Sly Cats

    "This is an outrage! How dare he request such a thing! Cambyses is a fool if he thinks I would even consider..." the pharaoh continues, muttering to himself.  A young woman walks into the room and kneels between the guards on either side of the throne. "Rise, my child." The woman stands, her white gown flowing around her and smiles beautifully. "You sent for me, father?" Suddenly remembering his rage, the pharaoh stands and thrusts the worn letter at his daughter. She quickly skims the paper, translating the language mentally. Her copper skin pales as she understands the request of Cambyses. Swallowing, she carefully folds the letter and hands it back to her father. "So, we will do as he asks. We must if we wish to avoid a war."
    "No! I will not give my daughter over to become a concubine of a Persian!" Pharaoh Amasis screams, pounding a fist on the arm of his throne. In an attempt to soothe her father, Princess Aseneth reasons, "He asks for marriage, not..." His face contorted with anger, the pharaoh spits out, "I do not care what he asks for! This son of Cyrus knows nothing. I will not bend my knee to him." Reaching out a hand Aseneth begs, "But, father the people..."
    "Enough. I do this out of love for you! You are dismissed!" Aseneth bows stiffly, containing her temper and quickly exits. In the hall she is passed by her father's chief adviser, a cruel and greedy man who holds her eye contact too long for comfort. Aseneth is sure he will influence the pharaoh negatively and encourage his foolish ideas even more. Shaking her head with disappointment in her father, the princess sets off to make plans of her own, plans to escape.

    Nitetis stands quietly, awaiting the king of Persia's entrance into the reception hall. At the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, a guard motions for her to bow. Scowling, she kneels, barely containing her anger at the whole situation. A hearty voices commands, "Stand, Princess of Egypt." Nitetis stands and is offered the hand of a handsome young king, causing her determination to waver. The king smiles and begins, "Your father was so good to offer his only daughter. I could not be more honored."

    "My King Cambyses, I need to speak to you immediately," she glances at the many servants and guards pretending not to listen intently, "and alone." Frowning, Cambyses nods and waves for all to quickly leave. The room empty, Nitetis is slightly intimidated by the king's stature and radiant arrogance. "What is it?" he snaps, all graciousness gone. Looking him in the eye, she explains, "I am not the princess of Egypt. My name is Nitetis, daughter of Apries the late pharaoh. I was sent in the stead of Aseneth daughter of Amasis for he could not bear to part with his offspring. I will not stand the dishonor of-" With each word, the king's face grows more and more red until he roars, spittle flying out of his mouth, "What?!" He backhands her, sending her flying into a vase which crashes onto the floor and breaks. The shattering and sobs of the girl cause the guards to rush back into the room. The King towers over Nitetis shouting, "You speak to me of dishonor? You dare?" Nitetis trembles in his shadow, merely whimpering. "Arrest this woman! I want her in the dungeon! And send for my messengers!" The guards roughly grab Nitetis's arms as she calls out, "But my Lord! I told you the truth! I exposed the trickery and this is how you repay me?" Tears stream down her swelling face, "Let me stay and help you plan your revenge!" Cambyses raises a finger, halting the guards' progress and turns slowly around. "Do you know anything of value?" Practically begging, Nitetis nods. "I was very close with the king's daughter and she with one of his leading generals, the legendary Phanes of Halicarnassus. I know many things." The king smiles, his mood changing yet again. "Excellent, show this young lady to a chamber near mine. We have much discussing to do, Nitetis. And please," he pauses before stepping out the door, "do not disappoint me again. We have a war to begin."

    The King and Nitetis stand over a table where a letter from a Persian spy is spread. "This is excellent news! Amasis is dead and with his inexperienced son Psamtik as heir, this leans even more in our favor!" The king exclaims when he is finished reading. Nitetis nods absentmindedly and begins taking notes. Ignoring her lukewarm response, Cambyses begins chatting in earnest with one of the other advisers in the room, sharing the good news. A servant quietly approaches the king and hands him a crisp note. Quickly he scans it and whispers in the servant's ear before she dashes out the door. A few glance up at the unusual behavior but no one questions the king. Moments tick by before a rugged, tired man is escorted into the room by an entourage of guards. At the head of the table, Nitetis tenses as she recognizes the man. The traveler kneels until Cambyses commands him otherwise. "Phanes of Halicarnassuss, rise and state your business." The man stands and huffs out, "King Cambyses, I have come to offer you my aid and what little information I can supply." The king steeples his fingers and taps them against his mouth, considering, "Why is it that Pharaoh Amasis has surrounded himself with so many traitors? It seems as if Egypt has already lost the war." Phanes sways with weakness from his long journey and at a nod from the king is led to a chair and given water. Knowing that he will have to wait before getting any answers, the king returns to his previous conversation with one of his generals. Quietly sitting, Phanes' glossy eyes roam about the room until he sees Nitetis. He calls out loudly, "Nitetis! I thought you would be dead!" He rises and stumbles to the girl, grasping her arms. "Aseneth will weep with joy upon your reunion!" Nitetis pulls away roughly and hisses out, "Aseneth will weep with anger that I was not killed." She rushes from the room, leaving Phanes standing confused and everyone else in the room very curious.

