"How are you feeling?" David asked. "Is there anything you need? Food? Water? Anything?"
"No," Tobiah mumbled. "I feel fine." But he knew he wasn’t fine. He knew it the moment he moved his mouth to speak. The slightest motion of his jaw resulted in searing pain, and another sharp jolt reminded him about the injury to his shoulder.
"You have deep wounds," David said. "It’s lucky you didn’t die from them. The Lord must have other plans for you. But you could help Him out by not being so quick to always jump into danger."
"Sorry," Tobiah mumbled. It was the best he could manage.
David shook his head and tiredly rubbed the back of his neck. He looked at Tobiah again and said, "Micah has put honey and herbs on your wound. That should prevent infection and help you heal, but you’ll carry these wounds’ scars for the rest of your life."
Tobiah carefully nodded, and guilt washed over him.
"I…I’m sorry, David. I’m sorry I followed you when I knew you told me to wait at Beth-shemesh. I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused."
After he got the words out, he closed his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see the look on his cousin’s face.
"The important thing," David carefully said, "is you’re alive. We’ll talk about the consequences for disobeying my orders later. First, I need to send word to your parents about what has happened. I’ll need to let them know you’ve been injured but are still alive. I’m not sure how I’ll be able to explain this."
Knowing what an awkward position he had put David in was almost as painful as Tobiah’s throbbing wounds. He hadn’t stopped to think how difficult it would be for David if he to report his injury or death. There were a lot of things he hadn’t thought about before mindlessly rushing into battle.
"Did you get them?" Tobiah asked after several moments of uncomfortable silence. "Did you get the hundred foreskins?"
"A hundred and a hundred more. I return to Gibeah today. I have to get there before the deadline expires."
Tobiah nodded, winced in pain, thought of something else and winced again.
"My sword…"
"It’s in the main supply tent," Micah said, "with the rest of your things."
Tobiah relaxed until he remembered something even more important.
"When do you leave for Gibeah, David? Today?"
"Yes. But don’t get any ideas. You’re in no condition to travel. I’m leaving you here to rest."
"There’s nothing wrong with my legs," Tobiah stubbornly replied. "I’m sure I can still walk on them. And it’s important for me to go to Gibeah. I need to know Mara’s answer."
"What you need," David said, "is at least two to three days of rest. Any business you have in Gibeah can be conducted by me. I’m not allowing you to walk all that distance in your condition."
"But she’ll be waiting for me!" Tobiah protested. "At least if her answer is yes she will. You don’t understand. I have to be there to see if she’s waiting at the well. I have to know her answer. You don’t understand how important this is to me!"
"You’re wrong," David said. "I do understand, but I can’t risk having you fall ill and die. I’m sorry, Tobiah. The walk would be too much for you."
"What if I ride? The supply carts are empty. You could take me along in one of the carts."
David looked skeptical, but Tobiah could see he was considering the request. Quickly, Tobiah pressed his advantage.
"I’ll stay flat on my back. Please, David. If you understand how I feel, you’ll do this for me."
"You’ll stay on your back? You won’t try to get up?"
"I’ll stay down in the cart. I promise."
"This goes against my better judgment," David replied, shaking his head, "but you’ll probably try to make the journey on your own if I don’t bring you." That comment stung. Maybe it was meant to sting.
"Can you have a cart ready within the hour?" David asked, turning to Micah.
Micah wore a dubious look. "I’ll take care of it," he said and quietly left the room.
Although he was going back to Gibeah, things weren’t working out as Tobiah had planned. He hadn’t thought he’d be carried back to Mara in a wagon, and he definitely hadn’t planned on returning with one side of his face slashed open. He hoped the sight of his swollen, bandaged face didn’t repulse Mara.
There had been a time, not long ago, when he daydreamed about returning from battle in glory. Thus far, he’d found nothing glorious about warfare. The Lord had spared his life three times – once in the Nahal ha-Elah, twice here in the Nahal Sorek. He was grateful for that, but was the Lord chastening him as well? He would wear a scar across his face for the rest of his life. Was it to serve as a reminder of the foolish choices he’d made?
