Queen of the Heavens (12 page)

Something caused me to open my eyes. The statue of Sekhmet was in its same place, but the lion-headed goddess had risen from her chair and with the
ankh
still in hand held her arms above her head. She was dancing with a gracefulness reserved for the gods.

Thebes indeed is a special place,
I thought, then closed my eyes once more.

When I opened them for a second time, Lord Harenhab and the priests were retracing their steps through the courtyard. Sekhmet was seated, her essence again motionless in the stone. The crowd rose and bowed.

“You may look upon your Pharaoh,” the High Priest said.

After a few moments, Harenhab proclaimed: “I have thanked Amun for the blessings he has bestowed upon this kingdom and upon me. I have thanked him for my long life and long reign, and for the abundance of food, water, trees and animals that make our land a paradise. You should also express gratitude to Amun for our country’s bounty, and in your prayers ask that our great land be blessed in the years to come by Pharaohs who will act with strength and compassion, firmness and wisdom. I am growing old, and the future of Egypt rests with the young.”

Harenhab handed the crook and flail to a priest and, to my surprise, started walking toward me. I bowed my head.

“Are you Tuya?” he asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Why do you stare at my feet?”

I gazed up at a man whose creased face expressed great wisdom, and as I looked into his eyes I saw a soul that had walked the Earth many times before. Around his neck, the Pharaoh wore an amulet of Sekhmet made from gold and mounted on lapis lazuli. Unlike other amulets of the goddess I had seen, this one had not arms but outstretched wings.

“Ramesses speaks highly of you,” Harenhab said.

“He is generous with his praise,” I responded.

“Your husband should be just as generous. Ramesses has chosen well for you, Sety.”

“I’m very pleased, My Lord. Tuya is quite beautiful.”

“I see that, but more. A light shines within her. Appreciate her for this. I’ve asked Amun, his consort Mut and their issue Khonsu to bless this union. Do the two of you pledge devotion to each other in this world and the next?”

“Yes,” Sety said after a moment of hesitation.

“Yes, of course,” I answered.

Harenhab placed his hands on the tops of our heads. “Then I, too, bless this union. Treat her well Sety, lest you offend the gods.”

The Pharaoh sat down in a gilded chair near the statue of Sekhmet, a fitting location since she protected the Pharaoh above all others. “You may proceed,” he said to the High Priest.

A young girl brought garlands of chrysanthemums. First, the High Priest put a garland around Sety’s neck, then mine. A young boy handed him a bowl of water scented with the passionate fragrance of lotus. He dipped his fingers into it seven times, sprinkling Sety and me after each time.

What is going on?
I asked myself.
This doesn’t happen to anyone. A blessing of my marriage by the Pharaoh. Sanctification by the High Priest. I thought I would move into Sety’s home with little fuss and thus become his wife, but instead I find myself at the center of attention in the grandest temple in the world. What have I done to deserve such an honor?

The High Priest began to chant, again in the ancient tongue. The vibrations opened the energy vortex between my eyebrows and I began to feel bliss. He stopped abruptly after a short while and stood silently with eyes closed.

“Bring on the dancers and musicians,” he finally said.

At his command, perhaps a hundred women of the
khenerit
, many as graceful and beautiful as Maya, emerged from anterooms and from behind the temple’s columns and began dancing in a circle around the crowd. Some kept rhythm with
sistra
and tambourines. Others played lutes, harps and flutes. A few, the most shapely and sensuous, twirled pure white veils above their heads. As the dancing increased in speed and frenzy, bliss and joy carried all present toward the realm of the divine.

Harenhab signaled his soldiers to form ranks and his bearers to bring his litter. Soon the Pharaoh and his entourage were heading through the gate, with the temple musicians and dancers following, performing as they went. Those of us with chariots returned to them and the rest of the crowd came on foot, dancing to the music as the grand procession made its way through the streets of Thebes and up the road to the Pharaoh’s palace.

Eventually those in the
khenerit
dropped away, but the rest continued onward. All had been invited to celebrate Lord Harenhab’s anniversary and, we soon would discover, much more.

XII

The procession entered the royal grounds and passed by magnificent whitewashed villas, stately meeting halls, lotus ponds and flower gardens whose beauty was matched by a fragrance fit for the gods.

