The Iron Man [Serial]

To The Victorious

As Alpha and I returned to the palace, we found a motorcade already in the drive and preparing to depart for Cairo. I had already that morning packed my things and also packed for Murphy, on the chance he would wake and need his things. Now, Hypatia came to meet us, as members of the household were in the process of coming from the palace doors.

"Julien," Alpha said, "I need to ask Erik if he will continue and ride in my car, with my mother and Elena. Hypatia, will you make sure Julien finds a seat?"

"Of course, Athené."

"May I drive?" I looked between them for an answer.

"Prim and Murphy taught him."

Hypatia gave Alpha a rather cross glare.

"But, it is probably not the best choice in this instance, Julien," Alpha said, "Our escorts take their jobs no less seriously than you. Perhaps when we are in Cairo."

"You can sit with me," Hypatia said, "I have your citizenship forms in my briefcase."

As I feared then, my ride to Cairo was not to be one of leisure. Once our motorcade of black strongcars and steamcabs, some of which had longer bodies to accommodate additional seats and passengers, was underway, Hypatia quizzed me on my current knowledge of Egyptian history and politics.

Now, I was still true to the intentions I had spoken to Alpha. I did desire to be an Egyptian and also to join the nation's military service. I did not, in full truth, believe it was my calling to be a soldier all my life.  However, my recent experiences had convinced me that learning to physically defend myself and others would only aid me in helping others realize their dreams. I did not wish to solve problems by force, for I did love peace, but I believed peace must be a true peace and not forced upon a people, and so the knowledge of how to fight provided me with the skill to resist should that be my choice.

But my rebel heart did not make it any easier to memorize lists of successive rulers or the dates of various wars, assassinations, or revolutions.

"Who was the leader of Egypt before His Majesty Malik Paris Arafa?" Hypatia asked.

I couldn't remember his name. "I don't know."

Hypatia shuffled her papers.

I looked out at the greenery. For all I'd heard there were deserts, thus far the parts of Egypt I had seen were green, or else the pale shades of concrete and masonry.

"Alpha speaks highly of you." She used his nom de guerre. "He seems to think you are observant and clever. I find it disrespectful you do not show the same to me. Do you think you are the only child who would like to dance and play fancy dress? Why should it be you?"

I straightened in my seat. It was a pointed question, and one to which I did not have a answer. So, I did not answer that one. I said, "I'm not best at recalling the dates and names. Alpha doesn't ask me the questions that way during lessons. He would say the names of the leaders or the dates and then ask me what I thought was significant."

Hypatia twisted in her seat to face me as much as possible while sharing the bench in the back of the cab. "Between 1919 and 1920 leadership of Egypt passed from Hussein Rushdi to Paris Arafa..." I saw Hypatia pause, "was there something significant about that?"

When she phrased it that way, I did know. "The people of Egypt took to the streets in protest. This Hussein Rushdi Pasha-- that means he was like a 'Sir' --he was the one leading the interim government. It was supposed to be temporary leadership after...." I tried to remember his name, "The one who was assassinated in Constantinople-- Abbas Hilmi was assassinated. He was related to that Muhammed Ali Dynasty, but he was a Nationalist, and got elected successor to...that one all the streets are named after-- Ahmed 'Urabi."

Hypatia squinted at me. "So, you do know their names."

"I do. Alpha's talked to me about them. It's easier to remember if I think about the stories."

"Then, next time, do not answer, 'I don't know.' It makes it sound as if you do not care. It is befitting a young man show some regard for his country. You are in the public eye now."

"How much of that did you plan?" I asked.

Hypatia smiled.

"I was practically smuggled into the city. I could have stayed hidden."

"Alpha did want for company and you did agree to accompany him."

"You or Ariella did not advise against it?"

"It serves other purposes if our prince is seen with a new companion. Your age difference is enough that our bachelor prince will seem more responsible, even fatherly, for taking an interest."

"He's not that old." Honestly, I did not know Alpha's age.

"Well maybe not quite old enough to have a child your age."

"You sure you figured in the local age of consent?" My tone was bitter. Not on purpose. It just was. "I haven't considered myself a child in years. Even when England considered me a minor, I was already the man of the house or on my own!"

Hypatia nodded silently.

I realized I was not angry at her, though I was raising my voice in her presence. "Forgive me."

"Perhaps I mispoke?"

"It was always platonic for him," I said. "Why can't it just be that? Why does it have to be fatherly as if one of us needs a replacement? Why should she warn me off, like  I have the power to make something what it is not? Why does he need a new companion, as if Tyron's not coming back?"

"Julien." Hypatia smiled weakly. "At least, in a month, you'll be eligible to vote."

I laughed. The idea that this woman could not vote was ridiculous. 

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Chapter 56! Thank you again to all my readers and for all your comments, votes, and adds to reading lists. Pretty close to 1,900 reads, over 300 votes, over 200 comments.

In this chapter, I tried to give some hints about how exactly Egypt became stronger and more independent earlier in history...without enormous blocks of exposition.  And, yes, women's suffrage is something many nations were struggling with, in history as well as this alternate-history.

The media is a one-hit-wonder type song from the 1960s by Karim Shukry called Take Me Back to Cairo.  (Karim was the stage name for film producer Jean Zaloum.) The video was apparently made by his son, Alain.

Julien seems a tad bit whiny in these chapters, but he is, for all he's been through, still a teenager, and maybe the heat is making him extra irritable.

Oh, also, because I doubt he'll give it in-character, Alpha/Prince Athené is about 30-years-old (younger than the actor cast as him), and so is about thirteen years older than Julien and about eight years older than Murphy, meaning he had time for several years military service and a bachelors degree before meeting Murphy at university. He was old enough to be in the military at the very end of The Great War.