Daughter of the Nile

Chapter Twenty-Three

Octavius was with Bek just like every night that week. Tonight, he was on her shoulder, holding to a braid in her hair to help him stay in place. Bek's sobs from the first night had subsided to intermittent periods of silent tears rolling down her face.

Octavius was not much better off; he was heartbroken for his lady. Yes, just as Sacajawea was President Roosevelt's lady, Bektamunet was his, and he could not help but weep with her, whispering words of comfort into her ear, sometimes in English, sometimes in Latin.

If only I could do more, he thought. By Jupiter, I wish I was human-sized!

The next thing he knew, there was a rumble, and he was thrown from Bektamunet's shoulder. A brilliant flash of light consumed him, then he knew no more.

"What happened? Ockie?! Ockie, ya okay, pardner?"

"Bek, what's going on?"

"Whoa!"

The concerned voices of his friends slowly filtered into Octavius' consciousness first. He was so sore, just like the night he and Jed crashed the truck going after Cecil.

"Octavius! My lord Octavius..."

Lady Bektamunet's urgent voice spurred him to finally crack his eyes open for a moment. "Mea Domina....."*

"I'm here, Octavius." A gentle hand ran through his short brown hair. Apparently, his helmet had been removed.

Wait...........

His eyes flew open. His head was in someone's lap, his helmet set aside. Bektamunet's face looked smaller, yet closer than it had ever appeared before as it hover over him. Suddenly he realized that his head was in Bektamunet's lap. He bolted upright.

Which was a bad idea. Dizziness immediately assaulted him with a vengeance, causing him to squeeze his eyes closed again and clutch his head.

"Easy there, lad." A leather-gloved hand steadied hand him. Octavius risked a glance. Teddy knelt beside him on his left. He looked to his right. Bek knelt, her babe's coffin cradled in one arm still.

And she was shorter than he was.

"My Lady Bektamunet?...."

"I am here," she nodded.

Pushing aside the sensation that the world was spinning around him, he made his aching body move, pushing himself up into a kneeling position, and wrapping his arms around her. "...Carissimi princeps..."**

Bektamunet froze in shock for a moment, but quickly reciprocated the Roman's embrace, hiding her face in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. He buried his face in her hair, being able to smell the sweet lotus flower perfume she used on it without being overwhelmed by it for the first time.

The couple stayed that way for a long time, the others quietly making their exits when they were sure that Octavius was okay. Whispered sweet nothings passed between them in their native tongues, neither truly knowing what the other said but still guessing the meaning by the tone the words were delivered in. Larry still found them in the same position spot hours later when he came to give the "thirty minutes until dawn" warning.

With a great deal of care and respect, Octavius helped Bektamunet return her son to the new, recently-installed display case within the tomb. Finally, it was time for them to part.

"Sleep well, my princess," he murmured, raising her hand to press a reverent kiss to it.

"And you, my general."

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*Mea Domina = my lady
**Carissimi princeps = dear princess