TITLE: Bonus Chapter for Chained drabble # 6: "New love"
PAIRING: Cassander and Adrasteia.
RATING: PG
CATEGORY: Historical AU.
DISCLAIMER: I do not know the people involved, no harm intended, everything is product of my imagination, but I would not mind sharing my life with the blue-eyed Phai.
WARNINGS: none
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.
Author's note: This is a requested ficlet for my dear J who has a soft spot for Cassander.
Cassander was walking along a dark hall; the sounds of the banquet were getting lower with every dragged step he gave and that took him away from there and out of the palace. He could not stand seeing his former lover with another, and to put the matter worse, he could see nothing in those cyan eyes, not even a trace of all the things they had shared.
He went on walking, without looking where he was going when he suddenly stopped and looked in front of him, as if it were the first time he was in that part of the palace.
"Sire, are you lost?" a soft female voice asked.
"What?" the man asked while turning round, trying to understand what he had been asked.
"Are you lost?" she asked again slowly as if she were speaking to a little kid or to a foreigner.
When he turned round and focused his clear eyes on the figure in front of him, he realized that the figure was a young woman with a thin but slender body with all the necessary and enticing curves of a female frame. Her hair was long and reddish, as if it were dark copper arranged in a simple ponytail that left her face uncovered. The skin seemed to be pale, as if it were made of alabaster and a tiny galaxy of freckles covered her turned-up nose and her cheekbones. Just above them, Cassander could admire the greenest and biggest eyes he had ever seen, protected by long and reddish eyelashes and he immediately thought that those eyes could have the power to bewitch him forever.
He continued with his inspection, his blue eyes fell onto the reddish and full lips, and he could see that they were moving again.
He cleared his voice and said:
"What did you say?"
"I have asked you twice if you were lost, sire" the young woman said and Cassander felt hypnotized by the cadence and the tone of her voice.
"No" he said but he sounded a bit confused.
The young woman blushed because Cassander was staring at her and so she shyly asked:
"So you know where you are" she repeated.
"I hope it is where I can find true love"
The young woman stared at the blue eyes and felt that something special could happen between them; maybe she could chase away the sadness in those beautiful eyes. She bowed her head and went on walking while a still Cassander saw the young woman disappear in the shadows.
The young woman decided it was time to do something to chase that sadness away. She started to appear wherever Cassander happened to be and she always offered him a tender smile. The tough teenager, who did not use to smile, started to smile back at her but he did not try anything else.
One hot morning, the companions were coming back from their wrestling practice; they were sweaty and dirty but exuding strength and manliness. Cassander was passing by when a soft-skinned hand patted his toned forearm and when he turned round, he realized that the young woman was standing next to him, offering a sheepskin flask filled with fresh and clear water. The young soldier grabbed it and took a long gulp, enjoying the freshness running along his dry throat.
When he finished, he gave it back to her and said:
"Thank you …" and he stopped because he had realized that he did not know her name.
"Adrasteia, Sire" she said almost in a whisper.
"Adrasteia … courageous …. I'm Cassander, son of Antipater" he said proud of his lineage.
"I know, sire" she replied and blushed deeply.
That blushing made Cassander look at her again, with new and clear eyes, and a tiny spark lit his heart.
"Well, so thank you Adrasteia" Cassander said as if he were caressing her name.
"You are welcome, sire" she replied.
"Please, call me Cassander" he suggested politely.
"Yes, si… Cassander. Your companions are gone" she said with preoccupation; she did not want him to be punished because of her.
"Do not worry, we were just heading to the baths. We are sweaty and dirty" Cassander explained and he realized that he could not be in a better state than his friends could. He blushed deeply.
"I will leave you so you can get your bath before that sweat cools on your skin" Adrasteia said and grabbing the flask against her chest, she started to walk away.
"See you" Cassander said and saw, once again, how Adrasteia blushed deeply and simply nodded.
That same situation happened many more times and their conversation started to be longer and more intimate.
One evening, before saying their goodbyes, Cassander leaned forward and kissed Adrasteia slowly on the cheek while his strong and callous hand was holding her soft and small one. At the mere contact of their skins, they both felt a shiver running between their hands and then along their arms, and the spark that had been lit in Cassander's heart some months ago turned into a small fire, kindled by the small gestures shared between them.
It was clear that Adrasteia was truly in love with Cassander because she had been rejecting the advances of other men repeatedly as she was decided to wait until Cassander realized which her true intentions were. She had the courage – her name said that - and the strength to be the partner of a Macedonian soldier and she was willing to wait and be ready for that moment.
