Chapter 3
Psalm 9:14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.
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Jonathan set me on his horse sideways and mounted behind me. “I’ve a few things to say to you, my sister.”
I tugged my shawl against the biting wind. Merab had no doubt put him up to this. I hadn’t spoken to her in days.
We rode at a walking pace out the gate of the palace. Despite my mood, I couldn’t help but savor the scent of fresh cut grass and the damp earth, moist from the winter showers. Small white buds appeared on the grapevines, and tender green shoots sprang from grey branches.
I poked Jonathan. “Can we go a little faster? I want to fly across those fields and jump a creek.”
“No, my sister. You are still a virgin.”
I shifted on the swaying horse. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“It means I have to watch you and remind you that you’re a princess. I’ve already told David to stay away from you.” He tugged the reins. The horse waded across a small brook and headed up a rocky pathway lined with wildflowers.
“Then why does Merab get to talk to him?”
Jonathan snorted. “Merab’s just playing. I’m not worried about her.”
A cloud blocked the sun as we passed through a sheepfold. “David hates me anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jonathan said. “Father wants to keep you for a major alliance to protect our borders.”
I ground the inside of my cheeks. So that’s all they saw me as, a possession to be traded. “Can we get off and walk? My legs are stiff.”
Jonathan helped me dismount. I walked up the hillside with my arms crossed. He followed me. “You should stop acting like a baby.”
I didn’t want to hear him, so I ran. I tore across a ridge and scrambled around a stand of juniper trees. Did he care that my heart ached and that I thought only of David? My breathing grew ragged, my lungs struggled, and my legs burned. If only I could be free to fly away from the confines of the palace. I could be a warrior, or a poet. Not a pathetic girl destined to be bartered or sold.
Tears mixed with sweat trickled down my cheeks. I pumped my arms and ran faster, staring at my feet as I kicked clods of dirt. I rounded a stand of trees and stumbled, twisting my ankle. Three men on horseback blocked my path. The two in the front laughed and spoke in a foreign tongue. Philistines!
I turned and ran back the way I came. Hoof beats pounded behind me. My ankle throbbing, I veered off the path and tumbled down a steep slope. The horses stopped at the top, and a man dismounted. I screamed for Jonathan.
Footsteps chased me as I scrambled toward a brook. A sharp pain poked my sides, and my heart threatened to leap from my throat. Tripping and falling, I scraped my hands and landed in the water. I reached for a rock, but a hand grabbed my wrist.
I screamed and flailed to escape. My attacker held onto me, lifting me from the ground. He let go and stared at me. He was a boy—tall, but thin and gangly.
“Are you hurt?” he spoke in the trade language, his voice high pitched and reedy.
I coughed, trying to catch my breath. My dress was torn and my hands and knees bled. The boy sat on a rock and watched me. The banks were steep on both sides, and he was downstream from me. His companions could have surrounded me. I threw a rock at him but missed.
“Let me go,” I said in Hebrew.
He lifted his palms and replied in Hebrew. “I’m not stopping you. You’re bleeding.”
“What are you doing in our land?”
The boy raised an eyebrow. “Your land?”
I walked past him. “If my brother catches you, he’ll kill you.”
He walked at my side and offered me his arm. “You’re limping.”
“You know, I don’t need you to make stupid observations.” I jutted my chin. “If you want to help me, show me how to get back to my palace.”
His mouth broke into a lopsided grin. “Ah, so you’re lost. And a princess too.”
I glared at him and would have punched him had I not noticed the iron knife tucked in his belt. His long black hair fluttered in the wind, and he wiped it from his beardless face. He pointed down the stream. “If you keep going, you’ll come to the Sorek Valley. I live on the other side of the valley. You’re welcome to my palace.”
I turned around. “That means I go up the river. Goodbye.”
“You’re very pretty.” His footfalls crunched behind me.
