Half-sister of Alexander Macedonian, Cynane (358-320 BC) gained a reputation as a talented military leader before the age of twenty. It is believed that at one point she commanded a third of Alexander’s army.

I do not know how many days we have been on horse-back anymore, I know that we have been on the road for a long time, that we have travelled  long distances and that we are approaching our goal. We take a break for the horses to rest twice a day, always by a body of water, dreading the wild hordes of robbers. When night falls, we look for a cave to be our shelter and refuge. If our guides do not find a good shelter,we sleep under the open sky always in fear of wild beasts. We set up guards and try to fall asleep under the starry sky.
My small army contains about two hundred warriors. I know them all from various battles in which we fought side by side. I was persuaded to bring more soldiers, but I refused. I lead only those in whom I trust, my brothers and sisters who would give their lives for me and my daughter. I am not related to any of them by blood, because I dread my blood, dread those closest to me. On this long journey, they will kill me, I do not know when and I do not know where, but my soul feels it and knows it. I also know that I will not make it easy for them, they know it and they know what I am prepared to do.
My name is Cynane, I am the daughter of Philip and I am Alexander’s paternal half-sister. My mother, Eurydice, is an Illyrian. She gave me all the necessary knowledge about weapons and combat. My father loved to see me ride from an early age,exercise with a bow and arrow,throw a spear. He was more than a little surprised when I killed my sparring partner, in a hand-to-hand combat practice. This was an act deserving of severe punishment, but who would punish the princess? I joined real battles early on as well. I loved those moments before the fight, the tension of each muscle, the presence of some divine force that gives you strength and courage, the moment when I spur my horse onwards with a battle cry. I think now,as I ride,how I was not really afraid of anything at the time. Fear came later. It came when I gave birth to my daughter.
I watch her now as she rides in front of me. I have actually forbidden her to ride in front, but her youthful enthusiasm does not give her peace. She spurs the horse now and instead of her looking at my back, I look at hers. That back, that shoulder, that hair twisted in three long braids, that posture of a princess, everything about her is beautiful. My daughter Eurydice is fifteen years old and I am taking her to marry her off to our cousin Philip the Third, the Macedonian king and heir to Alexander.
“You have to”, I told her,” there are great riots after Alexander’s death,many want to get hold of power,many are talking about us. ” She did not answer back, she nodded, mounted her horse, and returned to exercise. In everything, my daughter excels. Riding, shooting, swimming, reading the stars, wise conversation. The following day she changed. Her child-like face became more serious, her posture more dignified, her gaze sharper, her voice deeper and more refined. She was ready for her role. My feelings are stirred as I spend another sleepless night, fear has crept into my bones. I said goodbye to my life, but she, my daughter, will she know, will she be able to, will she run away, will she get where she needs to? With the first ray of sunshine, we continued our journey. I ordered a gallop. That morning, I was in a hurry, it was very important to pass through this gorge at high speed. There was no possibility to bypass it, there was no other way. We should have, I knew, left during the night but the horses were exhausted and there was no other way, but to wait for the morning. That morning, I knew, it would not bring me anything good. I felt the breath of death creeping nearer.”Traverse as much as possible, as much as possible, “I whispered to my horse, as the faithful animal hurtled through the stone gorge. I let Eurydice go ahead because I knew that the attack would be painful, from behind. A mere moment later I felt pain. The first arrow pierced my left shoulder and I knew that the next one was already coming.”Faster”, I shouted, “Faster!” Eurydice turned around in fear as the second arrow plunged into my back.”Do not turn around,do not turn around,do not turn around…”is the last thing I said before I fell off the horse. I saw the horror in her eyes, the moment of wavering, the moment as long as eternity. We agreed, I said with a look, we agreed, that if this comes to pass, you must go forward. She turned – thank the gods – and rode away. Ten of my best warriors rode after her, to guard her and take her where she should go.

I saw my warriors with spears making a circle around me, I heard the clanking of weapons, metal against metal, I heard voices, first clearly, then  everything was quiet, and from a distance the voices of the gods saying to me ” Be calm in your travels, she’s gone, she’s gone, she’s gone…”