Flail of the Pharoah (21 page)

‘My queen,’ he said at last, ‘you know I will serve you in all things, giving my very life for your service, but this request is unorthodox to say the least. A crowned queen of Egypt should never abase herself before any man or woman.’

‘I understand your hesitation, but is there no precedent amongst the gods for the ritual punishment of a divine female?’

Tut-Tut frowned, deep in thought. ‘You know the history of the sky goddess, Nut, who incurred the wrath of King Ra? She was separated from her twin brother, Geb, whom she married against Ra’s will.’

Mira nodded. ‘The pair were thrust asunder, and Nut’s arched body formed the heavens. She is the mother of the sun, and protector of the dead.’

‘But her sin, like yours, was to defy the Great Ra and follow her heart. As Ra punished Nut, so you must be punished. Your body shall form an arch over this sarcophagus, and you shall offer yourself as a living sacrifice in place of the goddess.’

‘As you wish, Tut-Tut.’

She was satisfied with his analogy and promptly bent over the open coffin so that her feet were on one side and her hands just reached the floor on the other. The finished tombs in the Valley of the Nobles showed Nut in her starry garb on the vaulted ceiling, protecting the sarcophagus beneath, and Mira felt it appropriate to mimic her attitude. Nut had, along with Isis and Hathor, always been one of her favourite goddesses.

Tut-Tut reverently hitched up her royal garments to reveal her bare buttocks. Then there was a hiatus while the high priest prepared himself. Mira felt a warm surge of anticipation fill her entire body, and she wriggled her hips as she awaited the chastisement she both desired and dreaded. Ideally it should be the Pharaoh performing this task. She longed to submit to her husband completely, to have him master her as he held sway over the whole of Egypt. She ached to feel his divine power subduing her, just as he held sway over the royal court and the population at large. He was the gods’ own representative on earth and it was fitting that he should administer their justice.

So she would imagine it was King Seti, not this priest, who was punishing her for her pride and dissatisfaction. The Pharaoh in his ritual mask of Anubis! The very thought made her quiver with dark passion, and she felt her body melt into a yielding jelly. Behind her she could hear Tut-Tut moving about, girding his loins for the task ahead, and her excitement grew. Her nipples were hard and thrusting, her cleft wet and she pushed her delta against the rock and felt her swollen clitoris throb.

The high priest, practiced in the ways of the temple, began to intone in a dull monotone.

‘Oh, Great Lord Ra, we beg thee to regard thy sister, Queen Mira, wife of King Seti, as the living image of Nut, the goddess of the sky, whom thou hast cast asunder from her brother, the earth. She has humbled herself before thy sight, Oh Great One, and wishes to be punished on behalf of her heavenly sister. Bless the hand that shall strike her, the whip that shall fall upon her, and the flesh that shall receive the holy chastisement.’

As the prayer continued Mira found herself sliding into a state of ecstatic excitement. She felt rooted to the spot, her legs and arms straining to hold her position, but her body felt light as air. She heard the high priest take a step back and ready himself to administer the penalty. Then, with a sound like a rush of wind she heard his belt cut through the air and felt it land upon her naked fundament.

Although she had been well prepared the shock of the impact made her gasp. The priest’s belt was made of fine woven cloth but it had small amulets of faience sewn into it at intervals, and these pierced her tender skin. She bit into her lower lip as the pain took hold, but was determined not to show her feelings to the old man. Right now she was a goddess, being punished for an ancient cosmic sin, and she must endure the ordeal with the utmost dignity and restraint.

Yet it was hard to maintain her composure as stroke upon stroke fell upon her defenceless rear, increasing her agony until she could barely stand. Her arms and legs ached from their unnatural positioning, and the edge of the stone block on which the sarcophagus stood was digging into her groin. All this was in addition to the searing pain that swept through her as a wave of excruciating fire, with every new blow from the studded belt.

Through it all Mira was sustained by the image of her husband, the Pharaoh, wielding his flail as a symbol of his potency over the whole of Egypt. He was Ra, the Great Father, and she was Nut, his erring daughter. The chastisement was just and deserved. Afterwards she would be cleansed of all sin, and the satisfaction of being mastered by such a powerful man, a divine being, would be overwhelming. The more she suffered, the greater would her relief be.

Eventually the punishment ceased, either because Tut-Tut deemed it sufficient or because his flabby arm had tired of wielding the belt. Perhaps both. Mira collapsed with a low moan over the sarcophagus and felt her bottom throbbing in the afterglow of the beating. The sharp pain began to dull, but she could feel another sensation beginning: the throbbing of her love-bud, which had become aroused and sensitised. Her desire for love was strong and filled her belly like a dull hunger.

