A most unexpected character match made in Heaven happens in Assassin’s Creed Rogue as late as in Sequence 5 (given that the game comprises of just 6 sequences), which is I think one of the story’s biggest highlights, because it brings together and ties with an uncanny chemistry the mysterious protagonist Assassin-turned-Templar Shay Cormac and our most favorite villain, Haytham Kenway. 

When Shay becomes officially a Templar, he participates in an initiation ceremony led by the Grand Master himself and this is where the two of them meet for the first time in person. This is apparently a routine ritual, carried out for every new recruit, but you can tell how Haytham is instantly intrigued by Shay due to his ex-Assassin status, as he subsequently goes on to treat him with a curious and occasionally hilarious mix of respect, caution and a kind of twisted flirting – if deliberately splattering that poor guard’s blood on Shay’s face with his known murderous grace is not that exactly, then I don’t know what it is.

This intriguing chemistry between Haytham and Shay is due partly to the fact that they have a lot of things in common, the most obvious being that both are in a place for which they were not originally destined. For another part, however, it is their personalities that match so perfectly, although their idiosyncrasies do have their differences. Having passed through Assassin training himself, albeit for a brief time and at a very tender age, Haytham watches Shay as a sensational curiosity, undoubtedly thinking how it would have been for himself had he become an Assassin instead of a Templar, and wondering what could have happened in Shay’s life that made him switch sides so dramatically and devote himself to the Templar cause with such passion. Of course with time he had the chance to get to know more details about Shay’s past, possibly noticing common patterns with his in the course of the events. 

Haytham’s path in life had been somehow predetermined, but all was violently changed the night that Edward was murdered. Witnessing his father’s death at such a tender age was a huge shock from which he needed a lot of time to recover, something that gave Birch the chance to corrupt the young boy’s heart. In Birch’s hands, Haytham was a white canvas; and the ruthless man succeeded in giving him an upbringing that would perfectly place him in the highest Templar ranks. Growing up, however, a man with Assassin roots and Templar beliefs, like he describes himself in his journal, Haytham was able to form a mind of his own, in spite of Birch’s inevitable brainwashing, and he could discern the grey areas in the ideology of the Templars, just like Edward before him was able to discern the grey areas in the creed of the Assassins; as well as several points where the two opposite sides overlapped. 

 

By the time that Shay and Haytham are about to cross paths, Haytham had just gone through a most dramatic succession of events, culminating in facing Birch and subsequently killing him with Jenny, thus finally avenging Edward’s murder. Earlier, he had already left behind the – very unlikely anyway – possibility of a more normal life with Ziio, something that he does not regret, however. In her own brief interlude speech in Assassin’s Creed III, Ziio confesses that she doubted if Haytham even loved her; and if he did, it was in his own way, because he always had his eyes set to the future where there was no room for a conventional family life. In spite of how he chose to present himself, Haytham shared Edward’s free spirit and also that tendency to gain experience from everything and everyone that crossed his path. 

A similar free spirit he saw in Ziio, and this was what attracted him, as well as her uncorrupted heart; but most of all he was led by his own curiosity to see how it would feel like to live free of strict rules of any kind, in a possible attempt to somehow relive Edward’s constant longing for absolute freedom. Haytham was never inherently evil; Ziio, a woman with great instinct and insight, fell in love with him because she did discern the good in him after all. Not to mention his physical charm, to which noone could resist anyway; he admits himself in his journal that he enjoyed being compared to his father, because Edward was so striking. Haytham is an English rose, like Jacob and Evie, although one with many thorns, and many lethal thorns as well. In the first sequences of Assassin’s Creed III, when he is younger, we can literally see him switching between his more human self and the cruel Templar persona in seconds. Maybe as an instinctive way to protect himself by keeping a distance from everyone around him. That phrase that he says to Ziio, “you showed me great kindness” is revealing and heart-wrenching, if you think about it: the strict upbringing that Birch offered him had definitely been a struggle for Haytham in his childhood and teenage years, especially after all the love and tenderness that he had received from his father. Growing up under Birch’s surveillance made him a cold and ruthless murderer, practically eliminating almost all of his good elements. He is just like Estella, the beautiful and cold-hearted heroine of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, who had been trained by Miss Havisham to be a heartless destroyer of men, but she did have some kindness which needed the right trigger to come to the surface. 

 

Shay, for his part, had been an Assassin for all his early youth, but was forced to abandon the Brotherhood after the disastrous events in Lisbon which made him realise that sometimes the decisions and actions of the Assassins do not lead to the best possible outcome and are not always for the common good. His dramatic confrontation with Achilles and his fellow Assassins resulted in him feeling betrayed by the very people that he used to love and care about, and nearly led to his own death. Being orphaned as a child, and in spite of being self-sufficient and resourceful on his own, he was emotionally vulnerable for a good part of his life, and was in need of someone with authority to guide him. His childhood friend Liam first served as an older brother figure, and then Achilles assumed the role of a father figure, offering him a safe haven in his homestead. 

After the tragic events that forced him to escape, hunted by Achilles and his former associates, he found a much stronger and much more emotionally powerful father figure in Colonel George Monro, whose demise took a very heavy toll on Shay. So when he was officially accepted in the Templar Order, he saw in the compelling and brilliant Grand Master the older brother figure that he so much needed in his life. Being young enough to be considered a trusty companion but at the same time intimidating enough to be seen as a symbol of power and order, Haytham became a beacon of balance for Shay, in spite of and contrary to his own marginally unhinged personality.

Carrying his emotionally heavy past as a burden and a constantly open wound, Shay is often overwhelmed by melancholy; but he is charming, trusty and efficient, giving off a mysterious energy that makes him fascinating – it is not random that this is the last thing that Hope says to him before leaving him to die in the poison-filled room. These are elements that Haytham appreciates in a man, especially a Templar under his command. He listens to Shay, respects his decisions, follows his advice without objection, accompanies him on difficult missions. Partly to make sure, at the beginning at least, that Shay will remain loyal to the Templar cause, but also partly because he sees so many elements of himself in Shay. His bloodthirsty side enjoys how Shay mercilessly kills everyone, from random gang members to ex-colleagues, but his more human side is thrilled to have found a partner in crime, close to his age, with a calm, unaffected mind, albeit more compassionate than himself. Being a gifted former Assassin and a promising Templar, Shay is literally the best of both worlds; and he is also experienced enough to treat Haytham with due respect - he is the Grand Master, after all - but without sucking up to him, something that Haytham undoubtedly admires a lot.

What Shay experienced in his early youth was like a distorted version of what Haytham experienced in his childhood: Haytham adored Edward, like Shay looked up to George Monro; Haytham’s father and Shay’s father figure were murdered, and they were both (Haytham as a child and Shay as a young man) left lost and numbed for some time. But while Shay consciously enrolled in the Templar Rite, Haytham was literally forced into it when he had no say in this decision, and there seemed to be no way out of it. He learned to adapt to his new life as the only way to make it through, and even made some good out of it. Unsuspecting about Birch's true nature and the fact that he was the mastermind behind Edward's murder, Haytham was able to make use of the good elements from his new mentor's teachings, although he would always recall what Edward had taught him and treasure all that past knowledge while still learning new things, confident - and rightly so - that Edward would be proud of him for questioning his ideals and carving his own path. This is a confession that he makes in his journal, and an acknowledgement that he prefers to keep to himself, choosing to snap back at the world with a cynicism that is indeed a most prominent part of his temperament, but it is not the only one; his bitter-sounding replies against Adewale's scathing comments during their face-to-face confrontation is maybe the most characteristic instance of this, as he seems to deliberately respond in a provocative way, knowing that he will infuriate his enemy, thus distracting him and making it easier for Shay to kill him.

