The Golden Queen

Six

Six

THE next few days were more difficult than any I had ever had to endure. My life was wrecked; I was transitioning from all I was used to in the twenty-first century, to the primitive lifestyle lost to history. There was no science here, no electricity, nothing that remotely resembled technology. I'd wanted to take a long hot shower for days now, but my privy chamber contained a pool built into the floor where warm water flowed from the mouth of a lion statue. The soaps weren't anti-bacterial, but perfumed oils and fragrances made from the juices of blossoms and jasmines. They smelled divine, but I hardly felt clean.

My chamber was so lavish that the gilded frame that incased my bed was probably worth more than the Hope diamond. It was crafted from sycamore wood with intricate details carved into the wooden shafts, and inlaid with gold and ivory. Pearls that had once littered the floor of the Mediterranean were threaded into the silk drapes that decorated the windows. The sheets were spun from linen and dyed deep indigo blue. I sat on the edge to marvel the rest of the furniture, a glass vanity and a chair with cushions as soft as clouds. Golden chests that contained robes and gowns sat against the wall that was covered with tapestries. Ahmose wanted me to know he wasn't just the most powerful man in the world, but also the wealthiest.

But something was missing, and I knew it was Clair's sweet voice. I tried to envision her face, imagine how she would react if she were here instead of me. To be able to meet the lost King of Egypt and stay in his beautiful palace was her dream come true. I had also dreamed of finding Ahmose, but he was more mysterious than I had ever anticipated, and now I desperately wanted to go home.

There was a knock at the door, and my memories of Clair dissipated to the darkest corners of my mind. I didn't want company today, so when I didn't answer, the servant girl peeked in. I wasn't surprised to see her. She came in with a basket and left it on the table, glancing shyly at me. She often did this, watched me from the corner of her eye, hoping I wouldn't notice. She wasn't the only one who scrutinized me. Everyone kept their distance from me; the guards, servants, and even Ahmose seemed to keep his observant eyes on me. They didn't understand me, nor could they bring themselves to trust me.

I went to look inside the basket as the servant waited in a corner, her timid eyes fixated on the ceramic tiles that covered floor. She almost seemed afraid of me. But Pharaoh was the one who brought me into their home, so why would she doubt she was safe? Within the woven reeds I found more perfumed oils to bathe with.

In my privy chamber, the servant helped me out of my robes and I stepped into the warm pool. She rubbed the oils into my skin while I rinsed my hair in the fragrant water. Afterwards, I changed into a fresh robe and we left for the dining hall where we took lunch.

The corridor was long and shaded, the columns parting way for sunlight and the fresh cinnamon fragrance of the Sahara. We passed under the gleaming marble as they towered over us like prominent giants.

A child's cry echoed to us through the hall, and huddled on the tiles was a weeping boy. The servant ran to him, wrapped her arms around him, and searched for the source of his distress. He clutched his small knee, and he removed his hands to reveal a jagged scrape. She tried to console him, but another set of footfalls came from the end of the hall.

I shielded my eyes with my fingers and peered into the shadows lying at the end of the passage. I sank behind one of the columns when I saw Pharaoh coming. Two other men trailed behind him, one an older, balding man whose face was a grim mask, and the other a shorter, plump subject who scribbled furiously onto parchment to record their discussion.

Pharaoh wore a blue tunic threaded with gold and a beaded collar of lustrous rubies. His armlets were gold and fashioned with turquoise and lapis. His Nemes headdress was a splendid swatch of dyed linen inlaid with gold, and the gleaming uraeus was encrusted with ruby eyes.