The Sacred Band of Thebes

"A band cemented by friendship grounded upon love is never to be broken, and invincible; since the lovers, ashamed to be base in sight of their beloved, and the beloved before their lovers, willingly rush into danger for the relief of one another." Thus was the motivation for the Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite Greek fighting force of 150 pairs of homosexual lovers. For forty years, from their creation in 378 B.C.E, until the gallant end on the blood-drenched field of Chaeronea, in 338, B.C.E, at the hands of Alexander the Great, they were considered the fiercest fighting force ever created. Even at the end, when the rest of the army, faced with overwhelming forces fled, the Sacred Band held their ground, dying where they stood. Upon seeing their lifeless bodies mingled one upon another and learning that this was the band of lovers, Alexander said, "Perish miserably they who think that these men did or suffered aught disgraceful!" He then proceeded to bury their bodies with honor, erecting the Lion of Chaeronea over them, a monument that stands to this day. This is the story that "The Sacred Band of Thebes" through the eyes of Androkles and Kallistos will tell. Best of friends, they were taken from their village at the age of seven, their mother's slaughtered in front of them, to be trained by Ophion, the leader of the Thebes, to be both fierce warriors toward the outside world, and willing lovers to those of Sacred Band. As they grow, not only do their abilities grow, but their love for each other, as brothers, not lovers, and their hatred for Ophion grows too. While Androkles becomes a leader, and takes newer "recruits" as lovers of his own, he also helps Kallistos avoid that part of his destiny, as only he knows the truth, that Kallistos is not part of the homosexual tradition of the Thebes. In fact, upon reaching full manhood, he meets a female warrioress, who he falls in love with and secretly marries. To the rest of the Thebes Androkles and Kallistos are lovers rather than brothers. When Ophion tries to take Kallistos from Androkles and submit to the ways of the Thebes, Kallistos, now mature and a match for Ophion, kills him, protecting his friend, revenging their mothers and becoming the new leader of the Thebes. Under Androkles leadership, the Thebes continue to show their might and resolve, conquering all that challenge them. Kallistos while maintaining his secrecy has a son of his own, but shortly after that, the two men find themselves up against Alexander the Great in a battle for their lives.