“This palace is as grand as the one in Memphis,” I said to my husband, whose eyes were fixed forward as he kept the chariot on a sandstone path.

“Why would it not be?” Sety replied. “The palace belongs to the Pharaoh. He demands perfection wherever he goes.”

The procession stopped at a grassy court surrounded by myrtle, date palms, ferns and trellised grapevines. Small tables and stools had been arranged for the guests, though many chose to sit on cloths spread beneath the trees. An officer of the Royal Guard directed Ramesses and our small entourage to a spot protected from the sun by a linen canopy where a few elaborate tables and chairs had been placed.

“Please make yourselves comfortable. Lord Harenhab will join you later,” the officer told us. Mother and Father smiled at each other. I could tell by their expressions they were delighted to be seated so near to the Pharaoh, and I had to admit that so was I.

Musicians mingled among the guests. A spindly juggler kept six wooden balls in the air at one time. A contortionist twisted her body into positions as fascinating as they were grotesque. Men and women acrobats, naked except for the slimmest of coverings around their waists, flung themselves through the air in feats of flexibility far beyond the capabilities of most mortals.

One of the acrobats flipped backwards three times and came to rest in front of us. “Can you do that?” I blithely asked my husband.

Sety grinned. “My physical skills involve shooting an arrow and wielding a sword. I’ll leave the entertaining to others.”

Young and beautiful women servants served beer, wine, fruits and pastries. Others affixed ox-tallow cones with the scent of lotus to the heads of guests, including Sety’s and mine. One of the servants sprinkled water scented with jasmine throughout the crowd, masking the odor of meat cooking in open pits nearby.

Sety and I barely had time to sip some wine and exchange a flirtatious glance before another officer of the Royal Guard approached.

“The Pharaoh summons you, My Lady.”

“The Pharaoh? Why does he want to see me?”

“He did not say. He asked only that I bring you to him.”

“Will you come with me?” I inquired of Sety.

“The Pharaoh wishes to see you alone,” the officer said.

“What should I do?” I asked my husband. “I’m frightened to meet the Pharaoh by myself.”

An annoyed expression crossed Sety’s face. “I should be with you.”

Ramesses, sitting nearby, overheard the conversation. “Lord Harenhab isn’t a demon,” he said. “You’re now part of the royal court, Tuya. He already knows Sety, and I’m sure he just wants to get to know you better. Now go with the guard. You mustn’t keep the Pharaoh waiting.”

I followed the officer down a tree-lined path, across a stone bridge spanning a dry moat and through the towering wooden doors of the royal dwelling, shaking with apprehension all the way. A long colonnade led to a parlor with a white tile floor. A statue of the falcon-headed Horus, dressed in a linen kilt and gold and silver jewelry, stood next to a large chair inlaid with turquoise and garnet. I thought the furnishings of the palace boat were magnificent, but they couldn’t compare in craftsmanship to the wall hangings, furniture and statuary of the Pharaoh’s abode.

“My Lord, I have brought Tuya,” the officer announced. I bowed my head as the Pharaoh entered the parlor from an adjoining room.

“You may leave us,” he said to the officer.

I looked up as Harenhab took his seat in the great chair. The Pharaoh had removed his ceremonial beard and replaced the cumbersome double crown with a
nems
, a blue and white striped linen head covering that dropped behind his ears to his shoulders. A
uraeus
held the
nems
in place. The cobra, at the front of the golden headpiece, peered out from the energy vortex between the Pharaoh’s eyebrows.

“Forgive me for taking you away from the festivities, but I wanted to chat with you alone for a while,” Harenhab said. “Sit down.”

I did so, on an impeccably polished stool with a seat covered in leather. I placed my hands on my knees and noticed my shaking had stopped. The Pharaoh brought with him a tranquil presence, not unlike a gentle breeze, and to my surprise I found myself quite composed sitting before him.

“I congratulate you on your marriage to Sety.”

“Thank you, My Lord. Your blessing at the temple was quite unexpected.”

“Why shouldn’t your marriage be blessed by me? I’ve come to greatly rely upon Ramesses and Sety, and I’d like to be able to do so with you.”

“My Lord, of course you can. I would do anything for you.”

