Characters / A Legacy of Light

Characters featured in A Legacy of Light

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Tutankhamun

• After-Action Healing Drama: After Tutankhamun is badly wounded in Kadesh, Semerkhet rushes to his side, comforting him as the other soldiers rush to lift the fallen chariot off his broken legs, then solicitously overseeing his return home by horse-drawn cart, feeding him porridge and offering him water, giving him painkillers to keep him as comfortable as possible, and doing everything in his power to keep the Pharaoh calm until they get home.
• After-Action Patch-Up: After Tutankhamun's return from Kadesh Ankhesenamun lovingly joins his medical team, wholeheartedly participating in facilitating his recovery by bathing his face, applying the doctor's bruise salve, and monitoring his bandages.
• Arranged Marriage: Upon Tutankhamun's ascent to the throne, he and Ankhesenamun were married to one another to preserve the royal bloodline.
• Cuddle Bug: Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun frequently cuddle up together, share hugs, and sit with their arms around one another, or with one resting their head on their sibling's shoulder, and as the pain of his unhealed wounds worsens in The Things We Can Change, Tut deeply appreciates Semerkhet's skills as a massage therapist.
• Distressed Dude: After returning from battle badly wounded in The Things We Can Change, Tutankhamun spends the majority of the book confined to bed.
• Handicapped Badass: Tutankhamun has a clubfoot and uses a cane, but learns that being a powerful politician has nothing to do with one's physical strength or agility.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Tutankhamun and his valet Semerkhet.
• Introverted Cat Person: Tutankhamun loves his pet cat Bastet, and is often content to spend a quiet afternoon reading with her at his side.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: to get rid of the plucky kid whose big heart threatens the continuation of the slavery-based economy, Grand Vizier Ay convinces Tutankhamun to personally ride into battle on behalf of the victimized Mitanni, intending for him to be killed in battle when the rest of the army retreats, leaving the Pharaoh exposed. When that doesn't work, but Tut does develop malaria, Ay manipulates the Chief Physician into dosing Tutankhamun with cyanide-based "painkillers" in the hopes that they will prevent his recovery and hasten his death in a way that is realistic enough to remain beyond suspicion.
• Massage of Love: Tutankhamun is very grateful for his valet Semerkhet's skills as a massage therapist. Wistfully remembering times past when he had looked after his own younger brother, Semerkhet is sincerely glad to be able to bring his friend comfort, and, at times, help him fall asleep at all. As the trilogy progresses, Tut's sister Queen Ankhesenamun often rubs his back to help him sleep.
• Nice Guy: Tutankhamun's deepest goals as Pharaoh spring from his fundamental kindness.
• Non-Action Guy: Even with his physical mobility even more limited than before, Tutankhamun continues to operate as an increasingly wise politician throughout The Things We Can Change, demonstrating that leadership has nothing to do with one's physical strength or agility.
• Speech Impediment: Tutankhamun has a lisp, which becomes more obvious when he's tired or not feeling well.
• Sudden Principled Stand: In To Claim What Is Ours, Tutankhamun loses his temper upon discovering how the selfish Vizier has taken no action to combat poverty in the royal city; he also flies into a rage when his friend and valet Semerkhet is bullied by the son of the Vizier.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Tutankhamun's favorite food is honey-cakes.
• Wide-Eyed Idealist: Particularly in To Claim What Is Ours, the naive, big-hearted Pharaoh must play catch-up as he learns, sometimes the hard way, to play Egypt's game of thrones.

Ankhesenamun

• Arranged Marriage: Upon Tutankhamun's ascent to the throne, he and Ankhesenamun were married to one another to preserve the royal bloodline.
• Brother–Sister Team: Tut and Ankh function as a nearly-seamless team, brother and sister united against the world.
• The Confidant: Ankhesenamun often serves as a faithful listening ear for her brother.
• The High Queen: Wise and poised, Queen Ankhesenamun teaches, guides, and supports her young brother/husband as he continues to grow as a leader.
• Honest Advisor: Both kind and eloquent though she is, Ankhesenamun is ready and willing to straightforwardly explain to her brother what course of action he should take and why, and to strip away the trappings of any deceptive phrasing the Vizier has selected in an attempt to misguide Tut.
• Iron Woobie: Ankh's parents, grandmother, and five of her sisters died while she was a young teen. Married to her brother to preserve the royal bloodline, she has also survived the loss of two infant daughters. See also Trauma Conga Line.
• Matriarchy: Queen Ankhesenamun looks to her powerful female lineage for inspiration and strength.
• Promotion to Parent: Since the deaths of their parents, Ankhesenamun has functioned more like a mother to Tutankhamun than his sister.
• Ruling Couple: Although Ankhesenamun is technically the Queen Consort, she is Tutankhamun's most trusted advisor and the source of many of his most important political decisions. Perhaps the society of Ancient Egypt will not look back on "the reign of Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun," but they serve their country together as true partners, the Queen offering her wisdom and the Pharaoh putting her plans into motion with his authority.
• Spirited Young Lady: Queen Ankhesenamun, while embracing her femininity, is not afraid to make decisions on a level not traditionally associated with Queen Consorts.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Ankhesenamun's favorite food is watermelon.
• Tragic Stillbirth: Ankhesenamun and Tutankhamun have endured the losses of two infant daughters.

