Reminiscence of the Queen:
The ambient was very soothing. Cool breeze from the river Nile caressed her body and scattered her clothes to catch her off guard to expose her beautiful womanhood! There're her most precious assets, which she has used so far very judiciously for making men chase after her.
She was lost deep in her thoughts and too engrossed to move her hands to cover the misplaced attire. One maid came forward and adjusted clothes of the Queen with utmost reverence.
She open her eyes, awaken from her dreamy trance, which was momentarily disturbed by the foreign hands of the maid. Again she reclined to the deep of her thoughts.
Few moments of glimpse around was enough to make her immensely pleased at the scenario around her. River Nile was not so far but not so near. Far at the right distance so that the cacaphoney of the boats, the sound of the oarsmen, chatter of the sailers and passengers do not reach the royal palace. But at night the scene was more than enchanting. Boats and burges were veiled in the thin mist of mid October and looked like shilloutes. Lamps looked so tiny as if one can be picked and put on the forhead like a shining bead of gem. Lamps moved with moving of the boats and ships; they resembled fireflies. Lots of them! The material wealth of the ship owners could be assessed from the size and decoration of their ships. Big, luxerious, flambuoyant, lavishly laden with the precious yellow metal and other metals of value. Whatever be the financial status of the owners of the ships all of the ships had statue of Isis at the deck board in front of the ship.
Queen smiled to herself; people not only like her as their Queen but also abide by her wishes as their foremost responsbilities. She worships the god Isis, the jackal head god and people also following suit.
Queen has her own fleet of luxurious ships which are floating palaces.
On this open terrace she was lying, her back was raised by the softest and comfortable pillows. Around her was a circle of maids, who were carefully chosen for their fidelity towards the Queen. She herself hand picked those bevy of beautiful maids, who were trained to combat and fight with every kind of weapon. They're experts in toxicology, spying, disguise and many other things.
She knows that so long even one of them would be alive her life is safe.
Still she was ready to face her end, if it comes, and she kept a highly venomous serpentine in a pot covered by a porus lead. The snake was so little that she could easily hide the pot, in which it was stored, in her deep cleavage.
Just a bite from the reptile was enough to kill a full sized Camel!
Her time machine took her in her child hood. Ptolemy XII, her father, a successful King and Pharaoh of Egypt, had three daughters and two sons. She was the youngest among the daughters.
The Ptolemy dynasty originally migrated from Greece, the beautiful country, home of Goddess Kythera, on the Meditarrean.
May be due to the atomosphere of the Egypt, which was mainly dependant on the water of the Nile, or for the human race in general, she could remember her blooming girlhood at the age of eight or so.
By ten she was christened as the young lady as the first sign of her fertility was noticed by the governess who attended her.
She was such innocent then. She remembered how she cried when she noticed the crimson liquid started flowing from between her legs and stained the sheets below.
Everyone around smiled and rejoiced. The news was given to the mother Queen, who ordered to make arrangements for celebrating the ceremony.
Her governess took her in a secluded room and asked her to stay. She was afraid to be alone and specially when she was bleeding. But the age old maid assured her and told that it was natural with all girls when they enter their womanhood.
She had to spent four days and three nights in that room alone. Maids came twice a day to change her clothes and to feed her. She was not allowed to touch anybody or anything which is holy or pious. She was impure for those days.
She's now 35 and since that day it has occurred to her every month keeping its tally with the cycle of the Moon. Briefly stopped when she was carrying baby in her womb or for about two years after giving birth to her baby.
The first occasion was grandly celebrated. Wives and daughters of rich men, who had access to the Royal Palace, visited her and presented her with various gifts. She was taken for a bath when the dripping stopped. Turmeric, sandal, cinammon and other spices and herbs were ground and a thick paste was made from it by pouring precious rose water and finely grounded powders of several gems.
In her bath tub water was replaced by milk. She later knew that when a girl becomes woman she changes in her body and mind. These herbs helps to retain her youth for long and bathing in doneky milk can make the skin glowing, young and supple. Since then she has made it a habit to bath with that particular kind of milk.
Now men go mad for her and her beauty but little do they know how miticulously she had to prepare herself and shred her with the veil of mystery, a lesson she had learnt in the Palace at a very tender age.
No doubt she was very intelligent and could read the mind of man, any man, accurately.
She had learnt one thing and told to herself; Cleopatra VII, listen, if you want to keep a man's interest in you and make him mad for you then hide yourself from him. Don't open up to him or show every thing you possess. Because if you show all your cards then he'll checkmate you and lose his interest in you.
Its the human nature to run for the unknown, become eager for the things which are hidden from them.
