“Where have you been, my love?” Antony casually asked, still keeping one arm loosely wrapped around her as he tossed his sword in the air with his other hand- catching it, flipping it and then tossing it again. I grimaced. Only Antony would make a game out of playing catch with a deadly weapon. “Attending to important matters of state, I imagine.”
“Oh, just here and there,” Cleopatra murmured and I had to cough to hide my snort.
I couldn’t help it. It was all so outrageous that it boggled my mind. Everyone truly thought that we had been safely ensconced in the palace attending to the queen’s private matters, and I guess we had been, but in reality I had been two thousand years away from here. I coughed again to hide my laughter. It was an awkward character flaw of mine… I laugh when I’m nervous. It was interesting to realize that I had always been that way.
Hasani stared at me curiously and I found myself mesmerized by his dark gaze. I wanted to rush to him and cling to him as Cleopatra had Antony, but due to convention, I could not. We couldn’t show such affection in front of the queen- it just wasn’t done…not in the daylight hours. It would be considered disrespectful. I was sure that Cleopatra wouldn’t mind, but Antony and Hasani would both think I had lost my mind.
So, I consoled myself with looking at him. As I stared at his face… at his deep, fathomless eyes, I pondered the fact that two thousand years after being with him, his eyes would still haunt me. Even though I hadn’t known who he was, my soul had apparently never forgotten him. I wasn’t sure if I should be relieved by that or outraged at the injustice of it all. But I didn’t have time to think about it further because Cleopatra distracted me.
“Hasani, I am afraid I need to steal your commander. Can you entertain Charmian in our absence?”
She didn’t wait for his answer, but looked pointedly at me over her shoulder before taking Antony’s arm and retreating back toward the palace, leaving Hasani and I alone. Her eyes plainly said You’re welcome and I realized that she was purposely giving me the gift of alone-time with Hasani.
I impatiently waited until Cleopatra and Antony were halfway up the stone staircase before I threw myself in Hasani’s strong arms.
He dropped his shield in surprise so that his strong, taut arms were free to wrap around me. I didn’t care that his breastplate was hard and rough against my chest or that my feet were sinking in the watery sand… I just buried my face happily in his neck, breathing in his scent. It was unique to him. Intoxicating. Addictive. I would get drunk on it if I could. If I could bottle it and take it back with me to Pasadena, I so would.
“Hasani… I have missed you so much,” I sighed.
I pressed myself even closer to him, to get as close as two people could possibly get. The tops of my thighs were pressed firmly against his as my arms tried to pull him even closer. But it just wasn’t close enough. He must have sensed my desperation though, because he pulled away slightly, just enough that he could look at my face.
“Charmian, is everything alright?”
He was clearly alarmed, as though I might know something that he didn’t- something dire or dangerous. Little did he know that was exactly the case, that his death was imminent and I might be the only thing standing between him and it.
“I’m fine, my love,” I lied. “I’ve just missed you.”
His handsome face creased into a grin as he pulled me close. I sighed as I realized his arms were as hard as steel. Yep, modern girls were definitely missing out.
“You just saw me, very intimately I might add, this morning, my beauty.” He bowed his head to kiss my forehead, but that wasn’t enough for me. I tilted my face and covered his soft lips with mine, hungrily wanting more of him.
He pulled away in surprise again. We never exhibited such affection in the daylight and certainly not in public. I was not Cleopatra. As queen, she could defy convention and do as she pleased. As her handmaiden, I could not. When people were watching, I had to pretend to conform to the formalities of court, regardless of how Cleopatra and I behaved in private.
I glanced over my shoulder at the staid faces of the guards. They were purposely staring in concentration out at the sea, pretending to scan the horizon for signs of attack, but in actuality they were simply avoiding the entire general area that Hasani and I were standing in. I appreciated their gesture.
I pulled Hasani down by the neck and kissed him again, more urgently this time. It had been two thousand years since I had felt his kiss. I wasn’t going to let a stupid rule of etiquette keep me from him now. Not when I only had a short time until everything fell to pieces.
