Djeserit made me sit still as she applied my makeup, every so often handing me a polished silver mirror so I could check the results. “Perhaps not so much kohl around my eyes,” I said at one point.
The finest dressmaker in all Kem created the gown I was to wear and he had done his best to hide the bulge in my midsection caused by my swollen liver. The gown was gathered under my breasts and tied with gold ribbons. Pleats draped from the seams to further distract one’s eyes from my belly.
My thinning hair was braided with gold chains and pulled up and held with a gold and jeweled tiara. Upon my upper chest was an intricate gold plate that took three months of work to create in our Royal goldsmithing workshop. Gold threads were interwoven throughout the reeds in my sandals and orange carnelians and jade jewels were affixed at various points to the leather thongs. But most striking were my nails and toenails, each one meticulously painted by Djeserit in intricate designs.
Once I was dressed, Abana announced Herihor’s presence and she immediately shooed all my servants from the tiny room, for the entire palace in Nekhen was but a fraction of the size of the palace in Inabu-hedj. If the expression on my face reflected my shock at Herihor’s commanding presence, it was far overshadowed by his own. As soon as he saw me his jaw dropped open.
“As Horus is my witness, I see Isis before me!” he exclaimed, smiling. He walked slowly to me, looking me up and down, taking in every detail. “Mery, I have never seen you so beautiful. You… you are perfect.” He put his arms lightly on my shoulders as if he were afraid to upset anything I wore and he leaned down and kissed me gently on my lips.
“And you… you look like a god yourself, although I would be challenged to say which one,” I joked. Herihor wore a new uniform, complete with new leather. Although he wore no other jewelry, his gold armband with its ornately carved Sobek crocodile had been polished and smoothed so that it glittered with his every movement. Despite our advancing years, Herihor still gave forth a commanding presence. At that moment I felt my love for him most deeply.
“Have you seen the crowds?” Herihor asked.
“I was cautioned by Nekau to stay away from the balcony for fear of exciting the people.”
“He is right, for all they talk of in the streets is catching a glimpse of you or that… that pest in the next quarters.”
“That is my son you speak of,” I protested.
“Yes and, Horus help us, the soon-to-be King. I care not a whit that he’s the son of Horus, he still deserves a stout scolding now and then.”
“And what has he done now?”
“He doesn’t listen. He is impetuous, arrogant and foolhardy. I sometimes…”
“Your love for him shines through,” I said smiling. “And his for you.”
“Accchh! I should’ve stayed a lowly soldier in your service and never risen to these lofty ranks.” He paced before me, obviously nervous.
“We have waited for this moment for sixteen years now, my beloved. It is time, is it not?” Herihor stopped his pacing and turned to me.
“It is. He’s a man who has proven himself in battle. He’s commanded our army and accomplished our goals in the Delta. He still has much to learn to govern wisely, but his time has come to make his own mistakes. We will each of us butt heads with him until he learns patience and earns a measure of wisdom.
“In any event, we can wait no longer. I’m to escort you to the Temple of Isis to begin the day.”
“I am ready,” I said, straightening my dress. “It is odd to think that by time Ra sets in the sky I shall no longer be the King. Only a mother.”
“And the Queen Mother, sure to be a more difficult job than it appears with that… that arrogant ass sitting on the throne!”
With my entourage formed behind me, Herihor walked ahead into the early morning light. I was not prepared for the sight that confronted me. We had exited at the rear of the palace structure, which was high above Mother Nile. For as far as the eye could see, boats were moored in the river and a tethered boat occupied every cubit of shoreline. Tens of thousands of people stood in packed crowds waiting for the ceremonies to start. Small braziers burned in the morning mist, sending up a delicious mix of smoke and the smells of breads baking and foods simmering in garlic and flax oil.
“They’ve been gathering for days,” Herihor whispered. “The caravan routes are jammed. Wait until you see the crowds near the Temple of Horus.”
As soon as I walked out into the light, the throngs cheered wildly for me and then, like ripples in a lake, they began to bow. My heart rejoiced at the love and respect my people showed me, for together we had braved the darkest storms and now we basked in Ra’s bright rays. We had each learned important lessons about rule and the place of women in the Two Lands, and I was exceedingly proud at that moment of the role I had played in each.