No doubt when her father Ptolemy XII invited the Royal Astrologer to the Palace for predicting the future of his children then that gracious old man also became very charmed at the little Cleopatra.
The Astrologer had arranged for some test of the siblings.
There was none except the Astrologer in that spacious hall of the Palace.
On his gesture three sisters and two brothers entered the room. There were sparse furniture in the room and they had no preview about it before entering into the hall.
Five seats were there for the five Princes and Princesses.
Her elder two sisters sat on the nearby two seats made of the yellow metal. Her two brothers, Ptolemy XIII and XIV searched for their seats. Ptolemy XII reclined on a seat made of some green material. The younger one moved at his right and sat on a seat made of yellow and red.
Now four out of five seats were occupied by her four siblings. Only one was left.
It was just a rag made of Camel hide and placed on the ground.
She moved on to it and graced the seat.
As soon as the children were settled Pharaoh Ptolemy XII entered into the room. They all stood along with the old Astrologer to show their respect to the Pharaoh.
Pharaoh settled on the throne and looked at the Astrologer with questions in his eyes.
The Astrologer, an age old man, may be as old as the Pyramids of Gaza, bent with the burden of age. His long white beard almost touched the middle of his body.
Face was creased and resembled hyerogliphics drawn on the Palace walls. Nose, once resembled the beak of a flute, so noble now crooked and became broken at the bridge. Hands were strong but now the lose skin revealed the thick rope like veins.
Strange was his dress. It was a black long dress, covered him from his neck and descended few inches below his knees. His feet were the sign of much travel and witness to the happening of events around the Egypt and other countries.
All his hairs were gray, beard, body hairs, eye brows, white like the finest cotton. A black turban was kept aside him. Because when one is in the presence of the Pharaoh, he's not to cover his head.
Though the Astrologer, who is called as the Alchemist, she came to know later, was old and bent still one thing was very remarkable in him. It is his eyes. Eyes were glowing like liquid fire and it was not possible to look at those. He only looked once at her and it seemed that he's looking beyond her and everything which are there inside her is seen by him.
The Alchemist praised the Pharaoh and blessed him for the children he had.
For her two elder sisters, he told the Pharaoh that they'd be housewives and be happy with their respective husbands.
For Ptolemy XIII, his predictions were, though he'll be a King and enjoy his power jointly with his Queen, but he'll be short-lived and be killed by administering poison. He was seated on the green seat and the colour resembled poison.
Ptolemy XIV, her another brother, seated on a gold and read seat was predicted that he'd cause dissatisfaction to some other King and would flee for his life but would be killed while he's on the run.
Lastly, her turn came.
The Pharaoh was anxious. The Alchemist cleared his voice. Took out a round shape of transpatent stone from his attire. Put it on his left eye. His eyes were looking big through that transparent glass.
In a swift gesture he took out a bundle of Papyrus from the pocket of his long dress.
Settled himself comfortably after opening the bundle of Papyrus. Once again cleared his throat and adjusted the glass. Raised his head to look into the faces of the kids and the Paharoah.
He started to speak....may the gods of Egypt be pleased on our Pharaoh and designate his place among the god...my Lord...this younest of your children.........
The Alchemist; in Egypt (Misar in local language) is called as Al Kimiya. The person who can transform any metal to gold by their mysterious powers and chemicals. Little Cleopatra was not that knowledgable about this kind of human beings, who're shrouded with so many mysterious tales and incidents. She remembered which she had heard from her nanny, who told her bed time stories, that these Kimiyakari (alchemist) are immensely powerful and whatever they say it comes to be true.
In great apprehension to know her future her little heart started pounding like the war drums. Tiny beads of perspirations appeared in her forehead and deposited at the root of her hairs and glistened.
She was almost suffocating.
But the forthcoming Pharaoh of Egypt, the mightiest of the mighty, must have some strength in her mind and character to withstand all these stress!
She knew that her life is going to be an uneven path and full of hurdles and thornes spread all over to make her bleed. She has to survive all these for her sheer survival and make a mark in the history of Egypt.
She calmed herself by saying, why worrying? Lets see whats there in your future. Don't be perturbed even if something untoward is predicted. You know you can write your own destiny. All you need to be your genuine self to yourself.
Its a jungle here and only the fittest will survive.
You're the fittest.
At once a strange kind of serenity had spread over her body to make the perspiration disappear and to pacity her fast beating heart.
It was apparently seemed that the Alchemist was busy with the bundle of Papyrus and engaged in arranging the leaves in order.
