"I
told
you not to interfere! Yet, you have all disobeyed my direct order not once, but twice now! The Pharaoh will hear of your insolent display of defiance you put on full display for all the Gods to see!" Senefru snarls viciously at them, blocking their way to Harekini holding Pishkini tightly in her arms.
"You
will
allow my wife to do this her own way!" Senefru snarls menacingly at the other lesser priests and priestesses. They back away until they're standing against the wall furtherest from the altar. They all hold their hands up in front of them, in a universal gesture of peace.
Ha! You stupid fools, it's far too late for that! The Gods are considerably angry and will avenge us. You will all be sentenced to death along with your precious pharaoh! I think maliciously to myself. I know it's the absolute truth as Ra-Amun has just sent me the image of what will happen to all of them. I'm ready to accept my own fate at the Gods' hands, only asking to have my shattered soul remain to see this to the bitter end.
Senefru knows his beautiful Harekini more than deserves to have this last wish of hers honored by him. Just as he knows he's going to lose her to the insanity of her own mind, to the mindless flight she's going to take from this place not one second after she witnesses what's to come, and knowing it happened at his hands.
I walk with grace and poise to the altar clutching my baby in my arms. I know my whole heart is pouring out with my blood onto my sweet boy's head and small body to accompany him on his journey.
I gently lay my catatonic and fearful son on the blood dried, cold, and unforgiving hardness of the stone altar. My left arm, I lay across his chest, gripping the far side of the altar in an effort to comfort Pishkini as much as I can in this horrible circumstance. My soul fills with pure unadulterated hate for Pharaoh Amenhotep III and now for Queen Tiy as well.
Queen Tiy has to know what's going on here or she would have come to stop this madness! The side of my body remains touching the side of my son's to keep the connection between us alive as his gaze stays locked within mine.
Pishkini refuses to look at or even give his father a glance of forgiveness. His young eyes are only for his mother. He knows without a doubt in his young soul, that his mama loves him and will love him beyond the boundaries of time.
Senefru has a single tear rolling down his cheek, as he burns the beautiful sight of mother and son and their tremendous love for each other in his head. It burns right into his memory to remain there for all eternity.
He further knows he's about to lose everything in his life that's worth living for. In that moment of clarity, he hates his childhood friend, Amenhotep III, with a deep passion and fire that he can't even put into words. He swore to himself and the Gods themselves that after this, he's done with this life. There's nothing left to give, nothing left to live for now.
Senefru is lifting the extremely sharp sword high above his head as time slows down all around him.
"I will love you for all eternity my sweet baby boy. Boundaries of time and space will never contain my love for you. We both must be brave sweetheart for I will not let you go into the afterlife alone." I say to Pishkini as he reaches out and grips my right hand tightly in his small one.
He looks up at me with such love in his eyes that I have to blink yet again to keep the tears from blurring my vision."I love you all eternity Mama, not your fault."
I know I have mere seconds to enact my plan as Senefru lifts the blade even higher above his head only pausing for a second to let us say a last goodbye. When I see his hands twitch, I know the blade is coming down and fast.
I jump up upon the altar with lightning speed before Senefru can react. I lay my body down over my baby son's. My forehead gently rests upon his downy soft one. I need my face to be the last thing he sees before we both leave this life behind.
I smile with such tremendous love wanting him to have this beautiful memory to take with him. I sweetly kiss the tip of his little precious nose.
Seconds before the sword kisses the hair upon the back of my neck; I call out a curse with the voice of the Gods as my voice reverberates throughout the land so all may hear it.
"I curse Pharaoh Amenhotep, Queen Tiy, and this order to pain and misery now and in the afterlife! The Gods will smite you all down!"
Senefru briefly closes his eyes and brings the blade down as hard as he possibly can to make the decapitation swift and painless. He wants to give Pishkini, his baby an honorable death with no pain at all.
It's way too late when he registers his wife's final words and her plan. Harekini and Pishkini are smiling at each other with such overwhelming love in their eyes for each other. He instantly knows it's too late to stop the downswing of the extremely heavy sharp sword.
