TITLE: Come back to me. (1/5)
PAIRING: Hephaestion and Alexander.
RATING: R
CATEGORY: Historical AU.
DISCLAIMER: I don't know the people involved, no harm intended, everything is product of my imagination, but I wouldn't mind sharing my life with the blue-eyed god.
WARNINGS: Angst … but you already knew that.
NO BETA so all mistakes are mine.
FEEDBACK: comments are love! Yes, please any kind of them will help me to improve my writing or leave it forever.
Chapter 1.
"Please, come back to me!" a frantic prince shouted at his dear friend.
"He cannot listen to you, my prince" a worried doctor said to the blonde youth knelt by his friend's bed.
"I know he is there, deep inside" Alexander said while fat tears fall from his eyes which were already reddish and a bit swollen.
"It's been fifteen days without any change, Sire" the doctor said, trying to put some awareness in the distressed youth's mind.
"What are you suggesting? That I let you put him down like an old dog. If that is what you are implying, you are wrong and if you touch one of his hairs, I will kill you with my own bare hands" Alexander said in a whisper but his voice sounded threatening.
"No my prince, I'd never hurt him. What I was suggesting was for you to move on, you cannot stop living" the old man said with pity in his eyes.
"How could I move on when he is so still there, looking lifeless and his eyes? By Zeus, whenever he opened them for a while they looked as if they were made of glass" the prince said and pain could be heard in every single word he said.
"I know my prince, but he can wake up now, in a few days, months, years or … never" the old doctor risked uttering that last possibility but the prince should know that it existed.
"He will wake up and I will be by his side when he does" Alexander said and he sounded so convinced that the doctor did not know what else to add. He patted the prince's shoulder gently and left the room.
Alexander sat on the bed and took Phai's hand in his; he caressed the callous in the palm of his hand, acquired by the constant practice with his sword and then lifted that same hand and kissed every knuckle reverently, whispering between each kiss a very heartfelt "Come back to me, love"
A month went by and Hephaestion's situation had not improved at all. His parents had tried to take him back to their home but when they saw the desolated look in Alexander's eyes, they knew that they could not do that. King Phillip decided to offer them a big chamber in the palace where they could stay and so, in that way, no one had to renounce to the young brunette.
Hephaestion's family took care of him during the day but as soon as the evening arrived, Alexander took his place by the youth's bedside and stayed there until the following morning.
Alexander could not rest well but he did not complain; due to his Spartan education, he was accustomed to endure anything but Lady Amyntoros was a mother and she felt pity and so she asked for a bigger bed for his son. Everyone looked at her with confusion; they did not understand why Hephaestion would need a bigger bed when he had not moved for nearly two months. The gentle lady led the curious to her son's bedroom and showed them the reason behind her request; the young Macedonian prince and heir to the throne was on his knees by Phai's' side sleeping with his head on the mattress and Hephaestion's left hand enveloped in the prince's.
The following evening when Alexander entered the chamber, he found the subtle and non-subtle changes, a bigger bed with two pillows, two small tables on each side of the bed and a second wood chest that contained several changes of his own clothes and his beloved books. His heart jumped inside his chest, he would be able to spend more time with his Phai and in a more comfortable way. He knew he had to thank Hephaestion's mother for that.
Almost three months had gone by since the fall and Alexander could still remember it as if it had been yesterday.
*Three months ago*
They had been practising all day long and they were quite tired. Hephaestion wanted to go back to the chamber and take care of a toenail that was about to fall out. However, Alexander insisted on going for a walk; the blonde was eager to have some time alone with his brunette and Hephaestion could not say no his prince, in spite of the throbbing pain. Unfortunately, Hephaestion had not realized that his broken nail was getting more and more infected due to the constant entrance of dirt through the torn sole and neither did Alexander and he pushed Hephaestion to follow him at quite a quick pace. They were walking through a narrow path and Hephaestion had begun to feel an agonizing pain along his foot and ankle, as if a heated knife were been stuck through the sole. In a moment, he felt such a searing pain that his ankle bent to the side and made him fall. Unfortunately, what stopped Hephaestion's fall into the cold river was a big boulder blocking another path seven metres below.
