Previously on tut...
Ay is a trusted and loyal advisor,
As he was to my father.
(ka) but to what end?
The priests still take advantage of your people.
The mitanni steal food and crops from our borderlands.
We must have a child if we're going to survive, sister.
Perhaps your mind is with someone else.
Use discretion, my queen. He sees more than you know.
I serve only the greater good of egypt.
No, general, you serve me.
You're not ready to lead these men into battle.
The pharaoh is dead.
When we ride into thebes, the glory will be yours.
Why weren't you by his side to protect him?
I was, but battles are not fought without chaos.
(horemheb) when i returned to where he had fallen,
The body was gone.
(tut) i cannot be found.
Why do they want you dead?
You're just a soldier.
It's you.
(horemheb) there's talk of an illness.
People are sick and dying with no cure.
The next army to advance will be ours.
We will have opportunity again
To make our own history and defy their history
And claim for ourselves
What others believe to be rightfully theirs.
I see him.
I hear-- i hear his voice.
He was my brother, above all else.
And i loved him.
So did i.
But we've mourned, and because of that,
Anubis has freed us to live our lives.
Do we deserve it?
I wished for so many years
That we could be married.
But i never wished him dead.
The gods wished it.
It's okay that you still mourn him.
We are with child.
I have told no one else.
We will have a new dynasty that will last 1,000 years.
Hail to thee, amun-ra.
The oldest existence.
Ancient heaven.
Support of all things.
Lord of truth.
Maker of all things above and below.
Arch god.
Deliverer of the sufferer and the oppressed.
Judge of the poor.
Lord of wisdom.
Lord of mercy.
Source of joy,
Whom the very gods rejoice.
Most loving opener of every eye.
Maker of men and beasts and herbs.
The spirits thou hast made extol thee,
Saying, welcome to thee,
Father of the fathers of the gods.
We worship the spirits that reign within us.
God of gods,
King of kings,
He has risen.
God of god,
King of kings,
He has risen again.
(ankhe) brother.
My friend, you still breathe.
My heart swells.
The celebration is yours.
It is your rightful place.
You are a betrayer.
Fate is not what you are given.
It is what you take.
- [groans] - [gasps]
(ankhe) god!
My people! I stand before you,
Nesubity nebkhepepure tutankhamun hekaiunushema.
He who wears the crown and the ruler of all of egypt.
I have returned to you.
I am your pharaoh!
Please, let me remove your clothes.
I cannot remember a day in my life
That you did not know every secret in the kingdom.
You give me too much credit, my lord.
I give you none.
Enough.
General horemheb's deceit is not a revelation.
But if i could not trust my closest friend,
How can i trust anyone who serves me?
Do not count them as those who serve you.
They served only their ambition.
Ka was obviously taken with the promises
Of general horemheb and his own desire,
Which was no secret to anyone.
One you were all too ready to see consummated.
It was the queen's decision, my lord.
I did propose a union between myself and her
To keep ka and horemheb from seizing power,
But she would not be deterred.
In fact, she was determined to act quickly.
Then tell me, vizier...
Whom can i trust?
No one.
Out!
All of you!
And you.
Enough.
He could not have done it.
He could not have done it!
He stood by the general as i lay there bleeding.
He walked away, and he left me to die!
You were badly injured.
You weren't of sound mind.
I was of sight!
No.
He was my brother
As much as any man who shared my blood.
And he left me to rot.
And then he tried to claim what is mine.
You're wrong.
Ka was the most noble man i knew.
He was a pawn.
The general used him
And manipulated him.
Maybe it was you who was the pawn.
Or maybe you both conspired against me.
Is that what you see?
He is a part of me, brother.
Forever.
I will never forgive you.
Were you so afraid of osiris's wrath
That you lacked the courage to do it yourself?
Even i fear the gods.
But you did not fear me.
No one fears you.
You are the boy king that lives behind other men.
What i did, i did for the kingdom,
And that was my duty.
No.
You betrayed your duty.
And in your arrogance, you betrayed egypt,
Not just me.
Now we are without a great general,
Crippling this kingdom that you claim to love.
