CHAPTER 4a: CASSANDER.

Envy consists in seeing things never in themselves, but only in their relations. If you desire glory, you may envy Napoleon, but Napoleon envied Caesar, Caesar envied Alexander, and Alexander, I daresay, envied Hercules, who never existed." Bertrand Russell quotes

The other handsome General with blue eyes got closer to the enraged king to assist him but he was beaten, once again, by Hephaestion who was already there by hi side. Hate and love could be seen in that companion's always icy-blue-eyes, so different to the ever warm blue ones of the man who was hugging and comforting the king, who was clearly in distress.

However and in spite of his own sanity, Cassander, son of Antipater, realized that only Hephaestion could control Alexander when he reached that stage of wrath and anger; it seemed as if the king of the known world became blind and wanted to destroy everything and everyone that was on his path, without thinking about the consequences his crazy and illogical reaction could bring, not only to himself but also to his empire. And as usual, there it was the sharp-minded brunette, ready to clean after his king's dirt, willingly to accept the responsibilities of his ruler and to deal with them until Alexander was well again to do it by himself, and never expecting a reward for a job well done.

Seeing that prompt reaction to help and cover his king's mistake brought Cassander back to another time when he saw a seven-year-old boy do the same for a capricious and spoiled Macedonian prince.

Cassander met Hephaestion six months later than the rest of the companions. He had been travelling with his father for some months and when Antipater decided to go back to the palace to debrief king Philip about his discoveries and alliances, Cassander decided that it was time he went to see his friend Alexander. Even though he was the same age as the prince, Cassander had being instructed by his father and mother to be extremely nice to the prince, especially because they wanted him to join the royal family not only as a companion but also, if it were possible, as the prince's lover. Rumours had arrived to that noble house that the little prince was a very easily influenced boy and so there was the opportunity for Antipater's family to gain more power over the rest of the Generals, power he would use to raise among them and finally get all the things he had been working so hard to achieve.

Cassander arrived at Mieza and went directly to the palace to look for his friend. He bathed quickly and wore his best chiton and short cloak; he really needed to make a good impression and he knew that he was not hard to look at. He asked a page to be led towards the prince's chamber but when he arrived to the destination, he found out it was empty. He had to retrace his steps and asked again for Alexander's location, and that made him a bit angry. He took some minutes to recompose his volatile mood and looked for someone else to help him. A maid that was passing by told him that the prince was taking his classes in the open classroom by the fallen pillars with Master Aristotle at that moment and that he would be there until noon. Cassander walked up the low hill and saw his former companions listening carefully to their teacher who was explaining and drawing something on the ground. Six pairs of eyes turned round as soon as they listened to quick footsteps and four out of the six faces were crowned by broad smiles; one of the remaining ones showed only close set eyes that followed the advance of the newcomer. This last boy smelled trouble in the horizon and he was ready to fight. The other pair of eyes didn't leave his teacher's sight.

Master Aristotle greeted Cassander and invited him to join them in their discussion about human nature. The handsome brunette was about to sit when he discovered that there was a new face he had never seen before. In very few seconds, he assessed the new student and thought that, for the first time, he could be in the presence of a trouble-maker. He stood in front of Hephaestion and asked rudely:

"Who are you?"

"I am Hephaestion Amyntoros" answered the boy back with a soft voice.

"Ah! You are the poor orphan" Cassander said sitting next to Alexander who looked at him with an angry look in his two-coloured eyes.

Hephaestion lowered his head and did not ask for an apology but Aristotle saw the pain in the sky-blue eyes. He was about to call Cassander's attention due to his impoliteness when the tall brunette was pushed from the stone seat and fell on his back with a loud thump. He lifted his gaze and he saw his prince staring back at him with a lethal look; nevertheless, he decided to ask why he had done that while standing up and dusting his chiton off. Alexander simply replied that he had been rude and that no one treated his best friend in that way. Cassander looked again at the brunette next to the prince and saw why Alexander was so smitten with him. This Hephaestion was absolutely gorgeous and a serious rival to his father's so well orchestrated plans, especially because this boy had already captured his prince's heart, something that Cassander had never been able to; in fact Alexander had only offered him his friendship because he had been ordered by his father and king.

Aristotle saw the interaction among the three of them and sighed deeply, he would have to prepare himself to live harsh times with the two brunettes mooning over the blonde prince. However, Hephaestion had only showed, up to that moment, only feelings of true friendship and gratitude towards the prince, totally sincere and unselfish, just the opposite of what Cassander wanted to achieve.

The class was over and Aristotle dismissed his students until the following day but he reminded them to leave those valuable scrolls in a pile next to him so then he could take them all together. He also told them that if he found a damaged scroll, they would be severely punished for not being careful with such valuable material. In his hurry to stand up after his forced fall, Cassander had grabbed Alexander's leg to prevent a tougher fall and he had made Alexander step onto the scroll and tore its upper left corner. Hephaestion saw the distress in Alexander's eyes when he discovered this and the prince was about to assume his fault when Hephaestion turned to Aristotle and showing the torn scroll, he offered his apologies. Master Aristotle had secretly seen how that situation had evolved and he had really wanted to know how the three of them would solve the incoming problem; he knew, deep in his heart, that Hephaestion would be involved, taking a major role in it.

Aristotle was not surprised when Hephaestion assumed his fault and endured his punishment without uttering a single word. He received two hits on the palm of each hand with a short and rigid cane that left a deep red mark that started to swollen almost immediately.

