So, bearing only what he could carry, young Horhotep set out across the Red Lands of the desert. No bandits attacked him, no snakes or scorpions threatened him. The fact remained though that no man could ever hope to cross it, so fierce and forbidding it was. But so full of love was his heart that he walked and walked and walked across the sands until his water was gone, and the sun had drained the life from him, leaving his throat dry as straw. He started to have to crawl on hands and knees, and as he became too weak to do even that, Horhotep cried out to Amon-Re and said "All-Lord, if you look with favor on my undertaking, help me!"
Amon-Re heard his cries, and sent the godess Nut to place a great black cloud over Horhotep to shade his body. And because he was so weak from thirst, the cloud rained for him so that he could drink his fill. After that, he recieved rain every time he was thirsty. When Horhotep hungered, Amon-Re would send an ibex doe or a wild cow to him, so that he could drink of her milk and learn which plants in the desert could be eaten. If he ever became lonely, Nut herself would come and speak to him for a time, leaving when his heart's desire for companionship was satisfied. Thus, he traveled safely across the desert.
Now the River of Sekhmet was before him. Well was it named, for it was very deep and so wide one could not see to the other bank. Its flow was fast and angry, and no man could hope to swim across it, or even cross in a boat. But so full of love was Horhotep's heart that he leaped in and swam and swam until all his strength was soon gone. As he started to go under, Horhotep cried out again to Amon-Re and said, "All-Lord, if you look with favor on my undertaking, help me!"
Amon-Re heard his cries and sent a great crocodile to help him. Horhotep was terrified, but the crocodile told him, "Tremble not, Lord Horhotep. I am a servant of Amon-Re sent here to save you." So Horhotep got onto the crocodile's back and stayed there for the whole day it took to get across, while a smaller crocodile caught fish for him when he hungered.
When he got to the other side, he blessed the two crocodiles, and then walked for another day before reaching the Mountain-that-is-as-a-fortress. Well was it named, for it was tall and imposing, so steep and treacherous that no man could live to climb it. But so full of love was Horhotep's heart that he started up and climbed and climbed until he was trapped on a thin ledge only halfway up the mountain. He could barely hang on, and could not climb up or down. Just as he was about to fall, for the third time Horhotep called out to Amon-Re, saying "All-Lord, if you look with favor on my undertaking, help me!"
And when he had spoken, the ledge he was on became large enough to hold five men, so that he could rest. Then a hawk came gliding down the mountainside, and in his talons were five blue blossoms like lotuses!!!! Now this hawk was Amon-Re himself, and he told Horhotep in his regal voice, "Before you call on me again, know that I have looked with favor on your great undertaking or you would not have come nearly this far. So I have blessed these flowers, and as long as your deep love for your sister lasts it shall never wilt."
"Then it shall never wilt until my hair turns gray!" Horhotep exulted.
Back at the palace, the pharoah was very sad, and he paced about in his anguish and worry. "My daughter, you have killed a good and worthy man! As surely as if you had put a spear through his heart with your own hands!!"
"He could have refused me, or he could have gone back home."
" Or you could have married him."
Princess Idut was moved by the distress of her father, for she truly loved him. So much did she love him, that she considered all other men unworthy. And she said, "I will go in search of him. And if he lives, I will marry him."
But the pharoah refused. "I shall not lose my daughter whom I love too. If he returns however, you shall keep your word."
A week later, one of Idut's sisters saw a man covered in dust approaching the palace with five blue blossoms in his hand. "Behold, it is the Lord Horhotep returned!" He was allowed in, bathed and dressed in fine clothes, and brought into the presence of the Princess.
Idut fell at his feet. "Thanks be to Amon that you have returned!" She inhaled the fragance of the flowers, a perfume like nothing she had ever smelt. As she did, Amon-Re made her ka and heart see the love and commitment Horhotep had towards her, and she kissed him deeply. "I thought in the whole land of Egypt there was not another man as steadfast, noble, and wonderful as my father. But you have loved me when Maat knew I least deserved it, and you shall be my husband, brother, and king. Your love is true as the sunrise is to the morning."
"And," finished Rekhmire, "they kept their great love for each other until they died, showing the same love and compassion to their subjects."
Sithathor looked at her aunt suspiciously out of her kohl-lined eyes. "There wouldn't happen to be a message to this story, would there? Ptah knows there always is."
"Do you want to take a guess at it? Things are more fun when you discover them yourself, as my father told me."
"I'm supposed to marry Ramose someday because you promised."
Rekhmire stroked her gently. "Maybe it's not that at all."
"You mean I DON'T have to marry him? Then what IS the moral?"
Rekhmire smiled. "Possibly the point is not to turn people away without giving them a chance---a fair chance. Then you can make a good, pleasing decision. My little honey cake, you never know what token of love that Ramose might risk injury or death to give you. Don't rush to answer 'no' or 'You're mad," until you're old enough and wise enough to understand the question"
Suddenly, Ramose and three of his friends could be heard jubilantly coming into the garden. "A wonderful afternoon to you, Lady Rekhmire! Were you telling Sithathor a story just now?" Ramose said excitedly.
"I could listen to one myself," piped up one of his companions, a boy named Tentamun. "After playing so long, it would be nice to just sit down for a while."
Another boy, Paser volunteered, "How about the one where the two crocodile kings fight over a beauitful female for three days and nights?! Or something with bandits in it?"
"Anything worth doing is worth doing twice," Ramose argued as Sithathor walked off. "Besides, I'd like a story with bandits in it too!"
"Well, I always could find a shadier place and tell you about Spear and Sword, two brothers who were famous bandit fighters and defeated forty of them on one occasion...."
Sithathor paid no heed though as she walked back inside, a little song going through her head:
I saw two children, walking through the grass,
One was named Sithathor, a girl with great class.
The boy was Ramose, as handsome as a leopard cub,
The pair went out to play one day and fell in love!

With a small, knowing smile of embarrassment, she said to herself, "Well, I suppose it always COULD happen...."

THE END.