This cynicism, however, was never part of his interactions with Shay, whom he apparently viewed as a friend and a trusty ally, and obviously admired for his skills. Although we do not have the chance to witness the full blooming of their alliance, it is certain that it lasted for a long time, as we see Shay ultimately retrieving the much sought for precursor box years later after killing Arno's father in Versailles, and was cut abruptly only because of Haytham's untimely death. When their parallel paths crossed for the first time back in New York, it was in a conjuncture that – we could say poetically – was written in the stars. We do not have evidence about how Haytham generally dealt with other recruits, but it is obvious that Shay stood out among the rest with his personality and his qualities, which is why the Grand Master held him in such high esteem; and vice versa, for similar reasons. 

A Rift In Time

One of the biggest improvements in the recent remake of Resident Evil 4 was undoubtedly the evolution of Ashley Graham and her impressive upgrade from an almost two-dimensional figure to a full-shaped character with realistic reactions and human emotions which she expressed in a most natural way. Her interactions with Leon mostly, but also with the other characters, gained now a lot more gravity and importance, as they helped form her personality even more, and establish her as a stand-alone unity who may still depend on Leon for her survival, but she can also have a mind of her own.

Even so, her role in the game remains the same as before: she is still the kidnapped daughter of the USA President, waiting for rescue, locked in the attic of a church somewhere in rural Spain, and then after Leon arrives and frees her, she follows him until they finally make their way back home. More or less, her part in the story unfolds in a similar way as in the original game, without affecting its progress in any different way; and her playable section, albeit a lot more intriguing and challenging than in its past version, still leads to the same end. There is one special part, however, a very brief but extremely significant segment in Separate Ways, where a most interesting transition takes place and it happens with the aid, so to speak, of the most unsuspecting character, which is the leading lady Ada herself.

 

Ashley's appearances in Separate Ways are extremely limited, as we only see her a few times through Ada's eyes, and there is no interaction with her at all during the full course of the story. Almost no interaction at all, in fact. In the original main game as well as in the remake, Ashley only finds out about Ada being around and helping her and Leon close to the end of the game: as Saddler is about to sacrifice her, and an infected Leon has just reached the altar to save her, Ada makes her dramatic appearance, successfully distracting Saddler for a few minutes, so that Leon can have enough time to take Ashley and leave. Then, after they have both gotten rid of their infection, upon arriving at the docks, Ashley sees Ada hanging from the rafter where Saddler has tied her up to lure Leon closer to him. Leon then frees Ada by cutting the rope that was holding her, and goes on to finish Saddler off. Up to this point, the sequence unfolds the same way in Separate Ways as it does in the main game, in both the original and the remake, albeit in Separate Ways we see everything from Ada's perspective. 

There is this instance however, very close to the end, where the transition happens. In the original Separate Ways, as Ada makes her way towards the higher dock where the Special Rocket Launcher is held, just before she reaches that part, she exits out to the place where Ashley has been all this while, waiting on her own in full agony as she watches Leon fighting Saddler. In the original game, the place where Ashley is standing is on lower ground, and as soon as Ada exits out close to that spot, Ashley turns around and looks up, catching a glimpse of her.

We cannot be sure if Ada even notices Ashley, though, as her eyes seem to be fixed on the moving bridges where Leon's fight with Saddler is in its full swing. The distance between Ashley and Ada does not leave room for any interaction, and this is the closest that they can get to each other throughout the adventure.

In the remade Separate Ways, however, the scene unfolds in a different way. As Ada gets closer to the platform with the Special Launcher, she exits out on a rocky area, where Ashley is standing just a few steps away from her, again watching Leon battling Saddler.

She pauses for a few seconds, giving Ashley time to realize that she is not alone and turn towards her.

 And then it happens. Ashley talks to Ada.

And not only that, but they stand still for a moment looking at each other, or rather it is actually Ada who steals a few seconds so as to observe Ashley. 

This is the moment which, I think, marks more than anything else in both the main game and Ada's campaign the transition between the Ashley of the original and the one of the remake, establishing her new version more than anything else in the revamped Resident Evil 4. Although all the characters have evolved more or less, one way or the other, Ashley's upgrade has been so impressive, that it is as if we have a different character in front of us. It is somehow as if the new Ada has been carrying the memories of the original Ada, keeping record of an Ashley that was marginally paper-cut, who only said a few scripted lines and could do almost nothing on her own. In this unexpected tête-à-tête now in the remake, she sees the new Ashley in the flesh just a breath away from her, and as her eyes follow the girl in the next frame, it is as if she is wondering "So you can really talk like a real person, and you do not just scream 'Help me, Leon' all the time anymore." 

We could say that, in this scene, Ada steps out of her set role for a few seconds and becomes an observer, watching how the new Ashley took over the old one in full dynamic. Considering also that Ada is the character who had the least evolution and even saw her role getting a downgrade in the remake, it is as if in this scene she realizes that the story in which she was acting all the while is not the original game anymore, but a new, completely revamped version; a version where the once wooden and even annoying Ashley emerged as a character with actual human traits. Although not exactly an instance of breaking the 4th wall, it still is a brief moment of metagaming, probably unique to the Resident Evil universe. Ada does not address the "audience" - in this context: the players; but she takes on the part of a watcher analyzing the facts from the outside - in this context: the broader environment outside the more precise environment set around Ashley's character in those specific frames.

Seen with the perspective of time, this scene may have not worked in the original; Ashley's character there, albeit important for the plot, was at times invisible: in the sections where she was not around or where she was but not in danger, it felt like she was not existing in the story at all and you could easily forget about her. In the remake, you have to keep an eye on her always when she is with you (a good example is the revamped maze in the castle which now you must navigate with her, unlike the original where Leon was on his own) and have a part of your mind constantly on her when she is elsewhere. In the original game, Ashley was just a bit more substantial than her wooden cutouts in the shooting range games; and playing with her in that brief section in the castle's basement felt more like a chore and less like an adventure, because she lacked those features that would make her stand on her own without Leon around. Except for Leon, she only had a brief interaction with Luis during the Cabin Fight intro, and even her scenes with Salazar or the one where Saddler hypnotizes her were somehow utilitarian. Any further interaction with anyone would have been too much for her scripted persona, and would even not make much sense. Ada realizing in the remake that she has to do with a realistic character now, pretty much sums up Ashley's welcome evolution and her upgraded role in the game's new era.

Ramón Salazar's Unlikely Legacy

When I played Assassin's Creed III a while ago, I was struck by how familiar Haytham Kenway's look and posture was to me, although back then I could not decipher any of his look's details that could lead me to the solution of this unexpected yet so interesting riddle. And how could it be possible, since the character he seems to nod to as far as his iconic outfit is concerned is no other than Ramón Salazar from the original - and now cult classic - Resident Evil 4, who is Haytham's exact opposite in terms of appearance, although they do share common elements when it comes to cunning and evilness. Released in 2012, Assassin's Creed III is a gloomy, deeply pessimistic tale with one of the saddest twists ever; and its protagonist-turned-antagonist Haytham Kenway is undoubtedly the most fascinating and complex villain of the Assassin's Creed Saga. As for Ramón Salazar, the villainous diminutive aristocrat whom we first met in Resident Evil 4 in 2005, he has left his own mark in the Resident Evil series, and the gaming world in general.

Haytham Kenway and Ramón Salazar do not have anything in common as far as their of physical appearance and temperament are concerned; Haytham is tall, good-looking and attractive, with a sharp, cunning mind and an even sharper arsenal, and equally uses his disarming charm, his mental gifts and his literal blades as lethal weapons in any given case. Gifted with high intelligence, intuition, insane physical strength, and all kinds of charisma, he is an unstoppable force of evil who is able to trap everyone around him in his seductive yet lethal web. What makes him so frightening as a villain is the fact that he is a debonair, stunningly handsome man who is always calm and collected and speaks like a nobleman; it is almost impossible to tell, by just looking at him, how merciless he can get and what extents his cruelty can reach.

