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Chapter 1 The Black
"King Menice, they are here."
I shook him off. "They can wait. They've spent a month trying to defeat me. A few minutes wouldn't hurt them," I told the servant.
He nodded and left me.
I looked down at this sarcophagus. I loved the man wrapped here. I looked down at the named carved on it. Jabari. He was just a scribe but I loved him.
"You promised me you wouldn't leave me Jabari. You promised you would stay. Now look...I'm very much alone. If I had listened to you I wouldn't have been in this situation. You told me not to move my capital to Meroe and I didn't listen. Now I'm going to die alone...so far from my home. The strange sea people have come and they have conquered. If only I had listened to you. If only I could hear you now. "
I circled the sarcophagus. I was so lonely. I was so saddened by this.
"King..."
I couldn't even be alone for a minute. I couldn't even live this life alone.
"I'm coming...I'm coming."
I left the embalming chambers and arrived at my palace through the hidden tunnels. When I came to my chambers it was clear that my servants were already waiting for me. My apartments in Meroe were beautiful. It was the only thing that had kept me sane for the past year. My apartments and the people kept me alive. The Nubians had built me a beautiful palace grander than the one I had Kerma. They had built pyramids for me and one of those pyramids is where I would have Jabari moved to.
In the middle of the floor there was a fire. There was Widow...my Vizier and my hand. She made all the decisions in the city.
The servants were immediately thrown by my presence and begun to prepare me. There was a sense of urgency here. It was clear that they were afraid perhaps. They began to fan me as if I was hot. Then they began to dress me.
"Where are they?" I asked.
Golden bracelets were strapped onto me. Pure white linen clothes were belted at my waist.
"In your throne room," the Widow stated.
"Do you see anything in your fires?"
"They are a strange people not too unified with many contrasting intentions. They are dangerous none-the-less. My fires show they are puzzled by the Nubian ways."
Leopard skin was tossed over my shoulders. Perfume and incense was scented on my body. Then they began to paint my face. I would glow by the time they were through with me.
"Where are my Medjay?"
"Defeated. The only remaining are your personal guard. They await you in the throne room."
"My navy."
"Gone."
"Where are my generals?"
"Assamat is dead. Babusa and Waset have been taken. And General Si Ren...has fled."
"Fled?"
"He was being defeated. He's gone to Thebes," Widow continued, "He promises to return with all our forces."
"Will they be enough?"
"Possibly...but they won't be in time."
Obviously not. My conquerors were here now. My greatest general had abandoned me. All my resources were further south in Kerma. I had nothing here but a title.
I watched as they brought me my throne. It was a beautiful thing. It was rich with rubies and golden snakes. When they put it on my head it was so heavy. Why hadn't I noticed until now just how heavy this crown was. It was hard to hold my head up high but I had to.
"Widow," I stated, "If today is the day I die I want you to do something. I want you to bury Jabari and I together."
"King you are a god and he is..."
"He is a part of me."
Widow nodded, "I will do whatever you say but today you will not die. I have seen it in my fires. You must not be afraid. You are no regular man. You are greatness. Do you hear me? You are not defeated by anyone."
She worshiped me. She always did. Her words were rarely comforting though. They never made me feel much better. I watched the way Widow looked at me. She has the most confidence in me. At times I saw it but at times I didn't. At times I just saw the flaws. I was too skinny to be a king. I wasn't smart enough. I should have been able to protect the people I loved. I couldn't protect Jabari.
"Tell Boxemnas I am ready."
The halls of Meroe were different. I didn't walk. Widow stated that it would make me look weak to touch the ground. I sat in a litter and watched as the slave men carried me. To my right came Boxemnas or Boxemnas who was my bodyguard. She stood silently over me as usual with her red hair and her sword unsheathed beside her. It was her that made me feel most safe at times. She loved me differently from Widow. Where Widow saw me as a God who could do no wrong, Boxy saw me as a fragile child who she had to protect constantly. They were my Medjay that carried me. There were about six strong men lifting up my chair with their poles and toting me like expansive carpets into the throne room.
The room was already full of these "Guests."
They called themselves the Sea people. They all looked at me as though I was the invader as I entered. They were dressed strangely. They had armor on. There skin was brown and their eyes narrow. Where had they come from? Maybe an island. Maybe Asia.
The sea people...
