The Chronicles of Gan: The Thorn (37 page)

“If we see him, where can he find you?”
Jonathan asked.

“Sarah’s home. Or at Miriam’s home.” Abigail
then wandered off, staring up into the sky.

Jonathan touched Rachel’s arm. “Abigail had
more to say, but didn’t because I was here. Right?”

Rachel’s smile confirmed
Jonathan’s suspicion. “You
are
quite observant. Last night, Abigail and I talked
for quite a while. She told me that Pekah has spent some time with
her during the last few weeks. Each time you boys have come down
out of the mountains, he has sought her out so they could talk. But
he has never mentioned what happened on the night Jasher died.
Abigail’s concerned. What if he feels duty bound to honor Jasher’s
request, and yet doesn’t
want
to fulfill it?”

“How does Abigail feel about it?”

Rachel turned to face him, looking up into
his eyes. “I believe Abigail is going to tell Pekah she doesn’t
expect him to honor Jasher’s dying wish. Did you know Pekah talked
a lot about your journey together?”

Jonathan shook his head.

“Abigail was very touched by his tale. She
told me of her desire to obtain the same peace Pekah told her
about—the peace he found standing in the river.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And by the look on her face a minute
ago, I think I know what else she decided to do.”

Rachel was teasing him. He crossed his arms,
pretending to be frustrated. Rachel laughed.

“She will tell him that if
he so desires, she
wants
him to fulfill Jasher’s wish.”

Jonathan leaned forward. “That’s
wonderful!”

Rachel stepped back, as if surprised by the
revelation borne in his excitement. “You mean, Pekah desires
this?”

“He has anguished over this for weeks. He’s
very attracted to Abigail, but didn’t dare let her know it. He told
me he didn’t want to pressure her to accept Jasher’s will. He wants
nothing less than Abigail’s independent decision on the matter. If
she is not comfortable with remarriage, he will release her.”

Rachel now had tears in her eyes.
“Jonathan,” she said as she wiped her eyes with the backs of her
hands, “I am so happy for Abigail! She feels the same way about
Pekah. Her days of mourning are past, and now she’ll be able to
choose. From the very moment Jasher placed her hand in Pekah’s, she
has struggled with what he requested. But now, after getting to
know Pekah, she feels that she will do it.”

“Out of duty? Or out of respect for
Jasher?”

“Abigail loved Jasher, but
they were still newlyweds of only a few months. With all the travel
Jasher had done among the provinces of Gideon, she’d hardly seen
him. And she has no other living family. She feels alone. She told
me she feels that her chances of marrying again will be slim. If
she’s worried that men will look down upon her, as being someone
‘less desirable,’ what more
could
she hope for?”

“Did Abigail use that term?”

“Yes. That’s how she feels.”

Jonathan put his arm around Rachel and
squeezed her. “She deserves to be happy. Maybe you should go find
the young lady and tell her what we talked about. Perhaps it will
help her confidently approach Pekah to discuss the matter.”

“I love you.” Rachel gave Jonathan a quick
peck on the cheek. Her long auburn hair flowed behind her as she
ran.

Chapter 35

Joy

T
he next morning, the day before the Sabbath, dawned as
beautiful as the last—nearly cloudless skies, and a slight breeze
tugging at the hem of Jonathan’s priestly robe. He held Rachel’s
hand tightly, drawing strength from her touch. But today, more than
ever, he felt the void left by his absent parents deep within his
heart.
I’m getting married today—they
should be here.
He took a long
breath.
Perhaps they will be.
Self-conscious of his distracted thoughts, he
tried to refocus on the present. After all, wasn’t this supposed to
be a happy day?

He snapped back into the
moment, once again aware of those circled around the octagonal font
in the temple court—Pekah, Uzziel, Miriam, Tavor, and Sarah, all
dressed in white. The beauty of the scene struck him. These were
his friends. They were his family. He realized he actually
was
surrounded by those
whom he loved, and he smiled.
And I am
about to witness a miracle,
he
thought

Less than a day had passed since he sat with
Rachel, watching songbirds and enjoying the sweet scent of orchids
in the gardens when Abigail had come looking for Pekah. By the end
of the day, Pekah had proposed marriage to her, and she had
accepted. Since Abigail had previously been married, and neither of
them had any living family to participate in the celebrations, they
decided, at Rachel’s insistence, to share her day and formalize
their own union.

