"He's a very good looking man."

His attention back he stared down at the photograph in the girl's hand. Natalie handed the picture back to him.

"Yes he was very good looking."

"Almost movie star looks. I can see where you get it from," she hadn't meant to say it quite so. It had been a slip of the tongue and now she felt awkward, almost like she was a schoolgirl again revealing her first crush.

*Why does he make me feel like this?' she asked herself.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. I just think your Grandfather was a very good looking man and you've inherited his looks," she was able to recover.

There was an awkward silence. Broken by Hutchinson.

"So what does everyone know about Alexander the Great?"

"I know the basics," Natalie replied.

"I learned him at school," George said "Every Greek learns him at school."

"Peter perhaps you'd like to tell the story."

"Of course Jim. Thank you," Dennis cleared his throat "Imagine the scene," he said looking at the faces in the car, "It's a hot summer night. The date is the 20 of July. The year 356bc. The place Pella, Macedonia. Pella is a city, the capital. Macedonia is a country ruled by King Philip II. Philip is a good King. Good to his people and good for Greecea."

Natalie glanced at George who confirmed it with a nod.

"a.Back then Greece was a country of warring tribes, not yet unified. Not even after the great invasions by Persia, led by the Kings Darius and Xerxes. No. Philip changed all this. He united the tribes at the battle of Chaeronea with the eighteen year old Alexander by his side. Father and son fighting together. Alexander actually saves his fathers life in this battle."

"Where did it go wrong between them?" Natalie asked.

Dennis took a swig of water.

"That same year Philip, estranged from his wife, Alexander's mother, Olympias, marries Euridyce, Atalus' niece. Philip orders Alexander to pay homage to Atalus and an argument, no more than a slanging match starts. Accusations fly and a brawl starts right there at the wedding reception. Philip, drunk by now, turns on Alexander who makes a comment back. Suddenly Philip rushes Alexander but trips over a rug and falls. Alexander then gloats asking the guests 'Is this the man who would lead you into Asia when he can't even make it from one couch to the next'

Philip, still on the floor, banishes Alexander from the realm.

"But he does return though doesn't he."

"Yes he lives with his mother during his wilderness years. She announces to him that once Euridyce becomes pregnant Alexander's rise to the throne will be gone."

Dennis glanced across at Roussos.

"Have I missed anything George?"

"No your knowledge is very good Mr Dennis."

"Please call me Peter."

George nodded. He would continue to call the Englishman *Mr Dennis'

"Are you an expert on Sikander Mr Dennis?"

"What? Oh you mean Alexander. No I'm not. And it's Petera."

"As you wish Mr Dennis. Peter. You seem to know so much about my wife's country's greatest ruler.

"I'm not an expert sadly. As soon as my Grandfather told me his story I rushed out and bought books and used the internet on the subject. It's a truly fascinating story."

"It is."

"It's a story of revenge," added Hutchinson "Please continue."

"Philip was murdered wasn't he?" Natalie asked.

"Yes I was just coming to that."

"Oh sorry."

Again there was that look between them.

"Philip was assassinated. The year now 336bc. There were lavish games to celebrate the marriage of Alexander of Epirus to Philip's daughter Cleopatra, Alexander the Great's sister. Alexander and his mother were both present. For a moment all their differences with the King put aside. Finally Philip himself arrived at the theatre at Pella. He walked in alone to great applause, the sun in his eyes. Suddenly he was confronted by a guard, Pausanias. Before Philip could speak Pausanias kissed him briefly on the lips before plunging a dagger into his heart, killing him instantly."

They could all imagine in their minds the chaotic scene.

"Why did he kill him?" from Natalie.

"Well some said that Pausanias was raped by some of Philip's guests at the wedding reception and that Philip did nothing. Even after Pausanias complained to him personally. Others said that Alexander and his mother were involved. I suspect the latter to be nearer the truth."

"So Alexander became King of Macedonia?"

"Yes he was instantly sworn in."

"And the assassin?"

"Pausanias? He attempted to escape of course, was chased, tripped and fell and was run through. Killed before he could answer any questions."

"They didn't attempt to capture him?"

"No just ran him through with their javelins."

"It does sound like a set up."

"Yes. Maybe they were just angry at Philip's death but I suspect Pausanias was got rid of before he could speak. They could have caught him easily."

"And Philip's new wife and baby?"

"Put to death almost instantly by Olympias."

"So Alexander's accession becomes complete."

"He now becomes ruler of all of Greece."

"And then he invades Persia?" from Hutchinson.

