“The boy I saw looked a little light-skinned to be made out of these men’s seeds.”
“Marai was lighter than them,” she mumbled so quietly that only Ari would hear her. “Anyway, he came up to me and did this trick on his hands as well as a dancer might. Then, he saw I was sad and he came to hug me and told me not to cry any more. He told me that everything would be alright, that he would give me magic tonight.”
At that moment, more women came into the common area to inspect each other’s garments, hair, jewelry and cosmetics. Any hope of a private conversation was gone. It would be rude to speak in Kina and one never knew who might know enough of that language to understand what they were saying.
“We’ll talk later,” Ariennu smiled stiffly at the newcomers and then finished with Naibe’s hair before checking her own again.
The afternoon wore on into earliest evening. The two women overheard that the men were refreshing themselves in a secondary plaza complete with their own attendants and butlers to wash their feet, oil their bodies, and give them massages. An entire area was set aside, one of the visiting women laughed, for cosmetics and another area had mats set out to create a fan-cooled retreat. They saw a few more children go into the yard to play. More women and their servants bustled in to the lower area of the women’s apartments now. They gossiped, checked each other’s appearances, adjusted flower garlands and scent cones, and then rested with the ladies who had arrived earlier.
Bored, Ariennu quit the sleep area to help the servants who brought the flower garlands for everyone’s necks. Some tidbits of food had been brought out and placed in little clay dishes along the edge of the water, in case anyone wished for a little to eat before the festivities picked up. Ari saw puffy little sweet cakes, melon slices and little cups of a light syrupy beer. Wives, dancers, children, and concubines in twos and threes flowed in and out of the gathering rooms, taking some of the foot from the table. Ari herself was not hungry after her adventures in the morning. Glumly, she tried to busy herself with other tasks around the common area – the party could not start soon enough in her opinion.
Meanwhile, Naibe noticed the two princesses Khentkawes and Bunefer enter the women’s area with their handmaidens. The younger woman thought neither princess looked happy to be there. They stayed together as if they were joined at the arms, whispered in low tones, and spoke to only a few of the guests. At first, Naibe wondered if it was her presence that made them uncomfortable. She watched Ariennu pause as she returned from the common area by the pool and bow a little to Princess Bunefer. The tiny woman greeted her with a mittened hand wave and a coy smile. Encouraged, Naibe stood, but felt ill at ease about being sociable to either woman. She moved to embrace them, as if there had never been ill will between any of them, but they quickly turned to go meet with the king privately for a few moments. When they returned, their handmaidens had arranged two portable boat-styled beds of woven rushes filled with great puffy pillows. The two princesses laid down to rest without any further conversation.
Naibe stood, then ambled dreamily around the room, frustrated the princesses and even the concubines weren’t interested in speaking to her. Until this afternoon she had always trailed Ari, but the older woman had found several other things to take up her time.
Yes, my sweet highnesses. So kind of you to ask about my life here in the palace! Naibe imagined she was speaking to the sleeping princesses and their maids. Oh yes, things are so much better for me now. And you? How is your life? she pretended to speak to Khentie first. So his Highness is on duty now and young prince Kakai is back at school? Has your grandchild been born? Will you sail down to be with your son at Per-A-At to help his wife? Here, the strap on this scent cone is a little crooked. Let me get that for you. And then to Princess Bunefer, she imagined saying: Oh yes, my lady, I have been asked to dance later… Oh yes, indeed, you’ll like the dance I’m going to do! It will be so much better than the one you saw at temple, Naibe bowed again, then moved off in her own world.
Sometime later, Ariennu moved up to the roof kitchen where cooks were hastily preparing the large trays of food which would be brought down the steps to the waiting crowds of guests reclined around the pool and in the main plaza. She thought about helping until she remembered she was wearing her best bright yellow kalasaris with the hip sash of patterned red and Tyre purple stripes. She had carried a few things before, but knew she needed to avoid the potentially messy food trays.
