Daughter Of The Sea.

Chapter 14

Jezebel ran from the chamber where she conducted her work. She ran up the stairs trying to reach her  bedroom. She saw the door and the two eunuchs standing guard on either side. Frantically she waved her arms trying to indicate that they should open the door.

She never made it to her bedroom. The vomit sprayed from her mouth, soiling the eunuch who tried to support her as she fell. The other eunuch rushed off to summon the Queen's ladies-in-waiting.

Shelah was first on the scene. She instructed one of the eunuchs to carry the queen inside and lay her on the bed. Instinctively he backed away. He was not allowed to touch the queen. He had already played with his life by trying to catch the Queen as she fell.

Shelah said nothing but the fiery look she aimed at the eunuch overrode his better judgement. With panic clearly showing on his face, he whisked Jezebel's limp form up into his arms and carried her to the bed. After placing the Queen, rather unceremoniously, on the bed, he sped a hasty exit.

By this time the rest of the Queen's soubrettes had arrived and under Shelah's directions, had removed the smelly robes, washed the Queen and clothed her in clean garments.

The Queen was now fully recovered. She dismissed all except Shelah. She sat on the bed gazing at the floor. After sometime, Jezebel began to speak, more to herself than to anyone in particular.
"I don't understand it. I have felt like this quite a few times in the last few weeks. Today was the worst. I haven't changed my eating patterns and I have not over exerted myself. Why does my body treat me so?"

The Queen looked up. Shelah was smiling and humming to herself as she flitted about the room.
" I see my discomfort amuses you " Jezebel said, clearly angry at Shelah's jovial demeanor.
" Forgive me my Queen. I do not in any way make light of your discomfort" Shelah answered, the smile on her face, if anything, broadening.

She walked over and sat next to Jezebel. Shelah took the Queen's hands and held them in her own.
"What was your mother like?" she asked.
The look on Jezebel's face portrayed her bewilderment. She wanted to answer.. 'none of your business'.. but instead, with long forgotten memories welling up in her head, she reflectivly answered.
"I didn't know my mother. Not personally anyway. Only what my father and friends told me about her. My mother died when I was very young. My father raised me. I know he loved me but sometimes I think he raised me more like a son than a daughter."

"That explains it." Shelah exclaimed.
"Explains what?" Jezebel asked.

Shelah sighed deeply but the smile on her face intensified. She continued.
"Do not be alarmed at the symptoms you experience. Unpleasant as they are, it is quite natural."
"My dear woman" the exasperated Queen interjected, "What are you on about?.. and please wipe that smile off your face!"
Shelah calmly answered.
"From what you have just told me and from what I have seen with my own eyes I can deduce that you know a lot about running a country but you know very little, if anything at all, about a woman's body."

"You are on dangerous ground, my friend, criticising your Queen."

Shelah, taking no notice of Jezebel's warning, continued.
"The symptoms you display will not go away, in fact they will only get worse. Trust me, I know. I am a mother of two children"

Jezebel sighed as she inquired,
"What are you on about. You talk in riddles."

Shelah's face lit up as she explained,

"My dear queen, you are with child!"

                             ~~~~~~~~~

After knocking softly Shelah entered the Queen's boudoir and placed the refreshment she had brought on the table. She was just about to leave when she observered that the Queen continued to pace up and down, hardly noticing her presence or thanking her for the refreshment. Shelah was just about to inquire if something was wrong, when the Queen suddenly, with fists clenched, blurted out, "I hate this Palace, I hate this room."

The head maidservant took Jezebel by the hands and led her to the bed. She sat down next to the Queen and took her hands, much as she had done nearly a year before. Calmly she said, "What's the matter?"

"I hate this palace, I hate this room!" Jezebel exclaimed.
"Why don't I fetch little Athaliah? Perhaps cuddling her will make you feel better. " Shelah suggested.
"She's half the problem," the Queen moaned, "Evey time they bring her to me she cries without ceasing."

The two women sat in silence as Shelah thought hard, seeking a solution.
"I think I know what should be done, " the maidservant eventually said.
"I know little Athaliah quietens down quickly when one of your nurse-maids takes her for a walk in the garden. Perhaps you should try it."

Jezebel pulled a face as she answered, "Boring!... I've walked around these gardens so many times, I feel like crying! Oh what I wouldn't give to show Athaliah the flowers that we grew back in Tyre. Those were wonderful gardens."

Again the two women sat quietly in pensive moods. The one was thinking of her beautiful home city and the sea, and the other, a solution to the Queen's dilemma. Shelah broke the silence.
"I have an idea. Let us take the baby for a walk in the streets of the city. The noises and activity will hold the baby's attention or put her to sleep."
The Queen's face lit up for a second but immediately a look of despondency returned. She voiced her concern.
"My husband would never allow it."
"He needn't know. We could throw one of my cloaks about you, covering your head and royal robes. I have a baby's carriage at home we can use and we could put baby Athaliah in that. No one would even guess at your royalty."
The excitement clearly evident in the pitch of her voice as Shelah gave voice to her plan.
" We would need protection and all the soldiers are loyal to Ahab. They would tell him of our plan before we even begin." Jezebel answered.

Shelah was on a roll, the Queen's arguments not deterring her in the least.
"That's easily overcome." she continued. "You can ask two of your temple guards to accompany us, at a distance. They are fully trained in the art of combat but dress like priests and hide their weapons under their tunics."

"You wily old witch!" Jezebel declared. "You have thought of everything. When do we start?"
Shelah answered. "Give me a few days. I will talk to the temple guards. We will plan a route that will take us along streets that are not too busy. Also I will ask my husband to check and oil the baby carriage. My children are big so the carriage has not been used for some time. I will let you know as soon as everything is ready. "

The next few days passed quickly. The scribes, city leaders and palace staff all remarked how polite and in good spirits the Queen seemed to be. Little did they know. It wasn't a big deal really, but the Queen treated the outing as some important undercover operation.