Alexander listened to a yell and when he turned back, there was not sight of his beloved; the prince panicked and backtracked the ten or twelve metres he had been ahead.
Seeing some strange marks on the path, he looked downwards and there he was, his beloved mate with one leg at a very strange angle and a thin trail of blood coming from under his head.
The prince climbed down through and alternative but longer trail and knelt by Hephaestion's side.
"Phai, talk to me" he asked caressing the warm cheek.
However, there was no reply from the brunette.
"Please, come back to me, love!" the distressed blonde begged but he got the some unresponsive answer.
Alexander knew he had to act quickly; he decided first to check for other broken bones before manhandling him, he already knew that the right leg was clearly broken. He checked the still frame quickly and found nothing else to worry about. He looked around and saw some long thick sticks; he gathered three of them and ripping the bottom of his chiton, he made three long strips of cloth. He set carefully the leg in the normal position and he really hoped that the pain would awake his lover, but unfortunately, it did not. He set the three sticks around the leg, two of them on its sides and one in the back and then bandaged the leg to keep the sticks in the correct position.
He then checked the brunette's head, the flow of blood had already stopped and after searching for some seconds, Alexander discovered a small cut on Hephaestion's scalp, near his left temple. He cleaned the blood from Hephaestion's head with his chiton and decided to begin his way back to the palace; he hoped someone missed their presence and came to look for them.
The worst part was to lift the heavy and taller brunette up the narrow path but he knew he had to do it and as quick as possible. He sent a prayer to the giant Atlas, the one who carried the earth on his shoulders and asked him to gift him some extra strength to carry his beloved friend back home. He immediately felt something inside his body that travelled along his arms and legs. Feeling confident, he lifted Hephaestion's body in bridal style and started the long trip back.
He managed to carry the body to the upper path and the prince realized that even though he had a long way to go, that second part of the travel would be easier as the terrain was plain.
They were a stadia away when he saw two riders coming their way, he immediately recognized one blonde and one dark mane, Ptolemy and Cleitus were about to help them.
Alexander stopped walking and released a long sigh; his legs and arms hurt due to the long and hard exertion but when Cleitus offered to take Hephaestion, the prince gently rejected the offer; no one but him would take care of his precious charge. However, he shortly passed Hephaestion to Cleitus while he mounted and then Alexander got his lover back, cradling him against his chest.
They galloped back to the palace and once again accepted Cleitus's help to get down and carry Hephaestion inside.
The prince walked immediately towards his own chamber while shouting and demanding the doctor's presence right away.
The old royal doctor came almost running in spite of his many years and he sighed at the image he found. The prince was cradling the still body of his lover and he could see the brunette's wounds; the cut in his temple and the bump in his forehead which had started, not only to be noticeable but also getting a darker colour. He made his way towards the injured young man and he was about to check him over but he found himself with a big problem, Alexander did not want to release his lover from his tight embrace but time was of the essence. The prince finally stepped away and let the doctor work.
He praised Alexander for his makeshift cast on Hephaestion's leg and then he asked what Hephaestion had hit his head with. Alexander retold from the moment he found him but he had seen the big boulder and a stain of blood on it. The cut was already closed and it seemed as if it wanted to start to scar. However, the doctor was more worried about Hephaestion's hit on the forehead and the loss of conscience; it seemed as if the blue-eyed brunette had fallen into a deep sleep.
After treating the broken nail and the mild infection there, they cleaned their body and made him more comfortable with a clean chiton. They decided to put him inside the bed so the leg kept his still position. Alexander started his vigil by his side, getting desperate when time went by and there were no changes. Hephaestion seemed to be sleeping but his breathing was swallow and almost unnoticeable. Alexander expected to see his lover yawn and stretch his body as a cat after sleeping a nap under the sun anytime soon but it did not happen and it seemed as if it were going to take a while …
*** End of flashback***
Alexander came back from his memories trip and set his two coloured eyes on his lover, he looked so peaceful but so lifeless.
The prince decided to give him a cloth bath, he still had his leg immobilized but the doctor had announced that he was going to take all the bandages that day so Alexander could start moving the limb before it got stiff. They wanted to prevent a limp because it would disqualify Hephaestion to go on in the army and that would clearly depress the young and eager soldier.
