Alexander looked for Hephaistion after he left his father's rooms, hoping he would not have gone straight back to his shared room. He went to the stables, thinking he might be there but the search proved fruitless. He headed back to his own quarters, taking the long way, looking and listening, hoping to find him.

The next morning he rose early, bathing, shaving and dressing before searching the palace once more. He found Cleon and Aristophanes, two of the Royal Guard, in the barracks dining hall. Hephaistion had returned to the room last night but would not talk when prompted so they let him be. Hephaistion was not on duty until the evening, Aristophane suggested the market.

He had to go to a meeting that his father was holding. Guests would be arriving, Philip wanted to finalise the plans, let each man know his duty.

As Philip saw Alexander, he called him to him, put his arm around his shoulders and stated to all present that Alexander would have a large role in the wedding, that he would attend the banquets, greet guests and be seen as his heir.

Alexander smiled. The wind had changed in his favour, but for how long? Eurydice's son might yet steal his crown.

As soon as the meeting was done, needing to be free, he took Bucephalus from the stables and rode off at a gallop. Turning to ensure he wasn't followed, he steadied Bucephalus to a slow canter and headed for the hills on the horizon. Once there, he made his way slowly down a wooded slope, to the river, where he, Ptolemy, Seleucus and Perdiccas would often come to swim.

Unwittingly, he had found Hephaistion. Through the trees he saw him, sitting on the ground, his arms resting on his knees, dressed although he must have been bathing as his hair was wet, he appeared lost in thought. As Alexander approached, he turned to look, then stood quickly, looking over to his horse as if he might go.

Alexander dismounted, letting Bucephalus go and graze. "I owe you an apology, Hephaistion," he said, taking a single, tentative, step forward

Hephaistion looked down, then to the river. He pressed his lips together, tears filling his eyes, then he looked back to Alexander. "I can't go back," he said.

"It wouldn't be the wisest choice to run, Hephaistion," Alexander advised. "What would you do? Where would you go?"

Hephaistion shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. All I have ever been taught to do is fight."

"Would you fight as a mercenary for Persia?"

"I'd rather die first!"

Alexander laughed.

"What?"

"I knew you would say it. I don't know how, but I knew it."

Hephaistion smiled and wiped at his eyes. "Perhaps, Athens."

Alexander nodded, it would be a good place to head. "If you chose to stay...well, I need a friend, Hephaistion," he heard himself say. "Someone like you."

Hephaistion shook his head. "I had not lain with your father the other night, though you thought I had."

"I know. That is why I apologised….for judging you so unfairly. I know what happened, all of it, that's why I came to my father's rooms, to stop what was to happen."

"You did?" Hephaistion looked surprised. "I was so ashamed of you seeing me there. Once I was there I could not say no, and I cannot bear the thought of him touching me that way again."

"Then we will think of something…together. Stay, Hephaistion."

Hephaistion pressed his lips together, a tear brimmed over his left eye. Alexander could not bear to see his pain and so he went to him, embracing him, he felt Hephaistion flinch, then hesitate, then place his arms around him, taking the comfort he offered.

Alexander broke the embrace. "Here. I have something for you," he reached into the pouch attached to his belt. "I overheard your conversation, the other day…with the market trader. I didn't mean to, but I was waiting for Cleopatra…." Alexander hesitated, seeing Hephaistion flush. "Aristophanes told me to search for you in the market this morning."

"He had joked that I would be buying Philip a gold cuff next," replied Hephaistion.

"I saw the trader. I bought back the ring." Alexander opened his hand to reveal it.

Hephaistion looked at the ring, then gazed into Alexander's eyes. "I will pay you back."

Alexander laughed, taking Hephaistion's hand and placing it on his finger. "For friendship," he said.

"For friendship," grinned Hephaistion, shaking his head in disbelief that he had the ring. "I feared it would be sold before I had enough money to buy it back." Then he gazed on Alexander as if not quite believing he had a prince for a friend

Alexander looked about. "Did you see the apple tree?" he asked, heading up a bank.

"I was too lost in my thoughts," confessed Hephaistion.

Alexander went to an apple tree, picking some fruit off it. Coming back he tossed an apple to Hephaistion and gave one each to Bucephalus and Hephaistion's horse. "This is a favourite place of mine," he said.

"I found it by accident," Hephaistion replied, taking a bite of the apple.

"Perhaps the gods led you here," smiled Alexander. "Now we have a problem to sort out."

Alexander sat down, polishing his apple on his chiton. "It's too late to say you have the pox, I suppose."