One afternoon, Cassander was watching at Alexander and Hephaestion playing memory games and challenging the other to see how many things they could remember. His clear eyes were set onto the sexy brunette and Cassander realized in that exact moment that whatever feeling he had had for Hephaestion was no longer inside his heart or his mind. He felt so free and happy that he started to laugh loudly, attracting the attention of his companions who curiously asked what was going on with him.
Cassander stood up in front of the cross-legged seated Hephaestion and looking downwards, he shouted:
"I don't love you anymore"
Hephaestion lifted his clear sky-blue eyes and with a stony expression in his handsome face, he said:
"Good for you" and then he turned round to give Alexander a toe-curling kiss that left the prince breathless.
Cassander did not waste a further second and went back to the palace to look for Adrasteia. He asked for her but it seemed as if no one knew her. Tired of wandering, the young soldier went to the kitchen to fetch some water and the old and quiet cook looked at Cassander and asked:
"Young man, why do you suppose your Adrasteia is a royal maid?"
"Because she …" but he could not think a good answer for that simple question.
"She is the youngest granddaughter of doctor Phillip, who came to visit him last spring but when she was ready to go, she fell in love with a young soldier so she decided to stay" the old cook explained while her wrinkled hands kneaded the big ball of dough to make bread.
"Are you saying that she loves me?" the young man asked in astonishment.
"How could I know, boy, I'm just the cook" she replied smiling and winked her dark eye towards him.
"Oh dear Athina, you made me so happy" and after kissing the old cook's wrinkled cheek, he left the palace kitchen running as fast as if the whole place were on fire.
Cassander ran towards the doctor's room and knocked on his door while trying to get his breathing back to a normal rhythm. A gentle "Enter" was heard through the door ajar and so Cassander let himself inside.
"Joy to you Cassander, what's your problem? You seem to be a bit agitated. Are you in pain?, with fever?, coming down with something?" he asked one question after the other.
"No, Adrasteia" the young man said and sighed long and loudly.
"Is my dear granddaughter in trouble?" he asked with fear in his voice.
"No, I'm in trouble …" Cassander started to speak but was suddenly interrupted by an annoyed doctor.
"If you have dishonor her, I swear by Zeus, that even though I'm old, I will make you pay" the good doctor threatened.
"No no no, good doctor, I am in trouble because I love her" he confessed rapidly.
"Well, that is not a problem because I can assure you that she loves you too" he said grinning.
"She does?" he asked and a big smile graced his face.
"Oh yes" the doctor assured him and that was when he saw Cassander sprinting out of his room and towards the hall.
"She must be in the garden right now" the old doctor shouted and Cassander shouted his thanks back.
Cassander ran towards the Queen's garden but before entering it, he dusted his chiton, finger-combed his shoulder-length tresses, took two or three long and deep breaths and walked towards the only young woman sitting on a patch of green grass near a small pond. She was feeding some wet crumbs of bread to a tiny duckling that had been abandoned by his mother. The young woman, who had a heart of gold, was looking after it until he was strong enough to follow his family.
Cassander approached her and she tensed her back when she heard the noise of strong footsteps.
"Joy to you Adrasteia" Cassander greeted her and he could see how she relaxed her posture.
"Joy to you Cassander" she greeted back and turned round to look at the man she adored.
"How is he doing?" he said pointing at the thin and plain duck.
"He is better, sire Hephaestion told me that if he can stay afloat for a long time, he will make it" she explained but she did not see the jealousy in Cassander's eyes because the sun was too strong.
"And what does he know about ducks?" Cassander asked and it was impossible to hide his annoyance.
"Well, his family has a big farm with many animals and …" Adrasteia lifted her gaze and saw something that made her heart happy, Cassander was jealous and if he was jealous it could only mean that he was interested in her.
"Well, I came to invite you to a ride this afternoon when the sun is not too strong for your fair complexion" he said and he immediately realized that he had made a mistake by calling her delicate.
Adrasteia was about to answer him quite rudely but she could see his nervousness through that stoic facade and let it pass.
"I'd like that very much. By the way, your nose is too reddish, maybe you want to sit in the shadow for a while so it does not peel" she suggested.
Cassander looked at her surprised and sat down by her side, knowing that he had finally found the woman who could not only answer him back with witty remarks but also never offend him.
Cassander found a new love in that courageous woman and the whims of fate made Hephaestion be his best man at their bonding ceremony and Alexander their first child's godfather.
Life was nice.