Alexander Page #4

They're far more dangerous than men.

I'm sure you remember Achilles

from Tales of Troy.

-He's my favorite.

-Why?

Because he loved Patroclus

and avenged his death.

Because he lived without fear,

and slew Hector.

Some say he was a hotheaded fool...

...who fought for himself

and not the Greeks.

But he was a hero, the greatest at Troy.

And his fate?

That he must die young

but with great glory.

Did he have a choice?

Oh, yes. He could have a long life,

but there would be no glory.

You dream of glory, Alexander.

Your mother encourages you.

There's no glory without suffering,

and this she will not allow.

She makes you weak.

The gods have never

made it easy for man.

Look, Herakles.

Even after he accomplished

his 12 labors...

...he was punished with madness,

slaughtered his three children.

Poor Herakles.

Great Herakles.

All greatness comes from loss.

Even you, the gods will

one day judge harshly.

When I'm king like you, Father?

Don't rush the day, boy. You risk all.

My father threw me into battle

before I knew how to fight.

When I killed my first man, he said:

"Now you know. "

I hated him then,

but I understand why now.

A king isn't born, Alexander.

He's made by steel and by suffering.

A king must know

how to hurt those he loves.

It's lonely. Ask Herakles.

Ask any of them. Fate is cruel.

No man or woman can be too powerful

or too beautiful without disaster befalling.

They laugh when you rise too high and

crush everything you've built with a whim.

What glory they give,

in the end, they take away.

They make of us slaves.

Truth is in our hearts,

and none will tell you this but your father.

Men hate the gods.

The only reason we worship any of them

is because we fear worse.

What's worse?

The Titans.

If they were ever to be set free...

...it would be a darkness

such as we have never seen before.

Could they ever come back?

Can Zeus imprison the Titans forever

under Mount Olympus?

It's said that when Zeus burned them

to dust with his lightning bolt...

...they took the Titans' ashes

and, in a cold revenge...

...mixed it with those of mortal men.

Why?

Who knows these things?

One day, things will change.

Men will change.

But first, the gods must change.

But all this you'll forget, Alexander.

That's why we call them myths.

We can't bear to remember them.

I'll remember.

And one day, I'll be on walls like these.

Alexander once said to me:

"We are most alone

when we are with the myths. "

Phalanx!

And thus, it came to pass in a dream...

...as mythical to all Greeks

as Achilles defeating the Trojans.

At this one glorious moment in time...

...Alexander was loved by all.

But in the end, i believe Babylon

was a far easier mistress to enter...

...than she was to leave.

Sikander! Sikander!

Aristotle may have called them barbarians,

but he never saw Babylon.

We have enough gold here to support

three generations of Macedonian armies.

And Macedonia would soon corrupt,

Cassander.

-Wealth in great quantities brings the crows.

-Not for the men who fought, I trust.

We'll pay them well, Antigonus,

but not as mercenaries for future services.

Now you sound like Philip.

Philip never saw Babylon.

No, he didn't, Hephaistion.

-Hello!

-Hello!

Alexander, I know you think me

a stiff old sod...

...but whatever our differences,

know this day...

...your father would be very proud of you.

Thank you, Parmenion.

I ask you to forgive me

my own anger, my pride.

They, too, blind me.

A magnificent mainland work

from the last century.

The golden age, Alexander. Worth much

to Athens and to our alliances.

Take back what is ours...

...but spare what belongs to the Persians.

Yes. We're the richest men

to walk the earth, my friends.

-Not if you keep giving it all away.

-The grandsons of goat herders...

...we now rule 2 million square miles.

But...

None of you fear that this great fortune

may drive us all to destruction.

You overvalue us.

For as long as Darius breathes,

he is the legitimate king of Asia...

...and I but the king of air.

But he has no power, Alexander.

He's lost in the mountains with no army.

As long as he's lost, Philotas,

he can be believed in.

Only when he's found will it be decided.

It seems you've already

made up your mind.

We must finish what we failed

to do at Gaugamela.

We must hunt Darius down.

-That was not your father's mission.

-And I am not my father.

Come on. Have you so quickly forgotten?

Fortune favors the bold.

No wonder Darius fled

when he had this to come back to.

One for every night of the year.

How will I go back to Lysimache

after this?

I advise you not to touch, Leonnatus.

Here, I'll take care of it for you.

Aristotle was perhaps prescient.

Do these images fool us with their beauty

and degrade our souls?

Bagoas, great king. Darius' boy.

-Bagoas.

-Nicely gilded, Your Majesty.

Most successful. He was certainly

one of the great king's favorites.

How old? Is great well with the years.

What are you now, Bagoas?

Eighteen, 19?

-Where does he come from?

-The north, sire.

From the hills near Susa.

You speak our language.

-Good. I'd like to learn yours.

-Is learnable, my lord.

So tell me, Bagoas...

...do my eyes betray me

or do you wish to be set free...

...to go back to your homeland?

All my family's long dead, great king.

With your permission, I will stay on.

Very well then, Bagoas.

Ptolemy, administer this.

And that's the same of every person

in the harem, woman and eunuch.

Whoever wishes to be sent home

to their families, let them.

What?

-Hear that, boys?

-He set us free.

Great King Alexander.

The princess of the thousand roses...

...and eldest daughter of the formerly

Great King Darius...

...Stateira.

Noble Alexander...

...I come to beg for the lives...

...of my sisters...

...my mother, my grandmother.

You are not wrong, Princess Stateira.

He, too, is Alexander.

Please.

I plead for my family's lives.

-Sell me as a slave, great king, but-

-Look now...

...in my eyes...

...princess...

...and tell me...

...how would you like to be treated?

As I am...

...a princess.

Then so be it.

You and your family shall

be treated as my family.

You shall live in this palace

as long as you choose.

Have you any other requests for me,

my noble princess?

No.

Everything I wish...

...I have requested.

You truly are...

...a queen.

Yes, she would be

a perfect match for you...

...but you do nothing.

Three months you've been in Babylon

and leave me in Pella...

...at the mercy of your enemies,

of which you have many.

Antipater, accustomed now to the power

that you have given him.

i must watch him grow stronger.

Im certain that he communicates secretly

with Parmenion, who is dangerous.

But beware, most of all,

of those closest to you.

They are like snakes...

...and can be turned.

General Crateros.

Cassander is Antipater's son.

Even Cleitus, your father's favorite...

...and Ptolemy, your friend, yes.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote