NOW, since Adonijah had chosen to ride a high horse rather than walk the way of wooing people, he soon bought himself a royal convoy.
He bought himself an entourage of fifty men skilled with the sword. And a fleet of chariots and horses that’d always announce his arrival.
It had been about a week since this heir presumptive concluded his thoughts on the parchment scroll. So he’d gone forward to prepare for his parade. And this day was his first.
Yes, the wintry day was brighter that morning; the sunshine being just as good to clear some fog.
The Fourth One mounted a golden chariot. Then his brand new convoy rode with him to the heart of town, there in Israel’s capital.
Adonijah styled himself in the same fashion that the Third Heir, the King’s loved but lost son, had strutted his fame.
His stately stand and confidence also reminded watchers of the prince they once loved.
Everybody trooped out of their houses as he passed through streets, and quite so many couldn’t resist the urge to follow.
It was curiosity for the time being. The older folk watched from their windows. They wanted to see what S’alom’s disciple might do. What the prince left for a brother to finish.
The younger ones, however, were largely new to this. So, even though they’d heard many times about Absalom; or were so young when the rebellion happened, they were quite ready to witness it themselves.
Thus, The Fourth Prince caught their attention. And as soon as he passed in front of them, they picked up and chased after. They wanted to see what their parents knew.
Therefore, there were great shouts everywhere, greeting the king’s son. There were praises and songs from every quarter.
Then in no time, Adonijah gathered quite a number of people hailing him. For that was what he wanted.
◙ ◙ ◙
Now it was also about a week since the convoy of David’s men left Shunem for Jerusalem.
The party had scaled the lengthy roads, only making nightly stops for the people and their animals to rest. Then once or twice at most, they rested for a whole day so as to refresh themselves.
Benaiah was eager to present their damsel to the king. He wanted David warmed up already, so he knew how consequential their delays could be.
Yet he must make peace with the fact that they’d got to rest all of those times. Especially as they must avoid a situation where the new wife might faint. Or even die of exhaustion.
But then again, they didn’t want their king to die waiting. And so it was a painful sacrifice stopping to rest and breathe.
On that brighter morning, however – when the sun was bright enough to clear up some haze, the royal convoy arrived Jerusalem. And their procession brought in the most beautiful damsel they’d ever seen.
So, there were two pilot horses, ridden side by side by court sentinels. Then three chariots followed on wheels of steel.
There followed a large wagon that conveyed the palace nobles. Its brazen wheels gallantly led a smaller one, damasked in red and taped in gold, through the lanes of Jerusalem.
That smaller, classical chunk of royalty sat the king’s woman, his young beautiful damsel crowned his queen.
Well… along with her nurses caring for her. With the court chamberlain, too.
And so, three escort chariots and two more horses closed up the procession behind.
In that manner, the royal convoy rode into Jerusalem’s gates. But by the time they closed in on the heart of town, they knew they’d met a rival. A rival in every sense and detail.
That rival. He was a man they never expected. His attention clearly dwarfed their procession’s, as nobody had their time.
Then it looked like they rode in on his glory.
Yet upsetting as those concerns were, their rival’s plans were a greater fear. Or something to sleep on and not wake.
For not only was he trying to be king, the prince was vying to be more.
And what the boy sought, it beat what anyone could stand.
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