Twenty Nine
Over the next few weeks, Egypt prepared for the most eminent wedding in the ancient world. We would be married in Hatshepsut's mortuary temple, a splendid granite structure housing a great garden that flourished on the outskirts of Thebes. The entire city had erupted into a mood of celebration as the date approached. I had gone into the city with Ahmose just days before to oversee the preparation of the ceremony. The Priests of Amun blessed the temple with perfumed oils and incense while humming sacred chants, and Ahmose and I had to bathe in the sacred fountain in the heart of the temple. We did this for seven consecutive days before the wedding. I did not understand the significance of the number seven until Ahmose explained it to me. According to Egyptian lore, seven was the number of pieces the god Osiris had been cut into when his wicked brother Seth had dismembered him before being reassembled by his sister-wife, Isis. "Like Isis, you have reassembled my broken soul," he had said to me.
As we rode back to the palace in a golden chariot led by two magnificent black stallions, the people showered us with flower petals and sang to us as they lined the streets to watch the royal procession.
When the day finally came, it was late spring, in the middle of May. It would forever be the happiest day of my life. The gray overcast that suddenly came into the sky forecast a storm. The storm couldn't have come on a more perfect day. Summer was only a month away, and the desert heat became unbearable in the late afternoon. The rain would cool the air, making the festivities much more enjoyable.
Across my bed lay the wedding gown that had been custom made for me, a royal bride. I ran my hands over the cool silk, and felt my stomach lunge when a servant finally came by to help me dress. I didn't really need help with dressing, I mainly sent for her because I wanted someone to keep me company as I battled the nausea that churned anxiously in my stomach.
The girl entered the room and bowed. Her dark curls reminded me of Menefer, and my heart ached at the memory of my lost friend. The girl was young, hardly more than a child, and I wondered if she had even reached adolescence.
"What is your name?" I asked gently.
"Lotus, My Lady," she replied quietly. "I was instructed to help you dress for the wedding."
We went to my privy chamber and I climbed into the porcelain tub as she filled it with warm water. "Lotus, will you be accompanying me to the temple?"
Once the tub was full, Lotus pulled the bottles of perfumed oils from a woven basket. "If My Lady will permit it, I would be honored." She washed my skin with the sacred perfumed oils, giving my skin the fragrance of sweet jasmine.
The nausea in my belly felt like a sea of turbulent tides, crashing and battering my insides with the fury of a tropical storm. I clutched my stomach and bit back the hot bile that stung my neck.
"I am ill," I whimpered.
My nerves weren't the only cause for my nausea. For the past few weeks, I had been experiencing morning sickness. I sensed I was pregnant the day my cycle was late, and when the first wave of morning sickness followed, I didn't think I would survive. The nausea that churned away inside me made it difficult for me to stand for long periods of time, causing my head to swim along with my belly. I prayed I would be steady enough to last through the ceremony.
But Ahmose didn't know this. I was planning to tell him after the wedding. I wanted to tell him the night I found out myself, but I was afraid of his reaction. This should have been a wonderful thing, to conceive a child so early in our relationship, but neither of us was really prepared for it.
I grabbed my gut as I felt the next wave come over me, and Lotus quickly pushed her basket in my lap as I doubled over and heaved into it. "Better in the basket than in the tub," she murmured, rubbing my back as I shivered. "You do not want to go to bed with His Majesty smelling of vomit!"
Once I composed myself, Lotus helped dry me with a heavy towel, and by my vanity she brushed my hair. Then she helped me with my makeup. She dabbed gold powder on my eye lids and traced the edges of my eyes with black kohl liner. The contrast of the makeup and my fair skin tone made my eyes look much bluer. She poured perfumed oils over my neck and arms and then helped me slip into the wedding gown. The gown itself was as blue as precious lapis, and was beaded with turquoise and pearls. Then she fastened a beaded collar around my shoulders, one that was fashioned with gold, carnelian, and lapis.
On my arms I wore golden armlets, and a golden bracelet on each wrist. I draped a golden scarab amulet over my beaded collar, and on my fingers I wore my golden scarab engagement ring and the silver lotus ring Ahmose had given me long ago. I wrapped a silver shawl around my shoulders.
Finally, Lotus opened up an ornate box and inside was a golden cobra diadem with sapphire eyes and beads of gold and pearls.
"This had been worn by the great queen on her wedding day many years ago," she whispered. She took it from the box and placed it upon my brow, the beads cascading down my hair. She stepped away to get a better look at me. I felt the weight of fortune in each piece of jewelry, knowing my garments alone were worth more than King Tut's sarcophagus.