Hephaistion laughed, his troubles seeming smaller now Alexander was with him. "He would not believe that."

"Cleon would go with him. If I could get father drunk enough he might mistake him for you."

Hephaistion laughed louder. "You're supposed to be helping. May the gods help Macedonia when you are king, Alexander!"

Alexander laughed.

"We should have known each other sooner," said Hephaistion. "At Mieza."

Alexander was puzzled. He lifted his head to look into Hephaistion's eyes. "At Mieza?"

Hephaistion nodded. "My father is General Amyntor. Your father requested that I go to Mieza to study with you. I wanted to, but my father had another old friend, General Calamis, who ran the garrison at Methone. He had already promised that I should go there and have Calamis teach me to fight, to be a soldier. My father would always keep his promises."

Alexander grinned. "You are General Amyntor's son?"

Hephaistion nodded, unable to speak as he had a mouthful of apple.

"When my father hears that, he will sacrifice a dozen bulls to Zeus and pray for forgiveness, for what he might have done. He would not have touched you had he known…not the son of a true friend."

"Really?"

"Really."

"How do you know that he had not…that he did not?" Hephaistion asked, flushing at the thought.

"I was standing at the door, I don't usually burst in on my father when he is with someone like that, I was gathering my courage. At first all I could hear was my father grunting like a pig, I thought I was too late, but then you spoke and he spoke and I knew I was not too late, and I knew I wanted you for a friend."

"You heard?"

"I heard." Alexander laughed. "You must think I hear too much, what with the trader and all." He looked at Hephaistion, distracted for a moment as he thought how handsome he was, how good it was to be in his company. "I would like to be the one to tell him," he said.

"Then, let that be my gift, in return for the ring," smiled Hephaistion.

A wet strand of hair fell across Hephaistion's face, and Alexander reached to brush it back.

"How was it at Methone?"

"I had not been there long when my father died. Calamis was good to me, like a second father, only he died a short while ago, and Onatas came in his place. I liked the man, and did sense at times his attraction for me, but by this time I was in love with Lysias…and Onatas is not so handsome."

"And what is Lysias like?" Alexander could not help but ask, wondering who could steal Hephaistion's heart.

"He was untrue," replied Hephaistion, biting his lip and looking down to avoid Alexander's gaze. "He is with Onatas, I don't know for how long. Perhaps I was too slow to give myself to him, perhaps he could not wait…"

"Or perhaps he wanted a garrison commander," said Alexander.

Hephaistion shrugged and looked into Alexander's eyes. "All the same, I still love him…the Lysias I knew, before his betrayal."

"Then he is a fool," whispered Alexander. He looked for a distraction, their mood had turned sombre. "Do you want to swim some more?"

Hephaistion looked over to the river then back to Alexander. "I would like to go to Mieza. Is it far?"

Alexander looked up at the sun, it was mid-day. "It is a good day's ride to get there. We could not go and get back in time for your duty tonight." He thought for a moment. "The ambassadors are expected to arrive from Athens any day, so we both will be busy for the next couple of days. But I will see when I can get free and tell my father he must give you leave, which I am sure he will be glad to do." Alexander looked at Hephaistion. "Amyntor's son," he smiled.

OOXXOO

Alexander was surprised by his father's reaction to the news. He seemed almost relieved to hear that Hephaistion was the son of his old friend. He asked where Hephaistion was, and Alexander informed him he was in his room, Philip nodded, muttering that he would have to make it right, that it was a cruel trick of the gods to send a boy so handsome that he could not touch.

Alexander decided to turn the moment of weakness to his advantage. He mentioned Mieza, and his father agreed, but only if he took a guard. Alexander requested the guard be men from the Vanguard, that he could choose. Philip nodded, too busy going over the previous night in his mind, hearing Hephaistion's unselfish words, shaking his head to dislodge them. Alexander pushed a little further, requesting that Hephaistion be transferred to the Vanguard.

Philip considered it for a moment. It would be difficult to have Hephaistion in his sight but not within his reach….the son of Amyntor. Why, they had fought together, got drunk together, laughed together, discussed their sons, talked of their future. "After the wedding," he replied. Hephaistion would catch the eye of the wedding guests, a handsome Macedonian guarding his king, decorating the dining hall. "After the wedding."

He turned his head, so that his one eye could gaze on Alexander. "You have a friendship with Hephaistion? How did that happen?"

"I met him at the stables….he was injured…Pausanias attacked him," Alexander replied.

Philip paused for a moment to absorb this information, then threw his head back and laughed. "Pausanias?" he said.

