Tiy and the Prince of Egypt (23 page)

Death couldn’t be this painful, Tiy thought. Her head throbbed, her lungs burned, and her throat was on fire. But it was the pain in her right leg that dominated the rest. Several precise points of pain radiated inward and intensified as she tried to clear her head.

H
er back pressed against something hard that shifted underneath her, increasing the sharp pain in her leg. Distorted sounds of shouting and growling penetrated her ears and echoed inside her head. She pried her eyes opened and adrenaline cleared the scene before her.

A crocodile
had clamped down on her leg and was dragging her toward the river. Three sheepherders beat the crocodile’s head with their long crooks, their efforts causing minimal distraction to the scaly monster.

Tiy
screamed, which startled the sheepherders and gave the crocodile a chance to pull her closer to the muddy waters churning up from the bank. She kicked with her free leg, spurring the shepherd boys into action as they resumed thumping the crocodile’s head. No matter their efforts, it would not relinquish her leg.

“Don’t let it pull her to the water!” Shouted one
of the sheepherders.

“
It’s going to roll!” Another shouted. “Don’t let it roll!”

Tiy
kicked with renewed fervor. She had seen what happened when a crocodile rolled its prey. Bones broke, limbs tore off. There was not much of a chance for the victim after that.

The crocodile pulled her closer to the river, the water reaching her knees. Her vision blurred, the pain in her leg consuming her. She screamed again
, but her voice sounded so far away. The crocodile was nearly submerged, its round eyes staring at her as it pulled her deeper into the river. The water lapped up against her waist, and then her chest.

Two
sheepherders stabbed the end of their crooks into the water, while the other grabbed her arms and pulled. Just as the water kissed her neck, the crocodile flipped and Tiy found herself face down in the water, sharp pain erupting from her back as it twisted to follow. The sheepherder holding her arms lost his balance and dropped her arms, leaving her to claw at the riverbanks.

Tiy
lifted her face out of the water and screamed again, more for agony than for help. She knew nothing could help her. If the Nile god wanted her, then he would have her. The sheepherder’s shouting rose to new heights and, just as Tiy’s head slipped beneath the surface, they waved their arms at a rider as he galloped in on a horse.

Within seconds, the
crocodile jerked and its jaws slackened. The sheepherders were suddenly surrounding her, prying the beasts jaws open and releasing her mangled leg from its powerful grasp. They took hold of her arms and dragged her to the safety of the higher banks.

“She needs
immediate attention,” one of them said near her ear, although she could barely understand him. Their faces hovered over her, but their voices sounded so far away.

“I’ll take her to
my house,” the rider said.

“It’s too far, she’ll never make it,” one of the
m argued. “Look at her, she’s shaking.”

She
blinked. She didn’t care where she went or how she got there, just as long as she was taken away from the river. Her vision blurred again.

“She’s in shock,” another said. “I
think she’s bitten her tongue.” He pressed a hand to her cheek and came away with blood.

“She’ll make it
. Your houses are not equipped to care…”

The rest of what
the rider said was covered by her chattering teeth. Tiy whimpered and let her head fall back as he picked her up and hauled her onto the horse with him. She didn’t care that he was a stranger, riding off with her to some unknown place. And even if she did care, there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn’t move her leg and the rest of her limbs felt heavier than the arms of the Sphinx.

The horse
sprung into a gallop and she screamed in agony, the vigorous motion sending shooting pain up her injured leg. The rider held her closer each time she screamed, murmuring words into her ear that were lost to her. She bore the excruciating pain for only a short while before her eyes rolled back and carried her into darkness.

***

She awoke underneath a thick layer of soft fur. Her arm hung off the side of the bed and someone was stroking her hand with the softness of a feather.

“She must be wealthy,” an older woman’s vo
ice said. “Look at her hands. There is not a single callous or crack on them. This girl has not known hard labor.”

“Does it matter that she is wealthy, mothe
r?” someone asked with a voice she recognized as the rider.

“No, of course it doesn’t matter, but it will help
us find her family. She has nothing but the shreds of her white dress to identify her. Poor thing, to have endured not only a shipwreck and the frightening water, but to wake up with a crocodile on her leg! I’ll get some soup warmed for when she comes to.”

Tiy’s
head felt too foggy to stay awake, and the pain was still too much to bear, so she sunk into the soft fur and let herself fall back into oblivion.

