Twins of Egypt

Chapter 7: Mauretania || Part 2

[[31 May 25 B.C.E || Alexander]]

The past may be blurry, I thought as I lay back in my bed, but I have finally pieced myself together; I know what type of person I am; I know who I am. I stared at the bare ceiling of my room, thinking of nothing. For once, I thought of nothing, I felt no shallowness down in my heart; for once, I felt whole.

I rolled out of my bed, stark naked. I picked up my robe, off the couch where I had tossed it. I shrugged it on, lazily tying it as I walked towards the balcony.

The sun was barely dawning, its golden light shining a tiny semi-circle at the middle of the Eastern horizon, which was a color of pale navy blue. I put my hands on the marble ledge of the balcony, leaning on them as I watched the dawn rise. This celestial body, the Sun, is what I was named for. Father had told me the story of my naming, and remembering it smiled. He had wanted to name me Apollo; from the day, I was born, because my hair had already begun to show the resulting golden and brown flecks that would show today, what was back then the future. However, my mother, a finicky woman, wanted to name me Drusus, after her father. Of course, they fought, but it was resolved by a little love, and my paternal and maternal grandfather's intervention.

"Helios!" A voice called from below. I looked down and found the son of my father's best friend, Philip.

Philip Michelakakis of Athens, son of Michel Katsaros, was a somewhat of a fool, but what boy was not?

"What?" I grinned, leaning against the ledge on my elbows.

"What amuses you?" Philip looks up questioningly.

"The fact that you are here early," I shook my head at him, "it would take two beautiful women bringing you a basket full of a year's worth of food to get you to get up, you womanizer." I scolded him humorously.

He made a face at me, "Not true," he hesitated, "partially. Anyways, Helios, I was in the market this morning with my father, and I saw the most beautiful creature in existence. She has these incredible green eyes, magnetic smile, the most flattering body, with an addition of dark brown hair." He narrowed his eyes at me, "Now that I think of it, she looks a lot like you," he begun to chuckle, "imagine if you and this girl share a common parent, we could actually be brothers, Helios."

I shook my head at the idiot, "As far as I know," I remarked, "Helena, Lysander, and I are the only children of my mother, if she is my sister, she must be my maternal half-sister."

"It does not matter," he shook his hand, "I want to make her mine; therefore, you must come with me to woo her."

"When will you stop with your womanizing, Philip? We do not need to put the poor girl through your complicated boyish life."

"Oh come on," Philip raised his arms exasperatedly, "it will be an adventure, who knows, maybe you will find a pretty girl too. To, you know, hold you off till you go to Britannia."

"Come up, Philip, we can talk in my room." I gestured for him to enter.

Philip wasted no time in running from his spot into the villa. I smirked at my good friend, watching the sunrise higher and higher.

"Your house is exquisite," Philip complimented as he shuts the wooden door behind him, "So what will you wear as we go on our daily courting."

"Your daily courting," I turned around and leaned back against the marble ledge, my right leg relaxing against my standing left leg. I looked up at Philip, my chin aiming at him. "I simply accompany you willingly, to help charm them into your care." I laugh. "You couldn't possibly get any women, jut on your own wits. You would say the most idiotic things."