And you’re very annoying. Well, maybe not, because he was friendly, and he hadn’t hurt me. I wrapped my arms around my wet clothes. The sun was setting, and a chill traversed my spine.
My teeth had barely chattered when a warm cloak settled on my shoulders. “You’re shivering,” the boy said.
I cringed at accepting the cloak of a Philistine, but my body welcomed the warmth. “You’re a Philistine. How is it you speak Hebrew?”
“I had a Hebrew nurse.”
“Oh, I have a Philistine nurse.” I hugged the cloak, smelling an outdoorsy scent mixed with oily food. “But the only words I know are milk, bread, and well… never mind. Was she a war captive?”
“Yes, but she loved me like a mother.” He offered his hand again, and I took it, glad to take some weight off my sore ankle. We walked to where the bank was shallow and cut across a pasture, bypassing a grove of old olive trees.
“See the torchlight up on that mound?” He pointed. “That’s your palace. Can you make it by yourself? If they capture me, they’ll probably kill me.”
“What are you, a spy?”
He smiled, his white teeth gleaming in contrast to his bronze skin. “I’m your friend.”
I held his hand a bit longer. “I’m Michal, daughter of—”
The leaves rustled, and a man tackled the boy, knocking him to the ground.
“Run, Michal,” David said. He drew a short sword and held it to the boy’s neck. “Leave before I kill him.”
I grabbed David’s shoulders. “No, he’s only a boy.”
“Boys grow to become men. Please turn around unless you want blood on you.”
“No, David. Let him go. He helped me.”
“His companions hurt your brother, sliced his arm.”
I gasped and covered my mouth. “Jonathan’s hurt?”
David nodded. “Not badly. He was still able to kill them. Move aside and let me finish the job.”
The boy choked, and his lips shuddered. “My brothers are dead?”
“They attacked first.” David sheathed his sword and pulled the crying boy up. “Now, go. Remember, I had mercy on you.”
The boy ran, his long legs flying and his hair bouncing in the wind.
David pulled me into his warm chest and hugged me. “What happened to you? They came back to the palace yelling about you being kidnapped by Philistines. Your father’s guards headed west on horseback.”
The events of the day tumbled over me. My knees weakened, and my head swirled. David tucked the boy’s cloak over my shoulders and picked me up. “You shouldn’t scare me like this.”
“You mean you care? You’re not angry with me?” I pulled one arm around his neck and the other over his shoulder. His eyes were dark with concern.
“Not at you,” he said. “I was wrong to kiss you. You’re the daughter of the king.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t have friends.” I rested my head against his neck. He smelled like leather, my father’s smoke, and excitement.
His whiskers brushed across my temple. “You’re hurt and cold. I have to take you back to the palace.”
“Can you take me away to your palace? Somewhere far away across the sea. Maybe a land of green hills or black forests. I heard my nurse tell a story.” I lifted my face to his chin, and my pulse churned with affection.
“Oh, I’d take you anywhere, if I could.” His voice gravelly, he lowered his lips to mine, whispered my name, and kissed me, soft, safe, mouth relaxed, but c
losed, as if I were beyond reach. I waited, my breath barely held, aware of the hiss of his breath growing more agitated.
He murmured my name again, and his mouth grazed against mine, simply touching, not taking. I pressed up to him and slipped a taste when his lips parted on the second syllable. He shivered, tightening his embrace and stopped walking.
I climbed higher in his arms as he placed me on a slope so I could be level with him.
“What can I do to earn your hand?” His eyes glistened in the moonlight.
It is enough if you love me. But I knew my place as a princess was difficult. I caressed the soft spot beneath his jaw and said, “Bring peace to Israel.”
His fingers tangled in my hair. “You are truly the most expensive girl in all God’s creation. And the most precious. I don’t know what I would have done had you been taken captive.”
Our faces drew closer, nose to nose. I wrapped my arms around his neck and teased his hair. His breath fanned my face, sweet, a hint of spice, and full of heat. “I want you, David, beloved.”
