Chrono Voyage

Chapter 18: Love

     “We should get out of here as soon as possible,” Elizabeth whispered to Benjamin as they were trailing behind Julius, he suddenly turned behind as if he heard them and stared at them, both of them were scared to the core thinking that he just might execute them right then and there.

     “My engineers tell me your invention is genius,” he spoke as he turned forward again and started moving as the machine translated. “Then there’s that box that speaks as if a man himself was inside in such a tiny thing,” he kept moving placing his hand on the handle of the sword. “Then my soldiers tell me of a contraption that appeared out of nowhere and injured one of my soldiers,” he turned again. “Do you know what the punishment for harming a Roman soldier is?” they stopped dead in their tracks.

     “Umm… but we are excused aren’t we?” smiled Benjamin, Caesar remained quiet and stared at them.

     “So it would seem,” he said as the pair exhaled, he led them around a garden decorated with; bushes, ferns, vines stretching vertically on the walls, and of course different kinds of flowers. The garden was split by a small cobblestone path leading to a gazebo in the middle of a garden, it was a white gazebo with a light blue on the roof, it had silky cushions on the back because it’s the Emperor after all and he must feel comfortable at all times. There sat a woman with the unusual haircut and the most unusual clothes, she was cradling a baby. “After conquering Gaul, I thought I have the world, I don’t need anything else, then she came into my life and made me realize what I’ve been missing.” Caesar looked at them and stopped for a moment. “I love Octavius as if he was my own child, but after I met her I realized there’s nothing else I would want from this world, the most perfect human being and she has my child now,” Caesar walked toward the woman. Elizabeth stopped for a moment to think, she did the calculation in her head and realized they were in 46 B.C. “Cleopatra…” she whispered.

     “What?” asked Benjamin who couldn’t hear what she said.

     “That’s Cleopatra,” Elizabeth looked at him.

     “Cleopatra?” he couldn’t believe it. “How is that possible?”

     “Julius saved her from her bother Ptolemy, who wanted the throne for himself and exiled his sister, Cleopatra on the other hand allied with Caesar and offered him marriage in exchange that he will conquer Egypt from her bother and present the throne to her as a gift. Not many people know, but Caesar and Cleopatra were a thing.”

     “And he just agreed?”

     “Well, Cleopatra more or less seduced him with her charms and wit,” Elizabeth looked at him.

     “I’ve heard stories about her, and her beauty,” he looked at her. “But if that’s her, she’s not that beautiful,” he looked at Elizabeth.

     “Just pray that they didn’t hear you,” Elizabeth walked towards Cleopatra and bowed before her. “What lovely child you have,” she spoke as the machine-translated, Cleopatra jumped on her feet suddenly waking up Caesarion as he started crying.

     “What evil is this!?” she panicked.

     “It’s alright,” Elizabeth gestured with her hands trying to calm her but it was futile, Benjamin couldn’t stand the sight and walked toward Cleopatra, trying to ask whether he can hold the baby, since sometimes at the hospital he had to treat babies, he knew his way around them.

     “Let me help you,” he looked at Cleopatra, which she then looked at Caesar who nodded at her, Cleopatra slowly and hesitantly handed the baby to Benjamin, he took it gracefully and held it firmly, he looked at him crying his eyes out. “Hey little fella it’s alright,” he lifted the baby on his shoulder and tapped him on the back and suddenly the baby stopped crying, Elizabeth couldn’t believe what was happening Benjamin seemed more than she bargained for. Caesar called Elizabeth to take a walk with him as Benjamin nodded at her that he is just fine staying with the baby, she handed him a spare translating machine and walked away.

     “The armor for the soldiers,” Caesar started talking, as they stopped in front of the fountain that was in the garden. “Did you design it?”

     “No,” she answered. “Although I wish I did.”

     “Do you know what it does?” he asked.

     “Yes… It's great, too great,” she answered as Ceasar nodded.

     “I’ve never seen anything like it, I never thought it was possible, no arrow can pierce it.”

     “The plating of the armor is designed in such a way that an arrow always ricochets from it, the arrow could never hit it in a straight angle to pierce it, and since an arrow cannot pierce a sword even less so, since it would just slide off from it.”

     “The Roman army will be unstoppable with this, such a gift is…”

     “Unthinkable?” asked Elizabeth. “There are more things in this world that are unthinkable, this is just a small piece of it. If this works we should be able to untangle the web.”

     “I must say sometimes I could never understand what are you saying. I think about asking where you come from, but I have the feeling that I would not find out, even if you did tell me I don’t think I would understand,” Caesar.