At least there was one choice Tobiah didn’t regret. He knew his love for Mara was real, and he knew he could never feel whole without her. The choice to ask her to become his wife had been the only significant choice he ever got right. He hoped Mara felt the same way.
The room had grown very quiet, and Tobiah, looking up, saw David was still watching him. There was a troubled look on David’s face. He was struggling with something.
"I know what you’re thinking."
"You can read my mind, can you?"
"No. Not usually. But I think I can today. You’re trying to decide what to say to me. You know I should be chastised for disobeying your orders, but you feel guilty about doing it while I’m lying here all bandaged up."
"So you do know what I’m thinking."
"I’m sorry, David. What I did was foolish and wrong. If you have to dismiss me, I…I understand."
He looked away.
"You promised my mother you wouldn’t send me into battle," he said, "but, too many times now, I’ve done things that would make her think you’re a liar. I wanted so much to be a soldier I did the very things a good soldier would never do. I disobeyed my captain’s orders. I’m sorry."
David lowered his head. He stood that way for a seeming eternity. Tobiah was beginning to wonder if David would ever look at him again when David raised his head and spoke.
"You are a good soldier, Tobiah. In a fight for my life, I’d rather have you by my side than any other man in this army. But you’re absolutely right. You disobeyed orders. There will have to be a consequence."
Tobiah nodded.
David straightened, adjusted his belt and scabbard, and moved toward the door. Before he departed, he said one more thing.
"I’ll be back to get you when the cart is ready. In the meantime, stay here and rest. I’m not suggesting it. That’s an order. Do you understand?"
"Yes. I understand."
David looked into Tobiah’s eyes, searching to see if Tobiah’s word could be trusted. Finally, he turned and went out the door. Tobiah remained alone, wounds throbbing; but no wound could hurt as much as losing David’s trust.
—
She’d been plagued all day by the eerie feeling she was being watched. The hair prickled on her neck each time she and Michal crossed the courtyard, and, even on her way to the well this evening, Mara felt as if a shadow was following her. Every time she turned to look, however, she saw nothing but empty street.
Mara shook her head, shuddered, and returned to the servants’ quarters. Keren was already there, rolling out for the night. She smiled when Mara entered.
"You look like you’ve had a long day," Keren said.
"I’m sure yours has been much longer," Mara answered.
Keren sighed. "Merab spent most of the day crying. She’s inconsolable. She doesn’t want to be Adriel’s wife."
Mara nodded. She understood how Merab felt, but she didn’t know how to explain this without explaining too many other things.
"What about Michal?" Keren asked. "I’m sure she must be overjoyed."
Mara felt wearier than before.
"She can’t stop talking about David. Just today she went to her father five times to ask how long before David returns with the bride price. T
he first time or two, I think her enthusiasm amused the king, but now it’s obviously beginning to annoy him."
"Things will be different for us after Merab and Michal are married," she said. "We may not see each other very often – maybe never. Yara and I will follow Merab to Adriel’s household, and you’ll go with Michal and David."
Mara swallowed hard. Her throat tightened, and she tried to blink back her tears; but it was too late. A flood of pent up emotions broke through.
"Mara… What’s wrong?"
Mara shook her head, unable to speak, and Keren put her arms around her.
"What is it, Mara? You can tell me."
Mara choked on a sob, hiccupped, and angrily wiped at her tears.
"Ish-bosheth," she whispered. "Father and Saul…they’re going to force me to marry Ish-bosheth."
"But…he already has a wife."
"He wants a second wife. He’s chosen me."
Keren didn’t know what to say. What could she say? Finally, she asked, "What will you do?"
"I don’t know. Tobiah wants me to run away with him. He wants to hide me until I’m of age."
"Tobiah the courier? David’s cousin?"
