Chapter 1: "Baby times"
Since the moment Hestia put the small bundle on his chest, Hephaestion knew that he had lost his heart forever … again. The feeling of happiness was so overwhelming that it hurt a lot.
The little baby set his chubby and rosy cheek over his father's chest, opened his little mouth forming a perfect O and yawned, closing his eyes and falling asleep almost immediately, using Hephaestion's heartbeat as a lullaby, the very same and familiar sound he had been listening for the last nine months.
The Olympians gathered around the former chiliarch's bed and Father Zeus, on behalf of the rest of gods and goddesses, told the exhausted but happy father:
"Hephaestion Amyntoros, son of Amyntas, because you have always been pure of heart and the force and reason behind Alexander, we will grant you a long life with your soul mate. Yes, he will come back and together you will work things out. Your son and you will live good and not so good moments together but in the end, you will be able to sort them out. We also want to give your son some gifts before we go"
After saying that, each of the gods and goddesses gathered there kissed Phainder's forehead and whispered their gift into his ear. The small baby received wisdom, humility, kindness, patience, diligence, charity, temperance and true love. Zeus himself granted him a strong health and a long life.
Hephaestion was so shocked that he remained in silence while he caressed the little back of his son softly.
Hypnos made them sleep and rest peacefully and they did that for a couple of hours, under the constant and loving care of LadyLight.
The small woman began the cleaning of the delivery; towels and pots were washed and put away and, while doing that, she discovered a strange bottle full of a white liquid, she took it and it smelt as sugary milk. She immediately heard a voice inside her head that told her that the bottle was Hestia's special gift for the baby. It was a miraculous milk bottle that would always be full whenever the baby wanted to be fed and that would happen until the moment he did no longer need it.
When Hephaestion and Phainder opened their eyes hours later, the little one whimpered softly so Hephaestion took him in his arms and rushed to the kitchen, knowing that the baby should be hungry. Not finding any milk available, he started to panic and to think that he was an awful father because he could not provide nutrition to his newly born son. He palmed his chest but there were no breast there to feed his son. At that moment, LadyLight entered the room singing lowly and she was shooed outside immediately by the former General who asked her to look for a wet nurse or some cow milk to give Phainder.
LadyLight laughed and handed him the milk bottle; Hephaestion looked at it and sighed loudly; then he sat comfortably on a chair to feed his little miracle. The baby took the milk with great delight and then he burped loudly against his father's shoulder, making both adults laugh. However, seconds later, Hephaestion realized that the milk bottle was empty and his panic started all over again. LadyLight left him worry for a little while and then she repeated what Hestia had told her and they could see with their own eyes how the milk bottle filled with more of the precious liquid. The new father breathed with relief and looked at the baby again.
"Isn't he beautiful?" Hephaestion asked his friend without lifting his gaze from the child.
"Yes, he is. His hair is so blonde that it's almost white" LadyLight added.
"Alexander's hair was like that when he was a little boy" Hephaestion said and his voice broke in the end.
"Is that why his mother called him the Sun?" she asked.
"No, I was the one to call him "My Sun"; for Olympias, Alexander always was her "Little Achilles"" Hephaestion replied.
"Of course, that is why he calls you "My Moon"" the petite woman added.
"That was a long time ago, before Bagoas entered our lives" Hephaestion said with sadness in his voice.
"Well, no more sad memories, you now have a little miracle to look after" LadyLight said.
"Will you help me?" Hephaestion asked her in a whisper.
"Of course, I will clean here so you two can rest" LadyLight said and took the milk bottle that was again full and warm to put it away.
"No, what I meant is that if you will help me to raise Phainder" the blue-eyed man asked seriously.
"Why? Don't you think that Alexander will come back and help you?" she asked a bit surprised.
"Maybe but I can't count on him now, can I? He is not here and you have been by my side all the time" he added.
"Of course, I will help" she replied quickly, to appease the nervous father.
"Can you promise me something else?" he asked, looking more serious than before.
"Tell me" she encouraged him.
"If something happens to me …" he started to speak but he was immediately interrupted.
"Please, don't say that!" she begged.
"Please, take care of him and raise him as if he were yours" he added without listening to her, repeating a previous promise he had asked her months ago.
