The Hidden Leagcy of Cleopatra

~ Prologue ~

There is a legend that has been hidden since 30 BC. It is the hidden legacy of the famous Queen Cleopatra. She ruled over Ancient Egypt for many years and there was peace throughout the lands, according to various history books. That was a mistake. There is another side to her story that has never been released to the public before… until now. Here is the true story of the famous Queen Cleopatra.
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“ Hey! You can’t just leave me behind like that!” Cleopatra’s voice was quickly cut off by the endless, humid abyss and the sound off the crashing stones by the slaves off in the background. She bent over her knees and caught her breath. Her black, silky strands of hair quivered slightly by the wind that just barely blew by. Both Horus and Baste pushed the doors to the throne room open all the way. “ Aw, come on! Don’t tell me that you’re worn out already?” Horus mused. He was a strong young man with short, dark brown hair and a stubby goatee. He had gorgeous yet mysterious goldenrod eyes that held an undying will. He almost always remained calm, even in the most depressing moments. Baste, on the other hand, had a childish feel to her. She had bright, optimistic green eyes that were in the shape of cat’s eyes. She had bushy, red hair that covered her left eye almost always. She was very athletic, but she still held that feminine feel to her. She let her gray, striped cat ears stay out for she thought it irritating to have to hide them, along with her gray, striped tail. She smiled enthusiastically and proudly let her fangs glisten in the sunlight. The three had raced all the way from Cleopatra’s boat miles down the Nile River to her throne room in Cairo, Egypt. They all laughed at the fact that she was so tired and continued on into the room. Later that night, Cleopatra revealed the devastating news the she held in all day long. Horus stood in absolute anger. “ The King of England has called war against us!? Why!? What is it we have done to have come to this!?” His eyes held fiery anger that seemed to be impossible to put out. Cleopatra hung her head and sighed. “He… he wants my crown.” She immediately buried her face into her hands. Her shoulders shook violently as she wept heavily. Baste put her arms around Cleopatra and hugged her tight, trying to calm her. “I… I just don’t know w-what to do! How c-can I stop him?” She was crying so hard now she could hardly speak. Horus and Baste exchanged glances; both held a worried look upon their faces. “ Aw, it’s ok! We will always be here for you, as both your best friends and as your loyal subjects.” Baste removed her arms and stood beside Horus. The two bowed low in deep respect for her. She looked up and smiled weakly. As she wiped her eyes, she threw her arms around them and laughed. “ Thank you. You guys are the best friends a girl could have!” The three hugged for a moment, but then broke off in all directions. Cleopatra stood up, a fierce look on her face. “Okay. Let’s go!” She walked off towards the stairs that led to the throne room below, Horus and Baste following behind her. And with that, the war had begun.
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Fire flashed off in the distance through the windows of the throne room. Screams rose over the sounds of the ring of swords and the crashing of houses being destroyed. Even so, Cleopatra remained adamant at her post. She sat on the throne while Horus stood beside her, sword drawn, and Baste stationed on a window, the string on her bow pulled back and ready to shoot down anyone with her poison arrows. They all remained so in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, they heard a loud bang on the large, golden doors. Three more bangs followed it. On the fifth bang, the doors swung open and an army of the British piled in, weapons at the ready. Both Horus and Baste immediately tensed, preparing for battle. Horus dashed forward and began to fight. He stabbed his sword into one man’s ankle and severed it clean off, the blood spurting and spilling everywhere out of the wound. Baste fired multiple poison arrows all at once, all of them striking a British soldier in the heart. After all of the soldiers were annihilated, the battle seemed to be over by Horus and Baste’s standards. They were horribly wrong. When they turned around to congratulate each other with Cleopatra, they found her being held by the king of England. He firmly held his hand over her mouth and, with his other hand, held a sword to her throat in a death grip. Their hearts sank at this terrible sight. The king laughed manically, throwing his head back. “Now, you see what this has come to? All I wanted was the crown of Cleopatra, but, no! You had to fight back and start this worthless war.” Baste started forward, thoroughly infuriated. “ That is a lie! You started this war! We had nothing to do with this!” Baste’s voice echoed as it rose in anger. The king laughed once more. “Do you really think I care about petty little details such as those? Ha! You foolish, barbaric savages!” The king slowly pressed the sword harder on Cleopatra’s neck. She let out a muffled cry as tears rolled down her cheeks. “No!” Baste held her hand in a desperate act to protect her. The vile king removed the sword, leaving Cleopatra gasping for air. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Long live the Queen Cleopatra!” He returned the sword to her throat and slowly pulled it across. The blood made it’s way down her chest and the sword as he did so. When he released her, she slumped to the floor. Blood oozed from her split veins as she fell into an deep, endless sleep. Baste fell to her knees, the tears flowing nonstop down her cheeks. “ Impossible…” Horus gasped, not believing what he just witnessed. Baste sat there, shaking. She made no reply. What happened next was truly remarkable. Apparently, with her last bit of strength, Cleopatra crawled around the vicious king and stolen the sword that practically killed her. With that sword, she thrust it through his heart. As the blade punctured his innards, a shower of blood flooded out of his chest, dripping onto the floor as he fell down beside Cleopatra. Baste immediately stood up and ran to her dying queen’s side. “No… n-no… no, you can’t die! Egypt still needs a ruler! Y-you… please d-don’t leave us!” Baste threw herself upon the half-dead figure beneath her and wept. She heard a low cough from beneath her and instantly sat up. “B-Baste… I… I’m s-s-sorry… b-but I… I can’t go on… I… h-have no energy…” Cleopatra shakily lifted her golden crown off her head and placed it in Baste’s hands. Baste stared deeply into her eyes. “What…?” She seemed utterly confused. “ Y-you… shall rule in my place… for you cannot die… you shall g-guide my people to peace… please… f-for me.” She placed her hand on top of Baste’s arm. As her eyes rolled back into her head, her hand fell limply to her side. Baste and Horus could not believe it. Just like that, their best friend and queen had died. While Baste sat there in disbelief, Horus calmly strode towards the two. He scooped up Baste and carried her out of the throne room. He later returned for Cleopatra’s body and gave her a proper mummification and burial ceremony. The entire kingdom was devastated by her death. None remain today who know what happened.

