Title: Royal Slave

Author: Adsagsona

Type: Romance/Drama

Rating: R

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: Slash.

Beta: None.

Pairing: Alexander/Hephaestion

Archive: Right here.

Author's Note: This is a sequel to the story 'By my side'. AU, Hephaestion has come to Philips court as a slave, but found a place as the loyal companion of Alexander.

Summary: Alexanders army stumbles upon the land of Lord Amyntor. Suddenly Hephaestion reacts strangely and reveals something about himself which had not been forseen.

Royal slave – Chapter 30

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Inside of the tent, Cassander defied his King by pulling himself loose with a force that neither of them knew he possessed. With blazing eyes he turned towards Alexander, whose anger seemed to fade away at the pure fury the young General had become. Dark hair flowed about his face at his sudden movements, hands gripped tightly into fists as he glared at his King, stepping away from him as he did so.

"You didn't have any right to interfere! This is between me and Hephaestion."

"Take your childish quarrels outside the campment then. I will not have my soldiers start a riot amongst them. We have greater enemies to overcome." Alexander entered in an equal tone, although he was beginning to waver. He had no idea how badly he had hurt Cassander just by turning him away.

"Childish! You dare to call me childish." The General uttered in pure disgust as he looked upon his King. "You who goes running towards his former lover when his name is but merely mentioned in the camp. One who doesn't even need you anymore! Don't you see it, Alexander, he has used you and now he refuses you. He has his own slave now to tend to. How ironic, isn't it?"

"It's not like that."

"No?" Cassander asked as he raised a quizzical eyebrow, a look of contempt on his face, crossing his arms over his chest. "Oh, he greeted you with kisses, that is something I do not doubt. But he would not come back to you, would he? He would have returned with his Bagoas, towards his fortress, where he was unreachable to you. Why would you do anything to get back to him? He is not worth it, he is just another man!"

Alexander knew that he was being unfair to Cassander, but he could not explain why he needed Hephaestion so badly. The young General was not free of guilt either, he who had thrown himself at him when his need was most dire, who thought he could enter the royal realm without too much of an effort, simply giving his body to his King.

"He is Hephaestion." He mumbled softly.

"Always Hephaestion." Cassander sighed in an exasperated voice as he lifted his hands towards the sky and then pushed Alexander away from him. "Go to him then, your Hephaestion, if you want him so badly. Follow him towards his fortress, renounce your throne! But no, you have too much ambition for that, for you are Alexander the Great. Such a hypocrite you are."

Every word hit home and Alexander gritted his teeth at the insults. Glaring at Cassander, he pointed one single finger towards him for a moment and shook his head.

"Don't think yourself almighty." He grumbled. "I know why you have come to my bed and it was not my love that you sought. You wanted power and you thought that with Hephaestion out of the way, you would be granted it. How badly did it sting, Cassander, that the position of Hephaestion was not one of power? That he merely stayed with me because he wanted to, because there was nothing to gain?"

"You trusted him." Cassander now said softly as he shook his head, swallowing the threatening tears away and looking away from his King. Ah, what sadness was gathered in this single tent. But Alexander knew that he could not make it better for his General. He would not lie anymore, proclaim his love for someone he merely saw as a friend. His true love was waiting for him and he wanted him, no other.

"And I trust you, Cassander." He answered in the same soft tone as the other had used. "You are one of my best Generals, I have trusted Hephaestion into your hands over and over again during the last campaigns. Would I do that if I didn't trust you?"

He came closer towards the young man and laid his hands on the others shoulders, embracing the youth and keeping him close. The other reluctantly let himself be held and listened to the words without really listening to the reason behind it. He was being rejected as a lover, but he still had the trust of his King, even after what he had done tonight. He had fought against Hephaestion and still Alexander was holding him in his arms.

"Why, Alexander… please, tell me why?" He asked then as he tilted his head up and looked into the dark eyes of his King, who silently shook his head. Why couldn't he pose these kind of questions, were they still too difficult? But the King thought about this and held the young man at arms length.

"I have wronged you. I should not have turned to you after Hephaestion left me… I should have taken someone not so dear to me as you." Alexander whispered softly before kissing Cassander on the cheek. "Do not blame him for my feelings… if anyone ,blame me." The young General nodded at the words.

"Don't let him get in my way, Alexander, or someone might get hurt."

"Cassander…"

"No, I mean it." The young man said as he pulled away from his King and shook his head. "There is much I can do in your honour, Alexander, even forget about this and what has happened between us, but I do not forgive someone like him. Hephaestion is not worthy of a place in this army, even if you think he is."

"He is as much a General as you."

"For the men he will remain the slave you have brought into this army." Cassander answered quite calmly now, which frightened Alexander more than the anger of before. "I know that he can fight, I have seen it… but unless you prove to your soldiers that he is worth more, he will stay a slave."

"But…"

Cassander smiled sadly and shook his head.

"No more, please. Go to him, Alexander, and leave me be." With that he turned away from his King, a deed which few people even dared, but which Cassander did not even think twice about. This was not his King he was turning his back to, but a friend who had betrayed him. With a soft sigh Alexander walked out of the tent and towards the one of Hephaestion.

Not knowing what he might find there, he braced himself for the argument which was about to come. Hephaestion would probably demand of him that he would imprison Cassander, or worse. That precious Bagoas… somewhere he felt glad that the young man had the scare of his life. Now he knew what Alexander had suffered all of that time that he was not in his sight. Would he understand?

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Queendel: Alexander will never be truly sure of Hephaestion's love again. And Cassander's loyalty… well, that seems questionable as well.

Kitten: Yeah, nice to see that they still care for each other. As for Cassander's punishment. –winks-

Nelia: -grins- I love making people squeal.

Baliansword: Ah, maybe not what you expected, but I hope you still like it.