"Do you think someone is suspicious about you?" she asked nervously.
"No but I remembered Hestia's advice and even though I have not seen any of my former companions except Perdicas and Stephanos, I don't want to risk anyone's lives" he explained.
"Don't you think it is time for you two to take a nap?" she suggested while pushing him gently towards the already pristine chamber.
"I'm really tired of beds, sunshine" Hephaestion said, almost whining.
"Thanks the gods for my imagination. You can sit on that chair with that comfortable cushion near the window" she said and pointed at the strange chair.
"What is that?" the curious former General asked.
"It is a chair that moves forwards and backwards; an old carpenter from a nearby farm made it" she explained feeling happy.
"That's a perfect gift, sunshine; thank you so much" Hephaestion said and leaned over to kiss the crown of her head.
"Go and sit and rest for a while" she said.
The brunette did exactly that without waking his precious bundle. Fifteen minutes later, after all the rocking back and forwards, father and son were deeply asleep, so the petite woman approached and covered them with a light but warm blanket and sat nearby to look after them while sewing new tiny clothes.
The first three months went by quickly, one day very similar to the previous one and the little joy had shown to be the most peaceful baby on earth. He woke up every four hours, drank his bottle, burped happily, dirtied his tiny loincloth and stayed awake for an hour or so before falling asleep again. The whole process started again and it only varied in the evening when the father and son enjoyed their bath time together. Hephaestion laughed loudly when he saw his son so comfortable inside the water, like a little golden fish and it made him think about another blonde who had been afraid of water until he had taught him how to swim the first summer they spent together.
The bath was over; Hephaestion wrapped Phainder in a soft towel and called LadyLight. The woman entered the inner chamber cautiously; she never entered while both of them were still inside but Hephaestion had asked her if she could change Phainder and give him his bottle. She accepted gladly but she was worried, however she would not dare to ask him why he wanted her to do that, knowing that he enjoyed doing those things himself.
Hephaestion saw the expression in her hazel eyes and told her that he only wanted to take a longer bath but that he had realized that Phainder was getting hungry.
She accepted his explanation and took the baby to his chamber, next to Hephaestion's, where she dressed him in his nightclothes. She then took him back to the kitchen to give him his bottle that he drank quite avidly.
Meanwhile the former chiliarch had closed his cyan eyes and resting his head onto the bath tub border, he let his mind wander and for the first time since Phainder was born, he cried bitter tears of sadness and loneliness. Even though they had not parted in the best terms, Hephaestion missed Alexander so much that it hurt; ten months was too long to be separated but at least he had the gods' reassurance that Alexander would come back to him and the three of them would become a real family.
When the water started to cool down, he left the tub and wrapped a towel around his slender waist. His body had returned to his original shape hours after the delivery. He was still amazed by that so now, that he was alone, he started with his daily ritual, slower this time. He let his hands run and caress his body lovingly because it had been the house of his son for nine months. His slender fingers travelled over a well-known territory even if he wished they were Alexander's fingers the ones doing that mapping. He knew and felt every scar on his skin; each of them was a reminder of his numerous battles next to his king. His fingers followed the path to his nether regions until they found "the scar" and once again, he would assure anyone that it was his most important and dear one; he had loved his son so much that they had had to cut him out of his body, and even though Phainder had brought him the biggest joy a person could feel, he sometimes felt like an empty shell.
Hephaestion contemplated that scar for some time and finally got dressed, feeling a bit blue due to his previous thoughts.
However, a very soft and happy gurgle brought him back from his melancholy and the emptiness disappeared when he lost himself in the perfect blue eyes of his newly born son.
"I think he can see you" LadyLight said while holding the baby in her arms.
"How can you know that?" he asked curiously, because even though she had no children of her own, she seemed to know a lot about them.
"Because he follows your movements and I think I have seen a shy smile" she added.
"Really?" he asked and when he got closer, he was gifted with a half-smile.
"By Hestia, it's true, my baby is learning to smile" the man said and taking Phainder in his arms, he threw him up in the air several times.
"Don't do that because he will …" LadyLight warned him but it was too late, little Phainder had shown his discomfort by vomiting all over his father's chest.