"My Lady, you shine like the sun," she breathed. "You are the most beautiful woman to ever grace Egypt. All of Thebes will fall before your eloquence."
I gave the small girl a hug. "Please accompany me to the temple," I said, hoping I had found a new friend in her, one that might ease the burden of Menefer. The girl's eyes twinkled like starlight and her lips spread into a grin.
Taking her hand, we walked together down the corridor to the outer edge of the river where our boat waited to sail us across the Nile to the Hatshepsut's temple. The guards and servants trailed behind us as we boarded the golden wooden vessel inlaid with lapis and pearls. The joyous expressions upon each of their faces gave me a great sense of pride and appreciation; they were truly happy for us.
The Nile River glittered like diamonds under the sun as we sailed upriver, and my heart swelled with joy as people waved to me from the riverbeds. They forgot all about the incident at Karnak and no longer deemed me as a threat when Pharaoh announced we would be wed. They accepted me, just as Ahmose said they would. I held Lotus' hand for comfort, though the acceptance by the Egyptian people was enough to embrace my heart with their love.
When the port finally came into view, my heart labored in my chest, stirring up sickness in my stomach once again. There were so many people crowded together to greet me as we sailed into port. They reached their hands out to me, desperate to touch me, believing they could be blessed by my magic. "Healer of Isis; Savior of Pharaoh," they chanted as I passed them. I stretched my hand out to them and let them grasp my palm as we passed through the city. Then they began to overcrowd us. Guards swarmed us, keeping the crowd at bay as we came to the great stairs that led up to the temple.
The temple was a splash of bright colors, and the statues of Hatshepsut that lined the garden watched over us with unwavering, protective eyes. The fragrance of blossoms wafted around us, and songstresses plucked on lyres as they sang a soft melody. I stepped onto the first stair, and the people suddenly fell into deep bows.
After the first crowd of people, my anxiety subsided, and I gained confidence from the adoration in their eyes. Lotus placed her calming hand over my trembling fingers as I held on to her arm.
When we reached the first plane, more people began to bow on each side of us as we continued to ascend another set of granite steps. The heat on my skin, the cool breeze of the garden, it was as if I had stepped into paradise, ascending to heaven behind the closed doors of the chapel above.
We came to the closed doors of Hatshepsut's chapel. Another servant came up from my left and handed me a bouquet of pink Lotuses. I took one of the blossoms and stuck it in Lotus' hair. She was as pretty as the flower for which she was named. She smiled warmly at me.
I cast one long, thorough gaze around the garden and wished I could have met Hatshepsut. With the spectacular temple she had carved out of the mountainside, she had been the most powerful woman in the world. With the weight of everyone's eyes on me, so full of uncertainty, hope, and admiration, I could only imagine the burden of her crown. And she had dared to rule alone.
Coming to the doors of the chapel, the guards pushed them open for me, and slowly, everything came into sight. It was difficult at first, adjusting my eyes to the darkened chapel after being in the bright daylight for the entire trip.
I held my breath, and all of Thebes must have as well because everything suddenly plummeted into silence, save for the soft melody of the songstresses and the wind rustling through the garden.
The doors closed behind me, and my eyes adjusted to the firelight within the chamber after a few short moments. The elder members of the royal house were sitting upon marble benches in the front of the chapel, and behind them were their children and children's children. Their personal servants sat in the back, and a guard protected each corner of the chapel, though I sensed we were in no danger with all the people gathered outside. They all rose as I entered.
At the end of a red-carpeted isle speckled with flower petals stood Ahmose. He was draped in a splendid blue tunic embroidered with gold. He took a deep breath before finding the courage to lift his eyes to find mine. He hesitated, like his heart was thumping as hard as mine. Though he held his composure, his amber eyes betrayed him. I could see he was just as nervous as I was being watched by so many people. The entire city of Thebes was gathered outside. Draped around his broad shoulders was a golden beaded collar of lapis, carnelian, and ambers, and a golden falcon amulet encrusted with carnelian. Golden armlets circled his biceps and bands inlaid with ambers were fastened around his wrists. The golden asp of his blue crown had the same sapphire eyes as the one of my diadem.
The moment my eyes locked with his, my knees became so weak, I didn't think I would make it down the aisle. I was no longer aware of anyone else in the room. At that moment, I saw only him. He was more beautiful than ever, draped in vivid colors like a desert rose. That was when Lotus came next to me and took my arm, helping me down the aisle. Ahmose reached for my hand. Now, in that moment, it was only me and him. The scent of incense wafted around us like the freshly cut jasmine that sat upon the altar. Ahmose took one and tucked it into my hair, his fingers warm and soft as he delicately brushed my cheek.
