He summoned his guards and went to his bedchamber, where he went over every detail of the situation, summoned up all he knew of moon worship and its rites, decided on a course of action, and then dismissed the whole thing. Finally, as he had done so often, he went to sleep and in the morning knew just what he should do.
First he ordered a bed constructed exactly like his own with posts and curtains enclosing the sleeping area so there would be some privacy from servants and the tribesmen that were always present. This was to be put in his own bedchamber directly across from his own bed. Then he called in his counselors and his brothers. “There are some details I want to add to the treaty being drawn up between our kingdom and that of Sheba,” he said.
They spent the whole day going back and forth, wording and rewording the treaty until it exactly met Solomon’s requirements. There were all of the usual declarations and provisions for a friendly colation. There were also a few surprises. It was suggested that the queen take full advantage of the new sea route by building up the small town of Axum on the African coast of the Red Sea. That way she could benefit by both the land trade and the sea. She could market the same goods from her own country and at the same time build a new market of goods gathered from Africa.
The biggest surprise was a carefully worded portion that promised that with the acceptance of this agreement, Sheba would be given an heir to the throne.
The next day he ordered preparations be made for a great feast. “If the queen accepts the agreement,” he said, “I’ll send word and announcements can be read in every town and village that a large celebration will be held in Jerusalem.”
When Solomon reached Jericho a few days later, he found that the queen had already received the treaty and had been studying it with her counselors. She was puzzled by the suggestion that she make the small town of Axum, on the Ethiopian coast, a center for sea trade. “What should I do with this small town? It’s a long way from my capital in Marib.”
Solomon smiled. That was just what he wanted her to ask. “If you sign the agreement, we’ll be partners and I’ll help you to benefit by the new sea route.”
“I don’t understand.”
Solomon called for some parchment and some charcoal. Then he began to draw a crude map of the Red Sea and the coast of Africa. “See, if you are here instead of over here at Marib, you can collect all the ivory, precious stones, animal skins, and spices from this whole country and send them on ships to my port. In turn I can easily ship you the supplies you might need as the ships set out for the distant ports.”
She bit her lower lip and frowned as she studied the parchment carefully. “I’ll have to think about it. We’ve always ruled most of the coast of Ethiopia but we’ve never built any real towns or ports there. I must also think of my trade with countries to the south and east of Sheba.”
“That’s the whole point. If you stay in Marib, my ships will cut off much of your trade, but if you move you can be right in the center of everything.”
She cocked her head to one side and looked at him from under long curled lashes. “And,” she said, “what of this section that promises me an heir to the throne?”
Solomon smiled. He’d wondered just how she’d bring up the subject. “Why,” he said, “if you sign the agreement, not only will our countries be married but we’ll be married. I’d hoped this would be agreeable to you.”
“This marriage. What does it mean?”
“It’s very simple. I’ve already ordered a wedding bed for you and have had it placed in my own chambers.”
She stiffened slightly. “And so you too will try to control me.”
Again Solomon smiled a relaxed, confident smile. “Of course I have no such thing in mind. We’ll decide on things together; make an agreement.”
“What kind of an agreement?”
“We could agree, for instance, that only if you take something that belongs to me can I claim you.”
Now the queen smiled. “Only if I take something that belongs to you. That should be easy. Why would I take something that belongs to you. I have everything I want.”
“Exactly,” said Solomon. “There’s really very little chance that I can claim you. However, if you forget and take something that is mine, then you will belong to me. Isn’t that fair enough?”
“It’s fair,” she said smiling as she rolled the scroll back into its goatskin holder.
So the agreement was signed and that afternoon the queen and her maidens moved her to the apartment of Solomon, where she found that he had indeed designed a marvelous bed. The posts were covered with gold leaf and the curtains that pulled around it were of fine linen with embroidered peacocks and leopards that resembled his own curtains of stalking lions. He had ordered the curtains made when he first heard of her coming. He had thought at the time that they would be a fitting gift for her to take back to Sheba. Now they served the purpose of giving her the privacy she would need in this large bedchamber where tribesmen, servants, and emissaries came and went at all hours of the day and night.
From the moment the treaties were signed the feasting and celebration began. It was the same sort of feast and celebration that always took place at any royal wedding. Each day started with some new adventure, and every night there was a lavish feast. Solomon and the queen were constantly together, but at night, when they retreated to his bed chamber, she was always cautious to remind him that she had taken nothing that was his and so the agreement that had been signed seemed to come no closer to bringing them together than before.
Solomon saw quite clearly that while she desperately wanted an heir to the throne, still she could not bring herself to yield, to give up, to surrender herself. Even if it meant she must go back to her country without her desired heir, she seemed to feel the need to remain aloof. He could tell that she loved him. Her eyes sparkled with animation when she looked at him, and sometimes she almost reached out to touch his hand when they were talking. She had taken to spending longer and longer with her beauticians and hairdressers and had emerged looking devastatingly beautiful.
