Read Tiy and the Prince of Egypt for Free Online Page B

Nebetya. Or have you forgotten?”
    “I haven’t forgotten . I just can’t help it.” She wiped at her nose.
    Tiy hugged her, not caring that any display of affection toward a servant was considered inappropriate. Her mother could scold her all she wanted. Tiy wouldn’t have to listen to it for much longer.
    The servants lined up along the outer courtyard to bid Tiy farewell, both freeman and slaves. Her mother buried her face into her father’s chest and, when they thought she wasn’t looking, a few of the servants snuck in a hand squeeze or a quick kiss on Tiy’s cheeks. Tiy couldn’t believe the affection they showed her and wondered why they hadn’t expressed it before.
    Her parents escorted her to the water’s edge where the barge waited. It wasn’t as adorned as the vessels of the royal fleet, but elegant in its own right. Scenes of the Nile were carved into the timbers with paintings of birds bobbing up and down as their images moved with the swell and fall of the barge.
    Her trunks had already been loaded, and Nebetya waited beneath a white canopy that fluttered in the breeze. Two men in white linen tunics stood at the riverbank, the tallest of which extended his hand to offer assistance into the barge.
    “I am Siese,” he said, “and this is Bek.” He pointed to the young man on the deck whose arms were folded, his gaze pointed elsewhere. “We are your escorts to Memphis,” Siese continued. “The tide is high, so we should arrive before the second of Akhet.”
    He turned to her father and bowed at the waist. “Your young one will be safe from harm while in our care and will arrive in Memphis swiftly.”
    Tiy gave her parents quick hugs. “I’ll do my best to bring you honor,” she said.
    H er father nodded and her mother began bellowing like a dying elephant.
    She took Siese’s hand and boarded the barge. The elegant vessel was wide enough that her added weight had no effect on how it rocked. She didn’t even feel it lower into the Nile.
    Nebetya took her arm and led her to the canopied area where cushions of indigo and violet spread over a thick rug, looking more like mountains of feather and silk than actual furniture. Tiy sunk into the cushion nearest her and watched as the oarsman pushed the barge away from the riverbank. Despite her initial aversion to leaving home, a surge of excitement burst through her. She had never traveled far from Akhmim, and Memphis was a city she only dreamed she might see. She couldn’t wait to see the city that bound the Two Lands of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.
    The day passed in a blur of magnificent sights. They passed stone temples and green pastures, quaint villages and bustling markets. Birds flew overhead, swooping near the water to catch a jumping fish. And the heads of rambling hippopotami peeked from the swarthy surfaces as if playing a game of Jackal Eye.
    Tiy shared a small cabin with Nebetya where they could wash themselves and rest. Despite how clean and well furnished it was, Tiy spent as little time as possible in the cramped room. She hated having her view obscured by wooden walls, no matter how decorated they were.
    Several days into the journey the wind blowing from the south seemed to be in a hurry to push them toward Memphis. But the sail strained to contain the added pressure and the mast creaked and moaned in protest. Siese and Bek began bickering the moment everyone woke up.
    “ I don’t understand why the hind winds are not carrying us,” Siese said as his fingers rubbed a circle on either side of his eyes. “They have only grown stronger.”
    Bek shook his head. “We are too heavy. You saw what happened to the Beauties of Amun when it hit a sandbar. We were shoaled in for over a week!”
    “I don’t see how we could be too heavy . Our provisions are lighter than the Beauties of Amun’s load.”
    “But look how low we ride in the water.”
    Siese moved his circling fingers to his forehead. “I don’t have the patience to