I desperately missed his touch. The priest standing behind the altar unrolled a scroll. He was an elderly man with a wrinkled face. He brought the scroll close to his face, squinting as he made out the ancient text that was sprawled across the papyrus. He coughed to clear his throat, and began reciting the words from the scroll.
The ancient phrases that sputtered from his tongue were, "In the presence of Amun, you shall be united in a sacred union, like the god Osiris and the goddess Isis. You must cleanse your skin in the water of the Nile in order to become one." The priest wafted the incense and taking my hand, Ahmose led me out of the chapel, and the onlookers watched as we came to the riverbed at the edge of the city.
He stepped into the river first, and then stretched his hand to help me in. The water was warm and we waded until it came up to my waist. The water sparkled beautifully in the sun, and lilies floated along the bank, dotting the clear blue surface with white petals.
The priest waded in next to us and observed our union. Ahmose cupped his hands and poured the warm water over my shoulders, down my neck, and then over my head. I did the same for him. Cupping my hands, I trickled water over his shoulders, watching it cascade down his strong arms, and the priest held his crown while I poured it over his head. "We are now married," he breathed. The people cheered and showered us in petals.
And then it began to drizzle as the gray clouds shifted into a rainstorm. I closed my eyes and faced the sky, feeling the warm rain on my skin. The people of Thebes held up their hands as if to grasp the rain, knowing it could dissipate as quickly as it began.
Ahmose wrapped his arms around me, and I leaned into him to press my cheek against his chest. Standing at the edge of the Nile in the arms of my husband, my heart swelled with more joy than I had ever known. He bent down to kiss me, his lips soft against mine, gentle, and beautiful.
Taking my hands, Ahmose led me out of the river and back to the beach. Now that the wedding ceremony was over, we would return to the temple for the coronation ceremony, where I would be crowned Queen of Egypt.
Our clothes were soaked from our waists down, and as the rain continued to fall, we could do nothing to stay dry. But I was glad for the rain; it cooled my skin and the humid air of the desert.
We passed through the garden of Hatshepsut's great temple, and under the shadows cast by her tall statues. The people of Thebes bowed as we past them, gazing up at us in reverent awe. I could see in their eyes as they watched their pharaoh and his new bride they felt only love and adoration for us.
The rain shower ceased, and once again the afternoon sun seized the sky with its bright rays. The heat returned and it was only a matter of minutes for our clothing to dry. The wind was humid and with it, it carried traces of grain and the fragrant blossoms of the Nile.
Returning to the chapel, the guards opened the doors for us and we stepped inside. The members of the royal house returned to their original seats, but now the altar was gone and in its place sat a golden throne. With doors wide open, the ornate chair glinted brightly in the sunlight that flooded the temple. Leading me to the throne, Ahmose motioned to Lotus, and she carried a small golden chest in her arms.
The priest returned, coming from the back of the chapel with another scroll in hand. He stood by Ahmose, and they both regarded me with a reverential expression. I glanced at Lotus who still clutched the small chest in her arms. Her lips lifted into a warm smile.
"Please have a seat, My Lady," the priest said gently. I sat down in the throne, and Ahmose opened the chest and the golden diadem inside sparkled as the sunlight bounce across its polished surface.
He pulled the diadem from the chest and said, "Before I can place this upon your brow, you must first take the sacred oath...the vow that has been passed down from generations and has been recounted by each Queen of Egypt. It is the same oath Isis recited when she pledged her life to her husband, Osiris."
"I understand," I replied.
The priest unrolled the scroll, and clearing his throat, began reciting its ancient words; words I would swear to uphold. And as he spoke them in segments, I repeated each phrase.
"As the sun rises each day, as shall Pharaoh, divine law of the land, heart of righteousness whose influence is boundless like the rays of the sun. As the moon rises each night, as shall I, consort of the divine law, guarding the people so the sun can sleep. Osiris and Isis, the sun and the moon, two phases that create a unified world."
Lotus removed the wedding diadem from my head and Ahmose gently placed the golden one upon my brow. My head felt heavy under the weight of the crown, but Ahmose's gentle smile reminded me that this was meant to be. Taking my hand, he led me from the throne and together we walked out of the chapel. Coming to the center of the plane, amidst the shrubbery and blossoms of the garden, the gathered crowd wept joyfully and cheered the names Osiris and Isis.
I gazed around at the numerous faces that peered at us from all angles and felt an overwhelming sense of responsibility to them.