"Phainder! That is disgusting, son" Hephaestion said and wrinkled his nose at the acrid smell on his chiton.
"That will teach you to treat him nicely" LadyLight said and took the baby to start cooing him.
"Don't spoil him, sunshine" Hephaestion warned.
"Why not? He is not my son but my little master so I will spoil him rotten and do everything he wants and likes" she said and blew a raspberry in his stomach making him gurgle.
"Why doesn't he vomit you?" Hephaestion said and pouted.
"Because he loves me? Sire, you are a father, you cannot pout like a baby" she said with a stern look in her eyes.
"Will he love me?" Hephaestion asked, biting nervously his lower lip.
"Of course he loves you, he will always do" she reassured him.
"Even when he finds out how he was born?" he asked again.
"He will love you even more, if that is possible" she said,
"How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?" the brunette asked.
"Because I am your friend" she answered.
"Why couldn't I have fallen in love with you?" he asked while watching the petite woman rocking his son gently.
"Because you were in love with your King when we met" she whispered.
"That's true" he whispered back.
"Well, no more nonsense, go and change so you can have Phainder; I need to prepare dinner" she said, having the need to leave the room before Hephaestion could see how much she regretted the same thing.
That night, dinner was a very quiet meal and LadyLight went to bed as soon as the kitchen was clean. She left a pensive Hephaestion behind but she knew she could do nothing to lessen his loneliness.
Hephaestion went to bed in the wee hours of the morning after giving Phainder his bottle and if he felt the need to go and look for comfort in LadyLight's arms, he did not do it; he could not break his friend's heart and he would die if he lost her constant and calming presence.
Hephaestion sighed lowly and went back to his lonely bed that seemed bigger every day without the presence of the king in it.
A month later, a low cry woke Hephaestion in the middle of the night. He looked through his chamber window and realized that Phainder would not need his bottle again because it was not the morning yet. He remained in silence, paying attention to any noise but he heard nothing.
A while later, another cry, this time a bit louder, woke him for the second time that night. Feeling still sleepy, he tried to discover where the sound might come from; maybe it was just a noise of the old farmhouse, maybe it was just a wounded animal outside, maybe it was …
The sound of light footsteps and the lit of a candle made him realize that he had never thought about his child, who was a heavy sleeper as he was.
He left the bed and walked quickly towards the adjacent room to find LadyLight already there, one of her hands checking the temperature on the baby's forehead.
"He is a bit warmer than usual" she said and Hephaestion could hear the tone of preoccupation in her voice.
"Maybe there are many covers on the bed. I added a light one yesterday" Hephaestion said approaching the cradle.
"No, it seems to come from inside his body" she said.
"But, what can be wrong? He drank his milk and was active until he went to bed" he said a bit nervous.
"That's true but his lips were redder, now that I remember" she added.
"Maybe something unsettled his stomach" Hephaestion added, feeling more and more worried.
"I will bring some pieces of cloth and a pot of cold water and vinegar to lower his temperature" LadyLight said and went to the kitchen.
Hephaestion touched his son's skin and he realized that the heat had raised quite a lot in a short time. He looked at his skin more carefully and saw a reddish rash around the neck. He carefully undressed the baby and saw that the rash extended along the small chest and stomach.
When LadyLight came back, Hephaestion showed her what he had just found and the petite woman smiled. The brunette looked at her with confusion but she cleared his doubt.
"I have seen that rash before; it gives very high fever and even though it is not dangerous, we must keep the temperature low and his skin fresh" she explained.
"How do women know that? Are you born with all that knowledge?" he asked with surprise.
"I saw my grandmother treat many children with that and I also remember a kind of ointment so it does not itch too much" she said and immediately sank the thin strips of cloth in the cold water and covered Phainder's forehead, armpits, inner thighs and ankles with them.
Both adults were up all night long, looking after their small charge. After twelve long hours, the fever broke down and the rash had not gone further than the baby's navel.
It took little Phainder almost a full week to feel better again and both Hephaestion and LadyLight realized he was doing better when he got more active and smiled even more frequent than before. They felt so relieved when they saw that that laughter invaded the small chamber and the little boy kicked his legs to show his happiness.
