Gemmell, David – Lion of Macedon 01

‘Men need wives and children,’ said Philip. ‘Children need education. Farmers need to be able to farm in peace. Macedonia is a rich land, with the finest timber in all of Greece. The land should yield tremendous riches. Yet it does not. For men must needs become warriors, and forget

the earth and its treasures. There should be a more profitable way.’

‘Perhaps one day you will be King,’ said Attalus softly. ‘A great King, maybe. Then you could conquer the Illyrians and the Thracians, and see your dream fulfilled.’

‘I have no wish to be King,’ said Philip. He smiled suddenly. ‘And remember to report that to Ptolemaos!’

Pella, Macedonia, 371 BC

Pella was a growing city. Philip’s father, Amyntas, had borrowed heavily in order to bring architects from the south, planning avenues and temples and enlarging the palace. The richer Macedonian nobles were also encouraged to move to the capital, building homes in the hills and bringing with them servants who needed cheaper housing. This influx of new residents brought with it merchants and tradesmen, and the city flourished.

Philip stood at the window of his palace bedchamber staring out over the market-place beyond the high walls of the gardens. He could hear the stallholders shouting out prices, enticing custom, and wished he could walk from the forbidding palace and mingle with the crowds.

But it was not to be. Ptolemaos made it clear that he did not wish his young nephews to venture far from his sight, claiming that he was worried for their safety. This surprised Philip, since he did not seem quite as concerned for his own son, Archelaos, who was allowed to ride and hunt and go whoring whenever the mood took him. Philip had no liking for Archelaos and – despite Parmenion’s advice – could not bring himself to attempt to win over the boorish young man.

Archelaos was a younger version of his father: the same hook of a nose, the same cruel mouth and jutting chin.

Philip found it hard enough being pleasant towards his murderous uncle without having to abase himself before the heir to the throne. He said as much to his brother Perdiccas, as the older youth lay in his sick-bed.

‘There would be little point in trying to win him over,’ whispered Perdiccas, the effort of speaking sapping his strength. ‘Archelaos is a pig; he would take any overture as a sign of weakness and do his best to exploit it. I hate the man. Do you know what he said to me last spring? He said that even if Ptolemaos lets me live, the first order he will give upon his own coronation will be for my death.’

‘We could flee the country,’ said Philip. ‘You are nearly seventeen. You could become a mercenary and I could be your servant. We could gather an army and come back.’

‘Dream on, little brother. I cannot shake off this fever. I feel weak as a two-day colt.’ He began to cough and Philip brought him a wine cup filled with water. Perdiccas raised himself on one elbow and drank. Unlike his dark, almost swarthy brother, Perdiccas was golden-haired and, before his illness, men had marvelled at his beauty. But now his skin was stretched and tight, the colour pale and unhealthy. His eyes were red-rimmed and dull, his lips the blue of the consumptive. Philip looked away. Perdiccas was dying.

Philip sat for some time with his brother, then he wandered back to his own rooms. Food had been left for him on silver platters, but he was not hungry. He had felt sick that morning, and had vomited painfully for an hour until at last only yellow bile came away. Now he drank a little water and lay back on his couch. Barking from the garden awoke him and he remembered that the hound, Beria, had recently produced a litter. Sitting up, he wrapped the cold meat of his supper inside a linen towel and carried it to the gardens, where he sat for some time playing with the black puppies and feeding them scraps of food. They clambered over him, licking and mock-biting. It lifted his mood and he returned to his rooms. A servant came to collect the platter. He was a kindly old man named Hermon, white-bearded, with keen blue eyes under shaggy brows.

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