Drabble – Shhhh II
A movement out of the corner of his eye made Hephaestion look towards the large planter to his left as he walked by it. He continued beyond it and then stopped to see what had drawn his attention.
A little girl of about three or four years old was squatting behind the big planter. When she saw him looking at her, she put her finger up to her lips and said 'shhh'. He nodded as he squatted down beside her.
"You hasta be quiet if ya stays here."
"I will, I promise." Hephaestion whispered, "What are you hiding from?"
"Ta emeny, I'm gonna attacks em when they comes by."
"Oh." Said Hephaestion trying to keep a straight face.
"Do you know what they look like?"
The little blonde curls swung back and forth as she shook her head no.
"I wil knows them when I sees em. I'm practicen to be a shoulder."
"I see, you want to be a soldier for King Alexander?"
The big brown eyes became brighter and the smile lit up her little face. Hephaestion couldn't help thinking he had seen this little face before.
"Does your mommy know you what to be a soldier?"
"Yeah but she says I cants be a shoulder cause I'm a girl."
"Only men can be shoul…er soldiers."
"Tats dumb. We can fight justs as gooder as dumb boys."
"I bet you could."
Hephaestion was now smiling and the little girl smiled back. Hephaestion suddenly remembered where he had seen that adorable face before. A couple of years earlier, they had been traveling and he had heard a baby crying in one of the wagons. He had come closer to the cart and ended up bringing the baby on his horse with him until she had fallen asleep in his lap. Alexander had come across the two of them like that.
Hearing a noise, she brought her finger to her mouth and told him to be quiet someone was coming. Hephaestion mimicked her and nodded.
A pair of legs walked by and Hephaestion recognized them immediately. They didn't stop but continued down the hall.
"I'm going to go see if I can see any emen…enemy, I'll be right back." Said Hephaestion.
Catching up with Alexander, Hephaestion grabbed him from behind. "I need you to go to the throne room and sit and wait for me."
"Why?"
"Just do it, you'll see."
Alexander looked puzzled but headed towards the room.
Hephaestion waited for a couple of people to go by the planter and then crouched down behind it again. His fellow shoulder was still there.
"I just saw the King."
"You did?" She said with big brown eyes. "You knows what he looks like?"
Hephaestion nodded, "Would you like to meet him?"
"Weally?"
"Wea…really."
"Will he makes me a shoulder?"
"You can ask him."
A little hand reached out and grabbed his bigger one and they made their way out from behind the planter. They walked hand-in-hand to the throne room and Hephaestion stopped at the closed door and knocked. A booming voice told them to enter.
Hephaestion led the way and the little soldier followed. By the time they were in front of the King, she was halfway behind his long leg.
Hephaestion winked at Alexander before he began to speak. "Great King, I have a new soldier for your mighty army."
"Bring her…them forth so that I might see for myself if this soldier is worthy."
She stepped out from behind Hephaestion and raised her mighty wooden spoon. "I is mity and brave and I wil helps defeets the emeny."
Alexander pressed his lips together to keep from smiling. "I see that you are very brave and you will be a good soldier. But you have to grow some more before I can left you help me."
Her lower lip stuck out and a tear began to form in the corner of her eye.
"Promise me you will come back here to me when you are all grown up and we will talk again." Alexander said and watched as she slowly shook her head. "But I do have an important job for you till then. I want you to be a good little soldier and eat what your mommy puts in front of you and do what she says because good soldier follows orders. Can you do that for me?"
"Yeth sir."
"Thank you for your time, Your Majesty." Said Hephaestion with a smile.
Later, a king and his top general were sitting next to each other on a couch.
"She was adorable, too bad she can't be a warrior."
"Shhhh, don't let her hear you say that." Said Hephaestion, "But I sure would love to be around in fifteen years or so when you tell her she can't."