CHAPTER XII
THE ROYAL MARRIAGE
A strange rumour ran through Memphis. It was said that the Queen hadyielded; it was said that she would marry the Prince Abi, that shewas already at the great White House waiting to be made a bride. Menwrangled about in the streets. They swore that it could not be true, forwould this high lady, the anointed Pharaoh of Egypt, take her father'smurderer, and her own uncle to husband? Would she not rather die in herprison tower on which night by night they had seen her stand and sing?In their hearts they thought that she should die, for thus they hadsummed her up, this pure, high-hearted daughter of Amen, whom Fate hadcaught in an evil net. Yes, being men they held that she ought to die,and leave a story in the world, whereof Egypt could be proud for ever.
But their wives and daughters mocked at them. After all she was but awoman, they argued, and was it likely that she would throw aside thepomp of rule and the prospect of long years in order to steal away intothe shadows of a forgotten tomb? Henceforth, it was true, she must takesecond place, for Abi would be a stern master to her. Still, any placewas better than a funeral barge. She had felt the pinch of hunger yonderin that old temple; her fierce spirit had been tamed; she had kissed therod, and after long years of waiting, Abi would be Pharaoh in Egypt.
The dispute grew hot, for even those men who rebelled against her, intheir hearts had set her high, and grieved to think of her, the divineLady, bowing her neck to the common yoke of circumstance, and sellingherself for safety, and a seat on the steps of her own throne. But thewomen mocked on, and showed them that as they had always said, she wasno better than others of her sex.
Presently the matter was settled, for heralds appeared crying throughoutthe city that the marriage would take place in the great hall of theWhite House one hour before sundown. Then the women laughed in triumph,and the men were silent.
It was the appointed hour, and that hall was filled to overflowing byall who could gain entrance there. Between the towering obelisks thatstood on either side the open cedar doors, folk hung upon its steps likehiving bees; the vast square without and all the streets that led to itwere black with them. Here, it is true, they could see nothing, stillthey fought for the merest foothold, and some of those who fell neverrose again. At the head of the hall were set two thrones, the greaterand the richer throne for Abi the Prince, the lesser throne forNeter-Tua the Queen. He had arranged it thus since Kaku the cunningpointed out to him that from the first he should show the people that itwas he who ruled, and not Pharaoh's daughter.
It was the appointed hour, and at some signal from every temple top rangout the blare of trumpets. Thrice they sounded, and echoed into silencein that hot, still air, thus announcing that in the temple of Hathor,and the presence of the priests of all the gods, the hands of Abi andNeter-Tua had been joined in marriage.
Another rumour began to run among the crowd; like the ring set circlingby a stone in water it spread from mouth to mouth, ever widening as itwent.
Marvels had happened in the temple of Hathor, that was the rumour.Moreover it gave details: that the High-Priest had handed to the bridethe accustomed lotus-bud, the flower of the goddess, and lo! it openedin her hand. Also, it was said, that presently the stem of it turnedto a sceptre of gold, and the cup of the bloom to sapphire stones moreperfect far than any from the desert mines.
Nor was this all, so went the tale, for when, as he must, the bridegroomAbi offered the white dove to Hathor in her shrine, a hawk swept throughthe doorway and smote it in his very hand. Yes, there in the gloom ofthe shrine smote it and left it dead, blood running from its beak andbreast, dead upon the knees of the goddess; left it and was gone again!
Now what hawk, asked the people of each other, dare such a deed asthis, unless in truth it was sent by the hawk-headed Horus, the son ofAmen-Ra.
Soon these matters were forgotten for the moment, since now it was knownthat the royal pair were entering the great White Hall, there to showthemselves to the people, and receive the homage of the nobles, chiefs,and captains. First, advancing by the covered way which led from thetemple of Hathor, appeared the priests in their robes, chanting as theywalked, followed by the masters of ceremonies, butlers, and heralds.Next, surrounded by his officers and guard, came the Prince Abi himself,accompanied by his vizier, Kaku, he whose magic was said to have broughtPharaoh to his end.
Not all his pomp nor the splendour of his apparel, whereof thewhiteness, as many noted, was spotted with ill-omened blood, nor eventhe royal crown which now, for the first time, was set upon his huge,round head, could hide from those who watched that this bridegroom wasill at ease. Even as he stood there, bowing in answer to the obsequiousshouts of the multitude, the sceptre in his fat hand shook, and his redlips blanched and trembled. Still he smiled and bowed on, till at lengththe shouting died away, and quiet fell upon the place.
