Twins of Egypt

Chapter 33: The King

[[Alexander]]

I stood behind Juba's door, waiting for the doors to open. His Grecian slave opens the door and allows me inside. I bow before Juba can clasp arms with me and hug me.

"You're awake!" He beamed, welcoming me in his arms. "Since when?" He briefly released me from his embrace.

"Since last night actually."

His eyebrows rose in surprise and he smirked, "You were obviously in no hurry to come here."

I smiled and chuckled softly, "Obviously."

"So what may I do for you? Dearest friend." He moved away and dismissed the slaves, pouring our wine all on his own.

"I want to be the Queen's adviser, again."

He came towards me eyes narrowed pondering my decision carefully. He handed me the wine, and sighed. "If you will allow me to express some honesty, Helios..." He trailed off, "I would be relieved if you were to guide Selene, however...she had not confronted me yet...and I offered her a divorce."

"I heard," I agreed and set my untouched wine cup down on a nearby table "I seek to lead her to a stable decision."

"And what path shall that be?" Juba finished the contents of his silver wine cup and briefly sighed, before pouring some more. However, he thought better of it, and watered it down, adding a dollop of sweet honey into his drink.

"I want my...Queen, to choose a decision on her own but, I want to make sure she chooses the right decision. You understand how indecisive she can become."

He scoffed, "Something her mother probably never was, but neither was Octavia. I wonder why they allowed her to be so."

I smiled slightly at the memory of my mother and step-mother, but quickly altered my expression. "Selene is head strong, and can be led to a decision."

"That, she inherited from both women who raised her." He sighed and his expression hardened, "Do you believe she will accept my offer."

I shrugged, "Why did you even offer?"

He took his silver cup and strolled briskly to his seat. I took my own seat, reclining on one of his lavish couches. I admired the numerous scrolls that were in a delicate arrangement in his gorgeous library shelves. He sipped his wine patiently before answering. "I thought she loves me enough to immediately decline it, but it is apparent that she still does not love me the way she promised to."

"I do not agree," I murmured, "I think she still loves you."

He glanced at me, "She thinks I hurt her."

"You probably did. It wouldn't have hurt her if you did things with her. She was quite lonely whenever you were on your voyages."

His eyes narrowed from mine and peered into his cup. It did not seem like he was looking at its contents but passed it. "That was not my initial reason. My foremost reason was...When Tiberius visited - while you were disposed-"

"Now I understand everything."

He smirked, "When he was here, her eyes twinkled like the stars, her always smooth skin that paled after your loss of consciousness and the death of our last child...her skin blossomed gold again and her face which was usually free of any cosmetics - not like the one's whore's wear, but a simple red in the cheeks and darkening of her eyes, were present. She glowed, not for me but for him. She was...happy...completely and utterly in love." He lost his train of thought staring at the wine and passed it onto a spot on his table far away from the papers. He ran his fingers through his face like I had when I realized I lost my best friend, and wife. My lips bent in sympathy. "I love her so much...I love her immensely...like I have never loved before. Helios, have you ever loved someone so much that you didn't care if they rejected you, tormented you, tortured your heart halfway to destruction...Have you ever relished so much in loving someone, that all you desired was to give them the world. All you wanted was for them to smile, and never once frown or cry in front of you, or ever..." His entire face was plagued by a hard expression, and his voice remained steady as if his heart had not cracked as his words suggest. His voice, devoid of emotion, did not allow weakness...but his words, anyone could hear the weakness in the echoes of his words.