It was a chilly morning and the sun was taking its time rising to greet the world. The rhythmic thumping of the horses' hooves and the bumpy motions of the small, yet reasonably comfortable, carriage across the uneven plains lulled an elderly man with disorderly white hair and his traveling companion, a small, hooded girl, into a light sleep.

They had been traveling for several days and several nights, stopping at small villages when necessary to switch out the horses. The old man's presence was requested immediately and the sake of his people and his culture were at stake.

After a while of riding, the speed of the horses let up and they came to a stop at a small city.

The old man yawned and stretched and the young girl did the same, drawing her cloak tightly around her, shivering both from the cold and fear of the unknown.

A lightly armored man opened the carriage door and a cool, damp breeze swept into the small compartment. He offered a steady hand to the white-haired man, helping him step from the carriage before doing the same for the young girl, her head bowed the entire time.

"This is the last stop until Mieza," the armored man proclaimed as they exercised their legs, leading them to a small building where they could rest for a moment and get food and drink.

The miniature cavalry of soldiers that rode in front of and behind the carriage, charged to escort and protect the two passengers, dismounted their horses and gave their reins over to the stable hands of the village to be watered and rested.

The men went in intervals to relieve themselves and no longer than half an hour had passed before new, fresh horses were being harnessed to the carriage and the soldiers were saddling their mounts, readying them for the last stretch of the journey.

The girl watched the procession warily, wishing they could rest for a few moments longer, not only because her body was still aching from the many past hours spent in the carriage but because she was afraid of what awaited her in Macedonia. Her white-haired uncle would tell her little about what was in store for her but insisted she would be unharmed.

"It is time to leave," an approaching soldier said, helping the two back into the carriage again.

The final distance seemed to pass quickly and before the sun began to set, they rode into the rural city of Mieza, greeted by loud cheers to which the cavalry responded with hearty cheers of their own, fortunate to be back safe and sound, untouched on their journey to and from Athens.

The old man looked out the window, gazing at his new surrounds but the girl refused. "Liseis, are you afraid?" he asked her hesitantly.

She didn't say anything, only looked up into his wise eyes.

"You needn't be. You are of great importance here, greater than you would have been anywhere else, even in Athens." He said with a warm smile, touching briefly on her once respectable pedigree. She turned her face away dolefully, not returning his smile. "It is for the greater good of our people," he added more sternly. "Be brave for your mother and your father." At this, Liseis tensed and though her head was bowed and concealed by the hood of her cloak, she shook silently and tears fell into her lap.

She had to be brave for them, even though they were both long gone, killed during one of King Philip of Macedon's conquests in Stagira before she was even four years old. They would have wanted her to hold her head high and accept her fate, whatever it may be.

When the carriage came to a stop, the door was opened, and the cheers slowly came to a halt as the old man was helped down. "Farewell, Liseis," he said fondly and the girls eyes widened. She had expected to be parted from her uncle, her guardian for the past six years, but it was still a shock and just as she was about to leap from the carriage and chase after him, the door was secured shut and the horses were off again.

Try might as she did not to cry, she failed to succeed. Tears fell hot and heavy from her pale face. She was alone at the mercy of a sizable portion of the Macedonian cavalry and she was unsure what would happen to her, unsure of her purpose here. What had her uncle meant when he said she was of great value in Macedonia? Would that protect her from these men, these people who conquered all, who had destroyed her home and city not too long ago?

They rode hard for another day and night. The men were anxious to complete the task of transporting the girl to Pella, though they seemed in better spirits now that they were back in more familiar lands.

Without the company of her uncle, Liseis found she could not stop thinking about her fate and she took to pulling the curtains of the carriage back and watching the miles pass by to keep herself distracted. She found the lands of the kingdom of Macedonia to be wholly scenic and she could have hardly appreciated them more under different circumstances. The kingdom was an abounding place with grass that grew thick and green, hinting at the start of a prosperous spring season. Rivers and small streams trickled through the lands accompanied by fishermen with poles and nets, heaving large fish from the crystal clear waters. Some of the villages and cities were built on hills and often obscured by mountains, which comforted her in a way as it reminded her of her old home in Athens.

On the second night's ride since their departure from Mieza, Liseis was jolted from her sleep by an order from a deep, gruff voice.

"Wake up!"

She had not meant to fall asleep and she did not know how long she had been slumbering. There was not much time to think about it as the rough hand of a dark-haired, olive skinned soldier hauled her out of the carriage unceremoniously, plunking her upright onto her feet.

She wavered on her feet for a moment, only half awake, and just as she fell, he caught her in his arms, scooping her up with considerable annoyance, muttering under his breath about the insolence of children. She couldn't help it but she was still tired from the ride and she dozed as he carried her an unmeasurable distance before he dropped her to her feet again with little warning.

