“Scribe!” Hapuseneb motioned to a wizened oldman lurking in the background, who hastened to his side with apapyrus roll, inkpot and pen. Hapuseneb gestured to him and heseated himself cross-legged at the priest’s feet, and immediatelyset to work writing on the papyrus.
After a moment, he dusted the papyrussheet with sand and offered it to Hapuseneb, who glanced at it andthen held it up to the crowd. “The name of His Majesty, Hatshepsut,has been entered in the leaves of the sacred isd-tree. May his reign be long andfruitful!”
Excited whispers arose from the crowd. Hattieturned and accompanied Hapuseneb back into the temple, scores ofglittering nobles and imposing officers descending from theirchariots and following close on their heels. She caught a quickglimpse of Senemut in the crowd behind her. He grinned, and herheart leapt.
Hapuseneb led Hattie to a massive goldenimage of Amun, supported on a pallet by four burly, sweatingpriests. Hattie knelt before the image and lowered her head, asSenemut had instructed her, while Hapuseneb chanted a blessing.“Behold, Amun has come, and he has established the crown on thehead of his worthy son, Hatshepsut, the protector of Egypt.”
Hattie arose and led the image and the crowdinto the innermost chamber of the temple—the most holy place, seenonly by high priests, royalty and nobles. The room was dark andclose with smoke from the flickering torches; sparks of lightglinted and flashed from golden images of the gods. The scent ofincense was heavy and cloying.
She knelt again. Hapuseneb lifted from thealtar the unwieldy double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt and placedit on her head. The White Crown of Upper Egypt resembled a tall,bulbous bowling pin, and was surrounded by the chair-shaped RedCrown of Lower Egypt. Together, they represented her dominion overall of Egypt. A golden cobra with spread hood, representingpharaoh’s protection by the gods, reared out from the crown overher brow. Hattie clenched her teeth and tightened her neck musclesto keep her head erect as she rose, bearing the weight of the tall,cold crown. If it fell from her head at her coronation, her reignwould begin under a cloud of superstition from which it might neverrecover.
At last, she turned and faced the assembledgroup. A mighty shout of joy arose from nobles and priests alike.Hattie passed through their ranks, led the group out of the templeand paused, facing the buzzing crowd of peasants, servants andslaves.
Hapuseneb raised his hands and the peoplefell silent. “Behold—Amun has spoken. He has established the crownof Egypt on the head of His Majesty, Powerful of Kas, flourishingof years, divine of diadems, Maatkare, Khenmet-AmunHatshepsut!”
As one, the crowd fell to its knees, handsoutspread, foreheads in the dust.
Hattie Williams was now Hatshepsut, Pharaoh,and sole ruler of all Egypt.
CHAPTER 18
Hattie’s head ached fiercely, and she thoughtshe would die if she had to listen to another interminable toastpraising her royal, sacred self. Smoke, perfume, incense, and foododors assaulted her in waves. Great Amun, she was pharaoh, yet shecouldn’t even send for an aspirin.
Shifting irritably on her chair, shelooked around the low-ceilinged, torchlit room. Nobles and priestsseated on cushions or leaning against elaborately carved pillarstalked quietly, but not to her. The servants standing behind themrespectfully averted their gaze when she glanced their way. Harpswhispered, tambourine-like sistrums jangled, flutes wailed and castanets clacked, adding to thetumult in her brain. Bejeweled dancing girls circled and gyrated ina dizzying swirl of colors in the center of the room, whileacrobats leapt over each other and twisted themselves into humanknots. Dish after endless dish was placed on the low table in frontof Hattie and Tuthmosis: roasted fish, duck and quail, stewed figs,cheese, bread, lentils, fresh berries, and honey cakes. Goblets ofwine and beer flowed like the Nile.
At least she was not required to wear theburdensome double crown, praise Amun; only a golden circlet with auraeus of a rearing cobra adorned her pounding forehead. Blast thiscentury, and the lack of painkillers! She wondered for thehundredth time how long a royal coronation banquet was supposed tolast, and when she could safely seek the oblivion of herbedchamber.
Tuthmosis had glared at her from his seatnext to her on the dais for the first two hours of the banquet,anger vying with tears for expression. Hattie knew he was unhappyshe’d been named pharaoh, seemingly having stolen his crown fromhim, but she dared not explain why. He was only a child, andshouldn’t have to bear the heavy burden of fearing for his life.Hattie tried to make small talk with him instead, but he stubbornlyrefused to open his mouth except to insert food. Eventually, tiredof his glumness, she suggested he retire for the evening. He rose,turned his back and hurried out of the room without so much as a“good night”.
Massaging her aching temples, Hattie caughtsight of Senemut, seated across the room. He sipped from a nearlyuntouched goblet of date wine and spoke quietly with Lord Ineni andChancellor Neshi, their dark heads inclined politely to his.Sighing, she vowed that would be one of her first duties aspharaoh—from now on, Senemut would be at her side at every royalfunction. She was pharaoh, was she not, and her word law?
He looked up at her, and took in her fatigueand drooping shoulders at a glance. Surreptitiously, he gesturedfor her to rise. Not knowing what he had in mind, but trusting himimplicitly, she stood.
At once, the entire company rose to its feet,and then bowed deeply to Hattie. “I…I shall retire now,” shestammered. Why had she not thought of this before? Perhaps therewas an advantage or two to being the ruler, after all.
Whispers of “Amun go with you”, accompaniedher to the door.
It’s over, Hattie thought wearily as she droppeddown onto her bed. But a persistent little voice in the back of hermind contended, It’s just beginning. Shaking her head and then regretting it when the poundingintensified, she clapped her hands for her servant and allowedherself to relax under Nesi’s capable ministrations.
Hattie was in bed at last and nearly asleepwhen she heard a tentative cough outside her bedchamber door. “Comein.”
