It was dark inside the royal chamber. The air was heavy with the smell of incense. The curtains were blowing in the light breeze coming through the windows. But it did very little to lighten the air of the room.
Hephaistion was restless. From his seat beside the royal bed, he continued to stare at the patient lying on it.
His Alex was sick. It had been three days….but his golden one rarely stirred in bed . Once in a while he opened his fevered eyes to look at his Phai and murmur soundlessly. Then he drifted off to an exhausted sleep…as if opening his eyes was too much for him.
Hephaistion rested his head on the heaving chest of his mate and sighed. He knew this would happen. Sometimes he wished he didn't know his golden one so well.
But he did.
The chain of his thoughts was disrupted by the sound of faint footsteps. He looked up to find the doctor standing beside the bed with Eumenes and Ptolemy. It was the doctor who spoke up.
"I see the fever hasn't gone down yet. We should give him some more herbs." He reached for his belt and untied a little pouch hanging from it. Taking out some dried herbs, he poured them in the little pestle and mortar standing on the bedside table.
The sound of grinding filled the otherwise silent room.
The brunette shook his head impatiently. He could smell the pungent odors of various herbs he had come to know so well these days. Germander…snapdragon…myrrh…and everything else. But nothing was working.
His golden one was yet to open his eyes..yet to smile…yet to rule the world.
The other two men were silent all the while. All of a sudden Ptolemy looked at him .
"Have you eaten something Hephaistion? You don't look well my friend!"
Hephaistion snorted. If they wanted him to eat, they should have listened to him. He didn't answer.
He remembered the hunting expedition. It was the root of it all.
His golden one wanted to go hunting with his most trusted companions. It was supposed to elevate their moods and raise them from the daily drudgery of administrative duties. Everyone rejoiced at his decision.. Ptolemy, Cassander, Cleitus, Eumenes , Perdiccas and even Hephaistion. They had all been waiting for a breath of fresh air away from the palace.
The days in the woods were very merry indeed. They had all reverted back to their boyhood days filled with carefree frolic and hunting and laughter. Obnoxious jokes and mild teasing. The days were spent in hunting through the woods..and the starlit nights around the campfire sharing tales and wine.
His Alexander was the happiest one and Hephaistion had a very hard time in keeping up. He became the little boy once more.
His joy new no bounds when they discovered the little stream inside the jungle, one day before they were supposed to return. The emperor of the world had looked at his lover with eyes full of glee and declared,
"Let's swim Phai! Just like the old days"
Others had jumped at the great idea. All except one cyan eyed spoilsport.
"No Alex..it's almost midday. You'll fall sick. It's really chilly out here." he had said.
Others had laughed.
"You are underestimating our king, Hephaistion!" Cassander had replied with eyes of derision. "Sickness is for mere mortals.. not for Alexander."
Others had nodded at him.
Even Eumenes and Ptolemy had sided with Alexander in his childish endeavor.
All this had resulted in the inevitable. Alexander had jumped in the chilly waters and played for hours. He had to be dragged back by ..who else.
Everyone thought that Alexander was invincible. .that he was incapable of being hurt..of being weak.
But Hephaistion knew.
His golden one was precious. He too needed to be nurtured and taken care of. He too could be hurt and he too could fall the prey to unbalanced humors.
The wheezing and cough had started that night. With the doctor being unavailable..Hephaistion had resorted to feeding warm broth to his king and wrapping him with all the cloaks he could find in their shared tent.
What worried him was not the cough or the cold..but the foggy look of Alexander's eyes.
"I'm all right Phai." he had claimed in between bouts of relentless cough.
"I can see that Alex." the brunette had answered much in the way one would pacify a sick little child.
Alexander's condition had worsened once they returned to the palace. The doctor had examined him with worried eyes and tried one herb after another…one concoction after the next with no avail.
It had been three days since then.
Once in a while the golden haired man spoke softly as if in sleep. "It hurts Phai!" he murmured , touching his congested chest with his feeble hands.
If they wanted him to eat, they should have listened .
A hand on his shoulders brought him to the present. It was Ptolemy.
The blond haired man met his eyes and said nothing. Yet Hephaistion could see his glance painted with a range of emotions. .compassion, apology, fear and love. The silent sympathy broke the barrier inside the brunette. He began sobbing soundlessly.
Hephaistion rarely cried before others. His tears were for his king only. But he was helpless.
The whole palace was praying with bated breath. Everyone missed their king…from the biggest generals to the smallest page. As if the sun had disappeared all of a sudden disrupting the whole universe.
There was no beautiful, arrogant, generous king they all turned to. No booming laugh…no scary rebuke. No one to hear the complains. No one to dream. No one to lead.
Sitting in the bedside, Hephaistion bore the brunt of it all. He was helpless.
Suddenly the doctor raised his voice. "Wake him up Hephaistion." he said .
"Fetch him some warm broth ." he asked Eumenes. "The medicine needs some food to sit on."
Drying his tears Hephaistion sat on the bedside.
Caressing the sweaty golden mane , he gently murmured his lover's name. And suddenly it happened. A familiar frown appeared on the kingly face. The eyebrows creased and the nose crinkled.
"Don't wake me Phai. I'm in my happy land." Alexander announced to his wide eyed brunette.
Hephaistion felt his forehead with the back of his hands. It wasn't burning any more. The heat was more tempered. The foggy eyes had cleared off. He sighed in relief. All his fervent prayers sent to Apollo had been answered. His golden lover was healing once again.
"One more moment in your happy land..and I swear I'll join you there Alex." he answered back.
Alexander shook his head and smiled fondly. at his Phai.
The other two men were watching this beautiful banter with happy eyes. They had missed it. In the meantime Eumenes appeared with a dish full of steaming broth. He gave it to Hephaistion who began feeding it to his convalescing lover.
Alexander tasted the first spoonful and made a wry face. "It's bland Phai!" he whined, "Can I've some…."
"No..!" came the firm reply from the only person who could refuse Alexander.
"No roast..no sweets..no honey cakes….and certainly no wine Alex." said the brunette. He knew he had to hold his ground..his Alex's well being was at stake. Three pair of eyes looked on with wonder as Hephaistion managed to feed the whole broth to a pouty king who even swallowed the bitter herbs without another word.
"The fever is breaking my king. You need to rest or it'll come back." said the doctor, "I'll come back tomorrow ." The three men left.
The lovers were alone once again. Lying on the bed facing each other, they continued to stare wordlessly..with loving eyes.
"Don't leave me alone again Alex."Hephaistion closed his eyes.
Alexander kissed his lover. "I promise Phai..I won't." he murmured.
All was well once again.