Qa'a (The First Dynasty Book 3) Page 14

  Qa’a, out of breath himself, crawled over to Nebibi and, getting to his knees, put his hands on the General’s shoulders. “You have done it again, you bull! You have saved my life twice now. That was the most foolish act I have ever seen, but… your King has never been more thankful.”

  All the soldiers yelled with joy. Left out of the exuberance was Shemai, for she stood apart from the scene, her hands to her pale face, stricken with fear. Her entire body trembled. Qa’a jumped up from the deck and grabbed her just as her legs gave way.

  In an hour we reached the shore, where a crowd had gathered. Temple priests had been notified that fishermen had seen a commotion on the other side of Mother Nile, and so Buikkhu and a group of medical priests awaited us. They took Nebibi to the Temple of Horus and in the ensuing days, treated his arm, under the strictest of commands from Qa’a to do all to save it.

  As Nebibi recuperated, Qa’a surprised no one by making the decision to keep the Royal Court in Nekhen for another month. Part of his reasoning was so that he would not have to leave Shemai while she was still upset about the incident with the crocodile. She had turned her fear into anger at Qa’a, Nebibi and the soldiers, too.

  “I do not understand her anger, not one bit!” Qa’a shouted to no one in particular. “It is entirely unreasonable!”

  “Yes, it would seem so,” I responded. We were the only two within earshot as we walked along the bank of Mother Nile. Fifty cubits ahead of us a crocodile lay basking and we gave it wide berth as we continued.

  “What is even more baffling to me is your reaction. How can you be so… so calm about it? It’s infuriating.”

  “My reaction or her behavior?”

  “Both, for Horus’ sake! Stop acting like that or I will go mad!”

  I stopped and looked into Qa’a’s eyes, taking a deep sen-sen breath as I did so. I had long ago learned that serving as a good model for Qa’a was far better than words. He watched me and soon took his own sen-sen breath.

  “All right, I am calmer. I need your help, dear teacher. How should I handle this situation with Shemai? I seek your advice.”

  “Do you listen to her? I mean really listen?”

  “Yes, at least I think I do, although when she is being unreasonable it is quite hard.”

  “I understand. She does take care of you, that I have seen with my own eyes, and she seems to get along well at Royal functions.”

  “And so?”

  “I think this is a case of territory. Every nation must declare its territory and then defend it whenever it is threatened.” Qa’a stared at me.

  “Nebibi once told me during my training that Horus priests make him crazy. They have the most round-about way of getting across their points. When you talk like that I agree with him.”

  “I thought I was clear.”

  “What in all the Two Lands does my situation with Shemai have to do with territory?”

  “Hmmm. I see I must explain further, so here it is. With Shemai, with any woman for that matter, you must first define what is your territory. What are the things that you cannot or will not allow her to interfere in? Perhaps it is your choice of friends, or your need for time alone in the desert, as King Narmer himself needed to do now and then. Or it may concern your deciding matters of law. Then, whatever that territory is, so long as it is rightfully yours to define, you must defend it from her involvement.

  “I don’t believe any man would ever tell a woman what she can speak with her women friends about or how she should shop for food on market days. That is a woman’s territory and any man foolish enough to invade her territory deserves to eat the rotten fruits of his efforts.”

  “I think I see what you are saying.”

  “Would you forbid Shemai to sing or dance?”

  “Do you mean in public, once we are married?”

  “No, in that case it is a matter of decorum, for the Queen of the Two Lands must rise above all people except for the King. But if her ka tells her she must sing or dance in private, that is her business, right? And if you meddle in that, you have invaded her territory and as such must bear the wounds she will rightfully inflict upon you. And, one thing I will remind you of, and that is that it does not take much to make a woman feel loved and happy, but if a woman is unhappy, then no one around her is happy. That, my dear King, is ma’at!”

  “So you are saying that I should declare these matters my territory and back her off?”

  “Yes, but not as simply as you put it. First, you must listen to her feelings, for a woman like Shemai must feel as if she has been given freedom to express them. In this case, you must acknowledge her fears. Tell her you understand that she is frightened by the dangers that men must face every day. You must also tell her that you appreciate her concern for you. Only after doing that can you stand firm and defend the territory that is rightly yours.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Qa’a, I have seen too many times to count the results of men who either do not define and defend their territory or else do not listen and acknowledge their women’s feelings, be it fear, hate, passion, envy or whatever. In the former instance, a woman will continue to invade the man’s territory. To placate her and make peace in the family the man might do as his wife wishes, thinking that is what she wants. Then, before he realizes it, he has become more cautious. He resists his manly urges. He acts more like a woman. Then the woman begins to resent her man, for he is not the strong man she married. A woman does not want to be married to another woman. She will harbor anger toward her husband and may not even understand why that is so.”

