Author: Dysis Nyx
Note From Author: This is probably my weakest chapter since it is the linking chapter with the beginning two chapters and ending three chapters. It still ranks up with the quality of the others, but I still love chapter one best out of all of them.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of "Alexander". For if I did I would truly enjoy my company with Hephaistion. That man is the sexiest...clears throat...I mean he is a respectable, good-looking, talented actor who I respect for his abilities...yes, abilities. Just joking, but I do think he is hot, extremely hot.
Babylon / garden palace
two days later
The goblet shattered the very instant it hit the wall from Alexander's toss. As he stared into the oblivion collecting his thoughts he was seething. His chest rose and fall dramatically. He teeth clenched as he held back all the words spewing inside him.
He knew he had to hold his words because the slightest slip-up and he could cost Hephaistion's life. Although, needless to say, the room was filled with a new silence. Every person in there stopped dead and looked at Alexander, but only for second. They turned away just as quickly as they had stared. They knew the longer they looked the more unwanted attention their king received.
Honestly, Alexander had not been trying to cause a spectacle. Cleitus's words had just made him very angry, very fast. And now Ptolemy was indeed trying to fix what he had said. "Listen, my king, there may not be word of anything around the palace, but we have spies in the streets as we speak."
"It has been two days since this disappearance! We have conquered lands from far! And yet we cannot track a band of criminals with fifteen or more of our men in one city? Is this what you all are telling me with you silenced incompetence?"
Yet again they were stricken with a hushed silence among them. All, except Cleitus seemed ashamed of their current failure. The smile on his face was arrogant and very amused as he smirked at Alexander. "What is the rush, Alexander? Does your bed grow cold at night? No disrespect, but if it had not been Hephaistion in the party taken you would not have been this enraged. It would have been passed off as another matter."
Never had one of his most trusted men commented so. Cleitus had always been bold, but never insolent. The talk about Hephaistion had never even evolved to that. It was a thought by a few, all who knew the consequences if they made their thoughts voiced. On the edge that Alexander was in, he was no mindset for Cleitus today.
Without a single thought his hand had found Cleitus's throat and pinned him to a nearby wall. His face got within inches as he hissed, "I grow tired of your insolence, Cleitus. My father may have dealt with your impudence, but I will not."
"You need to get ahold of yourself, Alexander."
Quickly, trying to pull him off Ptolemy chimed in, "I agree, Alexander. This is not the time or place. Once you calm down, we can deal with Cleitus."
A few followed as Alexander billowed off to blow off his steam. Only Cleitus, Cassander, and some other random bystanders remained.
Looking over at the looming man Cleitus glared. Again Cassander greeted him with an evil smile as he laughed, "Every day passes and his trust for you dwindles. Does this infuriate you even more, Cleitus?"
"Prepare yourself, Cassander, you are making some new friends and some new enemies."
As the more fearsome man left Cassander was left their to contemplate. The last thing he called out was "Yes, Cleitus, I am trembling as we speak."
He muttered turning sharply "Just try something, my friend. We shall see who has the real upperhand in the situation."
somewhere in Babylon
current
It had been two days in this cellar and Hephaistion was anything, but pleased.
The flies lingered around him and his men like the stink on a dead pig. After two days down in this place the men were getting very anxious and argumentative. This not being the best route when all Hephaistion was trying to do was keep them alive till Alexander came. The question was though how long that would be.
As soon as Hephaistion was just about to drift off and away into daydreams Dianthe came running down into the cellar crying.
She immediately threw herself down onto her knees to Hephaistion's level. Her eyes were clouded with panic and repentance. Her voce quickly stammered "I-I am sorry for whatever pain I have c-c-caused you, but this new offense may rightly ruin everything for you. Alexander will never take you now."
"I must admit I would give great deal just to see his face. He is a strong, striking man and I thank the gods every day that I have the chance to serve."
"He is the only one you think of. I can understand that. He is the only one you dream of. Whenever he leaves you lose a part of yourself. It feels that your heart has been torn open and the gods have personally planted them there."
