Chapter 7: Gedrosia

If it had not been so bright, Hephaistion would have thought that they were in Hades. The ray of the mid day sun was so strong that the vision was distorted by rising haze. They had marched through the valley of rocks and pebbles, and so far, they were lucky to find just enough pool of stale water at the end of the journey. Then, the scenery had changed all of a sudden. They were now faced with a new and more difficult challenge. Dry yellow sands shifted like fluid under their feet. Both beasts and humans sank deeply in this trap of desolateness with each step, making it almost impossible for them to advance. The heat around them was unbearable, and there was not even a drop of water within sight.

Alexander was about a horse length ahead of Hephaistion, refusing to look back, and sitting straight on his stallion despite a severe wound he had received on his chest, which still had not fully healed. His blond hair turned almost platinum in color baked under the glittering sun. Hephaistion put his hand over his moist brow to see the distance ahead. There was nothing, but a vast sea of sands; it was so eerie that it looked almost beautiful. Time stopped after the storm, leaving the trace of perfect patterns on the sand dunes. His mare stumbled. Hephaistion dismounted , realizing that this would be her limit. She could not carry the extra weight. When his feet touched the soft surface, he felt an intense heat under him even through the thick soles of his boots. His mind traveled back to the beginning of this madness.

~~***~~***~~

The generals gathered at Alexander's tent to discuss the plan to go back to their new home, Babylon. They were all excited and cheerful with this welcome change. It had been over ten years since they left Pella, and although the expedition was a great success and rewarding, men needed a real compensation; some life with their families before continuing any further. Alexander understood the limitation, and finally agreed to break off from the expedition, and go home.

"Nearchus, you will sail down the Indus River, and go along the shore of the Indian Ocean to transport some supplies for us. Craterus, you lead your company to the northern mountain route, and meet with us in Carmania. And the rest of you will come with me through Gedrosia."

"Gedrosia! It is insane. " Ptolemy protested instantly. " Most of the areas are uninhabited, barren and desert. Nobody ever succeeded to go by that route. Semiramis and Cyrus the Great are the only ones who crossed, and that barely, and with great sacrifice. They almost lost their own lives there."

"Exactly! That is why, I, Alexander will conquer the route."

Even if they did not agree, nobody argued any more. They all knew that once the king's mind was made up, nothing could change it. They all left the tent in a gloomy mood, far different from the one when they entered. Some of them seriously believed that Alexander was trying to punish them for not following him any further.

Hephaistion waited until all the generals had left.

"Why can't you take a safer route with Craterus? The purpose of this journey is not confrontation, but a safe trip home."

"I know. I may be wrong, and it could cost me a great deal. But when somebody says that it is not possible, I just have to challenge it. If I succeed, I would be the first one to conquer Gedrosia." Alexander grinned mischievously.

Hephaistion let out a big sigh. He did not agree, but he understood.

~~***~~***~~

One of the cavalry soldiers made a great effort to come up to Alexander. He was carefully carrying an upside down helmet half-filled with water. He dismounted, and presented the helmet to Alexander.

"Sire, this is the last water we have."

Alexander took the helmet, and looked into the contents for a moment. Cool liquid danced in the helmet, reflecting the golden rays of the baking sun, inviting to be consumed. Alexander swallowed the dry saliva. Everybody's eyes were glued on him. He slowly looked back. There were endless lines of people and animals spread out miles away. They were all thirsty, hungry, and tired. His eyes settled back to the helmet in his hands; so little for so much need. Alexander searched for Hephaistion's eyes, and when he met with those blue eyes cooler than the water he had, he gradually tilted the helmet, until all the contents disappeared into the sands.

Everybody gasped, except Hephaistion. Hephaistion held Alexander's gaze with a faint smile on his cracked lips. Alexander knew that he had approval from Hephaistion. He could have drunk it all himself. Nobody would have complained. He was the king, and they brought it to him after all. Or he could have shared with Hephaistion and other generals, but again, he knew that Hephaistion would never approve such favoritism. The water was too little to share even among those who were at the edge of Hades. Alexander made a decision, if everybody cannot have it, then nobody should; he returned it to nonentity.

They continued the slow painful march. When Hephaistion looked at Alexander, he was further ahead. Hephaistion tried to keep up with him, but his tired body refused to move any faster. He knew that if he lost his footing, he had no energy left to get back on his feet. He clung to his mare tight, and closed his eyes, hoping the darkness would ease the pounding aches in his head. The strong sun still shone through his closed lids, turning everything crimson in color.

The mare stumbled with this sudden shift of the weight, and jerked Hephaistion along with her. Hephaistion lost his balance and fell on the sand. Hot sand burned his cheek, and he felt his mare nudging his shoulder, but he could not even open his eyes. He was so exhausted that all he wanted was just to rest. He barely heard Alexander calling his name in the distance. He was lifted, and the last thing he remembered was a familiar scent coming from a person who carried him.

