Cassander's Campaign Chapter 8: Wars Waged, an alexander fanfic

Title: "Cassander's Campaign"

Author: Baliansword

Chapter: 8, "Wars Waged"

A/N: Thank you everyone for your continued support. Alas, here is the next chapter. I know this is repetitive but forgive me for taking so long on updating! Enjoy and I look forward to your reviews and comments!

He looked up as he entered, setting down the scroll he held in his hand. He sat up just a bit straighter for look and cleared his throat. A smile spread across his lips when he saw the obvious pain in his eyes. Clearly he'd had some kind of lovers spat. It was best for him though, if Cassander angered Hephaestion. That would only bring him closer to getting what he desired. Cassander sat and withdrew from a small satin bag at his hip a golden right. He tossed it to Alexander, who caught it, and only folded his arms across his chest. Alexander looked at the ring, a bloodstain around it, and smiled all the more.

"You did well," Alexander said as he opened a drawer of his desk and shoved the ring inside. He closed the drawer. Cassander only waited for him to say more. He could sense that harsh words would soon come. Yet, at this moment, he'd rather have Alexander kill him then speak to him. Cassander blinked a few times, holding back tears, and wondered why he'd not died on this campaign. Why did Fate give him so much, only to take it away again?

"Explain to me," Cassander finally said as he leaned closer so that only Alexander would be able to hear him. He even spoke in Macedonian tongue, to make sure that if Bagoas was somewhere in the room he could not understand a word of it. "Why did you ask for him to be slain?"

"Cassander, these are the times of war. Do not ask for answers that you would not understand. He needed to be killed. You have done this for me. Now go, rest. I shall speak with you later."

"Tell me," Cassander said as he rose. He didn't wish to speak to Alexander anyway. If he'd not give him answers then he did not want them. Cassander glanced down at him, glossy tears threatening to spill over the brims of his eyes. For the first time he saw that perhaps Alexander was stronger than he was. Maybe he could handle the rejection that Cassander knew his could not. "How long did it take before he came to you?"

Alexander stared at him. He blinked for a moment, not sure what to say. If he wanted he could lie right now. He could force Cassander away from Hephaestion forever, just by saying a few words. Yet at the same time he'd grown up with Cassander, as well as Hephaestion, and could not blatantly lie to him. Well, he should have. But if he did it would have come back to haunt him someday in the future. Not to mention the fact that it was unfair to … Hephaestion. He could not lie to get Hephaestion back because he could not hold the only truthful man left in the world with a lie.

"He never came," Alexander whispered quietly. It almost pained him to say the words. Cassander looked down at him and Alexander pointed to the chair. He turned and leaned back in his chair. Cassander could now see only his profile and Alexander could see him only out of the corner of his eye. He'd been needing to have this talk with Cassander though. He'd needed it for some time. Now was the time, and since it was, he had to say it. Quickly he glanced over, then drew in a breath.

"Cassander," he began quietly. "You know more than any other that Hephaestion has a heart of gold. His soul is pure, like that of a god. That is what you call him isn't it? No, don't answer, for I already know. Hephaestion does not falter. He is loyal, to both you, and to I. Yet for the moment he is loyal to me as my Vizier. It is you that he is loyal to with his love, at least for the moment. While you were gone, he never came to me. He barely even looked at me Cassander. I saw him only at meetings, most of which I called, just so that I could see him. He loves us both but now in different ways."

"And you tell me this to drive the dagger deeper," Cassander asked, shaking his head. "Alexander, you've always been his love. I am your replacement and I've always known such. Yet I cannot loose him, not after coming this far. If I loose him then there is nothing in the world worth living for."

"Perhaps you should not loose him then. Hephaestion never directly tells you what he feels. Whatever has come between you in these few moments of time together should be overlooked, unless he said what I know you think he did. Trust me, he isn't giving you up. There is something else though, something that he needs to tell you."

"How do you know?"

"Because," Alexander said with a shrug, "I just know. I've been his friend for years, his king, and his lover. There are times when no matter how hard he tries to hide it his eyes give him away. When you left, he was sad, but he was still himself. Now there is something different about him and it is not just an emotion. Did you notice or were you too glad just to see him?"

Cassander thought for a moment. Perhaps he was right. There had been something different about him but he'd failed to even think it through. He'd failed to truly see him. Truth be known he was so tired and he wanted only to be near him. If there was something that had changed about him, something very important, he'd not noticed it. Cursing himself he tried to recall what had been different. Then, after some consideration, he thought of a few minor details that had seemed to change. Whether it was his mind playing tricks, he was not sure, but he voiced his concerns.

"He is thinner," Cassander began, still thinking of things. "His fingers trembled, but I don't think it was for something I'd said or done. He was, solemn. Yet for my life I can't imagine what…"

There was a pause. Alexander sat staring at a piece of canvas. It seemed as if there was a wine stain. Yet he couldn't remember drinking wine since Hephaestion had slowly begun to change. After a moment he heard the realization dawn on Cassander. He heard the other sit back, thinking hard, and then a small inhale of air. He turned, and faced Cassander, and gave him a brooding half smile. Cassander let a tear roll down his cheek. They'd seen it before, in Persia, and all across the Hindu Kush.