"No. Incredibly the Thebans rise against his rule so he has to quickly go North to quell them. He has to go as far as the Danube. Once they are subdued he begins his campaign. The first thing he does is travel to Delphi to consult the Oracle. He arrives at a time of the year when the Oracle is not functioning. He grabs the priestess and attempts to drag her out by her hair.

"My son," she shouts at Alexander, unhappy at her treatment, "You are invincible!" He promptly drops her and thanks her. It was all he needed to hear. The campaign was on. He crossed into Turkey during the autumn and comes up against his opponent, some say his toughest, Memnon, the mercenary from Rhodes, the brother of Mentor."

"Memnon was the greatest soldier who ever lived," said George.

"Many would agree," Dennis continued, not minding their interruptions, "Some say that had Memnon not died suddenly as he did Alexander would never have gotten out of Greece."

Dennis took another swig of water. It was hot inside the car. He felt the sweat trickle down his spine.

"Memnon dying was a stroke of luck for Alexander. The great Persian King Darius had no one available to replace the Rhodian. At first he wrote to Alexander offering money, asking for a truce. Alexander refused so Darius offered his daughter's hand in marriage as a gift. Alexander laughed at this "Why would I want her as a gift when I could take her anyway" he mocked. Darius, now, had no one to turn to so he took the battlefield in person. It was a cold November afternoon as the two armies opposed each other across the Granicus river in Turkey. Darius tried one last time for peace between them but the young Macedonian King was having none of it. The Greeks hadn't forgotten what the Persians had done 150years before. The battle was over very quickly, the Persians, outnumbering the Greeks, were smashed. Darius turned his heel and fled leaving his army in disarray. The two men would meet again however at the battle of Issus. At this battle once again Darius' army was beaten and he fled back to Babylon."

"Did Alexander chase him?"

"No he let him go. Alexander moved down through Turkey into Israel, Lebanon and Egypt. It was there that he founded the greatest city he built, Alexandria. Did you know he built twenty three Alexandria's in all."

"No I didn't," Natalie said. Hutchinson was surprised also. George just scowled. Dennis fell quiet for a while. Each of them were left with their thoughts. Then Natalie asked.

"What happened 150 years before?"

"Oh yes sorry! In 490bc Darius I, King of Persia, ruler of forty five different nations had invaded Greece with a small force and marched on Athens. They were stopped and defeated at Marathon and the Persians withdrew. Ten years later Darius' son Xerxes, returned with the largest army ever mustered. Twelve hundred warships accompanied the forty thousand strong army and as they marched overland Xerxes sacrificed at Troy to the Trojans who had died a thousand years before.

When news reached the various Greek states of the advancing Persians Athena and Sparta threw aside their differences and united against the vastly outnumbering Persians and led by their King Leonidas the three hundred Spartans set up a roadblock at Thermopylae in the narrow pass. They held off the Persians for four days before Leonidas was killed and the three hundred overwhelmed.

Following this victory the Persians continued towards Athens and the Athenians abandoned their city and boarded ships for Salamis, an island offshore. The Persians sacked Athens, burned her temples and the greatest insult to Greece, they cut down the sacred olive tree of Athena.

Next the Persians had tried to surround Salamis and as Xerxes sat on his golden throne and watched from a nearby hillside they closed in for the kill.

That night Themistocles, the Greek commander, spread a rumour that the Greek ships would make their escape by sailing the straights between Attica and Salamis. Xerxes was quick to react and the Persian ships moved before dawn, cramming themselves into the narrow channel of sea. When the Greeks saw that the false rumour had worked they sailed their warships to the attack. The Persians were unable to manouevre and the Greeks caused them a catastrophe. The Persian fleet was almost destroyed. Themistocles urging the Greeks to fight for their wives, their families, their very lives. The Persians had been forced to withdraw though they did leave a large army behind. This army was defeated at Plataea the following year. From then on the Persians set the extent of their empire at Western Turkey.

The Greeks rebult Athens, building the incredible Acropolis and the blackened columns of the original Parthenon were set into the walls. The Greeks would never forgive or forget the Persian attack and the Greek tribes vowed revenge on Xerxes empire. It would be a twenty year old Alexander who took revenge."

"How far do you think Alexander wanted to go? You know from the beginning." Hutchinson asked.

"I don't know. From what I've read I would say, to begin with, to conquer Persia. Probably to take Persepolis and the seat of Darius. I don't think he intended to kill the Persian King though."

"Did he kill him?"