A pause lingered between because while Hephaistion agreed with her, Dianthe was not talking about Alexander and himself. After these two days had passed he had learned that his dear little friend loved his attacker, Altair, with all her heart. This fact killed her inside, because while the man claimed to love her too, he was endlessly loyal to her father.
Finally she sniffled heavily and blurted "I am to say the child I carry is yours. Those are the orders from my father, which come from the people who hired us. It is Altair's child, but I am to say it is yours."
Time seemed to pause as the plan for him came together. Rumors would spread through as soon as he returned. He and Alexander had dealt with so much together and still come out strong. Only two other people knew of their devotion to one another, everyone else it was an unsaid hunch. He thought back on the first person to find out and the result of that incident. Him and his Alexander had prevailed above her, despite his own uncertainties. That unforgettable night of Alexander's wedding to Roxane.
Balkh, Bactria
flashback-night after Alexander's wedding
He laid there in his room just staring up at the ceiling with his strong hands behind his head. This was one day that had not gone on like he had hoped. Then what had Hephaistion expected? Did he expect Alexander to suddenly stop the wedding? Or even when Roxane disrupted them, to kick her back out till their conversation was finished? No, he didn't know what it was he wanted.
There! Another lie popping into his head. He knew what he wanted. What Hephaistion wanted was for Alexander to silently burst through his bedroom doors and tell him those same words he said on the balcony in Babylon. Remembering those few years ago made him give a quick smile.
He wanted to hear those words that he was the only one he trusted. That he, Hephaistion, was the love of Alexander. He longed to know that he still held a large place in Alexander's heart.
Suddenly, as if out of nowhere the doors to his room slowly opened, then shut even quieter than they opened.
He sat up onto his elbows to see Alexander standing by the door bare-chested and breathing heavily. Both hearts were pounding as both men remained silenced for some time staring at eachother in a heated battle of burning desire. The room almost crackled around them as neither said anything for some time, but just stared deep into the other's eyes.
Finally Hephaistion found the use of his tongue again and started, "Alexander, what are you-"
Faster than he would have thought Alexander had strided over to Hephaistion's side and covered Hephaistion's words with his golden hand. His eyes caught the man's once more and said with an ackward desperation and a boldness that was only Alexander's, "My wife is a sleep, but now is not the time to talk Hephaistion. No words..."
With a severely virile touch Alexander led his other hand explore the back of Hephaistion's neck. Shortly after the other hand released his mouth to join its place on the back of the neck. He pulled his companion's head to his where their foreheads rested upon eachother. The stress was clear in Alexander's face as he closed his eyes and sat their with the best man he could think of.
As much as Hephaistion was enjoying the intimacy being shared by the two of them, Alexander was in pain. He could not let him go through this when he himself hated feeling as though the Fates were against him. Carefully, boldly Hephaistion said, "We need to talk, Alexander. Something is bothering you. You need not feel any obligation to be here. If Roxane is what you want, then go to her?"
"It is Roxane and yet it is not. She is the exact likeness of my mother. My bride is the mirror stand in for the woman I so loathe."
So the true issue was out. Alexander was here to get comfort, not settle things, even if he didn't do it purposely. "You married Roxane because you loved her and she will give you a great son. a son that so deserves you as his father."
"By the gods! I do not love Roxane!"
The golden king had now left Hephaistion's side to pace around the room to relinquish his newfound anger and hatred for Hephaistion.
While he thought in his thoughts he hated him something inside prevented the emotion from being carried out. This just made him even more upset that this man could hold such a high place with him. He bellowed loudly, "I desire a son, not a bedmate with a woman that so mockingly reminds me of my mother, Olympias, for which you know I hate."
"You hate her because she killed your father. If that is the case, then do you hate me for crowning you that day?"
There in that moment Alexander looked back at Hephaistion with sincere repentance in his eyes "If anyone was to crown me that day it would have been you, no other would be permitted. It is not Roxane I love, Hephaistion, but you. That is why I came to you tonight, not to argue."
