A/N: This is my take on another Alexander famous phrase 'He is Alexander too'. It is not so much my idea of why Alexander said those words as an attempt at explanation what cause the events that made him says those words.
Readers' comments are mostly welcomed and really appreciated.
Disclaimer:None of the characters belong to me and I think one would describe it as AU story; but then again, who knows how it all happened in reality?
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'He is Alexander too'
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333 BC, Issus
Drypetis happily burst into Sisygambis room.
'Ah, grandma, I have such a big favor to ask you, really a big favor, please,' and to make her plea more convincing, she threw herself at the queen-mother, hugging and kissing her wholeheartedly.
'That's enough, darling, what is it that you need so desperately?' and Sisygambis smiled benevolently at her youngest granddaughter. At nine years old, Drypetis was all smiles and laughter, with dark silky curls abound, beautiful black eyes shaped like exquisite almonds and long curved lashes. She was as charming as a girl could be at her age, always in good spirits, always curious and enthusiastic about everything and everybody around her, quite a chatterbox and rather an accomplished gossiper. Even Sisygambis was sometimes surprised how much the girl knew, how much she could remember and how eloquent she was when trying to convince somebody.
Drypetis was quite different from her older sister Stateira who was all proper and somber, liked to put on airs and haughtily declared a couple years ago that she would never agree to marry anybody below her royal status and regardless of what becomes of her brother Ochus she wished to be the First Wife of the Great King of Persia.
'I need to talk to my father, it is very urgent,' declared Drypetis and imploringly stared at Sisygambis.
'More urgent then him inspecting the troops before the battle?'
'It is about the battle!' claimed Drypetis, 'and it is very important!'
For a brief moment Sisygambis entertained the idea that the girl really managed to uncover some important piece of information that needed to be brought to her son attention but then dismissed the thought as quite ridiculous. Nevertheless, she gravely said to her granddaughter, 'you have to tell me first. If I consider this information useful, I would definitely take you to your father.'
'Well, then,' started Drypetis, not at all discouraged by her grandmother grave tone, 'you know how my father, when he wasn't Great King yet, and fought in the then Great King Artaxerxes' army against Cadusians, he defeated and killed their leader?'
'Yes, I know that,' conceded Sisygambis.
'He is going to fight Alexander tomorrow, right? He is going to challenge him to a duel, and kill him, right?'
'Drypetis, you father is a Great King now, he has a whole army at his disposal, he has no need to challenge any opponent to a personal duel.'
'But he is going to defeat him, he is going to kill him, right?'
'He is definitely going to defeat him, as for the killing him….'
Drypetis interrupted her grandmother impatiently, 'I need to tell my father not to kill Alexander, and give orders to others not to kill him, but to capture only.'
'To capture him, why?'
'This Alexander, he is a great warrior, isn't he? When my father captures him, and he will know how great my father is, how great our Persia is, he will understand his mistake, he will accept my father as a Great King of all the countries and make his army fight at our side. And my father, he will be happy to have such a great general in his army, he will make him a satrap, and may be even the Grand Vizier, and give him my hand in marriage.' Drypetis blurted out the whole phrase all in a one breath.
'So, this is what it all about,' genially surprised said Sisygambis. She looked attentively at her granddaughter. 'You are still quite young to think about such matters; that you would contemplate your father enemy and not even a Persian as suitable candidate for being your husband astounds me even more. How you even came up with such an idea?'
Drypetis demurely cast her eyes down.
'Drypetis?'
'I was told,' girl started softly, 'that he is the most beautiful man in a world. He has amazing grey eyes, shining gold locks, his smile is gentle, his laugh is infectious, he is generous and caring with his friends, and he likes adventures. He would be such a fun to have around, and I already love him with all my heart.'
'You already love him with all your heart,' pensively repeated Sisygambis. 'You listen too much to the idle gossips, dear, this is what you do. I was told by the people who saw him quite closely on many occasions, that he is short, both on stature and temper, his eyes are of different colors, his hair are dirty sand, his lips are thin, his nose is, I don't know what his nose looks like but I am sure it is ugly too. He is rude, he is cruel, he is heartless. You don't want such a man for a husband. Your father is going to defeat and to kill him. You should go and pray to Ahuramazda that he grant your father a victory instead of entertaining treacherous and vane ideas about such a man!'
Drypetis sprang to her feet and vehemently said. 'I confided in you, grandma, I thought you loved me, I thought you would help me, but you are laughing at me, you are reproaching me, you are not even believing me! I won't tell you any more secrets, I won't confide in you anymore, you are not my friend,' and she angrily stormed from the room.