Feeling suddenly useless, she began to watch some of the dark, oiled, and beautifully-muscled young men milling downstairs. In a rush of temptation she came down to visit them and to perhaps strike up a conversation before singling out one or two of them for an evening of delicious entertainment.
Ari bumped into one of the concubines, Irika, who until now had been far too haughty to speak to either her or Naibe.
The girl saw her ogling the men and made a point of teasing. “Well, look at you coming down from the kitchen,” she grinned. “In your party clothing? Whatever have you been doing there?”
Ari ignored her, but the girl continued goading.
“I have been chosen to be with Our Majesty this evening. I will sit with him and so will Suenma, not you,” Irika quipped. “So don’t you be anywhere near Our Father doing your pale-skinned heka tricks; you or your dove-girl with the big golden eyes, either.”
Ariennu whirled around, blazing. The haughty banter was finally enough. Dove Girl? She silently repeated. Ari knew the term was meant as an insult. It implied that Naibe, as a concubine to the king, favored the embracing arms and kisses of a woman or girl to his godly manhood. Ari hadn’t ever been particular about the source of any of her pleasure in times past, though she decidedly preferred men. Very few times and only when there had been an advantage to it had she seduced or entrapped women. Normally, the accusation would have made her burst with laughter. Tonight, it was too much. “Excuse me? Dove Girl?” Ariennu reached out and grabbed the young woman by the arm so hard that she almost jerked her off of her feet.
“Ow! Let me…” the girl rose on tip-toe to stop the twisting and pain. “I was just…” she protested.
“What? Saying you were sorry? Is that what you were going to say to me?” Ariennu twisted the girl’s arm behind her and dragged her closer again. “I can break it for you, you know, or twist it so hard you’ll be making a sore and sad face when His Majesty touches you tonight.”
A guard at the bottom step that ascended to the king’s quarters saw the rising scuffle begin and moved toward the two women. A stern look spread over his face. “What’s this?” he asked.
In a frantic and very angry moment, Ariennu sent a thought into his heart. The King… Take me to see the King! She saw the man take a step backward up the stair, and knew he had sensed the thought she sent, but couldn’t allow himself to acknowledge it. His hand stroked a scarab amulet imbedded in his collar as his head snapped back and up over his shoulder. The guard at the top of the stair shook his head. “Ladies. Our Father rests. He also speaks with his divine son.”
“You don’t understand. I had a feeling again, another vision. I wanted to see if he…” Ariennu called out as she released the girl in her grasp.
Irika scrambled through the crowd, pausing some distance away to shake out her arm and turn a wicked snarl in the elder woman’s direction.
“Is that Lady ArreNu?” a familiar voice called down the stair.
Prince Shepseskaf emerged from the grand bedchamber and made his way down the steps to face the ruddy-haired woman.
Ari tapped her lower lip with her finger, proud that her outburst had roused someone who might make a difference. She shuddered a little because her efforts had worked, but she still wanted to continue tormenting Irika’s about the ‘Dove Girl’ remark.
“Yes Highness,” she quickly composed herself. “The princesses are resting well in the back suites. Shall I get them?”
“No, no don’t bother,” he remarked. “My sweet sister didn’t wish to com
e at all, but the queen has sent word she is ill this evening and cannot attend. Princess Khentie is with my beloved wife, who had no interest in this gathering either. We do what we must, though.”
Ariennu looked up just past the crown prince’s shoulder to the beaded opening of the king’s bedchamber. “Then he will need…” she started, but Shepseskaf stayed her bare shoulder. She knew he understood that she was trying to sit with the king, but other arrangements had been made.
“He is well, as can be expected, but he rests now and should be fit to begin the evening soon. Just so you understand us, my beloved wife has advised him to take the company of ones who will be simple of heart, yet be bred to more of our formal ways.”
“Like that righteous little kuna I just turned loose, eh?” she chuckled and turned a little.
“Perhaps” the prince remarked, “but you should know the king does value you and the Lady Naibe very much. He agrees to this not out of anger or disappointment over either of you. It’s just expected for his attendants during these major celebrations to be more…” Shepseskaf seemed at a slight loss for words.
