Сергей Соловьев - Son of the Star, born of the Mountain Alexander the Great

Hearing this, the guard swung a spear shaft at them, but the lohag stopped the warrior.

“To the Athenians, any gratitude is alien,” said the Lochag with irony, passing by the captives.

Two thousand Athenians were captured, and the ambassadors from the City had already arrived, with a ransom offer. They met shortly after the Macedonian feast. The messengers reported to the king about the embassy, he met the heralds of the world on a beautiful armchair.

– Hello, Philip, you let the prisoners go home, but your Thracians took their cloaks from them and it will be cold for them to get home, many people may freeze at night, -the Athenian king turned to the king.

“Without any doubt, it will be fair,” Philip replied smiling broadly, he found it amusing. The Athenians left on foot, with donated raincoats and blankets, and the dead Athenians were put in carts, and a whole caravan gathered, and the carriers were the servants of the Athenians captured in battle. The king thought for a while who to send as a messenger of sorrow, and decided that the prince would be the best. Just once, everyone did not split up after the feast, and he addressed his son:

“Alexander, take the bodies to Athens, the mission is not pleasant, but you will be grateful, and you will visit this great city,” his father sighed.

“And you, tsar,” asked the prince, “you could come with me.”

“If I enter the city, they will think that I conquered them, and I want them to invite me,” said Philip with a tone and expression of an unlucky admirer rejected by a beautiful girl – the most beautiful city of Hellas! And some allies asked me to destroy it..

Philip sought not loyalty or fear of the Athenians, but their love. Each person wants more than anything else that he cannot receive, and here the king of Macedonia was no exception.

Alexander took with him supplies, friends from his retinue, silt of horsemen to protect the cargo. Ahead of the caravan, Philip sent a messenger to Demad, the archon of Athens, to his proxen, in order to warn about the embassy. It was necessary to move forward immediately, so the charges were short-lived, and Philip gave another letter for Demades, his acquaintance the king in Athens, that he would receive Alexander as he should, and the necessary money. Alexander took with him Hephaestion, Ptolemy, Nearh, Cassandra, Filotu, Leonnat, Eumenes and Garpal. The embassy moved as quickly as possible along the road from Thebes to the Plateaus, destroyed, but according to rumors, which the formerly expelled townspeople began to restore. Driving past the city, the Macedonians saw that it was true, and although there were only two churches in the city so far, people stubbornly rebuilt their dwellings, they continued their way despite the summer heat, to the Athenian Eleutheras, the border city between Attica and Beotia. But the travelers dropped in and worshiped Gera of Platea, visiting this beautiful temple decorated by Callimachus and Praxitele themselves, as well as the temples of Athena Areea and Demeter, and leaving the caravan for a while, Alexander and his retinue bowed to the monument to the lost Hellenes at the Battle of Plateo against Mardonius. The valley of Kiferon was full of wonders, and the prince did not regret that he had been sent for this sorrowful business, the return of the dead Athenians to their homes. Soon they approached the Eleutheras, where Alexander delivered the carts with the dead Athenians, but indicated that after nine days the carts themselves would be returned to Eleutheria, where the Macedonians would take them. Then the retinue rode in joy, there was no oppressive feeling of mourning, and the young people looked forward to the joy of meeting the beautiful city. The Athenian guides, near the city gates of Athens, demanded that the convoy stay in the field, and Alexander ordered ilyarkha to camp and wait for them here. The retinue, too, remained with a wait to wait for Demad, Philip’s proksen. It took about half a day, and the archon appeared with two servants. He was a man of about forty, with a small black beard and short hair, dressed in a long tunic and cloak, relatively modest, and he did not wear any jewelry, except the ring on his right hand.

– Hello Alexander, glad to welcome you in the City, and thank you for bringing the dead home. – the person who spoke was not very mobile, and he looked intently at the prince, – I would like to provide my house for you and the retinue. Share my modest meal with me. “It’s not according to our custom to come to the master of peace without a gift,” said Argead with his sonorous voice, “Take from your heart a gift horse from our herd, and Alexander’s squire brought the pedigree Thessalian stallion to Demad,

– Thank you, prince, a rich gift, Let’s go to the city, be guests at my hearth. But it is better to leave these horses with the warriors, I have a small house…

“We understand,” Alexander told the lingering archon with a smile, “our legs are worn as well,” and in response the friends laughed at the joke, so the Macedonians moved into the city on foot.

Inside, the city was not too different from other Hellenic cities – a narrow street between rows of manor fences made of uneven stone, alternating wickets for a turn, and a house with blank walls to the street, and looking out over the fences of fruit trees of home gardens. But over the city stood the Acropolis with the majestic statue of Athena. Finally, they entered the house of Demade, quite considerable in size, also built of stone and covered with plaster. The servants of the Eters and Alexander were taken to the Lads, and the host led all the guests to the garden for dinner, where a treat was already prepared, and the beds were arranged. The butler led the guests to their places, the servants brought tables with delicate dishes and fine wine, only Nearh had seen such feasts at his father’s house.

– I am glad to the guests, although I am not happy about your visit to our city, but I still consider you to be my and our friends, and war is a common misfortune. Let’s drink to the world! – Demad delivered a heartfelt speech, looking around at the makedonians, and they lifted the filled bowls, and pouring wine on the ground in honor of the gods on the ground, drank wine as a sign of agreement and blessing of the spoken words. Everyone considered war a misfortune.

The guests paid tribute to the archon’s dishes – extraordinary fish from Euksinos pontos, boneless and excellent taste, tuna, the best treat, seasoned cheese, and pickled fish, terrible in smell and unusual for the connoisseur. They had already drunk four cups each, and the wine hit my head slightly, the archon rang the bell, inviting flute girls and dancers.

The music was magnificent, but the eyes of the Eters were riveted to a naked girl, with curled black hair, she was thin, without too much heaviness, which attracted Praxitela. The lines of her body were commensurate, the movements were polished and charming, the matte roundness of the shoulders and hips was emphasized by long black hair, and the beauty of her face corresponded to the perfect shape of a small breast. When the dance was over, Alexander invited the sitter to sit on his bed, seeing this, Demad smiled rather, believing that he had pleased the prince.

– What is your name, dear, – asked the young man with interest.

“Tais, hetera,” the beauty replied without a shadow of constraint and attempts to hide behind or move away.

“Your art is beautiful, you look perfect,” looking at it with visible pleasure, he told her, but he did not try to touch her, which surprised Athenians, he was clearly puzzled, and looked with incomprehension.

Alexander felt the warm and floral scent of the body next to him, which pleased him, and felt the purse on his belt, and took out a handful of dariks and put it in the girl’s palm, covering her hand with his.