domo, and then Prince Ekosh came inside and stepped over to Delai. “Rise, my child,” he told her—and, as Delai looked up, massive, rough-worn hands took hers and helped her to stand.
My heart was in my throat as the couple looked into each other’s eyes for the first time, and I prayed that Astarte might bless them…. The Prince was very tall, heavy but well built, with the weight of forty-five years of age and twenty-five years of war and government upon his scarred, creased face.
“I pray,” Delai began timidly, “I pray that I may please my Lord.” Her small fingers clung to his for support.
“You’ve already pleased me more than I can say,” the Prince replied. His gray eyes stared through her; his mouth was expressionless, yet he filled us all with a sense of his strength and tender regard. He turned then to the assembled frontier officialdom of Egypt and drew Delai to his side: “Gentlemen of Egypt,” he began, in a measured, quiet voice, “I present the Princess Delai, Priestess of Hathor-Astarte, noble Lady of Philistia, and my bride.” The crowd bowed low once again—to her this time—and Delai saluted them with practiced grace. Ekosh had honored her greatly by calling her “Princess” even before their marriage. Beside me, Rachel, too, bowed to her Lady; only Amphimachus and I remained standing while we saluted the royal couple—for Philistine aristocrats do not bow low to one another, only from the waist.
Your Highness,” Amphimachus greeted Ekosh, “it’s been over thirteen years, but I’ll bet you remember me.”
Ekosh nodded, smiling faintly: “Yes, I do remember you, venerable Lord Priest,” he replied.
Amphimachus continued: “I bring regards from your royal brother, the Melek, from the Sherens, and from all Philistia .” Ekosh acknowledged the greetings.
Then I stepped forward: “Your Highness, I am Phicol, son of Adinai, Commander of the Lady’s Guard. I once saw Your Highness when I was a small child—I remember looking up…and up…and up, at Your Highness!”
He shook my hand. “Of course, Captain Phicol, I remember you and your father.” He was not only polite but charming; yet I could tell that he wanted most of all to converse with Delai.
Still, there were more ceremonies, including gifts given and received. (Some of ours, for him, had been left behind in Thebes .) Then we all sat down to a modest banquet.
Prince Ekosh turned to his bride: “My Lady,” he told her, “was very brave and hardy to undergo the journey from Thebes ; and she is also as beautiful as the messengers proclaimed.”
“My Lord is most kind,” she answered. The emotion in her voice could not be disguised, despite the formal phraseology
prescribed by court etiquette. “In any other’s company, I should be quite awkward and tongue-tied,” she concluded.
This was not, of course, strickly true, since I had never known Delai to be either truly awkward or tongue-tied for long; still, it would perhaps have been close to true about this, their first meeting—except that he had put her at ease from the start.
“I hope you enjoyed seeing Nubia ,” the Prince continued. “As it happens, my work here is finished, before we expected, and we shall leave for Thebes in a few days.”
Amphimachus sighed, doubtless thinking of the trouble his old bones could have been spared had we waited in Thebes ! As for Delai, I believe she wasn’t in the least displeased to have made an unnecessary trip, so enthralled was she. Even had she known of the Prince’s imminent return to Thebes , she would, I think, have wanted to make the journey to Semna anyway. In that instant when Ekosh’s hands took hers, her face began to glow with the look of peace—the serenity for which she’d prayed while gazing at the four statues of Ramses II not long before.
They married in a simple ceremony that very afternoon, with Amphimachus and the Governor officiating. It was just as she wanted: instead of
My heart was in my throat as the couple looked into each other’s eyes for the first time, and I prayed that Astarte might bless them…. The Prince was very tall, heavy but well built, with the weight of forty-five years of age and twenty-five years of war and government upon his scarred, creased face.
“I pray,” Delai began timidly, “I pray that I may please my Lord.” Her small fingers clung to his for support.
“You’ve already pleased me more than I can say,” the Prince replied. His gray eyes stared through her; his mouth was expressionless, yet he filled us all with a sense of his strength and tender regard. He turned then to the assembled frontier officialdom of Egypt and drew Delai to his side: “Gentlemen of Egypt,” he began, in a measured, quiet voice, “I present the Princess Delai, Priestess of Hathor-Astarte, noble Lady of Philistia, and my bride.” The crowd bowed low once again—to her this time—and Delai saluted them with practiced grace. Ekosh had honored her greatly by calling her “Princess” even before their marriage. Beside me, Rachel, too, bowed to her Lady; only Amphimachus and I remained standing while we saluted the royal couple—for Philistine aristocrats do not bow low to one another, only from the waist.
Your Highness,” Amphimachus greeted Ekosh, “it’s been over thirteen years, but I’ll bet you remember me.”
Ekosh nodded, smiling faintly: “Yes, I do remember you, venerable Lord Priest,” he replied.
Amphimachus continued: “I bring regards from your royal brother, the Melek, from the Sherens, and from all Philistia .” Ekosh acknowledged the greetings.
Then I stepped forward: “Your Highness, I am Phicol, son of Adinai, Commander of the Lady’s Guard. I once saw Your Highness when I was a small child—I remember looking up…and up…and up, at Your Highness!”
He shook my hand. “Of course, Captain Phicol, I remember you and your father.” He was not only polite but charming; yet I could tell that he wanted most of all to converse with Delai.
Still, there were more ceremonies, including gifts given and received. (Some of ours, for him, had been left behind in Thebes .) Then we all sat down to a modest banquet.
Prince Ekosh turned to his bride: “My Lady,” he told her, “was very brave and hardy to undergo the journey from Thebes ; and she is also as beautiful as the messengers proclaimed.”
“My Lord is most kind,” she answered. The emotion in her voice could not be disguised, despite the formal phraseology
prescribed by court etiquette. “In any other’s company, I should be quite awkward and tongue-tied,” she concluded.
This was not, of course, strickly true, since I had never known Delai to be either truly awkward or tongue-tied for long; still, it would perhaps have been close to true about this, their first meeting—except that he had put her at ease from the start.
“I hope you enjoyed seeing Nubia ,” the Prince continued. “As it happens, my work here is finished, before we expected, and we shall leave for Thebes in a few days.”
Amphimachus sighed, doubtless thinking of the trouble his old bones could have been spared had we waited in Thebes ! As for Delai, I believe she wasn’t in the least displeased to have made an unnecessary trip, so enthralled was she. Even had she known of the Prince’s imminent return to Thebes , she would, I think, have wanted to make the journey to Semna anyway. In that instant when Ekosh’s hands took hers, her face began to glow with the look of peace—the serenity for which she’d prayed while gazing at the four statues of Ramses II not long before.
They married in a simple ceremony that very afternoon, with Amphimachus and the Governor officiating. It was just as she wanted: instead of
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