The thought of making any kind of sexual overture to the high priest was both unthinkable, since he repelled her, and futile, since he was a eunuch. Instead Mira couldn’t help dreaming of her husband and hoping she might seduce him as soon as possible after her return to the palace. The experience she had just undergone gave her confidence in her female powers, and surely the gods would look favourably upon her now she had taken the sin of Nut upon herself and been punished for it, in place of the goddess. When at last she straightened up in the dark tomb it was with the regal bearing of a true Queen of Egypt.

Tut-Tut sensed a subtle change in her. ‘Your majesty,’ he murmured, with a low bow. ‘I beg your forgiveness for any pain I have caused you. The gods will witness that I was only carrying out your will, to satisfy your most secret desire.’

Mira smiled, almost fondly. ‘I know, Tut-Tut, and be assured this will remain a close secret between us. Now, shall we set forth? I have had enough of this gloomy tomb and long for the sunlight again. Pray lead the way.’

He bowed again and took the torch to light their way out to the outside world. Mira blinked in the bright light, and staggered with the effort of putting one foot in front of the other. Her rear was on fire and every step a torment, but the effect of golden light and azure sky was to put her in high spirits. The litter was waiting with two bearers, and the donkey moodily munching on hay nearby. Soon the small party was on its way back to the river.

If the hours she spent in that dismal tomb had been both hell and heaven for Charmian, the journey back to the royal palace was purgatory. With her buttocks still raw from their beating she could hardly bear the jolting of the litter as her stalwart bearers stumbled over the rough ground towards the Nile. At last she was in the boat, but sitting on the bench was almost impossible, despite the cushion Prince Neshi provided for her. It was only when she was allowed to walk the last few yards through the palace precincts that Charmian began to feel normal again.

‘My mother has said you should go to her chamber, not to the harem,’ Neshi informed her once they entered the palace.

‘Oh?’ This came as a total surprise to Charmian.

He smiled and his handsome face lit up with youthful merriment, making her heart stir despite her pain. ‘You will be well taken care of after your ordeal. Iras has orders to make sure you are comfortable, and I shall oversee the arrangements personally.’

It seemed strange that one minute she was being treated like the lowest slave in the kingdom and the next like a princess. Charmian could make no sense of it but knew by now that she had no choice but to accept the whims of her royal superiors.

‘Thank you, your highness,’ she said, striving to conceal her inner turmoil. With the king and queen otherwise engaged she would be at the crown prince’s mercy, yet the prospect filled her with a strange yearning. It was he who had used his belt against her and she should fear him, but mingled with her fear was a longing to submit completely to his royal will once again.

He led her to his mother’s apartments where Iras was awaiting them. She bowed demurely as they entered and drew back the screen around the bed, indicating with an elegant wave of her hand that Charmian should lie upon it.

It was a physical relief to lie facedown on the cool linen sheets and close her eyes, but tormenting visions soon came of the tomb and the dark funerary rites that had led to her being trussed up like a mummy by the funerary workers. She had been all but embalmed. Her body trembled involuntarily at the memory, but soon her skirts were drawn up and a gentle hand placed upon her bottom, applying a soothing unguent. Charmian sighed, sinking further into the mattress as the girl’s fingers worked in circles around her buttocks to apply the healing salve.

‘Here, let me take over,’ she heard Neshi say, after a few minutes. ‘That is enough, Iras. You may go and tell the king that his son has rescued his concubine, but that she is too weak to accept visitors. Tell him… tell him to look in at the queen’s chambers in an hour or so.’

Charmian sensed when she was alone with the prince and her pulse began to race. His touch was firmer than that of Iras and she could hear his breathing as he worked the cream deep into her sore buttocks. She wiggled slightly and felt his fingers probe a little way into the deep divide between her cheeks, and she uttered a soft moan.

‘Does that feel better, little one?’ she heard him whisper into her ear, his hot breath fanning her cheek. She nodded. ‘And this?’

Before she realised what he was up to, Neshi had slipped a finger between the swollen lips of her vulva and was massaging her clitoris. The keen sensations made her gasp as they aroused her libido, making her want him all the more. She parted her thighs and pressed her mons into the mattress, seeking satisfaction.