One day, at midday, Hephaestion went to fetch the milk bottle and found it empty. He panicked because he did not know what to do. Phainder, who was seven months old, started to whine a bit louder letting his father know that he was hungry. The blue-eyed man looked around but he could not find his female helper. However, a minute later, a smiling LadyLight entered the house carrying heavy basket full of vegetables.
"There's no milk, sunshine and Phainder is hungry. What are we going to do?" he asked desperate.
"Well, Hestia told me that the bottle would always be full until he needed; maybe it's time he starts to eat something more substantial than just milk" she stated calmly.
"Oh …and what can we give him?" he asked while rocking the hungry baby.
"We can start with some boiled vegetables and then we can smash them to make something soft; we can add some milk because it's the taste he already knows" she said and immediately turned round to start cooking.
Hephaestion took the baby outside, under the warm sun and he started to sing a lullaby his mother used to sing to him. After a short time, LadyLight announced that lunch was ready and so father and son entered and sat at the table. The petite woman handed him a plate with small pieces of smashed potato, sweet potato and carrots and then she put a kind of bib around the baby's neck. Hephaestion grabbed some smashed carrot in a little spoon and offered it to Phainder. The little miracle opened his mouth and Hephaestion fed him the first spoonful of solid food. It was a very successful first spoonful and others followed it but he wrinkled his nose with the potato, probably because it was not as sweet as the other two vegetables.
LadyLight and Hephaestion laughed at his gesture and they realized that the baby would let them know what he liked eating or not. Some days later, they tried with some leaf vegetables but it was not as successful as before and Hephaestion found himself with pieces of spatted spinach in his long hair. He told off his son but the baby did not register that at all.
LadyLight became Phainder's favourite person at meal times when she introduced him to the wonderful world of the sweet fruits, such as grated apple with a tiny dollop of honey or cooked pears with sugar. Phainder liked oranges too but they gave him gases and bellyache so they did not give them to him very often.
Phainder ate almost everything and it was a pleasure looking at him while tasting the different vegetables and fruits and smacking his lips when he liked something too much.
They continued including vegetables and little by little, they added minced cow meat and he completely adored it.
Hephaestion saw that his son's legs were getting stronger and firmer and he had found the little e baby trying to crawl inside his cradle.
"It's time you learn how to move on the floor" Hephaestion said aloud and put the baby on the chamber floor.
Phainder sat and looked around with his big blue eyes, trying to catch everything he saw and in a moment, he started to clap and smile widely. Hephaestion could not think about any other sight more beautiful than that and he had seen many while he had traveled with Alexander. A pang of pain travelled along his heart, it had been almost two years since he had last seen him and he had many times wondered what Alexander would say if he knew about his son.
He had occasional news of his well-being through Perdicas, who visited them as much as he could, but Hephaestion had never asked directly.
LadyLight entered the chamber to put some clean clothes in the chests when she was welcomed with a beautiful scene, the tall man was sat cross-legged on the floor and his son was sat on a thick cover while playing with a rag ball she had made especially for him.
She stopped at the door, leaned on the door frame to contemplate that family picture, and sighed lowly, knowing that that was the closest of a family she would ever have.
A long giggle and a clap, which was not directed at him, made Hephaestion turn round and discovered his friend watching them, and once again, he regretted his inability of loving her as she truly deserved.
"He knows you" he said and beckoned her to enter.
"Of course, I'm the one who feeds him the tasty fruits" she said and smiled.
Hephaestion smiled and patted the space next to him; she sat there and looked at Phainder who had three of his fingers inside his mouth while drool ran along the chubby hand.
"His teeth will start appearing soon" she said without taking her hazel eyes from the baby.
"How do you know that?" he asked curiously, always ready to learn from her.
"He is drooling a lot and I saw that his gums are redder than usual" she explained.
"What would I do without you, sunshine?" Hephaestion asked seriously.
"Probably ask someone else or drive the doctor in town crazy" she said and smiled widely.
"Don't you want children of your own? I'm sure you will be an excellent mother" he said.
"I can't have children, Sire. I had a serious infection when I was a child and to save my life, the doctor had to remove all my female organs" she explained and her eyes filled with sadness.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't know that" Hephaestion said and took her hands in his.
