by Max Overton
"Send for her."
Sethi had alerted the palace staff, so it was only moments before Suterere was ushered into the Viceroy's inner chamber. Messuwy waved a dismissal to the other servants and regarded the young girl with interest. She stood with head bent, clothed in a simple plain linen dress, unadorned with any design, and devoid of makeup. A small carving of some dark wood hung by a thin leather cord around her neck, nestled between her breasts. Her arms were dark, and her bare feet similarly, below the white of her dress.
"Look at me."
Suterere raised her head, and Messuwy drew in his breath. Dark, almond-shaped eyes looked back at him, coral lips slightly parted as if breathless, her regular features framed by blue-black hair.
"You know who I am?"
"Yes, Lord."
"Do you know why you are here?"
A slight hesitation. "No, Lord."
Messuwy stared, feeling himself stir in anticipation. "Your brother Bay commended you to my attention. Why would he do that, do you think?"
"I do not know, my Lord."
"I think you do know."
Suterere trembled and dropped her gaze. "My Lord," she whispered.
"Remove your dress."
For the space of several breaths, the girl remained motionless, and then her hands moved to the clasp at her neck. The linen slid down over her perfectly formed body and puddled at her feet. She made no effort to hide herself with her hands.
High firm breasts held Messuwy's attention for a long moment before his gaze slid downward to a smooth flat belly and...
"What is that?"
"My Lord?"
"Down there. Why are you not shaved like any decent Kemetu girl?"
"It is my people's custom, my Lord."
"It...it is barbaric...but...interesting. Perhaps it will not matter. Join me here on the couch."
"My Lord, I cannot."
Messuwy stared in disbelief. "You refuse me? The King's Son?"
"My Lord, I must. I have taken a vow."
"What? Explain yourself."
"My Lord, before my parents died they bound me by a vow of chastity to the gods of my people and of Kemet. I can only give up my virginity within marriage."
"You think I care that you have made a vow to your barbaric gods? I am King's Son of Kush and if I say you will share my couch you will do so. Now come here."
Suterere made no move, standing demurely amidst the folds of her fallen dress. "My Lord, I am yours to command and of course you can force me, but afterward I will have to kill myself for I shall be shamed before the gods of Syria and Kemet."
"That is ridiculous."
"Yes, my Lord, but I would still have to do it."
Messuwy stared at the naked Syrian girl and frowned. "You mean it."
"Yes, my Lord. I would have broken my vow to the gods."
"Even if I forced you?"
"Yes, my Lord, even if you forced me."
Messuwy shook his head in exasperation. "I thought to honour you and your brother by taking you to bed." He sighed. "Leave me, and send some other girl to me. One more willing to do her Lord's bidding."
Suterere stooped and drew up her dress, fastening it in place. She bowed and withdrew, leaving Messuwy staring after her.
Later, when Messuwy lay sated on his couch and the young Kushite girl who had entertained him so exuberantly had departed clutching a silver armband in payment, he found his mind turning back to Suterere and her incredible refusal to do what most girls would have eagerly sought. It was intriguing, and he felt a vague and unsettling feeling of excitement.
Chapter Nineteen
Suterere speaks:
It is as my brother Bay says. A man can be governed by his desires, even a man as powerful as the King's Son of Kush.
When Messuwy first sent for me, and I read the desire in his eyes, I thought that my brother's scheme could not possibly work. He would take me no matter what I said, and that would be an end to it. It was his right as King's Son and my place to obey as one of his palace servants. Of course I would not have killed myself afterward for that was just a tale concocted by my brother. I would have gone back to my duties, borne him a child if that was the will of the gods; maybe have become an occasional bed-mate if I had pleased him; but nothing more. Instead, unexpectedly, I became an object of his desire.
A few years ago, Bay and I were just two servants in the household of the King's Son of Kush in Napata, children of a captive Syrian woman taken in one of Usermaatre's many campaigns, and a junior official in the palace. My brother was destined to follow his father into service and I would likely become a servant too, before becoming a wife to some other lowly person. Instead, my brother is ambitious and he uses me to achieve his ends.
He came to me and said, "Sister, I am leaving for the palace in Per-Ramesses."
I cried, for I was only twelve. Also, our parents were dead and he was the only other living child of my parents. "Why do you have to go?" I asked.
"Messuwy has become Deputy Viceroy and his friend Lord Sethi has approached me to serve him. I have taken his gold and am bound by oath. I will help his cause by spying on the king's court."
"But why? I need you here. Our parents have died and we only have each other."
Bay put his arm around me. "There is no future for us here as simple servants. I have a chance to make something of myself in the service of a great man."
"Then take me with you to Per-Ramesses. At least we will still be together."
My brother shook his head. "I have secured a place for you in Messuwy's court in Aniba. Work diligently and make me proud of you." He helped me dry my tears and see that my new position could work in my favour.
"I will work hard," I assured him. "I will make this Messuwy notice me and reward me by sending me to you in Per-Ramesses."