“Ah!” Ari smirked, turning again. Her hands mocked the gesture of an elegant coif and large breasts. “More ornamental, I see it now.”
“Enjoy yourself tonight, then,” the prince bowed his head to hers, then turned but paused for a moment. “But not too much” he added and went out to the plaza to move among some of the other important men of the Two Lands.
Ari thought he would kiss her head before he left, but he didn’t. In that moment, she understood the king, the prince, and the other members of the royal family were still uncomfortable with this party. The odd and almost unfriendly airs she sensed were about the greater mystery of the king’s elder daughter who died, and this delicious looking prince of many naughty rumors who seemed to be in the middle of all of it.
Oh tonight, you sly and pretty one, she chuckled to herself. If Bone Woman can’t keep you gripped between her thighs, you’re mine! The thought of her own legs wrapping around his hard and eager body made her heart beat furiously with all sorts of delightful and sweaty imaginings.
Ariennu shrugged and moved back into the thick of the crowd starting to mass in the outer plaza. She gawked at all of the finery as each new family arrived, then trailed the myriad of servants as they directed the women back to the private areas to rest and rejuvenate themselves. Unable to resist an old instinct that surfaced, she evaluated their fine clothing and jewelry. It had been a long time since she had actively stolen anything, other than the two half-hearted attempts with the inspector’s crystal eye medallion. In a way, she wanted to see if her skills had deserted her due to all of the good behavior her new life among the royals had demanded of her. With the help of the Child Stone, and her skill of causing prism-blurred memory, she knew she might strip the entire women’s apartments, bag the items and take off running. Where she would go once she had more goods than she could carry, she didn’t know.
Ari grimaced silently as Hordjedtef’s countesses arrived. As they situated themselves on poolside couches and asked for their handmaidens to attend to them, the women chatted with the princesses. Once in the plaza, Ariennu heard the stewards grumbling.
“His men are already here, waiting in the common,” one man called to the two men in the store-room where the huge storage jars of beer and wine were housed. “They’ve already finished down two. Take out four more and get up the steps to ask the guards if His Majesty is ready. This needs to start before the food is cold and everyone out there is falling down drunk.”
Ari hadn’t been to a celebration this large, but all day long she had heard the concubines, handmaidens, and the servants rehearsing the schedule of events as they prepared.
The king would be notified just as the guest’s entourage approached the outer gates. He would then come out, extend his blessing, allow the prince to enter, speak another blessing about the coming mission, and then declare the feast officially started. At this point they everyone waited for some sign that King Menkaure was ready to start.
As the sun sank lower, however, the guest of honor had not arrived and the king had not emerged from his upper suite. More tams and cushions were added and adjusted all around the pools. Musicians played. Everything and everyone simply waited.
Just at sunset, a cheer rippled from the area of the main gate. A press of men moved toward the guarded gold and cedar doors. When a horn blast sounded from outside the walls, the guards at the top of the stair to the royal bedroom ducked into the room. As if he had been waiting for this moment, a wiry but muscular, dark-skinned attendant clad in a shining white shendyt and gold pectoral emerged from the king’s outer balcony with a large wooden striker in his hands. The assembly hushed, expectantly, as the man took a swing at the large bronze gong mounted on the king’s outer rail. King Menkaure appeared then, hands inclining his body slightly so that he looked down into the plaza below. The echoes of the gong radiated through the air and down to the distant river. All of the guests in attendance froze and bent low with averted eyes until the king trotted down the steps to sit in his polished pink marble throne. His pleased, almost amused, expression grew both regal and paternal as if he had personally fathered each of those gathered before him. A corps of butlers followed him, stuffing wonderfully sumptuous dark blue pillows behind him in the chair. He clapped his hands twice, and then settled in his cushions. His right hand braced his ceremonially bearded chin for a few moments as he surveyed all of his assembled subjects. When the sound of the gong finally faded, he nodded and the crowd eased a little.
