The boy accepted the embrace, looking over her shoulder at Caesar. “You are a strange man, Roman,” he said. “My sister trusts you. I wonder if that is enough.”

“You have nothing to fear from me,” Julius replied.

Ptolemy nodded. “I will go out to them at dawn, for the people to see me safe. There will be a new order then, in Egypt. I will not have my wife taken from me again.”

His eyes were intense and Julius wondered how much Ptolemy had guessed about their relationship. The marriage was too ludicrous for him to think he had come between husband and wife, and he was not even sure if he had. Despite their intimacy, Cleopatra was still a mystery to him. It was possible that she would simply rearrange her court and resume her role as queen, politely dismissing the Roman who had made it possible.

“I have a gift for you,” Julius said, signaling the armorer of the Tenth who waited nearby.

The burly man stepped forward with a bundle of cloth and Julius unwrapped it to reveal a gladius reduced in size for the king. Ptolemy’s eyes widened with pleasure as he took it. He had tried the simple forms of attack and defense with Domitius at Julius’s request, but the heavy swords had been too much for his arms. Julius could see the smaller blade was exactly right and the king’s boyish smile was mirrored in his own face.

“It is magnificent,” Ptolemy said, rubbing his thumb along the bronze wire and leather of the grip.

Julius nodded. “I hope you will have time to continue your lessons,” he replied.

“I will try. Thank you for the gift, Roman.”

Julius chuckled at the wry tone, remembering the furious little boy he had met on the first morning four weeks before.

“Until tomorrow then,” he said.

As dawn came, the army of the house of Ptolemy gathered on the streets of Alexandria, waiting to welcome the return of their king. Julius looked out through a hole in the barricaded windows and whistled softly to himself. There were many thousands waiting there, a show of strength.

The citizens themselves had come out to catch the first sight of Ptolemy. There had been no mobs to threaten the palace after Julius had spoken to Panek, and he wondered if it had been a bluff, or whether his influence reached further than even Cleopatra knew.

Ptolemy’s footsteps were loud on the marble as he approached the great doors and looked up at Julius. He carried himself well and Julius was pleased to see the small sword on his hip.

Julius eased the door open a little further, so that Ptolemy could see the army gathered in his honor.

“Are you ready?” he asked the boy king.

Ptolemy did not reply and when Julius looked at him, he was astonished to see there were tears in his eyes.