Twins of Egypt

Chapter 5: Reckoning | Part 3

[[18 December 30 B.C.E|| Alexander]]

"Tiberius," I glared at the boy who searched keenly for my sister who was hiding away from Octavia's villa. He pisses me off.

"Where is Selene?" he asked.

"Gone," I simply said passing my way through him.

"Wait!" he grabbed my arm, with the same anxiety of someone desperately in love.

I pulled my arm away from him and turned myself around snarling at the idiot, "How do you have the audacity to ask me where my sister is, when you more than likely just condemned her to death?"

Dumbfounded Tiberius stood still, as the marble columns that decorated the gardens.

"I will never let anyone harm her." He defended.

"Oh," I growled, "really? Even from your mother? Even from Caesar himself? By kissing her, you claim her; you made her receive the same gossips that ran around my mother; by kissing her, you made her seem to desire power. That is not what Selene wants, and if you really loved her, and admired her, not be infatuated with her, like you most definitely are, then you would know what she wants."

Tiberius stood still as my accusations burned his body with an embarrassing red fury.

"Enjoy Saturnalia, Tiberius," I made to turn away, but stopped to say, "and if you pull my hand like that again, I'll make sure I'll punch you before you touch me." I stormed away, leaving Tiberius a red-faced little Patrician. Good riddance.

My sandals slapped the hard concrete floors and echoed against the grand frescoed walls. As I moved passed the halls on each direction of me, I heard he same sound of sandal against concrete in one of the halls. I waited for whoever would show up, and it surprised me, that it was Valentina.

"Oh salve Alexander." Valentina bowed and then stood up, looking straight into my eyes.

I approached her; her eyes were different for some reason. They were still the same striking ice blue, but they were different, tender, not harsh and uninviting, free. I could even say that it lost innocence. "Salve Valentina, how are you?"

"I am fine, Alexander," she smiled happily at me, "I love Saturnalia, I may look at you as an equal, and not be afraid of doing something wrong or out of status; it is amazing."

"That's all very pleasant, Valentina," I grinned, her joyfulness erasing the past anger spurred by Tiberius.

"Valentina," an unfamiliar voice calls from the tunnels and upon instinct we both peer into the shadows of the cavern. A slave, a body slave presumably, due to his handsome features, appeared from the shadows. "Oh, salve Dominus." He bowed.

"His name is Alexander," she approached him and pulled him up from the floor, "you must not call him Dominus, tonight. Stand up now, Felix," she coaxed him tenderly and as he stood, he looked tenderly into her eyes, holding her small hands. Apart of me filled with jealousy, as I saw the girl I first liked, since my arrival to Rome, exchanged tenderness with this body slave. It seemed that Valentina would not rid of his gaze; therefore I left the halls and went back to triclinium, where people were dining.

"Welcome back, Alexander," Julia stood against a marble column watching the chaotic festivities unravel, hands folded against her chest, "did you make sure Selene is alright?"

"Yes," I stood in front of her, "I also saw Tiberius and Valentina..." I rolled my eyes.

"Not having a joyous night, I see." She smirked at me.