Authors Note: Many thanks for all the reviews they are very heart warming. Putting up this chapter as I'm away for a few days. Work!
Chapter Seven
Hephaestion POV
"So what do we call him now – your Queen?" Philotas' sneering voice was giving me a headache and I so much wanted to get up and punch his face in. As I did Alexander's.
"Hardly." Ptolemy replied. "He will be Prince Consort."
"How lovely…"
"Philotas – hold your bloody tongue boy!"
Alexander was glaring at Parmenion's last surviving son with death in his eyes but it had no affect on either the man it was aimed at or mollifying my own anger at himself.
"You'll need to get married, Alexander – the child must be legitimate and I assume the same 'law' applies whether the mother is male or female. This is – new ground for so many spheres of reference." Ptolemy was saying; he was thoroughly enjoying all this as if it was some new mental exercise set by Aristotle! But Alexander was nodding his agreement.
They then began to discuss the plans for a hasty wedding before the assembled army – oh, that was going to be so much fun – and Aristander was to sacrifice for the most propitious day.
"Excuse me." I interrupted.
"Yes, Phai?"
"As I'm Chiliarch and soon to be Prince Consort can I ask that you gentlemen clear the room whilst I talk to my – husband-to-be?"
Strangely enough no one argued; Ptolemy and Cleitus shooed them out, the latter stopping beside me to whisper: "Don't kill or maim him too badly." Before closing the door behind him and leaving me alone with Alexander.
"Phai – I appreciate you're not happy…"
"Not happy? What makes you think that? Why should I be unhappy that my lover sees fit to arrange for me to get pregnant without asking me first?"
"I – thought – I mean I never believed she could…"
"Do it? Gods, Alexander! You dragged us through a desert to find out if you are the son of a god and yet don't believe one when you see one?"
"I've never met a god before, Hephaestion – have you?"
"Yes – maybe."
"What?"
"When your mother tried to kill me – someone came to me then, saved me – and I've seen him since. He likes poking his nose into things and it seems that Hathor's a relation in that regard. Why Egyptian gods? We're Greek! Macedonian actually."
"Well, we did enjoy Egypt. I plan to make it the centre of the empire once Darius is dealt with."
"And you're changing the subject! Did it ever occur to you to ask me what I wanted?"
"Phai – calm down. Remember your condition – no, don't throw the jug! Look, she asked me my heart's desire – and what I want is for us to be together, have children so that they can be our joint heirs and rule this empire we're carving out. Either that or I would have to marry someone I care nothing about. Now we can be joined as I've always wanted – and I thought you wanted to be too. I thought you loved me but evidently not as much as I."
"Oh – please! Don't you dare pull that 'you don't love me as much as I do you' shit on me. I'd die for you tomorrow – and it looks as if I'm going to have your baby. Just ask me before making these sorts of decisions, please? It's clear to me the gods do interfere, on a regular basis, in our lives and we need to take that into account from now on."
"I never meant to hurt you."
"I know, my love. But…"
"But what?"
I looked at him and gulped before vocalising my true fear.
"Just how is it supposed to come out of me?"
His eyes widened at the same realisation as I had. I wasn't built for a baby to be born naturally so there was only one way it could be.
"No – no! That's not – she wouldn't take you from me!" He pulled me into a rib crushing embrace that I returned in full measure as my destiny became clear.
I would give Alexander an heir and die in the doing of it.
Alexander POV
We moved out of Babylon in the New Year having rested and re-organised the army, bureaucracy and finances, leaving Harpolas in charge of the treasury. I assigned Cleitus to Hephaestion as a watch dog, much to Phai's annoyance, but I needed to know there was someone watching over him once we were on campaign again whom I could trust.
Our wedding had been a short affair, vows taken before the Company Commanders who watched with resigned expressions – they had heard rumours of Hephaestion's condition and doubted it until it started to become obvious it was true by his expanding waistline. His eating habits did not improve either.
"What is that?"
