Twins of Egypt

Chapter 30: Separation || Part 3

[[Selene || Three days]]

If I could take back the hands of time, I'd tell my father to remain friends with Augustus, and go back to Rome. I'd beg him to accept that we are his bastards under Roman Law (until made otherwise), and return back to Octavia to raise his children with her (not that she really needed help). I'd tell Caesarion never to reach for Roman leadership, as it would kill him, as usurpers will always die. I'd tell my mother -- the mother I love so much -- that I wanted to go to Rome, and learn a world different from Egypt. I'd tell Alexander to join me, and to always be aware.

If life had been like that, like would have been perfect. Marrying Tiberius would have been a possibility. I would have lived a dream that resided all in Alexandria. A dream of Tiberius and me. A bad beginning to a beautiful thing...

I sighed and embraced him. I wrapped a leg around his hip, and put an arm up to his hard rough cheek. I grazed it with the back of my hand pulling the cotton blankets more up my body as I moved up to meet his face. His hair was in his face, and he slept soundlessly. I dropped my hand to his muscular arm, caressing it, as I leaned forward to give him a sweet little peck on the head. Then he suddenly woke and caught my lips. I blushed furiously, but he only kissed me more. When we separated, I settled my head underneath his chin, and he held me tightly with both large arms.

"I dreamt of loving you this way, when we were young and in love," he admitted.

"I wanted to marry you."

"I know," he ran his fingers through my hair, "you would have made a great empress. If only the people did not hate your mother, and saw her in you."

"I want to turn back time," I cried, "I don't want to be Queen of Mauretania. I want to be your empress."

He sighed, but a smile could be heard in his voice. "There's no use in saying that anymore. In all honesty, Juba and you were fated from the day you got on that ship. He's like you. We are very different."

"Not that different," I exclaimed. "Juba does not care anymore. He did not attend our late son's funeral. He never bothered to see my sick best friend, and most importantly, he does not console me as he used to. You still console me, even if we are no longer young lovers."

"He does care," Tiberius kissed my head, "he loves you, Selene." His voice croaked. "Probably even more than how much I love you." He sighed. "He's probably busy being a King, being Augustus eyes, or matching your capabilities as a leader."

"I just wish..." I tried to decipher my true wish. "I just wish to feel loved again. I just wish that someone would help me carry all my woes, and not neglect me. Tiberius, I am in so much pain."

He hugged me tighter, as I cried in his arms. "It's alright," his voice sounded desperate. "You just need to be with more people who want and love you. Not people who declare, need, and desire things from you. You need to return to Rome. You need to feel your roots again."

I wiped my tears away, and laid my head on the pillow with a disappointed thump. "I promised never to return to Rome, after..."

"No one will hurt you. I won't hurt you. Not anymore," he shook his head, "It's not enough that you surround yourself in your mother's glory. You miss your father."

The image of my father's bouncy blonde locks and sky blue eyes twinkled into my mind. "Whenever I see Drusilla, I see my father."

"Whenever I see Drusus, his eyes are constantly on Drusilla," he laughed. "I wager they will be close in the future."

"Perhaps," I brought my hand to his cheek and caressed it tenderly. "I love you."

He smiled at me and took my hand in his. He brought it to his lips and kissed my hands a thousand times before kissing up my arm, torso, neck, and rolling on top of me to kiss my lips passionately. He readjusts the blankets on top of us, and we spend the entire dawn making love and making up for the wasted time.