But it was his deliberate gestures to notice the reactions in little Cleopatra VII. Even the Alchemist was surprise at the mental power of this 10 year old girl and instantly knew that his predictions are not wrong. Though till that moment he has not spoken a word about her but the incidents of her life flooded in the back of his mind, clear and vivid.
He raised his face and looked silently towards the King.
Pharaoh Ptolemy XII was also noticing his beloved daughter, apple of his eyes with much apprehension in his mind. He was also feeling happy to see how his most favourite daughter has controlled herself.
Their eyes met in silence. The Alchemist and the Pharaoh smiled.
They knew what they wanted to say to each other but not a word was spoken.
The Alchemist once again cleared his voice and looked around, took up a leaf of Papyrus from the bundle and concentrated on it.
In a deep voice he started speaking as if he's talking to himself, oblivous of the King, Cleopatra, the ambience. He chanted words in appraise Ra, Aman Ra, Isis, Isoris and other goddess; praised those for their benevolence on Egypt, the Pharaoh and Egyptians.
The ageold wizard brought a vial from the cotton sack he brought with him. In it there was some kind of powder. He took a pinch from it and blew it before him.
At the right of the Alchemist was seated the Pharaoh Ptolemy XII and little Cleopatra as the left side!
Between the father and the daughter a mist of finely grounded powder was created.
The old man asked both of them to look into the smoggy curtain which was hung in the thin air before them.
The particles of the powder settled in the air and it was about two feet above the floor.
Little Cleo could see a faint moving picture inside the mist which gradually became clear and live.
She could see herself, transformed into a stunningly beautiful dame, a complete woman. Surrounded by armed women guards. People are giving slogans to her praise.
Suddenly, a war starts. Soldiers are killed. A foreign troop invades Egypt. Egyptian army fight with them and drive them out of the border of Egypt. She finds a body is laid on the ground. Its her own brother, poisoned to death by some of his courtmen.
All on a sudden the scene changes and a vastly spacious garden appears in the middle of the mist. A man, seemingly a King or an Emperor, in his mid 50s appear and take the Queen by her hands. They start kissing each other passionately and move to some secluded part of the garden. Later she sees that same man is lying dead in a pool of blood with stab injuries all over his body.
One man appears with a head of a dead man in his hand. From his attire its presumed that he's an Egyptian Pharaoh. That man who kissed him in the garden was alive at that time and when he sees the severed head he get enraged and orders his soldiers to behead the Pharaoh who has killed his friend.
That man was Julius Ceaser and the Pharaoh was Ptolemy XIV, her brother and 2nd husband. Pharaoh runs for his life.
After death of mighty Ceaser another man, who once served as a general of Ceaser, comes to her life and becomes her paramour.
She gainst the full control and rule over Egypt.
The last scene was horrible and hair raising. The Roman army invades Egypt with greater army and improvised weapons before which the skilled Egyptian army fall like autumn leaves.
She sees herself confused and indecisive or her moves. Friends are not with her anymore and she's completely alone.
The mist vanishes in the air as if never existed. The entire life of Cleopatra was before her. She was shivering like a leaf, hanging alone on a solitary branch and moving uncontrollably by the air. She was perspirating profusedly and was almost on the verge of fainting.
But the projection of future has made her very strong and she has grown several years old in that one hour. She checked her emotion and collapsing.
None had spoken a word because there was nothing to speak. The future of Cleopatra and Egypt were before them.
The silence was broken by the Alchemist, who solemnly uttered as if in soleloque, hope the mightiest of the mighty Pharaoh has been satisfied what his Highness has just seen.
Ptolemny XII, was engrossed in his own thoughts which were interrupted by the voice of the Alchemist. He said, if thats all in store for this Kingdom and for my beloved daughter then I find it utterly disheartening. But its the truth because you were invited by me to predict the future.
Pharaoh ordered his men to reward the Alchemist but he politely refused to take any material gift from the Pharaoh!
What riches does he need when he can turn everything into gold?
On the request of the Pharaoh, the Alchemist agreed to take his late lunch with the Pharaoh.
Before departing the Alchemist had taken a thin green coloured thread from some hidden territory of his attire. He asked for a vial with a porus lead on it.
Instantly it was placed before him.
He had put that thread, which is barely an inch in length, inside the vial and poured some mysterious liquid in it.
He handed it over to the the little Cleopatra and told her to keep it in a secluded chamber in her bed room and only to bring it out after she's married for the second time.
He told her that its alive and it'd help her from being disgraced at the hands of the enemy.
The thread became the most venomous serpentine and Cleopatra kept it with her all the time.
She also committed end to her life by getting a bite from the serpentine.