  I saw by the expression on Qa’a’s face that my words were having some effect.

  “Yet if a man does what he wants and does not listen and show appreciation for a woman’s feelings, then she feels disrespected and rebels in various ways. That conflict can ruin a marriage. So what I am saying is that you must do both. You must respect Shemai and listen to her concerns, then decide if your territory is at stake. If so, defend it. If not, work together to resolve it knowing that it is not truly important. The longer you are married, the easier it will be to balance these.”

  For the next few minutes, Qa’a just sat there, absorbing my words and thinking of how they might be put into practice, for if nothing else, I knew that Qa’a was a practical man and not a deep thinker like his father. “I think there is much wisdom in what you say, teacher. I still have much to learn from you. I will consider what you say and try these things out with Shemai. But, honestly, marriage… or women, maybe both, appear to be far more work than I imagined.”

  SCROLL ELEVEN

  A Flower Blooms

  Merkha

  The gods had been good to the Two Lands. Hapy had brought us ample floods and we had once again survived the swarms of infernal mosquitoes and biting flies that plagued us during Akhet. Every family in Kem had its own recipe for keeping the miserable pests from biting, but no doubt the best, most vile-smelling secret herbal recipes came from the Temples of Horus around the land, concoctions that could be had for a small donation.

  Mother Nile’s waters had mostly receded, leaving behind the rich, fertile black mud from Ta-Sety and further south, that sustained us. With the waters now receding, farmers throughout the Two Lands followed behind, tediously planting rows of wheat, flax and vegetables. Soon a feathery carpet of green would emerge from the ground, nourishing us for another year.

  We had planned Qa’a’s wedding for months now, ever since leaving Nekhen. For his part, Qa’a followed my advice, acknowledged Shemai’s concerns for his safety, and made it clear that what he did as part of his Kingly duties was rightfully a matter only for him to decide. As my eyes saw it, I sincerely doubted that Shemai needed to hear anything beyond his acknowledgment of her feelings, yet that was enough for now. Poor Qa’a would surely be tested and, assuming he was firm in his resolve, all would work out in the end.

  For his part, Khenemet suggested we celebrate the Royal ceremony during Proyet, to
symbolize renewal and Qa’a’s planting his seed in what we all hoped would be Shemai’s fertile womb, thereby providing continuity for ma’at and the Two Lands.

  Now the wedding was but a few days away and boats arrived every hour from towns and villages throughout the Two Lands, for a Royal wedding was an event that might happen only once in a person’s lifetime, and one that brought good luck to all who witnessed even a small part of it. Emissaries from distant lands with which we traded were already docked in Inabu-hedj’s busy shoreline. Businessmen paid bribes to whomever they could to ensure a favored spot on the processional route.

  Inabu-hedj was like none of us had ever seen, not even for Qa’a’s coronation or his father’s. The white-walled city, for it could no longer be called a town, had grown greatly, even over my lifetime. New streets were constantly being developed by engineers for our growing population, and new mud-brick buildings built, many with two and even three stories. Those activities, in turn, employed many workers, from both Upper and Lower Kem, since Inabu-hedj was located right on the border. With money earned from steady employment, Kemians were able to afford not only the necessities, but also the works of artisans and many other luxury goods. They hired tutors for their children and dancers and musicians for celebrations. The gods were indeed pleased and the Two Lands prospered greatly.

  It was during these preparations that I noticed that Shemai’s father spent large amounts of time visiting with Khenemet. During these sessions, Khenemet’s most trusted scribe would sometimes be called in and I would see Hamu leaving with a scroll tucked under his arm. Later the scribe would leave Khenemet’s quarters with one or more scrolls tucked under his arm, for disposition in the catacombs dug below Horus’ presence.

  For the past month, no one saw Shemai, who was secluded and protected by the Isis priestesses. From my understanding of their practices, which I admit are limited, they bathed her and applied unguents to her skin so that she would be radiant for her ceremony and for her first weeks with Qa’a. But I knew from my interactions with many a couple in the Royal family that the priestesses also instructed Shemai in the womanly arts, so that she would be prepared to both satisfy her husband and thereby mortar their holy bond for all eternity.

  What I was intimately involved with was Qa’a’s preparation for the wedding, for Khenemet gave me primary charge of this. Yet there was little to do to prepare the King, for he was truly in excellent physical condition and when properly dressed looked like a god.

  Of course, we discussed in precise detail all that would take place, from meetings beforehand to the wedding itself and the parties afterwards, events that would span an entire ten-day. The one topic we had not discussed arose five days prior to the wedding.

