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“Indeed, a king must have the stoutest fleet to defend his coasts,” he murmured.
Heba knew then that this was a good answer, but not the “right” one.
She looked out again through the beaded curtain that obscured the insides of the litter from view.
“Spices are essential to our people’s daily life. I can’t imagine what we’d do without them,” she ventured.
Papa raised an encouraging brow.
“And?”
“And…the plants and trees upon which the spices grow must be able to thrive here. If we can grow our own successfully, we’d never have to worry about running out.”
“Very good,” Papa said with a small smile.
“But that is still not the most valuable thing.”
Heba looked again.
She already knew that jewels and precious metals were worth quite a bit; they were common currency for trade. But in of themselves, they didn’t have value. Not really.
You couldn’t eat turquoise and gold. Rubies, emeralds and sapphires wouldn’t keep you cool in the day and warm at night. You couldn’t drink coins when a drought plagued the Nile.
Thus, she didn’t offer that obvious answer.
“Water,” she said.
“Indeed,” Papa answered, “water is priceless. I’ll give you that. So perhaps I should caveat my question—what is most valuable amongst these treasures to a Pharoah?”
She looked again at the throngs of people bustling in the marketplace. At well-wishers kneeling on the sides of the caravan, paying homage to Papa and herself. At the well-trained soldiers guarding their lives, and the stalky slaves who carried them without complaint.
Her eyes lit with the answer as she turned to face her father fully.
“People’s hearts,” she said.
“Their loyalty and devotion. Without their support, the kingship means nothing. All would be chaos.”
Papa held her gaze but did not answer directly. He merely nodded and stroked his smoothly shaven jaw, the corners of his shrewd eyes crinkling in a barely-there smile.
And Heba knew that she’d gotten it right.
She looked out again from the litter and hid a self-satisfied smile of her own. Until Papa’s words called her attention back to him.
“For a ruler to be effective, the hearts and minds of those closest to you are most important to secure,” he said in a low, serious tone.
Heba paid attention. This was one of Papa’s “teaching moments.” She stored away each one in her mind and heart like a miser with gold.
“It is a lonely position at the top, closest to the gods,” he said.
“Many would seek to pull you down. This is why you need a few fierce and powerful protectors to guard your safety and tell you the truth. To advise and aid you when difficult decisions must be made.”
Heba nodded dutifully, absorbing every word.
She didn’t know why Papa felt it necessary to teach her these things. She wasn’t ever going to be Pharoah, after all. Her eldest half-brother Amenmose, who was Papa’s army commander, and second eldest Wadjmose, who had been training with the military since he was old enough to walk, would surely inherit the honor.
But she listened attentively as always, because Papa was very wise, and Heba admired him greatly.
As if he heard her thoughts, Papa said:
