Chapter 2
Prompt: Lost
Title: Lost in Translation
Hephaistion was exhausted. It always took all his strength out at the battle, fighting not only for himself, but also protecting Alexander. It became almost second nature to sense Alexander's danger in the field, but it still required an enormous effort from him. The level of concentration he had to maintain was almost inhuman.
Especially today's battle was harder than ever, as it was actually the first confrontation of Alexander's army with Darius. Alexander finally had a chance to face with this great King of Persia. And Hephaistion needed to make sure that he would not lose sight of Alexander during the battle.
The bitterness still lingered in his mind whenever he recalled the battle of Granicus where he almost let Alexander get killed. Hephaistion shivered to a sudden clear sight of Alexander being attacked by the Persian officers. If it had not been for Cleitus, Alexander might not have survived. As if to wash his visions away, Hephaistion completely submerged under the bath water.
When he resurfaced and wiped the excess water out of his face, he heard a timid voice with a heavy Persian accent call his name.
"Phaistion…"
It felt rather strange to be called by a boy with almost a nickname, but Hephaistion understood that his name was not easy to pronounce especially for a foreigner. A young Persian whose gender was not certain just by looking was standing with a washcloth in his hand. It took for a moment before Hephaistion finally understood what he was suggesting.
"No, Bagoas, you do not have to do this. I can attend to myself."
The boy cocked his head questioningly, but took a step ahead. Obviously, he did not understand Greek well enough. Hephaistion simply said "No" with a firm voice this time, and raised his palms to protest.
Hephaistion regretted the harsh tone of his voice as soon as he saw the boy's expression harden as if he was scolded. When Alexander had placed this young mysterious creature under Hephaistion's protection until he could sort out what to do with him, Hephaistion did not think much. He did not foresee any problems. He looked more like a girl, but after all, he was just a tender young boy.
"That's all right, just go to bed."
He sighed and told Bagoas with a voice as gentle as could be. The boy's features relaxed instantly, but he just looked at Hephaistion with a pair of almond shaped dark eyes. Hephaistion tilted his head, put his hands together on one side of his cheek, and closed his eyes.
Bagoas smiled and nodded before leaving Hephaistion in peace. After enjoying and indulging himself in the warm relaxing water for a few more moments, Hephaistion got out of the bathtub, dried himself and headed to the cot. All he wanted to do now was to put his tired head on a soft pillow for Hypnos to claim him.
As soon as he lay on the cot, Hephaistion jumped back on his feet when a warm hand sneaked onto his stomach. He was again met with puzzled dark colored eyes. He took Bagoas' hand, and guided him to the next section of his tent where the boy's own cot was placed.
Hephaistion sighed again thinking maybe he should take a lesson in Persian, so that at least he could give this boy a simple clear order. It seemed that everything he said did not carry the same meaning by the time it reached that Persian boy. Everything was taken the wrong way.
In the mean time, Bagoas was fighting very hard to suppress the noise of his giggles by hiding under the cover on the cot. He would pretend not to be able to understand Greeks at all for a bit longer, so that he could play more misunderstandings. If he were lucky enough, he might even have a chance to steal a kiss from this blue-eyed Greek god. Boy, he was so beautiful and innocent.
What Bagoas did not know was that his Greek god already had his worshipper, and there was no way that he could even steal a friendly kiss from him. But until then, Bagoas could fantasize his desire.
End