Princess of Sheba, Warrior of Israel

By Ben Kerido and Sarai Kerido

Nearly three thousand years ago, the Sabaean empire stretched from the western Arabian Peninsula to the farthest corners of East Africa.  According to legend and other accounts, the Queen of Sheba (Saba) met King Solomon of Israel in Jerusalem, and their empires were linked.  Trade routes flourished, transporting spices and even gold and diamonds throughout the world.  Traditionally associated with the Israelite tribe of Dan, the Beta Israel, or Ethiopian Jewish community, was created.  Experiencing both the heights of imperial success as well as the depths of malicious persecution over the millennia, the Jews of east Africa staunchly maintained their unique Jewish identity and culture, and most of them now live in the land of Israel.

 

The year is 950 B.C.E.  Princess Nikaulis II, affectionately known as "Nikki," is the daughter of Queen Makeda of Sheba (Saba) and King Solomon of Israel.  As a growing teenager in the palace of Marib, she fills her spare time with a schedule of archery practice, horse racing, spa treatments, and the training of her pet leopard raised from a cub.  Along with her best friend, Hoshea, the son of a Israelite warrior from the tribe of Dan assigned by Solomon to protect his diamond mines and spice routes in east Africa, she struggles to find her place amidst the ruling royals of Sheba and the Sabaean Empire.

When Nikki is eighteen years old, her entire life and world changes in a moment when an Amalekite warlord known as "The Red Ram" viciously strikes the Israelite and Sabaean trade infrastructure in East Africa.  Although strictly ordered by the Queen of Sheba to stay at home in the palace, Nikki and Hoshea -- the latter now being a new officer-in-training in the Israelite military -- find it impossible to remain idle while The Red Ram inflicts unspeakable tragedy upon the vulnerable population of the Sabaean Empire in east Africa.

 

Thus, the Princess and the Warrior embark on a journey from Marib in the southwestern Arabian Peninsula across the Red Sea and deep into the volcanic wastelands and mystical forested mountains of east Africa.  Together they must use their wits and their resources to rally a defense of the decimated Sabaean Africa communities against the continued onslaught of the Amalekite "Red Ram" and his band of murderous Egyptian mercenaries.  The lives of thousands of people -- and even their own -- hang in the balance as Nikki and Hoshea take a stand to do what is right and to protect the innocent and defenseless from cruelty and evil.

 

The Princess and the Warrior: Valor in Africa is loosely inspired by the legendary origins of the Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewish) community in East Africa, as well as other local traditions, folklore, history, and relevant Tanakh (Biblical) accounts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lehavdil Press
• Release date: Nov 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201982683

Book preview

Preface

For thousands of years, rumors and legends trickled throughout the world that deep in the mountains of East Africa there existed a dedicated and vibrant Jewish community called Beta Israel. According to some traditions, the first origins of the Beta Israel African Jews could be traced to the Queen of Sheba who famously visited King Solomon in Jerusalem. Other legends suggested that the Beta Israel population was linked to the Israelite tribe of Dan.

In more recent centuries, delegates from this African Jewish community based out of modern-day Ethiopia made contact with the rest of the Jewish world, in particular with religious leadership in Jerusalem.

Mostly between 1977 and 1999, the State of Israel worked to assist well over one hundred thousand members of the Beta Israel community to leave Ethiopia and immigrate to the Jewish nation. The journey was difficult and dangerous, and further complicated by international tensions. As many as four thousand Jews leaving Ethiopia died along the way from disease, hunger, and murderous bandits.

Presently, the Ethiopian Jews of Beta Israel have been largely integrated into the whole of Israeli society. However, during that decades-long process the Ethiopian Jews faced many challenges and in some cases discrimination, and there are still obstacles facing these Israeli Jews of African heritage to this day.

The following story, although entirely fictitious, is inspired by the legends and traditions of the origins of Beta Israel, the Ethiopian Jewish community, as well as by historical depictions of the empires of East Africa.