Hephaistion looked down at Alexander's face, who had taken to kneeling in front of Hephaistion. As he finished his words he looked even harder into Hephaistion's cerulean eyes, "I needed us to finish what we had started. I could not do that with Roxane as...wakeful as she was. Tell me what is needed to say and I will say it."
A confident smile crossed Hephaistion's face as his hand traced the sides of Alexander's face. "It is already been said,...Alexander."
Alexander's Bedroom
current
Alexander dipped his hands into the basin and cupped water into them. The water cooled his heated face. The altercation with Cleitus had provoked that side of him that he so wished to keep a reign on. He had been keeping that stallion reined as best as he could these past few days. What more could anyone ask of him? He childhood friend, his best friend, his most trusted general,...his Hephaistion was taken from him. His insides were twisting and burning as the minutes passed.
Looking up from the basin to check his reflection in the gold platter the Bagoas held up for him Alexander sighed with that virile masculinity he gave off. Before he knew it the words just spit out of his mouth "I will find him, Bagoas. Even it means the hatred of every man, woman, and child in this city. As long as I find him."
Like usual there was no response, but something flickered in Bagoas's eyes. Alexander noticed that flash. This made him smile for once. He slunk over to Bagoas's side and whispered, "Does that shock you? Anger you? Or do you not even care? You overheard us that night on the balcony years ago, didn't you? No use denying it. I dismissed you, but you listened in on us. Then as soon as we started to come in you snuck back out."
The tone in his voice and the look on Alexander's face turned almost lethal with anger. "If you really want to know so bad. Yes, Bagoas, Hephaistion is a much better lover than you. Why? Well, the answer is simple. Get this and listen well, my friend."
He quickly pinned Bagoas to a nearby pillar and his hand clutched close to the boy's throat. He hissed into his face noxiously, "Jealously is one luxury you are not permitted, especially when Hephaistion is kidnapped and it is because of someone in my confidence's fault."
Throwing his grip from the boy he tossed him to the ground. His back was turned on him as he breathed through his teeth, "You are dismissed for the evening, Bagoas."
As soon as he tried to leave Alexander added just as Bagoas reached the door "Oh and, Bagoas, certain things are better with the ones we love. Perhaps you will receive this knowledge some day. Or are eunuchs not given this liberty?"
Without another look or word Bagoas was out the door on an obedient note.
The more he thought about it, the more Alexander realized what he really felt inside. After making his way back to his bed, Alexander through his weary body onto it with a thunk. His thoughts were scrambled around with possibilities and places and certain groups. All having the same probabilities of having Hephaistion. Just as he was about to drift off Alexander thought aloud, "I think there is a possibility that my feelings for...him may very well be...the very same...as..."
Alexander fell as his nights all had happened. For the past few nights all of them had been spent alone. No one seemed to appeal to him. Not Roxane, not Bagoas, none of the harem, no one. His one desire was for the safety of Hephaistion...and the other men, of course. They were the main reason he was such in a rush. The men, not Hephaistion, the men. Or at least that is what Alexander told the other men and himself.
somewhere unknown in Babylon
current
Once again the doors to the cellar opened. They opened to let in more light and relief of fresh air, or as fresh as they could get. The view let in shapes of people and with them their problems. From what Hephaistion could see Anker was leading the pack with two women and a cloaked man with Dianthe bringing the back up.
The men were groggy and choleric, while some had given up all common courtesies. Who could blame any of them in that situation? Surely, not Hephaistion. He watched his men with a new pain in his heart. The deep feeling of betrayal lingered around like an old heart-break.
When Hephaistion looked up the cloaked woman was in front of him. She was walking next to Anker's wife, Chruse. The cloaked man remained behind her and was still unknown to Hephaistion. His name was the mystery still to be learned. The woman was a different story.
Dianthe had informed him of her name since she told Anker and the rest of them her name with a vow of secrecy.
Now as she stood there with a smile of all evil being the only sight from under the hood did Hephaistion gather the courage to do what he would have never dared before. He spoke to the covered woman with confidence. He said but two words to her and only they packed the most power in them. "Hello, Roxane."
to be continued