Title: Borrowed Heaven
Author: Trust No One
Fandom: Alexander the Great
Pairing: Hephaestion/Roxane (implied Hephaestion/Alexander and Roxane/Alexander)
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Movie-verse entirely. Back in Babylon, Alexander takes a new wife, hoping for an heir. In desperation, Roxane turns to Hephaestion for help. Implied het and slash, slightly AU
Disclaimer: None are mine, none will ever be. Pity…
A/N: I know I'm stretching the timeline a little bit. As far as I can remember, Alexander died about eight months after Hephaestion, while Roxane was still pregnant.
Alexander had taken another bride. Pressure exerted by his noblemen who sneered at his first wife, Roxane, for her inability to give him an heir in their years of marriage had eventually become too tiring even for the crowned king of the world. And thus, upon his return to Babylon, Alexander had decided to marry again.
The wedding ceremony was finished and the feasting almost over. Alexander and his new bride had retreated to the royal chambers and one by one, his guests, generals and noblemen had left the grand dining hall, taking their celebrations to more intimate surroundings.
Hephaestion made his way to his own apartments, his gait unhurried and his bearing a little weary. The nuptials and ensuing festivities had proved to be quite tedious business for the guests, in spite of excellent food and even better entertainment. There had been a several offers, but Hephaestion had left the party alone. Nothing and no one had taken his fancy that night and it was not because he felt jealous in the slightest. It was nothing new to Hephaestion, who had shared Alexander's life and bed for almost two decades, to see his king and the man who owned his soul, take his new bride to fulfil her conjugal duty. Alexander, as well as himself, often enjoyed the company of females and took great pleasure in it.
Thus he was a little surprised when he entered his bedroom and saw that a girl waited for him there. Her back was turned and he could not discern who she was, but there was little doubt about her intentions. She sat still and cross-legged across his wide bed, waiting. Surely she had not come for conversation. Hephaestion's first thought was that Alexander had arranged entertainment for him for the night. It wasn't the first time it happened.
But from the veil that wrapped her, Hephaestion recognized her to be one of Roxane's handmaidens. He was only mildly intrigued that she was alone because, as a matter of habit, both of Roxane's handmaidens visited him at the same time. Hephaestion remained silent, trying to decide if he should send her away or if he should indulge in a desire he didn't particularly feel compelled to heed. But he wasn't all that tired after all, nor had he consumed too much wine. No reason then to deny himself that which he was so freely offered.
Soundlessly, he climbed onto the bed and gently tugged at the veil that covered the woman's head and body. It fell away, the beads clinking together as they met the silken bed sheets, leaving the skin bare and golden in the pale light of the single oil burner that lit the room. Her hair was parted and fell like a curtain across her slightly bent shoulders, leaving her back bare and concealing her face. Stirred already at the sight, Hephaestion gathered the heavy mass of hair in his hands and weaved it around one of his fists, leaving her no option but to turn her face towards him.
His shock at seeing the face staring back at him was so complete that he unconsciously pulled her hair hard in his haste to jump off the bed.
'Roxane?'
Her smile had always been charming yet it had never quite reached her blazing, almost accusatory eyes. Not so know, for they shone with mischief and it was obvious that the queen enjoyed the reaction she had elicited.
'What in Zeus' name are you doing here?' Hephaestion asked in a voice a little too shaky for his liking. He immediately checked himself and realized that he had been far too disrespectful. Still, he felt more than justified to question her presence in his quarters, especially since she was wearing nothing but a veil.
'What do you think I'm doing here, my husband's lover?' she said in her low, sensuous voice, her eyes boring into him with a force that Hephaestion hadn't even seen in her moments of wrath.
He looked away, angered and not daring to utter the stinging words he had on his tongue. Many times in the past, he'd had to remind himself that this woman, who obviously loathed him greatly for his absolute closeness to her husband, was, after all, his queen. But then, Alexander had never looked at him and Roxane as being equals and in spite of the knowledge - or maybe because of it - Hephaestion had failed every attempt to dislike her. She was endowed with a mind that rivalled that of many generals and had perfected her manners and knowledge of all required customs most admirably.
