Time Maze

Guy Charming

Tyson would have spent more time admiring the palace's magnificence upon entering it. However, he was far too worried about what would happen next, what type of trouble they would get themselves into. For a short time, he even considered breaking away from the group and hiding somewhere, but that could only end up raising suspicions.

"Wow, dude, this place is awesome! I wonder who lives here," Marcus said, looking around in wonder at the Egyptian building style and the unusual decorations that were unlike anything he had ever seen before. "I hope it's not some pompous dude like Caesar."

"I can tell you one thing for sure. This palace doesn't belong to anyone who looks even remotely like him," Tyson said, debating whether he should tell Marcus who they were about to meet.

On the one hand, maybe being prewarned would stop Marcus from drooling like a dog given a new bone. On the other hand, he might become overexcited and get them in even more trouble. It was hard to know what the right choice was, but Tyson was determined to postpone the disaster for as long as he could.

Thus, he surveyed their surroundings carefully as they went through the palace, hoping to find a place where they could hide or even a secret passage or something along those lines. However, luck wasn't on his side this time, and he found nothing that could serve their purpose.

"How do you know that for sure?" Marcus asked, swiveling his head to look at his friend in wonder. "I thought you barely knew anything about this place and time."

"Huh?" Tyson asked, having already forgotten what they were talking about as he was far too busy trying to stop the disaster from happening.

After all, he could already imagine how beautiful Cleopatra would be and how utterly lost in her looks Marcus was bound to become. Thinking about all that and keeping the thread of their conversation going wasn't an easy thing to do.

"How do you know this isn't some crazy dude's palace?" Marcus asked persistently.

At times, he was like a small child who never gave up on his questions. He was far too curious about everything to just let something go.

"Because I remember that this palace might belong to a woman, more or less," Tyson admitted hesitantly.

"Oh, cool. I didn't know there were queens in Egypt," Marcus said, already perking up at the idea of meeting a queen. "Who is it?"

Before Tyson could decide whether to tell the truth or not, an attractive woman, clad in a pure white dress adorned by unusual jewelry, came to view. She was sitting on an ornately decorated throne that their group reached. Her head was held up as she surveyed the servants while they bowed down to her, almost touching the ground with their foreheads.

Marcus, however, just stood there staring at her catlike eyes and impressive physique. He was like a man lost in the desert, seeing a drop of water for the first time.

Tyson fell to his knees quickly, dragging Marcus with him before Cleopatra could order someone to cut off their heads. Although he wasn't sure if that was what she did or if he was mixing her up with the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland.

"That broad is the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen," Marcus said quietly as he finally lowered his head to bow down properly. "I want her to have my children. I would be ready to die for her."

"Shh, what are you talking about? Do you even know who that is?" Tyson whispered fervently.

"Of course I know. It's Cleopatra, and she is even more beautiful than in the Asterix and Obelix movies. She is stunning!" Marcus said the last part loudly enough that his voice carried in the impressive acoustics to where Cleopatra sat with her legs crossed.

The jingling of bracelets and the swish of the fabric were the only signs that alerted them that she was on the move. The fact that she hadn't allowed them to rise to their feet made Tyson feel uncomfortable because it was unsettling to face the danger if you didn't know where it was coming from.

Were they in danger of execution? Revelation? Imprisonment? Or something far worse?

When he saw from the corner of his eyes that Cleopatra raised Marcus's head slowly, he knew they were in deep trouble because the move was rather seductive which was bound to get Marcus's attention.

Tyson hoped that she was just curious to know who dared talk about her, that she wouldn't punish him for insolence.

"You sure are an interesting one, aren't you?" Cleopatra said as she guided Marcus to a standing position. "The question is, are you brave or stupid?"

As she said that, she trailed a finger down his chest with nonchalance and confidence only a queen could have. It was as if she was both asserting dominance and evaluating her prey.

Marcus stopped breathing and just stared at the powerful woman before him. It was as if the strength of her personality combined with her beauty were his kryptonite, preventing him from moving as well as saying something, anything.

Tyson could tell that he had to do something, but every move he could think of seemed to be just the wrong one. The one that could insult Cleopatra and get rid of both of them in whichever way was popular at the time.

However, noticing that Marcus forgot how to breathe, Tyson decided it was worth the risk. The alternative was that his friend might end up dying from excitement like an idiot that he was when around attractive women.

"Forgive me, your highness, but my friend is a bit slow. He is not all there. If you know what I mean," Tyson said cautiously without ever trying to lift his head.

He wasn't stunned by her appearance as he thought that objectively speaking, she wasn't as beautiful as he expected. However, she had such charm that most men became instantly enchanted. Especially men like Marcus, who were easily swayed by female charms.

Tyson could hear Marcus taking in a sharp breath of air, insulted by his statement, but Tyson was relieved that he was at least breathing again. If he had stood there motionless for any longer, he would have been the first person to die in such an odd way.

"Is he now?" Cleopatra said coolly as she circled Marcus possessively. "Perhaps that's what I need after spending so much time around the scholars."

"I am most certainly not," Marcus said, puffing his chest, completely misunderstanding Tyson's intentions. "I am just stunned by the greatest beauty that I have ever seen."

Tyson hit his head against the floor in irritation. Still, he said nothing else as he figured anything he could come up with would only make things worse.

"Too bad, I do need someone who doesn't think much right about now," Cleopatra said, lifting his chin to look into his eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I love spending time with the scholars. Though sometimes what one needs is entertainment."

Following that statement, Cleopatra licked her lips slowly while looking directly into Marcus's eyes.

"Then again, I can be dumber than a doornail," Marcus quickly backtracked. "And I certainly know how to have fun."

"Is that so?" she asked speculatively. "We'll have to see about that, won't we? Leave us!"

Immediately the servants started getting up from the ground and gathering the supplies they had carried in. Tyson was the only one who just stood hesitantly, wondering if he was supposed to do something. Marcus spending time with the queen was bound to have some horrible consequences for the timeline.

"You as well," Cleopatra said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Your highness, the boy is my responsibility. I fear that in his ignorance, he might do something to incur your wrath or get into trouble. I promised his parents I would take care of him," Tyson said, deciding to risk his life one last time.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him," Cleopatra purred, leaving no room for discussion.

As he hesitantly exited the throne room, the last thing Tyson saw was Cleopatra dragging Marcus by his clothing like a puppy on a leash. He couldn't help but wonder if this would be their final downfall, Marcus's weakness for women.

Still, there was nothing he could do but wait and hope. Hope that Cleopatra would get tired of her plaything and throw Marcus out. Otherwise, Tyson might be forced to do something drastic.