Princess history

«You are right, Kshatra, so it will be more reasonable.» But, tell me, how are you going to cross the desert for the remaining five days of the journey, and even alone?

«I agree with you.» All these five days I will be with the caravan. The remaining section of the road, after five days’ journey, I’ll leave first and fulfill my planned mission. «The guest answered very importantly.

Avlet was embarrassed by pride, which he observed in the behavior of the newcomer, and, in order not to attract the attention of the guards by leaving the guest’s tent, he said to him:

«You can go out of the tent unnoticed, come with me.» – Avlet led the guest to the back wall of the tent to the carpet hanging on the wall. He threw back the curtain of the carpet and said: «Look, there’s an inconspicuous way out in the tent, you can open it only from the inside, pushing aside this bamboo pole.» – Avlet grabbed a bamboo frame of the tent with his hand and pulled it on himself. In the tent immediately formed an opening. Kshatr with quick movements put on a veil and with the words of Avlet: – I will order that you will be accepted into the servant-cook, you will be at the kitchen all the way.

Ksatr nodded his head to Pharaoh as a token of gratitude, and he slipped into the formed path, hiding in the night darkness of the camp.

When a guest talk with his father had died down, and the tent was filled with silence, Cleopatra, tormented by thoughts of Anthony, decided to go to his father.

– I cannot sleep.

Avlet poured himself a palm wine into a bowl, sipping, said:

«It always happens in a new place.»

«Why did I fall asleep fast in Rome, father.»

– In Syria and Rome, you were still a child. Now you are a young and beautiful princess. You are already, my daughter, fifteen years old. This is the flowering of a young girl. And at your age, young princesses rarely fall asleep quietly. – said Avlet, guessing the cause of insomnia daughter.

– Father play me on the flute, under her wonderful sounds anxiety and fears pass, thoughts calm down and they wind pleasant dreams…

Kshatriyas, stealthily made his way to the corner of the wall of the tent, which was the entrance to Pharaoh’s bedchamber and looked at the dark figure looming in the guard that was standing there. At that time melodic sounds of a flute were heard from the tent.

Dionysius, hearing the soft sound of the flute, was banging into the night, as it seemed to him, to his partner, who was guarding along with him the entrance to the tent:

– It’s not for nothing that Pharaoh the twelfth of the Ptolemies was called Avletom. He does not even part with the flute even in the desert. – But his partner did not hear. And Dionysius spoke louder to his friend:

«Grigoris, why do not you respond when the senior guard tells you?»

Grigoris could not hear him at that time. He sprawled on the cold sand, his head resting on a shield from the shell of sea turtles, and was fast asleep, basking near the hot coals of fire, and said just loud snoring, forgetting their responsibilities to protect the divine governor god Zeus in the earth, the Pharaoh of Egypt Ptolemy XII Avleta. Dionysius did not wake his comrade. And the sky above the tent, desert barchans, sleeping camels and horses in the middle of the town square – shone with an endless multitude of stars.

Ksatr, having looked around, walked quickly to the hay-bred camels, where his donkey with two sacks on his back stood at a distance. He took off his bags and said something in the ear to the donkey. From this the animal knelt on the front, and then, bending its hind legs, sank to the sand. Kshatr put the two bags under his feet, not to lie on the cold sand, his body leaned against the warm side of the donkey and dozed off.

At dawn, the caravan of the pharaoh left the place of Seket El Sultan…

Chapter Five

The nights in the desert among the barchans were cold. The slaves serving the caravan of Pharaoh had to sleep near the bales of hay. Arranged spiked tightly adjacent to each other, protecting the place of overnight travelers. The warmth that came from the woven camel wool covered the tired people, saving them from the nights cold. Meanwhile, slaves always built a tent for Pharaoh and his daughter. Every time, before overnight, the vanguard laden with baggage horses, for the construction of the tent and utensils for cooking, horseback nominated far forward, and smashed the tent for the night Pharaoh. A «wet nurse» Cleopatra, Kshatriyas in the image Onishi, helping the servants, cooks dinner in preparation for the Pharaoh and his daughter. From fresh mutton, pilaf was cooked and brewed according to a special recipe of the «wet nurse» of Onisia, tea from dried aromatic medicinal herbs, which Kshatr carried with him in bales on his donkey.

