A Wiki in the Desert
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Chapter 1 - For Better or For Worse In Sickness and In Health

From A Wiki in the Desert

“But Father,” Princess Alara argued, “what if I do not care for this man that Elder Dudimos will bring back?”

The young 16-year-old girl was not unused to being called on to do her royal duty if it would benefit her people, even if her opinion was not in favor of it. But this? Matters of the heart? Surely such a personal compromise of this nature would not be required? Not by her loving father. Pressure to wed was growing.

King Tutimaos the III looked out over the rose garden from the balcony of their upper floor library. The perfumed scents put one at ease. He breathed in deeply of the fragrances. How to word this delicately to his beloved daughter...

“Alara…“, her father began.

Without waiting to hear the familiar story of how a wife was chosen for young Prince Tutimaos eons ago, and how they learned over time to love each other deeply, the anxious princess waved her hand to shoo away his words.

“I know! I know the story! It did work for you and mother. But…I know it did not work for two of my friends so well!” The words fell out rapidly, in cadence with her pacing. She stopped and peered back over her shoulder at her father from the other side of the room. But he kept his back to her.

Uncertainty narrowed her eyes. Too often, if it would be unpleasant for his daughter to hear, he had a hard time facing the girl. Alara knew that when her mother passed that the King disliked upsetting his daughter.

The sunset was blazing the most gorgeous hues of tangerine orange and soft pinks. The calm in the skies was juxtaposed against the temperament of the restless spirit of the young lady.

Compromise in time of war; the thought amused him.

He turned away from the placid scene and stroked his beard, motioning for Alara to come near. She stood for a moment, tilting her head, trying to decide if his eyes belayed an amendment in her favor. Slowly walking toward him, she allowed a hug and then stepped backward.

“Yes, my Dearest Father?”

Her endearing words were an arrow to the heart with which she won the white flag he would offer.

The King breathed out slowly and sighed. “If the young man is not to your liking…” he could not help but smile in response to her twinkling eyes, “…then we can offer him a high position and the choice of another beautiful maiden of his choosing. And subsequently send the Elder back to our old country to search again.”

^^^^^^^^^^ Fifteen Years Later to the Current ^^^^^^^^^^

I am the Queen. I will stay strong. My family and my people need me to be brave.

Looking out over the same balcony of the book room, Queen Alara's eyes watched the memory play out in her mind's eye as if it were yesterday. This was their place of meditation in happy times and unpleasant times. Her father had passed to the heavenly realm two years past. She wished to lean against his strength of will like she did in her youth. How could she endure if her beloved husband were to join her father?

She closed her eyes as she tried to stay back in the past for a bit longer, remembering.

Lordling Kaleb had been presented to her a little over a decade ago. There was no lengthy courting to see if they were compatible. From the moment they were introduced, their mutual attraction was obvious to themselves and all those near them. Marriage vows at the wedding of the century were taken within a few months.

Then came a daughter, another daughter, a third daughter and a fourth and finally with the fifth birth a son was born. With each birth the land of Hyksos celebrated with the royals! But inversely, fate was slowly fading King Kaleb's health as if the happiness from each child taxed his very spirit.

The Queen's delicate hand squeezed the King's shoulder as she bent over and kissed the top of his head. His crown was sitting on a nearby dark mahogany low table. Dressed in soft robes, he sat in a wheeled chair. They were sharing a sunset of troubling crimson colors. Funny, it seemed that the electricity in the air ahead of a storm brought out the strength of the roses.

The downdraft of wind had begun shifting the elegant deep green draperies. A storm was pushing itself towards them. Their weather heads had often been sending news of volatile weather at the Nile Delta. What presented up north would follow the snaking line of the great river down to their land. King Tashelotof allowed the Hyksos’ scientists to keep a lookout in his Meshwesh land as long as they shared warnings and reports of the gods’ temperament in the clouds.

She tried not to be superstitious, believing the blackness of forecasts of late to be a presentiment of Kaleb's future.

“Do not worry, my love,” King Kaleb said in as strong a voice as he could muster, “our doctors are doing all they can to fortify me.” His hand reached up and pressed hers.

Their great white mountain dog, Beowoof, jumped up suddenly and barked deeply. He knew that the clap of thunder would follow that white flash that streaked in the distance to strike the earth. He was very vigilant to protect his masters’ family even to facing the loud wrath of the cruel sky gods!

At first King Kaleb, until of late, had been making a show of strength to go out among the people with the Queen so rumors did not start moving among their people and make their way south to Viceroy Sahama. The land of the Kush was where their biggest worry of war brewed. The Kushians were bred for fighting. Large, strong warriors. Sahama was just as fierce as his grandfather, Viceroy Kashti had been.

They had put off showing weakness but in the last month it was inevitable that the grapevine had wound outwards to whisper of a lack of vigor concerning King Kaleb. Word was out. Queen Alara had already decided to take a chance as desperation gripped her. She had sent out two envoys with a small retinue of soldiers to inquire of the leaders and their best doctors if they would also come examine the King of the Hyksos.

Viceroy Sahama of Kush had sent his doctors, with some of his soldiers, immediately. The Queen had read over a letter of greeting from him. It was terse and to the point and she was not so naïve as to not think his underlying offer of medical aid was directed more to spying out weaknesses in the central land. She was heartened that Sahama's main wife was a healer and had accompanied the doctors. Secretly, Alara wondered how the woman could stand her husband as her personality tended toward being a caring personality. Help was help.

As fierce as Sahama was, the leader of the Meshwesh, King Tashelot, was almost the opposite, jovial and friendly. The two men were fraternal twins but different as night and day!

Tashelot sent two of his female priests who were renowned foragers and healers. They were quite thorough in their examination which gave the Queen the most hope. Even her Hyksos physicians bowed to the expertise of the Meshwesh's earthy talents.

However, she ordered some of her soldiers to keep an eye on Tashelot's roaming soldiers. For a while there was bad blood between the old King Osorkon of the Meshwesh and her father. Queen Alara's father, over a decade ago had spurned an offer of marriage between Alara and Tashelot, deeming the young prince too irresponsible. His private concerns were that the general habits of the Meshwesh were beneath the more highly educated Hyksos princess. Alara hoped that the Kushite princess, Carmiya, had made Tashelot happy enough that he had forgotten his anger. Only time would tell.

And time was what they were short of. Please people of the Egyptian land, forage with all your hearts to help my dearly beloved husband!!

Dates of Event: 2019-09-28 to 2019-09-29.