#the guards

Round 2

Cordelia and Aral :

"I love a married couple who love and support each other!"

Vimes and Sybil :

ALKIMOS

(Animal Symbol: the Akita Inu)

⸻

Name Meaning:

Alkimos (Ἄλκιμος) means “strong”, “valiant”, or “mighty.”

⸻

Historical Position

• Born into a respected noble household of Ithaca

• Second son

• Sworn guard of Odysseus

• Holds modest land but not full inheritance

• Known in the palace as charismatic, loud, and socially fearless

Like Pistos, he belongs to the warrior-retainer class that served under the wanax during the era reflected in the Odyssey.

But unlike Pistos, Alkimos never experienced decline.

He experienced stagnation.

⸻

Backstory:

Alkimos grew up adored.

Strong jaw. Broad shoulders. Quick smile.

He was the kind of boy praised for potential rather than discipline.

Second-born, he was never burdened with inheritance.

Not first enough to rule.

Not last enough to be overlooked.

When Odysseus left for Troy, Alkimos was young and eager. Serving the king felt like destiny.

But twenty years is a long time.

His older brother married.

His younger cousins had children.

Estates consolidated.

Political marriages happened.

And Alkimos?

Still waiting.

Still serving.

Still unmarried.

Still “promising.”

⸻

The Flirtation:

Alkimos flirts with:

• Noblewomen

• Servants

• Foreign visitors

• Suitors’ attendants

• Practically anything that breathes

Part humor.

Part instinct.

Part desperation.

He laughs loudly. Compliments extravagantly. Brags openly.

He uses his noble status as bait — not cruelly, but shamelessly.

And often?

He fails.

He comes on too strong.

He is too obvious.

Too eager.

Like a dog that runs too fast toward affection.

⸻

Why He Flirts?

It is not lust alone.

It is fear of being left behind.

In Mycenaean society, a noble man’s stability comes through:

• Marriage alliances

• Children

• Land consolidation

• Social positioning

Without these, a man drifts.

Alkimos sees time moving.

He sees younger boys becoming men.

He sees estates merging.

He sees the suitors taking space in the palace.

And somewhere inside him:

“If I do not anchor myself soon, I will be nothing.”

So he hunts stability disguised as romance.

⸻

The Akita Inu Symbolism:

The Akita Inu is:

• Loyal to the core

• Protective

• Proud

• Emotionally intense

• Devoted to one master

But also:

• Easily excited

• Fiercely attached

• Dramatic in affection

Alkimos is exactly that.

He would die for Odysseus.

He truly believes the king will return.

But unlike Pistos, he expresses loyalty loudly, physically, passionately.

He is the guard who would throw himself into a fight first — and think later.

⸻

Personality Profile:

Core Traits

• Warm

• Energetic

• Socially bold

• Optimistic (publicly)

• Loyal

• Protective of friends

Flaws

• Impulsive

• Insecure beneath bravado

• Easily embarrassed

• Craves validation

• Overestimates his charm

Hidden Fear:

He fears becoming irrelevant more than he fears death.

⸻

Relationship with Pistos:

Alkimos and Pistos are opposites — yet inseparable.

• Alkimos talks. Pistos listens.

• Alkimos charges. Pistos pauses.

• Alkimos hopes loudly. Pistos hopes quietly.

Alkimos does not know Pistos’ past.

And perhaps he admires him unknowingly for the stability Pistos rebuilt through hardship.

Pistos, in turn, tolerates Alkimos’ endless flirtation because:

• He sees the insecurity beneath it.

• He envies the energy he himself has lost.

• He finds comfort in Alkimos’ noise.

Together they form:

The tired realist and the restless romantic.

⸻

During Odysseus’ Absence:

At first, Alkimos openly mocked the suitors.

Years later, he laughs with them sometimes — strategically.

Not because he supports them.

But because he wants to remain socially relevant.

He tells himself:

“When the king returns, I will explain.”

But unlike Pistos, Alkimos fears what will happen if Odysseus returns and sees him joking beside men who devour the palace.

