Bagoas stared at his face in the round mirror. He was in his own room. It was not more then a small chamber, with a bed, a closet and a mirror, no windows. It had one door to the corridor, always securely locked, and one to the former king Darius' bedroom, always open. That way he could always have been there when the king had wanted anything of him, whether as personal servant, pet, or plaything. He averted his eyes from the ones staring back at him from the mirror, moved a lock of his long pitch black hair out of his face, and stepped into the king's bedroom. Darius, his personal torturer, was gone. Now there was this Alexander.

He quietly moved through the royal bedchamber and slipped outside, into the corridor. Perhaps, if he would join the other eunuchs in their rooms, this new king would not require these services of him. Would not know his existence. Even after what happened this afternoon. But there was a good chance the others would not even let him, as the king's lover boy was never loved among the other slaves. He didn't know them. King Darius was all he had known for the past two years. And now… there was this Alexander.

How could he have known that the one staring at him was not Alexander? He had been tall, handsome, radiating calm authority. He had not the submissive look over him that the others had. At the moment he had met the man's gaze, his heart had leaped. Those blue eyes were new to him, and the look in them had moved his nerves right down to his stomach. All else had disappeared. And when the princess had realised her mistake, Bagoas himself had not fully realised his. That only happened when his eyes met those of the real king, the real Alexander, and he had wondered if he would even live the night. And that while for the first time in his life he felt he had to live. The blue-eyed one… he was too, Alexander. There had been no mistaken in the king's gaze. Blue Eyes was his.

Bagoas was shocked back to the present by a hand on his shoulder, and his first instinct was to jump backwards. Then he saw the other's eyes, and a shudder passed down his back. How easily he had learned to hide hurt, fear, anger, shame, but he felt open and vulnerable as his heart drowned in these pools of compassion. They were outlined by black kohl, which made their fierceness even greater. He quickly averted his gaze, but his breathing still came in short gasps and his throat felt dry.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to startle you," Blue Eyes said, sounding little surprised. "There is no need to fear me."

Bagoas swallowed and tried to regain his self-control. The man had thought his reaction to be fear. He couldn't stop himself from looking up, up into those blue skies. "I am not frightened, my lord."

Blue Eyes was quiet for a moment, and Bagoas could almost feel his gaze sliding over his skin. He quickly looked down to the ground. A vision of himself sprawled out naked beneath those eyes flashed in front of his vision, and he tried to hold back the gasp that almost escaped him. He unconsciously wetted his lips with his tongue, waiting for Blue Eyes to speak, or do anything – anything he wanted.

"What is your name?" Blue Eyes' voice was soft.

Bagoas' heart skipped a beat. "Bagoas, my lord."

"I am not your lord, Bagoas." He felt Blue Eyes' finger under his chin, and it gently lifted his head until he could not avoid looking at that face again. There was a smile on it. "King Alexander is your Lord."

It was hard to even speak while his hand was there. Was Blue Eyes going to kiss him? "You, too, are Alexander," Bagoas breathed.

Blue Eyes removed his hand from under his chin. "Yet I am also Hephaistion. You may call me that."

So that was the name that belonged to this magical man. "Hephaistion," Bagoas spoke softly.

Suddenly worry showed in the other's eyes, and he stepped back. "How old are you?"

"I – I don't know," Bagoas stammered, surprised.

"I will see to it you will be free."

Bagoas now stared at Hephaistion openly. Freedom? "Lord… Hephaistion…" He swallowed. "I am free. I have nowhere to go. I will stay here. I was born to be a servant, I can't do anything else." And with all the courage he had he moved away from this strange man, down the corridor, away to invisibility.

TBC

A/N: Don't forget to review, it's important to me! (as it is to all writers I suppose…)