 

 

Ramón on the other hand, hit by an incurable sickness and later affected by a devastating mutation, is trapped in a sick, diminutive body, doomed to look like an evil child for as long as he is destined to live; and his cleverness, albeit considerable, is consumed in spitting out smartass insults and setting up lethal traps to capture or even eliminate his enemies. His evilness is instantly obvious, but truth is he is incapable of reaching Haytham's level of cruetly because he lacks the self-confidence and physical strength to do so on his own.

 

Regardless, you cannot ignore the paranoia that shines in the eyes of both of them, although for each one it stems from different roots.

But it is their choice of outfits that is strikingly akin. Haytham and Ramón are dressed in a similar style, even wearing hats of the same type. Their preferred colors are also matching, with variations on their accessories and the details. They can be seen sporting blueish purple outfits with several layers and white shirts underneath. Ramón 's outfit is more simple, with rows of embroidered golden roses decorating its edges and part of the back and a yellow vest with what looks like vine motifs over his shirt, while Haytham's is more elaborate, with golden studs, buttons and threads, and he additionally has a red tie-ribbon and a red vest, as well as an impressive dark blue / grey cape which is red on the inside and has a fancy design on the back. They also both love to walk around with their arms behind their backs.

Haytham is always armed and ready to fight, with his Assassin blades, his pistol and sword, and wearing fancy leather brown boots with gaiters of the same color. Ramón does not carry any weapons and he prefers to show off his tiny calves covered with white stockings and wearing his favorite dress slippers.

They both have long hair, tied in queues with red ribbons. A style that was common in Haytham's era (mid-18th century) but not in Salazar's contemporary years. But we know how Ramón likes to dress like a nobleman of the old times.

Haytham Kenway's historical time is placed two centuries before Salazar's (Assassin's Creed III takes place in the mid-18th century, while the story of Resident Evil 4 unfolds in 2004), but his creation as a character follows that of Salazar by a nearly a quindecennium. Ramón may have influenced Haytham with his dressing style, but Haytham made that style grand and left the original bearer miles behind. Noticeably, the outfit that little Haytham is wearing in the epilogue of Assassin's Creed IV Black Flag (2013) where Edward is holding him in his arms at the theater loge, looks even more like Salazar's costume (minus the hat).

It is also worth-noting that there is a striking similarity between Ramón's outfit in the Resident Evil 4 Remake (2023) and the one that Edward Kenway can be seen wearing in the very same epilogue of Black Flag, with all details matching as well: the deep purple colour (it may not be evident from the screenshot, but Edward's jacket is the exact same color as that of the revamped Salazar's), the decorative motifs made of golden thread and the voluminous white cravat. Edward has his golden hair tied back in his classic, trademark style, and Ramón has what looks like a wig set in a similar hairdo.

Just like his son, Edward as well leaves Ramón miles and miles behind with his unmatched style. Then again the Kenways are such a gorgeous bunch, that even if you dress them in rags they will still look dashing. Poor Ramón can never win. 

Days of Love, Wine and Roses

One of the most beautiful and interesting side plots in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the supporting storyline that takes place on the Silver Islands and starts with the quest Trouble In Paradise. I have made an extensive mention of it my review of the game, and I have also analyzed a specific aspect of it in a separate post, but in this article I will be going over it in detail, exploring all of its aspects: story, character development, literary qualities and gameplay, as well as its very interesting connections to the main plot of the game. The adventure is tied to the search for one of the Cultists and his assassination, and there is one more Cultist who has his hideout in the region; it comprises of several missions of its own, and there are also two additional quests on the same locations that may or may not affect it.

A lovely view of Mykonos

The following analysis is mainly done from a literary and narrative point of view, which is why on many occasions I am deducing what the characters may mean, reading between the lines. The dialogues in the game may be brief but they are very well-constructed, many times revealing much more than what their few words say. Also the "acting" of the characters, which is so realistic and detailed, very often conveys thoughts and feelings that are not described by spoken words or obvious actions. The sub-missions of the Silver Islands questline offer several player choices and thus may have outcomes that are little to much different from the ones described in this article. In my analysis, I took into account the choices that I almost always make, having previously played all the versions of the story. I have seen that the path of choices followed in the analysis below is the most complete and, in spite of its partly bitter conclusion, the one that portrays all the characters best. A more moderate and peaceful finale may seem preferable, but on the one hand it provides a version of the story that lacks a powerful and dramatic climax, and on the other, making less painful choices in the quests before it will not help uncover a potential bad or good side of certain characters or, even worse, it will result in some of them acting inconsistently, ruining the overall perfection of this lovely story.

The view of the port from above is a sight to behold

Early on during the game's main story, Alexios receives a message from the Silver Islands, asking him to go there and assist a small group of rebels who are struggling to free their land from its cruel leader. Podarkes, as is his name, is also a Cultist of the branch of the Delian League, and apparently he is one of the Cult's most relentless and ruthless members. Notably, he is one of the only four Cultists outside the main plot's progression who are revealed via separate questlines with stories exclusively their own (the other ones being The Master in Attika, Diona in Kythera and Swordfish in Krete; there are a few others who are connected with quests, but they can be tracked down independently as well, while Podarkes, The Master, Diona and Swordfish can only be located via their own questlines). There is another local Cultist on the Silver Islands, who is a slave trader and several facts about him are worth noting: his lair is a small island just off the Silver Islands, the Cult's branch in which he belongs is the Silver Vein, the clue about him that reveals his whereabouts is found in a mining cave called Silver Mine, and his name is The Silver Griffin. So much silver about him, and not randomly, as one of the Silver Islands, Delos, used to be the treasury where Athens held all its silver, and was still very much associated with the Delian League. Him being a slave trader hints that he too is probably as cruel and heartless as Podarkes, but since our protagonist does not have the chance to speak to him, there is no personal factor involved in his assassination.

Barnabas tells Alexios the historical background of the Silver Islands

Typically you can go for Trouble In Paradise any time after you receive the message that unlocks it, either as soon as you reach the region's level (in a New Game) or after you find the clue about The Silver Griffin. There is also another chance that you may or may not have, depending on your choices. In the obligatory quest Follow That Boat in Korinth, Alexios is hired to rescue Kleio, a hetera who was supposedly kidnapped by pirates. During the brief battle with the pirate ship, Alexios locates Kleio on board and goes to talk to her. As it turns out, not only she had not been kidnapped, but she hired the pirate ship herself in order to escape from Korinth and go to Mykonos. If Alexios agrees to offer her a place on his ship and later take her to Mykonos, he has an extra reason to go to the Silver Islands. Personally, even if I choose to escort Kleio to Mykonos, I do not initiate the Trouble In Paradise questline until much later; I first complete the main story and the Legacy of The First Blade episodes, leaving most of the Cultists eliminations for when all the obligatory sections are completed, and visiting the Silver Islands close to the end, because their amazing story with its nearly three-hour-and-a-half duration (if you decide to explore and cover everything), albeit closely connected to the main plot in many ways, still can be viewed and played as a separate, fascinating mini-game. 

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

Alexios is still unaware of what awaits for him on the Silver Islands

Upon arriving on Mykonos, the beautiful scenery immediately sets the pace for the adventure's feel. Stunning colors, flowers in bloom, burgeoning trees, white beaches, crystal waters of the bluest sea, and a vibrant port with its city, set the perfect environment for what will follow. You can almost smell the scent of the nightflower and the jasmine; and the bright bougainvillea foliage and rose branches that cover the stone arches and the walls respectively foreshadow that something quite romantic is about to happen. Barnabas, Alexios's best friend who is also the owner of the Adrestia, his ship, reads him the note, informing him that there are two points of interest to explore: a beach and a cave hideout. The note was send by a woman named Kyra, who appears to be the leader of the rebels. Before parting ways for the time being, Barnabas also gives Alexios some interesting historical information about Mykonos and Delos, via which we also learn that because Delos is considered a sacred island, certain things are not allowed there, while on Mykonos there is more freedom. We also get to know a few shocking facts about Podarkes, about how cruelly he treats the people on the Silver Islands, and how merciless and cold-hearted he is.

