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Post by Alcander on Mar 5, 2008 13:14:13 GMT -5
As the emissary suddenly appeared in real person in front of him, Alcander got shocked by hearing and seeing who it was. The queen of Scythia had traveled to Athens, which was surprise not expected. Silent he watched her for a moment, but answered sonly after her words."Alessia, queen of Scythia. Welcome, to Athens. And yes, the war with Persia went well. Athens won a lot of land by agreements and threats, however Persia still lives in the east " He spoke with a smile, standing up from the throne he sat upon. Her beauty was great and her hidden camouflage were well made, an honor it was to have a royal guest on visit. With gentle steps he approached where she stood, taking her hand in his as he kissed it in respect."A great honor, but tell me. What brings you to these lands, what can we offer you?"Alcander asked, watching her with a smile as he wondered what her true reasons could be why she had come.
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Post by Queen Alessia on Mar 9, 2008 21:27:18 GMT -5
Alessia smiled as she listened to the news. She knew, that eventually Persia would want that land back, as any country would. "That is good news. It is good to see that you have not fallen in battle as well." The Queen said, looking at him. Deep down, Alessia felt sorry for the Persians. They were having a rough time. First, being attacked by the Athenians and now they had to worry about the Egyptians, both of which were her allies. But, she was not going to join in with Egypt as they attack Persia. She would like more land, but she sees no point in attacking someone who has not made a single aggressive move towards her and or her people.
The Queen smiled when he kissed her hand. "To tell you the truth, Alcander. I was on my way back from visiting a Egyptian city and I thought that I might drop in to say hello. I guess I came at a good time, seeing as that you just arrived from your fight with Persia." Alessia said, a smile on her face. "I wonder, though, why did you declare war on Persia. I am just curious as to why this war even started. I wasn't aware that there was a war not to far away from my borders until recently." Alessia said, her eyes going to Alcander's.
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Post by Alcander on Mar 10, 2008 10:17:11 GMT -5
"Ah well, its an honor to see you in Athens. I had not expected it, but good it always is with royal visitors. However if you wish to know our intentions for war then I will gladly tell, we attacked Persia not only cause we are allied to Egypt but also cause Persia have caused us much grief and troubles in the past. I am sure you might have heard of the battle at Thermopylae, when they lead armies into Greece to further their expansion."Alcander answered as he looked back into her eyes, but quickly turned to order the servants to prepare a meal for them both. Gentle he stepped a few feet away from her, thought still had more to say as glad he was to have the queen of Scythia there. The two nations surely would need to strengthen their bond, since a lot they both probably had to offer."At least Athens won and I survived the battle, now we will leave the war to Egypt and Persia alone. However, tell me...what business had you to speak with the Pharaoh about?"He spoke and asked curiously, wondering what words they had exchanged and what agreements was made.
Shortly after the orders for a meal to be made, the servants entered with a table and chairs for the royals to sit. Alcander believed Alessia must had got tired by the long journey and possible tired, whatever she needed he would give her. With a smile he looked at her, but spoke on."Come, lets eat..you must be hungry."He said and sat down, waiting for her to the same.
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Post by Queen Alessia on Mar 10, 2008 17:41:35 GMT -5
"Yes, I always knew that there was some dislike between the Greeks and the Persians. But, you at of all people should know that even though you may have a large and strong empire, what will happen when you die? For example, the Persians. They expanded their borders to much, couldn't control the people and they fought back or they fought them head on, just like Sparta and Athens did. All empires fall, no matter how powerful. It is just the way of things." Alessia said wisely, looking at Alcander. Alessia watched him curiously when he asked what the pharaoh had to speak to her about. "Well, it was just about our trade agreements. We had a bad harvest this year and I was hoping that he would be able to supply us with food, but with his war with Persia, I am sure that he will try his best. How about you? Do you have extra food?" Alessia asked, looking at him.
Alessia watched as the servants set out all of the food. She walked to the chair across the table and she sat down when Alcander did. "Yes, it has been a long journey. Although, I can't stop myself from eating Egyptian pomegranates. Since I never had anything that tasted so good in my life." Alessia said with a friendly smile as she began to eat some lettuce with a fork. After a few moments of eating, she looked up at him. "Tell me a little about yourself, Alcander." Alessia asked, wanting to get to know him better.