  “I notice that you seem far away in thought,” I started, since Qa’a showed no interest in the goals of a meeting I was describing that he was to have with the delegations from Lebanon and Canaan, our two most important trading partners.

  “To be candid, I was thinking of Shemai just now.”

  “The gods be praised! We have been so busy with details of your kingly role, we have forgotten the most important aspect. Oh, what fools we can be!”

  “Oh, but I have not forgotten, dear teacher, for I think of her often, especially now that we are apart.”

  I placed my scrolls on the table in front of us, put my brushes away and looked at Qa’a. It felt for a moment that I looked upon a stranger, for he had grown so much in the years since I first saw him as a toddler. He was a grown man, good looking, with a presence that radiated power.

  “Have you imagined what married life will be like for you?”

  “At times, but for now I can only imagine what it will be like to make love to her whenever I wish. It can only be pleasure beyond imagining.” While I understood the longings of a young man, still his focus on sex before all other considerations made me uncomfortable.

  “It is good to think about your pleasures in this regard, for sex between a man and woman binds them together in miraculous ways.” I watched Qa’a’s face to gauge his reaction. “But I’m sure you will also attend to her needs during sex.”

  Qa’a looked up at me in silence before speaking. “Needs? You forget that while in the army I had sex with prostitutes.”

  “In fact I have not forgotten, and that was good training to an extent. But a prostitute is paid only for the man to enjoy himself. She does not seek her own pleasures.”

  “Oh, teacher, you are so wrong! Perhaps that is because you have never experienced the joys of a woman’s body. Those prostitutes groaned with pleasure once my manhood penetrated their secret treasures.” I smiled at Qa’a’s arrogance.

  “First of all, my uninformed student, you know nothing about my early life when, in fact, I experienced the sexual joys of a woman more times than you are years old.” Qa’a raised his eyebrows and sat back in his chair, surprised.

  “Go on, you horny old goat,” he said smiling.

  “Second, if you think that prostitutes do not groan with every man they see, you are sorely mistaken, for the best among them want their clients to feel like they are gods and so give them good recommendations and repeat business.” I smacked my hands against my thighs and looked skyward. “Horus, sometimes Kings are more foolish than the lowliest rekhi!” Qa’a looked chastised.

  “Here in Kem, our women have rights and expectations, Qa’a. We are not like the Akkadians or Ta-Sety’s or Ta-Tjehenus who treat their women worse than they do their donkeys. I urge you to think on this and to talk with me about ways that you can please your woman sexually so that she, too, experiences the heights of pleasure.” Qa’a’s brow was creased in concentration.

  “You assume that I do not know about such things, but I do. I heard amongst my fellow soldiers how they tried to please their wives. They complained of how long it takes, or how much work it is, or how they just wanted to fly to the heights themselves. I am the King, Merkha. I do not have to deal with such things. It is Shemai’s role to provide for me in this way and to have children, although I do intend to make love to her with enough of my bull strength so that she enjoys it, too.”

  Now it was my turn to sit back in my chair, shaken by this revelation into Qa’a’s ba. His military training had many positive consequences for his ba, but I was now seeing the other side of that sharp-edged sword. I needed time to contemplate what to do next. Fortunately, Qa’a appeared to be in no mood to continue at this moment, either.

  With the comings and goings of so many people from throughout Kem and nearby lands, I had never before seen Khenemet and Buikkhu so busy. They met with delegations several times a day, negotiating alliances and trade treaties for the King. Then they met with Qa’a to finalize those deals. They also met with the governors of each of the nomes in Kem, to find out what were their most pressing needs, as well as to gather information about affairs in their nomes. They also met with the Head Priests of many of the Temples of Horus. I noted that Khenemet and Buikkhu held more and longer meetings with priests from the restive Delta nomes.

  “We have invited you to this meeting, Merkha, to better help you to understand what it is that we are up against and to enlist your aid,” Buikkhu said. Khenemet nodded his head as he reached for a bunch of grapes. Spread on the table were fruits and cheeses and a freshly baked bread.

  “I am always at your service,” I said nodding to each of them.

  “Of course,” Khenemet began. “You are aware that we have been meeting with governors and priests from many of the nomes in the Two Lands. Naturally, there was a purpose for all these meetings.” I nodded, not wanting to reveal that I had carefully noted these meetings.

  “We are receiving information from the Delta that is, oddly enough, disturbing. I say oddly, for on the surface all seems well enough there, calm with few disturbances. We have had many years of good floods and our farmers, merchants and workers all do well for themselves. So you might wonder why, then, I… we are concerned,” he said, pointing to Buikkhu
. I looked from one to the other waiting for Khenemet to continue. Instead, Buikkhu went on, making me think that this was rehearsed. Yet I wondered why this would be so, since I was but one of thousands of priests in service to Horus.