Queen of the Heavens Read online

  Weakened by childbirth and the draining ordeal of being in the presence of Sety, I was barely audible as I said to Mother, “Tell all present to leave.”

  “Be gone,” Mother said to the women. “Tuya wishes to rest with her son.”

  Holding Ramesses in my arms, the two of us drifted again into a light sleep for I know not how long. I was awakened this time by the sounds of gongs and wails of grief coming from outside.

  “What is the commotion?” I asked Mother.

  “Crowds gather at the riverbank,” Mother said. “Lord Harenhab’s procession passes by.”

  “I must see. Help me up.”

  Mother assisted me to a chair on the terrace, which overlooked the Nile. I sat down, holding the sleeping Ramesses in my lap.

  The gold coffin containing the Pharaoh’s mummy rested on a canopy- covered catafalque in the middle of a small golden boat. The prow and stern of the vessel curved gently skyward then toward each other in a crescent. The royal boat, powered by a rectangular sail and fifty oarsmen, towed the funeral vessel. The great boat had carried Harenhab when he was alive, and now carried Ramesses and Sety in royal elegance. Twelve smaller boats followed in a line.

  Thousands of Egyptians gathered on the banks of the Nile to bow for one last time to their deceased ruler, whose mummy would be placed in a tomb built years before in the arid valley on the west bank of the Nile across from the great temples of Thebes.

  Tears formed in my eyes as I remembered the confident and powerful, yet gentle man whom I loved so much. “Farewell my dear Lord Harenhab,” I whispered. “May your virtues be with my son.”

  After the procession had passed, Mother helped Ramesses and me back into bed. Within moments, Nebet arrived holding a tray with a chalice.

  “The physician gave this to me to ease My Lady’s pain and help her to sleep,” my servant said to Mother, who met her at the door. “It is made from poppies.”

  “Thank you, Nebet. I will take it,” Mother said, then walked over to me. “Drink, Tuya, and rest. I’ll sit with you while you and your son sleep.”

  I did as Mother suggested, and I soon entered a silent sea of consciousness. Images of the Neters came vividly to me. I saw Ptah and Thoth, Maat and Amun, Anubis and Bes. I rejoiced as my grown son Horus walked toward me and stroked the red hair of my new son Ramesses. I saw, too, the demon Ammit, with the head of a crocodile, the chest of a leopard and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus, who devours the hearts of those who fail Osiris’ judgment. The angry and butcherous Seth, the god of disorder, also appeared, and I recoiled from the sight.

  For an instant I returned to the waking state and looked at my son asleep in my arms. Sety is like Seth, I said silently, and you, my son, are like my beloved Osiris, the god of order. Isis will nourish you and Sekhmet will protect you. Together, Ramesses, we will elevate you to heights of glory never before known in this world.

  I gave my son a gentle hug. Then Ramesses and I entered a deep sleep that neither gods nor dreams would disturb.

  XXIII

  With Sety gone and two children to love, I found life again to be bearable and even quite pleasing at times. I knew full well my respite from my husband’s anger would end eventually, however, so I resolved to make the best use of my time away from him.

  “I’m feeling confined,” I said one evening to Nebet. “Tomorrow, I’d like to take a boat ride on the Nile.”

  “I’ll tell the officer of the guard,” Nebet replied.

  “Have him order two chariots to take us to the boat. You and the children will accompany me. It will do us good to be out and about.”

  The next day, after the morning meal, the charioteers were waiting at the main entrance to the estate along with a detail of spear carrying soldiers and an officer to command them. I stood in the first chariot holding the infant Ramesses. Nebet stood in the one behind, holding Tjia.

  We proceeded at a quick pace down the path parallel to the river, past fields of wheat and barley and through a small village. The muscular and disciplined soldiers accompanying a princess clad in royal finery created an impressive sight. As usual, people stopped what they were doing and stared at us, but I was surprised to see a large number also following along. By the time we reached the quay near the palace, perhaps two-hundred had joined the procession.