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Post by Alcander on Mar 10, 2008 18:15:14 GMT -5
"Yes your right, with a too large empire then easier it is to fall. However Athenians does not seek power, just peace and revenge when needed. After my death, I believe the one next in line will have to rule. Either one of my children that may come, or any other trusted friend."He answered with a smile, but curiously listened as she spoke of her business that had happened in Egypt. It interested him a lot, thought understandable it was that someone like her from north would seek food for the people if the cold had taken its tool upon the land she owned. When she asked if Athens had food, he simply looked at her kindly in return and took a piece of the meal that was served.
However as she completely finish speaking, he decided to reply to whatever she had asked and spoken."Food Athens have a lot of, these past years we have grown large in our economics and wealth. Ever since the Greek wars ended and alliances have been made, it has turned us to one of the richest countries in the world. If you need food, then we gladly will give you some."He smiled as he took sip from his glass, watching her eating in all gentleness even he knew those in north often ate differently."Well, there a lot I could tell about myself but that would probably take the whole day. However to make a story short, I will tell it as easy I can. Like all Greeks I were examined before ever I was allowed to live, my parents who previous ruled Athens touched me everything I needed. Although as time went and they grew old, I had to take over. I sonly married a woman named Daphne, the most beautiful woman in all Greece. Together with her I have ruled, keeping Athens safe from danger and into a full growing age of gold and hope."He finished, but wondered as well about her story.
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Post by Queen Alessia on Mar 10, 2008 19:33:57 GMT -5
Alessia nodded as she listened to him speak. She noticed that is how most of the rulers further south got their power, threw inheritance. Of course, the Scythians were similar to that, but they still had their differences. Most leaders in Scythia had to get honor from their people and she managed to earn the respect from all of her people, who made her Queen, even though she was a daughter of a simple chief and that they believed women shouldn't be allowed to be in power, but the wheel was turning in Scythia and things also began to change.
Alessia smiled at the news that Athens had alot of food. "That is good. My people will need it in the future." Alessia said softly, not finishing exactly why they needed it. She kept eating as she listened to his story. It was interesting to her that all Greeks were examined and if they didn't pass the examination, they were tossed aside. It was a odd concept, but understandable. She smiled at the news of him getting married to a beautiful woman. She, of course, was not married. Right now, she didn't have the time for marriage and that would just make her life harder, even though marriage is supposed to be a happy occasion. She was also afraid that the person she might marry will only marry her to take power away from her and she would never let anyone use her like that.
"Well, my story is also long but I will try to shorten it for you. I was born to a chief of one of the more powerful clans in Scythia. My father always wanted the nation to come together as one, but he didn't live long enough to see that dream. We used to be a nomadic people, so you can understand the difficulty of trying to get everyone to change their lives completely. Since my father had no sons, I took power before another man could claim the title of chief. I then went to the other tribes, each bring the idea of one nation and most of them agreed to it. So, we started to build cities and soon we have one of the largest nations, besides the Celtic people. My people made me Queen after the capital city was built." Alessia said as she took a drink of the wine, watching him. "It was a rough start, but I am sure that the Scythians thank me for getting them out of their nomadic life style, since all other cultures were changing as well." Alessia added, looking at him.
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Post by Alcander on Mar 11, 2008 12:27:56 GMT -5
"That is a very interesting story, I am sure your way of ruling will turn Scythia into a land of beauty and wealth." Alcander answered, fascinated by everything she had told. However, for him it felt strange that a woman was allowed to rule. In Greece, a lady was worth less than a man, but still highly respected by the deeds she did. With his eyes fixed upon hers as they both continued eating, he after another sip of wine spoke on."I have long wanted to see how the northern lands are like, it surely would be interesting to travel there one day. You and your people probably have many customs and traditions different than ours in the south, maybe with our strong alliance we could learn from each other. Perhaps I and my wife could come along when you travel back home, but of course your allowed to stay in our guest room if your tired and wish rest." He said, but doubted his wife Daphne could come along if they were to go north, At the moment the queen was pregnant, therefor should rather lay in bed then travel far away.