* * *

Content suitable for persons aged 11 and up

Rated 11+

for:

some suspense and tension

moderate violence (war/battle)

mild romance leading to marriage

* * *

MAP:

The Sabaean Empire (Sheba)

and

African Territories (Da’amat)

Chapter 1

The golden sun had barely risen above the desert mountains in the distance, but already the early morning air was warm and dry. The light cast long shadows on the sharp edges of the cube-like palace and fortress of Marib. Warblers and other songbirds chirped their melodies to serenade the beginning of a new day. A small rodent with long legs, large ears, and wide, suspicious eyes called a jerboa hopped erratically from one point to the next like a miniature kangaroo. She made her way back to her burrow before the incoming heat of the day. Water flowed lazily through a man-made river and irrigation network made possible by the Great Dam of Marib, a marvelous structure that trapped water pouring into the Wadi Adhanah. Green fields of crops and produce flourishing with the water from the dam spread further into the desert valley before blending into dark mountains.

Nikaulis sat on the steps of the palace, hugging her knees. She was thirteen years-old, and both intelligent and sensitive beyond her age. But it often seemed to her that most of the adults in her life hadn’t yet noticed those traits. She rocked back and forth in a mixture of apprehension as well as excitement. Her long black hair flowed and rested on her light ebony skin as she swayed. Today would be a very big day for her — a day that she had dreamed of for as long as she could remember.

Why are you up so early, Nikki?

Nikaulis didn’t turn around or respond when she heard the voice of her mother, Queen Makeda. The young girl continued to rock and sway thoughtfully. Her mother spoke with tenderness, using the pet name she had given her daughter long ago. After all, Nikki was much simpler and more intimate than Princess Nikaulis II. Queen Makeda stepped out of the palace doorway and sat down beside Nikki, putting her arm around her daughter affectionately.

Nikki, Queen Makeda continued softly. Are you nervous about meeting your father?

Nikki remained silent for another moment before responding, "Emm, Mother, please tell me ‘the story’ again."

Makeda smiled slightly and looked into the distant sunrise thoughtfully. She rubbed her daughter’s shoulder tenderly. Nikki had asked her mother the same question many times over the years. And Makeda always answered with patient understanding.

Your father is a mighty king over a powerful empire. He is strong and handsome. But even more importantly, he is kind. And he is wiser than any king or queen who has ever lived. Years ago I heard rumors both of the splendor of his wealth as well as his striking wisdom. I didn’t believe the stories about either. So I decided to see for myself.

And that’s when you went to Jerusalem, Nikki added, already knowing the story but wanting to hear it again anyway.

That’s right, Queen Makeda confirmed, seeing the Jewish capital in her mind. When I arrived in Jerusalem and saw the wealth of King Solomon of Israel, I couldn’t believe it. I thought the rumors had been wild and exaggerated, but the stories didn’t even tell the half of it. I had brought King Solomon a trove of treasures as gifts, thinking that I would boast of our own great riches. I gave him over seven thousand pounds of fine gold along with diamonds, rubies, pearls, and other jewels. I presented to him large quantities of expensive spices, like frankincense, myrrh, and also wood from balsam trees. Never had any king received such a gift. I made sure of it. But even then I couldn’t compete with the wealth and extravagance of Solomon. He received me and the gifts very graciously, Queen Makeda commented, chuckling slightly at the recollection. But we both knew that my efforts to outdo him were in vain.

And then you asked him riddles, making him prove how wise he is, Nikki interjected again. "Is it true that my father is so wise, that he can even talk to the animals?"

Well, that’s what they say. But you can ask him about that yourself.

Really?

Of course. Why not?

Nikki hadn’t thought about that before. She had become so accustomed to asking about her father that it hadn’t occurred to her that she could ask him questions directly when she finally met him.

Nikki, do you remember Solomon’s answers to the riddles from the last time I told you the story?

Nikki smiled and nodded, still hugging her knees but now tilting her head to look up at her mother.

What water, Makeda inquired, repeating the riddle she had presented to King Solomon fourteen years before, does not fall from the sky or gush out of the ground? Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter, even though it comes from the same source.

Tears, Nikki responded, quoting the answer of King Solomon. Tears come from the eyes, not the sky or ground. And a person can cry from both happiness and sorrow.

That is correct. You remember the story. And then what happened?

Well, Nikki replied quietly. You and King Solomon talked about royal matters for several weeks. You made a treaty between our empire and his, and you entered into trade agreements. He sent people from his kingdom to come to our empire to bring more gold and spices back to Jerusalem. And Eliav came with his family to protect the spice farms, the gold and gemstone mines, and also the trade routes.

