53 CHIRON TO ACHILLES?

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" the Valosian asked, scratching his head. The morning lights had not even tinted the sky, and he had finally made it to his home. And Alexandre was there, with a huge smile.

In fact, the boy had stood up, as well as two servants, when he entered the main room of the mansion. Everyone was asleep, but it was very clear that they were waiting for him.

"Many things, cousin! I wasn't sleeping, by the way. I just lay down for a little while so your servants could rest without being embarrassed. It's my fault that they kept me company."

The servants looked in terror at Glax, not daring to say a word.

The new owner of the house waved his hand, apologizing. "I am the one who is arriving late… Early. Ah, it doesn't matter. Go back to sleep. Just tell me where I can do the same thing."

"COUSIN! You won't have time to sleep! We have to be ready to embark with the Alectryon for Tepomesos *! They leave early in the morning! Or rather, in a few hours!"

"What do you mean by US?"

"I heard earlier in the evening that you had signed up to go north!" Alexandre barely contained his enthusiasm. "You promised to teach me some tricks for my agoge. So I asked my dad to let me go with you, for a season!"

"He didn't agree to it, of course." Glax was a person with hope in humanity.

"He said I had to be back for the agoge in the winter." The archigeos' son continued to speak, but Glax's mind returned to a point. 'In the early evening.' At the beginning of the previous night the archigeos had been notified of his enlistment.

Glax gave up sleeping and asked the servants for something to eat. Then, so that they would not overhear the conversation, Glax took the youngest man out into the courtyard.

"You should go back to your military academy, Alexandre," he said bluntly.

"My dad also thinks I should learn something from you," Alexandre shrugged, showing that he didn't mind pushing his agenda. "You should listen to the archigeos."

"Aren't you ashamed to use your father for this?" the Valosian ran his hands through his hair, feeling himself getting a little older when he looked at Alexandre's resolute stance and so impermeable to common sense.

"Ah, don't be a snob. You will go down in history as the mentor of Alexandre the Great. Many would fight for that honor. I am disappointing many warriors by choosing you, Glax of Valosia. But you are so… cool! Seriously, I already chose YOU. There's no turning back."

Glax shook his head in despair. "STOP CHOOSING ME!"

Alexandre, of course, did not understand his outburst, and just laughed. "Look. Isn't the view beautiful from here?! When we return in the winter, the snow will have taken over everything. Chriseis was very smart to choose this hill as a reward!"

"Reward?" Gax asked. The property was to the east, and overlooked the plain beyond the walls, and the farms tinted golden by the dawn light.

"Yes, Cousin Chriseis, when she was my age captured the last Neameian Pegasus."

"Don't tell anyone I asked that, but what was so special about this pegasus?"

"Since I only saw one pegasus in my life, I don't really know. How can I know how other pegasus are? Chrisos had fiery hooves, dark wings and it was the gift that the emperor liked most, of all offered at his coronation. Chriseis had her arm trampled by the wild Pegasus... But the same god that appeared for my uncle in the battle of Heramis and gave him the magic prosthesis..." The boy shrugged," Hey, listen. I don't really believe in that part that a god gave my uncle a gift."

"He doesn't seem much 'giftable' right now, but perhaps he was, once."

"Uh, I guess so. But, about the Pegasus and how Chriseis made it all… It's a verified fact. She was able to choose the place she wanted and she chose that hill. I was a baby when it happened. I know that Chriseis did indeed capture Pegasus. I saw the animal when I visited the palace with my father, and the emperor himself showed me Chrisos."

What an interesting story.

"Chriseis should be my sister and Megara be Iasos's sister ... hahaha. Wow, I'm going to miss her. When she was here I was going to hunt with her and we were even going to explore the ruins from Before the Ascension. She allowed me to come here when I wanted to... " Young Kroton looked hopefully at Glax after the cue.

"Good to know," Glax didn't take the bait, just to test him.

"I was her favorite relative, I can tell you! She took me on her horse during the triumph parade for the victory at Tepomesos… but of course, I was just a little kid."

"Do you want me to take you on my lap so you can wave to the crowd?" Glax scoffed. Alexandre walked over a very narrow wall between the annoying and the funny, like a goofy nephew.

"NO! It's not long for my agoge! By the way, how was yours?"

Glax stretched. "We'll be able to talk about it later. Listen, I'm not going to protect your ass or babysit you. If you want to go with me, don't think you're going to be treated like a prince or like the son of the archigeos, for what matters."

