It was a cold and windy night; in the palace were cries of a newborn, Akmos. Surrounding him was his father, mother and older brother, Kamos. Akmos and Kamos were sons of the king of Thebes. Kamos was ten years older than Akmos and was excited to have a new baby brother. The night was still young, but a darkness was upon them. Egypt was invaded with foreigners who threatened to take over all of Egypt. Their northern enemy was Hyksos and their southern enemy was Nubia.
The next day the king began to prepare for a war to keep his family safe. He was tired of how low his kingdom had fallen. He was in his room putting on his armor when his wife walked in with their newborn. She rocked Akmos back and forth in her arms. "Dear what are you doing?" she asked him while looking at Akmos. The king signaled his servants to stop and turned to face his wife, "I am preparing to defend my kingdom. My sons will not be raised in a kingdom that is invaded by these intruders." His wife sat down and took a deep breath. "Can't you send someone else?" she asked. The king signaled his servants to come back. "And where is the honor in that? A war without its king is for cowards," yelled the king with a straight face. Just after, Kamos walked in with a wooden dagger. "What's this boy?" asked the king as he took the wooden dagger away. "I am going with you, into battle," replied Kamos as he tried to take back his dagger. The king pulled out a real dagger from his waist and handed it to Kamos. " I need you to fight a different battle, one that is most important. Kamos, your mission is to stay behind and protect your mother and brother." The king hugged his sons and wife right before he left.
A week later the royal guards returned and from far away Kamos noticed the chariot He was running back from the fields to greet his father home. With his father's dagger held tight in his hands he rushed back, but was stopped by his mother's cries. She was kneeling on the ground while one of her servants was trying to help her back up. He slowly walk toward his mother and the guards. "Where is father?" asked Kamos. "Your father was murdered," replied a guard. Kamos dropped the dagger. He looked down to pick it up. As he lifted his father's dagger, his last words came to mind. He walk over to his mother and placed his hand on her shoulder.
That same night they began the burial ceremony. Kamos stayed in his room silently until he was notified that his father was going to be taken to his tomb. Kamos had not shed a tear since he heard of his fathers death. He walked over to his father's casket with the dagger in his hands. He stood next to it and finally his eyes began to water. He looked at the dagger and said, "with this dagger I will do what was done to my father, my king, my pharaoh." From that point on he demanded training in battle. Every morning he began his fitness training and then went on to battle training. In the evenings he would study military tactics. As years went by, Akmos began to walk and run. Akmos watched his brother, Kamos during his intense training. Akmos tried to play with him a few times, but he was always rejected. Kamos would repeat the same thing, "we are at a war and its up to us to finish it."
Kamos was 20 years old by the time he felt ready to avenge his father. He consulted his military chief and every time he was in a meeting he held his father's dagger as a reminder. The time came when Kamos felt he was ready to take on his father's work to restore Egypt to its glory once more. Suddenly two guards returned from their nightly watch. They had capture a messenger running to Nubia from Hyksos. They planned to take over all of Egypt together. Kamos sent out word to his army to prepare for battle that same night. Just like his father before him, he stood in his chambers getting ready for war. Akmos walked in with a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Kamos looked at his brother and approached him as he pulled out their father's dagger. Akmos dropped his sword and took the dagger. Kamos then repeated his father's words, "I need you to fight a different battle, one that is most important. Akmos your mission is to protect our mother and our kingdom. I will capture our enemy and bring him to justice within egyptian walls." Then Kamos set off into to the darkness to fight, leaving his brother behind. Kamos stood watch until his brother was just a small dot in the open field and then he was gone.
Akmos began to train for war the next morning and like his brother he kept the dagger with him at all times. He trained day and night until his body couldn't move any more. Every morning he would send a guard to hear if there was word from his brother Kamos. A few months later he finally got a message from his brother. His first battle was a success and he was going to move on to the capitol. Kamos told Akmos in a letter how he was victorious.
"Brother, it was as the gods had told me in my dream. We captured a spy and learned of the locations of our enemies. It was as if the gods had sent them to be placed under my mercy. We had the advantage over the battle. During the fight the gods blessed me with their godly power and made me invisible I was the fiercest warrior that gobbled up any enemy standing in my way. I moved forward and with the slightest movement I won the battle. We are preparing to move on to the capital to finally show Egypt's true strength. I will write to you once more with my next victory. The gods are with us and victory is ours brother."
