The Story Of Tetisheri
(As written by Tetisheri and later after the finding of the Roseta Stone to
French, much later to English)
Chapter 6
Decisions must be made for Tetisheri to choose between game playing and for Prince Khaemweset to know her for whom and what she really is.
The day is so hot, and there seems to be no shade or breeze, but it matters
not to me. Teshi and his friends have completed the miniature bark. It is a
beauty.. I could have asked for no better. It is exactly like the ones that are
made for the feast of Isis. This time I will wear a material that comes from
far away. It glows, woven with gold like the sun. The mask that a friend
has made looks like the rays of the sun and covers my face to the nose.
No one would recognize me and that is as I would have it.
Again I have
mixed a perfume that is as elusive as the breeze. It comes and goes and no
one can seem to sense the direction from which it originates. This is the last
time that I will tantalize Prince Khaemweset, the next is to be our first
meeting. I have told Father Pharaoh how I feel and he seems to approve,
but at the same time he thinks that it is funny that a one as young as me can
pull the cloth over the eyes of the battle scared veteran. In fact Father
Pharaoh has helped me get some of the materials to pull off the trick that I
will pull, and I must admit that without his help it would not be so. This
Father Pharaoh says is worthy of his first wife Nefertari. It also reminds
him of the old tale of Prince Setna who sees a woman named Tabuba who
was the daughter of a Bastite priest. She is so beautiful that the prince loses
his heart to her, unaware of the fact that she has cast a spell over him.
Eventually the prince is made to slay his children for her love and to endure
other torments and shame before wakening to realize that the agony he has
experienced is only a dream. Father then asks me if this is a spell or a
dream or do I know. I think that I know. I hope that it is not that he has
ignored me until the other night and that, that is the reason I want him so. I
don't think so, but one never knows it's own heart until it is too late.
I look like the goddess and I step into the bark. Everything has worked out
so well, that I am afraid that it is too perfect. Six Nubian slaves heft the
barge upon their massive shoulders, their bodies covered in fragrant oil
similar to mine. They look like dark gods themselves. The most perfect of
bodies. The women cannot help but turn and look at them and when they
do, or course the men they are with will turn to see at what they look. All
that they see is the facial mask of the goddess and they are entranced with
guessing the face beneath the mask. Also they catch just a whiff of the
fragrance that I have made for the occasion. Different than the first, but just
as elusive.
The minute that they carry me through the door to the hall, I see
Prince Khaemweset in the corner talking to a group of women and looking
bored, but when he sees the bark his eyes light up and his interest is
peaked. I can see the smile upon Father Pharaoh's lips play a tune that
almost erupts into laughter as he is in on the charade. All evening I can feel
the eyes of Prince Khaemweset upon the bark and the frown upon his
brow as to whom is inside. He looks as if he is going through the list of
whom it might be. As the night wears on I have instructed my bearers to
eventually put the bark upon the Scared Lake and I will leave the mask
and slippers upon the seat and quickly slip into the water and swim away
as they fade into the darkness and disappear, not to be seen again at the
feast. When Prince Khaemweset sees the bark floating and has one of his
servants wade out to see who is in it, it will be empty, except for the
fragrance, which will disappear, the mask and the slippers. He will be none
the wiser for having looked into the bark.
The next day Father Pharaoh is beside himself with mirth at the experience.
He chuckles to himself every time that he looks at me and is dying to know
what I plan next. He is determined to help me to concoct the next plan and
be in on it. I guess Nefertari, pulled many such tricks to intrigue him and he
is anxious to pull the same on their son. Father Pharaoh says that misery
loves to have company and he intends to help me all that he can. He says
that Prince Khaemweset has been free far to long and will benefit from a
woman as devious as I am as he has from Nefertari, then he laughs almost
to the point of making himself sick. I must admit I love to see father laugh
as it makes him more human and less the Pharaoh. He is a good and strong
man and the best of Fathers to me at least, but then I am his favorite. I
hope that I will be the favorite of Prince Khaemweset as well, father says I
will, because I will always keep him guessing.