Alexander was on the verge of saying that it had been him who had torn the scroll with his foot but a single look from Hephaestion stopped him. He nodded, acknowledging his friend's sacrifice, and stayed quiet. He lowered his head because he could not tolerate seeing those cerulean eyes full with tears and Hephaestion's lower lip quivering, trying to muffle a painful sob. He had remained in silence during the punishment and after it, repeating his apologies once the ordeal was over.

When Aristotle turned around, he discovered that Cassander had already fled; his dirty conscience had made him run towards the safety of the palace and the teacher saw how Alexander picked his and Hephaestion's books in one of his hands while he supported his friend with the other arm resting over his shoulder. They started to walk and Alexander immediately whispered words of comfort and apology into his Phai's ear. The brunette nodded and went on walking, snuggling his side nearer Alexander's body as if the prince were able to absorb the pain he felt in his hands.

Aristotle felt badly about the situation but it was a good lesson for the prince and also for the rest of the companions because it had showed him and them too that no matter how close you were to the prince, you would receive the punishment you deserved. He also wanted this to be a lesson for Hephaestion, who had been quick to take a responsibility for something he had not done in order to protect his prince; the little brunette had to learn that sometimes he had to let Alexander fight his own battles and clean after his own messes and mistakes, that the little prince could not always hide behind his position and assume that punishment would never touch him because he was a prince. Alexander had to learn that his mistake could hurt badly the people he loved but that they were still willing to accept blindly the punishment for him.

Later that day, Aristotle learnt that Alexander had taken Hephaestion directly to his chamber and left him there while he ran towards his mother's chamber looking for an ointment to heal his Phai's hands. He went back to his chamber, cleaned the palms with cold water and dried them with a soft cotton cloth and then spread the cream softly over them. When the treatment was over, Alexander took his friend by the arm and made him lie on his bed so he could rest. After some minutes, he asked Hephaestion why he had said that it had been his fault and the blue-eyed boy said that Alexander had stepped onto the scroll because he had defended him from Cassander's attack and had not seen where he put his foot. Alexander accepted the explanation but he made Hephaestion promise that he would never do something like that again because he could not tolerate seeing him in pain. Hephaestion said that he would try but that he could not assure him that he would not do it again. The prince looked at him with admiration in his eyes and so decided that from that moment onwards they would share the responsibilities of their acts, no matter who was the responsible. Hephaestion accepted gladly, without knowing that he would play the hardest part of that deal.

Cassander could not hide his distaste for the newcomer but he had learnt that Alexander was truly and deeply fond of him so attacking him directly would not the best tactic. So he decided to gain the brunette's trust by being nice and polite with him. What he did not take into account was that Alexander might see him as a threat.

Cassander decided to start with his plan that same evening. He went to the brunette's chamber and knocking softly on the wooden door; he opened it and let himself enter. What he saw shocked him, Hephaestion's room was really Spartan, he had so few belongings that it seemed more like a servant's room than of a Prince's companion. He was also confused because they had told him that he was resting so if he was not there, he could not think where else he could be. He hit his own forehead with an open palm; of course, the little prat would be with Alexander, playing ill and all needy, in Alexander's chamber.

He left the bedroom and started to walk towards the prince's chamber that was just at the end of the corridor, three doors from Hephaestion's. He entered the room after a brief knock on the door, and he was shocked for the second time that same evening. The mighty Macedonian prince Alexander was knelt beside his own bed, with his head resting near Hephaestion's ear while he murmured soothing words to his sleeping friend. The small left hand was grabbing his best friend's forearm while his right one was caressing up and down the soft skin of the arm resting next to him on the cot.

Even from the distance, Cassander could see the redden palms and winced in pain, that should have hurt a lot and he thought that he might not have been brave enough to accept that punishment, not even for Alexander. He had been raised among riches and spoiled rotten by his mother; he had been born to feel pleasure, never pain, no matter what advantages a little pain could give him.

Listening to the small gasp, Alexander lifted his head and looked towards the intruder's direction and his eyes went dark with anger, there it was the only guilty person of his Phai's pain, because due to Cassander's rude introduction at the beginning of the class, Alexander had stepped onto the scroll and tore its corner which it led to Phai's punishment.

"What are you doing here, Cassander?" hissed Alexander.

"I came to see how Hephaestion was doing" the other brunette explained, trying that his voice sounded convincing and worried at the same time. He knew he had to play his cards well in order to fall into the prince's good graces again.

"Why do you care about his health when you were so mean and rude to him before?" asked Alexander, still caressing his friend's arm.

"Because … because I wanted to apologize?" said Cassander, knowing that he was losing more points with Alexander than gaining them.

"He is doing well, he does not need you here and if I see you treating him like this afternoon again I swear by all the Olympians that I will rip …"

But Alexander's threat was interrupted by a muffled whisper:

"Xander, please … "

"What Hephaestion, what do you need?" asked Alexander turning to look at his friend's face.

"I really need you to calm down, it hurts when you are like this" answered Hephaestion, opening his eyes slightly.

"Like what, Phai?" Alexander asked with concern.

"As if you are going to be out of control" whispered the blue eyed boy.

"NO, don't worry, Phai, I would never lose my temper with you, never" promised the blonde boy with tears in his two coloured eyes.

"Alright, Xander" Hephaestion accepted his friend's assurance and he drifted back to sleep.

The young prince turned round and thanked Cassander for his visit but he dismissed him immediately after saying that Hephaestion needed to rest to gain his health back.

Cassander nodded and retreated in silence, knowing very well that he had been defeated by the new boy, who with a simple request had been able to control Alexander's ire.

TBC