A Captain in Israel

by Alex Chappell

  The two soldiers looked at each other. They hesitated. Then the larger of the two shook his head.

  "I’m sorry, princess. The king has given very strict orders that no one is to disturb him. He’s made no exceptions. Not even for his children."

  "Ridiculous!"

  Michal pushed the spear tips aside and stepped brazenly past the surprised guards. When Mara didn’t follow, she reached back and pulled Mara after her.

  "I’m certain my father never meant for you to keep his own daughter from seeing him. I’ll peek into his room. If it seems like he’s in a bad mood, I’ll leave and no harm will be done."

  The guards shifted their feet nervously, but they made no move to stop Michal. She marched confidently down the dark hallway and slipped her slender hand between the heavy scarlet tapestries covering Saul’s doorway. Despite her fear, Mara joined Michal at the curtains, and ducked beneath her cousin’s arm to put an eye to the narrow opening.

  The first thing Mara saw in the torch-lit room was the regal monarch himself. Dressed in purple robes, Saul reclined on a bed with his head against a long purple bolster. His eyes were closed. This comforted Mara a little. He wouldn’t notice his private quarters’ sanctity was being violated by two intruding pairs of eyes.

  Saul’s bedchamber was a majestic room. The cold stone walls were decorated with javelins, spears, and shields. Tapestries, of the same rare hue as the king’s regal purple robes, splashed their color against the otherwise drab walls. Michal had once told Mara the dye for Saul’s clothing and tapestries came from a sea snail harvested by the Phoenicians of Sidon and Tyre. It was a very costly dye – one that would show Saul’s subjects how wealthy and powerful he was. Mara forgot all about this, however, when Michal, her eyes finding David, let out a small, delighted gasp.

  David sat cross-legged on the floor, a small harp in his hands; and, though his eyes were lowered, his face was clearly visible. Mara observed he had a friendly, open face – a face that seemed accustomed to wearing a smile. His bright, intelligent eyes were as blue as the sky on a warm summer day. But neither Michal nor Mara had more than a second to look at him. Perhaps because he heard Michal’s gasp, or perhaps because he felt the weight of four eyes carefully examining him, David looked toward the door. Michal pulled away, stifling a giggle, and she pulled Mara close so she could whisper in her ear.

  "Did you see him? Did you see how beautiful he is?"

  "Yes. He’s very handsome. He has a pleasant face."

  "Pleasant? Handsome? Handsome doesn’t even begin to describe what I’ve just seen! Did you look into his eyes? I could spend the rest of my life gazing into those eyes!"

  A nervous smile twitched across Mara’s lips, but Michal was still too engrossed in thoughts of David to notice.

  "We have to find some way to introduce me to him," Michal said. "You have to help me, Mara. You’re not just my maidservant and cousin – you’re my best friend. You will help me, won’t you? As a friend? As a friend and not just because I command you to do it?"

  Mara’s faint smile faded. There was an obsessed look in Michal’s eyes. It was a determined look that told her Michal wouldn’t rest until she got what she wanted. It signaled awkward and uncomfortable moments ahead.

  "Let’s get back to my room," Michal said, not waiting for Mara to answer. "We have plans to make. Important plans. We have to find a way for me to meet David. But it can’t seem as if I’m trying to meet him. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you? It has to be natural. Unforced. We’ll need every idea we can come up with, and we need them fast."

  Mara attempted to hide her dismay behind another feeble smile. It was going to be a very long day. And if she didn’t bring Michal and David together quickly, it would be an extremely long week.

  Chapter Four

  ד

  And Saul sent to Jesse, saying,

  Let David, I pray thee, stand before me;

  for he hath found favor in my sight.

  1 Samuel 16:22

  Mara placed the lid on the blue, faience jar, took a step backward, and admired her handiwork. A powdered lapis lazuli eye shadow now set off Michal’s flashing green eyes, her silky raven hair was accented with a pale yellow loosestrife spray, and her already flawless skin was softened with scented olive oil. Michal needed none of this to look good for David. Even without these carefully applied cosmetics, she was already a stunning beauty. But Mara had to admit today only a blind man could walk past Michal without having his breath taken away.

