Drabble – Escape

Hephaestion was escaping. Behind him he was leaving all of the deadlines, the stack of scrolls hiding the top of his desk and the annoying amount of people with their many questions and problems.

Being second in command to a king could be a royal pain in the…well, a royal pain everywhere, he decided. Granted there were a lot of benefits too but he was having difficulty finding them at the moment. So he has running away from the heavy workload and emotional stress and going to one of his favorite places.

He knew he would not find any other generals or companions where he was going. They usually stayed clear of it unless ordered to go there. The King would not be there either, as this was not a place he would visit or even want to see. Hephaestion's shoulders felt lighter with each step closer to his oasis.

The sound told him he was near before he saw the building itself. A mixture of squeals and laughter was peppered with a few wails and crying. Louder adult voices could barely be heard above the mixture of the children's sounds. He smiled to himself as he pushed the door open to the courtyard. Before him was several dozen children all under the age of ten. They were climbing in the one lone tree in the yard, swinging from the rope he had fashioned on a previous trip and playing in the sand.

His appearance did not go unnoticed for long. A huge squeal of 'Hephaestion' was soon followed by a mass welcoming party headed his way. He was engulfed by the delegation of children and opened his arms widely to embrace them all. The love they held for this man was apparent on their faces, as it was on his in return.

And so he spent the day. He climbed the tree with the older boys, took turns swinging the littler ones on the swing and got down on his hands and knees and built a little bridge for them in the sand. When lunchtime came, he helped wash many dirty little hands and faces, as well as his own. He sat at one of the little tables he had built with them as they all had lunch, his long legs tucked under his tiny chair.

He told a story for them when naptime came around and placed gentle kisses on their foreheads when they all quieted down. Then he quietly went to the nursery. He picked up a crying baby and held her to his shoulder, soothing her with his voice to calm her down. He feed several of the infants and even changed a few cloths.

As he rocked the last one to sleep, he closed his eyes and sighed. They had done it again. This nosy little part of Alexander's world had renewed his heart, refreshed his body and rested his tired brain.

Alexander had his mighty army but Hephaestion's little army was it's amazing future.