  The crowd closed in after the chariots had stopped. The officer drew his sword and the guards made threatening gestures with their spears. The frightened people backed away.

  “Enough,” I said to the officer and his men. “They are peasants and shopkeepers who mean no harm. They wish only to honor their Princess.”

  The officer sheathed his weapon and the soldiers pointed their spears skyward. I stepped out of my conveyance with my son in my arms.

  “You will make way for us,” I said in a loud voice. The people responded immediately to my command and parted. With Ramesses and me in the front and Nebet and Tjia and the soldiers following, we walked onto the boat.

  “Why do they act this way?” I asked Nebet as we sat down under a wooden canopy at the stern of the vessel.

  “They have heard of the miraculous birth of your son,” Nebet answered. “They are in awe of you, My Lady.”

  The boatmen cast off and allowed the current to take us northward. Before long the people were but specks indistinguishable from each other. The boat rounded a bend in the river, the crowd disappeared from sight and I felt as if I had passed into another realm free of all troubles and concerns.

  Nebet apparently felt the same way. “The afterworld cannot be as beautiful and peaceful as this, My Lady,” my servant said as we looked out at the lush banks of the Nile, where palms, ferns and tamarinds framed the simple homes of Egyptians who could not even begin to fathom the luxuries I enjoyed.

  I watched two fishermen on shore cast a net into the river, seeking a meal that would sustain their lives. A young girl milked a goat outside her home as another gathered water from the river in an earthen jar. Indeed, the world did appear peaceful and serene when viewed from the middle of the Nile, separated by distance from the struggles for survival on the banks of the river.

  Is it possible to live life as if on a boat in the middle of the Nile? I asked myself. Is it possible to know only serenity in a world with so much travail?

  No answers came to me, so I allowed the questions to pass and simply enjoyed the beauty and peace of the moment.

  A bit after midday, members of the crew served a meal. Nebet and I dined on mutton and a soup made from lentils. Tjia ate a gruel of wheat and carob, which Nebet fed to her with her fingers. The food was delicious, much more so than if it had been consumed on shore. The beauty of the river and the gentle movement of the boat seemed to heighten the senses and enhance the taste of even this simple fare.

  After I had eaten, I retired to the cabin and nursed Ramesses, who fell asleep after he had sated his hunger. I tucked my child into bed and returned to the deck to enjoy more of the Nile’s magnificent sights. Herons near shore dipped their lengthy beaks into the reeds, foraging for food. Turtles and crocodiles basked motionless on the riverbanks, absorbing Ra’s life-giving rays. Date palms and fig trees offered up their sweet bounty to humanity without thought of recompense. The river gave life, and did so with exuberance, right next to a desert so barren even scorpions could not survive.

  The boat was large enough to comfortably accommodate my entourage and me overnight. I considered staying on the majestic and captivating river for another day, but then thought better of it. My concern for my children outweighed my desire to continue on my serene and aimless journey.

  As I learned so frightfully during my first trip on the Nile years before, the demons of the desert come to the river at night. I could keep them away from me with spells and incantations, but I feared my efforts might not be as effective with my children. I knew Ramesses and Tjia would be safer at home, in familiar surroundings that had been cleared of demons by the rituals of priests and priestesses. I was especiall
y concerned about Ramesses. As the future ruler of Egypt, there was no telling what dark beings might seek to invade his body so they might corrupt him, and use him someday to work their evil deeds on my countrymen.

  “We must be back home by nightfall,” I told the officer of the guard.

  “I’ll tell the Captain,” he replied.

  Soon the boat came about, the sail was hoisted to catch the north wind, and the twenty oarsmen went to work, adding their muscle so we would make good time against the current.

  The rhythmic splash of the oars in the water combined with the peace and beauty of the Nile lulled me into a light trance and I lost all track of time. I was brought back to the present by the crying of my son, and was surprised to see we were already rounding the bend in the river just before the palace. I stepped into the cabin and offered Ramesses my breast, which quickly quieted him down. When I emerged on deck with my contented son in my arms, the boat was nearing the quay, where ten times the number of people were gathered as when we had left.