His large hands brushed across my back, rubbing small circles into my skin before sweeping against my hips, pulling me closer to him still.
“You’re going to be the death of me yet, Charmian!” he growled playfully into my neck.
But he didn’t stop moving his hands over my body and I laughed gently, enjoying the sound of his husky voice as it vibrated against my skin. I tried to memorize the planes of his face, the sound of his voice, the feel of his hands. This was going to have to be enough and I wanted to remember everything.
I finally pulled away, grasping his hand tightly within mine as we began strolling along the beach. If it were a normal day, it would have been a perfect day for a walk. The craggy rocks and weather beaten sand on the shore were beautiful, a perfect outline to the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean backdrop. I unsuccessfully tried to match his long strides with my shorter legs and he laughed as he slowed down.
“I’m sorry, Charmian. I forget sometimes that you are so small.”
“I’m not nearly so small as Cleopatra,” I replied, smiling up at him.
“No, but she is exceptionally small. You are just right my love…for everything.” He grinned at me again; the playful, handsome grin that I loved and I sucked my breath in as he pulled me in to his side.
With every fiber of my being, I knew that I couldn’t bear to let him die. There was no way on earth I could do it again. I wasn’t that strong. I took no consolation in the fact that I would die, too… because it would be unbearable now that my memories had been cruelly unlocked. I would remember his face for the rest of my life when I returned to Pasadena.
“Sweetling, it appears that we have the afternoon to ourselves. What shall we do to entertain ourselves?” Hasani asked, grinning his impossibly beautiful grin again.
He stroked the side of my face gently and bent again to kiss where he had touched. After he pulled away, I could still feel where his lips had been, and I touched the spot gently.
“My love, I see shadows of fear on your face. Please do not worry. All will be well,” Hasani said, as concern flitted across his features.
“The Roman bastards will come. And we will fight. And then it will be over. You will see… we will continue on as we were.” He pulled both of my hands to his mouth, where he kissed every one of my fingertips and I closed my eyes, fighting back my fear as hot tears formed behind my eyelids.
“I love you, Hasani,” I murmured softly, as I once again nestled next to his strong chest, trying to allow his strong voice to lull me into believing him. But that was impossible, because I knew he was wrong.
I glanced sideways at Hasani as my heart overflowed with love for him. He was my life. It didn’t matter how our lives ended here in Egypt- it would always be so. I swallowed a deep breath, thick with sea salt and continued walking, my hand intertwined tightly within his.
CHAPTER SIX
I emerged from my bedchamber a few hours later, leaving Hasani alone as he dressed for the evening. I would need to assist Cleopatra as she readied for dinner. Her banquets were elaborate affairs every night and included acrobats, exotic dancers, flame-throwers, harpists, drummers, oboe-players and anything else that struck the queen’s fancy. Everything needed to be just so, including her appearance and my own. The people expected nothing less. Cleopatra was known for being the epitome of the word ‘Elaborate.’
I had already dre
ssed in evening wear, a long white linen tunic with thin straps and a sheer blue scarf hanging from my shoulders. My dark hair was coiled in an elaborate chignon, interwoven with delicate gold braids. It had taken my own maid an hour to craft the up-do as Hasani lounged in my bed and observed. When Neeilah applied my crimson lip stain, he had leaned forward and whispered in my ear that he could not wait to kiss it off and I had blushed as she giggled.
As I walked through the torch-lit halls now on my way to Cleopatra’s royal chambers, I caught a glimpse of a greasy-faced thin man whispering furiously with one of the serving girls in a darkened alcove, and my curiosity was instantly piqued.
He seemed familiar. And why was he so angry with a servant? As his mouth twisted into an even uglier scowl, recognition slammed into me like a ton of bricks and I remembered exactly how I knew him. His name was Tehran and he used to be the manservant to the eunuch Pothinus.