My carry chair began its journey to the Temple of Isis. All along the route people, mostly women, ran toward my entourage and threw flower petals at my carriage. It was shortly after Proyet and the newly emergent crops painted the fields and low hills in many shades of green and white. Even the air smelled sweet with hope and renewal.
The Head Priestess met me at the modest temple and together we spent an hour worshipping at the feet of Isis. I tried to contain my enthusiasm at being able to pray to her for the first time in sixteen years as a simple mother. I prayed fervently for Zenty to weave the Two Lands together in peace and prosperity. I prayed for him to find a steadfast love who would bear an heir to the throne, soon enough so that I would live to see him with my mortal eyes. I prayed for Isis to speak in my behalf to Wadjet and to seek his blessings and his forgiveness, for I knew in my heart that my illness hastened the day when Wadjet and I would be reunited. When I was done I ordered my servants to come forward with baskets containing hundreds of loaves of bread, as well as wheels of cheese and barrels of beer and fine wine. The priestesses thanked me profusely.
On the way back to the palace, I was anxious to see Zenty, for he had been in seclusion in Nekhen for the past two cycles of Ra’s silver disk. Under Tepemkau’s guidance his entire body had been shaved clean and after seven days of purification he had been circumcised. Once he had recovered, he again went through a series of purification rituals before taking the ben-ben seed just yesterday. Throughout his purification and until today, no one but Amka and Tepemkau had laid eyes on him for he was in a state of deep meditation with his brother Horus.
And so I was suitably shocked when I first laid eyes on Zenty, for indeed he had transformed into a different person. He was no longer a boy, but a man. Tepemkau escorted me into Zenty’s chambers to review the final arrangements for his ascension ceremony. There he sat upon the throne chair that I had so long occupied. He was shaved entirely bald and his makeup was cleanly and sparingly applied, mostly a liner of kohl around his eyes and a light touch of green malachite on his lids. As slight as was his build, his chest and arms were firm. He radiated power, an aura of confidence that seemed tempered by some new wisdom, some meaningful insight. I looked to his side at Amka and noted the old man nod his head as if in agreement.
Without arising, Zenty extended his hand to me, his fingers resplendent with the most exquisite jewelry in the land. Upon his chest lay the gold plate of the King. I grabbed his hand, my heart so full of joy I felt it would burst. Tears streamed from my eyes. For a moment I hesitated, wondering whether it was the proper protocol now for me to bow.
“If you dare bow to me my first act as King will be to lop off your head!” Zenty joked, and we all had a good laugh.
“This all feels very strange, Mother,” he said, whispering so that Amka and Tepemkau would not hear. “I am supposed to feel like Horus’ brother, but instead I feel like… like some pompous… oh, I don’t know what to think right now!”
“If there is one piece of advice I can give you it is to try to stay aloof from all the excitement until after you have had time in Horus’ presence in the Temple today. Once you are done with t
he rituals, you will feel differently, I promise.” He smiled at me and nodded. I was the only one in all of Kem who understood how the next few hours would penetrate his Ka and bind him forever to his brother, Horus.
In the mid-morning I was summoned to Zenty’s chambers, where a series of loud and long blows on rams horns sounded outside the palace. At first the crowds cheered at the start of the ceremony and then we could hear the murmur of people silencing one another as they waited anxiously for their first glimpse of their future King.
Now that I was not the focal point of the ceremony, the magnitude of what was about to transpire fell upon my shoulders as a heavy weight. Here, in this very hall, King Narmer had waited to begin his ascension day, as had Hor-Aha and Djer and Wadjet and even me, as Regent. It was an unbroken line and Zenty was to be the next link in the mighty chain of Kem’s divine rule.
Had it really been sixteen years since my ascension? I tried to recall that innocent, naïve wife who inherited the mightiest throne in all the lands. I could not. She had disappeared into the haze of my past. I had traded her for the immense glories and the weighty responsibilities of the throne. I had seen the best and the worst of mortals and those experiences had changed me forever. Chills ran through my body.