Now our enemies our fearless.
People think you are risen from the dead.
But i have risen.
From the place where you left me to die.
When you did that, you sealed your own fate.
The mitanni are still a threat.
You cannot defeat them without me.
I will have to.
You're going to die, general.
It will not wait.
Why hasn't his body been made ready for burial?
Orders from the vizier.
The body is to be entombed without ceremony.
It is the pharaoh's wish.
Leave me.
My queen...
Go, sete.
Thank you.
What will i tell our child?
This was not the way.
You've betrayed us both.
[crying] this was not the way.
Why have i been brought here?
Because i intend to make you my wife.
You have a wife.
A queen.
Who does not have my heart.
And do i not have say in being made your wife?
I know this will be difficult at first.
But you have healed more than just my wounds.
You are here because i want you with me.
Even though i'm part mitanni?
This does not matter. You're an egyptian, as well.
That's not how others will see me.
Out there, we were neither.
Suhad, i am bound to my life here.
My customs, my people, my duty, and yes...
The queen.
I want to give you this world,
But i will not force you to take it.
These men are stronger and more resistant
Than any others, yet even they have succumbed to it.
In your absence, it has spread throughout thebes.
This disease cares little for uniform, position, or wealth.
Keep the men in the barracks.
Quarantine any who show symptoms.
Yes, my lord.
Their commander has been arrested and is to be executed.
Ka was their friend and their battle mate.
These men, they ask nothing and say nothing.
Death comes easily in their world.
It is not for them to question.
But there are others in uniform
Who don't share the same sentiment.
That'll spread more rapidly than this disease
When the general is executed.
The man must die, my lord.
But...
A public display
May fan unnecessary flames.
Every egyptian will know the price of treason.
Any flames that are fanned will be extinguished
With his last breath.
My lord, our scouts report no movement from the mitanni.
Perhaps a reprieve for the moment.
Good.
Come. Sit.
Tend to him.
They have not been idle.
They continue to rebuild their army.
Draw allies.
While mine is weakened by this illness.
I'm sorry.
No. There's no need to be.
As you said, perhaps a momentary reprieve.
It's been well dressed.
For a village girl.
Her name is suhad.
She knows more about this world
Than most of the people in this palace.
The people beyond these walls are more than mere peasants.
She's still a peasant.
And mitanni.
She's mine.
What did you say?
She's mine.
She is not your queen.
She is not the one that you married
So that we would have a child in our father's name.
We have a duty to this kingdom.
Ankhesenamun.
Leave her be.
Our great pharaoh.
Rise.
The gods welcome you to prayer.
You have served my kingdom well, high priest.
The gods have shown favor.
But from this day forward, prayer and sacrifice
Will honor them sufficiently.
I'm not sure i understand your meaning, my lord.
My people will no longer be forced to pay tribute.
They will do so at their own choosing.
But it's the law.
I am the law.
Orchards and fields prosper.
Workshops are productive. The gods are pleased.
Without proper tribute, their wrath will cause great harm
To your people.
Then it may be time to reconsider what gods we worship.
My lord.
Your priests are devoted to you.
They will do as you command them.
See that it is done, high priest.
That will be all, vizier.
Why did you travel to thebes with the pharaoh?
I'm his guest.
And i am the queen of egypt.
You will address me in the proper manner.
I-i apologize, my queen.
Where did he find you?
He didn't. I found him.
He was dying. I brought him back to health.
And brought him back to me.
She's not just another harem girl.
No.
And if she bears him a child,
He will remove you from position.
A childless queen eventually becomes insignificant
To any pharaoh.
I am his blood.
My child will always be his first choice for the throne.
And yet the gods continue to deny you.
I have prayed to tawaret,
And i'm confident she's heard me.
And if she hasn't?
The girl is from amurru.
With a mitanni name, she's not even of pure egyptian blood.
And there cannot be a mitanni heir.
You must have a son by any means.
Is that another proposal?
It's a consideration.
I will have his child.
I'm sorry, vizier, can i speak to you?
I didn't know who could help.
Then i'm pleased you came to me.
My mother and father haven't heard from me since i left.
