A/N: It is said that Hephaistion corresponded regularly with Aristotle and Xenocrates. Unfortunately, the letters of Hephaistion do not exist any more. This series was born from my curiosity of wondering what he must have written to Aristotle, the great philosopher.

Dear Master Aristotle,

Please forgive me for not writing to you for so long. As you have witnessed for yourself, it has been madness since king Philip was murdered. Especially the first seven days were chaos, and I do not believe that the weight of reality actually sunk into Alexander's mind during that period. Above all, what he had to do was to get recognized as the king's true successor. He did not have time to mourn his father then. How cruel it is that you cannot even mourn for your own father's death?

But I think during that maddening seven days, Alexander actually transformed himself from Alexander to the King. He had learned how to sacrifice his personal needs for the sake of duty. He did not hesitate even for a moment when he executed those two men. He simply told me that it was necessary. I understood that he had to do this to prove that he was not the one who killed the king, but I still could see the pain deeply hidden in his eyes.

When I recall that day, the first thing that I see in my mind is the clear blue sky. I remember that day; the sky was so blue without even a trace of clouds as if to rejoice for the wedding of princess Cleopatra. It is funny that what I associate with that horrible day is not the red of the blood, nor gold of the crown, but the blue of the Macedonian sky. My heart still aches whenever I see the bluest sky remembering the pain filled eyes of Alexander.

The pain I saw in his eyes was not only the pain of a son who lost his father, but also, or more so, the pain of facing the harsh reality that the son has to prove his innocence of his father's death; a part of his own flesh and blood. And even worse, he could not quite dismiss the doubt of possibilities that his own mother might have taken a role in his father's assassination. It is all a mystery, since Pausanias is now dead, and nobody could prove if there was somebody else behind it. But I believe it is for the best, some things should never be brought into the daylight.

The first thing the Macedonian court wanted after recognizing Alexander's reign was to attack the Persians. They came to believe that the Persians were somehow responsible for all of this. However, Alexander decided to go north and west first. He told the courts that it was necessary to have the unity of Greece before attacking the Persians; without this unity, we would never succeed in defeating the Persian Empire. Master Aristotle, Alexander does not dream just a dream. He is practical and realistic at the same time. He knows how to make a dream reachable and turn it into a reality.

The Illyrian and Triballian campaign was successful. It worked as a great advantage for Alexander that he was familiar with the terrain and their customs of the regions. He had learned them while we were in exile. One thing about Alexander that never ceases to surprise me is his ability to absorb, and somehow he is always able to turn tribulation to his advantage. His brain is like a dry sponge; it sucks all in. And even more amazingly, it retains them all.

You should have seen Alexander's face when he heard that Demosthenes was telling the people in Thebes and Athens that Alexander had died during the Illyrian campaign. No, he was not angry, rather, he was amused. He told us that the Macedonians must have become a real threat to the Athenians, as they had to kill the king to be able to face us. He knows how to lift the spirits of soldiers.

He did not waste any time, either. He could not allow those citizens to ally and break the agreement of the Corinthian League, which his father, King Philip had established. In fourteen days, we arrived at Thebes. It was a hard and pushed to the limit sort of ride, but nobody had complained. And in just three days, Alexander positioned us already ready to fight. While the Thebans protested by lining up small contingents of soldiers who were mostly slaves, foreigners and refugees in front of the palisade, they hid themselves behind the palisade and the gate of the city.

Alexander divided us into three groups. One group, which was mostly made up of archers and light infantry, attacked the palisade. The second group faced the Theban battle line, and he reserved the third group to support any weakened line. The Thebans fought well though, that I have to admit. At one point they were pushing us so hard, and I could see that the Macedonians were wearing out.

However, we gained our control rather swiftly when Alexander sent the reserved group into the battle. The Thebans could not hold this, and many of them were killed. It was then, Alexander noticed that nobody was guarding the postern gate, and ordered Perdiccas to break off and attack with his phalanx battalions. From there, we finally entered the city and razed it to the ground.

That is Alexander. He does not miss any opportunities, even the slightest one. His ability to assess the situation on a grand scale, yet pinpoint the exact moment of the strategic movement is almost inhuman. I have the utmost trust in Alexander when it comes to war tactics, and the feeling is mutual throughout the army at all levels.

Alexander demolished Thebes so completely and thoroughly; everything was brought down to the ground except temples and the house that once belonged to Pindar, yes, the poet Pindar. He told us that he would leave it intact, since he once wrote a poem about one of the Macedonian kings who was also named Alexander. But you know the real reason. Alexander sincerely admires and respects the arts.