Pothinus had been the disgustingly fat regent to Cleopatra’s late little brother, Ptolemy. When Pothinus tried to overthrow Cleopatra from the throne, little Ptolemy had ended up dead and eventually Julius Caesar had the eunuch beheaded. It wasn’t pretty. The fat idiot was ugly enough in one piece. His head on a stake outside of the city was even more gruesome. That had been two years ago. So why was Tehran here now? He had no good reason.
Red seeped into my vision for the second time in the history of my memory. I knew that my anger toward him was misguided, that I was really just angry at my current situation, but I couldn’t help myself. I stopped in my tracks and wheeled around, stalking to where they stood.
“What are you doing here?” I demanded sharply. “Pothinus is dead. You have no more reason to be here. Your services here at the palace are no longer required.”
I glanced quickly at the frightened girl peering from around his shoulder.
“You may go,” I dismissed her before I glared at Tehran once more.
His oily face was arrogant, his expression pinched and unpleasant. He reminded me of an ugly weasel and I found that I could barely look at him.
“Well?” I demanded again. “Why are you here?”
“Why, for the same reason you are, mistress. To serve our great queen Cleopatra.”
His tone was mockingly deferent to me, but his expression was anything but as his eyes snapped. Something wasn’t right here. The hair on the back of my neck stood up once again. One benefit of being a Keeper, was that we have very good intuition.
“I have said that your services are no longer required here. Why are you still standing here? Go.”
I nudged his shoulder lightly and anger flashed upon his face. His mouth twisted into an ugly sneer and he grabbed my arm roughly.
“You uppity whore!” he hissed into my face, his breath rancid. “What gives you the right to command me?”
I tried to pull free from his grasp, but he only held tighter, his fingers cutting into the soft flesh of my arm. His expression was absolutely venomous and I scanned the hallway for help. There was no one and I felt the first stirrings of fear. This was not Pasadena. He could actually kill me.
“You know that I speak for Cleopatra in household matters at the Palace. I have told you to leave, now unhand me and leave,” I said sharply. “If you do not, I will scream and guards will come running. You will be thrown into prison. Is that what you want?”
Unexpectedly, the deep timbre of Hasani’s voice came from behind me, deathly lethal.
“If you wish to keep your hand, remove it from the lady’s arm.”
He was so quiet as he walked that I had not even heard him approach, but I had never been happier to hear his voice. Relief flooded through me as Tehran’s face changed immediately into an unreadable mask and he quickly released my arm. He appeared unaffected by Hasani’s tone, although I could tell that it had shaken him.
“It is simply a misunderstanding, General. I think we’ve had a miscommunication. The lady seems inclined to believe that our great queen would want me gone from here, even though it is my greatest wish to serve her.”
“The lady has clearly spoken her wishes and you know that she speaks for our queen. Leave now and don’t return.”
Hasani’s voice was still icily calm and he had not moved a muscle from his stance behind me, but the veiled threat was apparent in his tone. He was not bluffing. I could see from Tehran’s face that he heard that, as well. He stepped backward away from me.
“As you wish,” he replied simply. “Please give my greatest regards to our kind queen.”
I nodded silently as he spun and stalked away. I watched him disappear into the shadows before turning to Hasani, sagging against him in relief. He was dressed in the thin white loin-cloth and bare chest of Egyptian tradition. Only the bronze carved collar signified his elevated position of General in the Royal Guard. His muscles rippled as he encircled me within his strong arms and I laid my cheek against the warmth of his skin.
“What was the issue with him, my love?” he murmured huskily into my hair. “Is there a problem?”
I closed my eyes wearily, hating that I had to conceal things from him. Hating that I had to lie. I might as well call a spade a spade. I was lying. Sort of. I only had a feeling that Tehran was up to no good. I just didn’t know exactly what he was up to. Either way, a Keeper’s ‘feelings’ should definitely be heeded.
“No, no problem. I just don’t think he should be here any longer- not after what Pothinus did.” To me, my voice sounded strange and stilted. When Hasani spoke, I gathered from his tone that he had heard it, as well.
