“I am not one of those vain persons, my lord,” he said, “who are swift to anger if their advice goes unheeded, not out of fear of the consequences, but to preserve their dignity. Even vanity can reach so far with such people that they hope an evil thing they warned about will happen so that those who doubted their ability may truly know it. I take refuge in the gods from the evil of vanity. It is only loyalty that dictates my advice, and the only thing that saddens me when it is ignored is the misgiving that my intuition might be true. All I ask from the gods is that they prove my forecast wrong so that my heart might be assured.”
And as if to put the old man's mind at rest, Pharaoh said, “I have attained my desire. They will obtain nothing from me. Egypt worships Pharaoh and will be content with none but him.”
The two men assented sincerely to their lord's words, but Sofkhatep was perturbed, and he struggled in vain to play down the danger of Pharaoh's decree, for he realized — with a certain alarm that the priests would receive the momentous edict while they were gathered at Abu. There they would have ample opportunity to exchange opinions and disseminate their complaints, and they would return to their dioceses muttering their grievances. But although he had no doubt about the status of the priesthood and its influence on the hearts and minds of the common folk, he did not reveal his opinions, for he could see the king was happy, contented, and smiling, and he was unwilling to spoil the young man's mood. So he removed all expression from his face and drew a contented smile upon his lips.
“I have not felt such exhilaration,” the king said delightedly, “since the day I defeated the tribes of Southern Nubia when my father was alive. Let us drink a toast to this happy victory.”
The slave girls brought a jug of red Maryut and golden goblets. They filled the goblets to the brim and passed them round to the king and the two loyal men, who drank heartily. The wine soon took its effect and Sofkhatep felt the troubling thoughts dissolve in his breast as his senses savored the fine vintage, and he shared with the king and the commander in their happiness. They sat silently, exchanging convivial looks of affection. The rays of the setting sun bathed in the shimmering water of the lake, which lapped against the bank close to their feet. The branches of the trees around them danced to the bird songs, and flowers sprang out amidst their leaves like sweet memories rising from deep within the mind. They surrendered to a drowsy wakefulness for not a little time until they were aroused by a strange event, which plucked them violently from their dreams — something fell from the sky into Pharaoh's lap. He leapt to his feet and the two men saw the object land at his feet. It was a golden sandal. They looked up in amazement and saw a magnificent falcon circling in the sky above the garden, its terrifying shrieks rending the air. The bird glared at them with blazing, censorious eyes, then, with a great flap of its mighty wings, it soared into the air and disappeared over the horizon.
They looked back at the sandal. The king picked it up and sat down to contemplate it — with a look of surprise in his smiling eyes. The two men looked curiously at the sandal, exchanging looks of denial, astonishment, and consternation.
The king continued to inspect the sandal, then mumbled, “It is a woman's sandal, no doubt about it. How beautiful and expensive it is.”
“The falcon must have picked it up and carried it away,” said Tahu as his eyes devoured the sandal.
The king smiled and said, “There is no tree in my garden that bears such fine fruit.”
Sofkhatep spoke: “The general populace, my lord, believe that the falcon courts beautiful women, and that he ravishes the virgins he falls in love with and whisks them off to the mountaintops. Maybe that falcon was a lover who had been down to Memphis to buy sandals for his beloved, and his luck betrayed him and one dropped from his talons, and fell at my lord's feet.”
The king looked at it again overjoyed, excited. “I wonder how he came by it?” he said. “I fear it may belong to one of the maidens who dwell in the sky.”
“Or to one of the maidens who dwell on the earth,” said Sofkhatep with interest, “who took it off with her clothes to bathe at the shore of some lake, and while she was naked in the water the falcon came and carried it away.”
“And threw it into my lap. How amazing! It is as if he knows my love for beautiful women.”
Sofkhatep smiled a meaningful smile. “May the gods make happy your days, my lord,” he said.
Dreams shone in the king's eyes, and his entire face lit up. His brow softened and his cheeks flushed rosy red. He did not take his eyes off the sandal, as he asked himself who its owner might be, what she might look like, and if she were as beautiful as her footwear. She would have no idea that her sandal had fallen into the king's lap, and he wondered what it was that had let the Fates conspire to make him the sandal's destination. His eyes fell upon a picture engraved on the instep of the sandal and he pointed to it and said, “What a beautiful picture! It is a handsome warrior, holding his heart in his open hand to give it away.”
His words struck a chord deep in the hearts of the two men and a fleeting light shone in their eyes as they looked at the sandal — with renewed interest.
“Would my lord allow me to see the sandal for a moment?” said Sofkhatep.
Pharaoh gave it to him and the lord chamberlain looked at it, as did Tahu. Then Sofkhatep returned the sandal to the king and said, “My intuition was correct, my lord. The sandal belongs to Rhadopis, the renowned courtesan of Biga.”
“Rhadopis,” exclaimed the king. “What a beautiful name. Who, I wonder, is she who is called it?”
A feeling of apprehension gripped Tahu's heart and his eyes twitched: “She is a dancer, my lord. She is known by all the people of the South.”
Pharaoh smiled. “Are we not of the South?” he said. “Truly the eyes of kings may pierce the veil of the farthest horizon and yet be blind to what goes on under their very noses.”
Tahu's perturbation increased and his face turned pale as he said, “She is the woman, my lord, upon whose door the men of Abu, Biga, and Bilaq have all knocked.”
Sofkhatep knew well the fears that gripped his friend's heart and with a sly and mysterious smile he said, “In any case she is a paragon of femininity, my lord. The gods have made her to bear witness to their miraculous abilities.”
The king looked from one man to the other and smiled, “By Lord Sothis, you two are the finest informed of all the South.”
“In her reception hall, my lord, thinkers, artists, and politicians gather,” said Sofkhatep softly.
“Truly, beauty is a bewitching master who allows us a daily glimpse into the miraculous. Is she the most beautiful woman you have ever set eyes on?”
Without pausing for a moment's thought Sofkhatep answered, “She is beauty itself, Your Majesty. She is an irresistible temptation, a desire that cannot be controlled. The philosopher Hof, who is one of her closest friends, has remarked quite correctly that the most dangerous thing a man can do in his life is to set eyes upon the face of Rhadopis.”
Tahu breathed a sigh of resignation, shot a quick glance at the lord chamberlain, — who understood his intention, and said, “Her beauty, Your Majesty, is of a cheap and devilish nature. She does not — withhold it from any — who ask.”
The king laughed aloud and said, “How the description of her intrigues me!”
“May the skies of Egypt rain down happiness and beauty upon my lord,” said Sofkhatep. His words took Pharaoh's mind back to the falcon, and the young king was overcome by an enchanting sensation compounded by the fine description he had heard, with its delicate dream-like texture of temptation. And as if talking to himself he wondered out loud, “Was that falcon right or wrong to chose us as its target?”
Tahu glanced furtively at his lord's face as the latter pored over the object in his hand. “It is nothing but a coincidence, my lord,” said the general. “The only thing that saddens me is to see that sullied sandal between the sacred hands of Your Majesty.”