The House of the Rising Sun

Chapter Seventeen: The Romans' Devastating News

Chapter Seventeen: The Romans Devastating News

Selene

Pharaoh was extremely busy nowadays. She was always asking me to watch over Caesarion. I didn’t mind, however. I loved the little boy dearly and I was an insider to politics. I was always listening for mention of the Romans again, but they were never spoken of. Another reason I absolutely loved watching over Caesarion was because now I didn’t have to worry about my ‘engagement’ to Amenemhet. The reason I wasn’t spending time with him was because I had my duty to Cleopatra. Or so I told Kerpheres. Sosigenes didn’t know anything about my ‘engagement’ and I really hoped I would keep it that way. Amenemhet was mad that I dragged him into this mess, but since he saw me as a little sister he did what it took to make it seem like we were engaged (more or less) and was on my side. We held hands and flirted in front of Kerpheres, but away from him we went back to being brother and sister.

Today the air was tingling with excitement. I knew something big was going to happen today. I was back at the palace looking after Caesarion, who had managed to take his mother’s crook and flail again. We were in his mom’s chambers and Caesarion was playing with the crook and flail as if they were little people.

“Selee!” he squealed and thrust the flail at my chest. “Akhmim.” I think that meant that the name of the flail was Akhmim, so I stood the flail up and spoke to the crook.

“Hello!” Akhmim greeted the crook.

“Djoser!” he named his crook. I was surprised by the fact he knew his past pharaohs. Akhmim was a pharaoh who did something pretty important, I think, although I couldn’t remember, and Djoser built the famous step pyramid. I had always wanted to see it.

“Hi Djoser, how are you today?” said Akhmim the Flail.

“Go pray Ra. We go pray Ra,” replied Djoser the Crook.

“Are we going to the temple?” Akhmim the Flail asked.

“Yes! Temple Ra,” said Djoser the Crook.

“Okay, let’s go,” commanded Akhmim the Flail. We moved the crook and flail towards Cleopatra’s bed, which I guessed must have been the Temple of Ra. Suddenly Caesarion looked at me with longing eyes.

“Mama,” he called. I stood and scooped him up in my arms.

“Do you want to see mama?” I asked. He nodded in my arms. I took Djoser the Crook and held it with Akhmim the Flail and bounced Caesarion on my hip. “Let’s go see mama.”

I walked out of Cleopatra’s chambers with the little two-year-old on my hip and went down the hallway to the banquet hall, where Cleopatra was on her golden throne speaking with her vizier and other advisors.

“My queen,” I bowed my head as I entered. Her urgent speaking ceased and she looked at me warmly.

“Yes, Selene?” she inquired, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t do this in a mean way.

“Caesarion wished to see you,” I stated. Cleopatra’s ruby lips turned upward in a smile.

“Then bring him over,” she said pleasantly. I walked over to her side and she took Caesarion from my arms and placed him in her lap. She hugged her baby and kissed his head. “Hello there baby,” she cooed. The vizier stood there awkwardly and the other advisors backed away. I heard faint sandaled feet rushing down the hallway and my ears perked up.

“Your majesty! Your majesty!” exclaimed a guard who burst in the banquet hall.

Cleopatra looked up, annoyed. “Yes?”