He screams "Nooo! Oh Ra, No!!" as the sword decapitates his soul mate and his sweet angelic son swiftly and painlessly. The sword immediately falls from his hands to clang on the ground at the same time their heads fall from the altar and roll. Their smiles and looks of pure love are forever frozen upon their faces.
"Nooo! Oh Ra, No!!!" Senefru screams again as his mind and heart both shatter into a million pieces. The wind immediately picks them up, scattering them to the four corners of the earth.
He howls to the skies in such inhuman agony as he gently picks up the heads of his beloved wife and son in his hands and cuddles them, both still beautiful, to his chest letting their blood cover his hands.
He momentarily lays them down at the head of the bodies on the altar. Out of the corner of his eye he sees the members of the order approach slowly to steal their heads and blood for the ritual. He immediately lets out an inhuman growl and punches out anyone who dares to touch what is left of his reason for living.
The priests and priestesses are angry with Harekini for intentionally ruining their sacrifice, clearly not afraid of her death curse even when they should have been terrified.
They all knew full well she'd been the God Ra-Amun's favorite daughter. He blessed her and her son only out of everyone in the order. They were the only two he would willingly speak to and guide.
There were a few who ran down the steps and away from Ra-Amun's temple. They knew he was speaking through her that it wasn't her curse, it was his condemning them all for what they'd done this day.
Only seconds later, the winds blow over the land with hurricane force. There are sudden torrential rains. It's the Gods mourning the deaths of Harekini and her beloved son Pishkini. The remaining priests and priestesses are now rightfully terrified and run away to try to hide from the Gods only to lose their lives to the hurricane force winds or swept away in the Nile as it hungrily seeks them out.
Senefru is left all alone with the decapitated bodies of his wife and son, to suffer an eternity of pain and suffering and for what? For the blasphemous order of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Neither the rains or the winds touch him or the bodies of his family.
The Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his wife, Queen Tiy come running up the temple steps, knowing that the signs represent the anger of the Gods.
They stop in their tracks staring in shock at the scene before them.
Senefru is now a completely broken and shattered man. He's sitting at the base of the altar, his white robe now dark with the blood of the two people he loved most in the world. His hands are covered in their blood that will remain upon them for all eternity.
He slumps against the altar as he lovingly cradles the decapitated heads of his whole world in his arms. He has them nestled in the crooks of his elbows.
He's so broken and shattered in mind, body, and soul, he doesn't give a good damn about the consequences of his actions anymore.
When he sees Amenhotep and Tiy standing there, his face is twisted into the most evil and wicked smile he can physically manage. Tiy's already pale face turns almost white when she realizes what he's cuddling in his arms.
"Get the hell out of here Amenhotep, this is
all
your
fault! Their blood will remain for all eternity on your hands, never to come off!
The great God Ra-Amun has even cursed you with her mouth! They're all angered beyond your understanding. There is no coming back from this!
Many members of your order are already dead at the hands of the Gods!" Franklin nods his head to the side of the temple where they both see the instant and total devastation.
Your family Amenhotep and all of this blasphemous order will pay for your jealous need to punish Ra-Amun's blessed innocent son, our gift of true and innocent love!" Senefru takes a deep breath before he manically continues, his voice savage and primal.
"I pray all the Gods and especially Ra-Amun smite you where you stand. If not, I will kill you myself, to right the wrong committed here today at
your order
!" Senefru growls inhumanely and insanely again.
"Senefru, I.... I'm sorry." Amenhotep III says softly, his voice full of remorse and guilt that has come way too late.
Queen Tiy glares angrily at Amenhotep in such a way, that it chills Amenhotep to the bone. Senefru knows right then and there that Tiy really knew nothing about the sacrifice order of his son.
Amenhotep kept it from her, knowing she'd fight it. She was Harekini's best friend and godmother to Pishkini. She would have protected them with her life. He suddenly didn't have it in his heart to hate her for what she didn't know about.