I tried not to make any eye contact with any of them for too long. I was sure there had to be a lot more. Surely these few numbers couldn't have defeated my navy and taken Meroe. Why would they mock me and not bring forth their full strength?
The litter stopped before my throne.
"Presenting King Menice of Nubia. Pharaoh of Egypt, king of Assyria, son of Ra and Guardian of the River Nile."
The people bowed to me. I began to count as their heads was down and when they came up I counted about 50 of them. Was that it? I had enough men alone in my palace that could assassinate them. What would happen then though? That was what I was worried about. How far would I get before the thousands of men they had probably stationed at my ports got to my palace to take vengeance?
"Who is your leader?" I asked the people.
They were very quiet.
"King Menice..."
I turned to the person who was speaking. He was broad man with broad shoulders. Even from my elevated golden throne he looked huge. His size itself seemed to be mocking me somehow.
"We have no leader sire."
"What do you mean?"
"My brothers and I make the decisions but there is no leader."
"Bring forth your brothers then."
At that moment he and three other men came forward. I looked at their faces. They all did resemble in a way. They all had the same armor as their men. There was no difference. I didn't understand it. The leaders of a force so powerful wouldn't distinguish themselves. The big man that spoke had a lot of fresh scars. Beside him there was another with long hair that fell to his shoulders.
The third brother looked at me the most intensely out of the four. There was an unease in his eyes but I nothing out of the ordinary. The fourth brother...seemed to...yes...he was smiling! The nerve of this boy. He had a smirk on his face. He definitely did look like the youngest of all of them.
Where was fear that Widow had told me about?"
Widow came forth and spoke next, "I am the Vizier of the king. As representatives of this intrusion we would kindly ask you to pull back your men."
"Or what?" the youngest brother with the smirk stated.
I could have rose out of my seat by how he spoke to her. I looked at the the Medjay who were lined up against the walls. I could have perhaps a hundred of them storm in here with just the right order. I kept looking at the armor. It would be hard to pierce with arrows but we had excellent archers. If I made the right order at the right time I could have them all killed.
And then what...and then what?
"Excuse my brother," the one with the long hair stated, "It's not every day we come in the presence of a king and at times we seem to lose our manners. As you see we are soldiers. My name is Darius."
"I am Marcus," the oldest and biggest of the brothers stated, "The youngest two are Axum and Torrance..."
The brothers were handsome. I had to give them that. It was Darius that seemed to capture my eye. He had a different look that I'd never seen not even when I traveled my palaces in Egypt. He was shockingly handsome. His arms were muscular and toned like the others but he seemed gentler with no scars like the oldest. Axum and Torrance were the youngest two. Axum had the intense eyes and Torrance seemed was the one with the smirk. Both of them were handsome as well but in very two different ways. Jabari, if you could see these men you would probably be so jealous.
Enough of the pleasentries, "Have you come to kill me?"
Marcus was the one that spoke, "No..."
That would be a mistake for them. They said they didn't have a leader but for some reason he spoke the most out of them. His body size alone made me think he was a leader. How many Nubians had he killed before he had gotten here?
"You couldn't kill him anyway," my Vizier stated, "This is the son of Ra..."
There was laughter amongst the sea people. For some reason anything that came out of the Vizier's mouth seemed like a joke to them. It was strange because amongst the people of Nubia she was feared. They looked at her as though she was a witch. These Sea people looked at her as though she was a joke.
"Can we get on with the proposition?" Darius stated.
Darius the beautiful. He had been the only one not laughing. I watched as he took a few steps closer and just as he did Boxy began to descend. She was fearless woman and met him at the bottom of the staircase that lead to my throne. He stopped in front of her.
"That's far enough," I stated.
"For some reason you think that you are still in charge," the youngest of the brothers Torrance stated.
This Torrance was an issue Jabari. He would need to die.
Darius shook his head, "No need for any more hositilities today. We have come to talk."
"After you slaughter my people you want to talk?" I asked.
"We had to prove our worth to you," Darius stated shaking his head, "You see we don't wish conquer you as you put it. We have traveled far and wide to serve you..."
"Serve me?"
Darius smiled, "Yes. We are wanderers from afar and we have been displaced. I think around these lands we are known as the Sea people. We travel to many cities sack them, steal their riches and leave. We have not stolen anything from the Nubians. We have not hurt any innocent Nubians. We only defended ourselves..."
Lies.