⸻

Social Reputation:

Among the guards:

• Considered brave

• Teased for constant flirting

• Trusted in battle

Among the women:

• Entertaining

• Exhausting

• Sometimes endearing

• Rarely taken seriously

Among the suitors:

• Harmless

• Useful

• Underestimated

They do not realize he is still loyal.

But:

When a suitor crosses a line — and Alkimos stops laughing.

Suddenly the “dog” bares teeth.

⸻

The Secret He Never Speaks Of:

in Mycenaean and later Greek society, men did not necessarily wait until 30 to marry. While elite men might marry later than women (who often married in their mid-teens), noble sons could absolutely be pressured into marriage in their late teens if alliances required it.

⸻

The Servant:

Her name is not spoken anymore.

She was not noble.

She was not politically useful.

She worked within the palace — perhaps assigned to textiles, storage, or oil preparation.

She admired him first.

And Alkimos — being Alkimos — flirted.

At first it was performance.

Then it became private.

Unlike the noble women who treated him as entertainment, she believed him.

And that belief unsettled him.

⸻

The Night That Changed Everything:

It was not violent.

It was not manipulative.

It was mutual.

He told himself:

“When I am older, when I have more standing, I could marry her.”

He was 18.

Young enough to believe desire could be postponed.

Old enough to know better.

When she became pregnant, everything shifted.

⸻

The Reaction:

Her family had no power.

His family had everything to lose.

The scandal was quiet but explosive.

A noble, Impregnating a servant, Before formal marriage

His father demanded denial.

His mother wept.

The girl insisted it was his.

Alkimos panicked.

Not because he doubted.

But because he feared losing position.

He denied paternity.

Not loudly.

Not cruelly.

But weakly.

And weakness is often worse than cruelty.

⸻

The Consequences:

The servant was dismissed.

Whether she was sent back to her village, married off quickly, or cast out entirely is unclear — and that ambiguity haunts him.

The child was born.

He does not know:

• If it survived infancy.

• If it resembles him.

• If it hates him.

• If it knows his name.

And he has never asked.

That is the worst part.

⸻

How This Shapes Him Now:

This is why he flirts.

Because flirting has no consequences.

Real attachment does.

This is why he fails so often.

Because somewhere deep inside, he does not believe he deserves stability.

This is why he becomes visibly nervous when talk of lineage or heirs arises among the suitors.

This is why he laughs too loudly.

This is why he respects Pistos’ quiet steadiness.

Because Pistos feels anchored.

Alkimos feels untethered.

⸻

Psychological Layer:

Alkimos’ greatest fear is not irrelevance.

It is this:

“What if I am not a good man?”

He believes in Odysseus because Odysseus represents heroic certainty.

He flirts because he wants proof that he is still desirable.

He avoids real commitment because he once failed it catastrophically.

And he never tells Pistos.

Because Pistos would not judge him.

And that almost makes it worse.

⸻

Thematic Role:

If Pistos represents:

The slow erosion of hope.

Alkimos represents:

The frantic attempt to outrun it

@gillenator {Jack Taylor or anything Iain Glen in general please 🙏}

... Caitlyn Kiramman talking to Sam Vimes.

Two fictional cops in a fantasy setting. Each has their share skeletons in the cupboard. Dark times and regrets.

I think Caitlyn would benefit from that conversation. And Vimes from passing on his experience to someone who understands where it comes from.

I've got an image of Vimes patrolling ankh-morpork with Caitlyn. Navigating the streets by the feel of the cobbles under his feet.

Maybe he tells her about the watchman in his head. Because she'll understand. She would understand only to well.

But what of Vi?

Caitlyn wouldn't be there on her own. I think Vi and Knobby would get on. Knobby and Vi on patrol, that would be an interesting conversation! But there's another conversation I'd like to see.

Vimes having a quiet word with Vi about what she drinks. Or how much she drinks. Because Vimes gets it. More than anyone.

It's nice to dream. But I'm not Terry Pratchett.

That one guard: I don’t