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 31

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"Bagoas, ssshhh, it'll be fine." Hephaestion said softly as he held the young man close to him. The fight he had been in with his fellow General had scared the slave immensely, thinking that he would lose his master and his lover. Now that he was safely in the arms of Hephaestion he started to relax, but he had not missed what the Macedonian King had said. That he should be brought back home… but his master wasn't coming with him. He couldn't let that happen.

"Master?" He whispered softly as his black eyes looked up, admiring the sculpted cheekbones of the young man, which still struck him as utterly beautiful, even after those months they had spent together. Reaching out a slender hand, he touched the small scar on the left cheek, caressing it softly. It made Hephaestion looked at him with an intensity he sometimes feared, but mostly loved.

"You can not stay here, Bagoas. It is too dangerous for you, you can't defend yourself." Hephaestion answered the unspoken question of the slave. Oh, it hurt him to let go of the young man, but he could not do anything else. Alexander had been right in that respect, he would not have a riot started amongst the soldiers because of one man. "You are going back home, there you will be well taken care of. I'll tell to the man who will replace me that he has to treat you well or that he will meet my sword."

"Why do you not come with me, master?" Bagoas dared to ask as he now reached out for the arms of the other, slender fingers wrapping around the forearms of the General. The Lord Amyntor which was no longer, shook his head a little sadly. Sapphire eyes glistened with unshed tears as he looked at his affectionate slave. No, not slave.. his servant. He had freed Bagoas such a long time ago that he had already forgotten why he was still with him. Because of Hephaestion himself.

"I will give you land, so that you can be a true free man. You can do good for yourself, get married and have a family."

Bagoas turned from him and shook his head. "How could I, when I am known as the whore of Lord Amyntor?" He whispered softly in defeat, which made the guilt of Hephaestion even greater. He held the young man to him and closed his eyes, the tight embrace meant to comfort the both of them.

Alexander opened the tent and stepped inside, finding both young man in their intimate position and feeling much like an intruder. He could not yell at either Bagoas nor Hephaestion for being like this, since it had been quite clear that the two of them were lovers. He had done the same with Cassander, so he was not one to lay the blame on another.

"Hephaestion."

At the soft whisper coming from him, the young General turned his head and blinked up surprised to him.

"Alexander… you told me to come to your tent. I would have been there."

"I know… I just thought it better to come here. How is he feeling?"

Bagoas had buried his head against the chest of the young man, not wanting to say a word to the one who was taking his master away from him, leaving him alone. Hephaestion sighed and nodded that the other would be alright.

"I can not let him go home. He would be scorned for the rest of his life. Let him stay." Hephaestion said towards Alexander then, almost demanding the other to do so. "He will remain my personal servant, he will be of no burden to you whatsoever." Alexander would just have to contain his jealousy and be content with the fact that he would have to share Hephaestion with another.

"If I grant you this, will you then stay with the army?"

"I will."

"Then so be it. Keep Bagoas with you for as long as you will." Alexander answered softly, eliciting a small smile from Hephaestion. The young man let go of his servant, who immediately backed away from the both of them, but was intensely happy that he would not be sent away again. He could stay with his master and serve him in any way he pleased. He did not want to give up the good life he lead now, nor the loving care of his master. He was so good to him.

"You may go, Bagoas."

"Thank you, my lord." He murmured before looking up to Alexander. "And thank you as well, Great King." He smiled gratefully, receiving a nod from the young man. As he left, he could make out the forms of both young men going close to one another. Ah, he would always have to share his master with another, but at least he would still have him.

Alexander stared at Hephaestion for a moment, before walking to him and simply embracing him, laying his head on the shoulder of the other young man. He did not want to be a King right now, but just a young man who loved another. It seemed that Hephaestion felt this as well and did not say a word, kissing his cheek. Standing in the middle of the tent, it seemed like there was no outside world for the moment, just the two of them in the middle of nowhere, trying to grasp what was left of their love… But they both knew that it was still there.

"I am sorry for how I behaved." Alexander whispered into the shoulder of his companion. "I should have let you decide for yourself if you would want to stay instead of forcing you. I just need you so badly."

"You will have me." Was the simple answer of Hephaestion, who cupped the cheeks of the young man before him and pressed soft lips to those of Alexander. The King answered by deepening it and wrapped his arms around the neck of Hephaestion, holding him. He gave a soft moan at the feeling and the love behind it. How glad he was that he was back in the arms of the one he was meant to be with. Even if it mean leaving behind what he had built up, it did not matter in the moment. He would remain Hephaestion for Alexander, Patroclus to his Achilles.