Sisygambis sighed. She didn't want to say those harsh words to her granddaughter but on the eve of such a decisive battle for her son, she was rather short tempered herself. Will her son defeat Alexander as he once defeated the leader of Cadusians, or Issus will be another disaster, just like Granicus?
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Leonnatus slightly bowed to Queen Mother again, and hastily exited the room. He was quite happy that his mission was done though he could hardly say that it was accomplished. Though enormously elated after such a decisive victory, he was also deadly tired and wished either go to sleep or, fail that due to all the celebrations in the camp, he wished to join Alexander and his close friends. Instead, he found himself dispatched by Alexander to calm the royal women loudly bemoaning the defeat and surmised death of the Great King. He went and tried to explain to them that their king is not dead, he just cowardly ran from the battlefield leaving them all to the mercy of Alexander who now sent him, Leonnatus, to give his assurances that they are going to be treated nobly and according to their rank. The women didn't believe him. They continued to wail and lament and Leonnatus wasn't able to calm them even a little. 'I did what I could,' said Leonnatus to himself, 'let Alexander deal with them now, if he can.'
Sisygambis stared blankly at the wall. Alexander's minion came and left. Was it true that her son was still alive? She didn't care, she would preferred him better to be dead than to run in panic from the battlefield. How could he do that? How could he leave his family at the mercy of the ruthless invader? How could he leave his army and run, run like a scared hare, deserting his people to the misery and death, abandoning his country to the plunder and pillage? She didn't care much about herself and her daughter-in-law was always too cold and arrogant to inspire any pity now, but her grandchildren, what would happen to them? How long her only grandson will survive? What would become of her eldest granddaughter stubborn and proud dream to be the First Wife of Great King of Persia, or of Drypetis naïve dream to marry the beautiful golden youth who will be the Grand Vizier of the Empire?
Sisygambis heard voices outside the room and prepared herself to stoically meet whatever other misfortunes the cruel life has in store for her. She turned a little to her right, trying to give silent encouragement to the children, when she saw Drypetis gasp and bring her hand to the mouth in a gesture of utter surprise. Sisygambis turned back and froze on the spot.
In front of her stood the most astonishingly beautiful man she could ever imagine exist. The golden locks framed the perfect face and cascaded freely to his shoulders, he was tall and magnificently build, his luminous grey eyes shone on them with interest and sincere charm, he bore himself with an easy grace of an accomplished warrior and the courtier at the same time.
Her mind completely blank from a shock, she dropped on her knees in front of him, saying, 'We are all your majesty's humble servants.' She thought that she saw a flicker of genuine wonder and slight embarrassment in those radiant silver eyes but her heart beat so quickly and so loudly that she couldn't hear the murmur of surprise and stifled giggles around her.
Somebody took her under the elbow and helped her up. She glanced up and saw another man stepping forward in front of her. "That is the king,' somebody whispered behind her. Sisygambis blinked. 'I beg your pardon,' lifelessly said the Queen and started to fall on her knees again. The man caught her, helped her to upright position and said, 'There is no need for apologies, Mother, he is Alexander too.'
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323 BC, Babylon
Sisygambis shut the door and slowly moved toward the bed. The news about the deaths of her granddaughters at the hands of Roxana and Perdiccas killed what little life there was still left inside her after the death of Alexander a couple of days ago.
'Ah, Ahuramazda was most generous to me and to the people I loved. He granted us all our wishes. My son wanted to pass his throne to the greater king then he was himself and be buried with royal honors at Persepolis, and so it happened. My granddaughter Stateira wanted to be the First Wife of the Great King, and she was; Alexander wanted to conquer all the Persia and become Great King of the huge empire with Babylon as its center, and he accomplished that. My granddaughter Drypetis dreamed of marrying that beautiful golden youth who one day would be the Grand Vizier of all the Persia, and it indeed came to pass; Hephaistion's only wish was to be loved by his Alexander till his last days, and so it was. They all got their wishes granted and they are all now dead as a result of it.
I wanted my son to be the Great King of Persia, and I was given two sons to bear that title. Now it is my turn to die and let Ahuramazda grant Roxana her wish to have Alexander child and to Perdiccas to become the guardian and the regent of the empire.
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P.S. I know it is almost sacrilegious to describe Hephaistion as a blond with grey eyes, but I could never understand why Sisygambis would mistake Hephaistion for Alexander, she must have known that Alexander was blond, so….?