    Princess Aseneth darts through the darkened palace halls, a cloak dramatically fluttering behind her. Pulling her hood lower, she slips behind a curtain to wait for a patrol to pass. Her heart pounds so loudly she fears it will reveal her. But, the soldier walks on, oblivious to her presence. Momentarily relieved, Aseneth continues her mission until she reaches the balcony that overlooks the largest courtyard in the palace. The princess carefully looks upon the scene beneath her. Despite the late hour, the whole area is flooded with torches' light, casting dark shadows. In the center four figures kneel on the ground, their wrists and ankles tightly bound with a chain holding their feet to the floor. Behind them holding long daggers are four priests wearing hooded robes in the color black. The whole courtyard is lined with many alert guards, their armor glinting in the harsh light and beside them many of the Pharaoh's closest advisers. Standing before the inert men is Psamtik the Third, son of Amasis. Aseneth glares at her brother, wondering what trouble he is creating now. As if hearing his sister's question, Psamtik raises his arms and addresses the four priests, "We shall begin with the youngest." The preist nods and pulls the boy before him to his feet. The twelve year old struggles to stand with his ankles bound and stumbles forward. The priest roughly grabs his hair and yanks him upright, causing the boy to cry out in pain. Turning his tear-streaked face defiantly toward the pharoah the boy spits at him. Rolling his eyes, Psamtik grins eerily, "You will have to do better than that, child." Then to the priest, "Go on." The hooded man raises his dagger and quickly slits the child's throat, letting him fall to the ground. The nearest chained man lunges toward the boy screaming incoherently, but cannot do anything. The other captives remain silent as tears stream down their contorted faces. "Jabari!" The man screams, clawing toward the now still boy. Above Princess Aseneth shakes uncontrollably, trying to conceal her sobs. The priest kneels by the boy, placing a cup under the blood flow. The pharaoh says nothing, but merely nods at the next priest who calls a guard over to help him with the flailing, screaming man. It ends quickly and the sudden silence fills the room. Aseneth forces her eyes up to the night sky, wanting to drown in the inky darkness. Below, her brother calls out, "Do the next one, quickly!" She stands to run and falls across the floor, throwing up all over herself. A guard comes running, but Aseneth does not care anymore. He yells out to someone else, "It is the princess, she is sick! Hurry!" To Aseneth the world seems to crack open and blood pours out, drowning her. So she screams. Men and women swarm her, carrying her to the infirmary and trying to diagnose the illness. But, there is nothing to cure a sick heart, for Aseneth's heart aches inconsolably for the dead sons of Phanes of Halicarnassuss.

    It was nearly noonday when the army received their command from King Cambyses. Without question, the order was fulfilled: the image of cats painted on every Persian shield and helmet as well as all stray cats captured and turned in to each commanding officer. In the main tent Phanes stands before the war counsel, once again answering questions for them. He looks starved and dying in spite of the abundance of food and medicines he has been offered. After the news of his sons' gruesome deaths, Phanes has seemed to fade into nothing. Exasperated, he explains once again, "Yes, I told you. The cats will not stop them, but they will make a huge difference. The Egyptians hold them sacred above all else, and would not risk infuriating their own gods." Each Persian nods, not listening very well. The King speaks up, "Very well, we continue with the original plan. Dismissed." All counsel members leave the tent except for Phanes who is summoned to sit with the King. Pouring himself a glass of wine, the King questions Phanes, "Why is it that Nitetis was so upset with you when you arrived?" Phanes rubs his weary face with a thin hand, shaking his head, "I think because I did not step in soon enough to keep her from being sent away. She and Aseneth, defying all odds, were very close friends, but I do not think that Nitetis will ever forgive her friend for being the cause of her exile." The King nods in agreement. "If I granted her freedom, would that make her happy?" Phanes looks up, startled. "Why, yes! I think that would please her greatly! But, why, King Cambyses?" The King pauses a moment to swirl his wine goblet. "She has helped me a great deal and I think that I owe her quite a bit.That is all." The worn man nods, satisfied, and rises to leave the tent. Before he exits the king calls after him, "Oh, and Phanes," he smiles grimly, "do try and get some rest."
    "I will try my best." Phanes says graciously, bowing before leaving. "But, I never sleep anymore." He mumbles to himself outside the tent.

    Chaos. Complete utter chaos. And yet, within the chaos a definitive upper hand. The battle was almost pathetic. After the Persians lined up and began the charge across the plain, they released the cats. And that's why the battle was pathetic. The Egyptians panicked just as Phanes had predicted and could not strike against the Persians, leaving the Persians no choice but to slaughter them. The flock of carrion could be seen for miles across the wide expanse. The dead bodies produced a smell that tasted toxic in the air. But, still the Persians rejoiced for they had lost only seven thousand to the Egyptians' fifty thousand. The entire country praised the son of Cyrus for his great victory and the capture of the Pharaoh. But, few knew that the king had not planned the battle. He had not understood the gravity of taking so many lives without true reason. He had not trained or fought with his warriors. In truth, King Cambyses was only a pale shadow in comparison to his father, a fact that would later lead to his fall and eventually to the fall of the great empire of Persia.

    This story was difficult to write because there was no real hero. Each character had major flaws and I did my best to not excuse them, but to tell the story as it was. Aside from the name of Amasis' daughter (no name is mentioned historically) this account is completely true. Psamtik the Third was cruel where his father was foolish. He sought out Phanes' sons as an disgusting act of revenge and forced his counsel members to drink the dead men's blood as a warning to any who would betray him. While Phanes was foolish for leaving his family behind, I do majorly admire the ingenuity of using the Egyptian's religion against them in the releasing of the cats. In this major Battle of Pelusium Persia came to be an even greater power through the death of thousands. If you enjoyed please follow! I post every two weeks! And major shoutout to my amazing sister Abi who edits each of these posts and does an awesome job at it! Thank you so much! Love you!