A groan rumbled in his chest, and he was over the edge, bending my head back, his mouth encompassing mine, inhaling my breath, my spirit, capturing my heart.
* * *
David almost lost consciousness the moment Michal confessed her desire. Forget the rules, the laws, the kingdom, and the price. He needed her in a way that felt elemental, as if she had always been a part of him, that missing rib. His feelings too intense, he pulled his body back, but she followed and clung to him, her wet clothes dampening his skin.
The tangy, salty scent of blood and mud, and the sunshiny sweat of the Philistine boy underneath her jasmine flavor stirred his emotions into a rushing torrent. He ripped off the cloak and threw it on the ground, then wrapped her with his tattered prayer shawl. She shuddered, her flesh raised with goose bumps.
Angry voices and hoof beats punctured the rhythm of the chirping insects. David jumped and pushed Michal back so abruptly that she stumbled. The metallic swish of drawn swords cut through the air. Men holding torches shouted. “Who’s there?”
David raised his hands as he knelt to the ground.
Michal stepped forward, picking up the cloak. “Princess Michal. This man found me.”
* * *
I woke the next morning with a cough and sore throat. Mother was displeased with me and suspected David of tearing my dress and causing the scrapes on my hands and arms. Around the palace, men sharpened their bronze weapons and patched their shields. Father prowled the corridors like an injured lion. The killing of two Philistines so close to the palace had everyone on edge, prepared for war.
The evening approached. My nerves jolted with every footfall, and my heart pounded inside my throbbing head. I hadn’t seen David all day. Would he go to war? I rushed to the servants’ quarters, but his room was bare, emptied out. He wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye. I waited until the changing of the guards and ran up the stairs to the abandoned guard shack, hoping to see David or receive a note.
Tinkling notes of the harp lifted my heart. I skipped up the last few steps. David set his harp on the bench and hugged me, his eyes solemn. “I have something for you.”
“Don’t tell me you’re leaving.” I twisted the edge of my robe.
He licked his lips and swallowed, placing a smooth stone in my hand.
“What’s this for?”
“I picked it out of the brook. See the pretty patterns? It’s green, flecked with brown, like your eyes. It’s not valuable.”
I put the cool stone to my cheek. “Oh, David, I’ll treasure it, but does it mean you’re going to war?”
He kissed my forehead. “Not to war. Your father dismissed me.”
Panic spurred through my chest. “But he loves your songs. He can’t send you away.”
“Songs are only a dream, but pain lingers.”
“What pain?”
He pulled me into his arms. “Of never seeing you again.”
“No, it can’t be.” I clutched him tightly. “Take me with you.”
“I can’t. Your father will hunt us down like animals.”
“Da-vid.” My breath hitched and tears followed. “I don’t care. I just want to be with you.”
He stroked my hair softly. “I’ll come back for you. I don’t know how, but I will.”
I clutched his robe. “Promise?”
“Yes.” He touched my cheek. “Don’t cry, Princess.”
He held me for a long moment and kissed me until my lips were swollen and my eyes ran dry of tears. When the guards departed from the gate and marched toward the back, David swung his leg over the side of the wall and was gone.
He left his harp.
Chapter 4
1st Samuel 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
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I waited on top of the wall and watched for David. He’d been gone more than a month and Father’s army had been stalled in a valley, a standoff against the Philistines.
Merab tapped my shoulder. “Sister, I know how you feel.”
I blew out a breath. Every day, she tried to make up to me. But I couldn’t erase the image of her kissing David. I gritted my teeth and wished she’d leave.
She took a seat on my bench, put her arm around me and kissed my temple. “You’re in love with David.”
“Then why did you kiss him?” I wiped my eyes quickly.
“To test him.” She swung her face in front of mine. “You don’t understand, do you?”
Tears trickled through my fingers. What was there to understand? David had been banished, never to see me again.
