A soft chuckle left the ancient Dark Hunter's lips as Alexis idly commented upon his choices for the evening's dinner. Lamb was, admittedly, a particularly finicky dish. It was so easy to overcook - the flavor then becoming dry and displeasing on the tongue and yet, when done right, it was near succulent. He certainly was not disappointed. His attention, however, hardly lingered long upon the meal in front of him, his gaze deviating towards the woman across from him as Alexis inquired after his own family. It had been a terribly long time, admittedly, since he had contemplated his siblings. They had, after all, been lost to time near eons ago and yet, he still recalled their names near effortlessly, even if he did little to further the conversation as far as they were concerned. Rather, Alexander made some effort to turn that inquiry back upon her, curious to know of what family she might have left in this world beyond the father who surely deserved his own unfortunate demise. It was unexpected, and yet, perhaps not wholly unsurprising that Alexis had been the sole child of an ill-fated relationship. It was, however, the young girl's retelling of her mother's death that prompted some flash of comprehension within the Hunter, the man far more capable of empathizing with her father, in an almost peculiar way.

Tentatively, he commented upon his own familiarity with grief, though Alexander made every effort to ensure Alexis knew well he hardly excused her father for all he had done. After all, Alexis was still a product of her mother, the very last glimpse of the woman that her father still had left within the world. It was a shame he was so blinded by his own loss. He watched as Alexis only offered a small shrug, her gaze turned down towards her plate with clear discomfort of the topic and yet, he could hardly blame the girl. It was, admittedly, a situation he certainly could not fathom being in, himself. His own childhood was so starkly different from everything hers had ever been. He hardly seemed convinced by that small simper upon her features as her gaze slowly turned back up to him, only for the young woman simply make some effort to explain away her father's behavior. Alexander remained silent, simply watching as she sipped upon her glass of wine before Alexis lamented the life she might have had instead - married and with children, as if such was somehow far more abhorrent. "Mmm." That soft sound left Alexander's lips, and though it was entirely vague and noncommittal, he was making every effort to at least show his own attentiveness. Alexis was all too quick, however, to simply change the topic to something far more...pleasant and, for once, Alexander was willing to indulge her in some effort to get her thoughts off her own dismal family.

A soft chuckle left his lips before Alexander shook his head ever so slightly. "I don't know about that but, thankfully, the other children were too scared to laugh at their Prince." A small snort of amusement left his lips before his head shook ever so slightly. "I was six, the first time. It was customary for the nobility to learn to ride as soon as we were able to. The first horse I learned on was this old Massara named Ptolemy. We used to climb all over him and he couldn't care in the slightest." A small simper crossed his features at the very memory of those early years with Hephaestion. They had certainly not been long enough. Purposefully, Alexander pushed aside the thought of his childhood companion, instead focusing upon that singular horse that had meant most of all to him. "I was ten when I got my first horse. He was this magnificent thing. This merchant was trying to sell him to my father for....I suppose it would be close to a hundred and eighty-two thousand dollars now....but no one could ride him. He was scared and most of my father's men were too inattentive to notice it. I bet my father on whether or not I could tame that horse. If I did, he would purchase it and if I failed I promised to buy it myself." He reached for his own wine glass, pausing in that tail to sip on the alcoholic beverage, only to continue a moment later. "The entire royal court was sitting there watching me and this...stubborn black horse. I managed, of course. My father was so impressed by the whole affair, he told me Macedonia was too small of a Kingdom for me." A soft chuckle left his lips before the Dark Hunter shook his head, only to turn his attention back towards Alexis. "Now, I think it's your turn for a story, hm?"