“Yet he is not Pothinus, my sweet. He has been here for two years since his master’s death without incident.”
I glanced up to find Hasani staring down at me in puzzlement. My words almost tripped on each other as I rushed to fix it.
“I know. But I can’t help but feel that he somehow shared in Pothinus’ misguided ambitions to de-throne Cleopatra. He was certainly a loyal servant to the eunuch. I question his loyalty now- I can’t explain it. It’s just a feeling that I have. There is no reason to have him remain here, at any rate.”
Hasani nodded, accepting my brief explanation and I felt a rush of relief mixed with guilt. I absolutely hated lying to him. He smiled gently down at me and my heart melted as the candlelight from the torch above us illuminated his handsome bronzed face.
“Shall I escort you to the queen’s chambers? It appears that you have a knack for finding trouble today. And just in case you feel the need to terminate anyone else, I should be there for your protection.” I smiled at him and grabbed his arm, enjoying the way his hard muscles bulged under my fingertips.
“I would be proud to have you as an escort, General,” I answered formally, grinning up at him. “Just in case I need to fire anyone else, of course.”
He smiled at me again, his entire face lighting up and I felt my knees grow weak as I remembered how we had spent the afternoon. I quickly pushed the fluttery feelings out of my mind. I couldn’t think about that now.
As we walked the remainder of the way to Cleopatra’s private rooms through the darkened, hushed halls, I simply focused on enjoying the feeling of his arm linked with mine and the strength that exuded from his every pore. I was disappointed when we arrived at Cleopatra’s carved golden doors far too quickly.
“I will leave you here, my lady. But I will see you at dinner.” His dark eyes sparkled as he bent to kiss my lips softly. “Try to stay out of trouble.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled him, pulling him closer.
“Wanton woman!” he whispered into my neck. I could feel his smile against my skin and knew that he was only joking. “You will need to be patient and wait until tonight.”
He pulled away and walked on, glancing sideways at me impishly as he passed. I stood still and watched him retreat for just a moment, watching the distinct lope of his stride before quietly entering Cleopatra’s chambers.
I found her sitting on her balcony gazing absently at the city below. The stars had come o
ut and were twinkling far above us, as the gentle Alexandrian night breeze caressed our skin. Torches had been lit in the streets and the rich golden glow from them lit the night. I sat at the base of her lounge wordlessly, examining her pensive expression.
“What are you thinking, my queen?” I asked softly.
“Of everything, Charmian,” she sighed. “Only of everything.”
“That is quite a lot to think of, Cleopatra,” I answered lightly, although I completely understood.
Ever since my afternoon with Hasani, thoughts of everything had swirled non-stop in my head, as well. I couldn’t stop it, no matter how hard I tried.
“Thank you for today, by the way.” I turned to her again. “It was nice to spend quiet time with Hasani… with all of the stress that we’ve been shouldering of late.” I glanced at Cleopatra to find her smiling knowingly.
“Somehow, I doubt your afternoon was quiet, love,” she murmured wryly, nudging me. I rolled my eyes and she laughed.
“I see that you’re still offering no details. And that’s fine,” she grinned impishly. “I know you will spill it eventually. You’re horrible at keeping secrets. Shall I dress for dinner?”
She didn’t wait for my answer which was good, because she didn’t notice my snort when she announced that I was horrible at secret-keeping. My middle name might as well be Secret.
She strolled to her armoire, sifting among the hanging clothing. She chose a long, turquoise shift with an elaborate embroidered belt and tossed them onto her bed as she stripped off the clothing that she was wearing.
I helped her dress and then sat her in front of me as I wound her hair into a coil to be concealed by her elaborate black wig. As I worked, I decided to casually mention my run-in with Tehran. My fingers deftly continued to tuck her hair underneath the wig’s cap as I spoke, making sure no errant tendrils escaped. Cleopatra was used to this ritual and sat patiently while I worked over her.
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