Story Title: Teach Me the Meaning…
Chapter Title: Teach Me the Meaning of Friendship
Summary: Bagoas hates serving Darius as a courtesan but fears what new duties Alexander's reign might force him into performing.
A/N: Well, to start off, I'm borrowing one of Renault's characters again for this story, because I can't find any information of the actual historical figure he would have been based on. Sorry if you hate this and/or are unfamiliar with her books, but he's a little more than necessary at this point. I'm trying to get actual history to follow the story line of the movie in this fanfic.
Also Alexander and Hephaestion won't be showing up in this chapter. Please forgive Bagoas for his little comment about our favorite Macedonian king, but he hasn't yet met the guy at this point in the plot line.
Warnings: Again I ask why a homophobe would be reading Alexander fanfiction. Other than that, I can't think of much else that may be a problem in this chapter.
Disclaimer: I have no ownership in Oliver Stone's Alexander or in Mary Renault's books. I'm just borrowing some of their historical characters for fun.
Bagoas gave a weary half-smile upon spotting Tyriotes waiting for him in the servants' corridor just outside of Darius's bedroom. Ever since the death of the Great King's wife, the elder eunuch had been at a loss as to what to do with himself, having been her primary servant for most of his time with the royal household. Now Tyriotes divided his time between assisting his late Lady's two daughters and watching over Bagoas, something the youth had grown grateful for over the past months.
"How was he tonight?" Tyriotes clasped the young courtesan's hands in greeting.
"Let's just say I'm glad he's leaving tomorrow morning with the army," Bagoas sighed, leaning against the elder eunuch for a moment.
"Did he hurt you? Are you bleeding?" concern laced Tyriotes words as he wrapped a supportive arm around the youth's waist.
"No, I don't think so," Bagoas pulled away a bit, wanting to head for his rooms on the second floor of the harem wing. "This Macedonian upstart has him frustrated, and he has a bad habit of taking it out on me. I know he doesn't mean it, but after spending all day restraining his emotions, he has a tendency to lose his self-control in the midst of his lust."
"Perhaps, but that doesn't give him a legitimate excuse to cause you pain," Tyriotes continued to support the youth as they slowly made their way to Bagoas's apartments. "I don't care if he is the Great King. He should treat you better."
"Perhaps he should but to tell him so is practically suicide," Bagoas sighed. "I can understand him thinking that a eunuch is incapable of feeling pleasure, but to think we can't feel pain just doesn't make sense to me."
"Well count yourself lucky that you can feel pleasure. Not all of us can, after all."
"I'm so sorry, Tyriotes. I forgot," Bagoas pressed a brief, consoling kiss to his friend's cheek.
"It's alright, Bagoas. It's not your fault, and truly I took no offense from your words," Tyriotes gently urged the youth to continue walking. "I just hope that someday you'll find yourself better off because of all this. I know you hate being a courtesan, but once your youth fades away and the Great King loses interest, you'll never have to work another day in your life."
"But is it really worth the price? When I was still a boy, I used to dream of the life I was going to have," Bagoas paused beside a window to glance at the moon illuminating the night sky. "I wanted so much to see the world. I planned on becoming an architect or an engineer or perhaps just a simple merchant. I've always wanted to see the ocean, Tyriotes, to know what it feels like to stand in the bow of a ship and move with the rolling waves."
After a moment of silence, Bagoas turned and began heading for his rooms once more, ignoring the ache in his body as he felt tears of grief begin to fall from his eyes. The youth didn't say another word until they were safely within the sheltering walls of his small bedroom. It was only once Tyriotes had shut the door behind them that Bagoas turned back to his only friend and confidant.
"I feel trapped here, Tyriotes, like a bird in a cage. All I have known for the past four years are the confines of the harem and the walls of Darius's bedrooms, whether it's been here in Babylon or at Susa or at Persepolis. I'm suffocating in this life. What's the use of having fine silk robes or golden baubles or jewel-encrusted sashes, if I'm never permitted to feel the wind on my face or smell the scent of rain-soaked woods in the spring? I'm not even allowed to exercise my own horse when I want, because I have to always look pretty for him! What's the use of being treated like a lesser prince if my life will never be my own?"
"And what would you do if you gained your freedom, Bagoas?" Tyriotes slipped his arms around the youth's waist, holding him and needing to comfort him.
"I would die, Tyriotes, I would die. I am too old to become an apprentice, and my family is long dead by now," Bagoas nuzzled against the elder eunuch's shoulder, hiding his tears and his face from the world. "All that would be left for me is to become a prostitute on the streets, and why would I become a lower form of what I already am if I hate it so much?"