Tonight is a soft and starry night. I am alone with my thoughts. What will I
do next? I really want him to love me and know me for who I really am. I
think that he is an honest man and I want him to be intrigued by me and at
the same time to see me for my intelligence and the honesty that I am
capable of. Life is short for us and so many of the people play games with
each other. I get so tired of that. I wonder if the girls of history before me
felt this way to and if those who will come after will feel the same. There is
so much chaos with the priests and priestesses, gods and goddess's and all
of the politicians. Sometimes I just want to get off of the camel and just lay
in the reeds besides mother Nile's and look up at the stars and dream of a
better world. What would it be like? Would Teshi and Iputi still be my
friends, or are they my friends because I am a princess. What would life be
like if I was a commoner? There are so many questions that I have to ask
and be answered, they never seem to end. Was it always like this.
I really
want Prince Khaemweset to love me for who I really am and yet Father
Pharaoh is getting so much laughter from this, that I am in a quandary. I
ask Iputi first, because she was raised royal even though she is now my
servant and I feel so sorry for her, as I know I would feel for myself if I
was ever taken prisoner. Am I old enough to make any decision such as
this, I think I am, but am I fooling myself. Sometimes I think that I can take
on the world and other times I am timid as a mouse, of course they are not
timid if there are thousands of them in the granaries at one time. They
appear to be some gigantic monster. I think for awhile I will just look up at
the stars and let all of my cares go away and dream, dreams of other times
and places.
I am wet with dew, I must have fallen asleep and it is almost dawn. I will
have to pay the price for worrying Mother Merytamon and Father Pharaoh
for having stayed out all night. But it was so soft and beautiful and I feel
that for me the life of a young girl is about to end soon and I have to enjoy
what I have while I have it. Soon responsibilities will crowd my life. Some I
will like and some I won't, but that isn't too different from now, so I think
that I can handle most of it. I love the game I am playing with Prince
Khaemweset and hate it at the same time. I feel like a spider within a web
and I am now caught by my own masignations. Now I must go forward
and not a tip toe backward or the game is lost and he will hate me forever.
He will know that I tricked him only because I wanted him so, for I know
that,. that is true now and he will see me for the warrior and stateliest I am
and not a trickster. But the time has now come for him to know me for
who I am. I hope that our union will be one of friendship and passion as
well. I will do everything within my power to keep it that way. I know that
it will take the two of us to do it.
We Egyptians love visible manifestations of our beliefs and have festivals to
make spiritual concepts meaningful. These celebrations are cultic and are
part of the calendar and based on the local temple traditions. Festivals are
designed to commemorate certain specific events in our daily lives. Several
that I will describe are Djed Pillar which depicts growth and movement of
the sap in the trees, as a part of their rebirth. In two different times of the
year the festival of Wepet and Wepet-renpet, the New Year are
celebrated.
There are many festivals that honor the Nile and on these
occasions elaborate shrines are floated onto the river, with flowers and
hymns that salute the nurturer of all life in the land. Then in the fall the death
of Osiris is staged at Abydos and the festival of sowing and Planting
follow. One of my favorite it the Beautiful Feast of the Valley, in honor of
the god Amon, which is held in Thebes and is celebrated with a
procession of the barks of the gods, with music and flowers. The feast of
Hathor, which has just bast is called Dendera and was a time of pleasure
and intoxications, (oh what fools we can make of ourselves under the
influence of the wine and other intoxicants) I think that the time I will
choose to meet and get to know Prince Khaemweset will be the feast of
Bastet at Bubastis which are also times of revelry, I need not worry about
the intoxication as Prince Khaemweset is a keeper of the body sacred as I
am and does not partake. This will be a good time to get acquainted,
because the others will be imbibing and will not be paying much attention
to us at all. I am so glad that I have made up the decision to take care of it
at my favorite festival, that should be an ospisious omen for the two of us. I
grow more respect for him with each and every passing day.
© camille nelson. All rights reserved.
Chapter 1 |
Chapter 2 |
Chapter 3 |
Chapter 4 |
Chapter 5 |
Chapter 6 |
Chapter 7 |
Chapter 8 |
Chapter 9 |
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