TWENTY-THREE

[BOOM-GUNS]

[BELLS RING]

[DOORS BANG]

I woke to a furious pounding on my door. There were sounds of crashing and metals ringing out the door.

'Princess!" Miriam called behind my door I Rushed to the door and opened it wide for her to come in. She ran into my room, shutting the door behind her immediately.

Heavily, breathing. "Princess, you need to go to the safe room, your mother and your sister are hiding there with the other maids." Miriam cried.

"Aye! Calm down Miriam, what is happening in the palace, I heard gunshots," I asked holding her sweaty shaky hands.

"The Americans!... they are shooting at us. You need to leave this room at once, princess, for they will come for you." Miriam pleaded. Kleopatra picked up her robe and shaw, with a candle as they ran through the halls.

"What about my father and brother?" I stopped running, staring around the halls and rooms that had blood stains on the floor with lifeless bodies of guards and maids. Miriam didn't stop running but sprinted to the safe, while Kleo ran opposite the safe room.

"Papa!" I screamed through the gunshots.

"Ramses!" I cried.

This wasn't how my father's great kingdom will end, I hope not. I ran through the palace's front doors, only to find myself amid two armies in battle. My brother and the guards stood with their swords at the left and the Americans at my right, holding guns. I was so terrified that I didn't move.

"Sister! " Ramses asked. I could feel the tears in my eyes slip down my cheeks to the ground. I was in the middle of a battleground and all I can do is to cry.

"Ramses!" I cried.

"Kleo, you are going to be fine, I want you to count to three then run as far as you can, find mother and Rashida." He said The Americans cocked their guns, ready to fire, but everything around me went slowly. the only thing that mattered to me was my family's safety and my kingdom.

"No, brother, I will not leave without you." I cried, standing in a spot. I stared at my brother's eyes, but all I see was pleading, begging me to be safe, I knew what he meant and I do not want it to take place. I ran to him in a split second, when I heard one of the American's commands.

"Fire!" I felt myself under a heavy pillar, but this pillar was my brother's body, his eyes froze, staring at me, searching for any scratch. I looked at his chest, when I realised he was shot, tears kept rolling down my eyes.

"No, Ramses! No, please! Don't leave me, Ramses..." I cried. while the Americans kept firing their guns at the guards who stood before me and the guards, shielding us from another hit.

"I love you so much Sister and I know I didn't fulfil your last wish but [COUGHS] I will always be with you..." Those were his last word before he died.

[GUNSHOTS]

[FOOTSTEP APPROACHING]

"Kleopatra! " My father fell on his knees, holding me in a hug. He had seen his only son shot to death, cold-blooded before his eyes. The successor of Egypt and the only son of the sultan. What has become of the sultan without an heir to the throne?

"Kleo, pick up your garment and run to the safe as fast as you can, do not look back." Her father looked into her eyes.

"No, I cannot father, Ramses, died because of me and I will not forgive myself, if I leave you here, they will do the same to you, Please let's go together." I cried.

"Kleopatra, you are not the reason for your brother's death, go and meet your mother in the safe, I promise, I will meet you there before sunrise." My father pleaded.

She nodded her head, and picked up the hem of her dress, running through the lifeless bodies and bloodstains on the floor and wall. Tears fell from her eyes uncontrollably, for she knew, she was the reason for the death of her brother, and that will be a scene she will never forget. She knocked on the door of the safe room, with tears covering her vision.

"Your Grace!" One of the maids held Kleopatra carefully as she put her on a chair beside her mother. Her wearied mother ran to her feet, crying at the sight of her daughter she had thought, was dead.

"Kleopatra, thank goodness, I thought you were dead." Her mother cried. Kleopatra stared at the thin air, still replaying the death of her brother in her mind.

"Kleo, dearest, please talk to me are you fine?" Her mother asked, while her sister comforted her.

[SOBBING] "He is dead!" I sobbed, swallowing the pain. Her mother and sister stared at her in confusion.

"Dead! Kleopatra, who is dead?" Her mother and her sister asked.

"Ramses..." She cried out in pain.

"Ramses? My Ramses? No! It cannot be true..." Her mother cried.

"No, Ramses!" Her mother froze at a spot, and then passed out. Rashida hurried to hold her mother. Indeed the news to her mother was said terribly.

[SOBBING]

**********************************

[LADY SULTAN]

"Several days later, the whole kingdom continued the mourning of their prince. It was said that if a soul dies, the body should be buried on the seventh day. The seventh day had come to pass, the day was gloomy and wet, and so as the hearts of the family of the dead.

The king's heart was sorrowed for the loss of his only son and heir to the throne. The queen's heart begged the god and the goddess to restore the soul of her only son. Rashida prayed for her brother's soul to be at peace in the heavenly home. But Kleopatra, the closest to the brother, Grieved, for she knew, she was the reason for his death. If she didn't appear on the battlefield, her brother would not be dead by now. For this was the consequence of Her carelessness and breaking of rules. "

"My princess," Charles said from behind Kleopatra. She turned to see him wearing a black suede Tailcoat and darkened leather riding boots. He came. But how did he know? The news would have reached him.