"It's a sherbet – a Persian dish. Taste it."
"But what's the sauce on it made of?"
"Oh, that's fish sauce."
"On sherbet? Phai!"
"Well, I like it."
None of this helped ease my fear for when the time came for the baby to be born so the hard campaigning through the Persian Gates and the interim took my mind off my worries.
Darius was still running, holed up at Ecbatana whilst Susa surrendered to me and then Persepolis. The following campaign was vigorous but I knew Hephaestion had to be somewhere comfortable and so by the end of Artemisios (mid-May) we turned back towards Persepolis to await events.
I settled him in a smaller house outside the Palace for privacy and ease of access to the hospital at the temple if needed. Besides, Hephaestion had told me he didn't like Xerxes palace at all – our first visit there had induced terrible nightmares for him and I wasn't about to let him go through that.
We had a private supper together two days after arriving when he started to feel pains, severe ones that came and went. I called Senji who told us the baby was ready to be born. He looked as confused as we were which was not encouraging. Leading Phai into the room prepared he changed into a loose open fronted robe and lay down as the doctor fussed about getting water and whatever. Phai grabbed my hand painfully as the contractions got worse and sweat covered his face and upper body. His eyes closed at the spasm of pain and after one particularly bad one his scream rent the air and I could no longer hold back my tears.
"Oh, Phai – what have I done to you?"
"Given me the happiest years of my life – Xander, he has to do it now or else the child will die."
"I want you!"
"Alexander – you got me… don't let this be all for nothing. Tell him."
I looked up at Senji and nodded. He bowed and ordered two priests to hold up a cloth so that Phai would not see what was about to happen. My love held my hands in his and smiled.
"It will be a son, my king. Remember me."
"Always."
I saw Senji lift up a knife then a hand came and stopped him, a female hand – Hathor. She moved towards us and looked down at Hephaestion.
"Don't be afraid. You will feel nothing." Then she moved back putting her hands on Phai's extended abdomen and muttering a prayer or incantation; Senji handed her the knife and she cut an incision some one and half hand long. Phai looked at me and shook his head – he felt nothing. Then she put both hands inside the open cut and pulled at the baby who, as soon as the air touched him, for it was a boy, screamed out loudly.
"You have a son!" Hathor cried out, cutting the cord and giving the child to a priest who cleaned him up a little before passing the child to me. But all I cared for then was my Hephaestion who was smiling and crying at the same time.
"Let me look, Xander."
We both stared down into a small crumbled face that resembled nothing less than a wizened old man – but he was beautiful to us. The eyes opened and took us both in, small fingers wrapping round one of my own. Phai laughed to see that.
"Tenacious – just like his father."
"Hathor – save Phai."
"He's not going to die, Great King! It's a simple procedure and now I'll sew up the wound – so – and he'll be right as rain."
Which indeed he was. We had both expected him to die after the child had been cut out of him but Hathor healed the wound until there was no scar except a slight whitening of the tanned skin and no hair ever grew there. Within days he was up on his feet, his same old self only now we had a son – Achillaeus – a living testament to our love that no one could deny any longer. A banquet was definitely in order.
But there were two things to do before that.
On a beautiful clear day I took Achillaeus in my arms, swathed in the simple Macedonian cloth from which the army cloaks were made and led my officers out into a huge balcony of the palace to meet the assembled army.
Beside me, dressed in parade armour, the red chalmys of the Bodyguard falling in folds down his back, as was his loose hair, stood my Hephaestion a little shy to tell the truth and concerned at the reaction to him if not to the baby.
"Stop biting your lips."
"I'm just – nervous."
"Well, stop it. When you do that you make them very red, which gives me ideas and you wouldn't want me to act on those in front of the army, would you?"
He grinned at me then.
"Wouldn't that make a story in the Agora!"
Our conversation was cut short as the men caught sight of us and a roar hit our ears like the crash of the sea on the rocks. I had no need to say anything, simply holding up my son and the acclamation became even more deafening if that were possible. After a while I held up my hand for quiet and they immediately subsided into a low hum but all waiting expectantly.