  "Well?" Michal demanded, giving Mara only a few brief moments to examine her. "How do I look?"

  "Like a princess," Mara replied. "You couldn’t look better if you’d just gotten ready for your own wedding."

  Michal smiled, pleased at the compliment. She turned her hands around to admire her smooth nails. Mara had reddened these with henna.

  "You’re certain I look all right?" Michal gracefully raised a hand so Mara could help her from her chair. "There’s nothing that can still be done?"

  "Nothing. You look perfect."

  "This may be my only chance to capture David’s attention. I don’t want to look back and regret I didn’t wear more jewelry."

  "From what I’ve been told, most men don’t even notice such things. But David will notice you. At least he will if we get to the courtyard on time. If we don’t go soon, he and your father might disappear into the throne room for the rest of the day."

  "You’re right," Michal replied, a worried frown pulling at her mouth’s corners. "I need to be there so he’ll see me the moment he comes out of my father’s council chamber. But it can’t seem as if that’s my reason for being there. He has to think I don’t notice him, but he still has to notice me. I’ll be depending on you to watch for his reaction. Make sure you don’t miss a thing."

  Mara nodded, suppressed a smile, and obediently followed Michal to the citadel’s broad, open courtyard. Saul’s advisors were just emerging when Michal, in a very unprincesslike fashion, rushed to a place where she could watch the council chamber’s door.

  "Do you think he’s actually in there?" Michal asked, anxiously shifting her green eyes back and forth between Mara and the door. "You don’t think he left and went back to Bethlehem, do you?"

  "He stayed in the servants’ quarters last night," Mara replied, "and I asked every servant in the palace if any of them had seen him leave this morning. I promise you, he’s in there. Unless angels took him up into the heavens, the only place he can be is in the council chambers with your father."

  Michal examined her fingernails for the hundredth time, making sure she hadn’t chipped any.

  Mara loved Michal, but sometimes the privilege of being maidservant and friend to a princess came at an annoyingly steep price. What she hadn’t yet told Michal was all the palace staff now thought Mara – not Michal – was infatuated with David. And what else were they to think? She was the one who made the rounds of the castle spying on David and asking questions about his daily routine. She was pondering this unhappily when Saul, David, and her own father stepped from the council chamber, blinking against the bright mid-morning light.

  "I’ve decided to make David my armor bearer," Saul said to Mara’s father, Gideon. "His music is like balm to my soul. I want him to stay here at the palace where he can play for me whenever needed. Tell me, David. Do you think your father can spare you to remain in your king’s service?"

  "My father is growing old," David said, "and he doesn’t have the strength he once had. But if my brothers are willing to take over my duties with the flocks, I would feel honored to remain here and serve my king."

  "Excellent!" Saul replied. "I was hoping you’d say that. Gideon, see to it that word gets sent to David’s father. Tell him his son has found favor in my sight, and I wish for David to reside here in Gibeah at the palace."

  Gideon nodded, and Mara thought she could detect a faint pleased smile on her father’s lips. He had recommended David. He’d learned about him from an old frien
d, Eliakim, who resided in Bethlehem.

  "Did you hear?" Michal whispered, barely able to contain herself. She grasped Mara’s arm with both hands, squeezing until it hurt. "He’s going to stay here at the palace. This is perfect! Simply perfect!"

  Mara had a sudden, unsettling vision in which she saw herself lurking in the palace corridors, following David everywhere he went. If the palace servants thought she was in love with him now, they would be certain of it after Michal got finished with her. Despite this, she forced a smile to her lips before putting a hand on Michal’s shoulder to stop her cousin’s agitated bouncing.

  "Remember your plan," she cautioned. "You don’t want him to know you’re interested. You want to attract his attention, but you don’t want him to know you’re trying to attract it."

  "That’s right." Michal struggled to compose herself. "Thank you for reminding me. How do I look? Is my make-up all right? How about my robes?"