With his typical penchant to solve problems, Solomon finally made up his mind. He must act and it must be done in such a way that she wouldn’t feel trapped or resentful. “It is the habit of the people of Arabia to solemnize a serious agreement with the mutual eating of salt. Tonight we’ll have salt in everything, and the queen and I will perform a special salt-eating ritual joining our two countries in peace and prosperity,” he ordered those preparing the feast.
Then later, in the bedchamber, knowing she would be thirsty, he ordered a flask of fresh spring water and a silver goblet placed by her bed.
That night after the feasting and festivities had come to an end they all retired to their beds. Solomon said goodnight to the queen but was resolved not to go to sleep until his plan was implemented. He didn’t have long to wait. He heard her rise, draw the curtain aside, pick up the flask, pour water into the goblet, and drink not once but twice and then again as though the spices had taken full effect.
In the shaft of moonlight he saw her quite clearly. From the small bare feet on the marble floor to the hair that was now loose and flowing down her back she was a vision both lovely and desirable beyond anything he had ever seen. He must be careful not to frighten her.
Noiselessly he got out of bed and moved behind her. “You realize you have lost the wager,” he said softly. She dropped the goblet and deftly he caught it and placed it on the low stool.
She whirled and stood leaning against the pillar of the bed and looked at him with large, frightened eyes that reminded him of one of his high-strung Egyptian horses. “What will you do?” she asked. “It was just water and I was thirsty.”
“Yes, it was a rather despicable trick. It was not only the salt but to make sure, I told the servants to add hot spices to your food. I wanted to make sure you’d get thirsty enough to drink my water.”
“Your water?”
“Yes, do you agree? This water isn�
��t from Marib, it’s from Jerusalem. It’s my water.”
She stood looking at him with questioning, fearful eyes. Once again he realized that somehow she’d been terribly frightened in the past. Perhaps as a queen she had so schooled herself to be aloof that it was difficult to give even a bit of herself to anyone else. She reminded him of some little animals brought in from the wild that need to be tamed.
She glanced at the goblet. “And so now …?”
“Now I ask only that you play a game. A game you will find very pleasant. Haven’t you enjoyed most of the things I’ve planned for you?”
He could see that she was softening, relenting, but her voice was hesitant. “Yes, but is this a game I can win?” she asked.
In the darkness he smiled and moved closer to her, taking her hand. It was small, warm, and very feminine. “You’ll win all the pieces and walk off with the grand prize.”
She pulled her hand away and held her hair back as though to see him better. “I’ll win all the pieces?” she asked. “I can’t imagine such a game played against the all-wise Solomon.”
He could see that she was interested. She obviously liked the idea of winning. “And what do I have to do to play this game?” she asked.
“Each night when the moon comes up you’ll become a woman,” he said. “Perhaps even a simple village woman. For a short time you’ll forget you’re a queen.”
“And who’ll you be?”
“Why, I’ll be a handsome village lad that has fallen madly in love with you.” He could see she was caught up in the magic of the idea, though there was still a skittishness about her.
“I suppose you would be in charge?”
He was a bit taken aback by her abruptness. “Of course. That would be the first rule of the game because you don’t even know how to play.”
She tilted her head to one side and looked skeptical. “I’ve never played a game where I wasn’t in charge and sure to win.”
“Oh you’ll win, even when I’m in charge, and you can be in charge as soon as you learn to play.” That pleased her. A small smile played around her mouth. “What must one learn to be in charge?”
He took both her hands in his so he could look at her. “You’d have to learn to tell me how much you love me, how handsome I am, and how you want to be close to me and to make me happy.”
“And that is what you would do when you were in charge?”
“Of course, that is the whole nature of the game.”
“Could I stop the game if I didn’t like it?”
“I would say that should be possible, but then you’d have to give me the same privilege when you’re in charge.” She pulled her hands away and stepped back so she could see him in the moonlight. She seemed to be getting used to him as a person, a person invading her very private world. She was deciding with the cold, reasoning side of her mind whether to trust herself to him. She was no longer the light, jovial companion. He could see a real struggle going on. “And you would be in charge?” she asked again.
“Yes, I would be in charge.”
“Until I learned to play …”
He smiled the boyish, amused smile and leaned against the pillar of her bed crossing his arms. “Until you learn to play.”
She picked up the silver goblet and took a long drink, looking at him over the rim, sizing him up. He could tell she was seeing him not as a fearful monster but as the man she had been falling in love with since the first moment she saw him in the garden at Jericho. She set the goblet down and turned to him smiling, her arms outstretched. “All right. I’ll play and you can be in charge, but only while the moon is out.”
“It’s agreed, my love,” he said taking her in his arms and holding her for a moment while he marveled at how fragile she was and how lovely the fragrance of her hair. Then in one swift, sure movement he picked her up and started for his bed.
“Your bed?” she asked. “Not mine?”
“It’s my bed when I’m in charge.”
“And when I learn to be in charge it will be mine?” He stopped and looked down at her; she was soft and yielding, no longer frightened and aloof. “Of course when you’re in charge, you choose.”
The next morning she lay in his arms running one finger across his eyebrows and around his well-shaped beard, and looking at him with soft, loving eyes. “I’ve decided to let you be in charge, but just at night when the moon is up.”
