Chapter 5
The evening had begun promisingly enough. At Mother’s suggestion, no less, I had made my peace with the match and Father’s new queen and decided to attend the celebration with Hephaestion and the rest of my Companions. Being a son of Philip and Olympias, however, I could not resist the quick jab.
“I thank you for the invitation, sir,” I said. “When my mother remarries, I’ll make sure to return the favor.”
Father smiled derisively but offered no rejoinder. I took that as a hopeful sign.
As usual, I was deluded. There can be no peace in a country that’s infiltrated by agitators. So it is with families.
“Here’s to our king,” Attalus, the bride’s fat-mouthed uncle, shouted, raising his cup. “And to the Macedonian queen who will one day give him a true Macedonian heir.”
This tim
