TITLE: The stranger and the goblet.
AUTHOR: Too_beauty.
PAIRING: Theo, Athina, Lysander, Phainder, Phainder's wife and the royal couple.
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: Historical AU.
DISCLAMER: I don't know the people involved, they belong to History and to themselves but I wouldn't mind sharing my life with him. *sighs* Phainder's family are my own creation and very dear to me.
BETA: Emily, who could put into words my thoughts.
FEEDBACK: comments are love!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The story of the goblet and the phrase that accompanies it is real, it is a very old tradition that runs in my family and the goblets all belong to my great grandmother's wedding set and they were given as an heirloom to each woman in the family when they get married.
The family was gathering to celebrate this year together again. Little Theo was helping his mother lay the table and, in that moment, he saw that there was an extra goblet. Going back to the kitchen, he wonderedaloud about it to his mother. She merely turned around to look at her daughter, Athina, and smiled knowingly. Athina quickly went to the back inner garden where her grandfather was dozing on a couch.
"Grandpa, are you sleeping?" she asked softly while caressing the wrinkled but smooth cheek.
"No, my princess, just only resting these tired and old eyes," he answered kindly.
"But they are still beautiful," Athina told him, taking delight as her grandfather opened his eyes and reaffirmed her knowledge that they were, indeed, still beautiful.
"Anything you need, princess?" he asked while looking and wondering what he had done to deserve such a beautiful family. The gods could be merciful, after all.
"I think you need to retell the story again," she said, unable to hide the smile creeping upon her lips.
"To whom? You and Lysander already know the story…" He pondered, studying her smile curiously. A moment later it dawned on him. "Don't tell me Theo…?"
"Yes, he has just discovered the extra goblet." The statement was filled with anticipation.
"Fine, fine - is everything ready? Has the old man woken up from his nap?" he asked, smiling at his own mentioning of the other man.
"No, but I don't think he would appreciate you calling him old man," she giggled while hugging his waist with her thin arms.
Hephaestion took a moment to run his fingers through her youthful locks, grateful for her health. When she looked up again he smiled. "So let's keep it a secret between us, princess."
They returned, walking slowly to the dinning room when they were stopped by the youngest of the family.
"Grandpa, grandpa, mum made a mistake, she put one extra goblet," said Theo laughing.
"No, your mother didn't make a mistake, she is following a tradition that has been running in my family for hundreds of years and I really appreciate that she continues it," the old man said while bowing his head toward his daughter-in-law. He was rewarded with a warm smile.
"What's that tradition, grandpa?" asked Theo, his curiosity outweighing his embarrassment for his lack of knowledge.
"Come; let's sit together in that comfortable couch and I will retell the story." He led the way and took a seat, waiting for Theo to follow. Theo leaned contentedly against his grandfather, waiting intently for the story-telling to come. Athina watched, amused by her brother's behavior. He was in for quite the story.
"Many years ago, a boy of eight years was laying the table and counting the goblets, and he discovered that there was one extra."
"Just like me today," interrupted Theo, excited at having made some sort of connection with a boy that he knew nothing of yet.
"Yes, just like you," the grandfather smiled warmly before going on, "so he went to his grandmother and told her about his discovery. His grandma told him that the goblet was not extra – it was for "the friendly stranger".
"Who was that stranger?" Theo asked, who now sat totally in his grandpa's lap. Next to the couch, on the floor, Athina and Lysander were sitting at his feet and the children's parents were also there, perched near the door. It was a tale worth hearing again.
"The boy asked his grandmother the same question, and she told him that "There aren't strangers in our lives, only friends that we haven't met yet." The boy didn't understand and asked for an explanation, but his grandmother told him that time would explain it better than she could. That evening, while they were gathered at the table, there was a low knock at the door. The old woman went to open the door and found a young blonde boy at her threshold. His lips were nearly bluish and his complexion showed that he was really cold; shivers ran along his thin body and he was only wearing a very thin chiton and no shoes. The old woman let him enter and made him stand next to the stove in the kitchen while she went to her bedroom. She returned with a thick wool blanket and wrapped the boy in it; she massaged his limbs gently to help his body regain warmth more quickly. When the shivers were over and his body was nearly recovered, she told him to go and sit at the table; the shy boy entered the room where the family was eating and sat in front of the extra goblet.
"Everybody looked at him curiously and he only could blush and cast down his two-coloured eyes. The old woman went back to the table and she filled his plate with boar meat and cooked vegetables and warm milk in the goblet. The boy ate without speaking, but he listened carefully to the conversation. In a moment, the other boy sitting at the table started retelling what had happened at school that morning. The stranger raised his head and his mind went blank, he closed his eyes and listened to the baritone voice, and he especially felt how his fears and anger disappeared. When the boy stopped to drink some milk, the stranger lifted his head again and looked towards the boy and he felt himself drowning in the bluest eyes he had ever seen, and for the first time that day a befitting smile crowned his face. The blue eyed boy looked at him and blushed, casting down his eyes. The boy's grandmother watched carefully during this exchange and she smiled."
The old man made a pause to drink some watered wine that his son had given before and waited for the questions; he knew that his grandson would have tons of them.
"Why did she smile, grandpa, why did the boy blush, why did the stranger seem so happy there?" Theo asked one question after the other because he couldn't stop and wanted to know. So his grandfather started to answer his questions.
"The grandmother smiled because the stranger had brought joy to her family, the boy blushed because he knew that that stranger was going to be someone important and permanent in his life and the stranger seemed happy because …"
"… because he knew he had found his life partner," another male voice finished the explanation, his words soaked in admiration.
"Grandfather! You are awake – did you know that story too?" asked Theo while patting the place on the couch next to him.
"Yes, I know that story too, in fact I lived that story," the old man said while sitting and smiling to the other old man on the couch.
"Did you remember the description of the boys, Theo?" asked Phainder.
"Yes, one had blue eyes and the other was blond with two coloured …. " Theo stopped speaking and looked to his grandfathers. His own eyes grew wide with realization. "Those boys were you two."
"Yes, that night I met your grandpa and we have never been apart since then," said Alexander who was caressing his two other grandchildren's heads. "They were the bluest eyes I have ever seen before or after that night," He added fondly.
"So you two met … seventy years ago. That's a long time," Athina said, sighing wistfully. "Wish I had the same luck."
"You will, princess, you will," reassured Hephaestion while kissing her cheek.
At that moment, a low knock was heard and the former Chiliarch told Athina:
"Go, princess, maybe a stranger is bringing love to you this time."