And much like the Gideonite captain, who had
been taught in his youth about a King and Creator, Abigail had been
prepared by her own parents. Spending time with Pekah, she had
learned more about The One Who Would Suffer and had decided to
follow Pekah’s example.

She now stood in the waist-deep baptismal
font with Eli, a temple priest, his hand gently on her arm. Eli
committed her into the care of the Great King of Heaven, then
lowered her into the water and brought her up again.

Jonathan’s gaze rested on Uzziel, watching
for his approval. Presiding, Uzziel looked down at Eli and nodded,
indicating that the covenant was acceptable and complete. Eli
supported Abigail as he guided her toward the steps.

Rachel let go of Jonathan’s hand and moved
past Pekah so she could be closer to the top step. She offered a
dry towel. Dripping wet, Abigail took the towel and pulled it fully
around her soaked white dress. With a free hand she wrung out her
hair. The gazes of the two women met again, tears of joy trickled
down their faces, and they embraced.

“Thank you, Rachel.” Abigail said, her voice
full of joy.

Rachel hugged her again. “I’m so happy for
you. How do you feel?”

“Wonderful. Like fresh rain on a summer
morning.”

Starting with Uzziel and his wife, each
guest approached in turn and offered heartfelt congratulations and
well-wishes. The last to greet her, Pekah stretched out his hand.
Abigail reached forward, and Pekah clasped her palm gently between
his own. He stared into her eyes, making her blush like a suns-set.
She trembled, shivering.

Rachel threw a teasing look at Pekah. “I
need to get her into dry clothing,” she said, then led her off to
the vestments house.

Jonathan assisted Eli in climbing the last
of the font’s steps. “Pekah and I will wait here for you.”

“I’ll hurry!” Eli said, sloshing his way
toward another chamber to don dry clothing.

After promising to meet Jonathan at the
pavilion in the gardens, Tavor, Sarah, Uzziel, and Miriam excused
themselves.

Jonathan studied Pekah. Even with his new
short beard, as dark as midnight, the young Gideonite’s face
glowed. “This will be a memorable day. Are you pleased?”

“Yes. Immensely.”

Jonathan snickered. “You know, she’s
smitten.”

Pekah’s face reddened. “Do you think
so?”

“I’ve never seen such a case. What have you
done to her?”

Pekah grinned. “Nothing. She likes the
beard, I guess.”

“Well, if that’s the reason, you’d better
keep it.”

Seeming preoccupied, Pekah only nodded.
Jonathan stretched, letting out a yawn. Even though he had tried
his best to avoid getting involved in the wedding plans, all the
excitement of the past week had made him tired. Now that the day
had arrived, he hoped to be able to relax on the morrow.

When Eli returned in his dry temple robes,
the three of them left the courts together. They walked out under
the graceful, white granite archway into the gardens, where a
massive crowd of people thronged between flowerbeds and fruit trees
of all kinds. Jonathan was startled to see so many gathered.

As if on cue, the crowd shouted, “Hail to
Jonathan, Heir of Daniel, King and Judge!”

Jonathan paused mid-step, somewhat
embarrassed by the unexpected attention. Eli urged him to continue.
He gathered his composure and strode forward, noticing he was
flanked on his right by Eli, friend of his youth and priest of
Uzzah, and on the left by Pekah, brave protector, captain of the
Host of Gideon. He mused over the fact that using the important
titles made him more comfortable—and much less conspicuous.

They marched in perfect synchronization down
the cobbled pathway between rows of orchids and under a canvas
canopy that had been placed there the previous day. They turned
smartly on their heels before they reached the carved stone chair
at the center and faced the greeting crowd, composed of Uzzahites,
Danielites, and Gideonites of all ages. At a wave from Uzziel, the
crowd stilled. Those who had seats took them, while the others
stood in respectful silence.

Jonathan noticed that two seats right at the
front of the open pavilion remained empty. One of them was next to
Miriam. Uzziel motioned to the chairs as if he needed to explain.
“Those are for the brides. Can we have two more seats brought
forward?”

A couple of men in the back lifted chairs
high above their heads and walked through the crowd.