  "You look as lovely as a spring morning. You have nothing to worry about."

  "And you won’t forget to watch him for me, will you? I need to know every expression that crosses his face. Anything at all that might tell us if he finds me interesting or attractive."

  "I’ll watch his every move. I already promised I would."

  Michal smiled, took a quick, nervous breath, and motioned for Mara to follow her. Casually, they strode toward David and the king.

  It was odd to see Michal looking so unsure of herself. Self-confidence was an attribute Michal – up until now – had never seemed to lack. But something about David flustered the princess. None of Michal’s past romantic interests had done this to her.

  Mara smiled and shook her head. Then she jumped, startled, as a firm hand clapped itself on her shoulder.

  "I see you’ve noticed the king’s new harp player."

  "What? Oh! Shalom, Father! I didn’t see you there."

  Mara turned toward Gideon who had somehow ended up behind her. He was smiling at her, but there was something forced about his smile.

  "He’s a handsome young man, isn’t he?"

  "Handsome? Who do you mean? David? Yes. I suppose you could call him that."

  Mara looked quizzically at her father then cast a surreptitious glance over her shoulder. David was bowing to Michal and Michal was smiling coyly at him. But Gideon was watching Mara so closely she was forced to abandon the assignment Michal had given her.

  "I hear rumors you’ve taken a rather deep interest in David. Tell me. Is there any truth to these accusations?"

  "What? Who’s saying that?"

  "I have my sources," Gideon replied. He was frowning now, and he was watching Mara with careful eyes, gauging her reaction to his words.

  "Though you no longer live under my roof," he said, "I still feel a responsibility to keep track of my daughter’s actions. Especially when she’s showing a romantic interest in one of the king’s servants."

  "Wherever you’re getting this information," Mara said, feeling suddenly defensive, "it’s false. I’m not the one who’s infatuated with David. It’s Michal. She hasn’t been able to stop talking about him ever since he got here. She even sends me all over the citadel to spy on him!"

  Gideon raised one eyebrow, and Mara clapped a hand over her mouth. If only her hand had been faster than her tongue.

  "So Saul’s daughter is interested in his harp player," Gideon said, tapping an index finger thoughtfully against his chin. "This is interesting. Very interesting…"

  "No!" Mara quietly exclaimed. "You heard me wrong! I mean… I mean, you know how Michal is. Interested in one boy one day and in another the next. By tomorrow one of the new soldiers guarding the gate will catch her interest. David is a passing fancy."

  She hoped her words would deflect her father’s interest, but she could already see a calculating gleam burning in his eyes. Gideon was a man who knew opportunity when he saw it. If not, he would never have obtained his current station in Saul’s kingdom. If there were even the slightest chance Gideon could gain Saul’s favor by revealing Michal’s secret, Gideon would act upon it immediately.

  "Well," he said, glancing over his shoulder and smiling. "Michal’s secret is safe with me. But if she keeps acting like she’s acting now, it won’t be long before the entire kingdom knows she has her eye on David."

  Mara followed her father’s gaze and shook her head in dismay. For someone who didn’t want her feelings known, Michal was doing an abysmal job hiding it. The princess was bobbing her head, laughing at everything David said. So much so she almost seemed giddy. She twirled and untwirled a lock of hair around a finger and batted her eyes so much Mara feared David would think Michal had dust in one of them.

  Saul’s attention, fortunately, was turned elsewhere. He was beckoning to one of his advisors, oblivious to Michal’s behavior. No one else in the courtyard, however, could possibly miss it.

  "Correct me if I’m wrong," Gideon said, "but it doesn’t look as if this is one of Michal’s usual passing fancies. She seems utterly besotted with David."

  Mara had no response for this. She could only bite her lip and nod.

  "I haven’t seen any of your sisters lately," Gideon said, abruptly changing the subject. "In fact, the kingdom’s business has kept me from seeing any of you for quite some time. How are my other daughters faring in Saul’s service?"

