face is lined and haggard, and he looks much older than his fifty-nine years. I long to throw my arms around him and beg him not to leave, but I do not. It has not been our way to express our deepest feelings so openly.
“So, daughter, it seems we must again say good-bye. It saddens me to leave you, but I have no other choice. I am sure you understand that.”
No, I do not understand! I choke back the words. Tears well up in my eyes, but I control the urge to weep. “Where will you go, Father?” I ask him. I cannot stop the trembling in my voice.
“To Rome,” he says. “Perhaps my friends there will help me again.”
Friends? I am doubtful of the friendship of those Romans. “Will you be gone long ?” And what will I do without you here to guide and protect me? That question remains unasked.
He gazes at me for a moment. “It may be for a very long time,” he says. “I don’t know. But I must leave at once. It’s not safe for me to sleep in the palace tonight.” He takes my face in both his hands and gently tips my head so that I must look at him and his tired, bloodshot eyes.
Take me with you, Father! I cry silently. Do not leave me here alone with my sisters! But he does not hear my unspoken pleas.
“Listen to me, Cleopatra. While I’m away, I want you to visit the tomb of our ancestor Alexander the Great and pray for guidance. I will return, if the gods are willing. Hear me, daughter! I promise you this on my sacred word: When I do return, you and I will rule Egypt together.”
Have I heard him correctly? He wants me to be the queen by his side? This is a surprise to me, and nothing he has said before has prepared me. Something has surely changed. But what if he does not return? What am I to do then? I open my mouth to ask the questions that are already burning. But he shakes his head. “Later, Cleopatra. Later there will be time.” He embraces me, pressing me to his chest. I cling to him tightly. Neither of us speaks. Then abruptly he turns away, and he is gone.
Now that I am alone, I begin to weep. Then I remember his words and repeat them silently, over and over: You and I will rule Egypt together. I wipe away my tears, lift my head, and brace myself for whatever lies ahead, as a queen must do.
Chapter 24
A NNOUNCEMENT
For two days I hear nothing more about Father. The crowds have dispersed, and an uneasy silence lies over the city. Then Demetrius comes to my quarters. “I swore my loyalty to King Ptolemy XII, pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt,” he says, anxiously rubbing his bald head, “and I promised your father that I would do everything possible to help you.”
Nice words, but we both know that even the most loyal tutor has no power. “Where is my father?” I ask him. “Is he in Alexandria? Can I see him?”
“I believe that he spent two nights in the lighthouse, in disguise, while his ships were being readied for a sea voyage. The royal fleet sailed today at dawn. That is all I know, Cleopatra.”
“My sisters—have you talked with them?”
“Your sisters do not wish to talk with me. That has not changed.” He hesitates. “If I can be of any assistance—”
I cut him off, perhaps rudely, and dismiss him.
With Father no longer in Alexandria, I am deeply worried about what will happen. Who will rule Egypt in his place? When King Ptolemy set out on his first voyage to Rome two years ago, he left his grand vizier, Antiochus, to make the administrative decisions. But I have not seen Antiochus since the night we returned from the Nile journey. Did Antiochus accompany Father into exile, or is he in hiding somewhere near here? Who is in charge now? Who will rule?
My sisters have no doubt already made that decision, without consulting me. Before he left, Father told me that he and I would rule together when he returns. But what did he tell them ? If he told them this is what he plans, then I am in more danger than I have ever been. I am always in danger from those two!
Or
“So, daughter, it seems we must again say good-bye. It saddens me to leave you, but I have no other choice. I am sure you understand that.”
No, I do not understand! I choke back the words. Tears well up in my eyes, but I control the urge to weep. “Where will you go, Father?” I ask him. I cannot stop the trembling in my voice.
“To Rome,” he says. “Perhaps my friends there will help me again.”
Friends? I am doubtful of the friendship of those Romans. “Will you be gone long ?” And what will I do without you here to guide and protect me? That question remains unasked.
He gazes at me for a moment. “It may be for a very long time,” he says. “I don’t know. But I must leave at once. It’s not safe for me to sleep in the palace tonight.” He takes my face in both his hands and gently tips my head so that I must look at him and his tired, bloodshot eyes.
Take me with you, Father! I cry silently. Do not leave me here alone with my sisters! But he does not hear my unspoken pleas.
“Listen to me, Cleopatra. While I’m away, I want you to visit the tomb of our ancestor Alexander the Great and pray for guidance. I will return, if the gods are willing. Hear me, daughter! I promise you this on my sacred word: When I do return, you and I will rule Egypt together.”
Have I heard him correctly? He wants me to be the queen by his side? This is a surprise to me, and nothing he has said before has prepared me. Something has surely changed. But what if he does not return? What am I to do then? I open my mouth to ask the questions that are already burning. But he shakes his head. “Later, Cleopatra. Later there will be time.” He embraces me, pressing me to his chest. I cling to him tightly. Neither of us speaks. Then abruptly he turns away, and he is gone.
Now that I am alone, I begin to weep. Then I remember his words and repeat them silently, over and over: You and I will rule Egypt together. I wipe away my tears, lift my head, and brace myself for whatever lies ahead, as a queen must do.
Chapter 24
A NNOUNCEMENT
For two days I hear nothing more about Father. The crowds have dispersed, and an uneasy silence lies over the city. Then Demetrius comes to my quarters. “I swore my loyalty to King Ptolemy XII, pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt,” he says, anxiously rubbing his bald head, “and I promised your father that I would do everything possible to help you.”
Nice words, but we both know that even the most loyal tutor has no power. “Where is my father?” I ask him. “Is he in Alexandria? Can I see him?”
“I believe that he spent two nights in the lighthouse, in disguise, while his ships were being readied for a sea voyage. The royal fleet sailed today at dawn. That is all I know, Cleopatra.”
“My sisters—have you talked with them?”
“Your sisters do not wish to talk with me. That has not changed.” He hesitates. “If I can be of any assistance—”
I cut him off, perhaps rudely, and dismiss him.
With Father no longer in Alexandria, I am deeply worried about what will happen. Who will rule Egypt in his place? When King Ptolemy set out on his first voyage to Rome two years ago, he left his grand vizier, Antiochus, to make the administrative decisions. But I have not seen Antiochus since the night we returned from the Nile journey. Did Antiochus accompany Father into exile, or is he in hiding somewhere near here? Who is in charge now? Who will rule?
My sisters have no doubt already made that decision, without consulting me. Before he left, Father told me that he and I would rule together when he returns. But what did he tell them ? If he told them this is what he plans, then I am in more danger than I have ever been. I am always in danger from those two!
Or
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