Semerkhet

• Battle Butler: When called upon by the Pharaoh to go into battle alongside him as his charioteer in The Things We Can Change, Semerkhet is more than able to serve in combat at Kadesh.
• Big Brother Instinct: As the friendship between Tutankhamun and Semerkhet deepens, Sem becomes increasingly protective of the Pharaoh, zealously guarding him and his schedule from anyone who might try to take up any of the Pharaoh's time between meetings. Later, Semerkhet is responsible for bringing the wounded Pharaoh home safely, and is ashamed that his "little brother" was injured on his watch. He faithfully tends his Master and friend during his recovery, quickly becoming a nurse as well as a valet. Semerkhet has the capacity to develop into a Knight Templar Big Brother.
• Catchphrase: As the Pharaoh's food-taster, Semerkhet checks each meal for poison with the same ritual phrasing. Also, other characters from fellow politicians to palace servants end every conversation they have with the Pharaoh with the words "all life, prosperity, and health."
• The Confidant: Tutankhamun often confides in his loyal valet.
• The Power of Friendship: The ways in which true friends can rely on one another is a major theme of the trilogy.
• The Reliable One: As the Pharaoh's valet, Semerkhet capably handles the tasks of manservant, secretary, and CNA.
• Royal Favorite: In honor of his heroism in Kadesh and afterward Tutankhamun confers many new titles upon Semerkhet, including Royal Favorite and Sole Companion.
• True Companions: Tutankhamun and his valet Semerkhet go from employers and employees to increasingly close friends over the course of the trilogy.
• Undying Loyalty: Semerkhet's faithfulness to his Pharaoh is unwavering.

Meresankh

Meresankh

• The Confidant: Both Ankhesenamun and Semerkhet gratefully rely on Meresankh as a confidant, and she, in turn, confides in her Granny.
• The Power of Friendship: The ways in which true friends can rely on one another is a major theme of the trilogy.
• True Companions: Ankhesenamun and her handmaiden Meresankh go from employers and employees to increasingly close friends over the course of the trilogy.

Grand Vizier Ay

Grand Vizier Ay

• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Utterly selfish though he is, Ay does care about the safety and well-being of his son Nakhtmin.
• Evil Chancellor: Grand Vizier Ay's priorities do not always line up with those of the benevolent, altruistic Pharaoh and Queen.
• Family-Values Villain: Ay justifies his propensity toward murdering political rivals and reliance on Egypt's slavery-based economy as means of protecting his own family, his family's legacy, and the future good of Egypt.
• Non-Action Big Bad: The battles Tutankhamun fights with his political adversaries take place in the form of boardroom conversations.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: The Vizier, as well as a number of other members of the royal court, justify continuing to rely on slavery because "that's the way things have always been." They also disrespect and belittle the Queen, or simply encourage her to remain within the traditional feminine sphere, and look down on Tut, as a person with a disability, as someone who will never become a strong Pharaoh.
• Uriah Gambit: Precisely in the manner of King David offing Uriah, Ay commands Horemheb to summon the troops to retreat just as the Pharaoh has entered the thick of the battle, intending for him to be immediately killed but leaving room for Plausible Deniability.
• Villain with Good Publicity: As a well-established elder statesman outwardly devoted to the "greater good of Egypt," Ay gains favor among the royal court and the palace staff, manipulating Horemheb the Chief Physician to betray Tutankhamun, and eventually creating fault lines between staff members loyal to him and those loyal to the ideals of the Pharaoh and the Queen.
• Worthy Opponent: In The Things We Can Change, even as he repeatedly takes violent action to keep the Pharaoh from recovering, Ay shows an ironic respect for him. See also The One Thing I Don't Hate About You.

