I always think the Asian martial art fantasy fictions to be really interesting and thought it be fun to try bring it into a more western setting.

Hence, I present to you "The Egyptian Pharaoh" I hope you like it :)

Book One: The Legacy of Ishtar Mother of Heaven and Earth

~ Inspired by Egyptian mythology

(Genera: Fiction, Fantasy, Martial Art, Romance)

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Book 1 Chapter Four Part 1: Arranged Marriage

Sin God (Ancient Babylon) 
~Twelve years ago

Ishtar age sixteen, is the Amazonian princess and the daughter of Sin. One of the twelve Grand Mastress elders of the Amazonians.

Amazonian warriors are split into six levels. You need to complete one level to be able to progress to the next. But for each level the Amazons only take so many students, so even if you completed a level, there are no insurance that you can move to the next level.

When a woman is first accepted into the Amazons, she would be of no Level, she would be studying in one of the six, Level Six training academy, taught by those that has achieved Level Four status. After graduating from the Level Six training academy, she can apply to attend one of the five Level Five training academy, which is taught by those that has achieved Level Three status. Those that has graduated from Level Five training academy can apply to attend one of the four Level Four training academy, taught by those that achieved Level two status. Those who graduated from Level four training academy, can apply to attend one of the three Level three training academy, taught by those that achieved Level one status. To be accepted into the Level Six Academy, Level Five Academy, Level Four Academy and Level Three Academy, require been accepted by one of the instructors within the academy, to be her apprentice. Level Six Academy is of like a warrior primary school, Level Five Academy is like a warrior high school, Level Three Academy and Level Four Academy is like a warrior university, where Level Four Academy train the girls to be of Bachelor Degree standard and Level Three Academy aim to train the girls to be of Master Degree standard. For each Level Six, Five, Four and Three the girls must complete her training in four years, however, if her master deems fit, there can be an extension to six years. Most girls complete her training in five years. To achieve Level Two status, she must first be accepted by the academy board of one of the two Level Two academy. Level Two status is self-researched, but with all the resources of the Amazons available to her, after four years, she need to demonstrate her skills to the academy board, the board would take a vote to determine whether she is to be given the Level Two status, those whom are on the academy board are of Level One or Level Two status. To achieve Level Two status, is like getting your PhD. As for Level One status, there are only twelve positions and those who achieve Level Two status, can compete for that position, when a vacancy becomes available. The twelve Level One, form the high council of the Amazons and govern and administer the school. For each academy of the Amazons, it take at most twenty four students, with three instructors.

Level Six and Level Five training is an all-round training, where the girls need to learn everything there is about becoming a warrior, both practical and theoretical. It is not just martial arts training, in fact you take a look at training for soldiers and police officers, in most country's military learning martial art, how to use a rifle or use a bayonet isn't even lesson one, some country's military doesn't even teach martial art in its basic training. Amazonian are expected to have a much higher all round basic warrior standard, even compared to modern soldiers and police officers, where modern soldiers their basic all round training, in some countries is only one month, in other countries maybe three months or in the case of WW1 British army two weeks and WW2 Chinese army, three days.

Although in all fairness, modern soldiers after finishing their basic training, do need to be receiving continuous training, while in the military. For the Amazonian, Level Four and Level Three are specialist training, where the woman chose a field to specialize in. And in all fairness, officer training course of most countries, in most modern military (Train people to be able to start at the rank of Lieutenant and higher, upon joining the military) is of university standard in their specialist warrior field, where they might need to train for years and in some countries, they do present the graduates with a Bachelor Degree, after graduating and those graduates do start at the rank of Lieutenant, especially with fighter pilots, where Lieutenant is the minimum rank required.

Ishtar started her training at the age of six, she has completed Level Six and Level Five and is now in the process of studying for Level Four. Nephthys is already of Level Three.

The school of the Amazon is created for a simple reason, women protect women. Far too often, when war took place between two nations and a nation has been defeated, when the victor nation is a thug, the male child would be killed, all women and girls that is considered to be beautiful would be taken as whores, the rest killed. The school want women to be able to protect themselves, by training them to become warriors, able to fend against men. But, the style of the Amazon, got something unique, it is all special designed, so women are able to with ease to defeat men, that are larger, bigger and stronger. The Amazonian believe it is important to protect the secret of Amazonian fighting style, from men, thus, an Amazonian cannot teach their fighting style, even to her own son.

Like all single women, Ishtar is automatically attracted to alpha male. Thus, when she excel in something, she hopes her husband to further excel in that arena. Thus, Ishtar’s dream of marrying a great warrior, one that is even tougher than she is.