He was a handsome liar though. I'd give him that. What about you Jabari? You went to go speak with them and they killed you and sent you back to me. I'd hold them responsible for that. All of them will die Jabari. For now though I will play their game.
"What makes Nubia so special?" I asked.
"Our wealth," Widow started.
She was right. Meroe had the most gold mines on the continent. It was another reason Widow had me move my capital to this city. We were sitting on gold here. These sea people were pirates. They needed funding for their expeditions.
"We can help each other?" Darius stated.
He spoke to slick. It scared me a little. I turned to the others. I turned to Marcus.
"How many men did you kill to get here?" I asked Marcus.
"Dozens."
"To impress me?" I stated shaking my head, "Now that you've done that, you want to serve me. You can help me. However Nubia is not controlled my many. It is controlled by one. Me. I am the sun that sets in the west and rises in the east. I will have you Marcus kiss my feet."
There were whispers in the halls.
I watched at Marcus stood there. He didn't move. These people were liars. They had not come here to serve me.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible. We offer more of a...partnership," Darius stated, "We are a simple people. We only wish to conquer land. The spoil will be ours but the glory is yours."
"What do I need of spoils and glory? Have you seen Meroe?" I asked, "Have you seen the grand steps of the palace. Have you seen the pyramids? Have you seen the paved streets and high columns. I have cities throughout the kingdom just like this."
"And yet you still lost," Torrance stated.
"Torrance!" Darius stated, "Please...."
They were equals. I could definitely tell now. Darius had begun talking more because for some reason they probably thought he was the most civil. Maybe they used Marcus for the initial scare due to his size. Torrance was used for his sharp tongue. What about the quiet one? Axum. He just stared at me silent just like my Boxemnas did to them. They thought they were so smart, Jabari. I was already beginning to figure them out.
Marcus stepped forward, "Excuse Torrance, but he is right. A great king like yours with all your wealth was defeated. You can use us. We need nothing of titles. We can capture these places in the name of Nubia. We can expand your empire further than your wildest imagination."
Power...
"What's to stop me from gathering those forces when you do conquer them. What's to stop me stomping you out like little insects..."
"We will occupy this palace."
"I will be your prisoner?"
"No absolutely not," Darius stated, "Think of us as being your protectors. Your shield as well as your sword."
He smiled.
"And if I refuse?"
"You die. We rob Meroe blind and maybe offer the same thing to the Hittite king...after we sack his city," Torrance stated and laughed.
It was a joke to him. However none of them offered his words in any kinder terms.
"Prepare apartments in the imperial palace for my...new mercenaries," I stated, "I will retire..."
"King," Widow started.
I wouldn't let her finish, "I will retire. Oh but one last thing. I sent forth a messenger to your people. He was killed and returned to me. Would any of you want to explain why."
The four brothers looked each amongst themselves.
It was Marcus that spoke, "We received no messenger..."
Lies...
I nodded and left them.
My bath was warm. The coconut oil bubbled around my body. It was relaxing. The women fanned me and sung songs to me. It didn't calm me though. I wasn't surprised when Nyah who was in charge of my servants sent for the boys. She knew what I preferred. They were known as my safflowers. I watched as my naked boys came to serve me. Mwanajuma was the most handsome of the boys. I had never made love to him but many times I wanted to even when I was with Jabari. He was a mandingo god built and sculpted beautifully. He used to be a Medjay but he was recruited to pleasure me.
Him and another servant named Baba entered the tub. As Mwanajuma was known for his endowment in the front, Baba was known for his curvy ass.
Mwanajuma was handed a fruit tray by the other men. Ever since Jabari's death I could tell how he begged to please me. He began to feed me.
"You are stressed, son of Ra," he stated, "Would you like me to pleasure you? Please let me..."
I laughed.
Jabari, I couldn't shame your memory so quickly.
"No him..." I stated to Baba, "Kiss him for me. That would please me."
The two servants boys got together and started to kiss. Their lips touched other and their tongued intertwined. It was only a matter of time before Baba sunk lower and lower in the milk of the bath. In his hands he cupped Mwanajuma's penis. He began to suck slowly. Mwanajuma's had the biggest penis in the land. I hadn't seen anything like it. Baba could only really get some of it into his throat but that was enough to make Mwanajuma moan in ecstacy.
Mwanajuma looked at me the entire time. His tight ass clenched hard as he held Baba's head trying to get Baba to go deeper.
"Please lord...let me pleasure you..."