When Hephaistion crossed over the line of unconsciousness for a brief moment, he thought he was back in Mieza, carried by Alexander's horse when he was injured. The surroundings were too familiar; terrible headache, warm body behind him, and the sense of security. He groaned in pain. He felt Alexander squeeze his left hand, and noticed it was tightly interlaced with Alexander's. He returned a faint squeeze before darkness took over once more.

Alexander was worried and alarmed. When he held Hephaistion's hand, he noticed that it was not even sweating. His body was burning against his. Remorse crept in and doubts propagated in his mind. He regretted his action earlier. He wondered if he was too arrogant. Maybe he should have kept the water; it could have saved Hephaistion, even if it made him angry when he found out that he was given the last drop of water. Alexander had a doubt about choosing this challenging route for the first time on the journey. He questioned to himself if it was really worth trying, and what it proved if the result was to lose Hephaistion. He felt his own wound from the arrow start to ache. The only sure thing he knew was that he could not continue the journey without Hephaistion.

Alexander was jerked with a sudden increased speed of his stallion. The beast was now moving with a purpose. Alexander looked ahead, and saw an oasis in front. He blinked a couple of times to make sure that it was not an illusion. When he was certain that the sight in front of him was real, Alexander shouted to the caravan.

"Water!"

The voice was merely a whisper coming out from his dry throat. He swallowed, and tried again with a great effort. This time the word was heard. He listened as the message was passed down followed by a roar, almost as loud as a war cry.

Alexander never imagined that the lush color of green could be so soothing, the sense of joy gradually seeped in from his eyes to his soul. His horse stopped at the edge of the water pool, and started to gobble. Alexander pulled him back after several good swallows. He dismounted and carefully lowered the unconscious Hephaistion onto the soft ground. He removed Hephaistion's breastplate and boots before taking off his own. He then carried him to the water pool, and rested him between his legs on his chest. He closed his eyes. The cool water was reviving every single cell in his body. It even seemed to ease the pain of his old wound.

Hephaistion groaned.

"Are we back in Edessa?", asked the raspy voice.

"No, we are still in the desert, but we found an oasis."

Alexander let a trickle of water fall from his fingertip onto Hephaistion's dry peeling lips. He gently pushed his matted hair off his face, patting it with his wet hand. Hephaistion squinted open his eyes, and smiled.

"Thank Zeus, you are back." Alexander whispered and leaned to kiss Hephaistion on his lips. Hephaistion responded with a gentle curl under his touch. Alexander squeezed Hephaistion's hand hard.

He looked around with teary eyes, and saw all his soldiers were almost hysterically sharing the joy with their loved ones, and noticed that the ones who were not with their lovers were looking at them longingly. Happiness and pride swelled up in his heart.

He remembered a small tribe he had encountered along the coastline during this journey. They were savages who grew their nails and hair since their birth. They ate only raw fish and drank seawater. They were so different from any other humans he had ever seen. Alexander came to a realization of his endless saga of expedition. The world was so vast and unlimited. There was so much more left for him to conquer. However, he understood that now was the time to recoup and to renew the foundation of love.

They stayed at the oasis for two days before heading to Salmus in Carmania. The food was not abundant, but they could refill enough supply and most importantly plenty of fresh water. Looking at the busily working soldiers, Hephaistion felt something had changed in the army. He could see the unbreakable confidence on each soldier's face. He smiled with amusement. Alexander had done it again by pushing them to the limit. He showed them the most difficult and satisfying conquest; the conquest against their own demon. Now Alexander restored even stronger loyalty and trust among those who had survived. Alexander never failed to amaze him.

The rest of the journey was as hard, but the spirit of the army stayed high. It also helped that they now could march during the night to avoid the scorching sun during the day, knowing not major obstacles were on the way,. When they finally reached Salmus, they were greeted by Craterus and an overwhelming supply of food and wine sent by northern satrapies. They celebrated their survival and success with a banquet. Although the sacrifice had been heavy, they had managed the march through the impossible land where nobody had ever done it on this scale. Everything tasted so good. Meat and vegetables had most enhanced flavors, and the wine was potent and sweet. It suited for the celebration of their lives.

Alexander gathered his Chiliarch in his arms and kissed him passionately, surprising but delighting Hephaistion with the sudden change. After almost four months march in the harsh Gedrosian dessert, Alexander did not want to hold back his love anymore. He simply wanted to celebrate life with the one he most loved. The soldiers, who went through the ordeal with them, gave a warm look of support. If the rest of the army did not like it, they just had to get used to it.

The banquet turned into a drinking party as the night grew. Alexander and Hephaistion were content, finding themselves in each other's arms. Alexander pulled his cloak tight around them; millions of stars decorated the winter sky of Carmania. In a few days, Alexander had to face with some settlement on charges brought against various governors and officers. But tonight, he was determined to celebrate life with his love; Hephaistion.

End

A/N: This famous act of Alexander might not happen at this desert, but I had to use it to explore the answers to "Why?".