Ptolemy sat on his couch in the great hall, having his supper and watching everything going on around him. On the surface, things seemed fairly normal. Alexander had been on his best behavior and the men seemed to be enjoying one another's company again. He thought they would be well ready for their march now. Alexander seemed to be his old self, though quieter than usual a lot of the time. And sometimes, he just looked sad. It seemed like some of the fire inside the king had been snuffed out.
Bagoas was back, but Alexander only allowed him to function as a slave in his household now. He was no longer sleeping with the eunuch, and no longer buying into the lies Bagoas had been feeding him. Bagoas deeply resented his new role in Alexander's life. He blamed Hephaestion, of course. "Some day, general", he thought, "I will take my place with Alexander again, and you will not be here to stop it. I will wait, for as long as it takes. Someday I will have my revenge on you."
Cassander was being…Cassander. Same song, different day. Cassander hated Hephaestion now. He had let the general use him, sure, because he had gotten something he wanted out of it as well. Whatever had happened between Hephaestion and Alexander, he did not know, but since then Hephaestion had told him he would never sleep with him again. He said it had been a mistake. Cassander was pissed off. "Yes", he thought, "I have said it before and I will say it again. Someday, Alexander, I will take away all that you love, as you have taken Hephaestion from me. Someday, I will erase your memory. You will see. I will have my revenge."
Hephaestion seemed happy, at least on the surface. He had asked Kostas to be his eromenos, and the boy had nearly bounced off the walls with happiness. Ptolemy smiled. The boy was really good for Hephaestion. The general seemed much more relaxed and smiled more than he used to. At times, though, the sadness that hid just under the surface showed through. Hephaestion had finally told him what had happened, and what he and Alexander had agreed on. It seemed the only thing to do.
He noticed that Hephaestion was again wearing the pendant Alexander had given him, on a new silk cord. Yes, those two would always be a part of each other in some way, but they had definitely changed. Sometimes he would catch Alexander watching Hephaestion when he didn't think he was looking, and sometimes Hephaestion would do the same. Once in a while their eyes would meet, and the looks they exchanged broke Ptolemy's heart. It wasn't fair, but that was life.
He wondered if Hephaestion or Alexander would every truly recover. It was hard to know.
He prayed to the gods that they would all heal in time.
Something beautiful had died, and nothing would ever be the same again.