Sons of Sparta

Part 3

Ten years had passed, and Matthias, now a fully grown man, stood over the cooling pile of coals. His mother had just died, and her body had been burned according to the custom of Sparta. There was not enough good soil in the valley to build a cemetery. He knelt on one knee and prayed silently to the gods. He knew his mother was with Father again. He sighed as he drew himself to his full height, which was rather impressive. He was half a head taller than most men. Ever since Father died, he had been the sole provider for his mother. She had relied on him. But she was gone, and he was alone. Now he could answer the questions that gnawed at his soul. He could reclaim his rightful place in society. But this would be no simple task. He couldn't just walk into town and claim Spartan ancestry. He was a slave. He needed a disguise. He needed to be a soldier, a hero of war. That would get him the respect and honor he needed. He would be a warrior, and find his birth family.

Matthias hid behind a large barrel. The bodies of the dead Spartan warriors brought back from a recent battle were stacked in a pile to be burned. Matthias crept up and collected for himself some armor, clothes, and anything else that was useful. With the things he had gathered, Matthias outfitted himself with a soldier's attire. He altered the breastplate so that it would not be recognized, because every Spartan personalized his armor. He washed the tunic. It was made of the finest cloth that had ever touched his skin. He put his few coins in the moneybag. When he cleaned all of the blood off of the armor, he put on his new outfit. There. Now he looked like a proper Spartan.

In the Spartan culture, a boy was taken to the barracks at age seven to begin his grueling training as a soldier. After twenty years of this hard and demanding preparation, the boys were ready to join the army. Yesterday, the young men his age had left with famous General Arion to fight in the war. Matthias walked all day and night to catch up with them. He hoped no one would realize that he had not left the barracks with them the day before. When he finally reached them, they were sleeping. He had to move quietly as not to disturb them. He lay down in the long grass for a well deserved rest, and promptly fell asleep.

He awoke suddenly when a soldier kicked him. He stared at the man in surprise. The man had a face of stone as he said coldly, "Wake up, you bum. You know how the General is about late sleepers." Matthias drew himself to his full height and stared back with an equally cold glare.

"Don't mind Peter here, he's just sore that his breastplate isn't as fancy as yours," said another soldier. "Plus, he hates it when anyone's taller than him. He thinks he's quite the handsome devil." The soldier glanced over at Peter with an impish smile.

When Matthias looked at this good-natured soldier, it was all he could do not to gasp. This man was almost identical to him. His facial features were the reflection of Matthias's, and he was about the same size too. He had the same eyes as him, and his crooked smile was the same.

Peter raised an eyebrow. "Oh, do I now?"

Immediately, the two soldiers were engaged in a wrestling match. Matthias could tell by the way they both fought that they did not intend to hurt each other. As he watched, Peter managed to work his way on top of the other soldier and pinned him firmly to the ground.

"Aw, come on, Pete, let me up!"

"Not before you take it back." Peter smiled menacingly.

"Fine! I didn't mean it!"

"Didn't mean what?"

"Peter!"

"Alright, alright." Peter stood and picked the other soldier up by the collar of his tunic. The soldier stood and brushed the dirt off of his tunic in mock disgust. He turned to face Matthias after playfully shooting a dirty look at Peter.

"I'm Andrew. Who're you? I don't remember seeing you at the beginning of the march."

Matthias thought carefully before he spoke.

"My name is Matthias. My father was just killed in the war, and I that's why I was late," Matthias lied.

"Oh, that's too bad. Peter's father was killed last week in the siege on Athens. Everyone knows Athens will fall, but the wretches in the city insist on fighting us. Their people are starving to death inside. They really ought to give in while they still can."

While the soldier's appearance was very similar to Matthias's, their personality seemed to be completely unrelated. His easy smile, playful manner, and talkative nature were very different than the shy, quiet Matthias. Still, they were very similar in appearance. Perhaps this man was his brother. Not only that, but with his age, could he actually be his twin?

Matthias was on his way to becoming a warrior. So far, he was doing pretty well. On the other hand, he needed to act and think like a Spartan soldier. That would take some getting used to. And they were headed to the great city of Athens to join the two Spartan kings and the famous Admiral Lysander. The final siege of the city was under way, and everyone knew that the war would soon come to an end.