"No, that is just what you must not do. Keep silent and stay hidden as much as you can, and above all, have nothing to do with any man."
"I am not interested in men."
"But they will be interested in you, Suterere. You have the look of our mother and she was beautiful. In a year or two when you become a woman, you will attract attention. Men will give you gifts and tell you how beautiful you are, but they seek only to lie with you and take the one thing you have that is of any value. Resist them, my sister. Keep yourself untouched and later I will tell you what you must do."
"What is it to you if I lie with a man? When I am a woman I must seek what is right for me."
"If you lie with just any man who whispers sweet words in your ear, you will never be anything more than just another palace servant. Lie with the man I tell you to, and you will rise in the world, as will I."
I did not fully understand him, but I did as my brother instructed, for I am a dutiful woman. When my father had died, I passed into the care of my brother as my only living male relative, as is the custom in our native land. I continued in service at first Aniba and later at Napata. I was discreet, hiding my beauty as much as I could, performing my duties quietly and without complaint from the palace chamberlain. My brother was right about the attention that was directed at me. Men sought to lie with me, offering me blandishment or reward, and when that failed, with subtle threats. I resisted them all.
My brother wrote to me at intervals, bribing the messenger who brought official despatches to the King's Son of Kush to bring a letter to me. Bay can read and write in the common cursive script and taught me many phrases though I am otherwise uneducated, as well as several symbols that mean nothing to anyone else but everything to me. Mostly, they were simple messages, inquiring after my health, or offering little snippets of news from the royal court and hints at his slow but steady rise within the palace hierarchy. He became a scribe, and in the process of his duties became aware of the king's attitude toward my Lord Messuwy here in Napata. A year ago, he sent me a letter with instructions concerning the part I must now play in increasing our family fortunes.
'Suterere, my sister,' it read.
'It is time. I have a difficult but important task for you. If you succeed, our future is assured. One day soon, for I will make it happen, the King's Son will send for you and order you into his bed. There are two courses you could take, submit or resist. If you submit, he will enjoy your body for a time and then cast you aside. Have no illusions, by beautiful sister, a man in a position of power takes what he wants and moves on. Only one thing will make him stay with you, and that is love. Messuwy must come to love you, and though he might protest his love, if you give in to his demands, his pleas, and his promises, you will regret it. Even if you were to bear him a son, the child would be merely the son of a palace servant, and no doubt he has many of those already.
'No. You must find a way to refuse him. He will not expect this, and the refusal will make him want you more. I cannot guarantee your safety, my sister, for he is King's Son of Kush and possibly the next King of Kemet, and he could just decide to take you by force. If that happens, if it is unavoidable, then do what you can to encourage his continuing attention. But if you can resist him, if you can make him fall in love, all things are possible. Bear him a son inside of marriage and that son could well be King. It is not impossible, my sister, but you will be treading a precarious course. If you fail, you will be no worse off than a score of other palace women with illegitimate children, but if you succeed you will be the wife (at worst, one of the wives) of the next king. And if, as wife, you can present him with a son, then even if he has other wives later and other sons, yours will be eldest and heir to the throne itself. We are playing for high stakes, my sister.
'Destroy this letter, Suterere, but be on the watch for the time. If I can, I will give you advance warning, but if not, then watch for the King's Son inviting you to his bed. I am sure I do not need to remind you, but you must stay virginal, and guard your beauty. Be strong and be determined, my sister, and know that I only want what is best for you and for us. Your brother Bay.'
It happened as my brother said. I had a little warning, for Lord Sethi himself sought me out and drew me aside, murmuring, "It is time. Are you prepared?"
For a moment, I stared at him blankly. "My Lord?"
"Bay says 'It is time'. Messuwy will send for you today. Are you ready?"
I felt a thrill of fear for the time was upon me and I must refuse my master that which he desired. I did not know what would happen, whether I would be punished or forced to submit, and if I was forced, how I could turn that to my advantage. I was a virgin and untutored in the ways of men and seduction.
I stood naked before Messuwy and refused him, inventing a story of a vow to remain chaste until my marriage. I strove to hide my fear, and he did not force me. He sent me away and enjoyed another young woman in my stead, and I was certain that I had failed utterly. However, a day later, Messuwy sent for me and entreated me once more to break my vow and lie with him. Again I refused and he sent me away once more, but this time with the gift of a gold ring.
Thereafter, scarcely a day went by when the King's Son did not send me some small gift, a choice morsel from his table, a small item of jewellery, and once even, a wildflower when he returned from the hunt. Less often, he would have me brought into his presence and he would beg me to lie on his couch, saying that he must have me. I would smile and offer up my vow again and he would nod sadly and send me away.
And so it went for a little over a year. Messuwy, of course, had other female distractions, as was his right, and many girls even bore him children, but he paid them off with a gift and would not acknowledge any of them. I was the only one he pursued but could not catch, and the failure was like an itch between the shoulder blades, hard to scratch. Finally, he could take no more and ordered me into his presence.
"Suterere, I must have you. Open yourself to me."