‘You little cat,’ he breathed. ‘If you were mine I would penetrate you instantly because my cock is thick and hot for you. But it’s more than my life’s worth to poach my father’s pussy. You’ll have to be content with… this…’ He thrust his finger right inside her and was met by a strong seepage of liquid as she convulsed with pleasure. Her buttocks rose and fell as she ground her vulva against his hand, heedless of all except her approaching climax.

‘Hot pussy,’ he murmured, squeezing his free hand beneath her to pinch her erect nipples. ‘You are making me so hot, too. Imagine my royal cock broaching your wet chasm and riding you mercilessly. That’s what you really want, isn’t it?’

Charmian groaned all the louder as the sensations grew keener, almost driving her out of her mind. She knew that Neshi was the monster who had beaten her with his belt, and yet she couldn’t help herself, she still wanted him. He had mastered her in pain, and now she longed for him to master her in pleasure too.

It didn’t take long before her cunny convulsed and the ecstasy poured through her, turning her body into liquid fire and making her groan and sigh. She was dimly aware of the princely finger inside her, turning and wriggling and plunging, and then she heard him gasp as his own climax burst upon him. He bit into the nape of her neck as he came, collapsing onto her back, and the pair of them rolled around on the bed as if glued together for a few seconds before they fell apart, spent and gasping.

‘You minx!’ he breathed at last. ‘Even after I’ve doled out the most severe punishment you still have the power to overcome me, and lose yourself to me into the bargain. Is there no end to your wickedness?’

‘I’m sorry, your highness, I meant no harm.’

‘You do me harm every breath you take,’ he sighed, rolling onto his back and staring at the star-studded ceiling. ‘You cannot help it, I know, but your wanton animal nature is to blame. I doubt it can ever be completely beaten out of you.’

Charmian must have dozed off because she awoke with a start, some time later, to hear the trumpeters braying their announcement of the king’s approach. Wild-eyed she sat up in the bed to find herself arrayed in a thin but decent tunic, with Neshi and Iras standing to attention beside the bed. Before she could gather her wits completely the Pharaoh strode into the chamber and walked straight up to the bed.

‘Thank the gods you are returned to us unharmed,’ he declared, taking her hand and raising it to his lips. ‘I feared I should never set eyes on you again. Rest assured that the brutes who carried you off shall be tracked down and pay the severest penalty.’

‘Sire, I am relieved to be back,’ she said, recovering her composure quickly.

He sat beside her on the bed and put his hand on her forehead. ‘No fever, I hope? You must rest, child. Iras shall look after you until you are well and strong again.’

But then there was something happening in the doorway, and Charmian was vaguely aware of Iras talking to a guard before returning to the bedside. ‘Sire,’ she began, curtseying, ‘there is good news. The queen is on her way back from her mother’s tomb in the West Bank.’

‘Really?’ Seti’s eyes lit up. ‘Then she shall know of her son’s great service in recovering this poor creature from our enemies.’ He smiled down at Charmian, his dark eyes solicitous. ‘But you cannot stay here much longer, my dear. Iras, have a secluded bed made up for her in the harem and make sure she has everything she needs.’

‘Yes, your majesty,’ she murmured, and then hurried off to do his bidding.

Charmian lay back, forcing a weak smile. She felt uncomfortable seeing the Pharaoh at her bedside like some nursemaid. This was not how she wanted her lord and master to behave. Why, his son had been more manly towards her. Yet she’d seen him delivering ruthless justice, so she knew it was in him to be more domineering.

The thought of invoking that spirit in him was exciting to her after all she’d experienced, first in the tomb and now right here. She felt inclined to giggle about it. What would Mira say if she knew her own son had pleasured the king’s concubine in her own bed? Perhaps she might make some capital out of it somehow…

She was thinking like an Egyptian! Had the devious ways of the royals and their courtiers brushed off on her? If so, she must learn to turn every situation to her advantage or be forever the pawn of others.

‘You go with Iras,’ she heard the Pharaoh say, interrupting her reverie, and she opened her eyes to see the girl holding a linen robe for her shoulders.

‘Can you walk or would you prefer a litter?’ Seti asked.

‘I am perfectly well and able to walk, thank you,’ she responded, perhaps a little too primly for his liking, because he frowned at her.

‘I do not want you to tire yourself. You have been through a terrible ordeal and soon you shall tell me all about it, but not until you are thoroughly rested. Take her arm, Iras, and lead her to her bed.’

Charmian thought it wise to act feeble, and went limping off on Iras’s arm. The harem was filled with dozing women when they arrived, but a screened area had been arranged for her in a far corner, with a bed and a pitcher of beer, some fruit and bread in case she grew hungry.