"You are offending me! I don't want privileges!" the boy protested.

"I know, I know." Glax slapped young Kroton on the head, signaling them to come in. Glax needed to send messages and prepare everything for his departure.

The events prevented him from finding the truth right away, but that didn't mean he had given up.

::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Lady Roxana handed her son a shield at the port. Alexandre was redder than pepper, and Glax was watching everything with semi-closed eyes, having fun for a change.

The Alectryons* were embarking to replace a unit in Rusa and Glax would be on the road in a strong call Marbium.

The place where he was being sent was too far north, he found when he checked the map.

It was in a province halfway between Valosia and the capital, which was perhaps the only visible advantage. Glax also finally understood that Tepomesus was the estuary, separating the Erimos and a mountain range whose name he didn't understand, from the most fertile lands of the clan.

"Don't you have warm clothes with you, mountain man?" Iasos, who had also come and was beside the archigeos' wife, asked in a mocking tone.

"The flame of hate in my heart will warm me, Iasos." He grunted.

"Wow. What are you talking about?"

"From the body thief, from the murderer in the Iaso temple... From the fact the gods want me to be going north when these offenses have not yet been avenged."

"I will be looking for answers. Chriseis was my twin sister. This thief is going to pay for the boldness. I swear."

Glax stared at Iasos, unable to read his face as before. 'That bastard doesn't even blink! He almost had me killed yesterday, and he's mocking at me today!'

Roxana offered Glax a gift, "Lord Glax, for agreeing to teach my son, I'm glad. Please accept this gift. Such a skilled warrior will certainly make good use of it."

She handed him a rolled-up cloth, and when Glax opened it, his eyes sparkled. It was a pair of metal vambraces, decorated in a pattern that he had not yet seen. But perhaps that wasn't the most important thing. The bracelets were made of galeon, the same metal as the two wonders he had already seen!

"Lady Roxana! I can't accept it, these vambraces are important!"

"I do not accept refusals, Lord Glax. Alexandre is a great warrior, and will become better with your teachings. This is the least I can offer, so hastily, to honor you ... But I promise that I will be duly generous for sharing your knowledge when you return."

'Gulp, I should have refused to take Alexandre anyway.'

"Na-nny," Iasos moved his lips for Glax to read them. "Accept the gift, brother-in-law. You will be Chiron* for Achiles. It's the greatest honor."

Glax agreed, hating the situation more and more, but in fact he liked the gift. Although they were beautiful, Glax was much more interested in their practical utility.

He was constantly looking at the pier, looking to see his friend Rasmus. The other Valosian was the person he knew he could trust, and to whom he had sent a message.

Tarsus, one of the winners of the Armor Games, who married Lady Nyssa, was also sailing on that same ship with his wife. The final destination was Albion's fortress, where he would serve alongside Lady Nyssa. At that moment, the Alectryon battalion welcomed him with a cheerful welcome ceremony.

Glax and Alexandre, however, were faced with a taciturn Commander and some Aegeon officers.

"Our Phrata* was happy to hear of your desire to join the Aegeon, Lord Glax. The Grand General expressed your desire to help where your skills could be put to the test. You will be the leader of a squad. We have received a message from Fort Marbium with worrying reports. The Aegeon are responsible for that fort, and at this moment we sent a new experienced commander to take charge of what's needed. Tagmatarchis* Arsenio must arrive before you, coming from another location. "

Glax just nodded his head as he noticed that Alexandre was growing more restless at his side, although without losing his serious and upright posture.

"Your reception in the Aegeon forces will be at Marbium. At that moment, receive the symbol that you will carry with pride and respect! "

An assistant handed the commander a red helmet with white manes, and also a red shield, where the head of a bearded man from which a circle made out of several fists protruded had been painted in white. Glax was delivered those items, to which he showed respect, as they expected.

Soon after, the men bowed and shouted the name of the entire division.

"AEGEON !!!"

Glax joined them, with all the enthusiasm he could show.

A little later, on the ship's deck, the Valosian walked from side to side while his 'protégé' Alexandre was discreetly looking at himself in the reflection of the polished shield. Then Glax saw the expected signal in the distance, green smoke rising to the east.

"Alexandre. Be discreet, and come."

"What?"

"Sheesh. Come!" He grabbed the boy by the shoulder, bringing him out of everyone's view and getting out of the ship as discreetly as he could.

"Glax, what are you doing? We will become deserters!" Alexandre exclaimed.