"Alright, alright, snap to it," he said hastily, a firm hand on her shoulder keeping her upright. "And for Zeus's sake, make yourself presentable."

Liseis pulled up the hood of her cloak and smoothed her dirtied gown, slowly blinking as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. She stood in a dimly lit corridor that smelled luridly of jasmine and incense. The long hallway was intricately decorated with statues and vases, tapestries depicting great battles adorning the walls, ornate rugs covering the stone floor beneath her feet. At the end of the hallway was an ominous door with an elaborate crafted brass figurine of Medusa positioned in the center of it as a knocker.

They both stared at the door uneasily for a long moment before the soldier gathered himself and strode down the hallway, gesturing for her to follow him. When they reached the door, the man glanced at her one last time and raised the brass ornament to knock.

A beautiful woman with long, dark curls opened the door. "Cleitus," she said with the hint of a strange accent.

"My lady," he said with the tilt of his head.

Her eyes flashed quickly between the man and the hooded girl. "Come in," she said with an eager grin.

The room was breathtaking. The walls were carefully painted with modern design and decked with curtains. Tapestries, larger and more colorful than the ones that adorned the halls outside in the hallway, covered much of the walls of the woman's private chambers. A table with rich oils and flowers was pushed against one wall and there was another table with scrolls and ink against another. A rich rug of brown and white softened the floor and there was a plush daybed with bright red and gold blankets off to another side of the room.

More bewildering than the splendor of the room were the snakes. They slithered here and there freely, snakes of all colors, sizes, and origin. The woman bent to gather them and settled them gracefully into a lidded basket which was teeming with the hissing creatures.

"My lady," Cleitus spoke again, "I apologize for the delay."

She dismissed his apology with a wave of her jeweled hand and carefully approached the hooded girl.

She flipped back the hood of her cloak, greedily, and raised her chin with the curl of her finger. "My, my," she said quietly, marveling at the child's icy blue eyes, even as they stared defiantly back at her.

She turned her face from side to side, as if to confirm everything was intact. "She is Liseis?" she inquired, still scrutinizing the girl, her eyes finally leaving the defined yet delicate angles of face and conducting a quick examination of her lithe body, pulling the cloak from her shoulders.

"So she is," Cleitus replied.

"Liseis," the woman said with a smile that caused her guest to shiver. She had no idea who this woman was but knew she had to be of great wealth or social standing, judging by her surroundings and the woman's fine dress and appearance.

"And her family?" the woman asked.

"All but wiped out," the soldier replied, making Liseis wince inwardly, "save the old man."

The woman snorted, repeating, "The old man?" She walked across the room to pick up a large obsidian snake that was still slithering around loose. "Would it be too much to ask," she said, stroking the reptile, "for you to show some respect for the one responsible for the young prince of Macedon's tuition?"

Cleitus gave a small bow as if to apologize but said nothing, which seemed to annoy the woman further. "She shall stay," the woman said, gesturing to Liseis. "And you," she said to Cleitus, "shall leave."

As Cleitus left the room, the door slamming loudly behind him, Liseis found herself face to face with the strange woman, her black snake circling around its owner's shoulders. The woman reached onto one of the tables and grabbed a golden goblet filled with dark liquid, wiping the lip of it with a silk cloth before offering it to her guest. "I'm sure you are thirsty, you have had quite a long journey from your ruined city in Athens to the splendor of Pella."

She saw how Liseis was hesitant to accept the drink, eyeing the snake that was trailing down her arm towards the girl. "Do not be afraid," she said, drawing the cup back. "She will only hurt you if you show fear."

She offered the cup again expectantly and though Liseis wanted to refuse the drink, she knew better than to do so. She reached for the cup, the snake flicking its long tongue out at her in the process, and grasped it firmly from the woman's hands without hesitation. Her host seemed pleased and motioned for her guest to sit down on a cushioned seat. "I am sure you have questions," she said, pacing across the room to put the last free creature up before coming to sit in a chair in front of her guest.

Liseis nodded, taking a sip of the dark liquid. Wine. Rich and strong and decadent.

She did have questions. Many. All her uncle had told her was their home city of Stagira would be returned to its former glory by its captor as payment if the two of them were to travel to the kingdom of Macedon. He would not give her an explanation, only saying that everything would make sense in time and he was right, for she now at least knew his purpose, at least. He was to school the young prince of this kingdom, who Liseis was unfamiliar with.

"To begin," the woman said, beginning the explanation, "I am Olympias, wife and queen to King Philip of Macedon."

Liseis sputtered on her drink. This woman was the Queen of this kingdom, and she was her guest?