Heliopolis is currently the most powerful nation in the world, located at the lower stream of the Niles River. Its last pharaoh, is Ra. Ra is a great warrior, he once brought peace to the land, by uniting the world, by defending against the evil nation of the Apep. Ra sat upon the first table of Aten, represented by the eight most powerful nations of the world, to maintain peace and order. After the death of Ra his son Geb became the pharaoh of Heliopolis. Geb and his wife Nut have two sons, the older son is Seth, the younger son is Osiris.

Sin hopes to create an alliance with Heliopolis, married her older daughter Nephthys to Seth and now, hope to marry her younger daughter Ishtar, to Osiris. Political alliance can be considered important in this era. Ra might have been a great pharaoh, he sat upon the first table of Aten that once brought peace to the world, but since then, the table of Aten is no more and with the rise of the great famine, the world again sank into chaos, with nations, fighting each other for land, some, even resolve to cannibalism. The Amazonian might be great warriors, but they are few in number and not a nation. This is a world, where agriculture has not yet been discovered, hunter and gatherers are the mainstream ways and with the great famine, there aren’t enough food to sustain the population this way.

Ishtar was at first excited to meet Osiris. She wondered what her future husband is like and thought of him as a great warrior just like Seth, whom Nephthys married. But after meeting Osiris, Ishtar is disappointed. Osiris is not even a warrior. Osiris, is born with a bad heart, if he overly exercised, he would die and he got one leg shorter than the other, Osiris can never become a warrior, or he will die.

Ishtar is furious, “I will never marry him!” she ran into her private room and refuse to speak to anyone.

Nephthys came into the room, hoping to change Ishtar’s mind.

“Have you seen him? He not only doesn’t know how to fight, but just pulling the string of a bow or lifting a spear, might kill him. I do not need a husband like this.” Ishtar said

“Mother make this decision, for good reasons. We need the alliance. Osiris, might not be a great warrior, but he is a good man. I know him. In an arranged marriage, that should be sufficient.” Nephthys said

“You are married to the crown prince of Heliopolis and soon, he will be its pharaoh.” Ishtar replied.

“Seth, he is not a moral man.” Nephthys said

“He is a great warrior.” Ishtar said, Ishtar went to the wall upon her bed and took down a bow, it is her childhood training bow, the same bow that later as an adult, Ishtar gave to Horus. “Tell Osiris to pull the string of this bow and fire an arrow, if he can do that, we could talk about marriage” Ishtar handed the bow to Nephthys.

Nephthys took the bow from Ishtar’s hand and put it onto the table.

“A great warrior means little, without ethic. Without ethics it would lead to his own destruction and the destruction of others, because he lacks the maturity to will that power, responsibly. Only peace, harmony good order and justice, the principle of the three Horea, can allow long lasting survival. Seth, might be the grandson of Ra, but he doesn’t share his view, at least Osiris does.” Nephthys said

In the history of the future, it would be proven, the principle of the three Horae is correct, China with philosophers such as Confucius, that believe the principle of ethic is not to cause disturbance to peace and harmony and subject to that when necessary, helps to enhance the necessary level of peace and harmony. As for morality, if a person causes no disturbance to peace and harmony, it is his right not to be moral, thus, we must tolerate them. While both Confucius and the Bible, believe lust to be immoral, Confucius preach tolerance towards those who are lustful, while the bible accuse them of evil and order the execution of unwed women who are found not to be a virgin. As history has proven, Asia for most of the past two thousand years remain as the most powerful region in the world. Those who honor violence, even if they got a temporary success, if they insist on their violent way, their power will be short live, proven by both the Mongols and the nineteen century colonial power, especially the colonial power, almost led to their own self destruction, WW1 was fought mostly to prove themselves the best and not learning from their mistake try to destroy the Germans, after the war, giving the chance to the rise of Hitler and Nazi, leading to a new war, which leads to the rise of Soviet Union. It is only fortune, with the rise of the Americans, there was somebody able to defeat the Soviet Union and earlier, that able to defeat the Nazi.

Despite the America also, once fight India for lands, they eventually changed their ways and since then, only fight to defend peace and freedom, otherwise, it would lead to their own destruction. Buddhist speak of karma, that is just a fancy word for what goes around comes around. Those who follow the way of the thugs, will lead to their own destruction unless they repent for becoming a thug and pay for their evil doing. Every thug nation in history, even those that become great Empire, their success is short lived, unless they repent, the colonial power of the 19th century, almost got conquered by the Soviet Union, until the Americans saved their lives, but only able to saved western Europe and can do nothing for Eastern Europe, which till date, still struggle after the fall of communism.

Ishtar took a look at Nephthys and gave her bow to Nephthys again “Tell Osiris to pull the string of this bow and fire an arrow, if he can do that, we could talk about marriage”

Reference: Regarding how to train a warrior 

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