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around him began to shine with smiles. King Philip, he was so pleased that he just broke into a smile for joy and pride for his son. And I stood nearby, did not take my eyes off a friend, and was so happy for him, as though he had tamed a brave stallion. And Philip approached the king’s heir.

      “How can you call a horse, Alexander?” He asked his son.

      “Boukefal” answered he, stroking the horse’s neck with one hand and holding the reins with the other. Alexander all shone with happiness too.”

      Nearh carefully looked at Hephaestion, the king’s friend, and thought:

      – The prediction came true… As always, not as you expect, but the bull Alexander tamed, he was born under the star, because the coat of arms of the Argeadas is a sacred star, born of a sacred mountain (Olympiad).. And you will not ask for advice, there is no one.. Only the priestess from Crete knows the prediction..

      While Hephaestion was telling a true story, Alexander approached, and so that a friend did not see him, and with a sign he showed Nearhar not to say anything to a young speaker,

      – So how many already? Twelve talents? – he said laughing, and slapped him on the shoulder, – No, much less Nearh, but the horse is true, a groovy Bukefal, it cannot be better, that’s for sure. You forgot to add, Hephaestion, that my father shed a tear, and added that Macedonia is too small for me.

      “That’s exactly how it was,” Hephaestion agreed, laughing.

      The Cretan looked at Alexander again, and with delight and pity, realizing what was coming him, he was standing against the sun, and it seemed to Nearhex that a crista flashed around him. Can not be. It’s not time yet…

      War broke out with Byzantium, a city on the Bosphorus, and the command came from Philip Alexander to come to Pella and become governor in his absence. The retinue soon formed, and each gathered for a couple of hours with his servants and spare horses, and were ready to perform. Ahead was the path along the mountain roads of Macedonia to its capital, the road did not take much time, and soon they were in Pella, where people happily welcomed a sixteen-year-old prince. People liked that he didn’t look like Philip the sturdy, powerful bearded man, but rather resembled the images of Dionysus or Hermes, blond, light, smiling. At the trot, the detachment reached the palace of the Argead, it was a very peculiar building, with columns, different architecture, and most of all resembled the images of the Erechteion of Athens. Before the dares of the royal house, everyone dismounted, the servants took the horses, took the squires to the human, and the Eters led the butler to the inner courtyard, and then Alexander led the friends. The palace was beautiful, covered with frescoes on the inside, there were bronze lamps in many corners, but it was not luxurious beyond measure.

      “The lower floor is in many ways a place for testing,” and he flashed his eyes at Nearch, down there even the lenoses stand for the Dionysian mysteries, beautiful marble, they look like sarcophagi, smiling at friends with gray-faced faces, times of holidays, you will pass the dedication, do not be afraid, this is a tradition such as in the Athens Eleusinian Mysteries.

      Néarh stared at this beautiful building, hewn stone walls, polished marble floor, and in the main hall, which passed by, the floor was mosaic, as well as at the entrance to the palace. In the corners of the corridors there were bronze lamps on three or four legs, with images of griffins or lions. And so, the courtyard garden of the Palace appeared, the seats were arranged, and two armchairs, in one sat a beautiful and majestic woman, and the other was for Alexander. Seeing her son, Olympiad jumped up, almost ran up, and tightly hugged Alexander, kissed him several times, then pulled him to the chair, sat down opposite her, put a cup of wine in her hand, and sat down herself, and with a gesture invited her son to sit down, all sat down, but behaved somehow very wary, waiting for something. Servants smashed bowls of wine and snacks. And Nearh cautiously looked closely at the Tsarevich’s mother. Very beautiful blonde woman, with a complex hairstyle, in a precious silk dress, girdled with a belt of golden scales, and with a necklace of gold two-headed eagles, earrings were the finest work, from small chains, going down to the open shoulders, on her forearm gold bracelets with clasps in the form griffins, and several rings on the fingers, one of them with a signet. They were whispering among themselves, so no one heard.

      – Good morning, true friends, – the Olympics greeted everyone, – I am glad, and I hope for you, because you will accompany the prince to the war. Tomorrow they will dedicate him to ephebs, “she quickly looked at her son, he looked at his mother carelessly,” It is necessary that you could command the army, “she explained to Alexander,” According to rumors, honey appeared in the vicinity of Amphipolis, and this is Pangeon, gold mines, funds for the army. So wait a little with this philosopher, saddle horses, disassemble armor, click squads, the time has come.

      Dinner was served, everyone ate quickly, avoiding obscene jokes, and left to prepare for tomorrow’s ceremony. Nearh rose in his room, and a servant brought him a basin and a jug to wash, he quickly rinsed his smoking, dressed in the best, brought back from Crete, fastened a dagger to his belt, put on a signet ring, went outside, where Teres, a squire, was waiting for him, also in the best chiton and sleigh, friends came up with the servants, everyone looked great, and Alexander himself and his mother soon appeared, and the whole procession moved to the temple of Apollo. The priest cut off the hair strand, the mother asked not to cut off much, and dedicated him to ephebs, and called Alexander.

      Trekking in Thrace

      Antipater and Cassander quickly gathered light infantry and cavalry, phalangites and cataphracts would remain in Pella, in the mountains they would be useless. One thousand Agrians came up with their leader, five hundred Thessalians, gathered two thousand dimacs and five thousand peltasts and archers, it was enough for a hike, and two hundred tents for transport. While there were camps, Nearh and Teres went for a walk to the Ares Field, where phalangites practiced. He trained their hurricane, and watched all the hegeloh, the eldest lohag, the Macedonians were built three in the back of each other in full military armament with famous sarissas in their hands, attacking the straw doll at the same time with three spears, so that in a real battle to hit the enemy, one or two blows of distractions, and the third is fatal, and so that at the same time the peak would not get stuck in a dead body. The Cretan was impressed, but he acted mediocre; he wielded a great bow and sword, like Teres with darts and a dagger. He sat next to his servants, adjusting the straps on his armor, bought the most intelligent horse hair covered with canvas, Terems, at his request, of iron scales.

      – Now you are free too, he turned to the servant, and your name is Eleftherion (free).

      “You drive me out,” a servant asked with a wry smile.

      – Free, you want to stay – I swear allegiance.

      “I swear not to throw you at a feast or in battle,” he said, “especially at a feast,” Eleftherion joked, deftly dodging Teres’s crackle.

      – Key ready? And spare? asked Nearchus to the squire.

      – Everything is ready, sir, I checked everything, and packs, crackers, corned beef, raisins. All is ready.

      Teres perfectly joined the squad of squires of the Eters, only five fights, and became his in this violent community, now he often dragged himself, it is better to call it that, according to the priestesses of love, with the Ptolemy and Hephaestion squires.The army advanced from Pella with the dawn, the Agrians and their leaders walked in front, a cavalry detachment led by Filoty, Cassander led the infantry and Polyperchon, Erygius and Laomedon were under his command, the Fessalians were entrusted to Leonnat, Eumenes took office and reconnaissance and did not regret about it, and Garpal became involved in supplying, and Ptolemy, Nearh and, of course, Hephaestion remained under Alexander.

      The honey was driven away from Amphipolis at once, there were only a couple of skirmishes, and then the detachments were drawn into the mountain passes, and the mountaineers arranged ambushes and attacks where nobody expected. A detachment of cavalry and infantry, one and a half thousand people, led

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