She a
woke several times, occasionally to the quiet sounds of night and more often to the noises of someone working and cleaning. She wasn’t sure how long she drifted in and out of awareness, but after a time she could no longer ignore the throbbing pain in her leg or the fire in her throat.

There was a sweeping sound near
the foot of the bed, the swipe of bristles aggravating her headache. She cleared her throat, and the sweeping stopped. Pulling the fur down from over her face, her eyes squinted against the bright light streaming through the high windows. She took in the sight of her humble surroundings.

“You are awake!” an old woman said
as she dropped her broom and bustled over. The woman thrust a cup into her hands and tipped it until warm liquid fell into her mouth.

“How long have I been asleep?
” Tiy said, her voice coming out in a croak.

“Long enough
.”

Tiy
lifted her head to look at her leg and sighed with relief. At least it was still attached to her and not in the belly of a crocodile as she had been afraid it would be. Although it was bandaged from thigh to ankle and burning as if on fire, she was glad it was still there.

“
I was beginning to think you were never going to wake up,” the woman said. “It’s a good thing my Wesi found you when he did, or you might not have made it. Crocodiles are not to be played with.”

“I wasn’t playing with it,”
Tiy said, trying to wiggle her toes.

“I know
my dear, I know. Now, drink up.” She tilted Tiy’s chin up again and thrust the edge of the cup between her cracked lips.

“
Thank you for your hospitality, madam, and to your son for saving my life.”

“Please, call me Tama.”

“My oarsmen, are they alive?” Tiy asked.

“
Surely it is not just the oarsmen you are concerned for. Wasn’t your family with you as well, or an escort?”

Tiy
shook her head. It occurred to her in that moment that she could be deeper into Nubian territory than the safe city of Dakka. And the kind woman could very well be a supporter of the Nubian rebellion. She had to be careful about what she said. She couldn’t know how Tama or her son would respond if they discovered she was Egyptian, or that she was Queen.

Tiy
took stock of her attire. Her beautiful kalasiris was ruined, torn and covered in mud. Her wig was gone, exposing her pale yellow hair, and most of her jewelry had been lost in the Nile. She looked ordinary and without origin or any defining features. She could work with that. If she could just get back to Dakka, or at least near the border, she could get word to Amenhotep to let him know she was alive.

“
A young, pretty woman such as you should not be traveling alone.” Tama clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“I was separated from
my family.”

“Does your family know you encountered a storm?”

“Probably not.”

Tama crossed her arms. “Won’t
they come looking for you?”

“Not here
. I should find a way to reach them. Where am I?”

“Soleb, dear, about a day’s journey
north of Kerma.”

Tiy’s stomach clenched. She was most certainly in Nubian territory.
“May I use one of your horses?” she asked with as much sweetness as her hoarse voice would allow. “I promise you will be compensated.”

Tama glanced
at Tiy’s hands, no doubt recalling her earlier assessment. Tama had to know she could repay her for the horse.

Impatient to get moving, Tiy
yanked the fur blanket from the rest of her body and her jaw dropped in shock.

“That is right,
my dear. You won’t be going anywhere for quite some time.”

A pain shot up Tiy’s leg and she glanced at it.
Dark red circles seeped through the linen wrappings.

“I’m
so sorry, dear,” Tama said. “Your dressings need to be changed. It may hurt a little.”

Tiy
nodded and a wave of nausea rolled over her as the old woman worked on removing her bandages. Tama lifted her leg by the ankle, but even her gentle touch sent excruciating jolts of pain up her leg and into her head. She didn’t want to see what festered beneath all those layers of cloth, but she was morbidly curious to see what damage the crocodile had caused.

“It isn’t broken,”
Tama said. “At least, I don’t think so. I have never met someone who has survived a crocodile attack. How did you keep it from rolling you?”

Tiy
shrugged. She didn’t feel like talking about what happened. It brought back too many gruesome memories and she was having a hard time keeping the contents of her stomach contained as it was. She watched the last piece of bloodied cloth fall to the floor and let her eyes trail back to her leg. More gouges than she wished to count littered her flesh—most of them so dark they looked black. She fell back onto the bed, not wanting to see anymore, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists while the old woman tended to her wounds. Tama moved quickly, yet with the gentleness of a mother tending to her newborn babe. Tiy mumbled her thanks before a fierce nausea swept over her. But rather than sending her careening over the edge of the bed to empty her stomach, it pressed her into another wave of darkness.