Do you remember who Eliav is related to? Makeda asked.

Nikki furrowed her brow, trying to remember the name of the head commander of the military of Israel.

Ben… Bena…

Benaiah. Eliav is his brother-in-law from the tribe of Dan, and he is a high-ranking officer in the Israelite army himself. Solomon needed a man of great strength and integrity to make sure that the gold and spices traveling to Jerusalem would always be protected, and that no one would steal from the king. So Solomon sent Eliav along with his wife, Benaiah’s sister, and their son to our empire of Saba.

And then you and Solomon had a huge wedding, Nikki said, returning to the previous point of conversation. She was already more than familiar with the family of Eliav, in particular his wife, Inbar, and their now fourteen year-old son, Hoshea. While Eliav spent most of his time supervising the Israelite and Sabaean soldiers protecting the mines and trade routes, Inbar and Hoshea generally remained in the palace at Marib. Inbar functioned as a noblewoman, but she also served as a private tutor to Nikki and the other palace children.

"An enormous wedding, Queen Makeda also returned to the original topic. She thought of the marriage ceremony with a happy sigh. We spared no expense. My dress was made of the finest silk, and I was covered with pearls and gold. After the ceremony we had a lavish party with music and dancing, and the most delicious food you could have imagined. And the music! Makeda exclaimed, and then began to hum. Your father writes such beautiful songs. We approached the chuppah wedding canopy as the entire audience sang one of his poems.

Simehni ka’chotam al levkha…

Set me as a seal upon your heart,

As a seal upon your arm.

For love is as strong as death,

And passionate jealousy is as cruel as the grave.

The flashes of it are the flashes of fire,

The fire of the Most High.

Many waters cannot quench love,

Neither can the floods drown it.

If a man were to give all the treasures of his house

to satisfy love,

His efforts would be wasted.

I am my beloved’s,

And my beloved is mine.

His desire is towards me."

The queen paused for a moment as she smiled at the memory, and then continued speaking.

"The wedding was held in the heart of Jerusalem in Solomon’s palace with the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, in the background, Makeda recalled further. I had never seen or experienced anything like it before. The Temple is a tall, square building made of fine cedar, marble, and gold. It is surrounded by high walls, and the kohenim, Levitical priests, serve the Almighty with offerings. It is a spiritual experience you can feel, like the warm sun on your face and the cool breeze in your hair at the same time. It was then that I realized that I could no longer worship the sun and the moon and other idols of wood and stone. Instead, Solomon taught me about the Creator of the universe and about the Torah, the Law of the Most High given through Moses."

Nikki pondered that notion for a moment before letting her mind drift back to the original question in her mind. She then returned her face to her knees, turning away from her mother.

Why haven’t I ever met my father before? Nikki asked quietly and timidly. "Do you think… do you think my father loves me?"

Nikki, Queen Makeda soothed, clucking and squeezing her daughter tighter. Your father loves you very much. He is simply a very busy man with a huge number of responsibilities. He is in charge of a very powerful and very wealthy empire. People all over the world need him, not just us. I know it’s hard to share your father with an entire kingdom, Nikki. But don’t think that sharing him with others means that he loves you any less.

Nikki brightened somewhat at that explanation. She still didn’t like the fact that her father was not in her life the way that she would have wanted, but at least she didn’t need to feel rejected or unimportant.

"Emm, Mother, what should I call him?" Nikki asked after a long moment of thoughtful silence.

"Call him ‘Abba,’ the Hebrew word for father."

Nikki frowned, but she didn’t show her mother her disappointment. Nikki usually spoke Sabaic, a Semitic language that would later develop into Ge’ez, Amharic, and other similar languages of East Africa and the surrounding regions. But she had also been taught Hebrew, the language spoken by her father as well as the Israelites within the empire. While the two languages had some similarities, she had always fantasized of one day throwing her arms around her father’s neck and calling him ‘Eb,’ the Sabaic word for father, like she had jealously watched so many other Sabaean girls do.

Hoshea! an impatient feminine voice speaking words of Israelite Hebrew from a nearby palace window interrupted Nikki’s sullen brooding. "For the last time, it’s time to get up! We have a very big day today, and I need you to get yourself prepared. Now wash your face and hands thoroughly, especially behind your ears."