"No," Cassander whispered, looking down. He'd dug his nails into both of his palms. Relaxing his hands he opened his hands. Bloodied fingers were drawn away and only four deep lines of blood showed on both hands. Cassander wiped his hands on his thighs, thinking for some reason that would better the situation. Yet instead blood was smeared over his thighs. He looked down at his shaking hands, his mind racing, yet there were no real thoughts. The world seemed to have stopped and no matter what he tried to do no thoughts would come. He could not breathe, could not move, and surely did not know how to act. Alexander saw him, knowing he was as lost as he'd been if not more so, and stood. Coming across the table he knelt down in front of Cassander, who only shook his head when Alexander lifted his chin with a hand. Again he whispered a no but this time it was even softer than before. Denial was the stage he was in at the moment. Alexander smiled sadly and wrapped his arms around Cassander, who eventually threw his arms around Alexander as well, and bloodied his blond hair with his hands. Hephaestion, Grand Vizier of Alexander the Great, son of Amyntor, and companion to Cassander, who'd faced almost all of the fears of the world now had only one more challenge. He had to fight a failing immune system.

Neither Alexander nor Cassander could do anything to prevent what would happen next. It was a war that they could not fight with words. They could not fight it with weapons. And even though they'd tried before to fight this failure of immune systems with medicines from all over the world, they'd still not made a dent. Those that could not protect themselves died quickly. Shivering, feeling as if ice had claimed the world, Cassander clung to Alexander. It was easiest to hold your enemy and comfort him when you were loosing a neutral alliance. Cassander found this out then, but wished he never had.

Hephaestion tucked his legs under his chin and shook for a moment. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think of something besides the pain. Slowly he opened his eyes a pain gripped his body and reached over for his drink. He cursed in anger as he knocked the goblet over, his hand shaking terribly. Hephaestion moved back to the bed and tipped his head back. Cursing he let a tear roll down his cheek. It hurt more than anything he'd ever felt. His stomach hurt terribly and even though he tried not to eat, or drink, it still hurt. It was as if hands were pulling his chest in every direction. In silence he closed his eyes and held himself for a moment. But finally the cry of pain came and in an attempt to stand he fell to the ground.

He did not move for a moment. Instead, he let himself stretch out. He placed his forehead on the dirt, and for some reason he was more comfortable here. Tears streamed down his face and he curled into a ball, holding his chest as if something were trying to tear its way out of him. Hephaestion convulsed for a moment and pushed himself up before vomiting. He coughed first, his throat seemingly dry, but then came anything and everything in his stomach. The retching hurt more than anything else did. He knew what was happening, and knew that until he saw blood he would be fine. Glancing down, even though it disturbed him slightly, he noted that there was no blood.

Looking up as the tent flap opened he saw Cassander enter. Cassander shut the flap as he entered, tears still streaking his face, and he came closer. He dropped down next to him, minding nothing about the situation, and threw his arms around Hephaestion. Hephaestion let him hold him but eventually he turned to the side, trying to push Cassander away while doing so, and again vomited. Cassander did not mind though and instead continued to hold him as he did so. He pulled his hair back and rubbed his back tenderly. Upon finishing Cassander wiped the corners of his mouth and Hephaestion was too weak to protest.

"Cass," he whispered, feeling like death would be welcome at the moment. He looked up at him, eyes reddened, face thinner than it had been. Cassander smiled down at him, kissing his forehead. Never had he seen Cassander cry as he did now, but for him he knew, Cassander kept his tears held back. Hephaestion looked at him, world spinning, and said it honestly. "Cass, I don't want you to see me like this."

"Like what," Cassander asked as he wiped the tears away from under Hephaestion's eyes. His own tears were about to flow. His lower lip trembled and almost all of his body shook. His teeth clattered together as he tried to steady his jaw. He stared at the cerulean eyes that he'd never forgotten. "You look the same to me as you always have. Beautiful."

He sat on the rock without moving, eyes like a cat, body as unmoving as the stone he was upon. His eyes were focused and he did not move them. Even as a light rain began to pour from the sky he continued to stare. Black beady eyes only stared back at him, wondering if he was watching still. A slick forked tongue slid out of the serpent's mouth but still he did not move. It was a contest between the two, one in which neither moved nor blinked, but simply sat. One was a snake, the other closer to a predatory panther than anything else in the world. It had been hours of sitting like this and both were tired and needed to move. Yet it would come down to which moved first. It was the snake.

Bagoas leapt forward, body not even aching from sitting so long. He'd learned many physical things under Darius and Alexander alike. Being a slave made it easy to go from sitting for hours to rushing about. Lunging, he grabbed the snake by the tail as it tried to dart under a shrub of some sort. It's head whipped around and the serpent tried to strike him. Bagoas only grabbed it as if he'd hunted snakes all of his life. Taking his prize, he stood, the snake still trying to escape in his grasp. It was a rather cute black snake, scales smooth, and eyes just as black as its body. Smiling, Bagoas took it back to Alexander's tent.

Opening the small basket Alexander had provided he put the snake in. Glancing up Alexander nodded. Bagoas lifted the basket and set it on the table before Alexander. He then left, knowing precisely what Alexander planned to do. His king took the snake out of the basket while he left, knowing how poisonous the snake really was. The snake showed its fangs as he held it and Alexander hissed back at it. He held the snake then over a cup and let its venom drip into the wine. As soon as he was done with the snake he placed it in the basket and tossed the basket onto the fire outside of his tent. It would be unfair to release it, since it could no longer defend itself. Much like it would be unfair to let Hephaestion waste away in pain.