The Conqueror and the Rose

Chapter I - Siege of the Sogdian Rock

A baby wailed, and its cries echoed noisily inside the citadel. Roxana could hardly see where the crowd ended, as a sea of people had gathered here. They had been crammed into the shadows of the jointed chambers, and someone had shouted for everyone to settle down on the cold floor.

There was an air of anticipation, but nobody was frightened. Roxana's father Oxyartes, the mighty warlord and nobleman of Sogdia, had given them his word on the fact that the Sogdian Rock was impregnable. The fortress was nestled on the pinnacle of a lofty cliff, and even though it was already on a high level, the structure itself was enormous. It consisted of rectangular structures crested by crenellated parapets.

"No one is crazy enough to climb all the way up here. And that in this snow! They will leave as soon as they come." A group of men were seated in a circle beside Roxana, talking.  

"I agree. We've been living in the mountains since we were born, don't we all know how to climb? But to climb a cliff like this is impossible.  Some summits simply cannot be reached." The men nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, as our commander Arimazes has spoken, Alexander will need 'men with wings' to defeat us."

"And we know that he and his men are not immortal." Roxana chipped in. The men looked up, and began to rise once they realized that the daughter of Oxyartes had been listening to them.


"No, no, do not trouble yourselves," Roxana said, and went back to where her little sister was obediently seated. Samia looked anxious, so Roxana took her hand, squeezed it, and gave her a smile.

Suddenly a horn blared from outside. The enemies had come. The men inside the citadel quickly stood up and rushed to the square openings in the rock walls that served as windows. 

"Stay here," She told her sister Samia, and she also rose and weaved her way through the crowd. She passed by a such a large crowd of faces that she was dizzy, and she was too small and could not see what was going on outside. Even the tallest of the men were scrambling on top of each other's shoulders to view what was going on. 

On the outside, a watchman standing in one of the parapets signalled with his arm. "They have about three hundred men!" He shouted. At this the Bactrians scoffed. The Bactrians were numbering thirty thousand. What was Alexander thinking of doing with merely three hundred men? Did the enemy really think they could win a battle at a disadvantage of a hundred against one? As the Bactrians peered down the edge of the giant cliff, they saw that the enemies were latching onto the wall.

"They have decided to climb!" The watchman announced, disbelief evident in his voice. Clearly these men wanted death for themselves, or they wouldn't be undertaking this task. Either that, or they were very loyal to their commander, even to the point of death.

The enemies looked like bugs climbing a tree trunk, more so because the exposed side of the cliff was composed of brownish rock and the warriors were wearing dark materials. The Bactrians grew more alert.

But after an hour passed, the climbers were still at the base of the cliff. After two hours, they were still there. The alertness diminished. Night began to fall across the land, and one by one the observers became drowsy. Though they took turns keeping watch throughout the night, they were not able to make out anything in the pitch blackness, even with the use of torches. Soon, they gave up.

"Wake up! Wake up!" It was Samia, shaking Roxana awake. Roxana woke with a start.

"Samia, why?" She asked.

"I don't know," whispered Samia, "What if they really climb all the way up here and come to take us away? Roxana, I'm scared." Samia's lips were trembling. Roxana pulled her into a hug.