Nikki raised her head, glancing over at a darkened third-story window of the palace. She couldn’t see her childhood friend or his doting yet demanding Jewish mother. But Nikki could still recognize the sound of Inbar berating her fourteen year-old son from the block of the palace where Eliav’s family lived.

"Ima, Mother, Hoshea whined. I did that already."

You did? When? Inbar queried suspiciously.

Yesterday, Hoshea replied groggily and somewhat defiantly.

"Blee shtiyot! No nonsense! Get out of bed and wash yourself now. I will not have my son meeting King Solomon and his entourage smelling like a hyena of the desert."

Hoshea grumbled as he stumbled out of bed, washing his hands followed by a series of Hebrew blessings muttered to the Most High. Nikki couldn’t help but giggle when, after the blessings, Hoshea began to bark and howl like the hyena of the desert his mother had just described him as.

Enough, Hoshea! his mother snapped back in exasperation. I said ‘no nonsense.’ Solomon will be arriving soon and I don’t have time for this. My nerves can’t take much more as it is. Do you see all of these grey hairs that I have? Each and every one of them is from the antics first of your father and now you. Do you want to send your poor mother to the grave before her time? Now hurry up and put on your finest tunic that we save for the high holidays and royal affairs. No, I mean the blue and white one.

"Come on, Ima, not that one," Hoshea protested.

What’s wrong with the tunic?

It’s uncomfortable and I look silly in it.

No, you don’t, Inbar countered in that motherly tone used for trying to convince her child of something that wasn’t true. You look very handsome in it.

"Father said last Sukkot, Feast of Booths, that ‘handsome’ was just something women say when you really look silly, but still have to be dressed up for formal events."

There was a long pause of silence. Even Nikki knew that Inbar would no doubt be having an unpleasant conversation with her husband later that day when he returned from his military post securing the mines and trade routes. Nikki suspected that an angry Jewish wife could be a greater threat to Eliav than even the bandits and marauders of the coastal regions of Africa and Arabia along the Red Sea.

"I’ll talk about that with your Abba later. But for now it doesn’t matter, Inbar finally responded in frustration, invoking her ultimate authority as his mother. Put on your tunic or else!"

Nikki had always wondered why parents used the term or else. Or else what? Nikki had thought about that more than once when even her own mother had said it to her. But she had always been too obedient to press her luck and find out the hard way what or else meant. She listened intently, secretly hoping that she could find out what or else meant at Hoshea’s expense rather than her own.

Queen Makeda laughed quietly as she listened to the exchange along with her daughter.

Nikki, her mother said gently as she patted her shoulder one last time before rising from the steps. I think it’s also time for you to get ready for your father’s visit.

Nikki sighed and reluctantly stood up. On the one hand, she was excited to meet her father. She was anxious to comb and braid her long black hair and to once again sort through her countless royal garments for the right outfit. On the other hand, she was overwhelmed by the ordeal. And she somewhat cruelly hoped that Hoshea would push his mother just a little bit too far and that she would witness the event. Then she could know once and for all what or else meant.

Come on, Nikki, her mother took her hand, standing in the doorway and coaxing her back inside the palace. I will help you with your hair.

Chapter 2

Royal officials and noblemen of the Empire of Saba mingled with Israelite dignitaries and military commanders. Darker-skinned men and women from southwestern Arabia and eastern Africa chatted with the Israelite delegates having olive or light brown skin. The Israelites had been previously sent to the region by King Solomon more than a decade before. Together, they all waited anxiously for the arrival of the greatest and wisest king in the world.

Palace servants scurried about, putting the final touches on displays of the finest food. Colorful arrangements of fresh fruit were offset by delicious nuts and rich honey cakes. Nikki could smell the mouth-watering aroma of roasted meat carefully prepared according to the dietary rules of kashrut, or kosher, that Solomon and the Israelites followed and that Queen Makeda and her royal household now stringently adhered to.

Nikki watched with amusement as Eliav and Inbar entered the foyer of the palace. Fourteen year-old Hoshea shifted uncomfortably in his despised blue and white tunic. His short dark brown hair had been carefully combed away from his equally dark eyes and olive-skinned face. He adjusted the tunic yet again, pulling the tzitzit, or traditional Jewish fringes, into a different position. His mother smiled politely on the outside while sternly whispering