"It happened before we met. Don't worry, I have this precious treasure to look after" she said and stood up and left the room because she did not know how long she would be able to hold her tears.
From that moment onwards, Hephaestion left Phainder more in her care, not because he felt pity for her because he trusted his friend with his most precious possession.
A month or so later, when Phainder was nine months old and trying to stand up because it seemed that he was in a hurry to walk, he started to cry quite loudly for the always-quiet boy. LadyLight turned round to see if he had fallen inside his playpen, but he hadn't, however she could see that he had one of his hands almost inside his mouth while fat tears rolled down his rosy cheeks.
"What is your problem my master?" she asked him gently.
"Are you in pain, my prince?" she asked again while leaning over to pick him up and cradle against her chest.
The little boy immediately turned his head towards her spongy breasts and rubbed his puckered mouth against them.
"There is nothing there for you, baby" she said but then she suddenly realized that his lips were closed.
"Oh my dear, let me see inside your moth"
She tried to open his mouth but he clenched his lips tighter.
"What's the problem?" Hephaestion asked while coming from the garden.
"I think his gums hurt but he doesn't let me have a look at them" she said when suddenly she put the baby in his father's arms and ran to the kitchen.
When she came back, she was carrying a spoon with some honey in it. She sank her little finger tip in it and rubbed it along Phainder's lower lip. The baby, tasting the sweet treat, opened his mouth greedily so LadyLight put the tip of her finger in it while with her other hand, she delicately lifted the upper lip and she could easily see the swollen gums and the cause of all that fuss.
The fuss continued for many days and the whimpers and upset stomach added sadness to the man and woman in charge of the baby.
Hephaestion did not know what else to do; he had been up all night, looking after him but nothing he did made him feel better.
The former General looked at the red rimmed eyes and the burgundy complexion; he didn't know how much longer he would be able to tolerate seeing him in pain.
LadyLight entered the room, padding softly towards the blue eyed-man who was looking exhausted after being up the whole night. She tried to convince him to take a rest but Hephaestion didn't want to leave Phainder's side. Therefore, she patiently sat next to him, looking how strong fingers racked between soft blonde curls, how red velvety lips kissed the fingers one by one, how his eyes wander over a feverish and in pain body, which had added stomach cramps to all the previous symptoms.
Feeling so worried, the woman had gone to the nearer village and brought the doctor with her because her knowledge on the subject had had no effect on lessening the baby's pain. The doctor, after checking the baby, had told her it was a question of days until the situation came to end successfully. Hidden behind a curtain, the former General saw the man and woman discussing his son's health problem but Hephaestion, even though he was feeling a bit more confident, didn't have the strength enough to accept his baby suffering that much, so he was in pain with his son, because it is said that misery liked company.
When Eos brought the fifth morning with her, Hephaestion realized that the chamber was extremely silent and he panicked, the outcome had arrived and he had been asleep. He brushed the sleep from his tired eyes and found two beautiful eyes looking back at him and a tiny smile in those lips.
Hephaestion took the baby in his arms and smiled; he caressed the marble cheek and whispered:
- "Finally, your first tooth has finally appeared" and looked at his gorgeous Phainder sporting a nice white marble tooth in the middle of his reddish upper gums.
He immediately called LadyLight and showed her the baby's new tooth and the woman sighed loudly. She approached the baby, caressed the still reddened check, and offered him some cold milk and the baby accepted it greedily. As days went by, his appetite became stronger once again and his whimpers and cries stopped completely.
A month later all the process began again but it was not as chaotic as it had been that first time and both adults were more aware of the situation so they were prepared for that. The petite woman had also asked a woman with many children in a nearby farm about it and she had given her many tips, like using a chilled spoon to make a little cut in the gums when the point of the tooth seemed to be having trouble to appear through it.
The next months were filled with many advances and each of them left them astonished. Hephaestion as much as LadyLight were not accustomed to be surrounded by children so they were amazed at every little thing they discovered with Phainder. The crawling and sitting quickly developed in standing and sitting with very agile movements and one day, when no one had expected, the little Phainder gave his first two steps towards his father. The baby fell on his knees almost immediately and the surprised man started to run towards him but LadyLight stopped him and made him wait. The baby sat on his bottom and instead of the expected cry or tears, he clapped madly and bestowed a two-tooth smile upon them. Both adults clapped in return, congratulating him on his first steps.
