2 days since the command

The workers were tired from the construction of the gardens, that was to be expected. That was what his plan was for. That was why he’d brought some of his royal guards and mounted his litter down the streets of the city.

Of course, Hammu came with him, he insisted in fact as part of his recompense for his actions, as loyal as always.

Despite his best efforts there was a plague that was always present in the city, that of beggars and lethargic layabouts who cowered in streetcorners and alleyways. They begged for money to satiate themselves every day without doing any actual work and most of them could stand and walk! If they could do that then they were no invalids, just shiftless idle leaches.

So, he would rid the people of those leaches and parasites and gain workers for his new project in one fell swoop! It was a brilliant plan if he did say so himself, but he wanted to make it a surprise to everyone, a gift, something that not even Hammu would expect. He probably thought that they were just going to the market to announce the completion of the gardens and the plans for the statue. Alas, Hammu lacked the grand vision that he, Othoes the Immortal, had.

As usual, the plaza was buzzing with activity as every sight, smell, and language known on earth loudly made itself known to everyone and everything. It was said that in the Imperial Bazaar that if an item or product existed, you could buy it there. The perfect heart to his city and the best place to make an impromptu announcement.

Ah—

Already he could see a few of the leaches… Well, his guards had been told what to do and didn’t even need his signal to start corralling them together to take them with him to the podium at the foot of the central obelisk.

As Othoes’s procession passed heads turned, struck by the awe of their glorious pharaoh and trembling in admiration of him! It was always glorious to see the masses’ reaction to his presence and from the looks it seemed he’d be getting a large audience too as usual. Merchants and customers walked from the stalls to follow behind him, heads bowed respectfully after they had taken their glimpse of him.

The people parted for his litter as it was set down at the perfect height for him beside the gilded obelisk, a mighty monument to the kingdom built in granite and sandstone. Of course, it wasn’t as glorious as anything he had made, but the pharaohs of the past did make a few good monuments with this obelisk amongst them. Apparently, this one was made by N- Nubit- Nubiti the 3rd or something like that, he hadn’t paid attention to the useless tutors when they were talking about historical pharaohs. After all, Othoes would be the only name men of the future would need to know so why did he have to know any else either?

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He stepped up the podium, planting his feet firmly into the groves in the stone where many times he and others had done the same. All around him were his people, looking down still in perfect silence.

“Lift your eyes people of Kush! Lift them and behold your pharaoh!”

They eagerly and instantly followed his command, already hanging on his every word with nervous excitement.

“The Pharoh’s Gardens are now complete! Up there in the sky, you can already see it filling with life and greenery as an oasis inside the city sat astride the great desert! Now you can sit in its shade, taste its fruits, and explore its lower floors as a gift from me to you!”

He spread his arms wide in front of the people, hearing first the clapping beside him from Hammu and then it spreading across the crowd into a cacophony of noise! Oh, how wonderful it was! But now was the time for his second announcement. He moved his hands and put one to his side as the other one rose to call the crowd to silence.

“But yet, while it may be awe-inspiring, it does not capture the pure majesty of my titles! There is still yet room for something greater, something that will immortalise everyone who touches it into the annals of history. So, that is why I will embark on a second project, one even greater than the gardens and will be built upon the highest of the five crests overlooking the city! It will be a statue of me!”

He put his arms out again, but the clapping took a little longer to catch on, strange… But again, after a while, he put his hand up to silence the crowd to continue.

“It will be a great task but one that will be well worth it. For one, all those who volunteer to work on it will not only get good food and drink but also have the opportunity, graciously provided by me, to have their names carved into the base below my titles! This is the greatest honour anyone here can be bestowed with, as great as receiving praise from the sun king himself!”

Another round of applause came, but again a little delayed… Maybe they were just too stunned by his plans that it took them a moment to understand and praise them. Anyway, time for the surprise.

“At the same time I will also be ridding this city of a menace, all the leeches who sit idle on the street claiming to be unable to work will be taken by my guards to work on this project! Both to provide new slaves for the project and make life more comfortable for you! If it goes well, I will be extending this to all those who are not working with proper fervour and they too will be taken as slaves of the kingdom to work on the project until it is complete and their ethic improves, solving our societal ills!”

Even Hammu seemed a little stunned by that as he stood with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. But as Othoes locked eyes with him his expression quickly changed to a broad smile as he signalled the crowd to cheer. The clapping then ensued, growing into a proper cheer as Othoes raised his own arms in kind as the entire crowd seemed to quiver.

What glorious ideas he came up with…