He pulled her closer to him and kissed her eagerly until she laughed and pulled away. “And what is the grand prize that I’m to win?” she asked.
He was immediately sobered, and when he spoke it was with an emotion she hadn’t seen before. She thought she detected tears in his eyes. “The prize is our son. You’ll have a son. He’ll be my favorite son but you’ll carry him with you back to your country and he’ll always remind you of me. I’ll be left with nothing but a memory of great joy.”
She sat up and her hands flew to her slender, slightly rounded stomach. “I’ll have a son? You’re sure?”
He pulled her down to him and held her as though he never wanted her to go. “Yes, you’ll have a son. Such loving can only produce a son, and he’ll rule justly and wisely when we’re both gone.”
She was overwhelmed. The thing she wanted most, the impossible desire of her heart was to come about through this man whom she found so utterly irresistible. “But you’ll come to visit Sheba?”
“I’d like to think that I could, but in my heart I know it will never happen. But we’ll be partners, and our son, when he is old enough, can come and visit me. He must come back to be instructed further in our faith.”
“And what if you don’t recognize him?”
“Not recognize our son!” He almost laughed, then grew serious. “You’re right. He must have proof, not for me but for my subjects. Here’s my ring. It’s the only thing I own that was my father’s other than the crown. I treasure it above all else. The one that holds this ring holds my heart. Take it. Never let it from your sight, and when the time comes, send it back with our son.”
She took the ring and held it to the light, then fitted it on each of her fingers. It was obvious they were all too small. It was a large, rather crudely formed setting with a lion on each side of a flat, luminous stone etched with the crossed pyramids that made the six-pointed star. She knew this was the symbol most often used on Israel’s banners and hangings and the lions were the symbol of the tribe of Judah.
Solomon lay back among the cushions and watched her. “As he wears this ring,” he said, “he’ll always remember that he’s of the tribe of Judah and his symbol is the king of beasts—the lion.”
She leaned back in his arms and turned to look at him. “What sort of man will he be, this son of the leopard queen and the lion of Judah?”
“He’ll be a king we can both be proud of. Maybe his kingdom will last longer than mine. I pray that it will.”
“We’ll call him David in memory of your father.”
“In our language David means beloved, and this son will truly be beloved.”
Later that day when the feasting was almost over and many gifts had been exchanged, the queen asked to make an announcement. Solomon was amused and curious, but he quickly gave her permission. She stood up before the happy revelers, and waiting until everyone was quiet, said, “We’ve opened the treasure houses of Arabia and spread them at your feet. We’ve brought our gold, our perfume, and our incense. But there is one gift yet to be given—a gift that expresses my own affection for your king. It is a gift too precious to be bought, it is only given to those we choose to honor above all others.” With that she called Tamrin to her and ordered him to have the gift brought into the hall.
No one spoke as all eyes turned to the great bronze doors though which Tamrin had disappeared. Suddenly there was the rolling thunder of drums, the high trilling of singers, and the pounding of dancing feet as a glorious procession entered the hall. Women dressed in diaphanous gowns of bright colors with jangling ankle, bracel
ets, silver armbands, rings, and toe rings sang and beat their small finger drums while others with leopard skins thrown over their shoulders and cinched at the waist carried gold incense burners that quickly filled the room with the fragrance of sandalwood. Drummers dressed only in leopard skins came next and trumpeters, acrobats, jugglers, and dancers all paraded into the room.
Last of all Tamrin appeared in the door with a white Arabian horse that was simply but elegantly adorned with golden bridle and woven trappings. The way parted before him as he came slowly and majestically toward the throne.
Solomon was deeply moved. He came down the steps of his throne and, ignoring Tamrin, took the bridle and began talking softly and persuasively to the horse. For a moment the horse veered to one side, tossed her head, shook her magnificent mane, and bared her teeth. Tamrin moved as though to help and the queen hurried down the steps, but Solomon continued to talk softly to the horse.
Everyone in the room waited in fearful anticipation of some disaster. They knew how their king had wanted just such a horse, and they all feared this could prove to be an abysmal disappointment if the horse rejected him.
Only Solomon seemed confident. He continued to talk, and very tentatively the horse seemed to be listening. Then to everyone’s amazement, Solomon started to back in a circle and the horse followed him. He moved up and down the hall, and the horse moved with him as though there were some special communication only the two of them understood. “See,” the people said, “it’s true, just as we’ve heard. The king knows the language of the animals.”
From that day on the white Arabian horse and the king were inseparable. A bond developed between them that brought the king much happiness, more happiness than any of the other animals he had adopted over the years. This horse, whose name remained Zad el-Rukab, just as the queen had named her, gained a reputation for flying over the ground with her hoofs barely touching, and for loyalty to her master of an unusual degree.
The time passed quickly and the day came when the queen had to leave. It had been decided that she would go to Solomon’s port of Ezion-Geber and sail in one of his vessels as far as Ethiopia. Here she would go ashore and check the feasibility of actually moving her capital to this coastal site before returning home to Marib. “I would like to move, to start all over again; to found a city on the new principles I’ve learned and worship the God I now believe in.”
Queen of Sheba Page 26