But this situation was far more than unwise and it would surely infuriate Alexander and result in a most precarious position for both the king's wife and his trusted friend.
'You cannot be here,' Hephaestion said in an urgent, muted tone. Already he felt like he was committing an illicit act.
'And why can I not be here?' Roxane asked with mock innocence, as if sitting cross-legged and naked on Hephaestion's bed was the most natural thing in the world. 'Alexander is most probably having the first taste of his new wife as we speak. I am lonely and he trusts you above everyone else. He would see nothing wrong with my being here.'
When he replied, Hephaestion's tone bore a sarcastic edge. 'Do you need me to tell you why it's wrong? Do you really need to hear that you've overstepped a boundary that could cause us all great harm?'
It was harsh and discourteous but it was the truth. Still, Hephaestion didn't really expect this to intimidate the queen.
'Do you find me lacking?' she asked, ignoring his words and raising to her knees in the middle of the bed. She tossed her long hair back and eyed him unabashedly, daring him to examine her or to move his eyes away.
There was no averting his eyes from such beauty and they both knew it. No man could take his eyes off the exquisite wife of Alexander. Jealous or desirous, all those who surrounded Alexander had been magnetized by Roxane's raw, uncompromising loveliness.
Hephaestion swallowed hard, trying in vain to stop his eyes from soaking in the perfection of her golden, oiled skin, the bold curve of her heavy bosom and the dark, most dangerous triangle of her womanhood.
He knew that it was a mistake and he tried to find words to push her away, but he discerned something in her manner that at once intrigued him and made her seem even more appealing in his eyes. She offered herself to him and even if that was not entirely surprising, the manner in which she knelt on his bed, her stance completely still, almost as a sacrifice, made her look exposed. It seemed that she held her breath and not a single muscle moved on her face. At that moment, Hephaestion felt her discomfort and loneliness.
'I do not find you lacking in any way, my queen,' Hephaestion said formally, bowing his head low and finally moving his gaze away. It was a gesture of pure reverence and not an admission of defeat.
'Strange that, of all those who are close to my husband, you are the only one who does not think so. I know what they say. Alexander's barren barbarian bride – that's what they call me, do they not?' she smiled gracefully as if the fact did not bother her one bit and Hephaestion could not help but admire her aplomb and self-control. Since the first day, she had had to deal with a great deal of animosity from Alexander's countrymen, yet she had conducted herself impeccably and had learned to play political games most skilfully since their return to Babylon.
'It is not my place to judge you or to question Alexander's choices,' Hephaestion replied in the same vein, raising his eyes to meet hers one more time.
'Yet you are the only one he will listen to.'
'I know that. But that doesn't mean that I make his choices for him.'
Roxane averted her eyes. Hephaestion knew that Alexander's decision to take another bride had been a blow to Roxane's pride as well as a possible shift in her position. It also meant that while she and Hephaestion had learned to grudgingly respect each other, the presence of an additional member of Alexander's family presented a challenge neither had desired, least of all Roxane.
'Have you asked yourself why he wasn't blessed with an heir yet?' Roxane probed softly.
'I have, of course,' Hephaestion replied evenly. 'But such is the design of the gods. I am sure it is not because you were not willing to give him one.'
'Spoken like a true diplomat,' she said lightly but her eyes bore a relentless glint. 'Have you not thought that it is maybe Alexander who cannot conceive?'
Hephaestion had been present when, in a moment of despair and self-doubt, Alexander himself had asked the same question, but he was not prepared to tell Roxane about her husband's misgivings or his fears.
'It would not matter if I asked myself that or not. I have neither a say in the matter - nor the power to make it happen.'