Abi was forgotten, they waited the coming of the Queen, and though noherald called her advent, yet every heart of all those thousands feltthat she drew near to them. Look! Yonder she stood. They had watchedclosely enough, yet none saw her come, doubtless because the shadowswere thick. But there she stood, quite alone upon the edge of the daisin front of the two thrones, and, oh! she was different from what theyhad expected. Thus now she wore no gorgeous robes, but only a simplegarment of purest white, cut low upon her bosom, where the red rays ofthe sinking sun, striking up the hall, revealed to every eye that darkmole shaped like the Cross of Life, which was her wondrous birthmark.But two ornaments adorned her, the double snakes of royalty, golden withred eyes, set in front of her tall white head-dress, which none butshe might wear, the crowns of Upper and of Lower Egypt, and of allthe subject lands, and in her hand a sceptre fashioned of gold, andsurmounted by a lotus-bloom of sapphire, that sceptre of which rumourhad told the magic tale.
Yes, she was different. They had thought to see a woman weak and pale,her eyes still red with grief, her face still stained with tears, onewho had been tamed by misfortune, hunger, and the fear of death, whenceshe had bought herself by marriage with her conqueror. But it was notso, for never had the Star of Amen shone half so beautiful, never hadthey seen such majesty in those deep blue eyes that looked them throughand through as though they read the secret heart of every one of them.Her tall and lovely form had not wasted, her cheeks were red with theglow of health; power and dignity flowed from her presence, fear seemedbeneath her feet.
Now no voice was lifted up; they stared at her, and, smiling a little,she answered them with her calm eyes till their heads sank beneath hergaze. Then at length in the midst of that dead, oppressive silence whichnone dared to break, she turned, and they heard the sweep of her silkenrobe upon the alabaster floor.
With an effort two chamberlains stepped forward, their wands of officein their hands, to lead her to her seat, but she waved them back, andsaid in her clear voice:
"Nay, here I am alone; of all the millions who serve her, not one isleft to lead Amen's daughter and Egypt's Queen to her rightful place.Therefore she takes it of her own strength, now and for evermore."
Then very slowly, still in the midst of silence, she mounted the greaterthrone that had been prepared for Abi, and there seated herself andwaited.
Now murmuring rose among the courtiers and Kaku whispered into Abi'sear, while the multitude held its breath. Abi stamped his foot andissued orders which all seemed to fear to execute. At length he steppedforward, addressing the Queen in a hoarse voice.
"Lady," he said, "doubtless you know it not, but that place is mine;your seat is on my left. Be pleased to take it."
"Why so, Prince Abi?" she asked quietly.
"Lady," he answered, "because the husband takes precedence of the wife,and," he added with savage meaning, "the conqueror of the conquered."
"The conqueror of the conquered?" she repeated after him in a musingvoice. "Should you not have said--the murderer of the murdered and hisseed? Nay, Prince Abi, you are wrong. The sovereign of Egypt by rightdivine, takes precedence of her vassal, even
though it has pleased thegods, whose will she has come to execute, to command her to give to himthe name of husband until that will is more fully known. Come now and dohomage to your Queen, and after you those slaves of yours who dared tolift the sword against her."
Then a great tumult arose, a tumult of rage and of dismay, for well nighall in that vast place were partners in this crime, and knew that ifNeter-Tua prevailed death yawned wide for them.
They shouted to Abi to take no heed of her. They shouted to him to tearher from the throne, to kill her, and seize the crown. They drew theirswords and raged like an angry sea. Those who were loyal among them toPharaoh's House, and those who feared turmoil, began to work their waybackwards, and slipped by twos and threes out of the great open doors,till Tua had no friend left in all that hall. But ever as they went,others of the turbulent and the rebellious who had been concerned in theslaughter of Pharaoh's guard, took their place, pouring in from the mobwithout.
Wild desert-dwellers of the Bedouin tribes, who for thousands of yearshad been the bitter enemies of Egypt; descendants of the Hyksos, whoseforefathers had ruled the land for a dozen generations, and at last beendriven out; those Hyksos whose blood ran in Abi's veins, and who lookedto him to lift them up again; evil-doers who had sought shelter in hisregiments; hook-nosed Semites from the Lebanon; black, barbarian savagesfrom the shores of Punt--with such as these was that hall filled.
Abi was the hope of every one of them; to him they looked for the spoilsof Egypt, and before them on Abi's throne they saw a woman who stoodbetween them and their ends, who in her ancient pride dared to demandthat he, her husband, should do homage to her, and who to-morrow, if sheconquered, would give them to the sword.