"I'm only going to warn you one last time Amenhotep! Leave before I gladly drive this sword through your heart! I will spare Queen Tiy only because I can see the truth in her eyes. You never told her you were going to kill her godchild because you couldn't stand the fact that he'd been blessed by Ra-Amun!"
"My childhood best friend, you are no more! Your high priest, I am no longer! Ra-Amun
told
her this was wrong and Harekini fought me with all the strength contained within her. In the end, she sacrificed her own life because she would not allow our precious baby boy go to the afterlife alone!" He took a moment to scream out in inhuman agony again, his mind, body, and soul shattered and carried away on the winds of time.
"Ra-Amun and the other Gods spoke through her at the end and cursed your family and everyone in the order! Only death awaits now, all because of you and your jealousy of a mere child! Only the deaths of all responsible will end the curse!" Senefru screamed, tears pouring from his eyes mixing with the blood of his family all over his face, making it appear as if he's crying tears of blood.
Senefru completely loses it when he suddenly flies at Amenhotep and Tiy, holding the loving, smiling heads of Pishkini and Harekini in his hands wanting both of them to see the irreversible damage caused this day.
The Pharaoh and Queen paled white as ghosts, their faces clearly showing their horror and fear, flew like birds away from the temple. They only stopped when they reached the entrance of the palace. Amenhotep was watching in fearful silence. Tiy was on her knees and screaming in agony for her best friend and the sweet baby she loved like her own, whose very presence soothed her soul.
Senefru, now finally alone with his unforgiveable crime and his shattered mind, retrieves a white sheet and lays it carefully down next to the bodies of his family.
The wind and rain strangely still never touch him or his loved ones. It's as if the Gods know he couldn't stop the blade and that, his broken mind, body, and soul are punishment enough for them. They know he'll live for eternity in one form or another with this dark stain on his soul.
He lovingly and gently lays the body of his wife down on the sheet. Then places her head gently where it belongs and closes her loving eyes, kissing each eyelid as he asks for her forgiveness too late.
Next, he gently lays his son's small body face down on his mother's chest. Gently wrapping her arms around their son's small body, he interlaces her fingers together as she would have wanted.
Senefru lovingly picks up his son's head, washes the blond curls free of his mother's blood, kisses Pishkini's downy soft forehead. He then gently closes his eyelids over loving eyes so much like his own and asks for forgiveness. Only then does he place his baby's head facing to the side at the head of the body on his mother's breasts, nearest her heart where she always so lovingly cradled him.
With the upmost care, he gently wraps them up together when his legs give out beneath him.
Senefru crumples to the ground at the base of the altar and screams again in such agony and pain. He promises the Gods silently to right this wrong with his own life. He knows he will go straight to Hell and prays Harekini and Pishkini are at least, in the great afterlife together.
Finally, Senefru stands and mumbles incoherently to himself. He enters the hated temple one last time, gathering the tools needed to build his family a proper burial tomb deserving of them both.
Senefru is almost catatonic as he reaches the bottom of the temple's steps gently carrying the tightly wrapped bodies of his family in his arms.
It's here that Thutmose, full of agony himself, comes to Senefru and hugs him.
"Queen Tiy, she would like to have Mama Harekini and Pishkini buried in her own Queen's tomb if that's alright with you. It has just been recently finished. She is beside herself in agony over their loss at father's hands." He takes a deep breath then sobs in tremendous agony as he falls to Senefru's feet.
"She would like to have them placed in the tomb as family again, with your permission of course. She would have helped the three of you escape had she known what had been ordered. She is currently planning to kill father and then herself to right the wrong committed this day." Thutmose says in explanation when he's able to stand unsteadily on his feet again, brushing his hand gently over the heads of his mother and little brother through the sheet.
Senefru believes his words. He saw with his own eyes how the color drained from Tiy's face as she took in the scene. How her eyes poured out a river of tears before she gives Amenhotep a chilling murderous look.