When
she awoke again, Tama insisted she let her bathe her and dress her in clean clothing. Tiy felt refreshed afterwards but utterly exhausted. She fell back to sleep at once, waking only to eat and drink. This carried on for several weeks. She woke up, managed a small task or activity, then fell back to sleep for the remainder of the day. All the while she could do nothing to send word to Amenhotep. Any correspondence between them would put her more in danger and quite possibly hurt his campaign.

At one point
, she became feverish and the old woman paced the cabin with worry etched deep into her brow. She bathed Tiy with cool rags and forced her to drink more liquid than any normal person could consume in one day. She fussed over her night and day as Tiy slipped in and out of sleep, slowly recovering and gaining strength.

Tiy
thanked her often and let her know her efforts would be rewarded, but Tama would click her tongue and wave her off at the mere mention of compensation. With all of her children grown, she insisted she found a great deal of satisfaction in caring for someone again.

After
several weeks, Tiy was able to walk around the house with a little assistance, and by the time six weeks had passed since her arrival, she was able to walk to the porch and back on her own. She worked hard every day, determined to make a quick trip to see Amenhotep before settling in Dakka. Not only did she assume he’d want to see for himself that she was still alive, but she missed him more than she thought possible, especially late at night when the house was quiet. Every night, when the moon was high, the pain of missing him filled so much of her body that her stomach heaved in an effort to release some of it. But it never helped. It only made her chest hurt in a new way.

E
very day she worked harder and every day she was one step closer to Amenhotep. But every day she feared Tama or Wesi would discover her true identity and all would be lost.

The war in Nubia raged on. After learning Wesi was not part of the rebel movement and did not despise the Egyptians, Tiy sent a message through him to Amenhotep. She never told Wesi that her husband was Pharaoh; she wasn’t sure how that information would be received, or if it might spread among his friends and into the ears of someone who would use her to bait Amenhotep. Instead, she addressed her letter to Merymose, knowing he would pass it along to Amenhotep. She told him that she was safe but in an area in which he couldn’t send correspondence for risk of spies. The last thing she needed was a letter from Pharaoh!

Tama
, on the other hand, was a strong supporter of the rebellion. She did not have friendly feelings toward Egyptians, a fact Tiy learned on one of the days she ventured onto the porch. They had heard news of the war, and with Wesi strolling among the trees, Tama felt free to express her ill opinions in his absence.

“I hope our armies crus
h those pompous ‘Gypts,” she said as they lingered on the porch.

“Oh!” w
as all Tiy could say. She was surprised by the venomous tones coming from such a sweet old woman.

Tama
narrowed her eyes and explained, “Many years ago I invited an Egyptian family into my home and they turned their noses at every meal I served them, even though it was the best I could afford. I was surprised, considering they had been traveling for so long. Their barge had sustained some damage and was being repaired by a local carpenter. I welcomed them into my home so that they could recuperate from their journey. They behaved as though my humble food was not good enough for them, picking at it and pulling faces. Their children ran amuck in my house, breaking pottery and even a window. And not once did they offer to compensate me.”

“
How horrible!” Tiy said. “But you don’t believe all Egyptians would behave this way, do you?”

“
I wouldn’t if this was an isolated incident, but I have heard enough stories to make me wonder if they are all rotten, slave-driving, arrogant, people.”

“
I promise you, there are many good people among the Egyptians. You should not let this one family taint your feelings of Egypt.”

Tama narrowed her eyes further
. “Why do you care? You aren’t Egyptian, are you? Because you don’t look it.”

Tiy swallowed her old insecurities. It didn’t matter how she looked. She was Egyptian through and through.
“I know I don’t. I don’t look Nubian either. But I come from Egypt. My family is from Egypt. My home is in Egypt.”

Tama’s eyes grew wide and then she waved her hand toward
her. “Humph.
You
must be the exception.”

Tiy
wanted to give Tama many examples of Egyptian goodness, but the woman rose from her chair and went inside. She would have joined her, but Wesi emerged from the trees with a beautiful girl, their behavior piquing her curiosity. The girl covered her mouth and giggled as Wesi held her other hand to his lips. He reached around her waist and drew her to him. Tiy felt as though she was intruding on a private moment, yet she couldn’t tear her eyes from them. He stroked her cheek before pressing his lips to her laughing ones. Her laughter ceased and she melted into his kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into his body.