Akmos was proud of his brother's victory and celebrated. He walked into his mothers chambers and let her know of their victory. His mother was a very quiet person since her husband was murdered, but she always had wise words to say when she did speak. "son, this is only the beginning, true victory is when our enemies are kissing the very ground they once took for granted." She took Kamos wooden dagger he held once when he was a boy and showed it to Akmos. "This has been replaced with real weapons, I will celebrate when it is restored." Akmos just stared at it for a few minutes and then excused himself.
A few months later he was in the sun training and he heard chariots ride by. Expecting to see a messenger with good news he ran to greet them. To his surprise it was his brothers chariot and a few soldiers. He searched for his brother among them and did not see him. His heart rate began to rise and he began to sweat. A sense of fear suddenly hit him. He looked at the chariot and saw his brothers body wrapped in bloody sheets. Before any of the men spoke he raised his hand to stop them and signaled them to go. They walked away and left him alone tearing by his brothers body. Then he took the dagger which his brother passed on to him and cut a piece of the cloth which covered his brothers body. Akmos then tied it to the dagger and walked away.
Years passed and Akmos was determine to complete his father's and brother's legacy. He took no part in ceremonies or feasts. He studied his lands and had his army scout the enemy nightly. Every night he developed a new plan and every morning he destroyed it because he thought it was not good enough. He always took time to enjoy the smallest pleasures in life like the river. He admired the land and bathe freely. It was here where he found the idea how to win his war and were he also met his love.
She was retrieving water for a bath. As she was walking back to the palace he bumped into her. She apologized right away and bowed. It was the first time he laid eyes on a lady because he spent most of his time studying. She was tanned with long black hair. Her eyes were an almond shape with dark eyelashes. Her lower lip was slightly thicker than the upper lip. Akmos stared at her for a few minutes and then walked away without saying anything. He returned to his study area and wrote down his grand idea to defeat his enemy.
Akmos knew he needed a larger army. He recruited and drafted every eligible man or young adult. He gave them time to train them for battle. He pushed his military chief to train them from sunrise to midnight. The army was beginning to look unified and were properly prepared after a few months. He planned out a root and then finally gave the order to depart. As he was getting ready he notice the girl walk passed the door of his chambers. He then ran after her until he caught up to her. She turned around shocked and confused. She bowed and ask, "how may I be of service my king?" He stood quiet for a moment, then he said,"you may answer three questions for me. The first, are you married?" She looked up at him for a second and then quickly looked down again. "I am not, I have just reached the proper age." Then Akmos asked his second question, "Is your heart loyal to a man?" She answered, "No, It is not loyal to any man yet." He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him. With his other hand he lifted her chin and asked his final question, "will you wait for me?" She took a deep breath. He could feel her heart pulse vibrating throughout her body and through her hands. Then she said "Yes," and he kissed her. He then excused himself and walked away.
Akmos made camp every night and planned a new route so the spies would not be able to guess where they were headed. It was expected that he would attack from a frontal position, but Akmos took the least path taken and went through a very narrow entrance. It was this that caused them to surprise their enemy. They had snuck in between the cracks of his enemy's walls unnoticed. With all his army finally through the wall, he charged into the city. He took out everyone in his path and kept moving forward. His army was like a sandstorm devouring anything in its path. Akmos had reached the palace walls and found the king. He charged at him with such great force. With every blow he remembered his father and brother. He could see their faces in his mind. Flashbacks of his brother's body brought a few tears while he fought the king. Finally he disarmed the king and had him on the ground. Akmos guards then entered and lifted the fallen king up. Akmar looked at the king and pulled out the dagger he kept close. "You shall not die an honorable death here, instead you will died in my kingdom like a slave."
Akmos returned to Egypt with his prisoner and presented him as the fallen king. He then publicly marked the fallen king with the same dagger his father once carried. He gave him the mark of a slave and had him thrown into prison without treatment. The fallen king only lived for three more day because his wounds became infected. Egypt was united once more and Akmos was now free to take a bride. He finally married the girl he met by the river and also pronounce himself as pharaoh.
A year later his wife had their first newborn and we was an excited father. Akmos rocked his son back and forth in his arms for the first time. Then he handed him back to his wife and pulled out a dagger. This dagger was no longer the one he carried for years, it was the wooden dagger his mother showed him a few years ago. Akmos mother watched as he presented the wooden dagger to his baby. Akmos mother smiled and walked away slowly into the darkness. Her wish to restore the wooden dagger to its original purpose had been fulfilled. Akmos was known as the warrior prince and the great pharaoh. The palace once again was surrounded by the cries of a newborn, the new prince of Egypt.
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