Tiy and the Prince of Egypt Read Online Free PDF Page B

move again.
    Just as she was about to succumb to a mind numbing stupor, the tent flaps parted and t he soft drapery over her bed fluttered. The servant women bowed at the waist, their heads lowered as they moved aside to admit Pharaoh.

Chapter 6. Foreign Wish
     
    Pharaoh Tuthmosis stepped into the room with much less gusto than Tiy imagined an entrance of his could involve. He wore the Double Crown of Egypt and a white cloak over his shoulders that clasped at the front with a golden cartouche. Hints of old age etched his face, but his eyes were brightened by eternal deity. With two soldiers at his heels, he strode toward the bed and knelt on one knee. Tiy noticed her mother’s eyes widen, the hint of a smile on her lips. The Pharaoh of Egypt bowed to no one.
    Surprised by his respectful display, Tiy wasn’t sure how to respond. She should be the one kneeling at his feet! She tried to rise from her bed, pulling her elbows underneath herself to hold her weight, but the effort caused a sour expression to spoil her face and a small cry to escape her lips.
    “Do not arise for me, child” Pharaoh Tuthmosis said.
    Tiy w ouldn’t disobey him, but every instinct told her she was committing blasphemy by failing to kneel before her king. She laid there without speaking, showing further disrespect by not responding to him. She pressed her lips into a line. No matter what she did, it was wrong. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. Why did she have to over-think everything? She just needed to be truthful to her king.
    “Are you in pain?” he inquired , motioning for the woman servant to bring more salves and ointments.
    “Thank you for your hospitality, Your Majesty,” Tiy said, her voice still rough. “I am in no pain.” She cringed. So much for being truthful. But he didn’t need to know. Or maybe Ma’at, the goddess of truth would tell him. Tiy flushed at the thought.
    “Amenhotep tells me you saved his life a nd the life of Ramose.” His eyes sparkled with gratitude.
    She swallowed. Couldn’t she just go home without the uncomfortable displays of gratitude or the granting of special requests? She did what anyone would have done in her position. She didn’t deserve any special treatment.
    Pharaoh continued, taking Tiy’s silence as affirmation. “He tells me you swooped in as if you were the goddess Nekhbet herself. He said you reacted with the power and decision of deity. You have protected him from the grips of Osiris.”
    The hot flush in her cheeks spread to her neck. Did Prince Amenhotep really compare her to a goddess? She wasn’t sure how to respond. Maybe her silence would persuade him to continue speaking until he got to the part where he granted her request. She knew what to say then; she had practiced it in her mind.
    Her mother cleared her throat and glared at her with angry bug-eyes. Pharaoh didn’t seem to notice, for which Tiy was glad.
    “I am grateful for your show of courage,” he continued, “and for the sacrifices your body made to protect my son. For that, I would like to fulfill any desire you may have. As Pharaoh of Egypt, and a god of this land, it is within my power to grant whatever you wish.”
    “Thank you, Your Majesty,” she said. “I have enough happiness to satisfy me, knowing Prince Amenhotep is safe.”
    Tiy’s mother stumbled back. She steadied herself and set her jaw in a way that told Tiy she would get an ear full later.
    Tiy wanted to shake her head. She wasn’t disobeying her mother; she was merely showing what little respect she could to Pharaoh.
    “Nevertheless, I would like to grant a request,” Pharaoh said.
    Her mother leaned on her toes.
    Tiy took a deep breath. “If it pleases you, Your Majesty…” She looked at her mother, who nodded her head like a lizard bobbing for a fly, her eyebrows so high they disappeared into her wig. Tiy swallowed. “I would like the join the royal school in Memphis,” she finished in a rush.
    Pharaoh ’s eyes flickered to her