“
Who is it you yearn for, my dear?”

“Oh!”
Tiy said, startled. She turned to find Tama leaning against the wooden doorframe.

Tama
chuckled at her surprise, her ample shoulders shaking as she laughed. “Forgive me, sweet one.” She pointed to Wesi and the lovely girl. “Who is it you love as Wesi loves his bride-to-be? I see passion in your eyes.”

“You do?”
Tiy squeaked. “I don’t think so.”

“I have never seen
such longing. So I ask, who do you yearn for?”

Tiy
crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. She turned back to glance at Wesi and his bride-to-be, but they were no longer there. In their place was a different couple locked in the same intimate embrace. Tiy’s chin jerked back and her brows crossed. She leaned forward, squinting in the sunlight to confirm what she was seeing.

A man in very fine Egyptian attire
had his arms around a woman, his head bowed to kiss her, his torso leaning into hers. Their arms were adorned in fine jewelry, their feet protected by gold leaf sandals. The man had golden, bronze skin that stretched over his strong arms. Covering most of his thick black hair was the Double Crown of Egypt.

Tiy’s eyes bugged out.
No one but Amenhotep could wear the Double Crown. She opened her mouth to call out to the imposter and make known his crime, but he leaned back and smiled at the sky and her heart ripped in two. It was Amenhotep.

His arms were around a beautiful, tiny woman who
pulled him closer to her, her hips pressing into his. Her face was covered by a long, lustrous wig, and it wasn’t until she tilted her head back in laughter that she saw the girl’s delicate features. She had blue eyes and fair skin with freckles dotting across her nose. She was no native Egyptian. The girl was her! Tiy squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. It wasn’t possible what she was seeing. She opened her eyes again and raised her head, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.

Wesi and
the girl stood before her, still wrapped around each other and lost in love. It had been them all along.

Tiy gasped for air,
her breath flowing in and out of her chest, but not fast enough. What had just happened to her? What had she just seen? She turned toward the door.

“What is it,
my dear?” Tama said, alarmed. “Your face is flushed.”

“I….I think I better go lie down,”
Tiy mumbled.

She
stumbled past Tama and collapsed onto her makeshift bed. She felt stir deep within her belly and knew it came from a place that hungered to feel Amenhotep’s arms around her, his lips pressed to hers. Just acknowledging the feeling made the stir intensify. A wall crumbled down inside her, one that she hadn’t realized was there until it turned to dust.

She l
oved him. How could she be such a fool? How long had her feelings run deeper than friendship without her realizing it? She wondered if Amenhotep felt the same way, if it could be possible for him to have the same intense emotions for her. It seemed impossible until she recalled things he had said to her or the way he looked at her when he touched her. And the hundreds of gifts he showered on her. She had been so blind before, but now she could recognize every gesture for what they had been.

He loved
her too.

She
realized with shameful regret that he must have felt this way for a very long time but had been waiting for her to be ready to love him in the same way. She had wasted so many precious moments they could have shared because of her insecurities and unwillingness to see herself as someone beautiful. Or someone worthy of a pharaoh’s love. And now he was gone, in the clutches of war, risking his life without knowing how she truly felt for him. She was such a fool!

A clatte
r of hooves interrupted her self-berating and a young man bolted into the house. Tiy’s mouth went dry. He had the face of the man she had seen in the tree. The one who had tried to kill Amenhotep. It had been several years, but his face had haunted her dreams. She’d never forget it.

Wesi
ran into the house, his girl close behind him.

“Tama, you should be pleased!” The
young man exclaimed.

Wesi rolled his eyes
. “Honestly Kamen, I’m growing tired of this rebellion. There are too many losing their lives over a ridiculous misunderstanding. Pharaoh is taxing us and we don’t think we should be taxed, yet we think we deserve all the luxuries of a properly governed people.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Kamen
said. “We’ve heard your opinions.” He turned back to Tama. “An army from the Sudan desert is going to ambush Pharaoh’s fleet tonight while they sleep. Those ‘Gypts won’t see it coming; they are too busy watching the east banks.” His laughter pierced every cavity of the room.