"Pausanias."

Philip lifted his hand up to his left cheek, running his index finger along the bone. "So that is where he got the bruise from," he said.

"Pausanias took a dagger to him, father. If things had gone further last night, you would have seen the wound. Pausanias has a temper…and he has a grudge against you, he should be ex….." Alexander hesitated.

"Exiled? Is that it, Alexander?"

Alexander realised he was on dangerous ground. "He is angry with you. You should think of your safety."

Philip laughed and shook his head, limping away from Alexander. "You should have got into the habit of invading my bedroom sooner, Alexander. If you had, then you would have known how loyal and loving Pausanias can be. If he is still angry, he has no reason to be, he should understand why I could do nothing…and I made him Captain, I put him above the rest. So do not talk of exile, Alexander….and your friends will stay exiled….and I will exile Hephaistion if I, for a moment, suspect that you are up to any plotting, behind my back again."

Alexander went to speak, but held his tongue. He had gained the trip to Mieza and secured Hephaistion's eventual transfer to the Vanguard. He had tried to make his father see danger, and if he would not have it, if any further argument would turn his father against him, once more, he had best be silent.

OOXXOO

Alexander told himself he was just anxious to tell Hephaistion the good news, as he hurried to the Royal Guard's rooms. Deep inside he realised he wanted to spend more time with Hephaistion, to find out more about him, to hear him speak. Had he been so lonely since his oldest friends were exiled?

The door to the guard's quarters was open and Alexander stepped inside, seeing Cleon and Callias sitting on their beds, Cleon reading a letter, Callias cleaning his shield. "Where is Hephaistion?" he asked, looking into the room beyond as if he might see him there.

Pausanias appeared from the other room. "You seek Hephaistion?" he said, obviously not knowing why or how Alexander would have had anything to do with the new guard.

"Is he here?" Alexander asked, his tone impatient.

Pausanias frowned, then turned. "Hephaistion!" he called, then swung round to face Alexander. "He is on duty tonight," he added.

Alexander noted Pausanias held his hand to his dagger as he spoke. He remembered the first time his mother had spoken of Pausanias with scorn, his first memories of seeing the man with his father. Years ago, when Pausanias looked no more than a boy, he would laugh in Philip's company, besotted with him. Now Pausanias looked older than his years, any happiness he might have ever felt, gone from his face.

They stared at each other. They both had troubles with Philip, only Alexander had accepted his error, while Pausanias held himself innocent of his crime - to have goaded a rival to choose certain death in battle. The rival being a relative of General Attalus, Pausanias had to be stupid not to expect some form of retribution from the man.

Hephaistion appeared, walking along, while looking down and fastening his breastplate. He had dressed in uniform for the evening's duties. He looked up at Pausanias, who glared at him, nodding in Alexander's direction. Hephaistion turned to Alexander, looking surprised to see him.

Cleon and Callias made no move to go, and Pausanias stayed where he was.

Without taking his eyes from Hephaistion, Alexander ordered them to leave, waiting until they were alone before speaking.

He smiled. "I have just seen my father and you are safe Hephaistion, he will not touch you again. He has agreed to us going to Mieza, I wanted you to know."

Hephaistion looked over his shoulder, to check that Pausanias was gone. He gave a small smile. "Thank you, Alexander."

"Pausanias is giving you a hard time?" Alexander noticed that Hephaistion seemed concerned about him being there. He did not appear to have taken in what he had just said.

"He just found out about the letter. When I returned, he started goading me about it, asking about Lysias….about your father….now he will ask about you."

Alexander put his hand on Hephaistion's shoulder. "After the wedding, father says you can join the Vanguard."

Hephaistion smiled at this. "Really?" he asked, seeing a chance of happiness before him.

"Really," smiled Alexander, glad to have lifted Hephaistion's mood. "It will not be long, and we have Mieza to go to before then."

"Mieza? We're going to Mieza?"

Alexander laughed. "As soon as we can get away."

Hephaistion stepped away, glancing back in to the other room. "Thank you, Alexander," he said, his voice quiet.

Alexander looked into the rooms beyond, seeing Pausanias still lurking. Not close enough to have heard anything, but close enough to have watched their conversation. He had done Hephaistion no favours by coming here. "I had better go. I will look for you."

Hephaistion smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, Alexander. Pausanias and I have reached an understanding, and if it is just words, I can cope with that, until the wedding."

Alexander nodded and stepped back, reluctant to leave, although he knew he had to go. Suddenly wondering if what he felt was more than friendship, he turned and left before Hephaistion could see his face flushing.