Merab rocked my shoulders. “Don’t let him hurt you. He was only looking to advance himself. He won’t be the last man who’ll make eyes at you to gain a position.”
“David’s not like that.” I almost moaned, but caught my breath.
“If he truly cared about you, he wouldn’t have kissed me. He’s just a man like all the others.” She took my hand, spread out my fingers and dried them with her scarf. “This was your first experience. Be glad he was only a servant. Next time, do not let him know how you feel. Men never want what they can easily get.”
I bent my head to my lap, my face burning with shame. “I shouldn’t have let him kiss me?”
“Exactly. I’ve never let Adriel kiss me.” She heaved her shoulders. “He couldn’t meet the bride price anyways. Well, cheer up. There’s always another prince. Father is saving us for worthwhile alliances.”
“Like who?”
Merab sighed. “Don’t know. Jonathan mentioned the Ammonites or Syrians. He just killed the two possible Philistine princes.”
A hot flush spilled up my throat. “Foreigners? Father would marry us to idolators?”
She patted my back. “Don’t worry. Father’s demands are too many. No one can meet his price.”
I pulled at the roots of my hair. “I wish I weren’t a princess.”
“Wishing never helped anyone. Don’t think about David. He’s not worth it.” She turned with a jangling of bracelets and floated down the stairs.
* * *
Mother met me in the hallway in front of Merab’s bedchamber. Her brows were crinkled with a sharp line between them. “Where’s your sister?”
“Maybe in the garden? Why?”
She ground her lips and sighed. “Your father wants Merab brought to the frontline. He has promised her hand to whichever brute will bring him the head of the giant, Goliath. Your father is about to—”
“Giant? I heard stories from Ishby. I thought he was fibbing.”
“Unfortunately not. There’s a Philistine who challenged your father to find a man to fight him. So far, no one dares and he’s been taunting us close to forty days.”
“Isn’t Jonathan well enough to fight?” My brother had single-handedly killed twenty Philistines.
Mother pinched my arm. “Don’t be silly. Jonathan’s the heir to the throne.”
“But what happens if no one fights him or the Philistines win?”
Mother’s eyes hardened like flint. “We’ll be made slaves. It’s worse for women. I might be killed immediately, but the virgins will be taken as war captives or sold to men to do as they please.”
“No!” The sensation of icy spiders crawled over my shoulders, and I fell into her arms. She rubbed my back. “Child, it hasn’t happened yet. Pray God gives us a champion.”
Merab entered her room and stopped when she saw us. “What’s going on?”
Mother let me go and put a hand on my sister’s shoulder. “Put on your best gown, the one you got for your eighteenth birthday, while Michal packs your personal items.”
My lips trembled, and I drew in a shuddering breath, blinking back tears.
Merab’s eyes widened. “Why my best gown?”
“Be brave, daughter. You have to go to the frontline and rally the men of war.”
“Why me?” Merab stepped back, her eyes darted from me to Mother and back.
“Your father is offering your hand to the man who slays Goliath.”
Merab’s excruciating wail stung me clear to the bone. She threw herself against the wall. I ran and grabbed her from the back, my head on her shoulder and held her as she crumpled to her knees.
“Stop crying and get dressed.” Mother pinched Merab’s cheek and dragged her to the dressing area. “The bearers are waiting at the gate.”
She snapped her skirts and swept from the room.
Merab slumped on her bed. “I have cramps, and I’ll never be able to sit in that hot, dusty litter. Why don’t you go? It might be fun.”
“Fun? But I don’t want to marry a soldier.”
“Neither do I. But maybe David will be there.” Her eyebrows perked. “What if he fights the giant?”
“David?” My heart bounded up three steps. “But he hardly knows how to fight.”
“Even if he doesn’t fight, maybe you’ll see him.” She handed me her finest gown, a jade green silk with golden vines embroidered around the edges.
“But, I don’t look like you. Wouldn’t Father notice?”
Michal's Window Page 3