“Lions and crocodiles sound almost to fantastical to be believable. Hippopotamuses sound kind of cute though. Cows are, unless it is a bull, then I just want to smack it over the head when it bellows at me.”

Alexandros laughed as she responded about the various animals. “I assure you that they are all very real. Perhaps someday you will get to see them. Then you might understand that the hippopotamus is anything but cute. They are the deadliest animal there. Quick to anger and highly territorial, you want nothing to do with such beasts. Whacking one over the head would surely be a death sentence.” He said with another soft laugh. Her amazement was amusing to him, but he could understand why she was amazed.


“Just one? They think that one god can handle everyone and everything? That is crazy! There are many gods, even the 12 Olympians have other gods to help them. Their lovers and kids too. One god? That must be so lonely for them. How would one god hear everyone's prayers or recieve their offerings? That seems greedy too.”

He smiled softly at the princess as she talked about how absurd she found the worship of only a singular god. “It is not that they believe there is only one god that exists, more that they worship their chosen god exclusively. The Hebrew people, as they call themselves, pray and sacrifice exclusively to the god Yahweh. He is a god of storms and warriors, and they believe he and his armies help them in battle. My mother believed this way, of course her father was a priest. She taught me her beliefs as a child. I have surely forgotten more than I remember, but I do still pray to her god before battle, perhaps he hears and helps, perhaps he doesn’t, I will likely never know the answer. My father worshipped Athena and Ares primarily amongst the gods, and so too do I.”

“If you do, I will listen. But I do understand not wanting to talk about it, I heard stories.. When I snuck into camp with Silas to train some with him, I heard some stories and how it gave some of the men nightmares. Some seemed to enjoy it, I avoided them.” Pausing a moment, she was looking back up at the passing clouds before she added, “Before you yell at me, no one but Silas knew I was a girl. Also, I was already yelled at by every male in my family plus my mother and my Ntanta. I don't need to be yelled at again.”

He frowned for a moment as she assumed that he would yell at her for sneaking into the camp. “Why would I yell at you? I have told you that I think you should be allowed to join us in Taengea, what makes you think I would disprove of sneaking out to see your brother? It may have been dangerous and not terribly bright, but if you wished to see him, then you should have gone. Preferably with someone to look after you. I will never tell you not to do something you desire to do, whatever lessons are learned from those experiences are the most important ones.”

“If that is how it is between being a mercenary and a captian, I can see why you would prefer to be a captain. Have you ever tried to have the men you knew join in your company? They might like the stability as well?”

“I don’t know what they would like. They were supposed to be my men, to follow my command after the death of my father, but instead they betrayed me and his memory by leaving to follow one of his Lieutenants. I don’t really care if they do want stability, traitors don’t deserve such comforts.” His words were soaked in a sadness that came from deep within in, and vitriolic hatred seeped into his voice as he called them traitors. He did not believe that the pain they caused him that day would ever go away.