Tiy’s
already weak legs gave way underneath her. She sat down on the bed with a hand to her chest.

“How could you possibly
know this?” Wesi asked. “If you were to ask me, Kamen, I’d say knowledge like this would be confidential and you’d be the last to know.”

“I didn’t ask you,” Kamen
said. “My father is the leader of the rebellion, in case you have forgotten. He told my mother over breakfast this morning. I don’t think he thought any of us were awake yet. Exciting, isn’t it! We are going to slaughter all the Egyptians and Nubia will take rightful ownership of the Nile lands again!”

Tama’s eyes flickered to
Tiy. “When did you say this was going to happen?” she asked.

“
Tonight. Aren’t you excited? I thought you would be more excited than this.”

Wesi
threw his hands in the air. “How could she be excited about massive bloodshed, not to mention the chaos we will endure with the loss of pharaonic rule?”

“
Stop talking, Wesi,” Kamen said.

Tiy
had heard enough. Rubbish or not, she had to let Amenhotep know. She stood again, ignoring the rush of blood from her head. “I need to borrow your horse,” she said to Tama.

“You are not fit to ride.” Tama
said, her hands on her hip.

“I don’t care.
I have to warn my people.”

“Your people!
?” Kamen exclaimed.

“Yes!”
Tiy shouted in frustration. “
My
people. I am Tiy, Queen of Egypt and Great Royal Wife to Pharaoh Amenhotep, ruler of the Two Lands.”

S
everal intakes of breath filled the room, but Tiy ignored them. “Please, allow me the use of your animal. I must warn Amenhotep.”

The room
was silent. All eyes were on her, and yet she didn’t flush with embarrassment. She stood firm, unwilling to retract her words. Amenhotep’s life was in danger, nothing else mattered. She glanced at Tama and could see the hint of betrayal flit across her face.

“I’m sorry Tama, I would have told you,”
Tiy said with less severity. “I didn’t know how you would react if you knew I was Queen.”

“You thought I would hurt you?”

“No. Well, I don’t know. Please, don’t let this further taint your opinion of my people. My people are your people. We are all the same. We are all good.”

Tama
stared at Tiy for several long moments, her eyes thick with indecision. Finally, she let out a long breath and let her shoulders relax. She wrapped Tiy in her arms like a mother consoling a child.

“There now,”
Tama said. “Ssshhh. We’ll save your Pharaoh. It’s okay.”

Tiy
couldn’t figure out why Tama was consoling her until she felt her shoulders shaking, a surprising realization considering she felt solid as a rock on the inside. “I need to leave now,” she said.

“Let Wesi go, your leg cannot take the journey,” Tama said.

Tiy
shook her head. “He may not be able to get close enough, and if he did, they may not believe him. I need to go. They’ll let me through to Pharaoh.”

“What!” Kamen
shouted. “We are going to let her warn the enemies? Just like that?”

“They aren’t the enemies.” Tama said with fierce finality
. “Wesi is right, this war is foolish.”

“Well I’m
not going to let her go!” Kamen said. He grabbed Tiy’s upper arm and twisted her toward him.

“Kamenwati!” both Wasi and Tama shouted
. Tiy gathered it was his given name because for a moment Kamen looked like a little boy awaiting chastisement. But he recovered and his expression turned hard again.

“I don’t care what you say,” Kamen said
. “We deserve to take the country back. I’m going to tell my father. He needs to know the Queen is here. We can use her as leverage.”

Tiy
squirmed in his grasp. Precious time was being lost. She needed to leave soon, or she’d never make it in time. With a deep breath and using all the strength she could muster, she twisted in Kamen’s grasp and hurled her fist into his face. Her fist alone may not have brought him down, but the fist of another struck him in the same moment. Tiy glanced up to see Wesi’s future bride heaving with exertion, her fist out in front of her.

Tiy
grinned, “Thank you,” she said between breaths.

“Don’t thank me, just go!” the girl said.

Tiy stumbled toward the stables just as Kamen jumped to his feet.

“You watch me,” he shouted out the door as Wesi held him back
. “I swear on my brother’s grave that I will be the first to slay Pharaoh!”

Tiy s
huddered and mounted a horse with renewed fervor, urging it into a long-striding gallop toward the Nile. She’d take the blade if she had to, but Kamen would never harm Amenhotep as long as she was alive.