The city of Mykonos is a marvel to look at

Alexios can then visit any of the two available points of interests first, however going to the beach before visiting the cave hideout rewards us with a few spicy details a bit later. The road to that shore goes through a lovely countryside, with flowers and greenery everywhere; but it turns out that down at the beach there is a lot going on. A group of Spartans, obviously operating on the side of the rebels, had set camp there, but were unexpectedly attacked by Athenian soldiers. Alexios helps the Spartans defeat the attackers, and subsequently goes to talk to their commander. As it turns out, the commander is a very handsome young Spartan called Thaletas, who immediately praises Alexios for his battling skills. Initially he seems to be full of himself, but this is just the surface; and it is clear that he took an instant liking to Alexios.

Thaletas appears to be conceited, but in reality he is just self-confident

Getting to the beach camp before visiting the cave hideout, results in the dialogue between the two boys being intimate and heart-warming. Because, as we learn a bit later, Thaletas had a romance with Kyra (although how far this had gone never becomes clear), if Alexios goes to see Kyra first at the hideout, they will then run to the beach together. This will make Thaletas a little jealous, and in the end he will leave with Kyra to go to the hideout, where Alexios must meet them both afterwards. Whereas if Alexios goes to the camp first, he will have the chance to make his acquaintance independently of Kyra; Thaletas will be very friendly and when the time comes for him to go, his expression while telling Alexios to meet him at the hideout, says a lot more than any words could.

Thaletas is already smitten even if he doesn't realize it yet

At the hideout, Alexios finds Kyra drinking with her men. She seems a bit tipsy, and is quite hostile when she sees him, as she does not know who he is. Kyra is a beautiful young woman, very smart and skilled; a native of Delos, she has devoted her life and existence to the elimination of Podarkes. Unable to do this on her own and not willing to sacrifice any more people for that cause, she sent a message to Sparta asking for military help against the Athenian soldiers on the islands, and another to Alexios, looking to hire him to help her assassinate Podarkes. Sparta sent Thaletas with a group of soldiers, but the Athenians sank their ship as they were approaching the Silver Islands, resulting in several of Thaletas's men, including those in charge, ending up dead at the bottom of the sea. Thaletas, being the next in line, became then the commander of the remaining soldiers, but after such a huge loss and the destruction of their ship it was very difficult to rebuild their forces. In short, both the rebels and the Spartans that came to help them were in a particularly dire situation, moreover because it was also nearly impossible for anyone to get anywhere near Podarkes who would always be protected by his guards.

Kyra is haunted by her own plan for revenge against Podarkes

After getting properly introduced to each other, Kyra informs Alexios about the situation on the islands, confirming all that Barnabas had mentioned previously about Podarkes and his ruthlessness. When Thaletas arrives, it is revealed that he and Kyra are an item, however this does not stop him from not agreeing to her plan, nor from making eyes at Alexios under her nose. Kyra wants to follow a more stealthy strategy, slowly weakening Podarkes's forces so as to make way for an easier approach. Thaletas insists that they attack him head on, as doing otherwise will be unnecessarily time-consuming. The ideal way however is to combine both strategies; something that will be more easily achieved if Alexios agrees to follow Thaletas's plan. Doing so, will make Kyra angry, but it will not last for long; and it will make Thaletas like him even more.

Thaletas shows Alexios subtly that he likes him

The story from that point and on can unfold in a few different ways, but by doing all the quests, you will be able to experience it in all its sensational, hollywoodesque beauty. This is not random, by the way, as certain missions are named after or paraphrase Hollywood movies, but I will get to this later. The supporting characters, Thaletas and Kyra, are two of the most well-formed and full-fledged of the game, and their development goes hand-in-hand with that of Alexios. Their own traits are also very interesting, putting them at opposite ends in spite of the feelings that initially bond them: on the one end, Kyra is a strategic, calculating mind; she is devoted, compassionate and caring and these elements are pretty much obvious from the start. However, her hate for Podarkes has consumed her and her thirst for revenge gradually became an obsession that overpowered her. Thaletas, on the other end, being a soldier, is more a man of action. He is strong, self-confident and brave, although his decisiveness may be mistaken for arrogance; but deep down he is very sensitive and kind-hearted. Both characters have great qualities, and they both seem to connect with Alexios in several ways.

The bond between Kyra and Thaletas may not be as strong as it seems

KYRA WITH A CAUSE

Although having agreed to follow Thaletas's plan, Alexios can still go and find Kyra after leaving the hideout, in order to help her carry out her own plan as well, something that will further support the aggressive strategy that Thaletas has in mind. Kyra has information about a camp on Delos where Podarkes keeps weapons and supplies for his men, so Alexios goes there to destroy them, taking one first step in weakening the cruel leader's power on the Silver Islands. While at the camp grounds, he finds a pitcher with Athenian wine in a nearby tomb, which he can present to Kyra upon returning to her and offer it as a gift. This is a kind of an inside joke: when Alexios first saw Kyra at the hideout, she was drinking with her men and it was obvious that she liked her wine a bit too much. Alexios noticed this and when he found the wine in the tomb, she came to his mind instantly. This also hints that, under different and less stressing circumstances, Kyra would have been a joyful person and a very pleasant company. Being that friendly with Kyra, will also bring her at ease and she will talk briefly about her life; how after Podarkes had her family murdered, she was raised by mercenaries and hunters, while living on the streets. A background somewhat similar to that of Alexios's but not quite; still there is a common ground that somehow connects them.

Alexios gives Kyra the Athenian wine, knowing she will love it

THE THALETAS WAY

Back at Mykonos, Alexios goes to find Thaletas who is at the Spartan camp on the beach, giving a motivating speech to his soldiers to lift their morale. The two of them then discuss the possibility of sinking several Athenian ships to further weaken Podarkes's forces, not without the unavoidable flirting and spicy innuendos between them. But Thaletas is hard to get; winning his heart completely will not be easy: he sends Alexios off to a difficult naval battle against several powerful Athenian ships. Not an easy task, as the navy of Athens is unmatched; but Alexios has his sturdy Adrestia, his experienced crew and hopefully some very skilled and strong ship lieutenants, so he rushes to battle without the slightest doubt about its positive outcome. As an extra trial to test Alexios, Thaletas asks him to find his helmet, which he lost when his ship was sunk; Alexios then too plays hard to get and replies that he cannot promise that he will find the helmet, although he definitely plans to.

Thaletas obviously loves Alexios's flirting

The naval battle is a success; and then Alexios locates the sunken ship near a beautiful coast. The sea bottom where the remains of the ship are is an idyllic underwater cove, inhabited by sea turtles, friendly rays and fish and small, harmless jellyfish. He does not have to dive too deep to find the chest that contains the helmet; and the shore closeby has a natural border of sorts made of semi-submerged ruins and against one of the walls there is a beautiful rose tree alongside cactuses. Everything is peaceful and romantic, a scenery straight out of a dream. 

A most dreamy scenery at the shore of Mykonos

Thaletas becomes very sentimental when Alexios returns with his helmet, although he tries to not show it that much. During a brief intimate chat that follows, it is revealed that the helmet, which he had worn many times in battle himself, was his father's but originally belonged to his grandfather who was one of Leonidas's 300 soldiers. This is a very emotional detail that connects him with Alexios even more, as the Eagle Bearer is Leonidas's grandson. It is something that Alexios does not mention at the moment, but chances are he will get more confidential later on. Thaletas then suggests they rid off three Athenian commanders who control crucial military grounds on the islands; two of them are on Mykonos and their whereabouts are well-known, but the third one is missing. Alexios takes on the task, but he will go for it a at a later time, as he first needs to speak with Kyra; it is essential to keep on weakening Podarkes in areas that cannot be easily discovered by the enemy.

