smiled widely at Asha.
"What? What is he saying?"
"He wants you to take the horses to Pharaoh Seti's stables."
"Me?" Asha exclaimed. "No! Tell him--"
I smiled at the merchant. "He will be more than happy to deliver Hatti's gifts."
Asha stared at me. "Did you tell him no? "
"Of course not! What's the matter with delivering a few horses?"
"Because how will I explain what I'm doing?" Asha cried.
I looked at him. "You were passing by on the way to the palace. You were asked to do this task because you are knowledgeable about horses." I turned back to the merchant. "Before we take these horses from Hatti, we would like to inspect the other gifts."
"What? What did you tell him now?"
"Trust me, Asha! There is such a thing as being too cautious."
The merchant frowned, Asha held his breath, and I gave the old man my most impatient look. He sighed heavily, but eventually he led us across the quay, past exquisitely carved chests made from ivory and holding a fortune in cinnamon and myrrh. The rich scents mingled with the muddy tang of the river. Asha pointed ahead to a long leather box. "Ask him what's in there!"
The old man caught Asha's meaning, and he bent down to open the leather case. His long hair spilled over his shoulder; he tossed his three white braids behind him and pulled out a gleaming metal sword.
I glanced at Asha. "Iron," I whispered.
Asha reached out and turned the hilt, so that the long blade caught the summer's light just as it had on the balcony with Ramesses.
"How many are there?" Asha gestured.
The merchant seemed to understand, because he answered, "Two. One for each Pharaoh."
I translated his answer, and as Asha returned the weapon, a pair of ebony oars caught my eye. "And what are those for?" I pointed to the paddles.
For the first time, the old man smiled. "Pharaoh Ramesses himself--for his marriage ceremony."
The tapered paddles had been carved into the heads of sleeping ducks, and he caressed the ebony heads as if the feathers were real. "His Highness will use them to row across the lake while the rest of the court follows behind him in vessels of their own."
I imagined Ramesses using the oars to paddle closer to Iset as she sailed in front of him, her dark hair covered by a beaded net whose lapis stones would catch at the light. Asha and I would have to sail behind them, and there would be no question of my calling out to Ramesses or tugging his hair. Perhaps if I had acted less like a child at Ramesses's coronation, I might have been the one in the boat before him. Then, it would be me he would turn to at night, sharing the day's stories with his irresistible laugh.
I followed Asha to the stables in silence, and that evening, when Merit instructed me to change from my short sheath into a proper kilt for the night, I didn't complain. I let her place a silver pectoral around my neck and sat still while she rubbed myrtle cream into my cheeks.
"How come you're so eager to do as I say?" she asked suspiciously.
I flushed. "Don't I always?"
The pelican's pouch lengthened as Merit pushed in her chin. "A dog does what its master says. You listen the way a cat listens."
We both looked at Tefer reclining on the bed, and the untamable miw placed his ears against his head as if he knew he was being chastised.
"Now that Pharaoh Ramesses has grown up, have you decided to grow up as well?" Merit challenged.
"Perhaps."
WHEN IT was time to eat in the Great Hall, I took my place beneath the dais and could see that Ramesses was watching Iset. In ten days she would become his wife, and I wondered if he would forget about me entirely.
Pharaoh Seti stood from his throne, and as he raised his arms the hall fell silent. "Shall we have some music?" he asked loudly, and next to him Queen Tuya nodded. As always, her brow appeared damp with sweat, and I wondered how such a large woman could bear living in the terrible heat of Thebes. She didn't bother to stand, and fan bearers with their long ostrich
"What? What is he saying?"
"He wants you to take the horses to Pharaoh Seti's stables."
"Me?" Asha exclaimed. "No! Tell him--"
I smiled at the merchant. "He will be more than happy to deliver Hatti's gifts."
Asha stared at me. "Did you tell him no? "
"Of course not! What's the matter with delivering a few horses?"
"Because how will I explain what I'm doing?" Asha cried.
I looked at him. "You were passing by on the way to the palace. You were asked to do this task because you are knowledgeable about horses." I turned back to the merchant. "Before we take these horses from Hatti, we would like to inspect the other gifts."
"What? What did you tell him now?"
"Trust me, Asha! There is such a thing as being too cautious."
The merchant frowned, Asha held his breath, and I gave the old man my most impatient look. He sighed heavily, but eventually he led us across the quay, past exquisitely carved chests made from ivory and holding a fortune in cinnamon and myrrh. The rich scents mingled with the muddy tang of the river. Asha pointed ahead to a long leather box. "Ask him what's in there!"
The old man caught Asha's meaning, and he bent down to open the leather case. His long hair spilled over his shoulder; he tossed his three white braids behind him and pulled out a gleaming metal sword.
I glanced at Asha. "Iron," I whispered.
Asha reached out and turned the hilt, so that the long blade caught the summer's light just as it had on the balcony with Ramesses.
"How many are there?" Asha gestured.
The merchant seemed to understand, because he answered, "Two. One for each Pharaoh."
I translated his answer, and as Asha returned the weapon, a pair of ebony oars caught my eye. "And what are those for?" I pointed to the paddles.
For the first time, the old man smiled. "Pharaoh Ramesses himself--for his marriage ceremony."
The tapered paddles had been carved into the heads of sleeping ducks, and he caressed the ebony heads as if the feathers were real. "His Highness will use them to row across the lake while the rest of the court follows behind him in vessels of their own."
I imagined Ramesses using the oars to paddle closer to Iset as she sailed in front of him, her dark hair covered by a beaded net whose lapis stones would catch at the light. Asha and I would have to sail behind them, and there would be no question of my calling out to Ramesses or tugging his hair. Perhaps if I had acted less like a child at Ramesses's coronation, I might have been the one in the boat before him. Then, it would be me he would turn to at night, sharing the day's stories with his irresistible laugh.
I followed Asha to the stables in silence, and that evening, when Merit instructed me to change from my short sheath into a proper kilt for the night, I didn't complain. I let her place a silver pectoral around my neck and sat still while she rubbed myrtle cream into my cheeks.
"How come you're so eager to do as I say?" she asked suspiciously.
I flushed. "Don't I always?"
The pelican's pouch lengthened as Merit pushed in her chin. "A dog does what its master says. You listen the way a cat listens."
We both looked at Tefer reclining on the bed, and the untamable miw placed his ears against his head as if he knew he was being chastised.
"Now that Pharaoh Ramesses has grown up, have you decided to grow up as well?" Merit challenged.
"Perhaps."
WHEN IT was time to eat in the Great Hall, I took my place beneath the dais and could see that Ramesses was watching Iset. In ten days she would become his wife, and I wondered if he would forget about me entirely.
Pharaoh Seti stood from his throne, and as he raised his arms the hall fell silent. "Shall we have some music?" he asked loudly, and next to him Queen Tuya nodded. As always, her brow appeared damp with sweat, and I wondered how such a large woman could bear living in the terrible heat of Thebes. She didn't bother to stand, and fan bearers with their long ostrich
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