The return of silence
The night was heavy, the stars hanging lower than ever before. Everything was still—no animals, no wind, even the water of the oasis seemed to stop breathing.
Beside me, Cleopatra slept. Her breath was steady, her body at peace. But I knew the calm was only a lie.
I smelled it first—sweet, intoxicating, inhuman.
Then came the voices, soft and beckoning. And from the shadows emerged three figures, women shaped from sand and darkness, beautiful and terrible at once.
"Amenemhet…" they whispered. "We have returned. This time, you will not escape."
---
The seduction
They drew closer, their bodies gleaming with moonlight.
"Look at the princess," one whispered. "She sleeps. She will never be yours."
"You are a eunuch," said the second, her fingers brushing my shoulder, her breath hot. "A half-man. We can give back what was taken from you. We can fill you again."
The third laughed, her voice sharp as broken glass. "You swore an oath? Oaths are chains. Cast them aside. Come to us. We are your freedom."
Their hands touched me, their scent burned on my skin.
---
Cleopatra awakens
And then she stirred. At first she shifted, then opened her eyes. This time she did not see shadows—she saw them fully.
Her hand reached out and she whispered, "Mehet… who are they?"
The beings turned toward her. Their faces changed. The beauty drained away, leaving only sharp, cruel masks.
"Princess," they hissed as one, "you are the obstacle. He belongs to us."
---
Their mockery
One leaned close to her face. "Look, child. He is a slave. Do you think he is yours? Never. He is ours. With us, he can be more than you will ever see."
The second pointed at me. "He is weak. Half a man. How could he protect you, when he cannot even protect himself?"
The third laughed, a sound of knives. "Are you afraid, princess? Good. Fear well. For when he chooses us, you will be left alone."
Cleopatra trembled and clutched my hand.
---
His decision
I stood before her, only a small knife in my hand—a pitiful weapon against such forces.
"No," I said aloud. "I swore to the gods that I would protect her. I swore to the Pharaoh that I would be her shield. And I swore to myself that I would never break that oath. Never."
The beings laughed. "Fool! What are your oaths compared to the desires of the desert? What is your loyalty compared to our gift?"
I held firm. "My oath is worth more than my life."
---
Their fury
They screamed. The wind rose, sand whipped around us, the pool of water swelled like a tide.
One became a cobra, taller than a palm tree, its scales shining in the moonlight. Another turned into a hundred birds, each with a beak sharp as a dagger. The third burned with fire, flames leaping from her hair.
"You will fall with her!" they shrieked. "You will fall because you chose chains!"
But I did not move.
---
The protector
Cleopatra clung to me, her eyes wide. She saw everything.
"Mehet," she whispered, "please, don't fight them. They will destroy you."
I turned to her, meeting her gaze. "This is my burden. Your father gave me a life that belongs to you. And I will give it, if need be. But I will never let you fall."
---
Their defeat
The beings struck. The wind tore, the sand cut my skin, flames licked at us. Yet every blow broke apart, as though the knife in my hand carried more than my strength.
"You chose chains!" they roared. "And one day, they will strangle you!"
Their forms unraveled, their voices scattering into the desert wind. At last they dissolved into silence.
---
After the trial
The oasis was quiet again. Cleopatra clung to me, still trembling. "I saw them," she whispered. "They were real. Not dreams."
I nodded. "Yes. But they will not return. Not tonight."
She was silent, then squeezed my hand tighter. "And you… you stood against them, even knowing they could kill you."
"That is what my oath demands," I replied. "And an oath stands higher than my life."
---
Inside me
She saw everything. She saw what I must bear. But she must never know what I feel. She must never know the truth of my heart. My oath protects her, but my love is mine alone to carry. And so it will remain
I was silent for a while, then sat down beside her.
"It was a trial," I said slowly. "The desert takes many shapes. The gods test hearts differently than they test bodies."
She shook her head. "They weren't testing your heart. They were testing your will. And you defeated them."
"Only for this night," I replied. "They will return. They always return. That is why I could not sleep."
She looked at me so intently that I had to turn my gaze away. "And me? Why did I see them too?"
I thought for a moment. "Perhaps because you are the daughter of Pharaoh. Perhaps because you were beside me. Or perhaps because the gods want you to know what it means to carry a burden."
---
Silence between them
For a while we just sat, listening to the palms and the splashing of water. She leaned her head on my shoulder.
"I have never felt so far from the palace," she whispered. "And never so… free."
Her words pierced my heart. For I knew this freedom was only a fleeting dream. One day we would return, and she would be a princess, then a queen. And I would be only the shadow at her side.
---
Her questions
After a while she spoke again. "Why have you never told me how you became who you are? I have always heard fragments—about temples, about ships, about your medicines. But never the whole story."
I looked at her. "Not everything is meant for your ears. And not everything would please you."
She frowned, but her gaze did not waver. "I am not a child, Mehet. Not anymore. If I am to bear my father's name, I must know the truth. Even about you."
I drew a long breath. "One day I will tell you. But not today. Today is a day of peace."
---
A small smile
Cleopatra smiled. Faintly, wearily, but truly. "Then at least play for me. As you used to, when I was little."
I drew out my flute. The sound was soft, pure, carrying over the water. And she closed her eyes, her head resting on my shoulder, listening.
And I told myself I would remember this moment—because I knew it was only a brief gift the gods had allowed me.