Burnt Spring

ii. hush, that is my name

Seti snatched away the bag like a child fighting for his toy.

Just that it wasn't just any plaything for him. The bag had the letters Neferneferure wrote to him. Despite never having seen her completely, he had grown an attachment to her. It was a soul-to-soul connection built on exchange of words and the glimpse of the inner makings of a heart. He believed love worked in queer ways– he had seen his brother since childhood but never felt so much love for him.

It irked him to know that some other woman could use the perfume which Neferneferure did. If he had the power he would have made it exclusive just for her.

"I am also a patient here. I was rescued too," the maiden said.

He looked up the woman from head to toe. She stood with her hands clutched in the front, downcast eyes refusing to look into his.

"I see. Thank you for taking care of my bag. This is very precious to me."

He quickly peeked in to see if the box having the letters looked intact. He opened the lid a little. Yes, the stack was very much there and he need not fret about it.

"What would you like to eat tonight? We don't have a lot of edibles stored. You can get the bare minimum."

"It is silly that you assume I require a lot of luxurious stuff. Nah, I shall be fine with some bread and meat, and if you shall be generous, then some wine, but that is secondary."

"No, I mean your mark gives you away."

Istustaya and Papaya had been listening intently to their conversation all this time. When she spoke about the mark, both the healers smirked, wisdom sparkling in their knowing smiles.

The maiden pointed at the mark on Seti's chest. It was the symbol of the ankh– a clear indication of his purple blood. "This mark only belongs to the privileged, of the ones connected to the royal family by blood."

Seti's eyes enlarged. He didn't want to be given away. He wished to keep his identity a secret.

"We will not pressurise you into a confession. We understand that it might be in your favour to keep your lips sealed," Istustaya said.

"However, please do not tell anybody that we rescued you. Who knows, from what I can sniff we may be in trouble too," Papaya said, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

"I shall not endanger you three," Seti assured, waving his hand like a sword slicing the breeze of doubts. "You all will be safe. I am indebted to you."

The gloved maiden who had brought his bag was going to leave when Seti cleared his throat. Taking it as a cue to stop, she turned back.

"What is your name?" he asked.

The healers exchanged perturbed glances. The maiden hung her head, wetting her lips before answering.

"Inanna," she enlightened.

"I wish I could tell you my real name, but call me Amun for now."

"The hidden one, I see. You played well," Inanna said, a coy smile dancing on her lips. For a moment Seti wondered if he had ever imagined that curve of lips in his dreams, but like a foggy dream it escaped his attention.

****

Seti had never been on bed for so long. All he could do was twist and turn, sometimes sit upright. Inanna came and helped him in his movements. Lately she had gone to prepare the meal so he had to be obedient and sit quietly.

It wasn't in his nature– to be calm and composed, to be shrewd and sagacious. Those were the features of his brother. He was his complete opposite– the red of wrath, the stormy of the sands, the restlessness of floods. He was a free bird whom none could cage. Alas, even if he liked to think of himself so highly, somewhere deep down he was aware of his own limitations.

He wasn't a god. If he had been one, he would have brought back Neferneferure to life and asked her who had actually set the room on fire that afternoon. They, more specifically, his brother Ausar had blamed it on Seti.

Not that he had expected anyone else to suspect him.

Tears threatened to spill. It burnt his eyes like chunks of red hot coal getting piled up in the banks of his irises. He looked around to ensure no one was there and released the force. Crying in front of strangers wasn't a virtue in his perspective, so he sought some privacy.

He took out the stack of letters from his bag and untied the ribbon. The letters lay in front of him, waiting to be read again. Her handwriting was very beautiful– it flowed like the river Nile in contrast to his own turbulent writing. He picked up the first letter that she had written him.

"Dear soon-to-be husband,

It is crazy how I still don't know your name."

He chuckled. Well, they were matched by the kings of both kingdoms. His brother Ausar had done the match. To be honest he was wary of anything chosen by him, because he knew there was just bitterness between the two. But when he got to know that his sister-in-law Isis had been the real matchmaker, he thought he could hope.

And just some days after the union was decided upon, he got a secret letter delivered at his chambers by a kite.

"I don't understand how I am supposed to agree to this marriage, and I am going to be very bold and honest about it. Just please don't tell the elders that I am writing to you, or else they will hurry with this marriage. You see, I need some time to take things in.

How do you feel about this? It is so foolish that we cannot meet before marriage. I think it's just to reduce the costs of travelling and nothing about superstition regarding fortunate meeting timings. If I had a magical carpet I would have come to meet you. I need to know you somewhat before we embark on this journey right? You understand me, I hope. I can only dream. Really, I know my gardener more than you and I can very well marry her. But I cannot. They push me to a stranger.

Even I am a stranger to you. So I thought of writing to you. . .in secret. It should be just between us. I think you need to know how beautiful, brave and reckless I am. After all, you must handle me all your life.

And oh, no second marriages. Throw away political and diplomatic relations. Your brother, the revered king himself is monogamous and I require you to be the same. However if I die you should move on. I can't stop you from pursuing a new life."

The words rang in his ears. When he had first read them, it made him laugh. Now, he prayed she had never said those.

"I am very independent. And of course pretty. Like you have admirers (I do hope so, or else it's so bland) I have plenty of them too. They crave me. You might see some of them sending me letters of unrequited love and flowers exotic, but don't think I shall elope. I am very fierce when it comes to loyalty. I shall solely be your wife.

I am also very fond of romance. I like men who have a heart, however hard they may seem from outside. You need to melt when I kiss you. Now of course we are strangers and I am not going to go all over you just on first night. I need time, alright?

I hope I have made myself clear on the most important things. I look forward to a letter from your side. We can talk like this. Badrou will be your companion too and bring your letter to me. Click your fingers if you want him to fly away, or else he has been instructed to perch on your window unless you give him a letter.

To a hundred years of good health and love,

Neferneferure
Hush, that is my name."