Breaking protocol, because she knew she could get away with it, Ari pushed her way toward the throne. One of the butlers handed her a slim gold beaker of calming flower and basil tea to test. She knelt, gazing seductively at the king to let him know she might still be able to provide him company if he needed it later on. She sipped his drink and then offered the beaker over her head. The king’s eyes met hers, saw her sensuous smile, and then flashed grateful recognition. She had suggested he drink her mixture instead if the expensive wines this evening, just to keep his body cleansed in light of the tension this huge gathering created in his heart.
“I bless you, Lady ArreNu,” his voice spoke just a little above the rabble coming from the gates.
Perhaps later, she thought, if he’s in a good mood.
The gong sounded again. A murmur ran through the crowd and a cheer went up in greeting. The crowd praised and prayed for both Maatkare and the king’s long life at the same moment.
Ariennu paused, suddenly awestruck at the honor she and Naibe had received over these past two weeks. Hordjedtef had said it earlier. She knew it, but because she had not been born or raised in Kemet, she didn’t truly feel the importance of her quickly rising station until now.
She and Naibe had actually been allowed in the close presence of a living god who walked as a man, without any of the usual demands of formality. Ari always told herself it was because they were both graced by the Children of Stone and that any intelligent member of the royal family would naturally be attracted to them. After that idea faded, she thought it might have been because she and Naibe had first seen him ill and in such misery just a week ago. He hadn’t seemed like a god then. He hadn’t even seemed like a god when he had walked with her and Naibe about the streets as if they had been his daughters. This living god seemed like a lonely, weary man who required so much more nurturing than he could allow his subjects to know he needed.
Tonight, King Menkaure seemed almost happy. He joked a little, but most of the time he sat pensively in his pale marble throne. Occasionally, he reached down to caress Suenma’s head or touch Irika’s shoulder while they were seated adoringly at his feet. He didn’t notice Irika’s forced-but-charming smile when he touched her arm. He merely sipped his tea and called for more of it instead of calling for the imported spiced quince wine. Two acrobats performed amazing feats of flexibility and balance with hoops and ribbons before him. He
nodded approvingly as serving girls bore trays of bread stuffed with meat or honeyed fruit delights that had been baked into fancy shapes. After the king and the assembled guests finished taking portions of each new dish, dancers and singers entertained until the next course was brought out. All the while, other servants meandered among the reclining guests with smaller jars and urns, ready to refresh any extended cups.
Just after dark, a combined gasp and a light cheer from the entrance on the king’s left side announced the entry of Prince Maatkare’s entourage. He hadn’t bothered to come into the wide plaza through the gates in the front. Instead, he opted for a showier entrance on the king’s left.
Ariennu looked around, desperate to find Naibe so her young companion could see the moving display as the prince’s family arrived. She found her standing almost timidly at the entry to the women’s area, far out of sight of the king. Ari beckoned wildly, but soon gave up and went to the entry herself. It was still a good vantage point for seeing the main plaza as well as the women’s plaza.
Deka’s going to be with them. Ariennu knew that, but she still wondered: nothing from her, even though I’m sure she’s heard we’re living here.
The prince’s servants led a heavy set and solemn-faced woman clad in a tasteful but unflattering red and gold kalasaris. Even though it was highly fashionable, it clung to her body as if it was wet and it made her look like a vulgar imitation of a noblewoman. Behind her walked her three children wearing gold belts, fancy bracelets, and apron skirts, followed by a handmaiden and the children’s nurse. This group, but not the prince or Deka, was led to pay homage to King Menkaure, then ushered into the area to the right of the throne. The handmaiden quickly schooled the little ones to keep silent, while the heavy woman scanned the plaza for a place to sit.
Ariennu assumed the woman was the wife of the prince and mother of these children. She dimly remembered the shrieking woman in her vision that first night. She had seen her rail at the prince about his bad acts and constant betrayal of her. If that woman had once been worshipped by this prince, she had certainly fallen from grace. Ari sensed in a single glance that the woman commanded no respect from the prince other than the fact that she had pushed three dour faced offspring out of her womb.
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