"When I was nineteen my father had a shipment of goods to be delivered in Egypt. A rumour was going around among the crew that they were for a banquet that the Pharaoh was hosting and that my father was excepting to be paid handsomely for his services."
On the day we left port it was sunny and clam perfect for sailing out towards our destination and those conditions remained with us right though out the journey, however our good luck soon ran out."
Hephaistion paused in his story telling to have a drink from his goblet. He downed it in one in an attempt to calm his nerves, he wiped the corner of his mouth with his fingertip in embarrassment and mumbled an apologise which Alexander simply ignored and top up the goblet from his own.
"We got caught in a violent storm off the cost. The sea tossed the Sunseeker around like a leaf on the breeze. Waves came crashing down on us repeatedly, punching holes in the wooden frame and sweeping men overboard. I remember going to help my father secure the sail that had broken free when a wave crashed against us and I was swept over bored. I woke up a few days later in the house of Amyntor, he told that I was found by the ship he had been travelling on unconscious clinging to a barrel. The Sunseeker had gone down with all hands and all that remained was debris. Everything had gone my family, the ship, my homeland for with out the trade that the Sunseeker provided the business would fail. However, fate had something even terrible in store, while I was out Amyntor had paid those that had been on the ship to take me home with him.
Hephaistion stopped talking, that was it there was nothing more to tell. Alexander was quiet and still for a long time until someone knocked on the door so that Hephaistion could be reunited with his belongings, there was also a letter from Cassandra which he saved so that he could read it somewhere in private.
"You must remain here with me." Alexander interrupted his reading "Not a servant I have plenty of those but as my personal companion."
"Personal companion?" Hephaistion asked
"Yes,"
"Why."
"Because when I first saw you I felt something… and this is going to sound stupid but I felt I could trust you. Please say that you will stay, you'll have your own room and anything you wish and of course you will have the freedom to do as you please."
For what he had seen of Alexander Hephaistion knew that he meant every word and that last thing he wanted was to take him out of one prison and put in into another. He knew nobody and nobody knew him, he had nowhere else to go.
"Yes, I will stay."
This thrilled Alexander who personal showed him to his room. Hephaistion stood rooted to the spot behind Alexander studying the room, it was a miniature version of the rooms that Alexander occupied, and that once Hephaistion's belongings had been put away still looked empty. From there Alexander showed him around the place and introduced everyone they passed. Then they arrived at the some of the people in his inner circle. There was Ptolemy and Cassander who had been there when he had arrived, they were with three other people who he had yet to meet but was so introduced by Alexander as Perdiccas, Crateros, and Cleitus. Hephaistion had yet to get use to the informal manner in which this group spoke to Alexander so he stood by and wondered what he had gotten himself into as he stood by and watched as the ruler of Egypt and his generals played wrestled around on the floor.
Hephastion woke to a noise that made him sit bolt up right listening. He thought it had been a shout or a scream, possibly both. Having being woken so suddenly he thought that Amyntor had done himself, an injury and that made him leap out of bed in a panic. He was about to go running when he heard a shout of "No" but he stopped hand on the door when his brain finally woke up and made him realized that he wasn't with Amyntor anymore, he was a permanent guest of the Pharaoh and something was wrong. He opened the door and crossed over to the Pharaoh's room, it was here that they noises were coming from. Thinking the Pharaoh was coming to harm he acted with out thinking about his personal safety unarmed he burst into the room. He found Alexander in the throws of a nightmare, Hephaistion stood by unsure of what to do, and he shuffled closer to the bed.
"Alexander." he called softly reaching out to shake the Pharaoh's shoulder "Alexander"
Without warning, Alexander gave a loud shout as he sat upright, staring at Hephaistion eye wide. Hephaistion jumped back in fright crashing into the table causing the varse to topple, Hephaistion tried to catch it before it fell but it slipped threw his fingers and on to the floor smashing into fragments. Alexander watched him his head cocked to one side before simply flopping back sound asleep. Hephaistion stood there in shock at what just happened, seeing Alexander sleeping peacefully after his tossing and turning. Scooping up the fragments and not knowing what to do with them Hephaistion simply left them in a neat pile on the table before returning to his own. The next morning when he was called for him, Hephaistion explained about the varse, which meant explaining why he was in the Pharaoh's room at that time.
" I don't remember doing that." Alexander told him " But thank you anyway."
Hephaistion felt a twinge of pride.