With Herihor and the King’s Guard in the lead, Zenty walked to the palace stairs. A massive cheer erupted from the crowds, a noise so loud it felt like a storm wind blowing across the land. I noticed Herihor scan the route to the temple, which was lined with army troops. The commander of the procession saluted Herihor, assuring him that all was readied.
A long procession of soldiers preceded Zenty’s platform and we in his retinue followed. People pressed toward us, deluging us with flower petals in red and pink and white. They handed the King’s Guard escorts holy papyrus, tiny scrolls for which they had paid scribes dearly, and asked the soldiers to give them to Zenty so that he would intercede with the gods in their prayers for fertility or cures from illness or success in business. It took us more than an hour before we reached the Temple.
Lining the temple grounds were the wealthy and powerful from every part of Kem. Every Governor of a nome was present, as well as dignitaries from all surrounding lands, even from many Ta-Sety tribes. The Ta-Tjehenus, of course, were absent, for their humiliation at the hands of the new King was still fresh in their history.
Zenty stepped from his chair, holding the crook and flail across his chest. He wore a simple headdress of purple cloth that draped over his shoulders. The Temple of Horus in Nekhen was the holy place from which all legitimate power emanated and there, lining the stairs, were its glorious priests. Tepemkau stood at the top of the line. Together, Amka and Zenty and I walked up the stairs toward him. Amka held his staff in one shaking hand and rested his other on my forearm.
Tepemkau raised his hands high in the air and parted his fingers in the way of the Horus priests. As soon as the huge crowd hushed, he called out loudly.
“Whom do you bring with you, Amka, great Horus priest and Vizier to the Royal family?”
“I bring Prince Zenty, son of King Regent Meryt-Neith and King Wadjet, son of King Djer, son of King Hor-Aha, son of King Narmer, may his name be blessed forever into eternity. Prince Zenty comes to claim the throne of the Land of the Lotus and the Land of the Papyrus,” Amka called out, pointing his staff toward Zenty.
“Because your hearts are light, King Regent Meryt-Neith and Vizier Amka, you may accompany Prince Zenty to the innermost sanctuary, so that Horus alone may judge whether he is the rightful heir to the throne.”
As we entered the temple, our sandal bearers removed our sandals and washed our feet. We followed Tepemkau through the dimly lit corridors as his assistants waved incense in the air and chanted prayers. Finally we reached the inner sanctuary.
Candles lighted the sanctuary and sand had been carefully sprinkled on the floor to ensure that only the pure would enter. Horus stood in the middle of the room, his gold falcon head sitting atop his human form. His dark eyes penetrated the kas of all who entered and I could see Zenty stiffen and gooseflesh rise along his arms.
On the brazier in front of Horus burned a fire. Next to the brazier was a large stone altar upon which Tepemkau had set several tools.
“Horus, I bring before you Prince Zenty, the heir of your servants, King Wadjet and King Regent Meryt-Neith. The Prince brings you a holy sacrifice, that you may judge his fitness to become King.”
Amidst a great deal of noise, Nekau suddenly appeared, leading the temple’s Apis bull, an enormous beast that towered above me. I assume it had been given a special potion to keep it manageable, for its eyes looked peaceful, as if it knew its fate and was content. Its black hide was beautifully groomed and it had been brushed with flax oil to make it shine.
“Horus, guardian of Nekhen and all the Kings of Kem! Behold Prince Zenty in his holy bull incarnation. As he leaves this world, we shall examine his heart. If it is deemed worthy, he shall be reborn as our new King!”
Nekau took Zenty’s own battle sword that had been propped up next to the altar and slid it from its sheath. He handed it to Zenty and for a moment closed his eyes and held his hands over Zenty’s head in loving blessing. Then Zenty stepped forward and in two swift strokes beheaded the beast. With a resounding thud the mighty beast fell to the ground, blood spurting and covering the floor. Nekau quickly took an intricately carved ceremonial ivory knife from the altar and sliced open the bull’s chest, reached in his arms up to his shoulder and cut out the heart. With the massive organ still pumping, he placed it in Tepemkau’s hands.
