Michal (38 page)

2 Samuel 6:16

30

From the vantage point of his roof two months later, David caught a faint glimpse of Abner’s caravan plodding toward Hebron’s city gate. He lifted one hand to shade the half-risen sun from his eyes and counted the donkeys, searching. Abner’s red-crested robe stood out among the rest. David allowed himself to study the man’s stance as he approached the guard, almost afraid to focus on the object of his desire—the woman riding directly behind Abner.

Michal.

When he pondered her name, his eyes moved toward her with a will of their own, like a moth drawn to an alluring flame. She was too far away for him to see the details of her face clearly, and as the group passed through the wooden doors toward his palatial home, David stood back a pace, not wanting her to see him. Not yet. He would see her soon enough.

He watched the caravan until it reached the outer court of his home before he turned and walked down the steps toward the door of his audience chamber, Benaiah at his side.

“Would you like Princess Michal brought to your chambers right away, my lord?” He looked at David, his face a stoic mask.

David paused at the door, where flag bearers and trumpeters awaited to announce his arrival. “Show her to the apartment I have prepared for her. I’ll call for her when I’m ready.”

“Yes, my lord.”

David took his seat on the gilded throne while his scribes and servants took their places at tables or posts around the room. Moments later, Abner, followed by twenty leaders from Israel, crossed the tiled floor and fell prostrate at David’s feet.

“May my lord, King David, live forever.” Abner rose to one knee, head bowed.

David extended his royal scepter to the man. “Do you come in peace, Abner?”

“Yes, in peace, my lord. I have brought your wife Michal with me. And I will do more than that. I will arise and go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” Abner’s dark eyes held David’s for a brief moment, then lowered again in respect.

David clapped his hands together. A servant scurried to his side.

“Yes, my lord?”

David glanced at Abner, then at the servant. “Prepare a feast for our guests. We will dine together for the midday meal.”

“Yes, my lord.” The servant hurried off.

“You will join me for a meal,” David said, smiling. “Then I will allow you to do as you have requested.”

Abner looked up again and stood. “Thank you, my lord. We gladly accept your hospitality.”

“Princess Michal, you are to come with me,” a guard said.

Michal nodded, too nervous to speak. The guard removed the satchel and baskets draped to her donkey’s sides after helping her dismount. Keziah followed close behind, and the two walked in silence across the walled brick courtyard. Cultivated flowers graced the perimeter of the walkway, and they stopped at a narrow door in the wall. The guard knocked twice. A short, weathered older woman appeared, dressed in a simple olive green and reddish brown robe tied at the waist with a brown sash. Her matching striped veil covered most of her wispy gray hair, and her arms were folded across her chest in a no-nonsense stance. She scrutinized Michal from head to toe, then sighed.

“Another wife, Elias?” She shook her head. “Where are we going to put this one?”

The guard cleared his throat. “This is Princess Michal, Hannah. The king has been expecting her.”

Hannah’s head bobbed in understanding. “Yes, yes, of course.” She dismissed Elias with a quick swish of her hand as though batting a fly and looked Michal up and down again. “You will want to bathe in the mikvah and change out of those dusty traveling clothes before your visit with the king. Come.”

Michal followed the old woman across another courtyard, past a maze of connecting rooms.

“This is the family courtyard.” Hannah’s arm circled to include the enclosed court where a number of doors opened into the same spacious gardenlike area. “This is where the king comes to meet with his wives and children.”

Wives and children. She knew that. All the way from Mahanaim, through Paltiel’s loud weeping as he followed them to Bahurim, where Abner finally sent him home; over the hill country leading to the Jordan River; across the river; and past Jerusalem and David’s childhood home of Bethlehem, to Hebron, Michal told herself she would not be David’s only wife. But telling herself and seeing evidence of it firsthand were two different things. What would she do when she was forced to share their table and David’s love?

“And this is your apartment.” Hannah pushed open the door, then stepped back.

