Little Brother, Big Brother
It had been a strange day today, for up until this afternoon, he had been an only child, doted upon, and the centre of attention. It was his mother who kissed away his nightmares and rocked him to sleep, and the one who would carry him on her hip, Rameses secure in her arms. Rameses found mother Tuya far more approachable and less scary than the tall, imposing Seti who was both pharaoh and father. Rameses knew his father loved him, but Seti never picked Rameses up like his mother did, just to hold the child near the parental heart, to keep him safe in their arms. Nevertheless, Seti showed affection for him in different ways—in the way he allowed a smile when he spotted his wife playing with Rameses during a moment of relaxation, or the way he allowed Rameses to win every game the latter dreamed up the way only children can. Yet, Seti remained imposing, and Tuya so precious a mother Rameses could ever have.
High noon forced the queen and her servants, as well as Rameses, to the shaded area of the palace where a water garden waited to refresh drooping eyes and burning foreheads. Flowers floated with demure laziness on the surface, the water fed directly from the Nile River itself. Cool, clear, and refreshing, the water garden invigorated even the drowsiest servant at midday. Large white birds floated beyond the gauzy curtains, content to be in such pure waters, shaded from the fiery sun.
Rameses carried securely on her hip, Queen Tuya tip-toed down the little steps leading into the pool. With a contented sigh, she revelled in the silken, cooling touch of water on her toes, feet, ankles, and calves. The material of her dress around her ankles and feet dampened and clung with soothing coolness to her skin. Securing the prince in one arm, the queen leaned down, dipping a hand into the water, bringing it up to Rameses' forehead, so he would stay cool and not overheat in the sun. She had heard of children fainting or falling sick from too much heat, and Tuya did not wish it to happen to her own little boy.
"How's my little prince?" Tuya trilled to Rameses, "Not too hot out here for you?"
But a passing little white flower bobbing along on the water had grabbed Rameses' attention. He attempted to stretch out of Tuya's arm to get at the flower, but the queen quickly set him back on her hip, against her bosom, picking up the flower herself and giving it to Rameses, never noticing a basket drifting towards her. Only when it bounced so gently from her leg, did the queen gasp in surprise, looking down to see the basket bumping against her with the subtle currents of the water. Queen Tuya set Rameses back on the steps—she did not wish to put him in the water, lest he slipped, went under, and drowned. Tuya would never forget the day Rameses had slipped in the water, having lost his footing. It had felt like an eternity before one of the servants fished the prince from the water, and to Tuya's relief, he had turned out to be fine. Still, she would never forget the way her heart had thumped in her chest, drumming a frantic beat like the wings of game birds desperately escaping their human hunters.
Her son now safely in the presence of her two servants who had hurried forward to attend to him, Queen Tuya bent over the basket that had drifted to her.
What is in here? I do hope it is nothing so dangerous as a snake or scorpion.
The last thing she expected to see was a baby cooing up at her with a tiny smile and large, soulful eyes.
It's…a baby, Tuya marvelled, a gift from the gods. For what baby could survive the Nile and its dangers?
The little baby, with his adorable crop of brown, curly hair, cooed up again at the queen, melting her heart. He had an old-looking red cloth swaddled about him, and his complexion and hair reminded Tuya of the Hebrews.
My husband shall not take this one, Tuya decided, for I already love this child so, so much, as I do my Rameses.
Picking up the little child, Tuya cradled him, kissing the precious face, her heart swelling in her chest at the gift the gods had bestowed on her.
Thank you, Hathor, great goddess of love, and Isis, protector of children, for gifting this child to me from the Nile.
Rameses hardly paid attention, not noticing the servants' astonished whispers and forbidden stares at the queen. A servant held him gently with her hands, one around his torso and the other grasped a hand. His free hand rubbed sleepy eyes as he yawned, wanting to go take a nap. He felt the servant holding him straighten up, tugging him along by the hand as she walked after the queen.
"Where did he come from?" he heard the servant ask her friend.
"I don't know."
"Did the gods do it?"
"Perhaps so."
Pulling his hand from the servant's distracted hold, Rameses toddled to his mother, reaching his arms up, now seeing she cradled something—or someone—in her slim, protective arms. He stretched his arms as high as he could to his adoring mother, following behind her, wanting to be carried to his room for his little sleep. Only when he tugged with insistence on the train of her dress did she then look at him, her eyes full of love and deep joy.
"Come, Rameses," she directed in her lilting tones, "We will show pharaoh your new baby brother…Moses." Tuya gazed down at the baby in her arms, tapping its nose playfully with a finger. A giggle soared from the cloth, for that was all Rameses could see of the gift from the gods. In later years, all he remembered of this day was the red cloth and a pair of little hands with tiny fingers gripping the queen's own finger.