"It was I who commanded your presence. You see, I am mother to the heir of this kingdom, Alexander," she continued after Liseis had recovered herself. "He is still but a boy, only thirteen, but it is my task as his mother to secure a proper marriage for him. The people of this kingdom want someone for my son who is of Macedonian descent, however, out of all the girls in Macedon I could choose for him to marry, there are none that would suit him. You see, all the girls of nobility that he could marry are all very dull," she said with a flick of her wrist for emphasis. "And they come from families I care not to be bonded with."

Olympias rose from her chair and walked across the room to pick a piece of parchment up off one of the tables. "After some correspondence with your uncle, he informed me that he might be able to help me with my… predicament." She handed the paper to Liseis to read as she continued to talk. It was a letter from her uncle addressed to Olympias. "He wrote to me with details of his orphaned niece, not quite two years younger than my son, who had been in his care for the past eight years. He said you could read, write, and ration figures, which is admirable, though I would expect no less from someone tutored by Aristotle himself, even if you are but a girl."

In the letter, her uncle sold her for all she was worth and more. He told of her ambitious nature, her yearning for knowledge, her love for poetry. He dwelled rather lengthily on her singing voice, which was exceptional.

He promised with himself as Prince Alexander's tutor and Liseis as his betrothed, the future king's life and reign would certainly be unsurpassed. All he asked for in return was for their city of Stagira to be restored to its former glory and for his niece to be brought up as a noble, explaining how she had been of some position in Athens before the demise of her bloodline.

"He spoke highly of your upbringing and intelligence but even more so of your beauty," she continued. "And though I am not yet sure about anything else he has said about you, I am glad your looks were not exaggerated. You see," she said, sitting back down in front of Liseis, the corners of her lips turning up in a smile, "in order for you, a girl of no memorable lineage to win the hearts and acceptance of the kingdom, you are going to need every advantage you can get. These people, they are fixated with aesthetics," she continued in explanation, "and they love my son, my beautiful son, and they want someone for him who is in every way his match, as do I. And that is why you are here. You are to be the one to marry my son."

Liseis stared speechlessly at the queen.

Olympias then began to paint a picture of what life would be like for Liseis here, saying, "You are to be treated as a noble. You are half Macedonian, yes? On your father's side?"

Liseis nodded. On the back of the letter addressed to Olympias was Liseis's ancestry, illustrated by Aristotle, who had been born in Macedonia along with his older brother, Liseis's father.

"That is perfect. As I mentioned before, they want a Macedonian bride for him. With your half Macedonian heritage and your uncle being none other than the renowned Aristotle, the people will accept you, even as a noble, despite the fact you were not born here. As a noble, you will have your own chambers in the palace, which has already been arranged for you. I am sure you will find it quite to your liking. You shall be measured tomorrow and you will clothes crafted for you, more befitting for your position," she said, grimacing at Liseis's dirty attire.

"I will, of course, prepare you myself to be wed to my son. You will continue to be educated in materials that you desire to learn as well as additional subjects I would expect you to be knowledgeable in. You will abide to my authority. It will be as if I am your guardian but I can promise you this, dear child, to be brought up as a noble by none other than the Queen of Macedon herself would be an honor and a privilege none other than royalty would be able to experience."

By now, Liseis was overwhelmed and it still did not make much sense why she, of all people, had been selected to promise her hand in marriage to the prince. Were the prospects in the kingdom really so poor that she had to be summoned from another country altogether, a country who had only recently formed an alliance with Macedonia, just to add another name to the list of possibilities?

There was nothing in particular she found special or extraordinary about herself. People had often been impressed by her striking looks but never had she dreamed she would be offered a kingdom over her opulent features alone, though the queen had mentioned her lack of family made her more desirable which was ironic, considering that it meant she had no dowry or wealth to offer to a suitor.

If she told this queen this all pleased her, which is what she seemed to be waiting for, she would be at the mercy of this woman who seemed to have a lot of power, even for a queen. Did she even have the option to say no, that she would not want to be a part of any of this? And if she did, what would it mean for her uncle? For Stagira?

Then, of course, she had never even met the prince. His mother claimed he was beautiful and well-loved by the kingdom but that was all she knew about him. That and he was three years older than her. They wouldn't be able to marry for several years. They were both young, he thirteen and she not yet twelve. There would still be time to sort things out, to come up with a plan.

Perhaps she sat too long in silence, musing over what to do because Olympias interrupted her from her thoughts to readdress the question, "You would like to marry my son, yes?"

"I have never met your son," Liseis answered.

Olympias laughed. "He is quite likable. You could meet him tomorrow before he embarks to Mieza to be tutored by Aristotle, your uncle."

"What if I do not want to marry him?" Liseis let slip, emboldened by the dizzying wine.

"Then you would be a fool."