Queen of the Heavens (11 page)

“You look beautiful, Mother,” I said, not letting on how perturbed I was by her appearance. Mother’s beauty would be competing with my own on this day that belonged to me.

Then I gazed at myself in a brass mirror and saw I had no reason to be jealous of her. My skin was unblemished. My dark eyes, surrounded by green makeup, were penetrating and growing more so by the day. Dangling earrings of gold framed my face, which had become thinner as I matured into womanhood. I ran my hands from my breasts down to my hips, enjoying touching my body, which had become fuller and more sensuous since my betrothal. I was beautiful, yet a disturbing thought crept into my mind.

“Will he still want me, Mother?” I asked.

“Will who still want you?”

“Will Sety still want me as his wife?”

“Of course he will. Only a fool wouldn’t want you as his wife.”

“Perhaps Sety is a fool.”

“He’s not a fool,” Mother snapped. “Stop acting like a child, Tuya. You’re a woman now who’s destined for great things at the side of Sety.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure. Now quit dawdling,” she said as she nudged me toward the cabin door.

“Mother. If you don’t want me to act like a child, don’t treat me like one,” I protested.

“I’ll treat you as I wish. Don’t forget you’re still my daughter, and not yet a Queen. You, too, Raia. Hurry. We mustn’t be late.”

The Captain stood on deck, waiting to bid us farewell.

“Thank you for your service,” Father said to him.

“And thank you for getting us here on time,” Mother added. “We didn’t want to miss Lord Harenhab’s celebration.”

“You’re most welcome,” the Captain replied. “Ramesses has provided chariots to take you to his estate. I’ll send on your belongings.” Addaya looked at me and smiled. “Remember what I told you about Thebes, Tuya. It’s a most interesting place.”

“I’m anxious to see statues of the gods dancing,” I told him.

The Captain laughed. “Whether they dance or not, Tuya, the gods are close to everyone in Thebes. Always honor them, and they will honor you.”

Father led the three of us off the boat, holding tightly the box containing the gold, the last portion of the dowry that would seal my marriage. He climbed onto the first chariot and Mother and I took our places in the one behind.

We headed southward at a quick pace on a path along the river, through the streets of Thebes, then past the simple homes of farmers on the outskirts of town. Soon we turned eastward, up a bit of a ridge, toward a huge house surrounded by a high wall. We entered through the main gate and passed by gardens, servants’ quarters, and rounded silos that protected grain from vermin and the elements. Four columns carved at the top in the form of papyrus plants held up the portico over the entrance to a house so grand even a Pharaoh would have been comfortable living in it.

The chariots stopped near a small grove of tamarind trees by the side of the dwelling. Ramesses walked toward us as Father, Mother and I stepped down from our conveyances.

“Welcome to my home,” Ramesses said.

“We are honored to be invited into it,” Father responded, bowing slightly toward Ramesses. “This is Ruia, my wife.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“And this is Tuya. Isn’t she beautiful?” Mother said. I stumbled as she pushed me to the fore. I stood before Ramesses, head lowered in embarrassment.

“Indeed, she is most beautiful. I am proud to have you as part of my family, Tuya.”

I lifted my head and smiled back sheepishly, doing my best to hide my nervousness. “Thank you. It’s my fondest wish that I live up to your expectations.”

“Bear Sety many fine children and bring them up well,” Ramesses said. “That is what I ask of you.”

“I pray I’ll be able to do so,” I responded, accepting this duty gladly, while at the same time knowing I possessed the power and inclination to do many other things as well.

A voice startled me. “Father. Why did you not tell me Tuya had arrived.”

XI

Ramesses turned toward his son, who approached from the house. “Forgive me. I thought you knew.”

Sety wore black eye paint, bracelets of copper and a necklace of gold. His muscles seemed firmer and his confidence even more abundant than on the day when I first met him.

As my husband stood before me bare-chested, I thought he must be the handsomest man in the realm.

I felt flushed and tingly all over. We hardly knew each other, yet a part of me had an intense desire to engage my passions and I sensed Sety felt the same way. Still, an air of formality pervaded our conversation.

“I’m pleased to see you again,” Sety said.

“I’m pleased to see you,” I replied.

“I trust the journey from Memphis was enjoyable.”