  “The crowd has grown huge,” I commented to Nebet.

  “I’m not surprised so many people await your return, My Lady. They want to be near you. In the market, you are all the people talk about.”

  “What are they saying?”

  “They speak of young Ramesses’ miraculous birth. They also say that as a child you performed many healings, and even brought your cousin back to life and restored the sight of a blind priest. Is this true, My Lady?”

  “Yes, Nebet. It is true.”

  My servant fidgeted. “There’s more.”

  “What, Nebet. Tell me.”

  “They say you are Isis, returned in human form to bring love and compassion to the world.”

  Nebet’s words took me aback. I knew the people stood in awe of me, but I did not know they had begun to worship me.

  “What about you, Nebet?” I asked. “Do you believe I am Isis returned?”

  “Who but a goddess can order souls into bodies and perform the healing miracles you have performed? Yes, My Lady, I believe you are Isis.”

  When the boat reached the quay, the officer ordered his men to take up their spears.

  “We will clear the way,” he said to me.

  “That won’t be necessary.”

  “It is, My Lady. The crowd is unruly. The people pose a danger to you.”

  “They pose no such thing,” I snapped.

  I walked to the edge of the boat and looked out at the vast crowd.

  “Why do you follow me?” I asked.

  “You are a goddess,” a prosperous looking man in front answered. “We wish to touch you so your power will work miracles in our lives.”

  “I’m also a Princess. You must be respectful and maintain your distance. To feel my power you need not touch me.”

  The man backed away, as did the people around him. As I stepped off the boat and walked toward the waiting chariots the crowd parted. All bowed their heads, save for an old woman in a soiled skirt and poorly crafted copper necklace. She held a child who was perhaps three years old and beseeched me with her eyes to help him.

  “Is he your grandson?” I asked the woman, whose withered breasts drooped like a goat’s ears.

  “Yes, My Lady. His parents are lepers and they have been cast out of the village.”

  “What is wrong with the child?”

  “He cannot walk, and if he cannot walk he cannot work. I fear for his survival after I die.”

  While cradling Ramesses in my left arm, I reached out my right hand and touched the lame boy’s forehead and then each leg.

  “Take your grandson to this exact spot three times a day for seven days,” I commanded. “Gather water from the river each time and anoint his legs. As you do this, repeat the name of Isis with love and devotion.”

  “Will this heal him?”

  “Do not question me,” I said sternly. “It is important you do exactly as I say.”

  “Yes, My Lady,” the woman replied as she bowed from the waist as best she could while maintaining a grasp on the child.

  I proceeded to the chariot, and soon the procession was retracing its steps along the path. The people followed for a while, but night was approaching and most eventually chose to go home. Still, when we arrived at the estate several hundred remained to hold vigil outside the gate.

  Ramesses was sound asleep in my arms, so when we reached the house I went directly to his room and placed him in his cradle. The statues of Thoth and Sekhmet stood at his head and feet respectively. I lit incense of sandalwood, stroked Ramesses’ forehead, knelt beside him and directed energy from my heart into his.

  “May my son have the knowledge of Thoth, the courage of Sekhmet and the compassion of Isis,” I prayed. “May he always use his authority with wisdom and resolve.”

  I retired to my own room and sat in silence for a while, then anointed myself with an oil made from myrrh. “Thank you for my son,” I whispered to the Neters. “Grant me the strength and understanding to bring him up well, and the fortitude to endure life with Sety.”

  Nebet served me a light meal of fruit. I lay down in bed after consuming it, and with the images of the peaceful, beautiful and enduring Nile still fresh in my mind, I drifted into a sound sleep that lasted throughout the night.

  The next morning, Nebet brought me a papyrus scroll just delivered by a courier who had been traveling with the royal entourage. It contained the message I knew was coming, and which I had been dreading.

