The action of the story takes place in the Byzantine Empire and starts in 995 AD. It is the time when the king of Bulgaria, Samuel, attacks Byzantium.
The Byzantine emperor Basil II assigns a secret and dangerous mission to the young Alexios Argyrus. Alexios is engaged to Thekla, but he is forced to bid her farewell without telling her where he is going. Thus, the two young people decide to get married that very night.
However, the young, love-struck Thekla is determined to follow her husband wherever he goes. With the help of the Empress, she secretly follows him onto the ship. They will travel from Constantinople to Durrës, and part of the journey must be done on foot. It is a difficult as well as dangerous journey.
At first, everything goes well, and the two young people dream of their future together. But soon, difficulties arise. They learn about an enemy spy lurking nearby, wolves eat their horses, and they lose their way in the mountains. For the first time, Alexios thinks that he may not succeed in his mission. And then, he asks Thekla that if he is killed, she should go alone to Durrës to carry out his mission.
The two young people share the same ideals: love for their homeland, a sense of duty, and the belief that they must make sacrifices for the common good. Although they are very young and in love, they are ready to make the greatest sacrifices for a higher purpose.
This is a simplified version of the book, suitable for foreign students learning Greek as a second/foreign language. It is primarily appropriate for students at the B2-C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEF) of the Council of Europe.
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