ka-Tiru, the Empress's pouch-daughter, rose from the freezing water of the purification pool for the thirteenth and final time that night. She winced as she stumbled slightly over the middle verse of the purification hymn, her words slurring from exhaustion. The barest hints of sunlight crept through the small slits high between the bricks in the walls.

Panic helped push away her rumbling stomach and tired eyes. If she was stumbling over something as familiar as the purification hymn, how was she going to remember the naming hymn later that morning. What if she failed to show her true self and was given the wrong name? Blocked for the rest of her life from fulfilling her true duties to the Creator. All from simple mistakes born of hunger and exhaustion.

She shook off the remaining water and reached for her body wrap, falling back naturally into the hymn of dressing that she had been praying since she first emerged from her mother's pouch. The comfort of focusing on the Creator calmed her as she pulled the rectangle of wool tight under her arms and slid the bone pin between the layers to hold it up.

She reached for her mantle ready to cover her arms and started to toss it over her shoulders with a practiced flip when she froze and remembered that as a now grown woman she needed to have it over her hair. Whispering a quick prayer of thanks to the Creator for remembering in time, she brought her fingers up to pull her long red hair into a knot.

She pulled the long red hair together, but her hands kept shaking from the long night in the cold. After the seventh attempt to tie the knot with a long strand still falling over her shoulders, she finally admitted defeat and called out, "Sister?"

cha-Hathuga shoved aside the curtain covering the entrance to the purification building and strode over to ka-Tiru. On seeing the nest of hair in the flickering lamp light, she gave a slight nod and reached over, gently smoothing the mess and then quickly pulling it into the appropriate knot.

ka-Tiru bowed her thanks as she picked up the mantle and started softly chanting the matching hymn. The fabric felt natural under her hands and this time she was able to toss it around her head and shoulders as if she had always worn it that way. The hours of practice proved their worth.

cha-Hathuga watched smiling, "Our womb-mother would have been proud of you, little one. She sits in the Creator's hall, reading the tablet of your life. She knows that you'll do your duty in whatever place they find for you. Like me, she waits to know whether you'll be found to embody Strength or Truth. Neither of us would believe that someone as forceful as you could embody Mercy or Humility. Although, the court will test all the paths." ka-Tiru pulled cha-Hathuga into a hug and then ended up resting on her, feeling the weakness of the fast and vigil.

cha-Hathuga straightened ka-Tiru's mantle, letting the younger woman lean on her. "I could have used your forcefulness in the form of another Strength woman today. I know that you are convinced that you'll remain a daughter of Truth in the Imperial Shrine. But, the irrigation tablet records from Sihalhama and Hasahe got swapped for the fifth time and we spent all morning needing to reorganize to get the Imperial bondwife assignments correct. You always move so decisively whenever something must be set right."

ka-Tiru cheeks reddened, "That's because being a daughter of Truth lets me know what the right thing to do is. Once the duty is identified, it must simply be done. You need more women who know what needs to be done, not more hands in the clay." Her animated retort echoed across the room right as her mother, the Empress poked her head through the curtain.

"ka-Tiru! The whole Imperial Household heard your voice from across the room when your head first peeked out from my pouch. What strong cries you would make. But it is time for the ritual to start. Come, I will lead you to the Gate."

ka-Tiru bowed her head, "Of course, mother." She pulled herself free from cha-Hathuga and then walked purposefully over to the Empress. "The duty lies before me. May the Creator shine Her Mercy on me today."

The Empress gathered her daughter into her arms and let her lean her exhausted weight on her as they left the purification hall and headed to the Imperial Gate.

ka-Tiru looked toward the towering gate leading beyond the inner palace. Four of her house-mothers sat before the gate, awaiting her pouch-mother to complete the court. Within the gate, the priestess from the Temple stood ready to witness the ritual. Her pouch-mother led her beneath the gate and went to join the other members of the court. ka-Tiru bowed to both court and priestess and knelt betwixt them.

Her tutor, the Mother of True Instruction, began to speak. "I remember when the one to be named sat beside her younger house-sister, who recited the Thirteen Utterances. Whenever the one to be named heard the slightest error, she would instantly correct it. Truth centers her being."

The Mother of Judgement interjected, "Was it Truth that guided her? Or was it her inner Strength that forced her to prevent any injustice--even before she knew the truth? Daughter, why did you seek to correct your sister?"

The one to be named took a deep breath to centre her thoughts and remember the incident. "Honoured mothers, it is the duty of all to know the Creator's will. If rot creeps into the trunk of our understanding of the Creator's will, how could any woman know her duty rightly. I knew the true words; thus it was my duty to ensure they were recited faithfully."

The Mother of Judgement nodded in acceptance. "I too remember a case. Once I sentenced our daughter's womb-sister, cha-Hugatha, to be whipped for failing to recite the proper hymn when copying a tablet of work orders. But the one to be named came and asked me if it was possible that a non-standard hymn had been substituted into the ritual instead. We investigated the tablet again and saw that it had followed an older ritual and cha-Hugatha had not learned the new hymn. It was our daughter's inner Strength that pushed her to seek true justice."