However if it was possible for him to come along, then he would travel. A bond with those in north could be good for future, in case any trouble would appear in Greece. Although with a stronger alliance it would as well be nice for the people, since better trade would give greater goods and more money. Even now Athens had grown to become an important place for trade between nations as many allies it had, all of them gave things needed and more to possible be improved by the Greek architects.They lived in a Golden Age, filled with wealth and power.
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Post by Queen Alessia on Mar 11, 2008 20:07:24 GMT -5
Queen Alessia smiled as she continued to eat. She was happy that he wanted to see what it was like in her land. "Well, you can of course come to Scythia at any time. Most of the cities are under construction, but Apollonia is almost complete. In case you didn't know, we established Apollonia as the capital of Scythia." Alessia said with a smile as she began to eat some fruit. Although the fruit was sweet, it was nothing compared to what she was given in Egypt. Although Egypt did have good fruit, Athens was much more comfortable to be in. She wasn't uncomfortable in Egypt at all, but it seemed that most of the civilians there were a bit tense.
"I could stay for the night and leave in the morning. I am in no hurry." Alessia said. She was happy to be offered a room and she would never refuse an offer from him. She was actually exhausted, but she hid it well enough so that to the normal eye, no one could tell. The trip from Egypt to Athenian land was a long one. The seas were choppy and she had gotten sea sick. She wasn't used to traveling in boats, since her people mostly used horses. But now, they were building there own navy, in case another nation would attack that way.
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Post by Alcander on Mar 12, 2008 12:29:44 GMT -5
"Thats good, then I and probably my wife will get time to prepare before we leave."Alcander replied with a smile, but thought of what she said when she mentioned Scythia's capital. The name sounded familiar to a Greek god he knew, thought believed it would be interesting to see the land and city she so dearly spoke of. However if the queen of Athens rather wished to stay home, then he knew he could not make her come along. Although to honor the alliance and to make it stronger, he would travel with Alessia no matter what. He believed it would be interesting to explore the land in north, maybe he would learn new things he did not know and better understand their way of living.
As they continued eating, he curiously wondered what greatness the alliance could bring. Perhaps better goods for them all, making both lands richer and stronger then ever. With the food almost finished eaten, more things he had to say."Apollonia? That sounds familiar, is it named after the god Apollo? The one we Greeks use to pray for when we need help from our sun god. However, tell me..where does this capital of yours rest in your land?"He asked curiously, only wanting to know as a lot he had heard about it already. The messenger who earlier had been there told a lot from his previous visit, it surely had impressed Alcander and more he wished to know.
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Post by Queen Alessia on Mar 12, 2008 19:42:10 GMT -5
Alessia smiled when he made the connection that Apollonia had something to do with their god, Apollo. "Yes, it is. Apollonia is situated almost in the center of Scythian territory. Apollonia got it's name because of an unusual thing that happened during the third day of construction. It was a sunny day, but soon it got dark. When we looked up, the moon was in front of the sun, making it dark. Some of my people were from Greece and they said we should make a blessing to Apollo, as to not anger him. So, I decided on the name Apollonia, in his honor." Alessia said, a smile on his face.
Queen Alessia looked around for a moment at the room before she finished eating, her eyes going back to Alcander's. "So, I hear that Athens worships a goddess name Athena? Who is she? I am sorry to say that I have never heard of that goddess, since the scrolls of different cultures that we have in Apollonia are sort of out of date." Alessia said, with a soft laugh. She wasn't embarrassed at all that they didn't have a lot of information about other cultures. In fact, it was a surprise that there were some scrolls among her people. She hopes that she will be able to get more information from Athens, if Alcander would allow it of course.
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Post by Alcander on Mar 13, 2008 16:29:35 GMT -5
"Ah, I see." Alcander responded with a smile, taking another sip from his newly filled goblet of wine as he continued speaking. "Well, Athena is our goddess of wisdom, which we worship most. She was born by Zeus, and so is the half brother of Apollo, who you named your city after. And as you see, we called our city after Athena. Actually, Poseidon, the god of the Sea, wanted to have the ruleship over our city. So, Athena planted olive trees as a gift for us, while Poseidon gave us water, sea water. The trees were more useful and more loved than the sea water ever could be, therefor we named the city Athens, after Athena."He said, telling much of what he knew about Athena. However a lot more could be told, although not all were important. Alcander believed that the story Alessia explained about Scythia's capital were interesting, specially as named after Apollo it was. Maybe it had a reason their two countries had become allies, perhaps the gods had planned something more.
