Under the Western Acacia by Christian Jacq

After bringing outstanding prosperity to Egypt, Ramses had hoped to enjoy a serene old age. But he must continue to rule. Above all, Ramses must strive to preserve Egypt’s hard-won peace. But under threat of a new war, the Hittite Emperor is exhorting him to wed his daughter; and the Libyans, greedy for revenge, are rebelling…Ramses is still the miracle worker, the Son of the Light, but the passing of the last forty years of his reign, has robbed him of one after another of his lifelong friends, leaving him more and more isolated as he confronts Egypt’s enemies. And when, in his old age, the time to meet his final enemy comes, Ramses goes to sit in the shade of the Western acacia to prepare for his final journey. Only then can the scribe Ahmeni, who has faithfully served his sovereign for the sixty-seven years of his reign, lay down his brush…