Prelude to Hoplite

Chapter 4 - Departure

Alexander took his place at the start line, the carved stone block with the deep grooves cut into it to give the sprinters purchase, the champions from the other villages and from Athens itself lined up alongside him. The athletes stood poised, immune to the noise of the crowd, waiting for the signal, their muscles like bows of catapults waiting to be unleashed. The chief herald called the hundred thousand people in the crowd to hush for the starter and silence descended like a heavy weight on the athletes. Every eye in the stadium was on the eight athletes below them in the final event of the Games. The starter shouted his command and they all burst from the line to shouts of "Arete" from the crowd. Alexander pushed as hard as he could, driving his feet against the dirt, sand kicking up behind him. He kept his head down as he accelerated away, the athlete from Echelidae, their closest village neighbour and fierce rivals, keeping pace as they left the other athletes behind. Alexander continued to push until he felt he had hit his maximum speed and then straightened. They were in full flight now, their legs pumping hard to maintain the speed, muscles straining and sweat glistening in the harsh sunlight. The Echelidaean pushed Alexander all the way, the lead changing back and forth between them as they raced.

This was how the race always went, Alexander eventually beating the Echelidaean champion in a close finish at the end. As he threw back his head ready to feel the exhilaration of being the fastest man in the world, to receive the adulation of the crowd, he saw the yard in front of his house and the stadium in his mind melted away.

There were five men entering his yard.

Alexander's young mind raced and time slowed. They were soldiers, that was clear from their bearing even if it hadn't been for the armour they wore. Was his father in trouble? He went cold despite the heat of the day and the sweat dried on him as he stood watching, trying to work out what was happening. He recounted yesterday's confrontation with the bullies all thoughts of Games and glory forgotten. He wondered if his father had done something afterwards without his knowledge. Is that why he had not seen them since? Was that why his mother and father had fallen out?

Time intruded again in a rush as everything returned to normal speed and he saw two of the men enter the house. He sprinted through the dusty yard and charged into the house past the three men who remained outside, paying them no attention. Whatever the issue had been, it was already resolved by the time Alexander arrived.

His mother slumped on the bench where they ate their meals. Her shoulders drooped and she looked defeated, in stark contrast to the angry woman that she was last time he'd been in the house. He had confronted her this morning after his beatings of the day before, one from a group of bullies and one from his father.

"What have I done? Aren't two beatings enough? Do you have to still punish me?" His anger and frustration had welled up and his voice rose as he spat out the questions.

His mother had flashed him a look of pure anger. He'd never seen that look in her eyes before. Her soft warm face broke into a snarl.

"Punished? You deserved it for what you said. But do you know what you've done? Who do you think your father blames? What have you been telling him, he says? No wonder he's bullied. You're filling his head with stories of Thrace and making him think he's better than everyone else." She had paused and looked him up and down, her lip curled in a lopsided snarl. "He thinks all this is my fault. You think you're better than everyone else. That's arrogance, that makes you fully Greek. I don't care how you look, you're no Thracian."

The words had been like blows, leaving bruises of their own. He had stared at her open-mouthed. She had looked away from him, just a sharp twist of her head, not turning or moving away, just as if something on the bare wall had caught her interest. He had understood the meaning, he was dismissed from her presence. She wanted nothing more to do with him.