Title: By my side (9 of ?)
Author: Adsagsona
Type: Romance
Rating: PG – PG 13
Disclaimer: Nothing about the movieverse Alexander belongs to me, I don't own a thing, sadly enough. I believe the real Alexander the Great and his companions belong to history and themselves.
Warnings: -gaspeth- Angst.
Beta: None.
Pairing: Alexander/Hephaestion
Archive: Note: It is a slight AU from the Alexander movie verse. Hephaestion is not the son of Lord Amyntor, but a slave.
Spoilers: For 'Alexander'
Summary: At a young age, a slave gets captured by the soldiers of Philip. Alexander needs someone to wrestle with, because his friends always let him win. Too stubborn for his own good, the slave causes problems.
By my side – Chapter 9
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Alexander returned to his room in deep thought. The words of his mother had cut him deep, but they were true. Why would a slave want anything to do with a prince, except when they were ordered? Especially a proud young man like Hephaestion? He had never wanted to be any mans posession.
He stood in his own room without even realising that he had shut the door behind him. The young Prince frowned as he discovered the disarray in it. Like somebody had been searching for something. Would his fear prove to be true?
"Hephaestion!"
The call echoed against the wall, but he got no reply. He could not have gone far, seeing as the palace guards knew him and would not let him go past the garden. Walking into his main bedroom, everything seemed to be in place, although he kept most of his valuables here. Hephaestion knew this, he could have put them there himself. Alexander trusted his slave to that extent even.
"Hephaestion!"
Again there came no answer and the Prince was now truly worried. He turned directly towards the door, where he spoke to a guard. The man had been assigned to stand guard during most of the day, until another took his place. The two men were always the same and knew the regular visitors to their Prince.
"Has Hephaestion been here?"
"My Prince?"
"You know very well of whom I am talking. The young slave I brought with me from Mieza. He normally would have been here the entire day, but I have not seen him."
"I'm sorry, my Prince, I have not see anyone. He has not arrived or gone away during my watch."
Alexander was suspecting he was lying, but he could not prove it. Gesturing towards the guard to leave it as it were, he walked through the corridor and to the palace gardens. He had no idea where Hephaestion could have gone, as he had been assigned the small room next to the large one of his Prince. Alexanders nurse of his childhood used to live there, but she had been provided with other apartments. Leaning on the lower walls of the gardens he tried to think.
"Alexander!"
It was one of his closest friends, Ptolemy, who shouted at him from afar. Giving a slight wave, the young prince waited for his friend to arrive, who did so in a hurry. "Alexander, did you slave do anything wrong? I was just wondering because you seemed so fond of him." Not that it was any of his business, but Ptolemy had always been on the curious side. He knew that Alexander thought of him as almost a brother and would not punish him for his words.
The reaction was not what he had anticipated. The young man was grasped at his leather armour which he had been wearing for the lessons. Alexanders eyes darkened dangerously and his voice came through in a low hiss.
"Where have you seen him? Tell me!"
"Two soldiers dragged him away to the slave quarters. I thought it was your bidding."
"It wasn't."
He let go of Ptolemy and apologised shortly. It was not the fault of his friend and he had learned early in life that a good ruler should make right for his mistakes, although he did not always need to acknowledge them, certainly not in public.
"I have been betrayed."
"By whom, my Prince? That person will pay for it with its life!"
"No, Ptolemy." Alexander now said quietly as his anger had subsided temporarily. He would not tell his suspicions to his friend, that his mother was behind all of this. She had not trusted Hephaestion and probably wished him dead. He would see to it that the young slave got his rightful place back and let the world know that Alexander would stand for his safety.
"Take me to the slave quarters, Ptolemy, where you have seen him."
Ptolemy nodded and walked swiftly towards he quarters where Hephaestion had been brought to. As the both of them arrived there, nobody had seen the young slave. This time Alexander did not control his temper like with Ptolemy. These people had often seen him in his worst state, but it did not matter. He was their Prince.
"Bring him to me. Now!"
"My Prince, there is nothing… We thought…"
"You people are not supposed to think! You just follow orders! Take me inside, now!" Young as he was, he had the voice to order someone. Although the guard at the quarters was twice as large, he would not dream of going against the Prince in fear of severe punishment.
Letting Alexander in, closely followed by Ptolemy, who took his task very seriously. Looking around for any possible attackers, he found none. The slaves all seemed subdued and scared that one of the royal family would actually visit them.
"Where is he?"
Ptolemy looked around as well, not finding the slave Alexander wanted so badly. Finding someone with longer hair, he walked closer but found a woman in stead of the young man. Far away, to the wall of the large common room, curled into a ball with his back to the crowd. The clothing he wore was more than simple, nothing more than a rag which obviously had been given to him upon entrance.
"Alexander." Ptolemy nodded towards the figure as the Prince hurried towards the youngling and indeed found his precious Hephaestion. The blue eyes he admired so much were closed tightly, as if the young man did not want to see the world around him.
"Hephaestion?"
This was what the young man had feared. That all that he had built with the slave, that careful relationship which had taken so many days to even start, would now end by the cause of another. Of someone who meant to think it was better for them.
His mother did not know Hephaestion. His mother did not even know Alexander.
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Nelia: In this chapter… you're wrong. It's not Alex who hurts Hephaestion.
Xzanayu: Of course! –grins-
Lexy: Thank you, luv! I am always trying. And I fear this will hurt you a little, but I promise I'll make it better.
Josephine: Angst, luv!