The bath was over and after that, Alexander spent a long time brushing Hephaestion's bronze tresses. He had always enjoyed doing that, especially because it led to a nice foreplay that always ended in a long and smooth lovemaking. The prince suddenly realized that he had not get laid for three months and that he didn't feel frustrated or tense because of that; they were in a strange committed and monogamous relationship until Alexander needed to have his heir. This thorny topic had been the cause of many sleepless nights and Alexander had sworn his lover that even if he were forced to have a queen, he would never break their bonding unless Hephaestion wanted it; he secretly wished that the brunette would stay unmarried and by his side forever.
Alexander fondly remembered those conversations and after kissing his brunette's forehead, he went on combing his lover's hair, with the brunette's back onto his own chest. When he finished, he took a leather cord and combed the hair in a low ponytail so it did not get so entangled.
He prepared his lover for bed and tucked him in, beneath the fur cover; the weather was cooler because autumn was arriving. Alexander thought that his poor beloved had spent the whole summer, that was his favourite season, sleeping and he had not been able to enjoy the sun that always gave his skin that wonderful golden tan and the sea where he used to bath and his eyes acquired that deeper blue colour to match the waves.
The prince sat on their favourite couch by the windowsill and taking his battered copy of the Iliad from the wood chest, he read his favourite passages once again. He could now understand better Achilles's pain over Patroclus and even though he had not lost Hephaestion, he felt so empty and lost that sometimes everything was really dark. However, he was optimistic and knew that things would change and sooner than he expected. He slid beneath the cover and, lying on his side, he set an arm around Hephaestion's waist while his head rested beside his mate's, sharing the same pillow. Alexander saw how Hephaestion's thinner chest rose and fell with every breath he took, calm but steadily.
Taking notice of Hephaestion's steady loss of weight, Alexander decided that he would speak with the doctor about that, they had to find a way to feed Hephaestion with something more nutritious than they had been giving him. Hephaestion's mother had tried giving him something more solid but it had been pointless, he continued bringing it up and he looked really exhausted and in pain after each try. Alexander had started to give Hephaestion some thick broth, as he had not lost the function of swallowing and he had tolerated it much better; it seemed as if his body knew he had to eat to keep the vital functions in order to heal and wake up.
Four more days followed that first night and Alexander was feeling quite blue; he had been thinking about that day for the last ten months; it had been five years since they had got together and the prince had been planning a romantic celebration to surprise his brunette that night but all his ideas and plans had been shattered with Hephaestion's fall four and a half months ago.
Nevertheless, he had decided to tell his lover about his ideas for the day; Alexander had never stopped speaking to Hephaestion even though everyone said it was a waste of time but he did not care, he knew that Hephaestion could understand him.
Both young men were lying on the bed and Alexander had entwined their fingers together while his thumb caressed the back of Hephaestion's hand. Alexander was speaking about this day activities and how much he missed not having him by his side. He pecked Hephaestion's lips tenderly and finally blew the candle out, resigned to sleep next to his still lover.
The prince was nearly falling sleep when he noticed a change in Hephaestion's' breathing; it was subtle but Alexander had been able to distinguish it, the brunette's breathing sounded deeper and as if it were more conscious.
A long and loud gasp for air could be heard in the dark room and it made Alexander jump off the bed immediately. He took one of the candleholders that was still burning in the windowsill and went back to the bed to light the candle on the bedside table.
When it illuminated Hephaestion's face, Alexander could see that Hephaestion's blues eyes were quite open but instead of the usual warm look in them, he saw how desperation and a lack of recognition invaded those so much love pools of heaven.
Without caring about that first impression, Alexander cradled Hephaestion's face between his strong hands and bringing their faces closer, he kissed him on the lips tenderly.
When the prince ended the kiss, he realized that Hephaestion had been struggling to get rid of Alexander so he sat back on the bed and looked at his brunette in the eyes.
"You came back to me, Phai!" Alexander said excited.
"Sorry, what am I doing in this bed? and more importantly, who are you?" the brunette asked.
TBC