By the sea, they sat, huddled around the growing flame. Their plan was simple and she was the key to it. She was beautiful and young, but nothing more. A runaway slave forced into this plot. She knew what she must do and even as they still sat around the warm fire, the young girl in her 20s gathered her things and reluctantly trudged away from the fire and the camp.
What was stopping her from running away? Already, having walked 2 days, she was far from them. She feared the unknown and still walked farther to the city. They had given her a name, changed her identity and in truth, she had learned to love them. She was now called Samara and they had become the family she had never had. For that, she must do them proud by completing this task. Her beauty would be the ticket into the city of wonders and from there, like a snake in the grass, she would bewitch him. She had been with the rebels in the west boundaries for some time. Many years now, she saw them as a family and shared their goals. Her fear drove her closer to the city, to the heart of her future.
After weeks of travel, she reached the high walls and beautiful structures. Stopping only for a moment to catch her breath at the spectacle in front of her, she went on, forward, to find him.
First she thought it would be easy, but now she knew it would not be at all. There were many with the same long hair, some longer, some shorter. Some were beautiful than she. Her eyes were green and theirs ranged from the darkness of the night, to the green of the sea. Their clothes were more lavish than hers. She stowed her bag behind a rock and entered the unfamiliar market. She had come into the city easily enough, but to go into his court and gain his trust would be harder than she thought. She heard cries of his name and followed them, to see the man who was meant to pay.
To her, he did not seem like a tyrant or a villain. Just a man: thin, pale, but still smiling. He traveled from market stall to market stall, surrounded by a crowd of people. She could not get through and lost sight of him. She saw a glimpse of him again, but there was no way to get to him. She waited for tomorrow.
"Come with me tomorrow" he asked, examining the jewels he had bought that day, in the market.
"why?" he asked in response. They sat in a lavish room. Fruits all around them, jewelry draped over the chairs and bed. The former came over, still holding the gemmed necklace.
"So I can buy you something, pretty " he offered and the other laughed, standing and going to the balcony. He turned slightly before sipping his wine.
"the moon is beautiful tonight, my king Alexander" he said, looking out into the night life. "and it overlooks your city" he continued, speaking nonsense. Words of no meaning.
"you will come, wont you?" Alexander had now seated himself on one of the many chairs. The gemmed necklace lay beside him on a table.
"No" the man at the balcony replied. "I will not"
"why do you tempt me so Hephaistion? You mean to anger me?" Alexander asked, a note of playfulness in his voice.
"it would be wiser" his friend answered "for you to take your wife" he placed the empty cup onto a table, touched Alexander on the shoulder on the way to the door and left the room.
Alexander sighed deeply. Their friendship had been tested recently. It had been months since he had taken a wife, but even still, Hephaistion would not go with him to the market, would not sit with him while watching the festivities. He was in all ways, distancing himself. It was driving Alexander insane. He didn't desire his friend, but needed his counsel, needed to speak with him and wished for things to be normal between them. Hephaistion hadn't said it directly; he needed not to, for Alexander understood. Everything he said about her had a tone of jealousy or anger, but express it plainly he would never. He understood that if Alexander loved her, then he must, as his closest friend, accept it.
The next day Alexander did not go to the market. He usually went everyday, but this time he did not. He was angered by Hephaistion's distance, angered by his own actions pushing him away and stayed in his room, away from the world, locked up in anger, thought and misery.
It was midday when Hephaistion walked into the room. He brought Alexander, who stood on the balcony, looking over the city, a class of water.
"Are you not going to the market today, Alexander? You go everyday" Hephaistion asked.
"It bores me, sickens me" He responded, taking the class from his friend and drinking it.
"Why so suddenly does it bore you? Is it my fault?" He asked
"no, it is not your fault, you cannot change the color of your eyes" Alexander responded and his friend looked at him confused, but Alexander continued.
"I wanted to buy you a pearl, but it was too white. I wanted a ruby, but it was too red and a blue stone there was, but it could not capture the blue of your eyes. There is nothing in the market for me to buy for you. If you came with me and choose, then, perhaps I could find a jewel that would suit you" he responded.
"Ah, Alexander" Hephaistion sighed. "it is not that I do not want jewels, but I have too many. Your wife, your mother, they deserve these affections and jewels you award to me so easily"
"Perhaps, but their eyes are not red or white, like the first jewels and the blue only reminds me of you" Alexander responded.
"COME! We're going to the market. I will buy more jewels than either of us need and we will give them away! Young girls will dress up, pretending they are princesses of Babylon. Boys will play games, as pirates guarding treasure and you may buy me a jewel, of whatever color you choose, for today, the city needs to see it's king" Hephaistion declared, convincing his friend.
Samara was waiting under the scorching sun, in front of the exact place that Alexander had been yesterday. The jewelry stall held so many fine things, that she wished for once that she was not a slave, or a rebel , but a princess or something more. She wished that the pearled necklace on the table was around her neck. She reached out and touched it.
"Ah, Alexander" Hephaistion teased, noticing the girl and her interest "perhaps your jewel is already taken"
She turned abruptly to the voice beside her. They had appeared quickly, or perhaps she had been dreaming too much to hear the cheers announcing them. She backed away slightly, but could not take her eyes off the one who had spoken. She had been ready for anything: death, murder, anything but this. She tried not to look into his eyes. It hurt to look at him. His eyes were so blue, as if a reflection of the sky itself, with a sun, blinding her and paining her.
"you want it or not?" the store keeper asked her and she forced herself to look away from him and to the rounded woman behind the stall.
"The necklace?" she asked, knowing she could not afford it. She thought quickly, tried to think of how she would gain Alexander's favor. "I wish I had the money for it" she responded.
"then what are you doing!" the woman at the stall yelled "standing around my jewels like a thief! You wretch! Be gone!"
She looked back at Alexander, for hope or something. She was scared, fearful of the woman who yelled so loudly, causing a scene. Alexander's attention was taken and she could catch his eye. His friend, the one with eyes of the sky, was whispering in his ear. Alexander smiled to his friend, nodded and smiled to Samara before turning to the woman.
"I will buy it………..for her" Alexander said, coming forward and handing the woman the money. She took it, counted it twice, bowed to her king and gave him the necklace. He smiled at the woman and then came forward to Samara.
She tried to act shy, bashful and innocent as he placed it around her neck. She smiled.
"Thank you, how can I ever repay?" she asked, hoping that this would be her ticket into his heart and empire.
"that wont be necessary" he responded "my friend is in a good mood" he replied.
"I will take the blue one too" he turned to the store keeper, away from her.
Before she knew it, they were gone with the jewels and had moved on, past her to another part of the market. The pearls had been expensive, very expensive. She had been in such shock and had looked up into the blue eyed man's face again. A trance had overwhelmed her, she had smiled like a child, he had passed her, and they both had moved onto another stall. She was still standing there, holding onto the pearls around her neck and staring after him.
She longed for different things now: the man with the blue eyes and she knew that the closer she got to Alexander for her plan, the closer she would get to the man who had given her the pearls.