"Men of Macedon, let me introduce you to your prince and future king, Achillaeus Philippos Amyntoro."
They let out another roar twice as noisy as before and I caught sight of Hephaestion's face when I said our son's name, his blue eyes looked huge and bright, his smile blinding; seeing this the men cheered even more and I couldn't resist handing Achillaeus to him and then hugging both to me.
"Xander." Was whispered sharply but in a laugh as we stood, together, before our army, as one – and a bit.
The second thing I had to do was more private and needed only myself, papyrus and pen.
'Joy to you mother and know Hephaestion was safely delivered of a son. Both are doing well and Achillaeus is already showing he has a fine pair of lungs and healthy appetite. I cannot find the words to describe my joy and happiness in both my son and my Consort but it is beyond the wealth of the world. Be satisfied.
Your loving son, Alexander.'
Hephaestion POV
The baby and I stayed at the house away from the rest staying in the huge palace. I don't know why I had taken such a dislike to the place but it filled me with dread and the few days I had slept there the nightmares were awful, full of marching men looking frightened to death. Strange.
Hathor or Senji had found a wet nurse for Achillaeus and I was astonished at how quickly I recovered though I still felt weak for the first few days and it took longer for my back to stop aching. Hathor visited me once, unbeknownst to Alexander, for which I was grateful as I had questions that I was too embarrassed to ask if he was there.
"Will this happen again?" I asked her first.
"Alexander is the only man who can get you with child…"
"That's a relief, though I don't intend to take any other man to my bed. And you haven't answered my question – women have certain periods a month when they are able to beget: will that happen to us?"
She smiled and patted my hand, somewhat patronising I thought. As a goddess she was omniscient, I wasn't. "You are not a woman, Hephaestion. I have, however, left things so that you can bear further children and that is all I will say."
With that she left me in the certain knowledge that I could end up going through all this again and no way of judging when it would be safe for Alexander and I to have sex. Typical bloody woman! At which point I had the second of my three visitors that day – Ty.
"She's one of your lot, isn't she?"
"Yes. The baby looks fine and healthy."
"He is, thankfully and every one seems overjoyed – barring Philotas. But I don't know if I'll get pregnant again the first time Xander and I…"
"Make love?" He looked at me then laid a cool hand on my face and closed his eyes. The bearded face broke into a smile. "She's clever. Naughty, but clever – and least I've never got anyone pregnant in my little jaunts. Hephaestion, you don't need to worry. It will be some time before your cycle begins again – and yes, she's put one in there. All I can say is whenever you're so horny you can't sit unless it's on Alexander that's when you're ready to conceive. Until then – have fun!"
That did not console me much but at least I had more to go on than before. If the next was as easy as this one it wouldn't be so bad and hardly interfere with my duties, especially those of Chiliarch. My 'husband' certainly wasn't stinting what he expected me to accomplish – supplies, reconnaissance, negotiations with tribes or satraps as we marched on against Darius; ensuring correspondence reached its destination, keeping a control on the King's Journal, the record of all his orders, written and verbal. Ensuring he received a précis of everything that came in from Greece and the Empire; dealing with stuff myself whenever possible and only handing it over for his personal attention when absolutely necessary. I was also in charge of the engineer corps, as well as architects and artisans; any city he wanted to found it fell to me to plan, organise and build. The same went for the numerous small garrison forts set up along the way.
I was also in overall charge of salary, pensions and arranging funerals for the fallen. This included schooling for the numerous children in the army now, not to mention the Page Training – which is where I came into contact with Callisthenes and found yet another 'enemy'. He was the nephew of Aristotle, born in Athens and sure that Alexander's fame depended on his writings. I'd read some of what he had already written and it was so – well, let me say he was no Homer. My pregnancy he completely ignored, merely mentioning that the King had a son from his consort, but not mentioning me by name.