"My Lord, I cannot. You know I have taken a vow that I will remain chaste until marriage."
"You realise it is a great honour to be chosen by the King's Son?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"But still you will not? What must I do?"
"My Lord, the King's Son must do nothing, but I must remain a virgin until marriage."
"Then marry me."
"My Lord?"
"Marry me, Suterere. Oh, I know, you are a servant and can never be queen even if I mount the throne of my father, but you will be a wife, and your children will be legitimate."
Well, I am a realist. I hoped if our scheme succeeded I would become a wife and I knew it was unlikely I would ever be Great Wife, but I pretended ignorance.
"What does legitimate mean, my Lord?"
"It means they would be recognised publicly as my children."
"They would inherit? Be your heirs?"
Messuwy hesitated and then nodded. "Bear me a son and he will be my heir."
I knelt before him and clasped his knees. "My Lord, you do your servant much honour. I will become your wife."
He raised me to my feet and kissed me and called me wife. A few days later, we had our union blessed by the priests and I went willingly to his bed.
Chapter Twenty
Year 3 of Baenre Merenptah
Merenptah's chariot bounced and rocked as it sped toward the loose conglomeration of Retenu rebels, the other chariots in the squadron fanning out on either side and raising a choking cloud of dust. Behind them, the men of the Ptah and Re legions charged, screaming out a challenge and brandishing swords and spears.
Seti howled with excitement, gripping the wooden railing of his father's war chariot with white-knuckled hands, staring toward the milling enemy soldiers. A shadow passed overhead and he looked up, seeing flight after flight of arrows winging their way from the Kemetu archers at the rear. A handful of the rebels released their own arrows, and Seti saw a charioteer to their right transfixed. The man tumbled to the sand and the officer beside him grabbed for the reins and fought to control the careering chariot. Another arrow struck a horse and the animal went down screaming. The chariot flew into the air, over the stricken beast, the two men in it thrown under the hooves and wheels of other chariots.
Then the Kemetu arrows descended and swathes of rebels fell, throwing their ranks into disarray. Seti saw a man shouting, though he could not hear anything above the thundering of hooves and the roar of the chariot wheels. He pushed and pointed, bullying the rebel line into a semblance of order as the legions bore down on him. Seti saw his eyes open wide as he realised his death had come upon him in the instant before the king's chariot impacted the rebel line. The man disappeared as the chariot bounced and came down hard.
Beside him, his father Baenre roared his challenge and released arrow after arrow as the chariot squadron crashed through the enemy and out the other side. They wheeled, turning back to the fray and saw the common soldiers of the legions who had been following close behind dealing death to the rebels. Merenptah waved his chariots back into the battle, but kept his own back, mounting a low rise and watching the fighting from a distance. A light scouting chariot with a herald stayed with them.
"Why have we stopped, father?" Seti asked, still trembling with the excitement of the charge.
"I am observing the battle," Merenptah replied. "Winning involves more than just blindly charging at the enemy. I must discern his strengths and counter them, his weaknesses and exploit them. See..." he pointed to their left. "The enemy is starting to retreat but the legion commanders do not appear to have seen it." The king beckoned the herald in the light chariot. "Go to Disebek, Commander of Re, and bid him press the enemy to his right. Tell him the enemy falls back and must be routed."
The herald saluted and the chariot raced off into the fighting, heading for the standard of the Re legion. Time passed, with the Kemetu forces pressing forward steadily. The shouts of challenge had ceased, the men needing every breath as they fought hand to hand for their lives and victory. Dust rose all about them, and the screams of the wounded and dying mixed with the clash of bronze and copper, leather and wood. The Retenu rebels continued to fall back, a
nd at last the Re legion started to alter its course.
"Ah, Disebek starts," Merenptah said. "Watch, my son, and contemplate your first victory."
The pressure of the legion pushed the rebels back, and all of a sudden the line caved in, men falling left and right as the Re battle standards surged forward. The rebels turned and ran, and now on other parts of the battlefield, the enemy saw their fellows retreating and gave up the fight, throwing down their weapons and fleeing. A roar of triumph went up from a thousand Kemetu throats and the soldiers surged in pursuit, the chariot squadrons harrying the fleeing men and cutting them down in windrows as if they were farmers with scythes harvesting a wheat field.
The Retenu rebels streamed away, but because of Merenptah's plan, they were cut off from their allies to the west, and now scattered toward the dry valleys and rocky gorges of the eastern hills. The chariots could not pursue over the broken, rocky terrain and fell back, leaving the mopping up to the infantry. Soldiers hunted down rebels who were mostly unarmed and slaughtered them without mercy, spilling their blood on the dry soil of their homeland.
The commanders gathered around their king and offered up their praise which Merenptah accepted, and then he issued the order to sever the right hands of every fallen rebel and gather them together in heaps to be counted by the army scribes. From then until nightfall, the legions scoured the area, lopping off hands and bringing them back in bloodstained linen bags. The piles grew, and when most of the men had returned, the king and his commanders stood around drinking wine while campfires were lit and the counting of hands began.