"He loves me. I love him, too. He went to Father to ask for a betrothal. Father threw him out of the house and told him to stay away from me."
Keren considered this, and a troubled look darkened her face.
"That…that must be the real reason why Saul plans to have Tobiah arrested – why he has ordered the citadel guards to follow you…"
"What?"
"I-I’m sorry," Keren stammered. "I didn’t say anything because Father told me not to. He said he was worried about you – that Tobiah was plotting against the king and might try to get at Saul through you. He told Yara and me to keep an eye on you. If…if I’d only known the truth…"
Mara felt faint. Tobiah. Falsely accused. Arrested. If that happened, there would be no hope for either of them!
"It will be all right," Keren said.
Mara looked at her. All right? How could it ever be all right?
"We’ll find a way to outwit Father and the king," she said. "I’ll help you."
"Help me?"
"Yes," Keren said. "Somehow I’m going to help you and Tobiah find a way to be together."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
כח
And Saul saw and knew that the
Lord was with David, and
that Michal Saul’s daughter loved him.
1 Samuel 18:28
Small boys ran up the street in front of them, laughing, jumping, and shouting David’s name. Trumpeters in golden chariots couldn’t have announced David’s return to Gibeah better than this. Within moments of entering the city, David’s small procession was joined by a cheering crowd. Gibeah’s citizens spontaneously flocked to David. It was everything Tobiah had ever hoped for from this day except for the bloodied bandages covering one side of his face.
He was eager to see Mara again. It seemed like an eternity since he’d last listened to her voice’s soft, melodic tones. He wasn’t eager, however, for her to see him looking like this. What if she was repulsed by the sight of his disfiguring wounds? What if she didn’t want him anymore?
Maybe David had been right. Maybe Tobiah should have remained at Beth-shemesh. His only consolation was David had relented and allowed him to leave the cart so he could walk with dignity to Saul’s fortress gates. It would have been humiliating beyond description to be hauled into the city in a donkey-drawn cart.
By the time David’s procession reached the citadel gates, Saul, a handful of royal advisors, and a rigid line of palace guards had assembled there to greet David. The look in Saul’s eyes wasn’t a particularly happy one, but he somehow managed to put a stiff smile across his face.
"Barukh ha-ba," Saul said when David stopped before him and bowed. "Blessed is your coming. It pleases me to see you alive and well, David. Your presence here has been missed."
He didn’t look as if he had missed David’s presence at all. In fact, he looked anything but pleased by his return, but David nodded and smiled.
"I’m pleased to be back," he said, straightening so he could look Saul in the eye. "And I’m happy to report the Philistines have once again been driven from the Shephelah."
"That’s good news," Saul said. Yet again, the cold aura surrounding him belied his words. "And the bride price? Were you fortunate enough to obtain the price I require?"
In answer, David motioned to a soldier, and two woven sacks were set at Saul’s feet.
"You asked me for one hundred Philistine foreskins. I’ve brought you two hundred."
An excited murmur passed through the crowd. A muscle twitched near Saul’s eyebrow.
"Take these…things…to the back of the fortress," he commanded one of his guards.
The guard took the foreskins away, and Saul returned his attention to David.
"You have met the deadline," he said, "and you have met the bride price. As promised, my daughter, Michal, will be your wife."
The assembled crowd roared their approval and Saul flinched, but a motion farther back in the courtyard pulled Tobiah’s attention from the king. Michal, her face glowing and her eyes sparkling, rushed across the courtyard to greet David. She must have been watching the entire time, listening to every word that fell from Saul’s and David’s mouths. She was almost to David when she realized everyone’s eyes rested squarely upon her. She stumbled, slowed, and moved forward with a more princess-like demeanor.
"David," she said, inclining her head in a regal half-bow.
"My princess," David said, taking her hand and grinning from ear to ear. "I am deeply honored to be betrothed to you. I hope you will accept me as your husband."
The radiant smile illuminating her face was all the answer anyone needed. Saul stared, with smoldering eyes, at his blushing daughter and future son-in-law.