All of this I had to do as well as leading the Somatophylkes in battle (a post I refused to give up anyway); we were ready to head out against Darius and finish it once and for all; I was busy preparing scouting missions, maps and supplies. So when my third visitor of the day arrived I expected the conversation to be about the campaign – it wasn't, not entirely. My visitor was Parmenion.
After a few comments on how soon the scouts were leaving, he ambled over to the cot and looked down at Achillaeus who was sleeping soundly after his feed. I know he could have stayed in the nursery but I liked having him about; he was still a wonder to me that my body had produced this miracle. I know I was angry at first but with him there as a living testament of our love I could forgive his father – a bit.
"They are so small at this age. So helpless." The old man was saying, more to himself than me. "But he's the continuation of the line.
"Hephaestion I assume that once Alexander is ready we are going after Darius?"
"We have to. Whilst he's at large he could raise army after army against us."
"But that's not Alexander's reason is it?"
I looked at him and knew he deserved the truth, especially after his words at the Council meeting that day.
"No it isn't. He intends to take the Empire. If we beat Darius and leave, as agreed with the League, we'll only need to do it all again. This way we keep the Greek cities free and under Macedonian hegemony to decide their own fate – as long as they pay their taxes."
"And after? I've seen how his eyes light up whenever he talks about the vastness of this Empire. Will he be satisfied with that or want us to go on even further?"
"Probably. Everything new he sees is a wonder to him and he wants more. The idea of exploration appeals to him and without an army – well, you just don't travel!"
His laugh was short and quite bitter. "True but I doubt many have his needs – plunder and riches yes, but to go on and on merely to learn and find new things or people for study? That they won't understand, Hephaestion. And it will lead to bitter words and acrimony, maybe even blood."
"Any one who threatens Alexander will go through me first! Besides, the army is loyal and will stay that way if we give them incentives to carry on – riches, women and rank. Let them know that their deeds count for something."
"Yes – that's the Macedonian way. Listen to me, son, you and I have had our differences and harsh words. I'll admit at first I thought you were a money grabbing sycophant…"
"How kind."
"…but you proved me wrong in that years ago. If you can win over a man like Cleitus I decided there had to be more to you than a pretty face. What you mean to Alexander is not so beyond my imagination; I loved my wife dearly and for conversation I had Antipater – the King he has combined the two in you. This puts you in a position of great power, more than any wife will ever hold."
"That I know – I do not intend to abuse it."
"Nor do I think you will. Your loyalty to Alexander is absolute and no one doubts it; but are you as loyal to the army, Hephaestion? If, the gods forbid, anything should happen to the King, will you carry on his dream or pull back to Macedon?"
"I can't answer that in any other way than to say that I will do what needs to be done to secure the empire for my son. But it will more likely be to consolidate what we have than extend further. Does that answer your fear?"
He smiled at me for the first time with genuine admiration.
"Alexander chose well. I apologise for misjudging you all these years. And in recompense let me give you some advise and ask a favour: the favour first."
That didn't take long in coming I thought cynically but he surprised me.
"I'm old, Hephaestion, over seventy. I've seen my last battle, lost most of my sons in the King's service. I have no wife or mistress. I'm tired and want to rest. So I would ask you to suggest to Alexander that he give me something – quieter."
"A satrapy perhaps?"
"Sounds good."
"I'll see what we can do for you Parmenion. And the advise?"
"Keep an eye on Philotas."
"Isn't he old enough to take care of himself?"
"Watch him, not look after him. He doesn't accept what the king is or you at all, whatever I say to him. I know my son – he's the worst one of the lot. Be careful of him, Hephaestion, for yourself, for your son and most especially for Alexander."
I nodded, numb at what he was saying and knowing he spoke true. Philotas was ambitious as Hades and would brook no one or anything getting in his way. Now his own father was telling me that my son was also an obstacle in his son's path as well as my King. A warm summer day had gone as cold as death and I sat unmoving for a long time after he left me wondering exactly what my options were and the best way to go about them.