The Mother of True Instruction shook her head. "Was it her need for justice that drove her? Or was it her need to know what the correct hymn was before any judgement could be made? Daughter, why did you ask your house-mother about the different hymns?"

The one to be named licked her dry lips. "I had heard about the change in hymns from my womb-mother on the sabbath of that week. I needed to know what really happened. Or was it that justice was truly done?" Her face paled, "The Creator has hidden from me whether it was for knowledge or righteousness." She let her head slump as she winced at her weakness. She could not grasp the memory.

The mothers of the court conferred together briefly while the one to be named sat in silent contemplation of her failure. After a moment, her pouch-mother came forward and said, "We have heard you as you were. Now we must see you as you are."

The Mother of Judgement called to the one to be named, "Daughter, let us see how you stand when pressed. We need ten pure tapestries for the festival ritual that begins within the hour. cha-Kiratu has been accused of accidentally profaning the usual tapestries and is awaiting trial. What will you do?"

The one to be named tried to blink away her exhaustion and the weight of her failure. Truly pure tapestries were needed. Were there more pure tapestries in storage? Or perhaps the original tapestries were still pure? Above all, justice would need to be done for cha-Kiratu. 

If the tapestries were not impure, then the ritual could go as planned, cha-Kiratu would be recognized as innocent and the Law would be upheld. She turned towards the nearby scribe holding the tablet of the case. "What level of purity is required for this ritual? What is cha-Kiratu accused of doing?"

The scribe replied, "The ritual is in the innermost chamber before the Navel of the World. Only the most pure vessels may enter. As for cha-Kiratu, we know she had been in her unclean time. She took responsibility for carrying the basket containing the tapestries from the storage house to the entrance of the Shrine. It is believed she may have touched the top tapestry with her hand."

"If she was fully impure, surely the tapestries are also impure. In that case, no trial would be needed. Why is there any doubt?"

The scribe nodded, "cha-Kiratu's unclean time ended late yesterday afternoon. She rushed to the purification pool and immersed. However, it is possible that she only immersed after sunset. Also, she cannot remember if she sang the purification hymn in accordance with the Law."

If she had only immersed after nightfall, then all of the tapestries would be impure. If the proper hymn alone was lacking, only the tapestry she actually touched would be impure. And, perhaps, no tapestry was touched at all and they were all pure. But the ritual approached and it would take time to find any witnesses to cha-Kiratu's deeds. And how could it be known if the top tapestry was touched?

Out of caution, it would be best to rule the top tapestry as impure. Would it be acceptable to have nine from one set and one from another? The ritual ought to be done with a matching set. And to use impure tapestries would be a dire offense and the divine punishment for the defilement would fall on cha-Kiratu even if it was an accident. Justice. Truth. Ritual duty. Was it impossible to completely fulfill the Creator's will? Was she doomed to fail Her? Her tired eyes closed and her empty stomach twisted as no solution came. Was there no right path?

The one to be named bowed her head to her chest. Her breath faltered. She struggled against tears at the thought of failing her Household and their duty to the Creator. She could not fulfill everything. But perhaps that was the truth. She could not fulfill everything. But did it matter what she did as long as the Creator's will was done? Her duty was to serve as best she could wherever the Creator led her.

She stood up, hands folded, head bowed. If she were a daughter of Truth, she would wait until the truth was revealed. If she were a daughter of Strength, she would judge now and the ritual would be saved. But there was no time to know; and no hope to judge correctly on her own.

"Holy Scribe, send to the storage houses to see if there are other tapestries that can be used. Also, summon any who can stand witness to cha-Kiratu's actions last night. Finally, call the Black-haired Scribe while we await them. She is an expert in purity law and will be able to determine if any of this batch can be saved. All must act quickly, each in her proper place. With the Creator's help, this may yet be done in accordance with the Law."  Bowing, the one to be named returned to kneel before the court.

The Mother of Judgement bowed to her. "Tested on the scale. Under the pressure of fast and vigil, we see who you are now. Sing and entreat the Creator to reveal who you shall be."

The one to be named rose again from her knees. She stood, hands folded, head bowed, looking toward the Shrine at the center of the courtyard and began to chant.

"Let my name be spoken."

"Let my duty be shown."

"Let my duty-name be written on my life-tablet."

"All names are spoken before you."

"All duties flow from you."

"All life-tablets rest before you."

"Reveal me, O Fashioner of all souls!"

"You write the life-tablets of all."

"You set each in her duty."

"You speak every name."

"My life-tablet is written."

"My duty is shown."

"My name is spoken."

She returned to kneel, a faint smile on her face. Even with dry lips and waves of exhaustion, each word was clear. She had fulfilled her duty.

The priestess bowed, "cha-Hithuhi of the Imperial House, daughter of Humility, may you walk always in the path of the Creator as a Devoted Servant of your house."