 

Getting the helmet back to Thaletas makes him reveal a more sensitive side

 

BLEEDING HEARTS AND STOLEN MONEY

 

Now Kyra has a risky but rather promising plan in mind. The next step to weaken Podarkes even more is to retrieve the money that he had stolen from the people of the Silver Islands, and which he keeps stored at a heavily guarded fortress. No problem for Alexios, of course; he is the master of infiltration. While exploring the fortress, he notices that although it looks shabby and ruined, it still maintains some of its past grandeur. Apparently Podarkes keeps all the riches for himself, and does not care about restoring places of historical importance, which is rather expected from a man like him. Alexios locates the treasure chest in the fortress and steals the money, safely delivering it then to Kyra who will surely put it to good use. She is always working for the benefit of her compatriots anyway; even if her utmost goal is to kill Podarkes to avenge the murder of her family. She starts to become more intimate, but Alexios tries to keep his distance. Although he likes her, feels for her and supports her struggles with all his heart, he has his eyes set on someone else.

Kyra's plan seems to work fine for now

THE SOKRATIC METHOD

 

Meanwhile on Delos, there seems to be a lot of commotion. Kasos, one of Kyra's rebels, was caught stealing from the treasury, and subsequently killed one of the guards who run to arrest him. Since murder is considered hubris on Delos, the man is kept temporarily under guard in a recreation area until the time comes for him to be transported to Mykonos for his execution. Coincidentally, our good friend Sokrates happens to be on the Silver Islands, and Alexios bumps onto him on Delos, in the midst of a heated discussion with locals concerning Kasos's case. Always enjoying a good and never-ending conversation, Sokrates poses several interesting arguments about the nature of justice and the questionable effectiveness of law enforcement. Alexios joins in, but he is not the mood to take part in the discussion, knowing how Sokrates loves to bring argument after argument (although he secretly admires him for doing so). He reminds Sokrates that his own focus is on killing Podarkes, to which Sokrates again is ready to start another discussion about what is considered just and beneficial for the greater good. Alexios refuses to fall in the trap of debate, but then Sokrates asks him to go find the rebel himself and decide whether his fate is just or not.

Sokrates is always ready to start a debate

Alexios infiltrates the well-guarded recreation area and manages to free Kasos, hopefully without fatally wounding any of the guards, since he knows that anything associated with death is strictly forbidden on Delos. After escorting Kasos to a safe area, he has a brief discussion with the man, during which the rebel is revealed to be a crazed extremist who does not want to simply help the rebellion's cause, but rid off all the people who are not Delians, including the Spartan soldiers who came to assist and quite possibly the Eagle Bearer himself as well. This unexpected turn of events does not leave Alexios much room for alternatives, and he is forced to kill Kasos on the spot. He doesn't know it yet, but this is the best solution as letting him go would result in severe and dramatic consequences later. Reporting back to Sokrates, Alexios informs him about the rebel's end, reassuring him that it was for the greater good and for his own good with such absolution, that the philosopher can find nothing witty to reply, maybe for the first time in his debating life.

Kasos may have had good intentions once, but now he is beyond reason

GRIN AND BEAR IT

 

After Alexios leaves Sokrates to continue his endless debates with the unsuspected locals, he notices a young woman sitting alone by a small campfire at a back alley, trying to recover from a heavy wound on her arm. She looks very stressed and worried, so Alexios stops to speak to her. Her name is Iola, she has an eye patch covering her right eye and she appears to be a hunter;  she claims that she was attacked by a gigantic bear at the north side of Delos, and now fears that she will get in trouble as she spilled blood on the sacred island because of her wound. Alexios agrees to go find the bear and kill it, and Iola promises to pay him with all she has left if he succeeds. Alexios locates the isolated beach where a huge white bear is strolling about, and after killing it (which is indeed a very hard task), he notices several suspicious things at the shore. There are many dead bodies, fresh bloody handprints, a shipwreck by the rocks nearby and a ship log which reveals that the bear was not really a native animal, but it had been smuggled and apparently was on the ship that crashed on the rocks. 

 

Iola is worried that Alexios will turn her in

 

Alexios returns to Iola and forces her to tell him the truth about her identity: she is a smuggler (or at least she was until arriving on Delos), and was transporting the bear from Arkadia on her ship with her crew on behalf of Sargon, a merchant in Phokis who crafted and sold items made of rare and expensive materials. As they were sailing past Delos, they were caught in a storm that crashed their ship on the rocks in the shallows. Both the crew and the bear made it to the shore, but then the bear attacked the crew and killed them all. Iola was the only one who survived, and she managed to reach the inhabited area of the island, finding shelter in that back alley where Alexios found her, in order to bring herself together and think about what to do to leave Delos alive. Alexios takes the money that she offers him, promising to keep her secret safe. There is no reason to do otherwise, as she seems to be an interesting personality, plus parting peacefully with her, will have some really lovely outcome later.

Alexios reassures Iola that her secret is safe with him

GODDESS OF THE HUNT

 

Now that he is back at Mykonos, Alexios is informed by Praxos, Kyra's right hand, that she wants to see him. He finds her praying to Artemis at a small altar, decorated with many beautiful flowers. Kyra confesses that in the past her life was much happier and careless, even though she lived in poverty; although she had to resort to hunting in order to survive, she was feeling content and optimistic. Moreover, all that hunting resulted in her becoming an expert with the bow. Now she lives with a constant thorn in her side, which is her madding obsession to erase Podarkes from existence. Alexios accompanies Kyra to her beloved hunting grounds, where she used to hunt when she was little, and they chat in a flirty way, although Alexios's words are somewhat ambiguous. After the hunting is done, it is revealed that Kyra wanted to go hunting so as to collect enough meat to feed her men, once again proving how compassionate she is. She gets more comfortable and asks Alexios to accompany her to another spot that she has associated with lovely childhood memories. She confesses that she has started to have strong feelings for him, even doubting the love that she used to feel for Thaletas.

 

Falling for the Eagle Bearer was almost unavoidable for Kyra

Kyra's secret place turns out the be a beautiful beach very close to the idyllic shore where Thaletas's ship had sunk. There is a small camp there, decorated with flowers, baskets with rose petals and exquisite embroidery. It is not clear if this is actually Kyra's work; maybe she had created this space to get away from everything and be alone with her thoughts from time to time, or maybe it is where she would meet with Thaletas for some quality time. But it could also be a place that other people had also discovered, and would go there to pass some time, adding their decorating mark by leaving flowers and other objects of sentimental significance. In any case, it is a serene and calming place, with the most fantastic view of the blue sea beyond. What better time to make good use of that Athenian wine that Alexios brought to Kyra from Delos earlier; so they sit at the camp, drink some (maybe a lot) and Alexios narrates some of his heroic deeds. Kyra becomes even more intimate and asks for some horizontal refreshments; sounds and looks rather promising, but Alexios rejects her advances as he has more spicy plans for himself. Although clearly disappointed, Kyra does not take it much to heart; at least she gained a good friend that evening.

 

Alexios keeps Kyra in friend zone

 

PAINT THE SAND RED

 

Finally the time has come to deal with the three Athenian commanders Thaletas mentioned earlier. Now that Podarkes's forces have been weakened enough, killing the commanders is far easier. Alexios locates the first two on Mykonos and kills them almost undetected, retrieving from both of them a rather suspicious message: they have both orders to kill the third commander who is considered a traitor for some unspecified reason. The man's name is Neokles and has been hiding on Delos - which explains why he was nowhere to be found until then. So Alexios goes back to Delos to search for him, and as it turns out he has locked himself up in the tiny storeroom of a seaside farm. There are soldiers all over the area looking for him, throwing threats and insults and calling him a traitor. Alexios manages to sneak in the commander's hiding place prepared to end his life, but as it turns out Neokles is a very honorable and brave general with high moral values, who felt sickened by his army's unending violence which is apparently enforced by Podarkes's relentlessness, and wanted to quit everything and live in peace. Alexios sees that he is telling the truth, having also witnessed the cruelty of the soldiers on the Silver Islands himself, and feeling that Neokles will be a very valuable addition to his crew, he offers to help him escape by hiring him as a lieutenant on his ship. Neokles, who used to be a skilled archer, happily accepts; Alexios sneaks him out and Neokles gets to the Adrestia unharmed to take on his new exciting assignment.

