Sleep was long in coming. It was not discomfort that kept Hephaistion from Morpheus' realm for he had slept in far worse conditions than a tent in the middle of the Persian Empire. There were scouts all about to protect their defenses, but still Hephaistion could find no rest.
Finally giving up on any pretense of sleep, Hephaistion rose from his bed, donning a chiton and a warm fur-lined cloak to protect him from the chill before leaving his tent. Almost immediately he noticed the glow that stained the near wall of Alexander's own tent, light seeping out of the thin cracks between the edges of hide. Wrapping his cloak tighter about his body, Hephaistion crossed the small distance that separated their tents, listening a moment before he slipped inside. He had no desire to witness his beloved coupling with the Persian eunuch, the knowledge that Bagoas often shared Alexander's bed troubling enough. This night there was only Alexander.
"It is a wonder that you still require the scroll," Hephaistion mused once he saw what activity kept his beloved awake. "I would wager that by now you know the tale better than Homer himself."
A slight flush tinged Alexander's cheeks but he did not look up from his copy of the Iliad. "It is not a matter of knowing the text. It is to see this tale written out centuries after the events have passed into legend. Do you think that one day people will look back upon our lives and wonder at the truth of our tale?"
"They wonder at our tale even now," Hephaistion was quick to say. "We are doing what no Greek before us has. The world will remember you forever and you will stand beside Achilles in the next life and be proud."
"And what of you, Hephaistion? Does Patroclus not deserve to stand beside Achilles?"
Smiling softly, Hephaistion inclined his head towards Alexander. "Patroclus would do as Achilles wishes. He has no other desire."
"Then Patroclus will ever stand beside Achilles because Achilles has no other wish," Alexander murmured, holding a hand out to his blue-eyed general.
After dropping his cloak, Hephaistion linked his fingers through Alexander's and allowed himself to be guided down onto the bed. The scroll was set aside moments before Hephaistion found himself sprawled next to Alexander on the simple camp bed. It was a testimony to their intimacy that they could fit comfortably together on so narrow a bed. Legs twisted together, arms wrapped around torsos and foreheads touched together, it was difficult to tell just whose body ended where.
"Achilles forgets that he would conquer the world," Hephaistion whispered, touching his fingertips to Alexander's cheek. "That wish overrides all others."
Alexander shook his head, the motion brushing his nose against Hephaistion's. "I swear to you that it does not. All of the glories in the world count for nothing if you are not by my side. This has ever been our dream, Hephaistion. Ours. We will pass into legend together, side by side just as Achilles and Patroclus did."
Alexander's eyes were wide, far seeing, even though he was looking directly into Hephaistion's face. The older man could only guess at what visions Alexander saw in his mind. The world never appeared in Alexander's mind the way it did in many others. Alexander only ever saw a world yet to be united with that which he already knew. Hephaistion himself only received glimpses of it on rare occasions, but he did not doubt that Alexander would see his dream realized and be worthy to stand alongside his ancestors.
