Colossal Legs of Stone

Chapter 3

"Great Ozymandias, king of kings, lord of the two lands, I beg your mercy and your grace." The sailor bowed low and did not dare to make eye contact.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Ozymandias sighed, looking around at the same decorations that had adorned the walls since his father's time on the throne. He'd whiled away many hours scrutinizing them and he knew them better than the back of his hand.

"I am a humble sailor from the port of Byblos. I was part of a trading expedition that sailed to Zalara, the land of gold and incense."

"And what happened to your expedition?"

"We were caught in a terrible storm that wrecked our ship and scattered our crew. I was the only survivor. I drifted on a piece of wood for many days until I reached a strange shore." The sailor still hadn't made eye contact and his voice trembled.

"A strange shore? Where?"

"I don't know, my lord. It was far beyond Punt, beyond the Red Sea, beyond the horizon. They call their land Zalara. It was rich with green fields and tall mountains. The people there were friendly and hospitable. They spoke a language I did not understand but they welcomed me with gifts and food."

"What kind of gifts and food?"

"They gave me sweet reeds that they called sugar cane. They said it was more precious than gold in their land. They also gave me spices that smelled like heaven. They said they would trade them for bronze weapons and tools from Egypt.

"Bronze weapons and tools? Why?"

"They said they needed them to defend themselves from their enemies who lived across the sea. They said, aside from gold, they had no metal in their land, only stone and wood."

Ozymandias crossed his arms and leaned back on his throne, "And you believed them?"

"Yes, my lord. They seemed honest and sincere. They showed me their ships that were made of wood and cloth. They said they wanted to establish peaceful relations with Egypt."

"And how did you leave this land?"

"They helped me build a raft and gave me provisions for my journey back home. They also gave me some sugar cane and spices as tokens of friendship."

"And where are these tokens now?"

"Here, my lord." The sailor took out a bundle from his clothes and opened it on the floor before Ozymandias.

The courtiers gasped at the sight of the exotic items.

Amenhotep stood forward from among the courtiers: "Father! Look at these wonders! Sugar cane! Spices! These are treasures beyond imagination!"

He picked up one stalk of sugar cane and bit into it eagerly. "Mmm...delicious!" He smiled.

He picked up one bag of spices and opened it carefully. "Ahh...fragrant!"

He turned to Ozymandias with enthusiasm: "Father! We must send an expedition to this land! Think of the possibilities! Think of the glory!"

Ozymandias frowned: "An expedition? To where? To this unknown land that may not even exist?"

"It does exist! The sailor has seen it with his own eyes! He has brought us proof!" Amenhotep's eyes shined like his mother's when he was this excited.

"Proof? Or deception? How do we know he is not lying? How do we know he is not sent by our enemies to lure us into a trap?"

"Father! How can you doubt his word? He has risked his life to bring us this message!"