[swipe for 2nd version]

330 BC. Simon had been conquering lands for years, giving him the title of “The Great”. After successfully conquering Macedonia, Thebes and Athens, his objective was now to reach Persia, to become the all-powerful Emperor of Asia. His troops easily crossed the Black Sea, and gained land week after week, defeating the persian soldiers on every hill, every valley, every field. Soon, Simon had conquered Babylon and was heading to Persepolis, crossing the persian countryside, all while conquering land. But, these lands were owned by nobles and their families, who hadn’t fled and witnessed Simon’s Greek army on their land.

But, like every person setting a foot on a foreign land, even as an invader, Simon discovered cultural differences. Not only did Persians not have the same gods as him, but they were also speaking a language that resembled nothing to Greek. Even the ones who received a complete education barely knew anything of the Greek language, to Simon’s greatest frustration, as he needed the population to understand him. And, when he invited numerous nobles to discuss with him, in order to know their future leader, he didn’t expect language to be such a strong barrier. Only his valet seemed to help, mastering Persian and trying to understand the various dialects used by Persian nobles.

Representing your family, you sat across the Emperor at his temporary residence, in Babylon, a heavy silence weighting in the room. He only knew Greek, and you didn’t know a word of it ; even the glances seemed to remain misunderstood from both sides. Simon straightened on his seat, tensed, intending to keep the strong facade he wanted to show to the Persian nobles, including you. He glanced at his valet, hoping to find some help, while searching for anything to say. His eyes moved to your round ones, to the way the fabric sat on your skin on your shoulders and arms. He turned, glancing at his valet, and demanded : “Tell her… how beautiful I believe she is.”.