Her eyes snapped open.

Alex: “Sister?”

Selena: “I'm alright! Go back to sleep.”

Alex: “Are you alright?”

Selena: “Yeah! Just a nightmare. Don't worry!”

Alex: “Again? You haven't had them, since we were children. Is it the same one?”

Selene: “Yeah!”

Alex: “Hmph! Were you a princess again?”

Selena: “Yeah! And you were a prince of a great Empire!”

Alex: “If only! Then I wouldn't have to shuffle manour every day!”

Phil: “Big brother? Big sister? What are you two talking about?”

Alex: “About your sister's dream, of being a princess. Can you imagine it?

Phil: “Sister? A princess? No way!”

Selena: “Hey!”

Alex: “What?”

Selena: “I could be!”

Phil: “You? The girl who just yesterday, beat up two drunkards, twice her size!”

Alex: “You? The one known throughout the region, as the “Man-slayer”!”

Cesar: “You? The same girl, who chased away all the suitable marriage partners from Petra?”

Selena: “Big brother? When did you wake up?”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Cesar: “Just now. Yawn! Well? Since we're all up, might as well, begin our day.”

Alex: “Nooo! Too early!”

Cesar: “Then GO back to sleep!”-he grumbled, as he turned around, and tried to fall asleep again. He couldn't. Instead, his mind drifted, back to that faithfull day, his family lost everything. Luckily, they were soon adopted, by a very independent, song willed, couple of sister.

Since then, the four, adapted to the life of tavern keeping, in the busy city of Petra. The merchant's crossroads city, on the silk route. Renaming themselves, the siblings took in, to their new life. As they were too young, his three younger siblings, only view their past life, a nothing more, than a dream. However, Caesarion, being the oldest, didn't want to, or rather, couldn't forget his past. For he knew, that Augustus wasn't going to seize his hunt, for Julius Caesar's, only legitimate heir.

Often a times, Caesarion had thought about leaving his 3 younger siblings, as the only real danger to their lives, came from his proximity to them. However, whenever he would try to leave, one of his adoptive mothers, would beat him to a pulp, for abandoning them.

Augustus wasn't a fool. He was well aware, that the children, currently raised by Mark Anthony's wife, were decoy's. And so was the boy, that died, years before, by the hand of Blue Beard, in the stead of Caesarion.

Seeing as how, leaving was not an option, Caesarion had resigned himself, to the life of an inn-keeper. But that didn't mean, he was going to leave his family defensless. For in the face of his new mothers, he found the thoughest, most skilled, merciless, combat teachers, he had ever come across. Not even the elite soldiers of the Royal Palace, could match the two. As such, his siblings grew up under their tutalage, to be as batle ready, as any old soldier. Though skilled, the four also had to keep their training a secret, from the city, for fear, of being recognized.

Yet, when it came time for Selene's coming of age, suitors came rushing in, in hordes, competing for her hand in marriage. Although she was the adopted daughter of a mere inn-keepers, in the years that she had lived in Petra, theirs, had slowly become the richest inn in the city. Pretty much all of the men that came for her, were only interested in her money, and not her. Although she had grown up, to also be the pretiest, unmarried woman in Petra, her attitude towards the opposite sex, slowly changed with time. Because at first, she naively believed, that love, was what stood behind their words of flattery, in just a few months, she quickly understood the ugly truth of greed. As such, her anger took over, and Selene quickly disposed herself of the wanna be lovers.

At the time, she was almost 16 years of age, but as time went on, she bacame, the so called “old maid”. Afraid of her martial prowes, all men from Petra, single and married alike, feare her. And those visiting the city, unaware of her strenght, would often try to seduce her, only to end up in the gutter, beaten to a pulp.

On just such a day, as she was throwing out another one of them, from the shadows in the back alley, a faint grunt, came from an old man with all white hair, long white beard, and face as smooth, as a baby's bottom, wearing nothing but rags.