Charmian did not know whether Iras had been as good a friend to her as she imagined, giving her that herbal elixir. It had dulled her senses so that she could not fight or protest when those ruffians captured her and began binding her in the linen bands. Had that been her intention? Had she been, perhaps, simply acting on orders from the queen, pretending to be her friend but really acting as her enemy?

She feigned sleep to encourage the other woman to leave her alone. Iras soon departed, but it was not long before Charmian sensed another presence at her bedside. She looked through the half-closed slits of her eyes and realised it was Kiya.

‘So, you are back,’ the other girl whispered. ‘I heard they bound you up like a mummy then left you for dead.’

‘Who told you?’ Charmian snapped, mortified that her story seemed to be spreading around the palace.

‘Never mind. Just let’s say that Lord Anubis wasn’t offering you much protection despite your dream, was he?’

The venom in her tone took Charmian aback, but before she could think of a retort Kiya disappeared into the shadows like the slippery creature she was.

Queen Mira returned to the palace amidst much pomp and ceremony, as befitted her enhanced reputation as a woman who honoured her own mother so devoutly. The Pharaoh awaited her at the grand entrance and kissed her in greeting, to general applause, then led her into his private quarters where he had fresh fruits and date wine awaiting her.

‘My dear queen,’ he said, smiling broadly, ‘your piety becomes you. And I am pleased to say that the Festival of Opet has concluded with some excellent news. Our troublesome borders have been pacified. Peace shall reign throughout our land, since our enemies have lost the will to oppose us.’

‘Really, is this true?’ Mira said, suddenly wide awake and all ears.

He looked directly into her eyes. ‘Yes, my dear, the gods have smiled upon us. They do, indeed, move in mysterious ways because I did not have to raise a finger in defence of our land. This morning I had a message that the border was quiet and the Syrians have retreated into their own land. They are no longer a threat to this kingdom.’

‘Well that is wonderful news, if indeed rather strange. I wonder what could have induced them to retreat all of a sudden like that.’ Mira plucked a ripe fig from the bowl and sucked thoughtfully on the sweet pulp. Could it be as a result of her ‘sacrifice’ in the tomb that their enemies had been quietened? Only one man knew the answer to that question: Tut-Tut. She must consult him as soon as possible.

‘There is more good news,’ her husband went on. ‘The young concubine, Charmian, has been found unharmed by our son. I believe he put those ruffians to rout in the process, so I am very proud of him and you should be too.’

Mira said she already knew, but she murmured her praise of the prince even though her smile was more of a sneer. If the king only knew how his son had really treated his favourite.

‘But you must be tired,’ Seti said kindly, encouraging her to lie down on his huge bed. He waved the servants away until only the distant music of the harp destroyed the illusion that they were completely alone. Then he kissed her hand. His kisses travelled up her arm and she felt roused, desirous of him. Although her body ached and her bottom was still sore, she felt the old urges renew themselves deep within her. With a deft twitch of her husband’s tunic she revealed his penis, but it lay sad and still between his thighs.

He grinned at her, somewhat sheepishly. ‘It looks as though my poor instrument is tired too. But I do not wish to trouble you unduly.’

‘Husband, I am never too tired for you.’

She leaned back with a sigh as his lips nuzzled her breasts, and let the delicious feelings wash over her like a warm wave. This was her triumphant moment, and she would savour it. The Pharaoh’s enemies had been subdued and so had her rival, that trumped up carnival queen. She was the real Queen of Egypt, and in his heart Seti knew it.

Mira was revelling in their lovemaking more than ever. It was doubly sweet after the beating she had endured. Seti’s mouth travelled down her body and arrived at her vulva, and in the process of licking and sucking her he pushed her bottom roughly into the mattress, but she endured the pain willingly. She was so absorbed in her ecstasy that nothing else mattered.

Several times he roused her to the point of no return, but then he lay back exhausted and Mira knew she would get nothing more vigorous from him that night. The endless days and nights of carnival feasting had taken it out of him, for he was no longer a young man.

‘My queen,’ he murmured as they lay together afterwards, his hands still toying with her breasts. ‘You will always be my first love. Nothing can take that away from you.’

Mira understood the veiled reference to that upstart concubine and her mood hardened. She would fight to retain the love of the Pharaoh, and now she had an idea how it might be accomplished. Every man liked to dominate a woman and she would show Seti that he was no exception. She rolled over onto her stomach and Seti soon noticed the state of her bottom, just as she had intended.