 

Rescuing Neokles is good for everyone

Both Neokles and Iola have a very brief appearance in the story, yet their characters are very important and they are integral parts of it. Helping both of them out of the tight situations where they find themselves, also works positively for Alexios's evolution as a character, and fits his qualities as a human being, as well as the magnanimity that he should have as a messenger of the gods. Iola and Neokles have many things in common: they are both outcasts, almost rejected completely from their environment; they are both victims of different kinds of violence and they are potentially accused of committing crimes that in reality are very far from being so. Neokles felt that he could not be part of a group that was so violent and cruel; his longing for justice and peace resulted in him being tagged with the stigma of the traitor and would definitely lead to his execution if Alexios hadn't rescued him in time. Iola was an illegal trader, which maybe was not so good, but who knows what circumstances in her life led her to that path. The violence that Iola suffered was double: she was attacked by a force of nature (the wild beast) and if Alexios hadn't helped her out, the priests of Delos would have found out that she spilled blood on their sacred land and most probably a grim fate would have been decided for her.

Neokles is happy to join Alexios's crew

Still on Delos, Alexios finds Thaletas in the city at a lovely spot by a spring shaped like a marble mask. Their interaction is particularly friendly, clearly proving that the instant liking they had to each other from the start was neither incidental nor momentary. The romantic setting with the water spring and the florar decorations as well as the sweet breeze from the sea create the perfect atmosphere for Alexios to finally express his ever-growing romantic feelings for Thaletas and make a move to kiss him. It does not come as a surprise that Thaletas reciprocates the kiss and looks rather mesmerized after it. But he needs more privacy and more atmosphere; so he has Alexios promise to meet him later somewhere at the north of Delos where a rising smoke will guide him, and then leaves.

 

A most beautiful love story is slowly uncovering

"M" FOR MURDER

 

Before offering himself to the joys of love, however, Alexios has some more work to do on Mykonos. Now that Podarkes's s forces have been considerably weakened, finding and assassinating him is very easy. He is in his luxurious mansion just outside the city, where Alexios is now heading. On his way there, a strange woman calls him. She has her head shaved, she is dressed in rags and looks like a beggar. The woman seems to know quite a lot about who Alexios is and who he is working for, but she does not disclose any more information for the time being; only sends him to investigate an empty house which has been abandoned since many years ago; it can be found at a rather isolated spot, its door concealed behind a hanging rose bush. There are no people in the house; it has no signs of life in any of its rooms. However there are some dried bloody footprints, the skeleton of a woman who had been killed by a spear, two carved dolls, one marked with the letter M and one with the letter K, and a warning letter which was written by Podarkes and was directed at a woman named Dianthe. Alexios finds the beggar waiting outside and demands explanations from her. The woman points him to the evidence he found, and soon Alexios makes the connections and the shocking truth is revealed.

The unnamed beggar plays a crucial role in the story's development

 

Years ago, Podarkes had an affair with a local woman named Dianthe. It is unclear whether she was a lover who really meant something for him, or he used her as one more way to impose himself on the people of the Silver Islands. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a girl. Either during her pregnancy or after the girl was born, Podarkes sent her away, apparently not wanting to have anything to do with her or the baby. As the girl grew older, she started asking for her father. Apparently wanting to "recreate" her family, she carved three dolls: one representing herself, one for her mother and one for her father. Dianthe tried to reach Podarkes many times, but to no avail; he would always refuse to see her. Then Podarkes sent a servant to Dianthe to give her the warning letter: he threatened to kill both her and the girl if she even tried to get near him again. In spite of the threats, Dianthe kept going to his house, and one night she took with her the doll that her daughter had made for her father. At the house, she found the servant who had brought her the warning letter and begged her to give the doll to Podarkes. Most probably as an attempt to have an emotional impact on him, but he mistook it as a blackmail warning, so he sent the servant to Dianthe's house with his soldiers who slaughtered her without mercy and would attempt to do the same with the little girl, but the servant managed to save her by hiding her in a chest and then helping her escape. Then the servant stopped working for Podarkes and resorted to living in the streets, quite possibly because Podarkes had threatened to kill her too for letting the girl (his own daughter) get away. Or maybe she left quietly, and became a beggar to somehow make up for her unintended but still serious involvement in this tragedy. The servant was the same beggar who helped Alexios discover all this; and the daughter of Dianthe and Podarkes was Kyra.

Podarkes turns out to be a rather complicated and unpredictable Cultist

This unexpected development will eventually change the dynamics of the story dramatically, but for the time being Alexios infiltrates Podarkes's house, hoping to find Kyra's doll, as it will be the only proof that he will be able to present when facing her about her past. The doll is indeed in Podarkes's chambers, something that could possibly hint that once upon a very distant time the merciless Cultist may have had a faded ray of goodness in the deepest bowels of his heart. After Alexios takes the doll and leaves the house, and as the shock of the revelation is starting to pass, the immediate reality strikes with one dramatic dilemma. Should he tell Kyra in secret, or let her rebels know as well? But the most burning question is whether Kyra already knew or at least suspected who Podarkes really was. All these years, they were living in the same place; and he surely knew that she was his daughter. Everybody on the Silver Islands knew Kyra; some even from when she was a little girl. Moreover Podarkes had servants, guards and other people working for him since years ago. How possible it would be for her to live so close to him for so long and never have the chance to learn that he was her father? It is something that remains vague, leaving all interpretations open, but the chance that she did know makes a lot more sense, as it somehow explains her being so obsessed with killing him. The rebellion was about freeing the Silver Islands from their oppressors, but Kyra's strongest motive was deeply personal. Having all this in mind, Alexios decides to inform Kyra about what he learnt in front of her men, showing her the doll as proof. The rebels are shocked and turn against her, believing that she knew already and that the whole rebellion thing was just a pretense, subsequently abandoning her. Kyra feels betrayed; she gets furious and gets back at Alexios for exposing her like that.

Kyra watches her men abandon her, unable to do anything to stop them

Choosing to expose Kyra may look like a cruel thing to do, but in fact doing so proves to be quite revealing. Reading into Kyra's reaction, one may discern that chances are she was aware about Podarkes. It is far more possible that she knew but secretly hoped it would not be true than being ignorant about it. Her ardent wish to kill him with her own hands, expressed directly or indirectly during random conversations throughout the story, further highlights this. It is possible that she wanted to have her chance to face him directly so that he could confirm or not his blood bond with her before she killed him. Even if Alexios chooses to talk to her in private, her reaction, albeit far more peaceful, still goes along the same lines; balancing dangerously between her suspecting and not knowing and leaning more towards the former. But is it absolutely certain that she would really kill Podarkes after he had confessed the truth that she feared? Who knows whether she would then change her mind and attempt to dig that ray of goodness out of his black heart? Would she remain faithful to the rebellion afterwards? There are a lot of moral questions that rise in this section, making it one of the most stressing and complicated in the whole questline.

After the truth comes out, Kyra feels completely lost

HADES, MEET PODARKES

Alexios then goes back to Podarkes's mansion to assassinate him. The Cultist is protected by many guards, but now that his forces are weakened, all of them are rather easy targets. As Alexios moves stealthily around the mansion's grounds so as to locate Podarkes, he notices how well-kept the house is, compared to other places, like the fortress that he visited previously, which look neglected and ruined. It is more than clear that Podarkes uses the money that he steals from the people to live a luxurious life, while the civilians suffer from deprivation and bad living conditions. After killing most of Podarkes's guards, Alexios is able to track him down and defeat him, after a long and tough battle. Before receiving the killing blow, Podarkes tells Alexios that his daughter should have killed him herself; to which Alexios replies that Kyra is not his daughter any more.