  “We have left Thebes and are en route to Memphis,” Sety had written. “My father and I will enter the city in a triumphfal procession within ten days. I expect you to be at the palace gate with other dignitaries to greet us.”

  I shut my eyes and with a full breath drew strength from the depth of my being.

  “Send word to the royal tailor that I wish to see him,” I said to Nebet. “He will make me a new dress. Later today you and I will choose the jewelry I will wear when I greet the new Pharaoh and my husband. I wish to be adorned more exquisitely than ever before.”

  So Sety returns, I said to myself as calmness descended upon me. It is all a part of the Divine Pageant, and I will perform my role like the goddess that I am.

  XXIV

  On the day of the Pharaoh’s and Sety’s return, I rose earlier than usual so I might have more time to prepare both my body and soul for the trying events ahead. I walked onto the terrace of my chambers. The moon had already departed from the heavens, and I looked out at a Cosmos alive with radiant worlds dancing in a sea of black. I absorbed the celestial energy through my heart and felt myself filling with equanimity and resolve. All is divine perfection. All is as it should be, the Cosmos reminded me yet again.

  I sat on the terrace in meditation until the first light of the morning began glowing on the horizon. Ra had begun his daily journey across the sky, signaling it was time for me to begin my preparations for the day ahead.

  With Nebet’s assistance I bathed, dressed and put on makeup and jewelry. Again, I wore the exquisite necklace Sety had given me. I had quickly shed the weight that came with childbearing, and to my great satisfaction my new dress fit me well.

  “Through your beauty alone the people will acknowledge you as a goddess,” Nebet commented.

  I picked up a mirror, looked at my reflection in the polished brass, and was pleased with what I saw.

  “Beauty is indeed divine,” I said.

  After taking some food in the garden, I boarded the chariot with Nebet that would take us to the palace. As we passed through the gate of the estate, I was not prepared for what I saw. A throng twice the size of the one that had gathered at the quay had congregated outside the wall.

  It is not my divine beauty alone that draws such a crowd, I said to myself.

  “Stop,” I shouted. The charioteer quickly complied, as did the detail of soldiers accompanying us.

  “I know you are here to be in my presence and feel my power, but why on this morning are there so many of you
?” I asked the people in a loud voice. Silence greeted my question for a time, until an old woman spoke.

  “They followed me up the path.”

  I stepped from the chariot and confronted the woman. “Do I know you?”

  “At the quay some days ago, you touched my lame grandson.”

  “Yes, I recall. How is he?”

  The old woman took the hand of a small boy lurking behind her legs.

  “Come forward and greet the Princess, Hemaka,” she said to the child. He did as told and smiled at me before turning his head into his grandmother’s knees.

  “He walks,” the old woman proclaimed.

  She picked up a bowl from the ground behind her that held three plums, and with Hemaka’s hand in hers, walked a few steps toward me. The plums were without blemish and washed and polished so thoroughly they glistened in the sun.

  “This is for you, My Lady. I could afford no more,” she said. The old woman knelt, placed the fruit before my feet and guided her grandson to his knees.

  I honored the woman and the boy by allowing them to remain for several moments in obeisance before me. “Rise, and pick up your offering,” I finally said, then signaled to one of the gatekeepers to come forward. “Give the fruit to him. Your gift is accepted and I will savor it.”

  “Thank you, My Lady.”

  “Do you have work?”

  “I do washing for merchants in the village, but they pay very little. Often my grandson and I go hungry.”

  “Take the fruit to my chambers,” I said to the gatekeeper, “and make certain the boy and his grandmother receive a good meal today.” I looked at the old woman “If you come here in the mornings my servants will find washing for you. I’ll pay you more than the merchants do.”

  Surprise registered in the old woman’s eyes and tears formed.

  “You are so gracious, My Lady. My grandson and I will be devoted to you always.”

  “Devotion from you I accept gladly, but teach the child to be devoted to my son, Ramesses.”