Michal entered with caution. Would David be waiting for her inside? But that was ridiculous. He was meeting with Abner. She looked around, noting with appreciation the gilded couches and cushioned chairs sitting beside ornate tables topped with decorative oil lamps. Soft lamb’s wool cradled her sandaled feet, and light came from opposite windows, giving the room an open appearance.

She walked over to one of the windows and looked out at a small garden blooming with brilliant colors—a stone’s throw from her back door.

“Is this for me?”

“Yes, my lady. The king built it for you soon after he was crowned king over Judah. It is for your own private use.”

Michal’s awe shifted to sudden emotion, making her throat ache to hold back the tears. “Do the other women have one?” She had to know.

Hannah shrugged. “They all have something the king has chosen specifically for them. I can’t say what that is.”

The answer didn’t satisfy her, but Michal held her tongue, afraid her words would come out in a choked whisper.

“King David has said to make yourself comfortable,” Hannah said, walking toward the door. Keziah stepped out of her way and walked to Michal’s side. “He will call for you when he is ready.” She turned and strode out of the house.

“The food is excellent, my lord,” Abner commented, lifting the silver chalice to his lips. “If you feed your enemies such exquisite fare, you will quickly turn them all into friends.”

David chuckled. “So to avoid bloodshed I should either feed my enemies or marry their daughters? I suppose that would keep at least one of us happy. The question is, which one?”

He smiled as Abner let out a loud laugh and slapped his palm on the table. Snickers and laughter moved around the large room, though David wondered if any of them realized how much his attempt at humor bespoke truth. He held up his hand for silence.

“Nevertheless, let it be known today that we have no enemies here. I will make a covenant with Israel. Bring me the elders of the land, and I will rule them in peace.” David tore a loaf of bread, pinched a handful of salt between his fingers, and sprinkled it on each half.

Abner sobered, reaching to take the torn piece of wheat bread David offered him. “I will go throughout the land from Dan to Beersheba to bring all Israel to you, fulfilling the Lord’s promise to my lord to give you the kingdom.”

David took the other half of the torn loaf and bit a piece from it. He chewed slowly, watching Abner do the same. He looked at the general, who nodded in understanding. Eating with the man signified acceptance. Bread and salt between them meant a covenant of loyalty, despite their past differences.

“Go in peace,” David said when the meal ended. He embraced Abner, kissing each cheek. Abner returned the affection, then bowed his face to the ground.

“May God do so to me and more also if I do not keep my word.” He turned, followed by his men, and left David’s house.

After a relaxing visit to the mikvah, Michal returned to her apartment, still amazed at the splendor surrounding her. The home of her youth could not compare to the beauty of the decorations in this spacious apartment. She glided over the plush carpets into the separate bedchamber. Her breath caught. The room looked exactly like the home she first shared with David in Gibeah.

Unsteady feet carried her to a wooden table where she felt the smooth, oiled surface. Pots of kohl and rouge were placed exactly where they used to sit in her old home. Every detail remained the same, down to the bronze mirror and the golden-handled comb.

Oh, David.

Her eyes roamed the room. A window with white linen curtains stood along the same wall as the one in their old bedchamber where David had slipped from her life so many years before. She stood and walked to the window to peer out. The sight was not the same. This time her gaze took in the beautiful walled garden created just for her.

“Do you like it?” The masculine voice startled her. But she would never forget its melodic timbre. “Is it what you expected, Michal?”

His footsteps were muffled on the soft carpet, but she could feel his presence filling the room. She turned slowly, her heart beating with awareness. He stopped within arm’s length.

“Much more,” she said, taking in every facet of his royal garb. His hair was still dark beneath the golden, jeweled crown, his eyes fathomless and unsearchable. His purple-gilded and embroidered robe fit him perfectly, his muscular body exuding authority and strength. Far different from the young husband who once feared for his life. “So, you are a king now.”