He is dead…

I saw the enemy boats approaching and I got away. I knew he would follow me. I realized we couldn´t win, so we left our men in battle, certain that they would die. In the end, we lost.

After a few days of sailing he received a false report about my death, and threw himself on his own sword in grief. I began my way home with all my hopes flying miles away and my heart broken for the last time.

I turned back and saw her ship going away. I knew she had realized we were going to lose, and so I did the worst thing that I could to my men: I left with her.

"Captain!" I shouted.

"Yes, sire," He turned his head toward me.

"Follow Lady Cleopatra's ship," I said firmly.

"Yes, sire."

He didn't question me, but he looked at me with disapproval in his eyes. I looked down at the floor knowing I was a traitor. I betrayed my own men for one woman.

I retired to my cabin. I went to my desk and sat down looking at some papers. Slowly I began closing my eyes and finally I fell asleep.

"Sire," Someone woke me up.

"Yes?"

"You have received a message from one of Lady Cleopatra's maids."

"Give it to me," I said, anxious. He handed me a sheet of paper wrapped in red ribbon.

"Go," He obeyed immediately and walked out.

I slowly unrolled the paper and began to read it:

Marc Antony,

With great sorrow, I regret to inform you that my mistress, Lady Cleopatra, committed suicide when she realized it was impossible to win this battle. My sincere condolences, I knew of your affection for my lady.

Sincerely

Eirene

It was very short, but for me it was the longest letter I had ever read. I couldn't believe it. She wasn't like that. I knew her, she was my wife.

Octavian had put the senate and all Rome against us, alleging that I was only being used by the Queen of Egypt. But I knew she loved, and I was madly in love with her too. I couldn't believe he would ever betray me like that, but he didn't care about our past friendship or anything we had shared.

I fought on his side against the murderers of his uncle Julius Caesar, but he didn't care about that either. And now he had taken away my only love. I wouldn't be able to see her again, or hold her in my arms. I didn't care about the Empire, Rome or anything else, I just thought of my lost love…

"I cannot live, if living is without you. I just can't..."

In that precise moment, I took my sword and I crossed my already broken heart with it, taking away my own life.

My hands were crimson. I began coughing and I fell on my left knee. It hurt, it hurt a lot. I was breathing very heavily and everything looked blurry. I started to get dizzy as everything spun around me.

Finally I fell completely, my hands tightened around the sword's hilt in my chest. My life was escaping trough my fingers. I leaned on my back in the floor of my cabin and I closed my eyes, and with my last breath I said, "Here I am, my love…"

And suddenly it all disappeared behind me.