Chapter nine
A mouth had passed and it was only a couple of hours till Alexander returned. It was also one month since the incident in the cell.
Hephaistion was stood in front of a mirror holding his chriton; his fingers were tracing the long scar across his abdomen deep in thought.
He jumped when he heard the door opening, thinking it was Alexander he quickly pulled himself together.
It was his page Hanos
"My Lord Alexander approaches." he said
"Thank you Hanos." Hephaistion replied
He turned back to the mirror and continued to trace the scar through the material.
"Something wrong my lord?" asked Hanos
Hephaistion nodded "Everything's Fine." he laid
He had lied to so many people in the last month to hide what he really felt that he had become good at it.
"Are you sure you seem a little distracted." continued Hanos
This time Hephaistion looked down at the scar and sighed "No really everything is fine."
At the moment Alexander walked through the door. He was still wearing his armour that was all dented and streaked with dirt. Hanos quickly bowed and left the room leaving Alexander and Hephaistion facing each other.
Alexander held out his hand and waited for Hephaistion to come to him, Hephaistion hesitated before going to him.
Alexander wrapped his arm tightly around Hephaistion and hugged him.
"Oh I've missed you so much." he said as he planted a kissed onto Hephaistion lips
"And I you." he replied
They pulled away and Alexander held Hephaistion by the shoulders something was wrong
"Is everything ok my love?" he asked
Hephaistion nodded "Yes." He said
There was that guilt feeling that he got each time he lied.
"Good."
Hephaistion found himself being pulled over to the bed and Alexander using his body to push him back so that he was laid on it. He tried to get up but Alexander pushed him back down, he undress Hephaistion then and worked out of his armour.
Hephaistion tried to speak but he was silent by another kiss. Alexander pulled Hephaistion's legs around his waist and entered him.
As Alexander fucked him harder then usual Hephaistion stared blankly at the ceiling and cut himself off, he could hear Alexander groaning above him and the sound of the headboard taking a rough handling as Alexander held on to it for support.
Another forceful thrust made him groan and dig his fingers into the cover on the bed Alexander came and then collapsed on to of Hephaistion.
Usually they would snuggle up but this time as soon as Alexander rolled off him, Hephaistion turned over so that his back to Alexander and press this face against the pillows to hide the tears as once more he was hit by a powerful flashback of him bent over the table powerless to stop what was happening.
Alexander watched as Hephaistion turned his back on him, he lent up on his elbow so that he could see Hephaistion's face. Hephaistion was staring straight ahead unblinking
"It was true wasn't it?" Alexander asked
He saw Hephaistion blink then squeeze his eyes shut then he licked his dry lip.
"Is it true?" Alexander asked again more firmly
He used Hephaistion's hipbone to roll him over more forcefully then he intended a small cry escape from Hephaistion's throat
"Tell me." Alexander demanded punching the pillow next to Hephaistion head.
Hephaistion flinched as his eyes became shiny once more he suddenly became very afraid of Alexander.
He slowly nodded "Yes." he said in a small voice
Alexander collapsed down on the bed as it finally came out. He slowly pulled himself up to look at Hephaistion who once more looking at the ceiling
"There was no sign," he said "I looked."
"The doctor knows how to make it look like nothing happen." Hephaistion replied a monotone voice
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" asked Alexander
Hephaistion shrugged "I don't know."
"You should have we made a promise remember no secrets between and you broke it." Alexander said disappointedly
Hephaistion mouth dropped open in surprise at the harness of Alexander's words he was about to speak but Alexander cut him off
"I asked you if it was true and you said no."
Hephaistion didn't know what to say so he said "I'm sorry."
"Your sorry you're sorry" Alexander said getting out of the bed and picking up Hephaistion discarded clothes and wrapping it around his waist "You lied Hephaistion and you know how much I hate liars."
As he turned to leave Hephaistion grabbed his wrist
"Please" he begged
Alexander unfastened his fingers and stared down at him with an angry and hurtful gaze before leaving.
Hephaistion felt like a knife had been plunged in to his heart and he couldn't breathe.
He curled up on the bed and cried, he cried until he felt so sick. He slid off the bed and on to the cold floor and hugged his knees; his thoughts were racing so fast he closed his eyes tight trying to stop them. He opened his eyes trying to look for something heavy to hit them out of his head but his eyes noticed the huge jug of wine over on the table, he crawled over to it and instead of pouring it out in to a goblet he picked up the jug and drank it stight down in one go, he called for his servant to bring him four more jugs no questions asked.
He drank one after the other and about half way through the fourth he passed out in a drunken stupor.
Over the next few days Hephaistion sank even lower in to depression. He would walk around in a daze during the day and drank himself in a stupor at night.
The one person he need wasn't there for him anymore. Thankful Alexander had not told the others why they were not speaking or anything else and for that Hephaistion was grateful.
He had tried speaking to Alexander when he was alone but Alexander refused to see him so he was turned away to exhausted to argue. He tried going to his secret garden but it was dead and bare and in the grip of winter.
The day came when he couldn't take anymore and wanted every thing to end.
Everyone was still asleep when Hephaistion woke, he wrote a quick goodbye letter to Alexander.
He down three jugs of wine and stumbled out of the palace.
Despite his drunken state he mounted his horse he know where he wanted to go and what he was going to.