Cage of Memories.

The slopes of Mount Olympus were covered by a thick forest, one so deep that the path to the top was hidden under the lush green. The Prince of Macedonia stood at the entrance of the woods, admiring the view in reverential silence. He had traveled a long way in order to get there, but now, at the foot of this peak he had so often dreamed of, something made him hesitate.

"Are you just going to stand there forever, Alexander?" asked a voice coming from behind.

The prince turned back, taken by surprise. For a moment, overwhelmed by the imposing shadow of the mountain, he had forgotten he was not alone. His companion, a boy of his age, gazed at him in amusement; his wavy hair, tousled by the wind, fell over his eyes. They had been racing each other, and he was still out of breath.

"What about you, Hephaestion?" Alexander said, folding his arms. "Are you planning to stay there all day, or will you come?"

It was a playful comment, but for some reason it seemed to make Hephaestion uncomfortable. His carefree smile disappeared and he frowned, like he did when addressing complicated matters. He looked around nervously before crossing over the creek that separated him from Alexander, and when he reached the other side he spoke softly, as though afraid that someone else might be listening.

"Actually, I think you should go on without me."

"Are you crazy?" Alexander said in disbelief. "Why? Don't be stupid."

"Don't call me stupid", growled Hephaestion, as if truly offended by the casual remark. Alexander tried not to laugh when he saw his friend's face all reddened. "This is a sacred place," Hephaestion added, more calmly. "And you come in search of an answer to a very personal matter. Maybe I shouldn't be here. I wouldn't want to offend the gods."

Upon finishing his explanation, Hephaestion glanced at his friend in search of a sign of understanding. Alexander looked thoughtful. He was carefully considering Hephaestion's words.

Finally the prince spoke in a friendly, reassuring tone. "I don't think the gods would be offended because you're coming with me. I want you to be part of this. Because you are part of me too."

Hephaestion smiled, his cheeks now burning with a different shade of scarlet than before. His hand sought Alexander's, and their fingers intertwined.

"What if we find the way to the top and Zeus is really there, willing to answer all of your questions? Would you be ready to hear what he has to say?"

"And what if he's not there after all? What if I never get any answers?" Alexander's gaze was lost in the heights of the peak.

Hephaestion squeezed the prince's hand in support, and he returned the gentle gesture before taking a step forward and into the depths of the forest.

They had several hours of road ahead. The landscape started to change as they climbed up the grassy slopes. After a while the trees started to become scarce and the stones began to dominate the scenery. It was getting colder. The air too was different. It grew heavier and thicker, at times even tinted by a whitish color.

"These are clouds," said Hephaistion, walking into an area where the strange fog was especially dense. "Isn't it amazing?"

Alexander became aware at that moment of how far up they had come. The bottom of the mountain, engulfed by the hazy forest, was now out of sight, and his body was fighting the weight of a heavy fatigue that threatened to numb his limbs. He had been trained to endure the worst situations, so giving up was not an option. But even Hephaestion, who had received the same training, was having trouble to keep up with him, and shortly after he fell on his knees, exhausted.

"Are you okay?" Alexander asked, rushing to his side.

"Yes." It was a lie. He was breathing heavily, and didn't even have the strength to get back up. "But it's getting harder."

"It's too late to turn back."

"I know."

Alexander felt Hephaestion's weakened body tremble in his arms as he embraced him. He was dead cold. Could it be that the gods were really against his presence there? Was this some kind of punishment? He didn't understand the logic behind, but sometimes gods, like men, were irrational. Up until then his biggest fear concerning Hephaestion had always been that Apollo would come to claim him as his own one day, for he had the kind of beauty on which legends are built. But the thought of Hephaestion dying on him was even worse.

"Don't worry, I'll stay with you until you feel better," said Alexander, rubbing Hephaestion's freezing skin in a vain attempt to warm it up.

He then covered Hephaestion with his own body, hoping that this would help somehow. He kissed his lips, out of habit, and was terrified to find out how cold they were. Hephaestion smiled in spite of everything, lifting a hand to touch Alexander's worried face.

"No, Alexander. I can't go on. You have to leave."

"What are you talking about?"

"Listen," whispered Hephaestion as he laid a finger on the prince's mouth.

Alexander stayed still, paying attention to the subtle sounds of the surroundings. There was the rustle of the leaves, gently moved by the breeze; there was the flapping of the wings of birds not too far away; there was Hephaestion's breath against his neck. And then, in the distance, there was a familiar voice calling his name.

"Is that Ptolemy? How is it possible? What is he doing here? Was he following us?" Alexander was upset. He could not identify where was the voice exactly coming from, and that troubled him. It seemed to come from another plane, some place beyond.

"You must answer." Hephaestion spoke in a commanding tone. "You have to go."

"I'm not going anywhere." Alexander frowned at his friend's absurd request. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Not without you."

Hephaestion's voice broke. "You don't understand yet, don't you?"

It was then that Alexander noticed that his friend's eyes were filled of tears, and suddenly became aware that he himself was crying. "Understand what? What's going on?" he asked in despair.

There was no answer. Blinded by his own tears, Alexander couldn't even see Hephaestion's face anymore. He tried to focus, only to realize that Hephaestion's body was slipping away from his arms. He struggled against the invisible force that was pushing him backwards, but it was like trying to stop the wind from blowing. He heard Ptolemy's voice again, this time very close to him.

"Alexander, listen to me!" he begged. "Let it go!"

A violent shake shattered the foundations of the dream where Alexander had locked himself in, an alternate reality built on the pieces of a happier past. The tears were still there when he fell out of the dream, but in the real world he was no longer a young prince but a Great King, and Greece was very far away. It took him a while to recognize the faces of those around him, stunned as he was. Ptolemy, who held him firmly by the shoulders, was one of them. The others had moved aside. Some looked terrified.

"What? What are you doing here?" Alexander stammered. "What are you all doing here?"

"We must prepare him for the funeral rites," said Ptolemy, gloomily. "You have to let him go."

Alexander's eyes followed Ptolemy's to where Hephaestion rested, lying on the bed that dominated the room. Death had hardened his features, but there was still some sweetness in them. Only now could Alexander fully understand Achilles, who had also lost the person he loved most, and with this realization there came also the certainty that the pain he now felt would only be appeased by the arrival of his own death. History was repeating itself, and this could only mean the end was near. He freed himself from Ptolemy's grip and returned to Hephaestion's side. He was not ready to say goodbye.

The end.

English is not my first language (the first draft was written in Spanish). I'm pretty sure this gets reflected in the way I write, so I wouldn't mind finding a beta who can help me with that.

So I'll just leave my request here, in case someone gets to read this. However, it's not like I'm planning on to write any more stories in English soon. I love the world of Alexander and Hephaestion, but I'm not much of a good writer and I don't think my stories could spark much of an interest. This was an experiment and I needed to get it out of my system.

EDIT: I am genuinely surprised by the kind responses and support. I really didn't expect it, thanks a million :)