     Elizabeth looked at the horizon. “The gift is enough, for now, maybe if the time comes you shall know more,” she turned toward him and stood firmly as if she was giving an order to him. “I want you to conquer the world, every piece of it, the land, the seas, the mountains, every land that no man can ever walk, I want you to conquer it all down to the core, you have the numbers and with the armor, you have the means, the world will bow to the Roman Empire,” Caesar stood still listening to her until the end, he looked at her as he wrapped his hands around her shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks, it was his way of saluting her, after all, she just gave him the world.

     Caesar and Elizabeth returned to the gazebo where Cleopatra and Benjamin talked to each other while Caesarion slept next to them, Cleopatra seemed rather amused by what Benjamin was telling her as she was smiling at him or maybe they flirted with each other who knows what's going on with Benjamin any more certainly not Elizabeth.

     “My darling,” the translating machine spoke as Cleopatra stood and embraced Ceasar, Elizabeth could tell Benjamin didn’t like the sight of the two of them together.

     “We need to leave,” Elizabeth looked at him as Benjamin nodded and stood up, both of them greeted the Emperor and turned their backs, Caesar ordered the soldiers to escort them safely out of Rome.

     “Before we go inside, I need to tell you something,” said Benjamin standing in front of the machine.

     “What is it?” Elizabeth had the feeling she already knew what he was going to say.

     “It’s Cleopatra,” he said.

     “What about her?”

     “I’m in love with her,” he looked at her.

     “WHAT!?” she knew it, but hearing it coming from his mouth was shocking all the same even though she expected it. 

     “She is the most fascinating, charming, smartest, idyllic…” Elizabeth nodded as he kept enumerating the good things about her. “In other words she is beautiful,” he stopped.

     “I thought you said she isn’t that beautiful.”

     “No, I didn’t mean that kind of beauty.”

     “Then what?”

     “Inner beauty…” he smiled.

     “Oh… bloody hell…” she stroked her eyes. “I knew this was going to happen, I shouldn’t have left you alone with her, this is what she does to men, she may not be beautiful but she could seduce you by other means, this feeling that you are having,” she pointed at him. “It will pass, you will see, let's go now,” she turned her back and kept walking towards the machine.

     “No.” Benjamin stood firmly.

     “No?” Elizabeth turned back at him.

     “It will not pass, you seem to have misunderstood me when I said I love her,” he stared at her.

     “Benjamin…” she walked closer to him. “Trust me, she is not what it seems, I know the history and I am telling you this is what she does. Let’s go please,” she touched his hand trying to pull him toward the machine.

     “No!” he yanked his hand away from Elizabeth’s. “I love her, and I would kill Julius if I have to just to be with her,” Elizabeth couldn’t believe what she was hearing, what kind of witchcraft is this, how did she manage to bewitch him like this.

     “What do you want me to do?” she asked.

     “I’ve helped you so far, and now you can help me.”

     “Help you how!?” she was annoyed as Benjamin pointed towards the machine.

     “NO! Out of the question!” she yelled at him. “Do you realize that she is married to Caesar himself, and they have a son together or have you been blind all this time?”  

     “I know what that machine is capable of, we could go to a point they never met,” he explained.

     “Do you hear yourself?” she asked. “Do you realize what you are trying to accomplish, do you think I am going to let you use the machine for your selfish gains?”

     “Selfish gains!?” he asked angrily. “And what have we been doing so far? Always following you around like a little child doing whatever you wanted me to do, We’ve released the Bubonic Plague, and not a night goes by that I cannot sleep because of it, of all the evil things you had me go through, you are the one to tell me what's good and what's bad?” Elizabeth remained quiet. “You know what? Screw you! I am doing this alone!” Benjamin yelled at her and walked away.

     “Where are you going!?” she yelled. “You are going to get yourself killed!”

     “I don’t f*****g care! What point is living if I can’t be with her! So you can go f**k yourself and your machine!” Elizabeth lost it, she ran towards him her fist clenched ready to strike him, but Benjamin grabbed her hand midair and squeezed tightly.

     “Let go of me!” yelled Elizabeth but Benjamin kept holding. “Let go!” he could see she was hurting and finally released her as she fell on the knees crying, he stood above her.

     “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I didn’t mean…”

     “Go f**k yourself too!!!” she yelled at him as she stood up and ran toward the machine, Benjamin just looked at her entering the machine and locking the door, the machine disappeared in an instant as Benjamin looked in the distance for a moment trying to recollect himself, he took a deep breath and made the first step back to Rome. He was determined, he wanted her, even though it meant that he might die, it was worth it.