After leaving the menfolk at the Promontory, Queen Khet and Zena the Anatolian warrior woman went for a little chat. Men and women alike play games of power, but the ladies move differently from the men. Let Pharoah Psamtik and King Gyges of Lydia prattle on about their grandiose dreams of Empire and their political gamesmanship. The ladies had other ideas. As the Egyptian Queen and the Amazon walked away, the Royal Palace guards followed from a respectful distance. August personages such as these must be protected at all costs.
"What is it like, being a woman warrior among men?" Queen Khet asked, looking right at Zena. The two women stood on the balcony of a villa located not far from the Promontory. Zena stood a few paces away from the Queen and seemed quite taken with the Egyptian landscape. The deep blue sea mirrored the Egyptian skies at midday, and the waves endlessly crashed upon the beach. Seagulls and other birds fought over food and space. Out in the distance, the Egyptian navy continued with their peacetime exercise.
"A woman must try twice as hard as men to be considered half as good, on most days, but I don't let that stop me," Zena said, shrugging. Queen Khet looked at Zena and smiled. For much of the day, she'd been assessing this rather unusual specimen. A woman who hailed from a brood of female warriors whose renown stretched from Greece to Anatolia and now to Egypt. Zena was really something, but Queen Khet refused to be intimidated. Everyone has a weakness. The Queen is patient. She would wait.
"I've read up on you Amazons, is it true that you are forbidden from having husbands? You are only allowed female lovers?" Queen Khet asked, grinning. Zena's immediate discomfort let the bemused Queen know that she'd hit a nerve. Queen Khet gestured for one of her servant girls, and the slender young woman brought a tray with two glasses of red wine. Some of the good stuff, too, from the winery of Kharo, a rural area located outside Memphis.
"I'd rather not, thank you, Your Majesty," Zena said as Queen Khet offered her a cup of wine. Shrugging, Queen Khet set the second cup aside before taking a big gulp. Zena looked at Queen Khet through smoldering green eyes. The Amazon was clearly nervous and putting up a tough front in order to mask it. Queen Khet, born to a world of intrigue and self-advancement, read the Amazon like an open book. Drawing closer to Zena, Queen Khet gently touched her arm.
"I did not mean to offend you, Zena, it's just that women who love women fascinate me," Queen Khet said, laughing. Zena took a deep breath and stared sternly at the Queen. Licking her lips, Queen Khet gently caressed Zena's arm and pretended to remove some lint from her military uniform. The Amazon managed to remain unruffled. Intrigued and a bit peeved, the Queen drew closer. Much closer than politeness allows when it comes to personal space. Zena took a deep breath, followed by an even deeper sigh.
