Chapter 5:
Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to Disney except Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and the Pharoah. (which I like to call the 'king' sometimes too, so bare with me.)
"No no no! I wanted white lotus blossoms! Those are yellow!" The king waved his hand at the servants, "Get those out of here." He slumped back in his chair, putting a hand to his head.
"Your Majesty!"
The king jumped, "Yes! Yes?"
His royal advisor charged into the room. "Everything is going as planned. This came for you this morning." He handed him a parchment with a Roman seal.
The king knitted his eyebrows as he read through the letter. "Mark Antony is coming to Egypt," He finally said.
"But sir!"
"Sigh Set another place at the table. I don't want him with my daughter, but I don't want a war either. I'm sure that Hercules won't mind sharing his honorary dinner with another acclaimed hero.... Tell Cleopatra that she will remain in her room an hour before dinner and will return there immediately following desert. At no time is she to be alone with Antony."
"Yes your Majesty."
Meg was pacing back and forth in her room, fiddling with her hands nervously. She had managed to put the princess of Egypt in her own dungeon, but what was she going to do now? A loud knock at the door startled her. "C-come in."
A servant entered with a tray and some food and wine. Meg took it eagerly. It was the only food she had laid eyes on in two days.
"Your Highness, your father would like to remind you that Hercules is joining us for dinner tonight." Meg gasped, dropping the glass bottle on the floor and spilling red wine over the white marble tiles.
"Oh! Are you quite alright highness?"
"Oh, um, yes." Meg tried to compose herself. She quickly knelt down to clean up the pieces of broken glass. The servant girl jumped to clean it, looking at her strangely. "You haven't been acting like yourself since you came home."
Meg stood up, quickly realizing her mistake. "Oh, well...I really don't think that is any of your business. Now what were you saying about dinner?"
"Yes, well it seems that Mark Antony will also be joining us, and your father has given strict orders that you are not to leave your room an hour before dinner and to return to you room straight after desert has ended."
Suddenly Meg knew exactly what she was going to do.
The view was dim from the corner of the dungeon cell. Horrible noises and screams could be heard from around the corner. Every once in a while a muscle bound guard would come down the hall eyeing the prisoners. Cleopatra sat huddled on the dirty floor, shivering. Her sheer dress was nice for the palace life, but it wasn't very practical for a dungeon.
"Back! Back!" The jailer yelled as he came down the hall. Cleopatra jumped and peered through the darkness like a frightened mouse. A hooded figure walked next to the jailer, and they stopped outside of her cell. The keys jingled and the door opened.
"Call when you want out." The hooded figure walked in and the door banged shut behind it.
"W-who are you?" Cleopatra scurried to the opposite end of the cell. "Please, don't hurt me!"
"Relax," Megara pulled her hood down and revealed herself.
"YOU!" Cleopatra jumped on Meg and pinned her against the wall.
"Mmph!" Megara struggled to get her off.
"What's going on in there?" The guard called out.
"She-" Cleopatra was cut short by the sharp dagger that was held at her throat.
"Everything is fine," Meg called back, "Now, you're gonna shut up and act like everything is just peachy, got it?" Cleopatra nodded. Meg pushed her off of her and hid the dagger in the folds of her cloak.
"Why do you have that!?" Cleopatra gasped.
"Why do YOU have it? I found it in your room."
"Hmph! To protect me from people like you! Why are you here? You've already gotten rid of me. What else do you want?"
"I didn't want to get rid of you. I just want to get out of here. Besides, you didn't give me much choice, ya know. You were gonna have me executed! Now if you listen carefully, I can get you out of here."
"You-you're here to help me then?"
"No, I just came all the way down here to gloat," Meg said sarcastically.
"Oh. Well.... I'm sorry about the whole execution thing."
Meg raised and eyebrow, "No problem."
"You um, you never told me your name."
"It's Megara. I'm here with Hercules and he and Mark Antony are coming to a big dinner at the palace tonight!"
"Antony!? My father would never let him near me!"
"Well, um...he thinks he's preventing a war. I may have gotten him confused with the whole angry boyfriend thing."
"Oh no. Antony is probably coming to see me."
Meg knitted her eyebrows. "Why is your father so against Mark Antony? Doesn't he thing that an alliance with Rome would be helpful?"
Cleopatra snorted, "I do! I've been saying for years that and alliance would make Egypt and Rome more powerful, but after Caesar was killed...they both needed a little more convincing." She sighed, "The Romans think that I had something to do with Caesar's murder, and my father thinks that I'm being framed in a plot to take over Egypt... If I could only speak to Antony."
Megara was suddenly seeing Cleopatra as more of a diplomat then a snotty little rich girl. "If I can find a way to talk to Hercules alone, then we could fix this... but it's not going to be easy. Your father has me restricted to my room."
"The tapestry on the far wall. There's a door behind it. Slip Hercules a not at dinner that tells him to meet you outside."
Meg smiled, "See, I told you we could make this work. You'll be out of here soon. In the mean time, stay put, and try not to act like a princess." She motioned for the guard; "I'm ready now."
"Oh, Megara? Thanks."
"Call me Meg." She pulled the hood back over her head and winked as the jailer opened the cell door and left Cleopatra alone again.