Michal was hopelessly in love with David. It was clear to everybody. Tobiah felt a sudden yearning to be looked at by Mara that way. As if in answer to his unspoken wish, another movement – missed by everyone but him – drew his eyes to the shadows.
"Mara!" he whispered. He took a step toward her, heart leaping, but she shook her head and backed away.
He stared at her questioningly. She turned and fled. His knees nearly buckled. He felt as if he’d been punched in the stomach.
Tobiah put his fingers to the bandages covering his face. Why had he come back? Why was he always such a fool? Mara didn’t want him. No girl as beautiful as she was would want a man with a disfigured face.
David, Michal, and Saul were conversing with each other, each of them smiling from ear to ear. The Lord always favored David, but Tobiah had nothing. He had a Philistine sword and hideous battle wounds. And maybe it was all he deserved.
—
"He’s here!" Mara grasped Keren’s hand and towed her quickly down the corridor. "He’s here! At the gates! He came with David!"
"Who’s here? What are you talking about?"
"Tobiah!" Mara exclaimed. "He’s standing at the gate with David! Saul’s men have seen him. We have to put our plan into action! We have to do it now!"
Keren stared at Mara and Mara forced herself to calm down – forced her voice to stop trembling and willed her lips to form her words slower.
"He’ll go to the well as soon as he gets a chance. I need you to go there, Keren. I need you to talk to him before Saul’s soldiers arrest him. If I go, they’ll follow me. Please! Go while a crowd is still gathered. Tobiah will go to the well. You have to deliver my message before they come for him!"
"But…but what about Merab?" Keren asked. "She’s alone on her bed, sobbing. She needs someone to be with her. I can’t just leave her at a moment like this."
"I’ll sit with her," Mara said, her voice filling with growing desperation. "Please! Warn Tobiah before it’s too late! And give him my answer!"
She didn’t wait for Keren to agree. Instead, she pushed Keren firml
y toward the corridor’s end before rushing off in the opposite direction. It wasn’t until she entered the room of Saul’s eldest daughter she realized what an awkward situation she was now in.
As she entered, she was greeted by a rasping sob. She knew this particular sound, because she’d already weathered too many of Michal’s storms. Now it was Merab who languished in bitter disappointment. Now it was Merab who suffered.
"What are you doing here? Where’s Keren?"
Merab quickly wiped the tears from her face and stared at Mara with angry red eyes. Her hair was in disarray. Her clothing was wrinkled and askew, and she was lying in a miserable heap on her disheveled bed. She still managed an imperious tone, however, when she raised her voice again to speak.
"Why are you here? Is it not enough Michal got exactly what she wanted? Does she now have to send you here to mock me?"
"I haven’t come to mock," Mara quietly replied. "I’ve come to sit with you while Keren completes an errand."
"An errand? What errand? I don’t remember sending her away on an errand!"
Merab was sitting on the bed’s edge, angrily wiping tears away. Her sorrow was turning to fury.
"Keren is on an errand for me," Mara said nervously. "It was something very urgent. She didn’t want to leave you, but I promised I would stay with you until she gets back."
She half expected Merab to lash out at her – verbally, physically, or otherwise –but the princess lowered her eyes and the anger drained out of her almost as quickly as it had come.
"You…you won’t tell Michal you saw me crying, will you?" Merab’s voice was weak. It had the hollow, empty quality Mara felt every time she thought about the unwanted marriage her own father had arranged.
"No. I won’t tell her. I promise."
Merab stared into her eyes, trying to decide whether or not Mara was being truthful. After a moment, she slumped back against the bed, rolled to her back, and stared at the ceiling.
"My father is forcing me to marry Adriel next week," she said, almost as if speaking to herself. "He’s forcing me to marry a Gentile."
"I know. I’m sorry."
"I’m sure Michal must think this is the most hilarious thing she’s ever heard."
A Captain in Israel Page 22