Together, Amka and Tepemkau observed the heart carefully, watching it beat, squeezing it, sniffing it and finally taking a drop of blood on their fingertip and tasting it. The two looked at each other and nodded. They showed it to Nekau, who also examined it and nodded.
“It is a strong heart,” Tepemkau said confidently, as he placed it into the gold basin that Anhotek held out to him. “It is perfect.”
“Behold, Horus, Prince Zenty is dead!” Tepemkau called out, pointing to the fallen bull. “His heart is strong. His heart is pure. His heart is perfect. His heart is light. May our new King reign until he is aged beyond number. May he serve you proudly and bring credit to our people.”
Zenty then kneeled before Horus. “Behold, Horus!” Tepemkau called out. “Here before you kneels the new King of Upper Kem, Land of the Lotus, and Lower Kem, Land of the Papyrus. We dedicate his name to you for all eternity, for he shall bring credit to you and his people. Behold King Den!”
Even I did not know what Zenty’s Horus name would be, for it was our custom not to reveal the King’s Horus name in advance to prevent others from casting an evil eye on it. Only Amka and Tepemkau knew. Now I understood. Horus Who Strikes was an apt name for the man who had settled the Delta uprisings and who would need to continue to instill fear in the hearts of his enemies for many years to come. It was also fitting for the King to have a strong name, following my association with Neith, a nurturing, protector goddess.
Tepemkau moved close to Den and leaned down so that his mouth covered Den’s nostrils. Seven times he softly breathed out the name Den and seven times Den breathed it in, so that his ba was filled with his new manifestation. That is how it happened. That is how Prince Zenty was reborn as King Den.
With me out of the room, two assistants came in and bathed my son and dressed him in the finest linens. As was our custom, he gave all the jewelry he wore to the priests to support the work of Horus’ temple. They then dressed him in even finer jewelry made for his ascension.
They invited me back in. Amka came forward. “King Den, place the crook and flail across your chest as an oath to Horus.” As Den did so, Amka placed the double crown, White and Red on his head, symbolizing Unification of the Two Lands. At that moment I wondered what Den was thinking. But Den’s eyes were closed and I saw that he breathed in the sen-sen breaths and it made me very proud that he seized the essence of the moment.
Tepemkau l
eft to announce Zenty’s rebirth as Den to the crowds gathered behind the temple. Amka, Nekau and I accompanied Den outside and as soon as he saw the crowds he gasped. “Oh, Horus!” Before us were at least half a million people, according to Herihor.
Now Tepemkau called out: “Praise your King! Praise King Den!”
The crowds below the temple stretched for more than a mile to the base of the mountains and filled the entire valley. Tents were scattered everywhere, their colorful family banners waving in the light breeze that blew down Mother Nile’s waters. Den’s bearers lifted him high in his chair and turned him around so that everyone could catch a glimpse of their new King. Den played his part, a countenance of pure calm and confidence upon his face, sitting erect, the crook and flail braced across his chest. Cheers erupted and turned into a deafening roar. People danced with joy. Women screamed their piercing ululations. Musicians banged their drums and shook their sistras. The regency had passed peacefully to Wadjet’s son and heir and a respected warrior in addition. Ma’at was again strong in the land and the people rightfully rejoiced.
For the next ten-day, Nekhen and Inabu-hedj hosted one party after another as nobles from many lands brought gifts and promises of peace and trade and laid them at Den’s feet. I was required to be present for these meetings, for I knew many of these guests and it was proper decorum to introduce Den to them. But the pace of Den’s meetings was that of a virile young man and with my illness I simply could not keep up, although I tried, for at times I felt that Den did not truly comprehend the importance of these meetings.
“I noticed you were not well today,” Den said to me one afternoon after we had been back in Inabu-hedj for four ten-days. He had come to my quarters, where I had just awoke from a short nap.
“I’m surprised that you noticed anything beyond yourself at all,” I responded, a bit more strongly than I had intended. For a moment Den was silent.
The Dagger of Isis (The First Dynasty Book 2) Page 35