I'd like them--
To know you're well?
Yes. In truth--
You'd like them to come here to thebes.
To see the pharaoh.
To see your place with him.
I would just like to see them, vizier.
And this has been discussed with the pharaoh?
I didn't want to burden him.
I'm told you make most of the decisions here.
Is that not true?
I can see why he's taken with you.
Be sure, few in this world make decisions on their own.
Word will be sent to your parents.
Should they inquire in the meantime,
They will be made welcome.
[dramatic music]
What is it?
My people think
That their pharaoh is invincible.
A living god.
Instead he is the target of more enemies than he has friends.
Your vulnerability is what gives you strength.
Not enough.
You told me at the pyramids you want to be remembered
As a great pharaoh.
Greatness cannot only be seen in the eyes of your people,
But in the eyes of your enemies as well.
From an enemy who will not see it.
Then offer the mitanni something.
Bridge your differences and turn them into an ally.
That, my pharaoh,
Would be a measure of great strength.
I cannot fight a war against an army that size
While half of mine succumbs to illness.
This could avoid annihilation.
You want an alliance with the mitanni, our sworn enemy?
King tushratta has an unwed son.
Herit will become a powerful queen and ally.
What inspired this idea?
I know this is done with great sacrifice to you.
She's your favorite of our cousins.
We have always sacrificed what we hold dear, brother.
Our own deepest desires were the only things
We were denied at birth, aren't they?
Through it all, only you and i know this.
And above all else,
We only have each other.
(ankhe) it wasn't my choice, herit.
But as shared blood, if successful,
We will be united forever.
And our children will hold dear that kindred bond.
And as their mothers,
We will have great power.
Then the decision is made.
The overture has already been sent to the mitanni king.
And you?
Are you going to be all right?
No one else knows you are with child.
Pharaoh understands his duty to me.
I will be sure he thinks it is his.
And when this business of men is settled...
We will be together again.
Good-bye, cousin.
Not only does suhad have his heart,
She has his ear.
I fear she counsels him to the benefit of the enemy.
What can be done?
All enemies are vulnerable when given false trust.
Perhaps you should avail yourself to such an advantage.
It's a foot game.
A game of balance, really.
You have to hop on one foot.
There's colored dice that determine
Which marker to step on.
I played a similar one when i was a girl.
I haven't seen this pattern.
You're the one that came back with the pharaoh.
I'm the vizier's son. Nahkt.
Welcome.
That's the first sincere greeting i've received.
I'm suhad.
Do you want me to teach you the rules, suhad?
Another time.
Would you leave us, please?
It was nice to meet you.
And you.
I've asked for more to be carved.
We are egyptians here,
Looked upon with envy for our great temples,
Our art,
But most of all,
Our happiness.
I hope you'll find it here.
Even if i become the pharaoh's wife?
Second wife.
Sparse for such an event.
The general is still considered a hero amongst many, my lord.
Your army awaits.
Only if we reach them first.
The general is gone.
Is there time to cut off his escape?
Escape is not his intent.
Your men followed you into this.
They will follow you out.
Surrender now,
And they will be forgiven.
Set down your weapons.
Honor your word to these men.
And do with me what you wish.
I will never serve this pharaoh.
Enough!
Put your weapons down.
You chose your side wisely, lagus.
There should never have been a side, general.
I once learned that from you.
I am guilty once again.
No.
There is no guilt, general.
No innocence.
Only what serves the pharaoh's purpose.
Herit.
The man conspired against you, against his own kingdom.
And he'll still die for it.
You know what we're up against. I haven't a choice.
He can't be trusted.
The general's actions are treasonous.
If i may...
As i said before, in his mind, it's always been for egypt.
Every man in the army would agree with that.
That's why he's loved by them.
It's why they will die for him.
All ambitious men would have you think so.
With all due respect, that's a tactic
Many who advise the pharaoh know too well.
While others have yet to prove which side they stand.
Enough, both of you.
No one in this room has to prove anything.
Ay, you will allow him to speak.
He sees the mitanni as his greatest enemy.
You were in his way, my lord.
