Sisterly Quarrel

“Did you just come here to mock me?”

“I came here to see you. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I never lie.”

“You do nothing but lie.”

“Whatever else you are, my dear, you are my sister.” 

“Half sister.”

“Is it so wrong I’d want to see you? We group up together. I taught you to read.”

“And then you allied yourself with our enemies and left me here to die.”

“Don’t play the victim, Arsinoe, your acting is pathetic and whining doesn’t suit you. Whether you ever acted like it or not, you are of royal blood.”

“Nice of you to finally acknowledge it.”

“Believe me, I am well aware.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Is there anything I can get you while I’m here?”

“You can get a sword and shove it–”

“Language. This is a temple, after all. You wouldn’t want Artemis to come down and smite you now, would you?”

“Don’t give me that sanctimonious nonsense, you stopped believing in any of that when you were a child.”

“But you didn’t.”

“What would you know? You never took the time to know me. You’ve hated me since the minute I was born.”

“I’ve never hated you.”

“That’s even worse. You didn’t even think of me as enough of a threat to hate me.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, you always do this–”

“You think of me as an annoyance, a child–”

“You are a child!”

“If I were a child, you’d be protecting me, giving me unearned titles and accolades like you do your stupid son.”

“Which is it, Arsinoe, do I treat you like a child or don’t I? Your story doesn’t add up and your argument is as shoddy as your army–”

“An army that had your precious Caesar on the run.”

“That means nothing, Caesar was–”

“I know, I know, you dropped him for your little boyfriend. Where is he by the way? Don’t I get to meet him before you pop out more Roman bastards?”

“How–”

“I’m not stupid. It’s strategic. You might have abandoned your mother, but I still loved mine.”

“Now you’re just being rude to be rude. That’s no way to speak to your queen.”

“I bet you killed her too.”

“I’ve never killed anyone.”

“Don’t split hairs, not with me.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Fine, had her killed. The way you did Berenice.”

“You didn’t even like Berenice-”

“She’s still our sister.”

“Half sister, remember?”

“Don’t mock me. Why did you even come here? Can’t you just leave me in my exile?”

“I’m just trying to do something nice for you.”

“And I’m finding it incredibly suspicious.”

“You know, thousands of people would love if I deigned to do them a favor.”

“Condescending much?”

“It’s true. And yet, not even civility from my baby sister.”

“Oh, now I’m your baby sister? Why wasn’t I your baby sister when you had me exiled? Why do I only mean anything to you when it’d be convenient for you?”

“You can’t blame me. It’s all part of the game, you know this.”

“The only person you care about is yourself.”

“Weren’t you just complaining about how I give my son, and I quote, unearned titles and accolades?”

“And I stand by that. Plus, it won’t surprise me at all when you abandon him too for the child you’re carrying now.”

“I would–”

“You would never? The way you’d never betray Father, or Berenice, or Thirteen, or Fourteen, or Caesar, or–”

“Point taken, although, I would like you to note that 1. Most of those decisions were made by someone else, not me. I just chose the right allies for myself–”

“Nobody believes you. Nobody who’s met you, anyway.”

“And 2. Don’t act like you’re better than me. You would have done the exact same thing if given a chance.”

“But I never got that chance because of you.”

“You know, when I was your age, I said the exact same thing about Berenice. Yet, I’m still here, and she’s dead.”

“You got lucky. You got the right allies, the right timing. I didn’t get any of that.”

“Look, all of life is a gamble. You were born last of the three of us. That is nobody’s fault.”

“We could have worked together.”

“Really? You want to be allies? You burned that bridge a long time ago.”

“No, I didn’t, Cleo. You did. I was a child.”

“You’re still a child. We all do the best we can. You made your choices. I made mine.”

“I wish you weren’t here.”

“Then why haven’t you kicked me out? You’re stronger than me anyway, and I’m pregnant. Why haven’t you punched me, kicked me, tried to take out my child?”

“I’m not cruel.”

“You poisoned an army with sea water.”

“You slept with Julius Caesar.”

“You’ve got me there. We’ve all done some regrettable things.”

“Not me. I don’t regret mine at all.”

“Fair.”

“What will you name it?”

“Cleopatra Selene, if it’s a girl. Alexander Helios, if it’s a boy.”

“Not Marcus Antonius II? Steering away from that after the first one went so well?”

“Believe me, his name wasn’t my idea.”

“Oh?”

“Trust me on this one.”

"Tch. Wish I could've seen you tell Caesar that when he was alive."

"Yeah.

I wish it hadn’t happened this way.”

“Me too.”

“Don’t laugh it off. I’m being serious.”

“For once.”

“If things had been different– if you’d been a boy, or older, or–”

“But I wasn’t.”

“I know.”

“Cleopatra, why did you come?”

“Carob?”

“What?”

“Do you want some?”

“What I want is for you to answer my question. We never talked, we were never close. Why did you come here?”

“I wanted to do something nice for you.”

“You’ve never done anything for anyone else that didn’t serve you.” 

“Maybe you’re not just anyone.”

“You exiled me to a temple–”

“Again, I didn’t–”

“You know what I mean.”

“If you don’t want me here, I’ll leave.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want you here, I want to know why you’re here. Is there something you need from me? Some information, some letter of approval?”

“I just wanted to see you.”

“Why? What do you know?”

“I–”

“What’s going to happen?”

“I shouldn’t be here.”

“What do you know that I don’t? Is something going to happen? Cleo, please. What’s going to happen? What are you hiding?”

“Calm down. Don’t be so paranoid.” 

“I know you better than that.”

“Arsinoe–”

“Please!”

“You’re in my thoughts.”

“I didn’t want it to be this way. I know I did this to you and yet here, now, you’re all I can think of. They said they’re moving us to Rome in a few days, to be led in a triumph, like you were. I can only imagine what you must have thought, what you must have felt.

She looks like you, my daughter. I ended up using both of the names I told you. Cleopatra Selene. I have another son, too. If he’d been another daughter, he would have been Arsinoe V. I think it’s better you’re the last one, though. Respectful. I know there was nothing I did that was respectful to you. 

If I see you again, I’ll tell you that I’m sorry. I don’t think I ever told you that before.

Maybe if I see you again, we can work together for once. 

We both know I stopped believing a long time ago, in anything, but for what it’s worth, I wish I hadn’t. I wish I believed I’d see you again. And Dad. And even Berenice. We can eat carob and honey. 

At least when I die now, it’ll be on my terms. You died on my terms too– we can joke about that, if I see you again. Once you’re done being mad at me, of course. Justifiably so. 

And maybe if I don’t see you, if I’m born again instead, we’ll still find each other. And maybe we’ll be sisters this time. Real ones, who get to love each other instead of stab each other in the back. 

Maybe next time I’ll see you, I’ll love you.

This one's for you, Arsinoe. Love, Cleopatra.”