"Tear her to pieces!" they screamed, "the bastard whom childless Pharaohpalmed off upon the land! She is a sorceress who keeps fat on air--anevil spirit. Away with her! Or if you fear, then let us come!"
At length they had roared themselves hoarse; at length they grew still.Then Abi, who all this while had stood there hesitating, and now andagain turning to hearken to Kaku who whispered in his ear, looked up atTua and spoke.
"You see and you hear, Queen," he said. "My people mistrust you, andthey are a rough people, I cannot hold them back for long. If once theyget at you, very soon that sweet body of yours will be in more fragmentsthan was Osiris after Set had handled him."
Now Tua, who hitherto had sat still and indifferent, like one who takesno heed, seemed to awake, and answered:
"A bad example, Prince, for Osiris rose again, did he not?" Then sheleaned back and once more was silent.
"Do you still desire that I should do homage to you, Queen, I, yourhusband?" he asked presently.
"Why not?" she replied. "I have spoken. A decree of Pharaoh may not bechanged, and though a woman, I am--Pharaoh."
Now Abi went white with rage, and turned to his guard to bid them dragher from the throne. But she who was watching him, suddenly liftedher sceptre and spoke in a new voice, a clear, strong voice that rangthrough the hall, and even reached those who were gathered on the stepswithout.
"There is a question between you and me, O People," she said, "and it isthis--Shall I, your Queen, rule in Egypt, as my fathers ruled, or shallyonder man rule whom by the decree of Amen I have taken for husband? Nowyou who for the most part have the Hyksos blood running in your veins,as he has, desire that he should rule, and you have slain the good god,my father, and would make Abi king over you, and see me his handmaid,one to give him children of my royal race, no more. See, you are amultitude and my legions are far away, and I--I am alone, one lamb amongthe jackals, thousands and thousands of jackals who for a long whilehave been hungry. How, then, shall I match myself against you?"
"You cannot," shouted a wild-eyed spokesman. "Come down, lamb, and kneelbefore the lion, Abi, or we, the jackals, will rend you. We will notacknowledge you, we who are of the fierce Hyksos blood. While theobelisks stand that were set up by the great Hyksos Pharaoh whosedescendant was Abi's mother, while the obelisks stand that are set therefor all eternity, we will not acknowledge you. Come down and take yourplace in our lord's harem, O Pharaoh's bastard daughter."
"Ah!" Tua repeated after him, "while the obelisks stand that the Hyksosthief set up you will not acknowledge me, Pharaoh's bastard daughter!"
Then she paused and seemed to grow disturbed; she sighed, wrung herhands a little, and said in a choking voice:
"I am but one woman alone among you. My father, Pharaoh, is dead, andyou bid me lay down my rank and henceforth rule only through him whotrapped Pharaoh and brought him to his end. What, then, can I do?"
"Be a good maid and obey your husband, Bastard," mocked a voice, andduring the roar of laughter that followed Tua looked at the speaker, anofficer of Abi's, who had taken a great part in the slaughter of theirescort.
Very strangely she looked at him, and those who stood by the man notedthat his lips became white, and that he turned so faint that had it notbeen for the press about him he would have fallen. Presently he seemedto recover, and asked the priests who were near to let him join theircircle, as among the outer throng the heat was too great for him tobear. Thereon one of them nodded and made room for him, and he passedin, which Tua noted also.
Now she was speaking again.
"Ill names to throw at Egypt's anointed queen, crowned and accepted bythe god himself in the sanctuary of his most holy temple," she said, hereyes still resting on the brutal soldier. "Yet it is your hour, and shemust bear them who has no friends in Memphis. Oh! what shall I do?" andagain she wrung her hands. "Good People, it was sworn to me that Amen,greatest of the gods, set his spirit within me when I was born, andvowed that he would help me in the hour of my need. Of your grace,then, give me space to pray to Amen. Look," and she pointed before her,"yonder sinks the red ball of the sun; soon, soon it will be gone--giveme until it enters the gateways of the West to pray to Amen, and then ifno help comes I will bow me to your bidding, and do homage to this noblePrince of the Hyksos blood, who snared Pharaoh his brother, and by helpof his magicians and of his spy, Merytra, brought him to his end."
"Yes, my people, give her the space she asks," called Abi, who fearednothing from Amen, a somewhat remote personage, and was afraid lest sometumult should happen in the course of which this lovely, new-made wifeof his might be slain or injured.