"No Darius wanted to raise another army after his second defeat. Darius' generals wanted to run. Eventually Darius was stabbed and a general by the name of Bessus proclaimed himself King. Alexander's forward party found Darius stabbed and left for dead by the river Oxus. By the time Alexander arrived Darius was dying, some say Darius was already dead, Alexander was too late. Some say Alexander was openly shocked by the death of such a great man. Others though said that Alexander cradled the dying King and they spoke, though if true Alexander never revealed what the conversation was about. He took it to his grave. Alexander was now ruler of the whole of Persia. Many thought that this would be enough for the King. He had avenged the Hellenistic world for Marathon one hundred and fifty years before. But no. Alexander now set his sights on more. That winter what started as an army of thirty thousand had now swelled to double that and they crossed the mountains of the Hindu Kush into Afghanistan. Alexander now wanted to rule the whole world."

"When you say the whole world what was the extent of their knowledge?" from Hutchinson.

"Imagine the Mediterranean world as it is now. It hasn't changed much. The coastline is still the same. For the Greeks of the fourth century B.C. they knew little or nothing of the outside world. The discovery of the American continents was still almost two thousand years away. The Japans years after that. When Alexander's army arrived at the Caspian sea in the North of Iran they ran into it to drink only to find it was salty. They then believed that they'd reached as far North as they could go. That this was part of the great sea that encircled the entire earth, that they could get into their boats and sail around India and all the way around Egypt and up the Nile and back to Greece. "

Natalie shook her head smiling.

"The whole of Russia is above the Caspian sea and beyond India is China. Their knowledge really was limited wasn't it."

"Yes they knew nothing of these countries East. They knew of Italy, Spain, France, though the Greeks seldom, if ever, traded that far West. You know there was even talk among Alexander's confidants about a campaign to Britain, though of course that would never take place, not until Julius Caesar arrived in 55BC."

"The Greeks must have heard of China though."

"I'm sure they did. To them India was the biggest country in the world. It was even feared that the great King of India whoever he was had an army of over one million, riding Elephants!"

"Did this deter Alexander?"

"Not him. Not the lion of Macedon. His army paused by the Beas river, India, while on the opposite bank thousand upon thousand of Indians lined the other side and challenged the Greeks to cross. They didn't. It wasn't that they were afraid Far from it. But it was morale. Some of them hadn't seen their homelands in ten years."

"What did Alexander do?"

"He got in among the ranks, reminded individuals of what he'd personally done for them, accused others of treason. His lifelong friend Coenus was the only one brave enough to stand forward and speak. He reminded Alexander of personal sacrifices. Every man there that day had bled for their King. Coenus named those that had fallen, Black Cleitus, Parmenion, his father Philip. Alexander continued to rant and rave but his army had had enough. Finally Alexander returned to his tent where he sulked for three days. He hoped they would give in, but on the fourth day Alexander realising they weren't going to budge an inch re-emerged from his tent, performed a sacrifice and announced that the odds weren't favourable. The army cheered. They would return home."

Each of them sat in the car for a minute silent.

"On the return journey Alexander made a grave mistake. He led them into the Makran desert, the most inhospitable place on earth. Without water in plentiful thousands of them died of thirst. There is a famous story to come out of it though. A helmetful of water was found and presented to the young King. He took it and looked down at it, his parched throat agony, as were the others. He raised it to his lips and then stopped looking out over his thirsty men. Then he tipped the helmet and emptied the water into the sand. "I'll drink when you drink!" he said to the amassed ranks. Of course they cheered such bravado by their King."

"There were other such stories weren't there?" Natalie asked "I remember something about a horse."

"Bucephalus," George added.

"Bucephalus was Alexander's favourite horse. He even named a city 'Bucephala' in India after the animal when he was killed in the battle with Porus."

"That's sad."

"Yes Alexander was inconsolable. He and Bucephalus had been together for over twenty years."

"I remember now. Something about Alexander being the only one able to ride him. How did the story go?"

"Alexander was just a boy of ten when he attended a sale of horses with his father and mother. Philip had just become engaged as it were to Atalus' niece. They were all there. Alexander's mother sat away from them with the nobles. Philip as usual was drinking when a beautiful black stallion was brought into the show ring. Philip instantly bid a high price for the beast which nobody offered to raise. Philip was applauded as he left his seat and went down to greet his purchase, the show ring being open air, the sun shining strong and hot. But as Philip approached the horse became panicky and reared up several times while lashing out with its hind legs. Philip tried a few more times then swore and gave up. "This animal is too wild to be tamed. He will kill anyone who attempts to ride him. Sell him for meat" he ordered.

Alexander suddenly jumped in.

"Buy him for me father!"

"That animal can't be tamed," Philip shouted back.

"I'll buy him."

"With what?"

"If I cannot ride him I'll give you ten times his worth."

Philip laughed "You don't have the money boy."