Midnight Lotus ~ An Egyptian Fairytale

~ 5 ~

"Hurry!" I shouted over my shoulder, as Imi huffed to keep pace.

The skirt of my white dress hiked up as I all but sprinted down the temple steps, toward the waiting chariot and a very grumpy High Priest. My pace slowed as I neared the pair of white charges. Their heads high, snorting and stomping, jingling the harness; wanting to run like the wild beat of my heart.

Duty bound me to finish my ritual bath and songs first, but with Imi's help we flew faster through the morning routine than the wings of Isis. Chaste with my words of prayer and swift with the sponge. Of course I couldn't pass the opportunity to watch my sister take the famous warmonger down to his knees.

I dropped to a walk, demurely sweeping my long braid behind me, still wet from my bath, as I stepped up onto the chariot. The glassy-eyed stare of Hotep's leopard pelt reminded me that eyes were everywhere and image was everything.

Hotep had initially rebuked my request to attend the duel, stating I was beholden to the temple, and a duel was no place for the pure body of Ra's wife.

But I knew where to push.

Wouldn't I, a symbol of Ra, be a beacon of strength for my sister's match? How the nobles would gossip if we lost to a patron of Set and I was not there to show support for the next Patron, the next Pharaoh, of our God.

Hotep arranged for the chariot immediately.

"Priestess, wait!" Imi huffed, pulling herself up onto the chariot behind me, sweat already beading on her brow. "You sure you weren't raised by cheetahs?"

I snorted a laugh still catching my breath. But the joke was lost on Hotep, he shot Imi a warning glance, before snapping the reins at the pair of impatient white steeds.

The blue and gold chariot lurched into motion as we rolled down the winding trail. I steadied myself, clutching to the side-rail and enjoying the breeze that billowed up under my skirt, drying the sweat that stuck to my thighs and trickled down my back under the blaze of Ra's shining eye.

Towering palms lined the road, shading our path as we headed up the trail North, toward the front of the palace, where the wide open court could hold the large summer festivals open to the common people. Several other chariots kicked up dust ahead of us, blanketing the morning in a soft golden haze. No doubt nobles coming from their estates, bored with ordering workers to tend to their herds and crops, in need of entertainment. Word spread fast with maids.

The blue feathered caps on the horses heads bounced up and down like wings flapping in a dusty sky and I spread my arms wide, closing them for a moment and feeling the wind on my cheeks, imagining how it would feel to soar, to be free. A bump in the road rocked the chariot sideways and my eyes snapped open, hand clamping back on the rail, plummeting to reality.

"Careful!" Imi chided, as we rounded the side of the palace path to the main entrance. Her knuckles white, as she anchored herself to the wood like it was the Ankh of Life itself. Imi had never liked riding. Any pace faster than what her feet could carry her seemed to make her dizzy.

Twin obelisks pointed skyward welcomed us in, and beside them the two sphinxes guarded the wide open gates, with somber faces and massive paws stretching in front of them from their lion's bodies. Each the size of a home, reminding me of the proud might of our empire that needed no formal military because we held the port to the north and with it the trade routes of the sea. Unlike Amon, who had to contend with the native tribes to the east and west of his Kingdom in the south.

I could hear shouting as we rode down the central path. Massive statues of pharaohs past and their queens, facing one another, lined the road to the palace. The half finished one near the gates was outlined, but had yet to be carved into a likeness. Though I doubt any rock could capture my sister's beauty.