The fifth day of the journey through the desert sands of the Sahara came to an end. In the afternoon, in this spring month, Pakhon, the god of the moon, Jorge, the son of Amon Ra and the goddess Mut, the heat in the desert was not as ruthless as in the summer. It was the 19th day of the month of Pakhon (March). The rays descended on the barchans of the sands, coloring the crests with the red shades of the setting sun. Evening desert at this time no longer so inflamed eyes with bright shades of sand and opened with a theater of colors of the pre-day. Cleopatra, swaying sadly in the saddle of a camel, looked with a detached gaze of huge eyes to the shaking heavenly silks of the curtains of her refuge, protecting her eyes from the searing rays of the desert sun. From time to time, she closed her eyelids, falling into a nap. Thoughts at this time disappeared, the sensation of the body went into non-existence, and all the surrounding reality ceased to exist. Such a state of her being helped overcome the hardships of the road and did not think About Antony. Thoughts About him stirred the young heart of the princess day by day, and even the memory of the childhood love of Gnaeus Pompeius the Younger, her memories of dating him in exile could not be saved from the sudden flash of very strong love at first sight to Antony. Still there, in the estate of Genia Pompey the Elder on the Alban hills, when she and Pompey the Younger bathed in the pool, Antony unceremoniously approached with a friendly smile to her and offered his hand, helping to get out of the pool water. How his touch pierced his heart, and how long she watched him on the trail, when Pompey the Elder called the guests to the table, and the hero retired to the hall to the guests. Since and then, and to this day, Antony has not left her young dreams. Dreaming only About him, she admired his stately figure, his bearing in the saddle, when his cavalry decided the outcome of the battle at the gates of the fortress, which had become on the way of her return and her father from exile to Egypt. And how unjustly his father acted with him, refusing his cavalry to guard the caravan. The heart of the princess was broken and it seemed that nothing could help her to endure these endless minutes, hours, days of the journey, in the endless chain of desert barchans. Suddenly the camel stopped. To drive away the obsession of thoughts About him, Antony, she nervously threw back the curtain that covered it under the awning. The princess’s gaze fell on the rays of the setting sun, a gigantic fan in the sky at the very horizon. On a chain of camels that froze motionless. It was evident that the conductor was being inspected, making the path more precise. Cleopatra decided to take advantage of the caravan stop and jumped off the peacefully frozen camel on the sand of the barchans. In the distance, an obelisk of the pharaoh’s tent, erected in the wind, a sign of the untouchable governor of the god, erected on the earth clothed in divine authority over the people of Egypt, Pharaoh Ptolemy XII, appeared by the slaves. The driver of the caravan, with his palm pressed to his forehead, resumed his move toward this landmark. Pharaoh riding his bay horse rode a string of camels, no longer ahead of the caravan, as the first days of the journey. The campaign affected him, fatigue pressed on the shoulders and thoughts of his rule by Egypt, were scattered, concentration on one thing and the important thing flew away the bird away, giving a place of fatigue. Avlet did not immediately realize that he was being approached by a conductor:

– Your divine greatness, we arrived at the night. Tomorrow you will see an oasis of Amun. He stood beside Avlet’s horse, waiting for instructions.

Pharaoh awoke from a napping drowsiness, looked around. The slaves already took the camels to the parking lot, placing the animals for the night. The luggage was removed from the animals and the portions of hay for feeding were taken from the bales. Carefully the camel drivers drove the animals to the sand first to the front legs, and to the rear legs. This was necessary in order for the camel not to lie on its side, otherwise he would not want to get up on the next day and raise the animal very hard, leaves for almost the whole day. The protection of the pharaoh brought the horses together and sipped each of the leather wineskins, and then special bags of oats were hung on the heads of the horses so that the oats of the horse could eat. And people began to build bonfires and is preparing to cook food and spend the night in the cold night of the desert.

«Yes, Creon.» I do not see my cooks and the place where my dinner is prepared? – getting off the horse, Pharaoh told the guide with reproach.

«Oh, divine, the fire is already burning behind the tent.» There the servants refreshed the last sheep, and the cooks prepare food for your royal majesty and your divine daughter. – Looking at the sand, bowing his head, spoke the conductor.

«Tell me, Creon,» said Avlet, softening, «is the nurse Onesia with them?»

– There is no it. She told me that I warned you, Divine Majesty, that she would be waiting in the temple of Amon Ra tomorrow.

– You’re free Creon.

The driver of the caravan, not looking at the king, with his head bowed, took five steps, back, turned his back, and retired to the camel drivers that they were preparing to eat and sleep.

Avlet, gave the reins to the slave who came to him, that he was waiting in the distance, and, meeting the daughter, who at that time approached, went with her daughter to the tent. A fresh light breeze suddenly appeared with a cool touch. Pleasantly touched the cheeks of the princess, her chestnut curls moved at her temples and on her high forehead. With a whiff of wind, suddenly, there was a plaintive howl. The sounds subsided, and then reappeared with renewed force, aroused in Cleopatra the alarming forebodings of an impending night in the desert.

«Father, what is this?» – Cleverly asked Cleopatra, – if someone cries, crying for help?

– It’s singing desert sands. When dry winds blow, the desert cries and asks for rain from the sky. – With paternal warmth in his voice replied Avlet.