"You already are," I stated and smiled.
The moans of Mwanajuma became louder and louder as Baba sucked on his shaft. I could feel my own dick swelling up and I began to play with it. The female singers behind me had put me in a sort of trance. I could see the other safflower boys longing to just come closer to me and touch me but with Boxy there they wouldn't dare get any closer uninvited.
Just as I neared climax I heard soft footsteps of Nyah enter. She was with her other attendants.
"Lord...you have a visitor."
"Tell Widow I will get with her and the advisors tomorrow."
Widow had been trying to have counsel with me since then. It was no doubt the advisors were nervous about these new mercenaries. I could already hear them. In one day I had become a prisoner in my own palace. This wasn't what I wanted.
"It isn't the Vizier," Nyah stated, "It is one of those Sea People. One of the captains. His name is Axum. I shall send him away."
The one with the intense stare. The quiet one.
"No...send him in."
These sea people interested me and he was the most mysterious one of them all. I hadn't even begun to figure him out. I sunk further deeper in the bath as I watched Mwanajuma do what he was good at. Now he had turned Baba around. He had leaned Baba over the Basin of the tub.
"It's so big..." Baba had started to say once Mwanajuma began to put his dick in him.
Baba moaned in ecstacy.
Just as he was moaning I saw this Axum step into the room. He had come alone which was strange. He was one of the four leaders and he didn't have a personal escort with him. These sea people were so different. I watched as he got closer and saw what was going on between Mwanajuma and Baba. His face grew a little red. He turned away at the moment staring at the hieroglyphics on the apartment walls.
"Does this offend you?" I stated.
"It is very...surprising...I wasn't expecting it," he stated.
He seemed nervous. He was not nearly as confident in speech as his brothers. I laughed as he tripped over his word and I crossed my arms.
"Mwanajuma...Baba you are dismissed."
It was a same. I could tell they were close to finishing. The two came out of the bath and bowed to me. I wondered if it was an intentional slight that they just so happened to be bending their asses right in front of the mercenary. It made me smile a little bit as they dismissed themselves. The other safflowers went with them. I watched as my Medjay soldiers had begun to pour into the room as well. I had no doubt they were called by Nyah. They had bows and arrows in hand.
Axum noticed as well. I counted about 20 Medjay that had entered the room but was quite sure even more were outside of the room. They were just waiting for the word. All this to protect me from one man.
"I don't feel welcome," Axum stated.
"You murder my people and you expect us to fluff your pillows?" I asked laughing.
"May I approach?"
Boxy looked nervous. She had stood right behind me.
"Yes come closer."
He did as I said and he came to the edges of my bath. He sat on the kneeled down the pillows that were there. I got a better look at him. He was handsome. He favored Darius in a way but wasn't nearly as flamboyant with his demeanor. This one Axum seemed extremely serious.
"I hadn't had a chance to speak with you earlier," Axum stated, "I tend to get outshined by my brothers. I wanted us all to be able to be on the right foot in this. It's important to me that we have some sort of trust in our partnership with you. Or at least a mutual understanding."
He was afraid of me.
I could see it in his eyes. That is why he came.
Maybe this was the fear that Widow had seen in her fires.
"Where are you people from?"
"An militant island north of Egypt," Axum stated, "Our city was destroyed. All we had left were our ships and our weapons."
"I suppose you won't tell me the name of the city."
"It doesn't matter. It seems like the Sea People have fit us quite well."
"You have hundreds of ships," I stated, "However I've gotten reports that only men came to stay at the apartments. Have you left your women on the ships."
"There are no more women," Axum stated, "It was another reason we needed a home.
"A home?"
I laughed, "No women and at sea for so long. I wonder what your men did for entertainment. Ha...it must be the Nubians aren't the only one who like men with men."
Axum didn't find that amusing.
"Some did...but it is outlawed. It is strictly forbidden among our people"
"And you?"
He shook his head, "I follow the laws. There are things more important than sex."
"Like conquering lands?" I asked, "Is it true that you and your brothers don't plan on killing me."
"We'd gain nothing from killing you. As long as you are submissive and don't cause any issues," Axum stated.
He didn't have the force that his brother Torrance had nor the grace of Darius. He didn't even look intimidating like Marcus. He just seemed useless amongst them.
"Submissive," I stated.
