Chapter 7

     Over the next few hours, as they all traveled talking with one another on this warm Spring day, King Vyakles spoke with Thera telling her how delighted he was Themiscyra agreed to the ratification of the peace treaty; which had lasted 100 years. The success of which was due to the stipulation that each city would have no interaction between them. Now Sparta needed sons for the Army and Themiscyra required daughters so their civilization could continue to exist.
     Much had happened and the king of Sparta shared a brief history of his nation, some of which Thera had knowledge of. He spoke of the Great Battle of Platea, one hundred years ago, where Sparta joined forces with Megara and amassed a massive army and defeated the Persian forces of 300,000 of which only 3,000 Persians made it out of battle alive. Vyakles told her of a great earthquake which shook the ground for five days killing 20,000 Spartans destroying most of the city. Thera was fascinated by the stories of the First Peloponnesian War when Sparta and Megara joined forces against Athens and Thrace; who took refuge in Athens from the Spartans cramming into the city causing an out break of plague. Next the city of Platea was blockaded, cut off from any aid from Athens or Thrace by the Spartan Army who starved every one in the city. The king told her of many years after the war of devastating floods and terrible earthquakes. She was informed of a fifty year peace treaty that was signed by King Pleistoanax of Sparta and General Nikios of Athens; which, eleven years later, was broken sparking the Second Peloponnesian War, which lasted, ironically, eleven years. Thera listened to the king excitedly telling of the great maritime battles; which was most of the war. He spoke of the great General Gylippes who saved the city of Syracuse from the Athenians during the naval battle at Kynossema where the General captured 4,000 Athenians and had them all executed in one day. "For the next thirty five years Sparta was the undisputed, supreme leader of all Greece. Now after the second war King Agis, who ruled at the end of the war, marched his mighty Spartan Army to the city of Eleans, who had taken arms against Sparta and sided with Athens. So out of revenge King Agis put everyone in the city to the sword and burned the walls down to the ground." King Vyakles said as he turned his head looking at his traveling companion, who was fascinated by the tale. He could see the battle- lust in Thera's bright green eyes, and here he thought Thera would be a most impressive warrior to have in his army, or perhaps a member of Sparta's Olympic team.
      Thera was so intrigued by this man and the stories he told as they traveled south towards the Aegean Sea, cool winds blowing down off the southern slopes of the pine and cypress covered Parnon mountains to the east. Thera felt so at ease, a deep abiding peace warming her heart, and here she wished to walk on forever on this road with the handsome, brave and noble king at her side regaling her with stories from his nations past.