"Oh Bagoas, would you really give up so easily?" Tyriotes felt his own tears begin to flow. "Would you not at least try to find a wealthy merchant to serve who would take you on his travels? Surely with all the lavish gifts that Darius has given you over the years you would be able to survive on your own long enough to find a man who would ask no more of you than to provide an extra pair of hands to ease his workload. You could find the way to your dreams."
"Perhaps, but I know so little of the world beyond these walls. I wouldn't know where to begin," Bagoas sniffled delicately as he pulled away and collapsed onto his bed. "Besides, why dream of things that may never come to pass? They'll only serve to break my heart further."
Tyriotes shook his head, wishing he could say something to encourage the little courtesan before him. But there was nothing he could say that wasn't just empty words.
"Come on, now, Bagoas, and strip down. I'll help you prepare for bed."
The youth nodded and sat up long enough to remove his robes and trousers while Tyriotes poured out some wash water into a silver bowl. Bagoas watched his friend's movements in the lamplight as the elder eunuch dipped a soft washcloth into the water and then rung out the excess. Tyriotes possessed a simple sort of grace about him that the passage of time had not stolen away as it had his youthful looks. He was still handsome enough to Bagoas's eye, but without the Queen's presence in the palace anymore, Tyriotes had faded into obscurity. It was for this reason, perhaps, that the Great King had never noticed the elder eunuch's service to his favorite courtesan; otherwise Tyriotes most likely would have been removed from the harem.
With soft, steady strokes, Tyriotes began to wash away the scent of sweat and sex from Bagoas's body, causing the youth to release a tired sigh. The young courtesan allowed his eyes to slip shut as his friend caressed his aching body and helped him to left go of the built up tension that had plagued his muscles ever since he had entered Darius's bedroom earlier that night. The elder eunuch always knew just how to manipulate his body into a calm state without allowing his touches to linger for too long, leaving Bagoas wondering if Tyriotes had performed this same task for the Queen when she was alive.
The youth was broken out of his thoughts when his friend tapped him on the hip, signaling him to roll onto his stomach. Bagoas offered a shy smile as he complied so that Tyriotes could run the newly re-dampened cloth over his back. The cool wetness sent a shiver across the young courtesan's body, drawing another content sigh from Bagoas as it chased away the heat of the Babylonian night. Finally, though, Tyriotes gave a second tap to the younger eunuch's hip, and Bagoas knew it was time for him to strip off his linen underwear as well.
After the elder eunuch had cleaned between the youth's legs, he took the washcloth over to the oil lamp to examine it for signs of blood. Bagoas held his breath as he waited for the verdict. After careful scrutiny, however, Tyriotes gave a satisfied smile.
"There's no blood, Bagoas. You can rest easy," the elder eunuch then dropped the cloth back into the silver bowl and placed it on a little side table for Bagoas's servant to deal with in the morning.
The youth wrapped up in his light bed sheet, the night air too hot for any heavier blankets. Tyriotes stepped over to give Bagoas a goodnight kiss before retiring to his own rooms, but the young courtesan caught his wrist as he made to leave.
"Thank you," the youth whispered, "for being here for me. I've needed a friend more than I realized. I hope someday I'll be able to repay you for your kindnesses."
"Just being able to watch over you and having your friendship in return is enough payment for me, Bagoas," Tyriotes gave the youth one more kiss to his forehead before finally extracting himself from the little courtesan's grip and leaving him to fall asleep in peace.
Bagoas watched the procession assemble from the vantage point of his apartment's main window. If it weren't for the light of countless torches along the main avenue of the city, the darkness of predawn would hide the spectacle, but as it was, the streets below were illuminated as though they were in the midst of a furnace. From experience, Bagoas knew that the temperature down in the streets would also feel like a furnace due to all the bodies and torches being confined to such close quarters.
As it was, the young eunuch felt lucky he didn't have to join in the organized chaos below him today. His body ached even more this morning than it had last night, and the only reason he was even up at this hour was because of his duties in assisting the Great King dress in the mornings. Weariness tugged at his aching muscles, and the courtesan gave a sleepy yawn. Despite the noise and heat rising up from the city beneath him, Bagoas turned and slipped back into his bedroom, immediately curling up on his bed to get some much needed sleep.
Several hours had passed by the time Tyriotes snuck into the courtesan's rooms, bringing with him a bottle of light wine and some dice. It wasn't often that the two had the liberty to engage in drinking games, but with Darius scheduled to be away with the army for at least a month, no one would be calling for the services of either one of them for quite some time. They were free to drink themselves sick if they so chose, but usually neither eunuch drank more than enough to get a light buzz, wishing only to pass the long hours of the day. The slower they drank the longer they could stave off the boredom of harem life.