Even as the words spilled out of his mouth, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and Hephaestion's sharp mind grasped the concept. Surely, she didn't mean…. It would be more than an abomination. With amazing speed, the image of Roxane's vulnerability of moments ago replayed in his head. He had almost believed the queen vulnerable and had almost pitied her. When in truth, he had been played all along.
"Yes, you can have a say in the matter,' she sussured and her velvety voice sent cold shivers through his body. Yet after the second shock of the night wore off somewhat, he could hardly find it in him to fault her thinking.
'We both share Alexander's bed,' she spoke what was in his mind, 'albeit not at the same time. He loves you like he loves no other, as I've come to learn – and accept.' Here, Roxane stopped briefly, punctuating her words with a look that left no doubt as to her honesty. 'You are part of him just as much as he is part of you and not only because he wears the ring you gave him. And because of that, I see nothing wrong with going along with what I have in mind.'
'It is still a deception,' Hephaestion said thickly, 'and one that I could never agree to. I would sooner give up my life than deceive Alexander. And you have no right to ask that of me,' he concluded bitterly.
'I have a right to try and make certain that Alexander's heir is born and grows up to be his father's successor,' she spat. 'What if Alexander's new wife fails to provide an heir?'
'But what if your child turns out looking like me? Have you thought about that?' Hephaestion shot back. He couldn't believe that he was even debating this with Roxane, let alone that he hadn't tossed her and her outrageous scheme out already.
'As a matter of fact, I have thought about it,' Roxane said, her voice returned to calm. 'I have made certain enquiries and have learned that his mother Olympias has much the same colouring as you: light eyes, brown hair. A child who resembles his grandmother would not be unheard of. You know I speak the truth.'
In spite of not being able to argue, Hephaestion did not want to concede. She must have been planning this for a long time.
'You would have made a fine battle strategist,' he said instead. For the first time, Hephaestion had glimpsed beyond Roxane's mask. And he felt strangely comforted at the thought of a woman such as Roxane being Alexander's queen. She protected that which was hers with the ferocity of a lioness mauling any who approached her cubs.
But her vulnerability had returned and beyond the steel mask, Hephaestion saw her raw despair. A despair born out of ambition and pride but despair nevertheless. He thought about Alexander, growing old and possibly childless. They would not be young forever. They would certainly not always enjoy the power to rule the world as they did now. It would not be long before others will rise to claim the throne. Others who had rightful heirs. And their sacrifice, their years of fighting and travelling to the most forsaken places on earth would come to nothing. It would all turn to dust and their names would be forgotten. It was not what Alexander would want for himself. It was not what Hephaestion wanted for Alexander. If Roxane's ambition was needed to ensure that did not happen, then so be it.
'If you are concerned about Alexander growing jealous,' Roxane said, speaking Hephaestion's thoughts again, 'I must tell you this: a year ago I suggested that he invite you to share our bed. Do you know what he said?'
'I'm sure you won't spare me his answer,' Hephaestion said sarcastically. In truth, Roxane's words cut through him like a blade and his heart bled at the thought.
'He said that I was not to mention it again. He said that he himself would love to try but that he would not dare ask you something like that, for fear of hurting you.'
She crawled to the edge of the bed and rose to encircle him with her arms, pressing her full breasts against his chest. Hephaestion stared at her mouth as she deftly parted his robe and pushed it over his shoulders.
'Besides,' she purred seductively, 'how can you deny your queen?'
'It may not work,' was all Hephaestion could bring himself to say. He was defeated and he knew it.
'Tonight is all I ask. And tonight, of all nights, Alexander will not begrudge us our closeness.'
One month later, Alexander was mourning Hephaestion's untimely death. Mad with rage and the pain of his loss, he cornered Roxane in the women's quarters, screaming accusations at her and ready to spill her blood in sacrifice for his departed lover. But through the clamour of scampering servants, shattering furniture and cries of terror, he was lucky enough to discern the words that stayed his avenging hand:
'Alexander, please… I am with child.'
End