Part 52 (1/2)
”That is what ood queen--you have the fortitude to endure it,” said Mardian
”Mardian, I need to kno my absence was looked on here” I trusted him to be honest with me
”ln the palace? Why--”
”No, not in the palace In Alexandria, and in Egypt herself I know you always have your ear to the ground, and your family is in Memphis What did people think?”
”They wondered if you were coht--they feared--you ypt's independence”
”What, that Caesar would hold me prisoner?”
He looked horrified ”No, of course not But that it would take a constant --of the fickle Senate, which cannot be done from far away”
”And what did they think of ed ”You know Egyptians--Greeks too They are practical They were proud that you'd selected a winner, not a loser, in the civil wars”
Yes, it was the Romans ere obsessed with morality The older peoples of the east had more wisdom ”At least I don't have to contend with that Mardian, you cannot i a people who do nothing but judge, moralize, lecture, and conderay and oppressive there!” Until I had said it, I had not quite realized the weight of that crushi+ng iddy to be out fro a face ”Well, now you are back where we understand you And treasure you Welcome home!”
Homebut hy, did it feel so odd?but hy, did it feel so odd?
”Thank you, Mardian I longed for it all the ti whether to speak further Finally he did ”I ed--there are those ill say that your policy was a failure, that your efforts have achieved nothing lasting for Egypt It all vanished on the Ides of March, and we are back where ere before Caesar even cauarantee our independence now?”
”I will guarantee it I h I had clie only to find e just as high A second cli And then there was the other thing
”Mardian, I e I am with child There will be another 'Caesarion'--a little Caesar”
He raised his eyebrows ”Oh, that will upset the balance of politics once again How do you e to affect people, and lands, hundreds of ic”
”I doubt that it will change things in Rome Caesar did not mention Caesarion in his will, and this one will have even less claiuard Caesarion well It was all very well to joke with Ptolemy about the poisonous plants, but it's Caesarion whom someone would have a reason to kill”
I felt cold It was true Caesar's will or not, the world knew about his son And itimate The royal bastard, perpetual threat, was not only a stock figure in stories and poems, but he often attained the throne
Was Octavian capable ofBut
”By leaving no Roman heir, Caesar left three--now you say four--contenders for his name The adopted son, Octavian; his cousin, Marc Antony, the natural successor to his acy; Caesarion, his natural son by a non-Roman; and now another” He paused ”Of course, he has another heir--the mob, the Roman people It was they to whoardens Don't leave them out of any political calculations It's they ill decide if Caesar is to be a God, not the Roman Senate”
”I cannot wish that my children inherit any of the mess at Rorew up And I wish I had so of his--besides just this pendant” I held it out to show it to Mardian ”It was a piece of fa for Caesarion, as well”
”Well, all he will have to do is go into any foruhout the Roman world, and he'll see a statue of him They'll make a God out of him, mark my words Then there'll be busts, and little statues and plaques, available from every hawker and merchant from Ecbatana to Gades!”
Dear, irrepressible Mardian! ”He can start a collection!” I said, tears of laughter welling up as I pictured a shelf full of Caesar statues, all sizes and shapes There would beeyes and formal robes, desert Caesars mounted on camels, Pharaoh-Caesars, Gallic Caesars clad in wolfskins
I held my sides and bent over When I could finally catch my breath, I said, ”Oh, Mardian This is the first tihed since--” I shook my head ”Thank you”
He wiped his eyes ”Since everything passes through Alexandria, think of the duty We shall profit by the fashi+on!”
Chapter 37
A high, breezy day in June, when all of Alexandria was an aquaht that I had to shi+eldinstalled in the floor ofhall My memory had been correct; when I had first seen it I had known it was the exact same colors as the sea at Alexandria, and so it was The for from the seafoam was rendered so finely that it
I sighed Was art to inspire us, or depress? Was the fact that no living woman could ever approach such perfection to inspire me to come as close to my own perfection as possible, or did it h relief?
Today, with the glorious light and strong fresh breezes of the , I felt inspired by her Once I had felt this newly created, once I had felt I had just eer to stand on the shore and claiain?
Her golden hair waved in tendrils over her shoulders, so skillfully depicted that I could see the s in the flesh
How old are you? I asked her, in my mind Fifty years? A hundred? You would look very different by now if you were flesh instead of stone Art cheats truth that way
”I remember when it was presented” Charmian's husky voice behind me made me jump The sound of the worknificent, isn't it?” We both looked at Venus, envying her ”You look ht hair color”
”No one looks like her,” said Charmian ”That's why she has the power she does”
Charmian herself had a Venus-like allure I had seen how men looked at her, like lovesick schoolboys, even the old scribes
”Char It does not mean you cannot continue in my service I cannot help but feel sorry for the man ould have been your husband--but you pass hih ”I have been thinking of it,” she admitted ”But I have found no mortal man yet You see, just as Venus spoils most women for men, just so Apollo ruins other men for women I'd like someone like the statues of Apollo, and, well--have you seen any about?”
Yes, I thought: Octavian But, unlike a statue, he talked, moved, and exhibited unpleasant characteristics ”No, not recently”
”Ever?” She persisted
”Probably not ever,” I assured her, lest she think I was hiding one ”But I will look harder fro pair of workmen wrenched a stone out of the floor, and shoved it to the side They were grinning, and I realized they had overheard us Did they fancy themselves to resemble Apollo?
One had a hairy back, more like Pan than Apollo, and the other was so short, with long forearms, that he looked like an ape
Barely able to keep fro, we hurried froainst the wall and let ourselves laugh silently
When I said, ”That reminds me, where is my monkey, Kasu?” it sent Charmian into hysterics
”I am serious,” I insisted