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2025-01-10
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The Sigil

Summary:

Caesar and Sextus's meeting on the shore doesn't quite go as Caesar planned.

Notes:

Based on the 1994 Sydney Opera House production.

Inspired by historical facts not mentioned in the libretto, but obviously not based on them.

Work Text:

"Let go of that sigil!" Caesar said as he sprang out of hiding. He tried to snatch the signet ring from Sextus, but the latter nimbly ducked aside.

"My lord!" Sextus exclaimed as he actually looked up and recognized Caesar. "What… why… How have you survived?"

"I swam to the shore and thus escaped death," Caesar said. "Come on, hand me the ring."

"No," Sextus said.

Caesar stared at him, more in astonishment than in anger. The young man, barely out of boyhood, defiantly glared back.

"Achillas gave it to me," Sextus said firmly, "for, may I add, my mother's sake."

It seemed almost surreal that anyone would dare to speak to Caesar like that. He longed to pay back this insolent boy – a simple fight would show very clearly which of them was worthy of commanding troops.

However, Caesar was unarmed, his sword having sunk beneath the sea's waves – while Achillas had provided Sextus with a sword in addition to the sigil.

"And are you even capable of leading an army?" Caesar decided to try a friendly approach. "Have you ever done that?"

"In the past weeks, I have been risking my life every day, creeping around the palace and trying to avenge my father!" Sextus snapped. "What have you done besides cavort with Cleopatra and lose most of your legions?"

"You dare to speak to me like this?" after barely surviving the battle and then the depths of the sea, he couldn't even muster any proper rage. Besides, he was still too incredulous for that.

"When I saw how angry you were at Father's death, I hoped you were our friend!" Sextus bit back. "I hoped you would help us against the pharaoh! But you did not, never, you preferred to sit back and wait, even though you actually went to visit Ptolemy! When you went to his palace in the evening after Father's funeral, I was waiting outside, hoping that you would start a battle and I'd join you. But you did nothing – nothing but talk with that viper, that bloody vulture in a pharaoh's crown! – and left Mother and myself on our own!"

Sword still in hand at the ready, Sextus walked to Achillas's body and kicked it.

"Damn him. Now that he had helped me so much, I can't even hate him properly. Cursed traitor, he managed to escape my vengeance after all! But even he," Sextus turned back to Caesar, "was of more use to us than you!"

"Now, my good lords," Nirenus spoke gently. Caesar had almost forgotten about the eunuch. "Time is of the essence. You might want to unite your power for now, and I am sure that Sextus's words, spoken so rashly, will…"

"No," Sextus said. "I know he won't forgive or forget them. No more than I will forget how he had acted."

Caesar tried to look for a proper sword or any kind of weapon among the dead bodies lying around them, but he could see nothing. Achillas had likely had enough life in him to hide his sword when Ptolemy's men were searching the dead, but all the other fallen warriors hadn't a single weapon on them.

His left leg was numb and felt painful to step on – he had hit it on something from the sea floor, hopefully not a venomous fish or coral of any sort. If he had been at his full strength… oh, he might have tried to charge Sextus unarmed and snatched the sword from him before he could blink.

As it was, he could only watch as the younger Pompey and the eunuch dashed off towards the cave where Achillas's reserves were hiding.

Gritting his teeth, he limped in the opposite direction, where he knew the Roman camp – or whatever was left of it – was located.

"Your harlot queen has sold Egypt's freedom to Rome! Will you stand for it?"

The crowds roared with rage.

"You're a Roman yourself, boy!" a lone voice yelled. Several more joined him in assent.

"By birth, I am. But with Rome corrupted by the greed of Caesar, I can no longer claim a part in it, nor do I wish to. I stand with Egypt! I stand with Arsinoë!" Sextus smiled at his new bride, Cleopatra's younger sister. She was quieter than Cleopatra and not as brave, but pretty enough and of the same age as him – and, most importantly, no friend of Caesar.

After Sextus killed Ptolemy, Caesar managed to sneak into the palace and carry off Cleopatra – likely not realizing how it would help Sextus turn the people's mood against the couple, or possibly not expecting such a move from Sextus, whom he still believed to be young and stupid. With little of his army left, the grand Julius Caesar was little more than a fugitive.

Certainly he could gather more armies in due time. Sextus had heard a few stories of Caesar turning seemingly hopeless causes into triumphs. But then he wouldn't be idle during that time either, would he?

Sextus looked at the crowds in front of him, feeling that his father would have been proud. Pompey the Great's death had already been avenged – and now it was time to continue his work and his battles.