That is why he made his move against you.
So am i to forgive him for being a loyal egyptian?
No.
The vizier is right.
Treason is treason.
But there's a far greater enemy to be fought right now.
There is no one they fear more than general horemheb.
Let him think you have his trust
So that he will fight the mitanni alongside you.
When it's over, when there's a clear victory,
Then decide his fate.
I never would have thought that they are capable
Of something so horrible.
They are mitanni.
It comes naturally.
Where's ankhesenamun?
She's being attended to.
We have suffered too much loss.
I am the one who has suffered the losses, brother.
How much more do i have to endure?
You're distraught.
You need rest.
What i need is to know that these sacrifices
Haven't been made without purpose.
We were married so that we would have a child
In our father's name.
Please.
Let's try once more.
No.
Do not prove our father right.
He never believed you could be a great pharaoh.
But you have shown yourself opposite.
Do not let this girl cloud your mind
After everything--everything that we've been through.
She is mitanni.
Do not disregard our forefathers.
You preach duty and oath to general horemheb and his men.
This is your duty!
This...
Is your oath.
It was not intended.
But inevitable.
Do you love her?
I will always have love for her.
You know what i'm asking.
I cannot ignore who i am.
I accept you are pharaoh of egypt,
But i cannot make a life here without knowing my place.
I'm bound to obligations
That have been handed to me by the gods.
If i do not have an heir,
I will have failed everyone who's come before me.
Must the child be hers?
No.
What is it?
You were forced to marry her.
You are not in love.
I would think a child born of passion
Would be your choice as heir to your kingdom.
My sister's blood is pure.
I would be obligated to choose a son from her womb,
And she would remain my queen.
I'm sorry.
This sword was given to me by ka when we were children.
It was his father's.
Was there at least hesitation in his deceit?
No man is made of only vice.
We all walk in the shadow between light and dark.
Even you?
The mitanni's message is clear.
Once his allies are in place,
Tushratta will move against us.
I do not pretend i can fight this battle alone.
It seems we've been here before.
Disease plagues the cities.
It's ravaged the army.
The men are divided. Our enemy is not.
Because we did not continue our march on their capital
As i demanded.
It was a trap.
One i would have overcome.
Like you did here?
I will not absolve you of your crimes.
But i will give you the opportunity to clear them
From your conscience.
So i help lead us to victory,
And my reward is the sharp end of a blade?
Your reward is knowing that you are not responsible
For the fall of egypt.
And after all this is over,
You expect me to accept death so easily?
You are not afraid of death, general.
You only fear the loss of your reputation.
We both think we know how this is going to end,
And one of us is wrong.
Until then, we set it aside.
I know there is honor enough in you for that.
Your greatness, the queen seeks your audience.
My lady, the gods delight in your presence.
I have brought two children into this world without breath.
We have prayed to tawaret many times.
And yet they haven't answered to my satisfaction.
I fear the gods do not favor me.
A future king is to be the reincarnation
Of a god on this earth,
Conceived by the gods themselves.
And yet we both know that's only for the people to hear.
You are the vessel for whom the gods speak.
Will amun-ra give me a son?
I can grant you deliverance of his heir
If, as pharaoh, he will love the gods and their temples.
I would have it no other way.
Then let us pray together.
And you will soon give birth to a god.
Organize the men. I want numbers.
Recruit as many citizens as you can by the pharaoh's order.
And send the scout directly to me first when he returns.
What about those who stood by the pharaoh?
They should be commended.
The pharaoh doesn't intend the same for us.
I'll deal with that when the war is over.
First, we unite the army
And defeat the mitanni dog and his son.
For now, i am going to get drunk.
Then i'm going to get stiff.
And it has been far too long for both.
This has been crafted over many years.
And many years before it is needed.
Death awaits us all.
Tushratta is waiting for a response to his killing
Of herit so he can gauge the strength of our army.
If we do nothing, he'll know that we are weak.
At the moment, we are.
We can't allow him to know that.
We're running out of options, vizier.
Even if we return to full strength,
We are outnumbered.
And there are no more men to recruit.
More and more of my people succumb to this illness.