In the tent Cleopatra sat wearily on the couch and, looking at her father, said:

– About! How tired I am of this transition. Every day an endless series of yellow and white sand dunes reflecting the sunlight that blinds the eyes. The sand crunches on the teeth, powder is poured from the hair. I can no longer endure this hot desert, the neighing of horses, and the loud voices of these guards from your guards who tell each other things About women and at the same time neigh, like the herd of stallions in the pasture, choking with laughter. – Sighing, the princess expressed an annoying and sore displeasure to the parent, hoping for the support of his loving heart. Avlette looked calmly at his daughter, not reacting in any way and not wishing to answer her. His father’s cold reaction even more irritated Cleopatra.

«You, if only you could answer me, why did you drag me into the desert?»

«Oh, my daughter, you will rule the people of Egypt and you must be a strong and courageous, strong spirit ruler who will not allow Egypt to become an appendage of Rome, but will be equal in power and spirit to the power with which Rome is compelled to be reckoned.» And for this, we went with you to the Oasis in the oasis of Amun, for he, and only he, can tell the people of Egypt About our royal power and our might, the power of Pharaoh Ptolemy XII, who leads his race from Ptolemy Lage, a companion of Alexander the Great. This is important especially after the disgraceful capture of our throne by Berenice, your sister, whom I punished by cutting off her head. – With a sense of royal dignity, placing emphasis, answered Cleopatra Ptolemy XII. The daughter sighed again, she remembered this horrible scene of recklessness. When hiding in the throne room of the palace behind the septum with flowers, I witnessed how the executioner on the tray brought Berenika’s severed head and pulled the bloody handkerchief from a dreadful burden, showing his father. Cleopatra did not answer. Silently, she went to the slave girl, who was waiting for her near the entrance to the half-closed tent. Soon, from behind the curtains, splashes of water and the laughter of the servant girl, who told Avetu in the best way, that the mood of her daughter had improved, were heard.

«What do you ask of God?» – in the gloomy illumination of the sanctuary there was a voice. Alexander shuddered in surprise, inspected the space of the room of the great temple. But there was nobody around, except for the huge figure of the giant, his horns bent back, on the broad and powerful chest, on the hands clenched into fists.

«I came to know the truth, who is my father?» And who am I? Asked Alexander. His gaze fell on the yellow glinting eyes gleaming in the dim light of the lamp with black slits instead of pupils. From the twinkling of light, the eyes of the statue seemed alive, emphasizing the auand thenticity of the answers of God himself, Amun.

– Your father Zeus-Amon Ra, you are his son! – The voice answered, and the echo of a sound repeatedly reflected in the bends and protrusions of the walls of the sanctuary was heard, gradually fading.

– I learned the truth! – Said Alexander loudly.

«Ask, do you want to know more?» – a loud voice was heard, again shaking the vaults of the sanctuary, echoing from the bas-reliefs of the ceiling and painting the walls.

«What will immortality give me?» – looking at the glare of the eye sockets of the ear, in the flickering light of the lamps it seemed that the sculpture of Amun was alive and looking at the stranger. Macedonian trembling waited for an answer.

– When you reach the temple of Shiva Nataraja in distant India, you will find the Black Crown of the gods. Put it on, and you will gain enlightened knowledge. Many secrets will be revealed to you. Secrets of the past and future. And you will attain immortality. – As the thunder of heaven rumble the voice of the Oracle, instilling confidence to the invincible Alexander, prompting him to future deeds.

«I will conquer India!» «Macedonian spoke firmly, and with these words left the sanctuary.

In the morning Alexander informed his colleagues About the visit to the Oracle and what he told him. Alexander also announced his decision to be buried in the oasis of Siva, not far from the temple of Amun. Among the companions of Alexander was at this time and Ptolemy Lug, later fulfilled the last will of Alexander. Before leaving the oasis, Alexander, at the invitation of the high priest, visited the temple of Amun once more.

«Have you come alone, as I asked you?» Alexander met the high priest.

– Greetings to you keeper of the home of the Oracle! said the Macedonian. «As you see, I came alone.»

«Come with me, I’ll show you everything that you own now, son of the god Zeus-Amon Ra.»

The priest with the lighted lamp, lighting the way, led the king in an underground passage, from the temple to a massive door with an image of an ancient inscription on it with an unfamiliar writing. The priest took out a double-sided key hanging from his neck, on the leather string, and thrust the doors into the hole first with one end and made a turn. He took out the key, turned it over and put the other end into the well, again turned the second key in the well. With this second action, the door slowly opened, issuing a metallic screech. The priest gestured for Alexander to enter with him into the formed entrance. Alexander’s gaze appeared to the treasures, stored in the room, where he brought his priest. Passing from the room to the room, the gaze of Alexander was represented by gold coins covered with dust. Antique items of gold, inlaid with precious stones, gold vessels stuffed with large, with a chicken egg, diamonds and sparkling gems. The rooms with huge riches seemed to have no account. The priest opened one after another the room behind the room in the endless underground labyrinth and slowly led his story.