 

Podarkes remains relentless until the end

Podarkes's last words are very revealing: not only they confirm that he knew exactly who Kyra was, but also hint that during the time that elapsed after Alexios parted with Kyra at the hideout and before he returned to kill Podarkes, Kyra might have gone to face him and had the time to tell him a thing or two before his guards possibly sent her away. As the story reaches its dramatic peak, both Podarkes and Kyra are established as two characters who are being haunted by secrets, lies and bloody liaisions. Their lives are entangled in a web of violence, Podarkes being a cruel man who would kill and cause pain without remorse, and Kyra getting involved in illegal, albeit justified, actions in order to make way for his murder by her own hand. This fact automatically separates them from the other characters because even if all of them have their secrets (Iola, for example, did not reveal from the start that she was a smuggler; and Alexios himself has his own family secrets), those do not overpower them and do not affect their clarity of mind. Podarkes due to his innate cruelty, and Kyra due to her obsession for revenge, could almost never think nor act in their right mind. Alexios ends Podarkes's life with his spear, putting an end to all the violence with which the cruel leader ruled the beautiful Silver Islands for so long.

Alexios gives Podarkes the killing blow in his lavish mansion

HEARTS OF WAR

 

With Podarkes dead and the Silver Islands essentially free, Alexios is now free to go and find Thaletas at the meeting place on Delos. Passing through the city and the line of majestic marble lions that stand solemnly the one next to the other on the road to the countryside, he sees from afar the rising smoke that Thaletas mentioned. Going up the forest path, he takes a turn towards the beach where the smoke comes from. Just then, he notices that there are roses and rose petals all along the dirt road leading to the seashore. Down there, is the source of the smoke which is a small campfire, again strewn with lovely flowers. So our Thaletas turned out to be a deeply sensitive and romantic soul. Planning to lay flowers on the path to lead Alexios to him, he told him to follow the smoke because he was too shy to tell him to follow the flowers. Eventually Alexios finds him a bit further up the hill, sitting among more roses, flowers and rose petals.

 

Thaletas is waiting (im)pateniently for Alexios to find him

When the two boys find each other, they take a small walk towards the edge of the hill overlooking the Silver Islands and the beautiful sea. Alexios is happy that Thaletas had the flowers laid out all over the path for him; our seemingly tough Spartan boy could not have made his romantic intentions any more clear. He is still a bit worried, however. Possibly due to his military discipline which does not allow him yet to fully express himself as he really wants; also because meeting Alexios made him realize that his love for Kyra was not as strong as he thought. He then asks Alexios to follow him to his own favorite place, the top of the hill where there are ancient ruins and, of course, beautiful flowers all around. Thaletas confesses to Alexios that after discovering that place, he would return up there every now and then to feel some peace away from the battlefield, partly because he loved it, and partly because it reminded him of Sparta. It starts to get clear now that as much as he wishes to stay on the Silver Islands and help the rebellion, his homeland is calling him back. 

Love is in the air, love is everywhere

But we know well by now, Thaletas is very hard to get. He wants to test Alexios through one last trial, which is a sword fight with him. Yes, the connotations are screaming, and yes they are deliberately there. Of course Alexios can not say no to a good sword fight, especially to one with Thaletas. Our hero is a demigod, and his weapons (literal and metaphorical) are also god-sent, so it is expected that he wins, although Thaletas is very skilled with the sword. Again, those screaming connotations. When the fight ends, Thaletas's fortress finally falls and the two boys enjoy the horizontal refreshments that Alexios did not offer Kyra earlier. Definitely some vertical too. But in any event, their love scene is one of the most romantic and sweet ever.

A love story made in heaven

 

At dusk, they are still there at Thaletas's favorite spot among the ruins and the flowers, after having had a great time (probably an understatement, given the circumstances). Thaletas confesses to Alexios that being with him, made him forget about the war, which made him so happy as for the first time in his life he felt free and careless. Alexios then tells him that he too has many memories that he would like to forget, like his troubled past. There are also several things that return to haunt him from time to time - learning about his Keeper duties, having a child in order to secure his bloodline then being forced to send it away, his ongoing hunt for the remaining Cultists, dealing with the fact that his sister used to be the Cult's most powerful weapon, and the list can go on forever. He promises to tell everything to Thaletas at some later time, and the two boys promise to each other to meet again after the war is over, to drink and share their deepest secrets. Chances are, though, that somewhere between the sword fight and the refreshments, Alexios found the time to tell Thaletas that he is Leonidas's grandson, something that would further tighten their already strong bond. What follows is another beautiful romantic scene with the breathtaking sunset of the Aegean in the background.

A lovely conclusion to a most touching chapter of the Silver Islands questline

CALL TO ARMS

The Silver Islands may be essentially free, but to establish their freedom typically as well, a conquest battle between the Spartan and the Athenian forces has to be carried out. The battleground is near the beach where Thaletas and his men originally had their camp. Meanwhile, more Spartan soldiers arrived on the islands, meaning that both armies are now ready to fight. Herodianus, the Spartan commander who is second to Thaletas in battle, calls Alexios in high spirits to ask him to join the Spartan forces. Of course Alexios agrees to fight for his homeland  - and for his love while at it, who by the way is waiting discreetly nearby for the battle to start. The fight ends with victory for Sparta and the Athenian forces have no other choice but to withdraw from the Silver Islands.

Herodianus is over-excited for the upcoming battle

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Alexios returns to the city of Mykonos after the battle is over in a joyful atmosphere with people chatting happily and enjoying their first day of freedom since a very long time, amidst preparations for a grand celebration that will take place the same night at a tavern near the sea.  As the night draws near, he finds his good friend Barnabas lazing about on a bridge, so Alexios joins him again, like in the beginning of the Silver Islands adventure. Barnabas informs Alexios that Kyra disappeared from sight after he exposed her past, but now she went to carry out a private burial ceremony for her father. Alexios believes that a man like Podarkes does not deserve a proper burial and instead should be hang from a tree and left to rot there. Then Barnabas tells Alexios that Thaletas is also nowhere to be found, adding that he wants to tell him the story of how he lost his eye.

Alexios learns the news from Barnabas

It is a brief and simple dialogue between them, but it is very interesting, especially in this case where Alexios chose to expose Kyra in front of her men. First of all, it is hinted that both Kyra and Thaletas had off-screen interactions with Barnabas during the progression of the Silver Islands adventure. Obviously after Alexios made their acquaintance, they had the chance to meet Barnabas, and quite possibly the rest of the crew as well. Then at unsuspected times they probably got to see Barnabas again and chat with him. It is not clear if it was actually Kyra who informed him about Alexios having exposed her or if it was Alexios himself who talked about it to him, but I would tend to believe it was Kyra because if you notice the look in Barnabas's eye when he mentions this incident to Alexios, it is rather obvious that he is secretly (or maybe not so secretly since it is obvious) judging him for what he did. And him wanting to find Thaletas and tell him the story of his lost eye probably means that at the times when Thaletas was neither planning attack strategies nor swooning over Alexios, he would meet with Barnabas to hear stories of his past adventures.

Barnabas always knows more than he lets on

Alexios locates Thaletas on a solitary beach outside the city, standing close to the water and gazing at the sea. Thaletas reminisces Sparta again and asks Alexios to join him on his ship so that they can leave the next day for Sparta together, forever united. But Alexios cannot do it - and they both know it. Their happy ending cannot happen, for now at least, as Thaletas has his military obligations and Alexios is still on the hunt for the remaining Cultitsts, a battle that will take a long time before it is considered fulfilled. Then Thaletas becomes touchingly romantic again, confessing that in his war-ridden journey to the Silver Islands, he never expected to find love unit he met Alexios. Still, he hopes that one day the Fates will bring them together again. Then he leaves to join his men at the tavern, telling Alexios to meet him again at the celebration. Alexios feels sad and frustrated, but at least he knows that Thaletas will be leaving for Sparta the next day, getting closer to home and, in the long run, to him.