It was a servant, and not his mother, who eventually accompanied Rameses to his bed chambers, where the child slumbered a good portion of the afternoon away. He did not hear his mother argue with Seti, their voices rising from the private throne room, nor did he see how this new baby slumbered too. Rameses slept for so long in the afternoon that Tuya, worried, sent a servant to go check on him, see if he had a fever, but the child was fine. In fact, he had already begun waking up, yawning and stretching his limbs in his bed.
"Oh!" the servant murmured, "you're awake already, Rameses?"
Rameses sat up, pushing himself off his bed. "Where's mummy?"
"She wanted me to come get you," the servant said, leading Rameses to the room where Tuya sat with the baby Moses, "I think the baby is sleeping."
Rameses remembered again the little bundle in his mother's arms. He knew she had said that the bundle was his new baby brother, but he hadn't seen his face—not yet. All he knew was that suddenly a new little life was in the palace, and perhaps now he wouldn't be so alone. Perhaps he would have someone to play with. The servants, officials, and his parents were all good to the prince, but they were all so much older than he, and they were always so busy. Too busy to pay attention to a little prince who was barely even four years old, and too old to want to play little kids' games.
The servant led Rameses to a small, quiet room where rays of sunshine rippled over furniture and wrapped around cosmetic boxes and other containers. A luxuriant chair with golden hieroglyphics and painted artwork sat in a small pool of sunlight and warmth. And in that chair sat Tuya, the little baby cradled in her arms. Tuya smiled, a finger to her lips.
"He's sleeping," Tuya whispered, "But you may come in. Thank you, Mutnofret, you are dismissed."
Rameses slid his hand out of the departing servant's and toddled to his mother, reaching up his arms for a cuddle. With the benevolent smile still hovering on her lips, Tuya reached down and stroked Rameses' head, brushing fingers through his side-lock.
"Glad to see you're awake, my prince," Tuya said, "You've come to see your new baby brother, have you? Moses is sleeping, mind."
Raising himself on tippie-toes, Rameses now had his first good look at Moses, who had his hands tucked under his blanket as he napped in Tuya's secure embrace. Checking his mother's reaction, Rameses slowly reached his own small hand to one of Moses', very gently grasping it. He looked up at Tuya, trying to gauge her reaction, but only saw her benevolent expression. Assured all was well, the prince looked back at the baby's face. Even in slumber, his face was expressive, with large eyes, a long yet tiny nose, and a smile seemed to tug at his mouth. On the baby's head was a small mop of fine, brown, wavy locks, unlike the hair of anyone else in the palace. With his free hand, the little child stretched out and lightly touched one of the curls on the baby's forehead, brushing it back. The baby's forehead scrunched subtly at the touch, and for a brief moment, Rameses worried he had disturbed Moses' sleep. Instead, with the tiniest of sighs, the baby continued sleeping. But Moses seemed to sense Rameses' hand in his, grasping a finger firmly, as he had the queen's earlier in the afternoon.
"Does he know I'm here?" Rameses asked his mother.
"I think he does," Tuya responded, her eyes misty, moved by the buddings of brotherly bonding.
"Does he know I'm his brother?"
"Of course he will know."
"I'm always his big brother?"
Tuya gently brushed the side of Rameses' face. "Yes, you always will be his big brother, Rameses, no matter what. And little brothers are special in their own way too."
Rameses leaned to whisper in the baby's ear. "Mummy says little brothers are special. I think so too."
The baby squirmed in Tuya's arms, yawning wide, scrunching up his face as he did so. With a sleepy baby's sigh, Moses slumbered on.
"Is he very tired, mummy?" Rameses asked.
Tuya nodded, "Yes, Rameses, he has just had a lot to eat, so his tummy is very full and sleepy."
"Can I stay here until he wakes up?"
"Of course you may."
"Is he a prince too?"
"Yes, Moses is a prince too, just like you."
Rameses whispered again to the baby. "You hear that, Moses? We're both princes and brothers. Mummy says that's special too."
As though roused from sleep by Rameses' whisper, Moses' eyes slowly opened, turning his head in the crook of Tuya's arm to look right at the older prince. Rameses couldn't help a wide grin as he waved a hand at the baby.
"Hello, little brother," Rameses said, "I'm your big brother. We will be good friends won't we?"
The baby stared at Rameses for a long time, but then his eyes twinkled and a little giggle trotted from its throat. Moses' fingers still clung onto Rameses', as though he didn't want to let go.
"We will be best friends," Rameses told Moses, "And brothers forever." He pointed a finger at himself, "Big brother," then pointed it at Moses, "you, little brother."
Rameses gazed up at his mother and didn't understand why Tuya had tears leaking from her eyes, down her cheeks. Yet, her smile was so bright and radiant, he decided it didn't matter why she was crying. She seemed happy enough, now that her son had a new brother and friend at long last.