“It was magnificent, and the Captain of the boat was most helpful.”

“Good. I’ll see that he’s rewarded, but first I have something for you.”

With the wave of his hand, Sety signaled to a servant who came forward holding a wooden box. My husband lifted the lid and took from it a necklace of silver, gold, turquoise, amber and amethyst.

Mother gasped. “It’s exquisite.”

Sety smiled at her. “Perhaps someday Tuya will allow you to wear it. The turquoise was newly mined in the Sinai. It is the finest in all the land.”

Mother helped me to unfasten the necklace I had on, which was of high quality, but humble in comparison to the one Sety had just given me.

“Turn around,” Sety instructed. He placed his gift about my neck and fastened it, then slid his hands to my shoulders and down my arms. A chill ran through my body, but it quickly turned to warmth as Sety turned me toward him and stroked my cheek. We stood gazing at each other for a few moments, saying nothing. Ramesses broke the silence: “We should allow our children to be by themselves for a while.”

“I quite agree,” Father said.

“Yes, we must,” Mother added.

Father, standing before Ramesses, held up the box he was carrying that contained the gold: “Perhaps you and I can finish our transaction. I have the final part of the dowry for you to look at.”

“I’m certain all is in order,” Ramesses said as he signaled the servant who had brought Sety’s gift. “Give the box to him, and Ruia, give him Tuya’s old necklace as well. It will be safe. Now, please, join me for refreshments.”

Ramesses led Mother and Father toward the far side of the garden. Sety took my hand and led me to a table and stools nearby.

“We await the Pharaoh,” he said. “Harenhab will be passing by here soon. We’ll join the procession to the Great Temple of Amun. From there we’ll go to the palace and a feast.”

“I’m honored to have been invited.”

“You’ll receive many such honors now that you’re my wife, but frankly, I’d rather forgo the celebration and make love with you right now,” he said as we sat down.

With this remark, I realized time had not tempered Sety’s brashness. This concerned yet excited me. I also admitted to myself that while part of me feared having my first passionate encounter, another part longed for the lovemaking that would consummate my marriage. This would have to wait, of course. When invited by the Pharaoh to the Great Temple of Amun and then to a feast, even passion had to be postponed.

A young servant girl placed on the table a tray of sweets and two chalices of wine.

“Drink and eat, Tuya. For the moment we can at least enjoy these pleasures of the senses. We’ll enjoy others later.”

“I’ve learned quickly, my husband, that you’re not afraid to speak your mind,” I said with a hint of sternness in my voice.

Sety laughed. “Why shouldn’t I say what I think? Audacity, Tuya. Audacity. Always be audacious and the world will be yours.”

“Audacity must be tempered with humility,” I cautioned.

“Why?”

“Because the gods demand it. The world will be worth nothing to you if it means failing Osiris’ Judgment and sacrificing your soul.”

“The Neters will support me in whatever I do. For what other reason would Isis have brought you to me than to help me to achieve great things?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “Perhaps there’s another reason. I don’t question Isis. I follow her.”

Sety took some wine and food, as did I.

“Isis expects much from our marriage. I’m certain of that,” he continued. “Ramesses is Harenhab’s favorite. If I outlive my father, and I most certainly will, I’ll be Pharaoh someday, the greatest Egypt has ever known. The gods have ordained it. I’ll need a son to carry on my work. It is your duty to provide me with one, but not just any son. He must be fit and intelligent, much more so than other boys. He must grow up being capable of ruling our land.”

I looked directly at Sety and spoke slowly and deliberately: “You will have what you desire, my husband. I can assure you of that.”

The moment I finished speaking, trumpets sounded in the distance as if to seal my promise.

“The Pharaoh approaches,” Sety declared. He escorted me into a chariot, then climbed in himself and took the reins. Father drove another chariot with Mother beside him. Ramesses, alone in a third, led us to the entrance of his estate.

Lord Harenhab drew near, escorted by a host of trumpeters, drummers and spear carrying soldiers all marching in perfect step. Twelve powerfully built men in loin cloths, dust clinging to their sweating skins, carried the Pharaoh on a litter with lions carved into its sides.

