Cleopatra: The Untold Stories (Part 1)

I wept at my father’s feet, begging the captors to let me stay. They cruelly shook their head and carried me off. I screamed and cried as they carted me off. I looked at my father, his head held high as he looked at me coldly. All of his people were watching, so I understood why he was acting like that. It didn’t make it hurt any less. 1

I was tempted to cry out as the drug my bare knees across the raw tile on the ground. I watched as my father faded from view, a single tear streaking down his face. Suddenly, I felt like the rightful princess I was. I shoved a guard off me and stood up, picking up all the dignity I had left. The guard bared his teeth at me as I stood up straight, dusting off my ripped dress. He took a tighter hold on my arm as he led me out of the palace, my palace. 2

As they loaded me up in the cart, I thought how lucky I really was. Compared to all the people they captured, I was one of the few that would make the ride to Egypt alive. Either they would torture some slowly, or they would die from sickness, starvation, etc. I heard the moans from the back of the cart. I bet they wish they hadn’t been scheming, I though bitterly. 3

We were all in this situation because of our government. The government in my small European country had wanted to attack Egypt, and all these people agreed. Only my father and mother opposed this idea. Respected leaders they were, so people left them alone. They didn’t help them plan, but no one gave them a hard time. I, of course, agreed with my family. My brothers, well that was a different case. We didn’t know we had a snitch in our mist though. 4

The Egyptians had invaded us, and slowly killed the families of all that were involved. My family was spared though, people would vouch that we had nothing to do with it. To show us what the Egyptians were capable of, they took me. My mother and father had taken it well that their only daughter was being carted off to some far away city in Egypt. My father had always been a proud person though, and my mother stood with him no matter what. 5

A scream of pain brought me back to the harsh reality. I put my hands over my ears in an attempt to block out the horrible noise. When I removed my trembling hands, I heard cruel laugher from the guards. I glared at them with malice in my eyes. The people being murdered were my friends, people I helped on occasion, people I had played with when I was young. Tears filled my sea green eyes, but I hurriedly wiped them away, hoping the guards had not seen me. 6

I waited out the horrible ride in silence, refusing to talk to the evil guards. They taunted me, toyed with me, and even sickly complimented me. I closed my ears to them though, and sat the rest of the ride out with my hands folded up in my lap. 7

When the sun started sinking in the sky, they Egyptian guards stopped to make camp. I was shoved out of my seat and put to work building a fire, something I had never done before. I struggled to make a spark in vain. I screamed in frustration and threw the rocks on the ground. I began to weep from frustration, exhaustion, and sadness. I missed my home, my family, and all my friends. I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned around to see an elder from my home. 8

“Eli!” I called out, wrapping my arms around the old man.9

“Princess,” Eli said, bowing deeply.10

I flushed a deep red and pulled him up by the arm. “Not here,” I whispered.11

He nodded and smiled toothlessly at me. “Do you need help?” he asked, gesturing to the rocks. I nodded and he stooped over, patiently rubbing the two rocks together until sparks flickered like wildfire off them. I bent down with the old man and began adding kindle, dried up leaves, and small twigs. Eventually, we had a fire big enough to cook something on. 12

The guards cooked up a strange looking meat and set it on clay plates that were passed to each of us. Everyone before me took a small piece and set it in their lap or on the rock they were sitting on. I took a small chunk of the odd meat and set it on the rock next to me. Next, they passed around a large pita from which everyone took a larger chunk. I too took a large chunk and set it next to my meat. I saw them pull another plate off, this one piled with stalks of green vegetables. I heard the guards calling it celery, a word I had not heard before. I hesitantly took a stalk of this ‘celery’ and set it away from the rest of my meal. 13

No more plates came out, and I noticed that they hadn’t fed all the people captured. I looked over at the hungry eyes of many men, women, and children. I was tempted to eat all the food by myself, but I couldn’t deny my people of their right to eat. I beckoned Eli over and gave him half of the meat, and all of the bread and ‘celery’. He gave me a big grin and rushed over to the rest, attempting to pass out food in an orderly fashion. 14

I nibbled on the spicy meat, and almost consumed it in one bite. It was wonderful. Spices and juices all packed up in one piece. We didn’t have food like that where I came from. I didn’t know if it was utter exhaustion or hunger that made the food taste so good, but it did. When I started to wonder if I could have more, the plate filled with meat was passed around again. The guard to the left of me pulled of a big chunk and passed it to me. I stared at the meat and then pulled a huge chunk off, leaving little for the other guards.15

I heard hearty chuckles behind me as one of the guards called for more eagle meat. I gagged loudly along with the rest of my people. We were forbidden to eat any bird that scavenges, which is exactly what an eagle did. I threw the meat on the ground and stepped out in it, dust completely overtaking it. I heard yells of anger and yelps of surprise from behind me, but I didn’t care. I was completely disgusted by what these… heathens would eat. 16

Someone behind me pulled me by the arms, jerking me away from the fire. I fell backwards on the rough ground as he dragged me back to the cart. “Maybe this will help you learn a lesson about wasting food,” he hissed, as he shoved me in the dark cart. 17

I sat curled in a ball in the corner of cart as I heard my people moaning outside. I could imagine the shame they must feel because they disrespected Yahweh, the shame that I know felt. I put my hands up to my head to cover my face as I prayed repentance. 18

I was interrupted by a guard coming in to the cart. A soft light poured in as he climbed into the cart. He was carrying a flickering torch to illuminate the pitch-black cart. “Don’t you know you aren’t supposed to interrupt a woman when she is praying?” I shouted at the man.19

He nodded and sat down next to me. I studied him for a moment as he sat there silently. He was in his late thirties and it looked like he really didn’t want to be here. “I’m Tau,” he announced after a minute.20

“Nanu,” I said crisply. 21

He nodded. “I was sent in here to tell you what’s going to happen to you if you don’t stop,” he explained. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but he stopped me wearily. “Listen, you’re lucky you are alive. All of your ‘people’ out there, they’re either going to die or are going to be slaves for the rest of their lives. You’re lucky. You’re going to go to our palace in Egypt and spend the rest of your days as someone’s lady-in-waiting. Then, when you get older you will probably be married off to a clergy’s youngest son. You’ll have it pretty good, and you’re very lucky,” he finished.22

I knew he was right, that I really was very lucky. I sat there, with tears in my eyes as he stood back up and got ready to leave. “Wait,” I croaked out. He came back over to me. “Whose lady-in-waiting will I be?” 23

He laughed. “I don’t know. It could be anyone from the clergy’s wife to Cleopatra.” He laughed loudly and ruffled my hair. 24

I was confused, but I didn’t let it show. I had heard stories about Cleopatra before. How she was the first woman to rule all of Egypt. I had heard stories about how beautiful and seductive she was. And others about how cunning and brilliant she was. I watched as the man exited the cart, leaving me with no light. I curled up back in my ball, and slipped into an uneasy sleep.25