They had decided long ago that the baby would never be considered like a lesser human being because he was just a baby so both adults treated and talked to him as if they were talking to an adult; they obviously spoke to him with simple words so he could understand and later copy them.
Every day, the thin legs became stronger and he dared to give more and more steps. He used chairs and the legs of the tables to grab and gave him impulse to stand up, until one day, they saw how he stood up after being sat for a while because his rag ball had rolled too far from him. Since that day onwards, there was no way of stopping him so their lives became a little bit more complicated following an eleven-month old toddler walking around the house. Fortunately, he had not discovered the big garden yet but they knew it would be sooner than later.
One afternoon, LadyLight was quietly sewing some new clothes for the baby and Hephaestion was drawing the plan for the construction of the school. He had seen a nice location inside their big farm to build it and he was feeling too restless to keep doing nothing around the house except looking after Phainder and doing the heaviest chores.
They suddenly looked towards Phainder who had a rag doll in his hands. LadyLight had made him a little doll dressed as a soldier for him to play with, among a dog, a lion and two bigger balls.
Both adults saw him looking fixedly to the doll's face and babbling some noises as if he were talking to him. Hephaestion looked at the woman and smiled, his son wanted to speak and he was making his first sounds. They contemplated the little child babbling for a long time until he felt sleepy and leaning onto the cover on the floor, he fell asleep.
The babbling continued and so both adult started to pay more attention to it, however, there were no identified words in it. LadyLight secretly started to repeat one word to Phainder whenever Hephaestion was near or sometimes she used to point at him in the distance and repeated that word many times. Phainder listened to her with attention as if he were sure that that word was important.
One late afternoon while the short woman was preparing dinner, she felt a muffled whimper coming from the adjoining room. She went there while drying her hands with a cloth and found, what she thought was a distressed Hephaestion.
"Sire, what is happening?" LadyLight asked a gaping Hephaestion. "Are you well? Has something happened to Phainder? Sire! Answer me, please" the little woman shouted frantically but she could see that both of them were fine and that Phainder was sat on his father's lap.
Hephaestion was looking at his nearly one-year old son; his eyes were as big as two coins and she could clearly see tears forming in them. Closing his mouth, he told his friend what had just happened.
"We were playing to catch a rag ball, and suddenly, he waddled towards me, touched my chest and said "Papa" and in that moment, I realized that I have listened to the best sound in the entire world" he explained.
"Finally, we have been practicing that a lot, don't we, my little prince?" the woman asked and caressed the chubby check, receiving a smile in return.
Hephaestion looked at her with surprise and then smiled gently.
"I should have known that you were behind this" he said.
"Well, but it was not me the one who said the word" she said, blushing a little.
"Papa" the little boy repeated and clapped happily.
"Yes, my son, I'm your Papa and that woman there is …" he was suddenly interrupted by the petite woman.
"I'm just Nani" she said and looked at him seriously and the brunette man just nodded.
One sunny spring morning, Hephaestion got up from bed and immediately went to see his son who was still sleeping. He contemplated him for a long time, remembering that it was a day like that, a year before, when his little miracle had opened his blue eyes to the world for the first time. A singing voice called his attention and so he left the baby sleep a bit more and followed the melody.
When he got to the kitchen, his nose was hit by the many different smells that filled the room; the man saw the room filled with delicious sweet treats and a big cake in the centre of the table. LadyLight was putting some slices of pear and peaches on the top of it.
"What is this all about?" Hephaestion asked, already knowing the answer.
"It's Phainder's first birthday! And we may have some guests for lunch" she said.
"Who is coming?" he asked nervously; he was always on alert in the presence of strangers, he was still afraid of someone coming to hurt his son.
"Only friends, Perdicas and his family, Stephanos and Nikos, the birthday boy, you and me" she said and saw the man sighed in relief.
"Why don't you go and bring the boy so we can greet him before the rest arrive?" Hephaestion asked the woman.
"No, that is your right, go and fetch him while I finish here" she said.
"Sunshine …" Hephaestion said but the woman did not turn round.
