Magic Tree House #49: Stallion by Starlight (A Stepping Stone Book(TM))

grapes,” he whispered back.
    Jack and Annie silently ate grapes as the King’s Companions feasted and talked with Aristotle and King Philip. The king was telling a story about a stallion that had been taken captive.
    Not until the dishes were cleared away did King Philip turn his gaze on Jack and Annie. “Silence!” the king ordered his men. “It is time now to hear from our esteemed visitors. Whomever Aristotle admires, I admire also.”
    Jack nearly choked on a grape.
    “Aristotle tells us you have studied and learned much—both of you,” the king said, looking at Annie. “Is that true?”
    Before Annie could answer, a boy burst into the room. He was fair-haired and muscular. He wore a purple cloak over his tunic. He strode to the center of the room, tossed back his cloak, and bowed.
    “I greet you all!” the boy declared. “At last I have arrived!”
    “Hail, Prince Alexander!” the men said in unison.
    Alexander
the
Great!
Jack thought.
    Prince Alexander started to speak, but to Jack’s surprise, the king snapped at him, “Quiet, boy! Sit down!”
    The smile left the prince’s face, but he obeyed and sat on a couch near his father.
    Aristotle leaned forward and spoke kindly to Alexander. “My prince,” he said, “when you entered,we were about to hear from two learned young people from Frog Creek, a land west of Greece. They have come here expressly to meet
you.
This is Jack and his sister, Annie.”

    “I see,” said Alexander, puffing out his chest. He gave Jack and Annie a superior smile. “Well then, small visitors, please share with us your great knowledge.”
    Is
this
kid
serious?
Jack wondered.
Who
does
he
think
he
is?
    “I’ll share,” Annie piped up. “Recently welearned a lot about a rare kind of bear called a panda bear.”
    “Panda bear?” said the prince with a smirk.
    “Yes, but don’t confuse pandas with other bears, like polar bears or grizzly bears,” said Annie. “Pandas live in China. Polar bears live in the Arctic.”
    “That’s right,” said Jack, clearing his throat. “They’re very heavy, polar bears, but they can move over thin sheets of ice. They balance their weight and slide on their paws.”
    “Like this,” said Annie. She held out her arms and moved as if she were sliding over ice. She laughed—and the king and his companions laughed with her.
    “How wondrous!” the king exclaimed to Aristotle.
    “Yes, indeed,” said the philosopher.
    The prince, though, looked bored.
    “And then there are koala bears,” said Jack.
    “Enough about bears!” Alexander said rudely. “Let us talk about the lion hunt I recently went on.”
    “Not now!” the king snapped. He looked at Jack. “I want to hear more about the bears.”
    Jack cleared his throat. “Actually, koala bears are not
bears
at all,” he said. He was eager to show off his knowledge in front of the prince. “They’re marsupials. A kangaroo is a marsupial, too.”
    “Kang-a-roos?”
Alexander said in a mocking voice.
“Mar-soop-eels?”
    “Kangaroos are as tall as a person,” said Annie, “but they hop like frogs. They can box, too. Like this …” Facing Alexander, she punched the air with her fists.
    The prince automatically ducked, making the King’s Companions laugh. The king laughed loudest.
    “How foolish she is!” the prince growled.
    “Quiet, Alexander, do not be angry,” said his father. “Go on, tell us more,” he said to Jack and Annie. “Do you honor the Greek gods as we do?”
    “I’m not sure what you mean by
honor,
” said Annie. “But we actually met Hercules in Pompeii. Pegasus saved us at the Greek Olympics. They’re favorites of ours.”
    The men looked confused.
“What?”
said the king.
    “What I mean,” Annie said quickly, “is that we believe in the power of the imagination and the power of ancient stories. By reading about Hercules and Pegasus, we feel like we know them.”
    “Right. And they’re constellations,” said Jack. “So if you look at the stars in the night sky, you’ll see that the old stories are always with us. We are never alone.”
    Jack glanced around the room. The king and his companions were smiling and nodding. Only the prince looked unhappy.
    “Thank you, Jack. Those are wise words,” said Aristotle.
    “Yes, indeed,” said the king. “Aristotle, your young friends are truly amazing. Alexander, you would do well to learn from these two.”
    “Learn
what
?” Alexander asked. “Can this boy mount a chariot