People talked that the reason why Alexander treated the Thebans so ruthlessly was because he wanted to show his power to the rest of Greece, so that they would not fight against Alexander. That is mostly true, but I also think that the way the Thebans fought hiding behind those refugees made Alexander mad and disgusted. Just like at Chaeronea, when they abandoned those brave warriors of the Sacred Band and let them perish in the field completely.

That day, Alexander gained the respect of his father and of the army of Macedon as a commander, but at the same time, he, no we lost something. A part of our souls were ripped off from our hearts, and we left them on the field of Chaeronea with the fallen brave warriers. They were we in a way, Achilles and Patroclus. That day, we learned that glory does not come without sacrifice.

You told us, "Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind." That was what Alexander exactly did at the victory banquet of the battle of Chaeronea. He did not show any pain in front of others, he celebrated the victory wholeheartedly with his father and the army of Macedon. And Master Aristotle, you were right. He looked so beautiful.

It was not until we retired from the banquet and we were alone that he held me so tightly against him and wept. We wept for a long time for the lost warriors and more. Our requiem was not only for the lost lives of the Sacred Band, but also for our lost purity and innocence. On that summer day, we said a farewell to our boyhood, and we became men.

After the siege of Thebes, Alexander did not have any problems enforcing the obedience of the Greeks. They formed a Corinthian League for the third time. They reinstated the agreement, and even ratified Alexander's act against Thebes. The image of a child king who had simply inherited the rising kingdom from his father was quickly replaced with a tactful and very determined conqueror from Macedon.

I have to tell you this story about the encounter of Alexander and a philosopher, Diogenes of Sinope. Yes, that cynical philosopher who said, "I am Diogenes the Dog. I nuzzle the kind, bark at the greedy and bite scoundrels."

When we came close to Corinth, Alexander told us that he wanted to see Diogenes. He picked only seven of us to ride with him, since he did not want to intimidate the philosopher. We could spot him right away. He was sun bathing in front of the barrel. I have heard about him living in a barrel, but I did not believe it until I actually saw him with my eyes. I thought it was just a figure of speech, but he actually did live in a barrel.

My first impression of him was that he did not look like a philosopher at all. To me, a philosopher should look stoic and honorable. He wore a rug with a rope tied around his belly to keep it in place, and he had a beard that was wild and not groomed. In short, he looked more like a beggar in the city than a philosopher. But, when I saw his eyes, I understood the greatness of this old drifter. His eyes were as clear as the summer sky, and as sharp as an eagle's.

We all dismounted, and Alexander walked up to him. Diogenes did not even sit up when he saw Alexander. But I could tell that he recognized him by the way he looked at him. He could not hide an amusement to find the furious conqueror of Thebes being so young.

Alexander then asked him if he was afraid of him. His answer was, "Is there any reason why I should be afraid of you?" That made Alexander smile. He is so familiar with this philosophers' old tactics of answering a question with a question. Then Alexander asked him again if there was anything he could do for him. Diogenes paused for a moment, then answered, "Yes, please step out from the direct path of the sun."

Everybody laughed, but Alexander told us that if he were not Alexander, then he would like to be Diogenes. I think what Alexander saw in him was the total control of his world. And I believe that Alexander's mind to conquer the world was made up at that very moment of the encounter. Until then, his purpose was just to defeat the Persians. But, after seeing this man who was totally in control of his own world, and was so sure of what he wanted, Alexander must have realized what he really wanted to accomplish in his life. Conquering Asia was not enough for him; he wanted to have the whole world.

That night, when we were together all by ourselves, Alexander gave me the most precious gift a man could ever ask. I would never forget his words. He told me, "Hephaistion, as the sun is the most important thing for Diogenes, you are the most important thing for me. You are my sun. I would never allow anything come between us. As Diogenes did not hesitate to order the King to move to keep his sun, I would fight against even gods to keep you by my side. As long as you are with me, I know that I can accomplish anything. Promise me Hephaistion that you will never leave me."

I could not help a tear forming up in my eyes. Master Aristotle, can you imagine what it felt like being loved and trusted so much from Alexander, the sun and a god himself? I knew that I would go wherever Alexander leads us to without question, even if it is to the end of the world, but now I have strength inside of me. I can endure anything, and together, we will conquer the world. Our journey had just started.

Your Humble Student,

Hephaistion