Nakhtmin

Nakhtmin

• The Bully: Nakhtmin is an incorrigible bully.
• Overlord Jr.: Cruel and selfish, Nakhtmin is proud to follow in his father's footsteps.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: All of Nakhtmin's privilege and high status comes from his family connections— none of it was earned.
• Smug Snake: disdainful Nakhtmin is intolerably smug and a Deadpan Snarker.
• Spoiled Brat: Nakhtmin, the son of Grand Vizier Ay, is an entitled spoiled brat incapable of respecting others.

General Horemheb

• Anti-Villain: In his moral ambiguity, Horemheb dances with the role of antivillain.
• Enigmatic Minion: Throughout the trilogy, Horemheb's motives are in flux, their ultimate destination unknown either to himself or others, leaving him frequently in the category of Ambiguously Evil.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Although he makes regrettable decisions, Horemheb's wives always come first in his life, and he will give up any rank or abandon any opportunity if their safety is threatened.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Risking the safety of his wives is a line Horemheb absolutely will not cross.
• Family-Values Villain: Horemheb justifies his warlike behavior as means of protecting his own family, his family's legacy, and the future good of Egypt.
• Good Feels Good: Although his life doesn't turn out the way he might have expected, Horemheb learns that doing the right thing is rewarding in and of itself.
• Heel–Face Turn: Although his trumpet heralds the Pharaoh's ultimate demise, Horemheb is seized with remorse, and not only abandons Ay and his evil plans but aids the Queen in her escape, overseeing her flight from the palace and protecting her as she evacuates to Sais, throwing the Vizier off her trail by claiming to have murdered her and her child.
• Hunk As the biggest, most strapping soldier in the Pharaoh's army, Horemheb's strength lies in his physical prowess, and initially, his relationship with his wives is based primarily on mutual appreciation of one another's physical attractiveness.
• Redemption Demotion: As he prepares to do the right thing at the end of Searching for the Truth, Horemheb accepts the loss of his status as Crown Prince, giving up his right to succeed Tut as Pharaoh to protect his wives from the wrath of Ay.
• Uriah Gambit: Precisely in the manner of King David offing Uriah, Ay commands Horemheb to summon the troops to retreat just as the Pharaoh has entered the thick of the battle, intending for him to be immediately killed but leaving room for Plausible Deniability.

Amenia and Mutnedjmet

Amenia and Mutnedjmet

• The Ditz: Amenia and Mutnedjmet, wives of Horemheb, begin To Claim What Is Ours as naive, silly, upper-class snobs.

Granny Merneith

• The Confidant: Merneith is well-prepared to serve as confidant to the entire world, beginning with Meresankh.
• Cool Old Lady: The wise old healer Merneith can treat practically any known illness, and her timeless wisdom offers a lifeline of peace and stability as things get more and more iffy.
• Never Mess with Granny: Yes, she may be as old as the pyramids, but Granny Merneith's many decades of experience as a midwife and doctor allow her to both support Tutankhamun as he strives to recover from his wounds and deal out well-deserved punishment to Nakhtmin by smiting him with digestive distress to distract his father the Vizier.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Merneith's signature dish is her famous spicy chicken.

Treasurer Maya

• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Maya justifies his dismissal of the less-fortunate and open reliance on an economy based on the enslavement of others as looking out for his own family.
• Family-Values Villain: Maya justifies his reliance on Egypt's slavery-based economy as means of protecting his own family, his family's legacy, and the future good of Egypt.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Determined to cling to the luxuries that give his life meaning, Maya is willing to close his eyes to the suffering of the less-fortunate and support the age-old systems that surround them, justifying Egypt's continued reliance on an economy based on slave labor.

Meryt

• Female Misogynist: Meryt, the wife of Treasurer Maya, believes that the pinnacle of womanhood is found in marrying a big, strong man and giving him sons, and that it is improper for women to seek secondary education or careers.
• Politically Incorrect Villain: Determined to cling to the luxuries that give her life meaning, Meryt is willing to close her eyes to the suffering of the less-fortunate and throw in her lot with the systems that Egypt has run on for centuries, justifying Egypt's continued reliance on an economy based on slave labor.

Pentu and Usermontu

• The Good Chancellor: Pentu and Usermontu serve Tutankhamun willingly, seeing that despite his youthful inexperience, he truly has the good of the kingdom at heart, and do everything they can to begin moving policies prudently but steadily toward these noble goals.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: both Pentu and Usermontu die by the orders of Ay under circumstances that are engineered to be as little suspicious as possible, maintaining Plausible Deniability,— both their deaths are explained as uncommonly bad cases of severe ague.

Nefertiti-Tasherit

Nefertiti-Tasherit

Bastet

Bastet

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