So they gave her the space of time she asked. Standing up, Tua raisedher arms and eyes towards heaven, and began to pray aloud:
"Hear me, Amen my Father, in the House of thy Rest, as thou hast swornto do. O Amen my Father, thou seest my strait. Is it thy will that thydaughter should degrade herself and thee before this man who slew hisking and brother, to whom thou hast commanded her to give the name ofhusband? If it be so, I will obey; but if it be not so, then show thyword by might or marvel, and cause him and his folk who mock my majestyand name me bastard, to bow down before me. O Amen, they deny thee intheir hearts who worship other gods, as did the barbarians who begatthem and threw down thy shrines in Egypt, but I know that thou sentestme forth, and in thee I put my trust, aye, even if thou slay me. Amen myFather, yonder sinks that glory in which thou dost hide thy spirit. Now,ere it be gone and night falls upon the world, declare thyself in suchfashion that all men may know that indeed I am thy child; or if this bethy decree, desert me and Egypt, and leave me to my shame."
She ended her prayer and, sinking back upon the throne, rested her chinupon her hand, and gazed steadily upon the splendour of the sinking sun.Nor did she gaze alone, for every man in that vast hall turned himselfabout, and stared at its departing glory. There in the red light theystood, and stared, and since the place was open to the sky, the shadowsof the two towering obelisks without fell on them like the shadows ofswords whereof the points met together at the foot of Tua's throne. Theydid not believe that anything would happen, no, not even the priestsbelieved it who here at Memphis, the city of Ptah, thought little ofAmen, the god of Thebes. They thought that this piteous prayer was buta last cry of dying fait
h wrung from a proud and fallen woman in herwretchedness.
And yet, and yet they stared, for she had spoken with a strangecertainty like one who knew the god, and was she not named Star ofAmen, and were there not wondrous tales as to her birth, and had not alotus-bloom seemed to turn to gold and jewels in the hand of this young,anointed Queen who bore the Cross of Life upon her breast? No, nothingwould happen, but still they stared.
It was a very strange sunset. For days the heat had been great, but nowit was fearful, also a marvellous stillness reigned in heaven and earth.Nothing seemed to stir in all the city, no dog barked, no child cried,no leaf quivered upon the tall palms; it might have been a city of thedead.
Dense clouds arose upon the sky, and moved, though no wind blew. Wherethe sun's rays touched them they were gold and red and purple, but abovethese of an inky blackness. They took strange shapes those clouds, andmarshalled themselves like a host gathering for battle. There were thecommanders moving quickly to and fro; there the chariots, and there thesullen lines of footmen with their gleaming spears. Now one cloud higherthan the rest seemed to shoot itself across the arch of heaven, and itsfashion was that of a woman with outspread hair of gold. Her feet stoodupon the sun, her body bent itself athwart the sky, and upon the farhorizon in the east her hands held the pale globe of the rising moon.
The watchers were frightened at this cloud. "It is Isis with the moon inher arms," said one. "Nay, it is the mother goddess Nout brooding uponthe world," answered another. And though they only spoke softly, in thatawful silence their voices reached Tua on the throne, and for the firsttime her face changed, for on it came a cold, curious smile.
Kaku began to whisper into Abi's ear, and there was fear in the eyes ofboth of them. He pointed with his finger at two stars, which of a suddenshone out through the green haze above the sunset glow, and then turnedand looked at the Queen, urging his master eagerly. At last Abi spoke.
"Ra is set," he said. "Come, let us make an end of all this folly."
"Not yet," answered Tua quietly, "not yet awhile."
As she said the words, of a sudden, as though at a given signal, all thelong lines of palm trees that grew in the rich gardens upon the riverbanks were seen to bow themselves towards the east, as though they didobeisance to the Queen upon her throne. Thrice they bowed thus, withouta wind, and then were straight and still once more. Next the cloudsrushed together as though a black pall had been drawn across theheavens, only in the west the half-hidden globe of the sun shone onthrough an opening in them, shone like a great and furious eye. By slowdegrees it sank, till nothing was left save a little rim of fire. Allthe hall grew dark, and through the darkness Neter-Tua could be heardcalling on the name of Amen.
"Ra is dead!" shouted a voice. "Have done, Bastard, Ra is dead!"
"Aye," she answered in a cold triumphant cry, "but Amen lives. Beholdhis sword, ye Traitors!"
As the words left her lips the heavens were cleft in twain by a fearfulflash of lightning, and in it the people saw that once again thepalm-trees bowed themselves, this time almost to the ground. Then with aroar the winds were loosed, and beneath their feet the solid earth beganto heave as though a giant lifted it. Thrice it heaved like a heavingwave, and the third time through the thick cover of the darkness thererose a shriek of terror and of agony followed by the awful crash offalling stones.