“Then bear a son and bring him up well. Egypt will need strong and dedicated men if it is to regain its lost glory. From his father and grandfather he will learn the arts of war and statecraft, but from you he must learn how to love.”

For the third time that day I’d been told to bear a son, first by Ramesses, then by Sety and now by Harenhab. I knew what was expected of me, and was honored to do it, but frustration grew inside me because I was being told what to do by three powerful men who seemed to believe bearing and rearing children was my sole duty in life.

“My greatest desire is to bear a son, but do not limit me, My Lord,” I said, astounded by my boldness. “I have great skills as a healer. I can read and write as well as any scribe and converse knowledgeably about the gods with the most learned priests in the land. I’ll bear Sety children and be a superb mother, but I’ll do other things as well, if allowed to.”

Harenhab raised his eyebrows. Had I gone too far? Had I said too much? This was not Father, or Sety, or even Ramesses to whom I was speaking. It was the Pharaoh.

To my great relief, Harenhab let out a laugh. “Marvelous, Tuya. I can tell you have the strength of character to succeed at anything, including being Sety’s wife, which will be no easy task. I don’t wish to limit you, but I do expect you to bear a son. It is my fate to die childless, and it’s no secret I’m considering Ramesses as my heir. If I choose him, then Sety will be in line for the throne. For the new dynasty to continue, Sety and you must produce your own heir.”

“That is our intention.”

The Pharaoh leaned forward and looked squarely into my eyes. “Of course it is, but the heir can’t be anyone. He must be strong and intelligent, and above all, he must respect the gods of Egypt. Our land has suffered when Pharaohs and those around them have given the gods less than their due.”

“I honor the Neters constantly and will teach my children to do the same,” I assured Harenhab.

“Good,” he said as he sat back. “I would expect nothing less, particularly from someone with your experiences. I’ve been told you speak with Isis and have performed many healings.”

“This is so. The Queen of the Heavens spoke with me for the first time when I was a child. Later, I discovered I had the ability to make the lame walk and the blind see. I even had the power to bring my cousin back to life.”

“For you to be so accomplished a healer, love must fill your heart.”

“It is the love of Isis, My Lord.”

“Perhaps that love will open Sety’s heart so someday he can carry the crook of the Pharaoh with reverence and compassion.”

Harenhab’s comment took me aback.

“I’m sure my husband has a good heart, My Lord. I will love my husband. The gods must do the rest.”

“They no doubt will, if you honor them constantly.”

“I do. I have dedicated my life to the Neters.”

“Such dedication is easy when life goes well, Tuya, but remember to honor them also in difficult times, even when they seem to have deserted you.”

The Pharaoh rose and walked with me toward the door. “At the temple today, I sensed you were a special woman. I invited you here to make certain of it, and now I am. I take great comfort knowing you will be at Sety’s side. It makes my decision easier.”

“Your decision, My Lord?”

“Nothing, my dear. The officer will escort you back to the feast. I’ll be there presently. I’d prefer to walk with you, but even when I go but a short distance I must do so with great ceremony. The people expect it of me.”

“Why? You are Pharaoh. You can do as you please.”

“You are wrong, Tuya. The Pharaoh is a prisoner to the demands of his position. Wherever the Pharaoh goes, he is at the center of the world and must act accordingly. Remember this. The knowledge will serve you well.”

When I returned to the celebration, a servant immediately brought me fresh wine along with bread and meat. Sety, who had been talking with guests, sat down beside me.

“What did Lord Harenhab want?” he asked

“Nothing, really,” I answered. “Your father was right. The Pharaoh just wanted to get to know me better.”

Sety and I lifted our chalices to our lips, and as time went on, the wine had its desired effect. My husband caressed my neck and cheek and rubbed his knee and shoulder against mine. I reciprocated in kind, as the libations diminished my fear of the passionate coupling that would commence later. Our outward affections ceased abruptly when drums and trumpets announced the arrival of Lord Harenhab.

The Pharaoh came by litter, accompanied by a bevy of soldiers and servants. The bearers set him down by the edge of the court. He rose with grace and, unbent by age, carried himself with greater dignity than any man I had ever seen. His pace was neither fast nor slow, and he walked as if he had no destination. I now comprehended Lord Harenhab’s words. The center of the world was wherever the Pharaoh stepped, and I was grateful to be so near to it.