  "The only time I ever see Yara," Mara answered, "is if Michal and I chance to be in the queen’s presence. But she won’t talk to me even then. She thinks it’s not proper to socialize – even with her own sister – when she’s attending Ahinoam."

  Gideon chuckled. Yara had always been the stiff and proper family member, which was probably why she had been selected to serve Saul’s beautiful but aloof first wife. Mara, however, found her sister’s own aloofness more annoying than amusing.

  "And what about Ayalah and Keren? Do you three ever find time to be together?"

  "Yes. Every once in a while. On the rare occasions when Michal and Merab aren’t fighting we see each other for a few minutes. Sometimes we’re able to spend time together at the servants’ quarters, but it doesn’t happen often."

  Gideon stared again at David and Michal.

  "We all have to make our sacrifices when it comes to serving the royal family," he said. "But we mustn’t forget what a great privilege and honor it is to render this service."

  "Yes, of course," Mara agreed. Deep inside, however, she wondered if it wasn’t more a great burden than a privilege. The prophet Samuel had warned if Israel chose to be ruled by a king the people’s sons and daughters would be taken and forced to serve him. Mara’s own family had become a literal fulfillment of the prophecy, and she wondered how things might have been different – what her relationship with Michal would be – had they been allowed to grow up as equals rather than princess and maidservant.

  Mara loved Michal – almost like one of her own sisters – but there was a part of her that rebelled at the thought of spending the rest of her life catering to Michal’s every whim. A life of servitude to the royal family was not what Mara wanted for herself. She yearned to pursue her own dreams and desires.

  "I would love to stay and chat," Gideon said, again placing a hand on Mara’s shoulder, "but the king has urgent business I must complete. Say hello to your sisters. Tell them your mother and father send all our love. Shalom, Mara."

  "Shalom, Father."

  Gideon looked one more time at Michal and David before turning and striding toward the citadel gates. Alone now, Mara turned her own eyes to her cousin and David, but she was too distracted by the uncomfortable conversation with her father to pay much attention to the two. The brief encounter with her father had reminded her of the discontent already brewing within her. Would Mara bat Gideon ever be anything more than a simple palace servant?

  It wasn’t that she aspired to greatness like her father did. She didn’t want honor, glory, or attention. On the contrary, Mara would happily exchange this life in Saul’s palace for a quiet existence
in Israel’s smallest village. She wanted to be the wife of a man who loved her – be he a shepherd or a farmer or a soldier. And she wanted to have children – to experience what it was like to be a mother. That wasn’t going to happen so long as she remained Michal’s servant. Her deepest, darkest fear was she would grow old in Michal’s service and die an unmarried spinster.

  "So what do you think?"

  Mara jerked her head up and stared at Michal in surprise.

  "What?"

  "Do you think I was casual enough? Did it look like David was attracted to me?"

  "I…" Mara thought quickly. "Yes, Michal. You were perfect. I’m sure he didn’t suspect a thing."

  "But do you think he finds me attractive? That’s what I want to know."

  "It looked as if he was very interested in you."

  She had no idea what David thought of her cousin. She hadn’t had time to observe much of Michal’s short conversation with him. Michal beamed, however, and motioned for Mara to follow her.

  "Let’s go back to my room. I want you to tell me everything you read on his face – anything you think he noticed about me then I’ll tell you what he said. He’s wonderful, Mara! Even better close up than from a distance. When I look into his eyes I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven!"

  Emotionally turbulent days lurked ahead. Mara hoped she was up to the challenge.

  —

  Tobiah leaned against the wall, watching with half-closed eyes as his cousin, Dinah, who was kneeling on the stone-paved floor, removed another loaf of bread from the oven. She placed it with the other freshly baked loaves in a small, wicker basket and glanced up with a raised eyebrow at Tobiah.

  "Do you know, Tobiah," she said, "that you’re the last of Grandfather Elihu’s posterity who isn’t either betrothed or already married? You’re of age now, aren’t you? So why do you still have no prospects for marriage?"

  She smiled innocently, as if this was a reasonable question to ask. Then she slid a new lump of barley dough into the oven while she waited for his response.