“Here,” Uzziel said, pointing. “And here. I
want the honored witnesses to sit on either side.” He invited Pekah
to sit on Jonathan’s left and Eli on his right. Jonathan took his
place in the stone chair at the center. Uzziel remained
standing.

Jonathan wished he hadn’t sat down. He
craned his neck upwards, searching the garden path and the white
granite archway leading to the temple court. Taking notice of the
excited whispers floating through the crowd, he heard that most of
the comments centered on the exceptional weather for the occasion.
He had to agree. Bright and hot in the sky, Aqua and Azure now
neared their weekly eclipse, but cool breezes in the garden
provided a welcome relief from the past few days of heat. A perfect
day—Jonathan was grateful.

All chatter suddenly stopped when the two
long-awaited women appeared under the granite archway. Everyone
stood up. Rachel and Abigail walked forward, arm-in-arm, drawing
the adoring gazes of many and the envious looks of some. Small,
white Queen’s Flowers from the mountains had been woven into a few
thin plaits of their hair. The woolly, starred leaflets and tiny,
golden flower-heads set off the women’s delicate braids like jewels
seated in shining crowns. Both ladies were dressed in simple,
strikingly brilliant dresses. The women were stunning.

When they finally reached the special seats
reserved for them right at the front of the ceremonial canopy,
Jonathan could hardly take his eyes off Rachel. He had never seen
her more beautiful. She smiled shyly back at him. Uzziel had to try
twice to get his attention.

“Jonathan and Pekah, please be seated.”
Uzziel chuckled.

Jonathan noticed they were the last two
people standing. Pekah fumbled to find his own seat. Jonathan sat
down quickly and apologized, but still held Rachel’s gaze.

Uzziel lifted his hands high. “My dear
brothers of Uzzah, your wives, our brothers of Daniel, and your
wives, and of course our most welcome brothers of Gideon, and your
wives. We are here today to witness the anointing of the heir of
Daniel, as a king and judge over his people, until He to Whom the
right truly belongs comes to rule among us. And may that day be
soon—I have prayed for His appearing. I know many of you have done
the same.”

Voices from Daniel and Uzzah rumbled their
approval. Even many of the Gideonites joined in, but Uzziel seemed
oblivious to their reactions.

“We are also here to celebrate the joining
of Jonathan’s heart to that of my precious daughter, Rachel . . .”
Uzziel’s voice choked with emotion.

Jonathan saw the way Uzziel looked down upon
Rachel. He wondered what it would be like to give away a daughter
of his own.

Uzziel wiped a tear that ran down his cheek.
Rachel whispered, “I love you,” to her father. Miriam also nodded
her encouragement. Finally, the old priest was able to
continue.

“We are also here to celebrate another
union. Jonathan’s friend of Gideon—a man who saved his life—has
asked to take a promised bride unto himself on this very same day.
Pekah and Lady Abigail of Gideon will also be joined together in
the holy bond of marriage. What a joyous day this is!” Uzziel
smiled largely and laughed.

“But I do not care for pomp. And neither
does Jonathan of Daniel. Boaz, would you bring me the horn?”

Boaz marched up to Uzziel, bearing the horn
of oil, his white and blue temple robes flowing around him. Uzziel
accepted the horn and took his place behind the stone chair where
Jonathan sat.

Jonathan peered over his shoulder. Without
flourish, Uzziel unstopped the large, silver-capped end of the
horn, opposite the polished point. When Uzziel smiled at him,
Jonathan turned back to the assemblage. He could feel Uzziel lean
down, the horn above his head.

In a vibrant tone full of authority, Uzziel
declared, “Jonathan, Son of Samuel, Heir of the Tribe of Daniel, I
anoint you with this oil as a king and a judge, a priest and a
counselor, to stay in this stead until the end of your days and
through the eternities. May your life be long, your wisdom deep,
your charity unbounded. May your kingdom be unified and never
divided from your brothers, Uzzah and Gideon. And may you have
peace.”

The crowd remained silent. Uzziel stepped
back and handed the oil horn to Boaz, then signaled for Rachel to
step forward. Eli also stood, but disappeared somewhere behind the
stone chair where Jonathan could not see him. When he returned to
stand next to Rachel, he held a purple and white cloth embroidered
with the symbol of a serpent, draped in a manner to hide something
in his large hands.