Disclaimer: All of these characters belong to Disney except Cleopatra, Mark Antony, and the Pharoah. (which I like to call the 'king' sometimes too, so bare with me.)
"No no no! I wanted white lotus blossoms! Those are yellow!" The king waved his hand at the servants, "Get those out of here." He slumped back in his chair, putting a hand to his head.
"Your Majesty!"
The king jumped, "Yes! Yes?"
His royal advisor charged into the room. "Everything is going as planned. This came for you this morning." He handed him a parchment with a Roman seal.
The king knitted his eyebrows as he read through the letter. "Mark Antony is coming to Egypt," He finally said.
"But sir!"
"Sigh Set another place at the table. I don't want him with my daughter, but I don't want a war either. I'm sure that Hercules won't mind sharing his honorary dinner with another acclaimed hero.... Tell Cleopatra that she will remain in her room an hour before dinner and will return there immediately following desert. At no time is she to be alone with Antony."
"Yes your Majesty."
Meg was pacing back and forth in her room, fiddling with her hands nervously. She had managed to put the princess of Egypt in her own dungeon, but what was she going to do now? A loud knock at the door startled her. "C-come in."
A servant entered with a tray and some food and wine. Meg took it eagerly. It was the only food she had laid eyes on in two days.
"Your Highness, your father would like to remind you that Hercules is joining us for dinner tonight." Meg gasped, dropping the glass bottle on the floor and spilling red wine over the white marble tiles.
"Oh! Are you quite alright highness?"
"Oh, um, yes." Meg tried to compose herself. She quickly knelt down to clean up the pieces of broken glass. The servant girl jumped to clean it, looking at her strangely. "You haven't been acting like yourself since you came home."
Meg stood up, quickly realizing her mistake. "Oh, well...I really don't think that is any of your business. Now what were you saying about dinner?"
"Yes, well it seems that Mark Antony will also be joining us, and your father has given strict orders that you are not to leave your room an hour before dinner and to return to you room straight after desert has ended."
Suddenly Meg knew exactly what she was going to do.
The view was dim from the corner of the dungeon cell. Horrible noises and screams could be heard from around the corner. Every once in a while a muscle bound guard would come down the hall eyeing the prisoners. Cleopatra sat huddled on the dirty floor, shivering. Her sheer dress was nice for the palace life, but it wasn't very practical for a dungeon.
"Back! Back!" The jailer yelled as he came down the hall. Cleopatra jumped and peered through the darkness like a frightened mouse. A hooded figure walked next to the jailer, and they stopped outside of her cell. The keys jingled and the door opened.
"Call when you want out." The hooded figure walked in and the door banged shut behind it.
"W-who are you?" Cleopatra scurried to the opposite end of the cell. "Please, don't hurt me!"
"Relax," Megara pulled her hood down and revealed herself.
"YOU!" Cleopatra jumped on Meg and pinned her against the wall.
"Mmph!" Megara struggled to get her off.
"What's going on in there?" The guard called out.
"She-" Cleopatra was cut short by the sharp dagger that was held at her throat.
"Everything is fine," Meg called back, "Now, you're gonna shut up and act like everything is just peachy, got it?" Cleopatra nodded. Meg pushed her off of her and hid the dagger in the folds of her cloak.
"Why do you have that!?" Cleopatra gasped.
"Why do YOU have it? I found it in your room."
"Hmph! To protect me from people like you! Why are you here? You've already gotten rid of me. What else do you want?"
"I didn't want to get rid of you. I just want to get out of here. Besides, you didn't give me much choice, ya know. You were gonna have me executed! Now if you listen carefully, I can get you out of here."
"You-you're here to help me then?"
"No, I just came all the way down here to gloat," Meg said sarcastically.
"Oh. Well.... I'm sorry about the whole execution thing."
Meg raised and eyebrow, "No problem."
"You um, you never told me your name."
"It's Megara. I'm here with Hercules and he and Mark Antony are coming to a big dinner at the palace tonight!"
"Antony!? My father would never let him near me!"
"Well, um...he thinks he's preventing a war. I may have gotten him confused with the whole angry boyfriend thing."
"Oh no. Antony is probably coming to see me."
Meg knitted her eyebrows. "Why is your father so against Mark Antony? Doesn't he thing that an alliance with Rome would be helpful?"
Cleopatra snorted, "I do! I've been saying for years that and alliance would make Egypt and Rome more powerful, but after Caesar was killed...they both needed a little more convincing." She sighed, "The Romans think that I had something to do with Caesar's murder, and my father thinks that I'm being framed in a plot to take over Egypt... If I could only speak to Antony."
Megara was suddenly seeing Cleopatra as more of a diplomat then a snotty little rich girl. "If I can find a way to talk to Hercules alone, then we could fix this... but it's not going to be easy. Your father has me restricted to my room."
"The tapestry on the far wall. There's a door behind it. Slip Hercules a not at dinner that tells him to meet you outside."
Meg smiled, "See, I told you we could make this work. You'll be out of here soon. In the mean time, stay put, and try not to act like a princess." She motioned for the guard; "I'm ready now."
"Oh, Megara? Thanks."
"Call me Meg." She pulled the hood back over her head and winked as the jailer opened the cell door and left Cleopatra alone again.