NEFRET

iii. {waset}

1280 B.C.

19th Dynasty

Waset, Egypt

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It took almost four days of walking to reach the outskirts of Waset. Nefret spent much of the time talking with Ay when he was not busily fleeting about talking to all the members of the caravan. She did not know what the conversations were about as their voices were not above a whisper, but she reckoned Ay, while only a commoner, seemed to be held in prestige. She observed people standing taller upon his greetings, and Ay never ended a conversation without a smile. Each time Nefret took too long watching the red-headed man, his companion, the one with the cold eyes, appeared out of nowhere and blocked the view of her friend. Nefret always startled and blushed, looking away immediately. She did not know why he seemed to despise her, so Nefret kept to herself just in case others felt the same way.

Waset was different from the village Nefret grew up in. The site for Set-Ma'at was a flat land at the bottom of the valley with limited space and resources. It was a planned community from the start; it was laid out in a rectangular grid pattern with a surrounding protective wall which enclosed homes that were tightly packed together to make the most of the available space. Waset, on the other hand, consisted of irregularly formed districts. To Nefret, the city looked like a collection of grey huts joined together at every imaginable angle. Narrow, crooked paths winded amongst them as though left there by chance. Some were broken by muddy pools where cattle drank from, and some were interrupted by irregular squares shaded by acacia and sycamore trees. The difference between the two places was jarring, but Nefret fell in love with the imperfect irregularity and mixture of a great Egyptian city.

Nefret followed the caravan into the heart of the city where the streets were neither wider nor straighter, but the buildings were more carefully constructed. Slowly, structures became more regular, and so high, that she went cross-eyed following the highest points. It became evident that the group started to approach the market. Nefret realized the caravan had dispersed into smaller groups, each inclined to make trips to different places to end the journey or report to a master. Only Ay and his companion remained with Nefret, along with the horse carrying their cargo.

"It is a bustling town, is it not?" Ay exclaimed, laughing at the scenery. Nefret reckoned it was more probable that he was laughing at her face because she could not contain her tiny gasps of excitement as she looked around with eyes wide open. "Welcome to the capital. It is not much, but it is home."

"It is beautiful," Nefret murmured. Customers strolled past the trio and leisurely examined the quality of the commodities offered for sale. Each carried something of his or her own manufacture in their hand – a new tool, some shoes, a mat, even a small box full of copper and silver rings. The exchange of goods and services through barter was also common in Set-Ma'at but never had Nefret seen such pandemonium and chaos. Nefret was overwhelmed by the strange sights, noises, and smells her senses were experiencing. The chorus of animal noises dampened the chattering of people as they walked around the bazaar. Sheep, geese, goats, donkeys, and large-horned oxen scattered in unequal groups in the center waiting for a purchaser. Peasants, fishermen, and small retail dealers all squatted in front of each building displaying, in great rush, baskets or low tables full of loaves, pastries, fruits, vegetables, fish, raw and cooked meat, jewels, perfumes, and all other necessities of a successful Egyptian life.

Ay and Nefret walked side by side following the flow of the crowd. It was a few minutes later when she noticed that Ay's companion walked a few steps behind them, still serious and glowering. Nefret turned back to look at him surreptitiously, before leaning towards Ay and whispering, "is your friend all right?"