Soon, we will have to close the gate to all outsiders.
Call for my physician.
It's not the illness that makes me faint.
Glorious goddess,
Love this embodiment of you.
We open our hearts to your mysteries.
Choose her.
Bless her as mother.
May your son live for 1,000 years.
(tis'ata) we returned his own cousin on a spear,
And they haven't lifted a single dagger in response
To their gift.
They have no ability to fight.
And as the illness continues to spread,
It will further weaken their ranks,
Giving us opportunity to take the north
Without shedding unnecessary blood.
Our entire force will then be able
To take the rest of the nile to its end.
And how do we conquer northern egypt without shedding blood?
I have been given a strong son,
Eager for battle and victory so that we are the first
Since teshub created the great storm
That carved our world
To occupy the mighty egyptian empire.
But first,
Learn from my countenance.
My liege.
They have arrived.
All of them.
Egypt and its boy king are about to be wiped from history.
(amun) the queen has already lost two sons at birth.
Perhaps this time, the gods will reward her
Despite the pharaoh's lack of devotion.
It displeases you that another has fallen into line.
There's always another in line.
One way or the other.
If the gods do not favor her?
The pharaoh is still young. I am not.
Rest assured, vizier, he is going down
The same path as his father.
His father made enemies of everyone.
Tutankhamun is different. He sees all sides.
Then i shall pray that amun-ra ensures this kingdom
Its proper path.
Stay close to the vizier.
He, more than any one else, must be handled carefully.
Uncooked?
Of course.
The onion heals many illnesses.
I'd rather be sick.
My father insists almost everything is cooked.
I'm sure. How else would he keep so many servants busy?
That wasn't meant to offend you.
Mm.
He's always taught me to be proud that we have servants.
We were not born with royal blood but are treated the same.
You speak about your father but not your mother.
She died when i was younger.
I'm sorry.
And your father, the vizier, he cared for you on his own?
He's not my father by blood.
I didn't mean to pry.
No. I don't know why i said it.
I've never talked about it to anyone.
My mother was with another man.
My father didn't know until years after i was born.
He kept it from me, but i found out
From my grandmother.
She said my father didn't want me to think i was unwanted.
He's tried to love me the same way, but he can't.
How old were you when he found out?
I don't remember.
We better get back to the palace.
If this illness passes through thebes,
It will reach the north and every city in egypt.
This section here, where the disease is most rampant,
Is the most easily walled.
How many people?
Well over 1,000.
What about medicines?
The supplies are inadequate.
Too many people are falling ill.
Have it done.
Confine all those who are sick.
Lagus, patrol the streets with extra men.
Armed.
Bring me to my own chamber.
You once said you were afraid of me.
Are you, son?
Medicine.
Please.
I will get you the medicine.
You'll stay here,
Where the illness can be contained.
And you will learn to trust me.
Yes?
Yes.
You still find it uncomfortable.
I will always prefer the hardness of the floor.
I envy you.
Envy?
I was raised in a palace.
My whole entire life has been set by others,
And you've been free to choose.
I no longer feel quite so free.
You're not.
You didn't think you'd have him all to yourself, did you?
He is the pharaoh, suhad.
Your position, as with all women, is fleeting.
At the fickle whim of a man's cock.
He may love you, but that doesn't matter now.
I am his queen,
And above all else, his blood.
Egyptian blood.
And now, i carry his heir.
The pharaoh may have as many wives as he wishes,
As many women throughout the empire that he desires.
But there is no greater title in all the world
For a woman to hold than the title
Of the future king's mother.
Well then, i will pray this time
That the gods deliver you a child who draws breath.
Heed caution, suhad.
Bearing a child in this world is more hazardous for women
Than war is for men.
He doesn't know yet,
Does he?
The quarantine cannot contain them anymore.
Some have escaped.
No telling how many more they infected
Before they were caught.
The gods are delivering this curse
Into everything around them.
It's in their clothing, the food that they eat,
Even the very walls that confine them.
(amun) so your answer is to burn them?
It is indeed the gods who delivered this curse upon us.
But it is only they who can deliver us from it.