Now the whole sky seemed to melt in fire, and in that fierce light wasseen Tua, Star of Amen, seated on her throne, holding her sceptre to theheavens, and laughing in triumphant merriment. Well might she laugh, forthe two great obelisks without the gate that the old Hyksos lion had setup there to stand "to all eternity," had fallen across the low pylonsand the doors and crushed them. On to the heads of those who watchedbeneath they had fallen, shattering in their fall and carrying death tohundreds. Beneath the electrum cap of one of them that had been hurledfrom it in its descent right into the circle of the priests, lay ashapeless mass. It was that man who had mocked the Queen and turnedfaint beneath her gaze.
Through the western ruin of the hall those who were left alive withinit fled out, a maddened mob, trampling each other to death by scores,fighting furiously to escape the vengeance of Amen and his daughter.Within the enclosure the priests lay prostrate on their faces, eachpraying to his god for mercy. In front of the throne, upon his knees,the royal crown shaken from his head, Abi grasped the feet of Neter-Tuaand screamed to her to forgive and spare him, whilst above, shining likefire, That which sat upon the throne pointed with her sceptre at theruin and the rout, and laughed and laughed again.
Soon all were gone save the mumbling priests, the dying, the dead, andAbi with his officers.
The clouds rolled off, the moon and the stars shone out, filling theplace with gentle light. Then Tua spoke, looking down at the wretchedAbi who grovelled before her.
"Say, now, Husband," she asked, "who is god in Egypt?"
"Amen your father," he gasped.
"And who is Pharaoh in Egypt?"
"You, and no other, O Queen."
"Ah!" she said, "it was over that matter that we quarrelled, did we not?which forced me, whom you thought so helpless, to find helpers. Look,there are their footsteps; they walk heavily, do they not, my Uncle?"and she nodded towards the huge fragments of the broken obelisks.
He glanced behind him at his ruined hall, at the dying and the dead."You are Pharaoh and no other," he repeated with a shudder. "Give breathto your servant, and let him live on in your shadow."
"The first is not mine to give," she answered coldly, "though perchanceit may please Amen to hold you back a little while from that placewhere you must settle your account with him who went before me, and hiscompanions who died in your streets. I hope so, for you have work to do.As for the second--arise, you Priests and Officers, and see this Princeof yours do homage to the Queen of Egypt."
They rose, and clung to each other trembling, for all the heart was outof them. Then she pointed to her foot with the sceptre in her hand,and in their presence Abi knelt down and kissed her sandal. After himfollowed the others, the priests, the captains, the head-stewards, andthe butlers, till at length came Kaku, the astrologer, who prostratedhimself before her, trembling in every limb. But him she would notsuffer even to touch her sandals.
"Tell me," she said, drawing back her foot, "you who are a magician, andhave studied the secret writings, how does it chance that you still liveon, when for lesser crimes so many lie here dead, you who are stainedwith the blood of Pharaoh?"
Hearing these words from which he presaged the very worst, Kaku beat hishead upon the ground, babbling denials of this awful crime, and at thesame time began to implore pardon for what he said he had not committed.
"Cease," she exclaimed, "and learn that your life is spared for a while,yes, and even Merytra's. Also you will retain your office of Vizier--fora while."
Now he began to pour out thanks, but she stopped him, saying:
"Thank me not, seeing that you do not know the end of this matter.Perchance it is hidden from you lest you should go mad, you and yourwife, Merytra, she who was the Pharaoh's Lady of the Footstool, and sanghim to sleep. Look at me, Wizard, and tell me, who am I?" and she bentdown over him.
He glanced up at her, and their eyes met, nor could he turn his headaway again.
"Come," she said, "as you may have learned to-night, I also have someknowledge of the hidden things. For otherwise, why did the earth shakeand the everlasting pillars fall at my bidding? Now, between two ofa trade there should be no secrets, so I will tell you something thatperhaps you have already guessed, since I am sure that you will notrepeat it even to your master or to Merytra. For I will add this--thatthe moment you repeat it will be the moment of your death, and thebeginning of that punishment which here I withhold. Now, in the Name ofthe Eater-up of Souls, listen to me, O fashioner of waxen images!" and,bending down, she whispered into his ear.
Another instant, and, stark horror written on his face, the tall shapeof Kaku was seen reeling backward, li
ke to a drunken man. Indeed, hadnot Abi caught him he would have fallen over the edge of the dais.
"What did she tell you?" he muttered, for the Queen, who seemed to haveforgotten all about him, was looking the other way.
But, making no answer, Kaku wrenched himself free and fled the place.
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