There was a great commotion in the camp. Hephaestion had been prepared to ignore the ramblings until he heard one of the archers say to a companion that the king was dead. In that moment all of the breath was stolen from his body and he staggered, his vision going suddenly dark. Composing himself quickly, Hephaestion rushed through the maze of tents to the area where Alexander's was located.

A crowd was gathered around Alexander's tent. Most of them were talking and Hephaestion could only hear disjointed voices, fragments of sentences that only added to his fear.

"... dead..."

"Dymnus was the one to plan it."

"One of his Companions..."

"... spies..."

"... knew he'd be vulnerable."

Hephaestion shoved his way through the crowd, desperate to see Alexander's body. He would not believe that his beloved friend was dead otherwise. He could not believe it. Alexander came from divine heritage. He could not be killed so easily by those who were supposed to be closest to him. He was not meant to share Philip's fate.

"Stand aside," Hephaestion growled as he forced his way between two infantry men.

Alerted to his presence now, a path was cleared for Hephaestion to the very entrance of Alexander's tent. Before he even reached the entrance, Hephaestion glared at the guards who stood on either side, daring them to deny him entrance. They merely inclined their heads, pulling back the edges of the tent flaps so that Hephaestion could enter unhindered.

There was no one in the smaller receiving room of the tent, but he could hear voices from within the bedchamber. Ptolemy, Cleitus, Cassander, Craterus, and a few others all speaking at once, but not the voice Hephaestion most wanted to hear.

"Enough!"

Alexander's frustrated shout came at the same moment Hephaestion burst into the bed chamber.

"Thank the gods," Hephaestion murmured, his eyes sliding shut as he recited a silent prayer. Eager as he was to reassure himself that his fried was unharmed, Hephaestion remained at the very edge of the group watching Alexander who was seated hunched forward on a stool.

"I will not have us jumping to conclusions," Alexander insisted, his voice strained and wary. "Proof is needed before he can be charged with anything."

"Then allow us to hunt out those truths," Ptolemy insisted as he paced behind Alexander. "If Philotas was involved I would know it. It is better to uncover his treachery now than allow him to make a second attempt on your life."

Hephaestion was startled by the accusations against Philotas. He had not had not thought him foolish enough for such an act. He had more to gain with Alexander alive than there would by his death. He was one of Alexander's closest intimates and would have become lord of a great territory. His future had been set and it was pure insanity for him to have thrown it away. So when Craterus and Coenus volunteered to be the ones to extract more information from Philotas, Hephaestion stepped forward as well.

For a moment it appeared as though Alexander would refuse him that right. The younger man stopped himself in time, aware that to do so would be an insult to Hephaestion. It would have been more troublesome in the long run for even if Alexander had denied him, Hephaestion would still have been a part of the torture of Philotas. Philotas had been one of them, trusted, and Hephaestion meant to make him aware of the magnitude of his transgression even if it meant drawing Alexander's disapproval down on himself.

So Hephaestion took part in torturing Philotas, taking his vengeance upon the man who had so nearly allowed Alexander to be taken from him. Laws be damned, had the conspiracy succeeded Hephaestion would have personally killed Philotas and any other who had had a hand in the murder.

With all of the activity it was not until after Philotas' execution that he found himself alone with Alexander. Envoys had already been sent to Parmenion to deal with his part in the plot, and it was simply a matter of waiting for news.

The instant they were alone, Alexander hurried across the space between them, his hands coming up to frame Hephaestion's cheeks. "I did not want you involved in this. Especially not in that."

Hephaestion brought his own hands up, placing them overtop of Alexander's. "Philotas risked your life. Involved in this plot or not, he risked your life by not reporting it and that is unacceptable."

"My dear Hephaestion," Alexander murmured affectionately, drawing the taller man's head forward to place a kiss to his forehead. "Would that you were ever by my side then no harm would ever befall me."

"That is a great burden to bear," Hephaestion sighed, a frown turning the corners of his lips. "And I fear that I would be unable to protect you from all threats. I am only one man."

"Yet you are a great man."

Hephaestion remained silent, but in his mind denied Alexander's words. The younger man did not view him as others did. Hephaestion knew that he was seen as nothing but a hanger on, one who used his relationship with Alexander to advance his career. He did not doubt that even some of those closest to them believed the very same thing. Philotas had been one such person and Hephaestion would add Craterus, Cassander and Cleitus to that list just as quickly. Craterus and Cleitus, though, had each earned their positions by being excellent fighters and defenders of Macedon. It was because he was Antipater's son that Cassander had been raised to his current rank so his words were of little consequence.

"You worry again," Alexander chided as he moved across the room to fill two goblets with wine.

"I cannot help it," Hephaestion defended himself. "I live in fear of the day when I will be told that you no longer walk this earth. You dream of such greatness and in all the legends the truly great men are always struck down in their prime. Look at Achilles, your ancestor. He was given a choice between a long, unremarkable life and one that was short and violent"

"And one in which his deeds would be remembered for thousands of years," Alexander finished for him, handing Hephaestion one of the cups.

Hephaestion stared into the depths of the goblet, watching his reflection ripple. "And while I wish you that everlasting glory, I am equally selfish as well for I would rather have you by my side until we are old men than share your exploits with the world."

"But with our glory we will live on forever, beyond this life."

Hephaestion raised his head and saw that Alexander had moved across the room and was seated upon the bed, his fingers ghosting over the surface of a box that Hephaestion knew very well.

"You are worthy of your heritage," he assured Alexander as he moved across the room so that he was standing before his friend. "But just remember how easily Achilles was struck down. Paris was not a threat but he was still able to kill Greece's greatest warrior."

"Philotas was never a threat to me."

"I will not argue with you about this," Hephaestion sighed, sliding his fingers through Alexander's bright hair. "Philotas has been dealt with. The others now know that you will not tolerate any disloyalty."

Alexander leaned into Hephaestion's touch, his lips curving upwards slightly. "At least I know that you will never betray me."

"Never."