Rome and Carthage
The first time she met him, Elissa hated him. He was an upstart trying to play with with the big boys. He had only just begun to conquer territory around him and constantly yammered on about the glory of Rome and how it would eventually conquer the world. It was annoying and slightly ominous.
"Oh, leave it alone," Melite said after Elissa voiced her concerns, "He's just a little child. All small cities have illusions of grandeur. I'm sure will fade away soon."
"You forget, Melite, that I, too, began as a small city dreaming of power."
But Elissa heeded her friend's advice and ignored the annoying little city that lived in the center of Italy. True, she heard tales of his expanding power, but she disregarded it in favor of increasing her own wealth and power. It wasn't until Teispes called a world meeting that Elissa came into contact with him.
"You know Rome, do you not, Carthage," Teispes introduced during the pre-meeting banquet.
Elissa eyed the grinning teenager with distaste, "Yes, I believe we had met a century or two ago."
"Oh, I remember," Remus exclaimed, "You were with that one merchant who brought my king that beautiful gold necklace. He gave it to me after his death and I still wear it on occasion. I didn't know you were a country, though, I thought you were his courtesan."
Elissa blanched slightly at the insult, "I thought the ability to sense other nations came naturally to all of us," she said condescendingly, "I wonder what that says about you."
Remus's face turned red and Teispes tried to suppress a chuckle.
"Well, I must take my leave of you two. I have an impending war I must discuss with one of Greece's children."
"Ah, yes, I heard that-Macedonia, was it?-united all of Greece's city-states. Is he looking to conquer you, too? How foolish of him to take on the mighty Persian Empire. But you should be careful, he managed to defeat Melite's other children, and, as you know from experience, that is no easy feat."
"You know as well as I that much of Greece has been weakened from infighting. This little city-state and his young leader will prove little threat to me."
"I wouldn't underestimate the power of a small city," Remus warned, "We can do great things, you know."
Elissa rolled her eyes, but silently agreed with him. Even the smallest of cities could grow into great empires if the stars favored them. She herself had begun as a small city founded by an exiled Phoenician queen, her beloved Queen Dido whose name Elissa had adopted adopted after her mentor's sacrificing death.
"I am the Persian Empire," Teispes retorted, "My king, Darius, will not allow me to fall to these backwoods city-states. Ah, there's Thebes. Perhaps he knows where his uncouth brother is. Thebes! May I have a moment?" Teispes went off, leaving Elissa with the insufferable little Etruscan city.
"So, I have heard you have conquered much of the Italian Peninsula," Elissa almost regretted her attempt of making conversation when Remus immediately brightened up.
"Yes, it has been quite a harrowing series of campaigns, but I feel we are pretty close. The might of Rome will always prevail!"
"Um, yes, of course," Elissa replied diplomatically, "but enough about conquering, do you enjoy plays? I was visiting Greece and she took me to see a play in one of her children's cities. It was a wonderfully depressing tragedy about a man who unintentionally murdered his father and married his mother. Her people are very adept playwrights."
"I have seen it. Oedipus Rex, right? I will admit that Greece can produce many good things in the way of art and culture, but us Romans tend not to dabble in such frilly occupations as the theater. Still, it did have some merit."
Elissa was surprised at the intelligent conversation she and Remus were engaged in. The conversation ventured from Greek plays to architecture to trading strategies. He was very engaging, an that, combined with too much wine, led her to follow him back to his chambers when the banquet was over.