Tyriotes placed the wine and dice on the small dining table in the front room of the tiny apartment and slipped quietly into Bagoas's bedroom. The elder eunuch was surprised that the youth was still asleep but didn't have the heart to wake his friend. So while he waited for the young courtesan to rejoin the conscious world, he sat down on the stool of Bagoas's dressing table and stared at the sky through the narrow slit of the bedroom window. Happily, he didn't have long to wait on the youth, and he gave a gentle smile as he heard the young courtesan whisper out his name.
"Has the army left then?" Bagoas asked with a yawn.
"It's been at least two hours now," Tyriotes answered as he got to his feet.
"Good. Tyri, come here," the elder eunuch approached, thinking his friend merely wanted a hand up. He knew Bagoas was still sore, having seen him limping stiffly on his way out of Darius's rooms again in the early morning. However, the elder eunuch was caught off guard when the youth tugged him down to lie beside him.
"Bagoas, what are you doing?" Tyriotes asked, his voice filled with nervousness. The young courtesan could be severely punished if the king found out he was fooling around with someone; Tyriotes would be executed for even being suspected of being that someone.
"Hush, Tyri. Anyone who would care has left by now. The harem girls are forbidden to set foot on this floor, you know that. I just want to cuddle for a little while," Bagoas pillowed his head on his friend's shoulder. "Just for a quarter hour, that's all I want. No one will come in. My slave is out in the bazaar, shopping for new ribbons for my dance costumes and to commission new tack for my horse. He won't be back anytime soon, maybe mid-afternoon at the earliest."
"Alright, but I want an explanation for why you're suddenly being so reckless when we get up," Tyriotes surrendered, enjoying having the youth close despite his physical inabilities. Bagoas smiled as he snuggled a little closer to his friend.
The time allotment that the young courtesan had elected for this little cuddle section ended much too soon for either eunuch's preferences, but they dared not stay curled together any longer. Despite Bagoas's reassurances that no one would enter his rooms, they both knew that there were still plenty of people in the palace who might come calling on the youth's knowledge of the king. Not all of them would have the courtesy to knock before entering.
After redressing, Bagoas sat down at his small dining table to eat the breakfast his servant had brought in early. Tyriotes joined him, but having already eaten in his own rooms, the elder eunuch simply watched the young courtesan nibble at his meal.
"So what was that all about?" Tyriotes inquired when Bagoas had finished eating, indicating what had occurred in the youth's bedroom.
"I just needed it," the younger eunuch sighed. "Every time Darius calls me to stay in his bedchamber, it means he's going demand that I pleasure him. He never takes into consideration that I might be able to feel something. He never gives anything, only takes. I get so sick of it. Just once I wanted to lie in a bed with someone who wants no more from me than my simple presence. I wanted to know that I'm more than just a sex toy."
"You are, Bagoas, I can promise you that," Tyriotes offered a gentle smile to his friend. "Darius may not realize how much he actually values you, but I will never take you for granted. You may not believe it now or ever, but I do value your friendship just as much as you value mine."
"Thank you, Tyriotes. You always know how to put my mind to ease."
"I try," the elder eunuch gave a shrug accompanied by a sheepish grin. "Look at it this way, though. He's going to be without you for at least a month. That's enough time that he should come to miss you and realize just how much he does take you for granted. And when he gets back, if he has any amount of humanity to him, he'll decide to please you in some way as a reward for your service."
"That would be nice, but I don't want to get my hopes up," Bagoas gave a pessimistic smile. "At the beginning he may have given more consideration to my feelings and well being. But by this time he's tasted too much of king worship from the court and his staff. I'll be lucky if he doesn't do me some true damage in his eagerness to sate his own pent-up lust when he gets back."
Tyriotes could only shake his head. How was a person supposed to heal such a cynical attitude in one so young? Bagoas wasn't cut out for the life of a courtesan. The youth's spirit could only remain caged and chained down for so long before he snapped. Tyriotes had seen this same situation before, and watching a beautiful youth break under the tortures of harem life wasn't something he wished to see again, especially when it was Bagoas he was watching. However, the elder eunuch had no idea of how to stop such a fate from happening to his young friend, and it seemed to him that things were spiraling out of control at a much faster rate as of late.
End A/N: Thank you for reading this first chapter of my new story. Subsequent chapters may take a little longer for me to get posted than in Lovers of the Divine Lion, because I haven't worked out as much of this story's plot line yet.
Please review or comment. I don't care what you have to say. I won't be offended if it's nothing positive. Some feedback is better than no feedback.
Thanks again! ~ Stony Knight