Isis. What am I doing here?
I thought, overwhelmed by the spectacle. A voice inside me answered: “You are performing your role in the Divine Pageant, Tuya. You’re exactly where you belong.”

After the Pharaoh’s entourage passed, we joined the procession. Periodically, the trumpeters announced the Pharaoh’s approach with blares of their instruments. As we traveled through the streets of Thebes, goats, chickens and dogs scurried away as the people cleared a path and bowed to the god-man who ruled them.

Perhaps two hundred other dignitaries gathered behind us in chariots or on foot as we neared the temple, close to where the palace boat was moored. Addaya, standing on the deck of his vessel, smiled and nodded as I passed, and I returned the gestures.

The procession entered the long Avenue of Sphinxes that led to the main entranceway of the Great Temple of Amun. As we approached, the temple seemed to grow in size and splendor and I marveled that such a magnificent structure could be crafted by human hands.

“I don’t believe what I am seeing,” I exclaimed to Sety.

“This is Thebes, Tuya, with the grandest sights in all the world,” he said.

Sety halted the chariot in front of the entranceway and a groom took the reins. My husband and I and the rest of Harenhab’s minions followed the Pharaoh on foot through the massive gate. As I gazed out at the colorfully painted temple and its towering columns and majestic statuary I felt insignificant, like an ant next to a lion. The splendor of the holy place reflected the grandeur of the gods and within it I could feel the power of their presence.

The soldiers and musicians split ranks and took positions on each side of the temple courtyard. At its middle, the litter bearers gently lowered the Pharaoh to the ground.

The aging ruler, resplendent in his linen kilt and cloak, wore the ceremonial false beard of the Pharaoh and the red and white double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. In his right hand Harenhab held a flail, symbol of the ruler’s might and authority to mete out punishment. In his left hand he held a small shepherd’s crook, warning him that authority must be tempered by compassion. The divine in human form carried the crook and flail crossed before his heart center in the middle of his chest.

As Harenhab stood up, the twenty-one priests who greeted him dropped to their knees and lowered their heads as the rest of us bowed from the waist.

“Rise,” Harenhab said after a stately pause.

The priests wore simple white kilts and were bare-chested, save for the High Priest, who wore a longer kilt and cloak. Several held burners containing incense made from spikenard. The odor, sweet yet pungent, enveloped us all.

“It is my honor to greet the Pharaoh, the manifestation of Horus, son of Isis and Osiris, who walks the world as a god,” the High Priest said.

“It is my honor to be in the presence of Amun and his servants,” Harenhab replied. “You will join me as we honor Amun and his family.”

Harenhab, with crook and flail still crossed before him, strode slowly and deliberately through the open plaza toward the columned passageway that led to the sanctuary at the temple’s rear. The High Priest followed by a respectful three steps and the other celebrants followed him, two abreast. Entry into the sanctuary, the holiest part of the temple, was prohibited for all except the Pharaoh and the High Priest.

I watched in wonderment, but to my surprise felt bitterness.
I should be allowed to enter the holy of holies,
I thought.
Horus may be with the Pharaoh, but does not Isis dwell within me?

The bitterness soon subsided. How could I be bitter in the presence of the gods, whose essence permeated every stone in the magnificent temple in which I found myself?

If I cannot enter the sanctuary then my son will enter it, and invoke the power of Amun for the benefit of all whom he rules,
I said to myself, joyful at the thought.

The crowd sat down on the temple’s sandstone floor. A hundred priests, fifty on each side of the courtyard, sat cross-legged with their backs as straight as spears. The priests were silent for a few moments, then began to chant in a tongue as old as time itself known only to them. It didn’t matter that the rest of us couldn’t understand what the priests were saying. The power of the chants rested not in their meaning but in their sounds and vibrations, which matched those of the unseen worlds and brought into the material plane the power of the gods.

Against a temple wall stood a granite statue of Sekhmet, somewhat larger than a human. She was seated on a throne and in her left hand held an
ankh
, the symbol of life.

I closed my eyes. Clouds of brilliant colors floated through my consciousness, pierced from time to time by streaks of light that looked like shooting stars. Tiny squares and triangles, strung together like a necklace, appeared then vanished before me. The sounds of the chants blended into silence and I sat in a perfect stillness, sensing that time had stopped.