Twins of Egypt

Chapter 6: Runaway || Part 6

"Yes," I plastered the falsest smile of my face, "which brings me to my other question: Why are you here?"

"Oh, yes," she smiled playfully, "I want to show you, your bride to be." She pulled out a small stone engraving of my future wife. "I know it is not much, but I was told by the messenger, that she is said to be one of the fairest in Britannia. You will fall in love with her."

Her assuredness, gave me no comfort, because I wondered how I could possibly love someone, if I missed everything. I did not answer her, and instead walked away towards my bed. She seemed to be my sister, she knew me well enough, she did not lie, and she has been honest since I have come here. Father and Lysander too, have been very much the same, but I still could not erase the feeling of nothingness gnawing an open wound in my heart. I sighed, maybe I was overthinking, maybe I just need to start anew in Britannia with my bride; I smiled, I was going to be married. I looked at the engraving and found that she was pretty in a carving. If she were as pretty as Helena, or as Venus herself, I would fall in love with her, and I wondered then, would that missing feeling blow away.

"She is pretty," I answered my sister, compliantly, "What is her name, again?" I walked towards my chest and pulled out my white tunic decorated with a mahogany strip in the middle, and matching toga with the same colored strip adorning it.

"Her name is Gwenyver," she said the name hideously. "The people of Britannia have terrible taste in names," she stuck her tongue out again.

"It's a lovely name," I laughed at my sister's mistake, "now please leave, I must dress up for our travel. Although it was splendid living her for the past ten days, I want to move forward."

"That is splendid," Helena glowed with happiness, "you're listening to Lysander's advice."

I nodded, "Yes," I agreed, "I should have absorbed his help rather than abhor it."

Helena came up to me and gave me a large embrace, "I am proud of you." She kissed the side of my head and told me, one final think, "You do not need to know who you were, all that matters is who you are, my love." She released me and left me to change.

How can I know who I am, without knowing who I was? Must I start from scratch? I sighed, and took a towel from my bed and walked outside of my Grecian room, towards the Grecian baths.

********

"Helios, my son," my father welcomed me to the triclinium with a hard embrace and then he gestured for me to sit down and enjoy a small meal.

There was a plate of freshly baked flat bread and an assortment of cheese settled on another plate. There was a bowl of fruit in between then, and I grabbed the fresh apricots. I bit into it as my father spoke to all of us.

Helena sat beside me and Lysander sat in front of me. Our father sat to the left of me, at the head of the table. Helena was only drinking freshly squeezed lemons. It was sour as sour can become. She drank it because of the health "benefits" and to counter the sourness she ate some winter red grapes from our vineyards. I bit into my apricot laughing at her.

"Wait father," Lysander stopped my father's long speech about the Ap Gruffydd Glyndŵr family, "I do not think the Lady Gwynever would like her husband's golden flecked hair. It brings about so much attention."

"What is the problem with that?" I challenged with a mouthful of apricot.

"Because," Lysander smiled challengingly, "it is grim and gloomy in Britannia; you look like a rebounding ray of sunlight with your multi-colored hair and tanned skin."

"That is good, no?" I wondered, biting into my second apricot.

"Yes," he laughed, "if you desire to die."