When?
When the entire city is infected?
Half the population dead?
The army further decimated?
Can we not station more guards outside the gates?
Impossible.
New cases continue to spread outwards from its perimeter.
This sickness grows like a dam within those walls.
Soon, it will burst forth like a flood
Through the rest of thebes.
Vizier?
I'm afraid i agree with the general.
We cannot risk spreading this disease
Through the rest of our kingdom.
It must end here.
What is your decision, my lord?
How soon can it be done?
It will take a few days to secure the remaining sick.
Make preparations.
Word cannot leave this chamber.
You will swear it, high priest.
The people look to me to be the voice of the gods.
If this plan is not their will, then the people should know.
I am their god!
I am their voice.
It is my will and therefore yours.
Do not turn the people against this palace for your own gain.
As you command, my lord.
Leave me, all of you.
Will this help anything?
I don't think it will hurt.
Made from the same seeds suhad traded that night.
I overheard that you requested it.
They only serve me wine in this palace.
They think this is beneath me.
A good beer is beneath no one.
My lord.
Lagus.
It seems an age ago, that night in the alley
When you came to my aid.
Thank you for being a trusted friend.
A loyal servant.
What i did not know that night
Is that you did not need my aid.
Yes, i did, as i do now.
It's not as bitter as i remember.
How long have you known i am with child?
Nearly as long as you.
Men don't see things the way we do.
They think that bearing a child is the work of the gods.
But women know.
What will be my child's place here?
He'll be the son that carries the enemy's blood through him.
The water.
My queen, the water.
Oh, no. No.
No!
This will not happen again.
Come.
Oh!
No! No!
No!
Do not take him from me.
I have not betrayed you.
My child!
He was my child!
My son!
No, please.
Please, get me help.
Yes, yes.
[sobbing] no.
No, no.
Help me, please.
Get me help.
Ankhesenamun.
Look at me.
- I'm sorry. - Don't.
This is not your fault.
Shh. Shh. Shh.
You were right.
I betrayed you.
And now the gods are going to punish me.
[sobbing] they're punishing me. They're punishing me.
Shh.
I've asked them over and over why.
Why these wounds continue to hemorrhage.
Their purpose is not for us to question, my lord.
The dynasty of my ancestors,
It will end with me.
That will be my legacy.
No, dear boy.
Your dynasty lives.
You still have an heir, my love.
You've inspired me.
Then i will stand by your side.
I will never love another.
And if the gods-- if they turn against me?
If i fall from the throne?
If the pyramids crumble under my watch?
Then i will help you rebuild them, stone by stone.
He will make her his wife and elevate her to queen.
I advise prudence.
I will not give in so easily, ay.
No, you won't.
But as in all wars,
It's best to know your enemy's weakness.
That is how you will best know where to strike.
What exactly are you saying?
You wanted to see me?
The vizier has informed me
That your parents have come to thebes.
Why wasn't i told?
Are they here in the palace?
No.
As outsiders, they were denied access.
They're staying at a nearby inn.
With all the panic, guards are pushing people out of the city,
And i fear that your parents may be amongst them.
Then i must find them before they're sent away.
No, it's not safe for you.
It's not safe for them either.
All the more reason it can't wait.
They must be allowed to come here.
I will send sete.
He is the trusted commander of my royal guard.
He won't know their faces.
I know the city.
Okay.
Only if sete is with you.
They're inside.
I'll wait here.
Mother? Father?
Sete! [banging on door]
Sete!
The soldiers told us to wait here.
They're bringing us medicine.
Medicine?
Come with us.
All of you, now!
(woman) where are you taking us?
No! Don't go!
No! No! No! No!
Move!
No, i'm not sick.
I'm not supposed to be here. I'm from the palace.
I'm with child.
The pharaoh's son.
I'm to be made his wife.
You have to take me to the palace.
Tell general horemheb this is the last of the sick.
They're ready.
You are certain?
May the gods honor you.
Future generations will scarce remember
Those who perish tonight,
And history will acclaim the greatness of tutankhamun
For saving the lives of so many.
See that suhad is in my chamber.