"Charles!" I answered.

"[SIGHS] I am sorry, kleo." He said. She ran into his arms as she wept bitterly.

"It was my fault, it was all my fault. If I wasn't so stubborn, he wouldn't have died[WEEPING] Because of my foolishness...[SWALLOWS] he died." She wept.

"Aye! Don't say that. Do not blame yourself for the death of your brother. " He comforted.

"But, I speak the truth, Charles, if I didn't run into the middle of the battle, he wouldn't be dead by now, I deserved to die in that battle not him." She grieved.

"No, stop saying that Kleo! I believe what happened in the battle was the wish of the gods, maybe that was his fate. Please stop blaming yourself for his death. " He rubbed soothing circles on her back to steady her hiccups.

"Your, Majesty, My condolence" Charles said to the king, who was in tears.

"Thank you so much, My son." The king crocked.

"Sorry for the loss, My queen," He said as soon as the queen stepped beside her husband, she still had moist tears on her cheeks and he could read the pain in the family of the sultan. He understood that feeling of losing someone so close to his heart.

"Kleo, thank you for saving me and I also thank your maid too" He whispered to her ears.

"It's nothing Charles, I only did what was right. I hope you haven't hurt in any way?" She asked searching his face for something her eyes couldn't say. He shook his head but his wrist caught Kleopatra's eyes. The bruises of the chains gave him the marks.

"Aye! Charles! take this and wrap it around your wrist. " She said, looking around for anyone looking at them.

"Why? Is something wrong with my... Oh!" He looked down at his wrist to see purple marks on his wrist. Then wrapped it immediately with her mourning shaw.

"Thank you." He mouthed.

They hadn't known that Rashida had watched them the whole time. She knew Charles was the town boy and indeed, she wouldn't keep her mouth shut about it. Kleopatra turned to see her sister staring at them with a mix of anger and revenge in her eyes. Kleopatra feeling so unsettled about it, needed to leave Charles at once before her parents suspected her too.

"I must go now, Charles," She said. "Though it was a true pleasure to see you here"

"Are you alright, Kleo?" He asked. She smiled faintly and nodded.

"Truly I am, but I have to take my leave now" She looked at the ground.

"[SIGHS] Ok! But please do not forget to write to me as soon as you get to the Palace." He said. She nods.

"Forgive me, Charles." She curtseyed and backed away.

**************************

The rain still kept pouring out the window. Kleopatra kept thinking, had her sister seen them together? Did she see his wrist? All these thoughts brought headaches to her cause she couldn't find answers to the igniting questions.

[KNOCK ON THE DOOR]

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's Me, my princess," Miriam said behind the doors. She opened the door for Miriam to walk in. shutting the door quietly behind her.

"Sorry, my princess, I will not be staying too long but I had just come to deliver a message from your father. I looked at her questioningly.

"A message? From my father?" she asked.

"Yes, Princess, he wishes to see you." She said looking at the floor sadly.

"What is it, Miriam, you look sad, I mean, the kingdom is sad about the death, but is that the reason why your face is this way?"She asked.

"[SOBS] The king sends me packing today, the prince is downstairs with your Parents and your sister. They found out about it, and now they send for the prince's parents too." She cried.

"How come? Miriam, please stop crying, you will not leave this palace until I settle this with my father. I will explain everything to him but stand for your stay in this palace." She said. But Miriam kept crying not knowing if she could believe the princess.

[FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]

"Here she is your Highness," Ahmed says before taking a bow.

[FOOTSTEPS RETRIEVING]

"I never knew, my daughter will go behind my back and set my prisoner free." My mother said.

"Mother I can explain." She said.

"Explain what?" My father roared. " The death of My guard or the escape of the prince which one?" He asked.

"[SIGHS] Father, mother, yes, I know what I did was wrong but don't you think I deserve to explain...[SILENCE] The guard died out of defence from someone very dear to me. Miriam. The guard almost hit me with a stone, so she saved me from that tragic death. "

[GASPS]

"My guard would never lay their hands on you..."

"No father, that guard did so and The prince can testify, Miriam is my witness also. I only freed the prince because you were creating another war between the Englands and the Egyptians by imprisoning their Prince. And you and I know that We have no weapons to fight a war. "

[SILENCE]

"My prince! why hadn't you told us you were the one with Our daughter?" My mother asked.

"I felt disappointed when I found out that she was the only one who recognised me in cheap clothes [SIGHS] I couldn't believe you will treat me like that. "

"We are so sorry, my prince," My father said.

"Our apologies, my prince, we do not wish to imprison anyone so close to us." My mother pleaded.

'Oh, no you are already forgiven, I hold no grudge, but I am thankful for your daughter's help." He looked at kleo with a smile. Rashida is still not satisfied with the whole situation she stood up from her throne and storms out of the room in Rage.

[SILENCE]

"I will talk to her." My mother smiled, running after Rashida.