CHARPTER 3: THE LION OF ROME
1237 Words
The palace stirred long before dawn.
To Selene, who had spent seventeen years waking to the distant hum of traffic and the shrill alarm of her phone, the sounds of Alexandria were at once foreign and strangely comforting.
Somewhere beyond the carved cedar doors of her chamber, sandals whispered over polished stone. Servants exchanged quiet greetings in Greek and Egyptian. Bronze lamps hissed as they were extinguished one by one, surrendering to the pale blue light of morning. The fragrance of incense drifted through the corridors, mingling with the salty breeze rolling in from the Great Harbor.
For a blissful heartbeat, she forgot where she was.
Then she opened her eyes.
Golden stars glittered across the painted ceiling.
Papyrus columns framed the room.
The gauzy linen curtains danced lazily in the wind.
Reality settled over her like a heavy cloak.
She was still here.
Still six years old.
Still Cleopatra Selene.
She lay motionless beneath the linen sheets, staring upward.
This is real.
Yesterday she had convinced herself she would wake back in her own bed, embarrassed after some bizarre dream brought on by exhaustion and too many late nights studying history.
Instead, the dream had survived the sunrise.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.
The doors opened quietly.
A young servant entered carrying a bronze basin filled with steaming water. She could not have been more than sixteen. Her dark curls were hidden beneath a linen scarf, and around her neck hung a small amulet of Isis.
She bowed deeply.
"Good morning, Princess."
Selene hesitated before answering.
"...Good morning."
The servant smiled, though it carried a trace of uncertainty.
"I am pleased to see Your Highness awake."
Selene climbed carefully from the bed, nearly forgetting how short her legs now were.
The polished floor felt cool beneath her feet.
As the servant helped wash her hands and face, Selene studied the room more carefully than she had the previous day.
It was unmistakably a child's chamber, though one fit for royalty.
Wooden toys carved into the shapes of cats, crocodiles, and ships rested neatly on painted shelves. Tiny sandals embroidered with gold thread waited beside the bed. Brightly colored frescoes depicted the moon goddess sailing across a sea of stars.
The room belonged to a little girl.
Not to a queen.
Not to a heroine.
Just a child.
Her chest tightened.
The original Selene...
Where had she gone?
Had they traded places?
Had that innocent little girl awakened in a twenty-first-century museum beneath broken stone?
Or...
Had she simply ceased to exist?
The thought made Selene's stomach twist.
She whispered a silent apology to the child whose life she had inherited.
"I promise," she murmured so quietly that only she could hear, "I'll protect everyone you love."
The servant looked up.
"Princess?"
Selene blinked.
"Oh... I was talking to myself."
The girl smiled knowingly.
"Her Majesty says clever people often do."
That sounded exactly like something Cleopatra would say.
When the servant finished dressing her, Selene caught sight of herself in a polished bronze mirror.
The reflection still startled her.
Large brown eyes.
Soft olive skin.
Dark curls tied neatly behind her shoulders.
She bore only the faintest resemblance to the modern girl she had once been.
Yet somehow...
She recognized herself.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
As though two lives now occupied the same heart.
"Princess?"
"Yes?"
"Her Majesty awaits you in the eastern dining court."
Selene inhaled deeply.
Time to face another impossible day.
---
The eastern court overlooked gardens bursting with color.
Date palms swayed gently in the breeze. White ibises wandered beside marble pools filled with blue lotus blossoms. Beyond the garden walls, sunlight shimmered across the Mediterranean until sea and sky became one endless ribbon of silver.
It stole her breath away.
No documentary had ever done Alexandria justice.
It wasn't merely beautiful.
It felt alive.
Merchants' voices drifted in from distant streets.
Temple bells rang across the city.
Ships entering the harbor sounded deep bronze horns that echoed over the water.
This wasn't history.
It was someone's present.
And now...
It was hers.
"My moon."
Selene turned.
Cleopatra sat beneath a shaded pavilion, already surrounded by scrolls despite the early hour.
She wore no elaborate crown today.
Only a simple golden circlet rested upon her dark curls.
Without the weight of ceremonial regalia, she looked younger than Selene had imagined—less the untouchable queen of marble statues and more a woman who had been awake far too long.
Dark circles lingered beneath intelligent eyes.
She smiled warmly.
"There you are."
Selene approached, trying to remember how royalty greeted one another.
Before she could decide, Cleopatra solved the problem herself.
She opened her arms.
Selene stepped into the embrace almost instinctively.
"Did you sleep well?"
"I think so."
"You think?"
Selene smiled awkwardly.
"I kept waking up."
"I imagine yesterday gave you much to think about."
If only you knew.
A servant placed fresh bread, figs, cheese, olives, honey, and dates upon the table.
Selene stared.
Everything looked wonderfully fresh.
No processed food.
No plastic packaging.
Just warm bread whose aroma filled the courtyard.
Cleopatra noticed.
"You've forgotten breakfast?"
"No."
"You simply look as though you've never seen bread before."
Selene laughed.
"It just smells... wonderful."
The queen raised an amused eyebrow.
"Our cooks will be delighted to hear that."
They had barely begun eating when another figure entered the courtyard.
He wore a white robe marked with blue borders and carried an armful of scrolls almost taller than himself.
An elderly man.
His beard reached nearly to his waist.
Ink stains colored his fingers permanently black.
He bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty."
Cleopatra inclined her head.
"Master Didymos."
Selene nearly dropped her cup.
Didymos?
The scholar?
Her heart skipped.
The royal tutor.
One of the most respected intellectuals attached to the Alexandrian court.
He smiled kindly at Selene.
"And how fares my favorite student?"
Favorite?
She forced herself to smile.
"I feel much better."
"Excellent."
He placed the scrolls carefully upon a nearby table.
"I have today's lessons prepared."
Lessons.
Of course.
She wasn't merely living in history.
She was expected to continue living this life.
Reading.
Writing.
Mathematics.
Languages.
Philosophy.
Politics.
Everything a royal child was expected to master.
Cleopatra sipped diluted wine before speaking.
"Only half the lessons today."
"Your Majesty?"
"The physician ordered rest."
Didymos frowned thoughtfully.
"But Princess Selene dislikes unfinished lessons."
Cleopatra smiled without looking away from her daughter.
"I believe she'll survive one shortened day."
Selene blinked.
The real Selene had loved learning.
Relief washed over her.
At least one part of this life would come naturally.
Before the conversation could continue, a distant trumpet echoed through the palace.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Every servant stopped moving.
Cleopatra slowly lowered her cup.
Her expression changed.
The warmth vanished.
In its place stood the Queen of Egypt.
Composed.
Sharp.
Dangerously intelligent.
A captain hurried into the courtyard and knelt.
"Your Majesty."
"What news?"
"The Roman fleet has entered the eastern harbor."
Selene's heartbeat quickened.
The captain continued.
"General Marcus Antonius has returned to Alexandria."
Cleopatra's face softened almost imperceptibly.
"Good."
She stood gracefully.
"Prepare the western audience court."
The captain bowed.
"At once."
As he hurried away, Cleopatra turned back toward Selene.
A faint smile returned to her lips.
"It seems your father is home."
Selene's breath caught.
History was about to walk through the palace doors.
And this time...
He would know her as his daughter.
- Writer