~ Chapter 1~

The burning sun overhead beat down upon the back of Sara’s neck as she slowly rode down the hill on her horse. Man…I cannot believe how hot it is out here! She thought to herself. The heat was overbearing and the sweat rolled down the side of her face. As she reached for her handkerchief, she fell backwards off the back of her horse as it reared up, whinnying with surprise. She rubbed her neck as she struggled to sit up. She noticed up ahead that there was a dark figure standing before her. When the figure stepped forward, she had a full view of its face. Although there was not much to view, she had clear sight of the eyes which held a green reflection of the sunlight. In its right hand, it held a spear with a red and gold tasseled string tied around it. The figure was dressed in a simple navy blue turban, baggy shirt and pants tied together by a navy blue belt. Its face was shrouded by a mask that covered both its mouth and nose. It pointed the tip of the spear at her heart as she stood. “You have no business here! Leave or die!” The figure’s voice was feminine and sort of high pitched. You could tell that she would not be easily moved. Sara simply placed a finger on the tip and moved it to the side. “Calm down! I’m not going to stir up any trouble! There’s no need to flip!” Her carefree spirit shined through, but only momentarily as the spear returned to its spot over Sara’s heart. “You must leave or you will be forced to! These lands are cursed, so do not come any further!” The figure held her place as another figure joined her side, also holding a spear at Sara’s heart. Sara shook her head and replied, “ Listen, I’m not a treasure hunter or a thief or anyone who wants to excavate here! I’m only coming here because I need a place to stay and study! If you let me in, I promise that I will not touch or look at anything that you don’t want me to.” The two exchanged looks in a suspicious way, making Sara shudder. The first sighed and said, “ Very well. You may enter as long as you are under our supervision. Understand?” Sara nodded. The figures removed their spears and threw them aside. The first removed its mask, the second following. Now the figures weren’t as intimidating to Sara. The female smiled and held out her hand. Proudly, she said, “ My name is Rai-jiin, but you can call me Rai.” Returning her smile, Sara smiled also. Rai’s comrade stepped forward, gently grabbed her free hand and kissed it. Sara blushed, slightly embarrassed. “ The name is Baron. It is an honor to meet you.” Rai grabbed his ear and pulled. Baron screeched in pain as he was yanked away. Once Rai released him, his entire right side of his face was a flushed pink. “ You think you such the ladies man, don’t you!?” Sara laughed as Baron rubbed his ear, mumbling under his breath. Rai sighed and shook her head. “ You will never learn, will you?” Throwing the subject to the side, she walked over to the gates and pushed them open. Helping Baron up, Sara grabbed the reigns of her horse and guided it through. Shutting the gates behind him, Baron ran to catch up with the rest of the group. “ Welcome, Sara, to the lost throne of Cleopatra!” Rai said excitedly. “ Here, let me take you to a room you can stay in.” As Rai guided Sara to the guest room, Baron took her horse to a stable. Sitting on the bed, Sara said, “ How come everything is so well kept if no one has lived here in centuries?” Giving Rai a suspicious look, she stood up. Rai, sensing no harm in the matter, simply replied, “ Our tribe has taken care of it since the death of Cleopatra and we worked hard to keep it that way, so, we usually don’t welcome strangers in.” That wasn’t enough for her so she asked, “ Oh really? And what tribe would that be? Hmmm?” Sweating, Rai twiddled her thumbs. “ T-the legendary tribe of… of.. of t-the Sheikahs! Yeah, that’s right, the legendary tribe of the Sheikahs!” Still not entirely convinced, Sara gave her the evil eye. Deciding not to press the matter, she waved it off. Rai sighed with relief and, pulling Sara along, replied, “ How about a tour?” Even though there is not much to see, she thought. Sara nodded. “ That would be great!” The two raced down the stairs to meet up with Baron and looked around the Great Cleopatra’s throne room.
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“ So… this is where the queen Cleopatra sat? Right here?” Sara’s jaw hung open as she caressed the arms of Queen Cleo’s throne. Rai nodded her head proudly and winked, giggling. “ The Queen Cleopatra loved this place… and everyone in it. She took great care of the slaves, even though they were usually treated like vermin.” She paused for moment to stare dreamily at the ceiling. She shook her head and offered to make camp. “We should probably rest up for tomorrow. M’kay?” Sara nodded, unpacked all of her belongings and left to set up camp. Baron appeared over Rai’s shoulder and said, “ Do you think that she’s figured it out?” Rai folded her arms in front of her and shook her head. “ As long as she remains naïve to the truth, we needn’t worry of what tragedies or successes that befall her… for now.” Rai left without another word and helped Sara set up camp. Baron stood there with an unsatisfied look on his face. He snickered deviously and said to himself, “ Very well. Let us see what our new friend is capable of and if she really is part of the legend.” He soon left the empty throne room to join the two with Sara’s unpacking.