I came out of the bath. I watched his eyes turn almost immediately away. It was strange. He was nervous. At that moment I believed that he didn't participate in any sexual intercourse with the men on the ship. Still how long had they been mercenaries wondering around. How long was that he could have gone without pleasuring himself.
It was one of the servants girl that came to dry me off with linen but I stopped her. I wanted to see how far I could go.
I made a few steps towards him, stopping Boxy who seemed even more uneasy.
I sat with him on the pillows beside the basin. It wasn't long before he was forced to turn to me again.
"Would you mind wearing something?" he asked.
"This is my palace. Do I go on your naval ships and tell you what to do?" I asked him, "Besides, I would assume you'd be used to male nudity on those ships for that long..."
"Not in this way."
"And what way is that?"
I scooted closer to him.
"You have a sensual nature about you. We've heard stories about you."
Axum was cowering at that moment. I was laughing in my head. These men were able to conquer the biggest navy in my kingdom but he was too shy to look at my body in this state.
"What kind of stories?"
"Torrance had reports of you being a siren."
"A siren?"
"They are creatures who use sex to lure ships to sharp rocks."
"How sharp?"
At that moment I leaned my hand over him through his armor where his linen cloth kilt was. I had done it quickly grabbing for it to see what it was.
Yes.
Oh yes.
It was hard. It was rock hard. I was turning him on.
At that moment he grabbed my hand and swung me off of him. He wrestled himself over me pinning my hands up over my head. I didn't stand a chance as he sat there probably embarrassed that his secret had been discovered.
"I won't allow these sort of actions."
I squirmed a little at the pain of him holding my wrists. At that moment Boxy's sword was against his throat. The Medjay soldiers had gone into a small panick. Their bows were all strung and aiming towards this man who was on top of me.
Axum became very aware of the threat all around him.
He got up off of me and raised his hands in the air.
I smiled.
"This was a nice talk Axum," I stated.
He excused himself without saying anything. The Medjay followed him until he was out of my chambers assuring that he did no more actions.
I smiled to myself and looked at Nyah, "Wake up my advisors. There is still hope..."
"I've gathered you hear tonight because I have made a discovery," I told them, "These men have spent years without women. They say their women were all killed but it seems that they have been able to survive without them. They have strict laws against male on male intercourse. This is not so strange amongst the Nubian people any longer."
The advisors seemed confused.
Achebe was my chief scribe, "Son of Ra, I don't see how this could be of any use to us."
I never really cared for the fat scribe. He wasn't always too clever anyway. He had gotten to his high office by taking the credit for what other people did. For some reason the libaries across Nubia respected him and that was the only real reason that I kept him around.
The other advisors were far more competent. There were about ten in all. Generals Babusa and Waset were amongst them. They were strong men who had fought valiantly along my other generals Si Ren and Assamat. Assamat was dead though and Si Ren had fled. Babusa and Waset were the only strong ones that I had left. Still they had no more army. Their ships had been burned and their men killed.
"They want me to give in and be submissive."
Babusa was the one that spoke, "It's only a matter of time before the Sea People concrete their power over Meroe. The four have begun to order their men into the cities. The people are in a panic. Once the people feel like we are no longer in control then we have lost."
Widow came forward, "Then if we can't gain control we have to make sure that they aren't in control as well."
Achebe shook his head, "They'll kill us all if we go back to war."
Another advisor came forward. She was the high priestess of Hathor, "The gods will protect us."
Babusa shook his head, "The gods have abandoned us. As well as General Si Ren."
"Si Ren wouldn't abandon us," I disagreed, "He's gone to Egypt to gather men. Egypt will remain loyal to my rule. He knows that. My wife is there and orders another 15,000 troops. If Si Ren can gather my wife's army from Egypt and reinforcements from Napata or Kerma we can win this war. I didn't tell you about these reserves because I didn't think it'd matter if they took Meroe."
The advisors begun to whisper amongst themselves.
"King be reasonable," Achebe stated, "These men will be ready. They will have their navy as well as our resources. Each day they will grow stronger."
"Not if we attack them from the inside," I stated.
"What do you mean?"
"Trust your king," Widow stated.
I could tell she knew where I was going. This had been her plan as much as mine. I had gone to her before I had gathered my advisors. She was the mastermind of all of this.
"They think I'm a siren. It's a seducer that leads men to their downfall. Axum is attracted to me. That is the beginning. I am going to turn them all against each other..."
And my armies will sweep into Meroe and take back city in the mist of all the chaos...