Letting go of his King, Hephaestion stared at him for a moment.

"Cassander?"

"He is himself, Hephaestion. I know that he has caused you pain, but he is confused himself. I have done this to him and I will take full blame. If you want to punish anyone, let it be me. He will never be more than a friend and a General to me."

"I should hate him for what he has done to me." Hephaestion murmured. "But I have you, I should not be vengeful." Dark eyes looked towards the young man and Alexander smiled at how forgiving and confident Hephaestion could be when he wanted to. "I warn you now, that if he tries to hurt Bagoas again, that he will suffer from my hand."

Although the name of Bagoas did not please him, Alexander understood. He knew that Hephaestion would do the same for him as well, if not even more. Tomorrow war would be at hand, and they would ride out together against Darius. He hesitated to tell this to the young man in front of him though, but he should. Undoing the rope from the cape of Hephaestion, he kissed the skin of his neck. The young man responded with a soft moan, but did not protest the ministrations.

"Will you come with me to the battlefield tomorrow?"

Hephaestion pushed him off softly and looked at him with investigating eyes.

"I told you once that you should not try to convince me in this manner."

"I am not trying to convince you… I am asking you if you would join me. I am fighting Darius tomorrow and I want you there with me. I will not force you…" Alexander trailed off before kissing the young man again. All he wanted was being near Hephaestion for as long as he could.

"I will come with you, there is no need to force me. I'll keep my promise." Hephaestion murmured softly before responding to the kiss and losing himself into the warmth that was Alexander. He was relieved that he could finally say that Queen Olympias did not need to worry about her son. Hephaestion would be there for Alexander, always. As he got lowered to the bed, he pulled Alexander with him. Hands remembered bodies and quite soon soft moans escaped them, mouths swallowing the sounds.

The next morning Alexander woke up with Hephaestion next to him, his arm slung over the others hips, his face buried into the long hair. Smiling softly, he kissed the other awake and dressed while the young man looked at him.

"I should go… the ceremony is early. All the soldiers are ready." He whispered to the still a bit dazed General, who nodded and pulled the other to him in a tender kiss. "Be careful." Hephaestion whispered, as he knew he would not see much of the other during the battle. Alexander nodded and embraced the naked form of his lover, before leaving the tent.

As the young King made the speech to his soldiers, Hephaestion was not truly listening. He merely wished this to be over, so that life could continue. Glancing towards Cassander, who did not spare him a second glance, he held his spear a little more tightly.

"For the glory! Of Greece!" Alexander shouted and galloped from one side of the army lines to the other, his sword touching the wooden spears, the men shouting their joy towards him. Hephaestion smiled at the reactions, knowing what Alexander was to them. The son of a god, their King… Alexander the Great.

As the army line moved, Alexander rode next to him and gave him a wink, touching his forearm briefly. Hephaestion nodded. "Charge!" He shouted as hard as he could, his scream being followed by multiple, as he and his King rode off to meet the legendary Darius.

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Nelia: Cassander can be a little bitch sometimes –grins-. But he is only human and that is what I wanted to show most. And I think he made some good points with Alexander. I hope you're satisfied with the conversation between Hephaestion and Alexander.

Kitten: Hehe, I'm glad that you agree. It would be unfair of Alexander, but it is known that he could be when he wanted to. He has been cruel enough though.

Queendel: You're right, Cassander makes entirely wrong assumptions concerning Hephaestion, but jealousy and bitterness feed his words. The soldiers don't look down upon Hephaestion, but Cassander does, in a way. On another moment, he would do anything to have him though. Concerning about 'Hephaestion to never be sure of Alexander's love'. He never ceased to have his doubts, but he is loyal unconditionally.

Baliansword: I hope you are happy with this Hephaestion. I know, it's difficult to hate certain characters and they completely love others, but it's their complexity which I like so much. It wouldn't be much of a story if Alexander was always gracious, Hephaestion compliant and Cassander the bad guy.

To all: As you might have noticed… this chapter is my grand finale. Yes, I decided to stop it here. There will be a short epilogue following this up, but I warn you now that there will be loose ends. I wanted a beautiful ending. Perhaps not how it is supposed to be in history, but this is my story… and my babies have come to the right place.