~ Chapter 2 ~

“ So, young one, how well do you think you know the story of Queen Cleopatra?” The old man smiled in a creepy, toothless way. Sara’s smile stretched from ear to ear. “I studied the history on Cleopatra’s life in my fourth college year!” Old man Jenkins managed to croak out a dry, raspy laugh. “ All that you have learned about how she died… is a lie!” Sara gasped, unable to believe it. “ Shall I tell you, then?” Sara nodded, clutching her pillow tightly. “ On a night quite similar to now, our young queen died and I’ll tell you how.” Rai groaned. “Huh, verse!” She threw up her hands and pulled the covers up to her ears to block out any sound. “ Anyway… the story that you are about to be told, starts in a place before the world was old. Our queen was a beauty and her fame stretched across the land, until her story reached the ears of a monstrous band. She informed her two guardians of her fate, then their entire essences seethed with hate. So, Cairo was at war and the soldiers were ready, armed at the door. They sacrificed their lives in hopes that their kingdom would once again thrive. But, alas, the poor queen was killed by the man who came from over the hills. Unfortunately, her two attendants found out that she was to be married right after she was buried.” Sara shook with fear and excitement. “ B-But… who were her two guardians?” The old man smiled deviously. “Why, they were none other than-” Rai shot up, threw the covers to the side and smack him on the back of the head. “Don’t you have some kind of homeless shelter to go to!? Shoo!” The old man frowned, got up and left. Rai shook her fist at him as he disappeared into the mysterious desert. Ignoring the glares coming from Sara, Rai made her way back to her sleeping bag, laid down and went to sleep. “I don’t understand what all of the fuss was. Why did you send him away?” Without turning to look at her, Rai waved the question away. “It doesn’t matter. Just go to sleep.” As Sara calmed down and tried to fall asleep, she could have sworn that she heard purring coming from Rai’s direction. She soon felt herself drifting into what she thought would be a peaceful night’s sleep.
Sara… Sara… can you hear me? Sara slowly opened her eyes sleepily, unaware that someone had called her name. She sat up and stretched, yawning. She looked at her watch and sighed. “Man… its only 2:00 am.” She moaned and turned over, pulling the covers over her head. Sara… Sara… can you hear me, Sara? “What? W-who’s there?” She once again sat up and looked around. She saw nothing but the tumbleweed rolling by peacefully. Sara… the voice spoke again, this time coming from behind her. Sara stood up and whirled around as she quickly grabbed a hunting pistol from her belt. She aimed straight in front of her, finger at the ready over the trigger. “A-alright! I know that you’re there! I d-don’t want to have to… to hurt you, so… s-show yourself and no one will get hurt!” No response other than the strange reverberation of her own voice. “I… I mean it! Reveal yourself or I’ll pull the trigger!” As soon as those words escaped her lips, a silver silhouette emerged from the oasis. Sara’s arms slowly fell to her sides. Her pistol slid out of her grip. There, levitating before her was… the lost spirit of Cleopatra. “What…?” B-but… Queen Cleopatra… she’s… impossible, she thought. “No, Sara, it is not impossible. But, yes… I have passed on.” Oh, great! Now she can read my thoughts? “Yes, unfortunately for you, I can.” She smiled in a ghostly way that still seemed sweet. “Are you really the ancient Queen Cleopatra, though?” She asked. The spirit nodded and placed her hands on her hips in a childish way. “Yes, I am, but you don’t have to say it like I’m that old!” Sara laughed nervously, slowly starting to back away. “Sara, I have a serious favor to ask of you… I want to show you something, but you can only see it if you swear on your life that you won’t tell a single soul!” The queen’s expression became fierce as she closed in on her. Feeling helpless, she fell backwards in fear. “I-I-I promise! I won’t tell anyone!” Sara stared into the paranormal queen’s pale- gray eyes, nodding reassuringly. Still unsure whether to trust her or not, Cleo shrugged.