Allies, Spies, and Conflicts

To Be A King

To be the King of Macedonia requires little more than walking two thousand four hundred steps. But if a man covets the crown of Macedonia’s famed King Philip II, and his son, the Great Alexander, he must please the masses, the Hoplites, the Navy, and the nobility. The path is as clearly defined as are the requirements.

Drink un-watered wine all night, fight to dominate the feasting table, boast of prowess in war and strength in the treaty tent. Then at dawn, strut twelve hundred steps from the harbor to the agora. Once at the center of Pella, a rousing speech is required of a man who desires to be the King of Macedonia. Yet the agora is but half the distance and half the steps.
From the public gathering place, the would be King must weave through the crowd of excited citizens. Complimenting women, even if ugly, blessing babies, no matter the volume of the tikes’ screams, acknowledging veterans and wealthy merchants with the same fervor, and all the while, being mindful of daggers brandished by assassins and friends, alike.

Twelve hundred paces from the agora, uphill, through the crowd, the want-to-be king will enter the palace. Now high above the harbor, the city, and the throng, he will be handed a great goblet of strong wine. Sauntering to the edge of the patio, he will raise his arms and demand cheers in the name of Macedonia from the citizens while he drains every drop from the vessel.

And finally, drunk and exhausted, he’s compelled to select from among his wives a bed mate. Only then can he leave the public venue to fulfill his duty to produce an heir. Although in private, his performance in bed will be judged by the palace staff, foreign spies, and his other wives. Before the sun reaches its zenith, the entire city of Pella will be aware of their King’s stamina.

The steps are well defined, the tasks are there, but few men have traveled those two thousand four hundred steps. Philip the 5th made the relatively short trip many times in his years as the King of Macedon.

My name is Scanlan Romiliia Saltare and among other things, I was a scribe for Philip V. My position gave me an inimitable insight into the man and a unique slant on the times. My tale begins from just before I joined his royal staff. It ended when I grew weary of war, subterfuge, sneaking about at night, and avoiding discovery and torture. Only when my thirst for adventure sated, did I return to my home at Lake Maggiore in the Po River Valley.

Thus I present, to the best of my ability as a witness and from the facts I gathered, a story of allies, spies, and conflicts. It’s about a King, a handsome, capable, and clever man with an evil, vindictive temper. And his scribe, a Roman spy.

Welcome to the 2nd Macedonian War