The former General went back to the boy's chamber and saw a new set of clothes on the chest next to the bed. LadyLight had been sewing for the last two months and the result was marvelous. There were many pieces of garments but what he liked the most was the white chiton with its collar and hem embroidered with tiny Vergina stars and a blue cloak to match the baby's eyes.
He woke his son with many kisses and the boy gifted his father with a hug and a big smile. He dressed him, combed the wavy blonde hair and both men went back to the kitchen, walking slowly, hand in hand.
"Nani" the little boy said and walked faster towards the petite woman.
"Joy to you, my prince" she said and knelt by his side to kiss him on the cheek.
"Happy birthday, son!" Hephaestion said and kissed his other cheek.
"Phainder, how old are you today?" she asked and showed him one finger.
The little boy thought for a while and then he repeated LadyLight's gesture and Hephaestion clapped happily.
"Yes, you are one today!" he said happily, knowing that the woman had been practicing that for a long time.
"Where is the birthday boy?" a male voice asked from the entrance of the house.
"Joy to you, Perdicas" Hephaestion greeted his friend with a firm hug and then turned round to greet Andromede and little Thea.
"Joy to you, my friend. Phainder, happy birthday" he greeted the boy and offered him a small packet.
Andromede got closer to LadyLight and greeted her; both women had become very close friends and the older woman kept the petite's secret safe but she could not help feeling her heart break at the sight of that dysfunctional family. The woman with hazel eyes had confessed, long time ago, that she had been in love with Hephaestion since she was eight and that had never changed. Perdicas's wife had seen how amorously she looked at the handsome brunette and wondered how their lives would be different if there was no Alexander.
Nearly lunchtime, Stephanos and Nikos appeared in the farmhouse bringing presents for the birthday boy and some special treats for the petite woman. Hephaestion looked at his former page in surprise and asked why, trying to hide his jealousy. He did not want Stephanos around LadyLight and apart from that, he was in a committed relationship with Nikos. The younger man looked at his former General and said:
"Because it was her birthday yesterday"
"No, it wasn't, I should have remembered" Hephaestion said, trying to defend himself.
He immediately turned round to look at the mentioned woman and saw her blushing deeply.
"Is that true, Sunshine?" he asked in a whisper.
"Yes, sire" she answered quietly.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked.
"It is not that important and who, especially a woman, wants to remember she is already 27?" she said, trying to belittle the importance of the date.
"It is important and I'm really sorry for forgetting it" Hephaestion said and hugged her tenderly against his strong chest.
"Nani?" a pouting Phainder asked.
"Yes baby?" she asked and turned round to look at the boy.
The little boy took her hand and led her to the rocking chair. Once she was sat there, he climbed to her lap and caressed her wet check.
"No Nani, no" he said and showed her his wet hand.
"No baby, no pain, happy tears" she said and kissed the crown of the blonde head and cradled him against her chest.
Hephaestion and his guests were astonished, the little boy had been able to see the distress in the young woman and he had been able to comfort her as none of them had dared. Five–year old Thea approached the woman and boy, kissed their cheeks, and then announced that she had another gift for Phainder. The tense atmosphere was dissolved by happy claps when the blonde baby saw his present, a little horse doll for his soldier one.
They spent the whole day in each other's company, sharing stories of their own childhood and if someone mentioned the king, Hephaestion tried not to feel pain; it was difficult but it had been nearly two years since they saw each other for the last time and the people around him really deserved his attention.
From that day onwards, Hephaestion started to pay more attention to little details and those were carefully registered in a book that contained the memories the three of them had been living since they moved to that house.
The following year saw the three of them growing in different aspects, Phainder was a very active and smart toddler, walking and following his Papa and his Nani everywhere; repeating more and more words and pointing at many objects when he wanted to know their names. He was an enthusiastic learner and he was quite fearless and that kept his adults alert because he tended to go out and explore. He was always under the watchful eyes of LadyLight but the boy had found new ways to sneak out of her sight.
His second birthday was spent in the same way that his first one, the only difference was that Andromede was expecting their second child and the construction of Hephaestion's school was almost finished and ready to open their doors.
Life was looking good for the three of them and what was most important was that they were creating new and happy memories together.