Everything she had told and shared he believed was great, it would be good he thought if they could share and learn from each other. Wisdom gave power, something he had known for long. In many years, Athens and the rest of Greece had tried to understand the world. It was common to find many philosophers in Athens, specially cause Athena were its goddess. After Alcander and Alessia had finished eating, the servants entered and started to remove what was placed on the table. Although the king did not move, curiously he still sat watching the Scythian as he wondered what they now could do. Maybe they could take a walk around, showing the pride of the city. Nightfall had began, but still life went on around. Lights from houses could be seen, as careful the wind from sea went across the land. If she rather wanted to retire, then he understood that.
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Post by Queen Alessia on Mar 14, 2008 9:26:11 GMT -5
"Interesting." Alessia said as she listened to Alcander speak about Athena. Of course, her people didn't really believe in gods or goddesses. They more believed in spirits. If you anger the spirit of your ancestor, bad things may happen. It was difficult for other cultures to understand their beliefs, since there was no other culture that did what they did. "Well, in my culture, we don't really worship gods or goddesses. We worship our ancestral spirits, which is a hard concept to maybe understand, but we have been doing it for many years and now that we are establishing cities, I don't want to change that. Even though we are no longer nomads, we should hold on to our religion." Alessia said with a smile on her face.
After they were finished eating, Alessia looked out a window and she saw the sun going down. "Your city looked magnificent when I first arrived. Perhaps you could show me more?" Alessia asked, a smile on her face. Athens truly was a great site to behold. Although she only spent a few hours here, she could tell that the Athenians were rich people. She was happy that she had chosen such a good ally, since she believed that great things could come to both of their people in the future.
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Post by Alcander on Mar 14, 2008 11:54:03 GMT -5
"Of course I may, that would be an honor. There are many things for a stranger to see and discover in this city, but our greatest and most ancient buildings you may find on our mountain Acropolis, the mountain where we worship our gods."Alcander said and stood up, looking at her as he went over to where she sat. She was quite a beautiful queen, which was easy to see by her beauty and the way she dressed. Even from north she had come, she still had got suitable cloths. He believed it was interesting, but did not ask anything about it. As close he now stood to her, he gentle offered his hand to her so she more easily could stand up. However he did it also to show respect, as they then would walk out of the palace like true noble allies.
With gentle steps he lead her outside, but stopped at the doorstep to look and breath in the fresh air. It was a beautiful night and the stars already could be seen upon the sky. The wind, who silently blew through the branches easily swept across the land and made the hair wave. Around the guards stood watching, being ready in case someone decided to storm the palace the royals lived. If anything would happen, they would be there to protect. However now as no war were happening, everything were peaceful. Alcander who had decided to show Alessia Athens, believed a good place to start would be the Acropolis.
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Post by Queen Alessia on Mar 17, 2008 15:46:50 GMT -5
Alessia smiled and nodded as she took his hand and she stood up gracefully. When they reached outside, she looked out across the city. The wind blew against her loose strands of brown hair that hung by her face. The rest of her hair was up in a bun. She noticed that the guards were watching them, probably in case any one would attempt to attack Alcander or herself. She highly doubted that anyone would attempt to do anything this close to the palace. Alessia's dress moved in the soft wind, her eyes staying on the city.
When they reached the Acropolis, Alessia's eyes went over all the buildings. "Amazing. How long did it take you to build all of this?" Alessia asked, her eyes moving to Alcander. Her city did not have something like this, since most of it was build on flat land. The only high part of the city was the palace, which was built on a hill above the city. She smiled at the thought of Apollonia, feeling a little bit homesick. It had been months since she was last at the city and she was dying to get back home, hopefully with Alcander and the Queen to see the city.
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Post by Alcander on Mar 20, 2008 5:55:58 GMT -5
(I think we should continue in the thread called Acropolis, I`ll post the respond there now so we can continue there.)
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