The boys deserved a more happy ending but that's life, sadly

Then Alexios locates Kyra on top of a steep cliff nearby, with Podarkes's body prepared to be burnt in a funeral fire. She seems unable to put her feelings in order; part of her still hates him, another part feels sorry that, independently of whether she knew who he was or not, he did not even try to connect with her. Alexios tries to comfort her by telling her that Podarkes is dead now, so she should change her mindset. Kyra gets back at him, accusing him for killing her father without giving her the chance to speak with him; something that maybe implies that if she did have the chance to talk to him, maybe she would then have decided to let him live, which is why her words sound a bit suspicious. Still frustrated and emotionally loaded after his talk with Thaletas,  Alexios calls her ungrateful, reminding her that so many people sacrificed their lives for her supposed cause; he nearly sacrificed his. Kyra knows this is true, but her feelings and thoughts are in deep confusion and she cannot see clearly. Besides, she cannot forget that easily that Alexios exposed her secret in front of her men. The truth is that all this is too much for her to bear, but if it wasn't for her insane obsession, things might have taken a different turn. Although she is right to some degree, her mistake is that she blames others for her own bad decisions. Unable to find peace, she ends her life by falling off the cliff, murmuring that she will find again her mother and her father on the other side, completely blindsiding Alexios who witnesses her suicide, unable to prevent it.

Kyra's confusion leads her to tragically end her life

Afterwards, Alexios joins the celebration with a heavy heart. Although he did not exactly cause Kyra's death, deep inside he knows that had he tried to console her with more comforting and less bitter words, she might have been able to see the positive side of all that happened, and quite possibly return to Thaletas and persuade him to stay on the Silver Islands to help her rebuild, rekindling their relationship. But with how things turned out, she is now completely out of the picture, and there is no way she can make Thaletas stay. At the tavern, Sokrates is offering his wise words to the locals again. Alexios finds Thaletas and congratulates him for having been promoted to General, but he skillfully avoids to inform him about Kyra's demise. Thaletas promises to keep him in his heart, and they drink together one last time.

Alexios keeps Kyra's death a secret to make sure Thaletas will stay faithful to his promise

As a character, Thaletas goes through a very interesting evolution, which is evident in every new quest in which he appears. Romancing him is essential to see this happen, as it helps reveal a lovely side of his, which otherwise would remain completely hidden. Starting off as an arrogant and conceited Spartan, he gradually begins to show signs of emotional depth and thoughtfulness, elements that become more prominent as his feelings for Alexios grow stronger. We could say that the miracle of love worked its magic on him, and helped him show his well-hidden sensitive and romantic side. Equally but on the other end, exposing Kyra's secret and speaking the harsh truth in her face at the end, reveals her inner confusion and the lengths to which her obsession with Podarkes had taken her. In the case where nothing of this happens, she may become more optimistic, but chances are her conflicting feelings and her overwhelming grief will eventually burst out sooner or later. Kyra's evolution works differently than that of Thaletas, as she appears as a settled and collected person who remains this way for most part of the story, but when things start getting out of control, she seems unable to pull herself together, and instead of going through a character development, she lets loose pieces of herself that had better remain asleep. Kyra's life story resembles a greek tragedy, its most characteristic element being the tragic irony that follows her from when she was born. Her deus-ex-machina however does not work for her benefit, in spite of offering her some sort of catharsis: the unnamed beggar, stripped of any kind of identity (her clothes are rags, her head is shaved and she is shoeless), is the living depiction of Kyra's dark past, deliberately looking like a bland outline of a human being because in her essence she mainly functions as the missing link that eventually leads the tragedy to its conclusion. A substantial reset of Kyra's fate could only happen if she was willing to change it herself; but her desire for revenge and her obsession numbed her, and eventually Podarkes's murder became her life's sole purpose.

 

The unnamed beggar was destined to become Kyra's deus-ex-machina

Still at the celebration, Alexios spots Barnabas all hugs and kisses with Iola. As it turns out Iola, while  on Delos, went to the fountain to clean her arm, and she saw Barnabas who had gone there to pray. They looked at each other and it was love at first sight. Barnabas reminisces the perfection of the scene, complete with the stink of the roasting sacrifices and the sweaty bodies of the pilgrims. So very romantic. Alexios seems to enjoy his friend's enthusiasm, although he must have recalled his own romantic date with Thaletas, among the roses, the green grass and the majestic ancient ruins. Quite the contrary of Barnabas's view of romanticism, but there is no accounting for taste. Barnabas urges Alexios to give a speech, but he does not feel like doing it. His indirect involvement in Kyra's death makes him want to leave the Silver Islands as soon as possible. Seeing how happy Barnabas is in Iola's company, however, he offers her a job as a ship lieutenant on the Adrestia. Iola, who is determined to leave the smuggler's life behind, gladly agrees, already seeing before her a life at sea, free of all obligations and concerns.

 

Barnabas and Iola are made for each other

At dawn, as they are preparing to leave, Sokrates arrives at the harbor to meet them. The city is still in a joyful mood, as the celebration lasted until the small hours. Among his brief morning philosophies, Sokrates informs Alexios and Barnabas that he will leave later on one of the merchant ships. Alexios then sums up what will follow confirming that Thaletas will leave for Sparta, and expresses his remorse for them not staying back to help the locals rebuild. Sokrates reminds him that having friends and allies is the best company, and Barnabas has one more chance to lift his spirits by praising his bravery. Then they set to embark, to continue their adventuring on land and sea.

Sokrates, Alexios and Barnabas have one last chat at the port of Mykonos

Apart from its great qualities as a game, the Silver Islands adventure is an exquisite and exemplary piece of fiction, not only for all the reasons that are already presented in this article but also for how masterfully several of its elements are connected to the protagonist and Odyssey's main story. The connections even start long before the questline is officially triggered: Alexios was raised on Kephallonia, and that is where he meets Barnabas, who is from Mykonos. During the questline A Friend Worth Dying For (analyzed here), Barnabas informs Alexios that once he was married to a woman named Leda who was from Ithaka, the island opposite Kephallonia; this co-incidence is not directly connected to the Silver Islands story, but it functions as a pre-existing fact that bonds Alexios with the Mykonian captain long before the actual connection with the Silver Islands is made. While in Korinth, Alexios meets Kleio, the hetera who wants to go to Mykonos; and on Delos, near Mykonos, he meets Iola who is from Korinthia. Alexios's grandfather was Leonidas of Sparta, and Thaletas's grandfather was one of 300 soldiers who fought alongside him at the Battle of Thermopylae. 

 

Beautiful view of the Delian lions

Another interesting and fancy element of the story is its cinema references. A few paragraphs above, I mentioned its hollywoodesque quality and how some of its quests pay tribute to Hollywood movies: Trouble In Paradise was the title of a 1932 film by Ernst Lubitsch; A Night To Remember was a 1958 film recounting the Titanic disaster. "M" For Murder references Hitchcock's 1954 thriller Dial M For Murder; and Kyra With A Cause paraphrases the title of the cult classic 1955 film by Nicholas Ray Rebel Without A Cause, being also an easter egg of sorts, as Kyra was a rebel and she did have a cause, unlike James Dean's character in the film. One more cinema reference, visual this time, can be spotted during the last part of the quest Paint The Sand Red. The scene where Alexios and Thaletas are standing beside the mask-shaped marble spring nods to a classic scene from William Wyler's 1953 romantic comedy Roman Holiday, where the characters played by Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck are standing beside the Mouth of Truth, the famous ancient Roman marble mask.

 

Alexios and Thaletas's Mykonian Holiday

 

With its powerful storyline, its immersive narrative and its unforgettable characters, both main and secondary, the Silver Islands adventure is a true gem. Featured as one of the prominent side stories of a beautiful game, it stands out for the detailed portrayal of its heroes, its complex plot and the lovely environments where it takes place. And of course for its replay value, not only because there are so many different choices that you can try to get the various outcomes, but most importantly because the feelings that it conveys are so powerful that you will find yourself nostalgic, wanting to relive its experience over and over again.