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She sht,"she agreed"You’re as cheeky as ten people put together"
And just like that, she was fineThe stor above us dissipated, the sunshine of her smile returnedAs she ventured outdoors onto her balcony, I knelt in front of the little girl
"You ood queenShe has irl nodded soleest that she was upset with Cleopatra
"Thank you,"she whispered and was out of the room like a shotI couldn’t blame her
"Charmian, come here!"Cleopatra called
I crossed the roo with herThe sea was pristine and tranquil, the blue water foaainst the shore She tilted her head back, closing her eyes as the sun bathed her face in its war the warmth of the sun on my shoulders I could practically taste the salt in the air, but it was far fro me in, sweet"
The queen’s voice was low and I startled at her words,openShe wasn’t one to thank soratitude with her actions, not her voice
"I fear that I have been taking out ood form and I’m sorry for it"
I stared at her in shock and she turned toto trap flies"She elbowed ain to the horizon, her expression becoain
"I just…down on "
Her almond-shaped eyes welled up as she stared at aat the base of the hundreds of stone stairs leading up to the palace He was carved froal expression forever frozen on his face
To the side of the palace, the treasures of our city stretched as far as I could seeLis, marble statues, intricate brick streets and aysA colossal stone head of Caesarion, Cleopatra’s son, was carved into a hill in the distanceA stone’s throay, two racefully rose fro as their pharaoic heads stared blankly at the city
It was a lot to loseAnd she would definitely lose itShe just didn’t know it yet
"Ti so difficult, Charmian, and I must admit that I am afraidBut what makes it even worse is that I can’t speak about it to anyone else but you, because I Even for Antony"
At the sadness in her voice, I followed her gaze
And e of the Mediterranean, just where the water met the sand, Marc Antony, Cleopatra’s husband and co in the Ro their heavy iron shield in front of the swords in practice for the battles they kneere co as I watched
Each of thee and stout, his dark curly hair tu across his forehead as he bent forward and then back, splashing in the shalloaterHis large biceps bulged and flexed as he hefted his shield to block Hasani’s deft blows Antony’s profile was distinct and I recognized him immediatelyBut he did not hold my attentionThat was captured by Hasani
Hasani was tall and strong, his silky black hair gathered at the nape of his neck in his usual styleHis dark broas furrowed in concentration, eht as he grinned at his opponent, laughing as he deflected Antony’s heaving blowsHis asped at his obvious strengthModern girls weresexier than thisI ain
"Look at the to fight for me, Charmian, and I will fail the to fail Egypt"
Her voice was both heartbreaking and heartbroken, and sadness welled up in me at the sound of itNever, in our entire lives, had I heard Queen Cleopatra be anything but confident and strongShe had never doubted herself before
"They have no idea of their fate They’re like laht and a tear escaped from the corner of her eye and slid down her se her eye ht now,"I insisted"You have good reasons for the decisions that you are ypt with Rootiations, he ant to stop it- he will never agree to surrenderYou know that You have ht decision, my queen"
My role as Keeper had come back to me fluidly, easilyI knew her current course of action was the right one, but I had to s hard, because her decisions were going to be the death of thea back-up planEven though she fully intended to fight, she was secretly arranging a surrender of her forces to Octavian in exchange for leniency for her children just in case it started to look as though ould loseIn such a case, we both knew that Antony would never give up He was too Roht to the death- and Hasani would be at his sideIt would be unbearable
Without intending to, hts returned to the Roman soldier who had sneaked up behind Hasani and thrust the sword in his backI cringed and then gazed restlessly out at the blue water until Cleopatra’s whisper interrupted s