my husband…”
“Believe it or not, we are now the young parents of Egypt. Egypt’s entire problem is now on our shoulders, all of Egypt’s matters are now on our lap…just thinking about it… I don’t know why I’m in this situation anyway…”
“Fear not my love, the Vizier will be the one to take care of that. He is your attendant after all. On the other hand, I suggest that we do something else tonight, instead of thinking about Egypt, how about that, huh?”
“I am now the son of the morning and the evening sun, and I offer upon your feet the stars of the heavens, you mean more than life to me, you are life’s greatest gift, and you are my beloved.”
“You may only see this simple smile in my face, but deep within me, my heart is rejoicing for I have found my true love, my purpose in living, and my beloved…”
Thus, the young rulers of the vast kingdom of Egypt spent the night in ecstatic disposition.

To be continued...