Title: "The Psychology of Chaeronea"

Author: Baliansword

Type: Story

Chapter: 4, "The Costume and the Apology"

Rating: T for Teen

Warnings: Some violent content, some sexual content.

Summary: Alexander and Hephaestion fight in their first major battle, however, sometimes the battle with what you have done is worse than the battle itself. Hephaestion angers Alexander in a rather interesting way, and then has to make it up to him.

A/N: Again, thank you guys for the reviews. They are very enjoyable. Sorry for the long delay. No, I have no idea where this idea came from…..

Dedication: For Mary, and Sushoo.

H/N: The Battle of Chaeronea was the first battle that Alexander and Hephaestion, as well as the rest of their young friends, fought in. I've done other stories about it, but this seems pretty cool too. Alexander would have been 16 and Hephaestion would have been 17, in case anyone needs to know.

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He sat still, his hands folded in his lap, and let them continue with their work. He felt a piece of his hair being pulled and tried not to let out a quick yelp. It hurt though, having the pins being arranged. Yet he knew that it was worth it. The women moved away from him for a moment and he glanced at his reflection. The more they did the less and less he could see himself. It was a good thing that such was the point of all of this. Before he could look more, there was a hand on his cheek turning his head.

"Be still," Olympias ordered him once more. Hephaestion stopped fidgeting. Olympias then picked up another piece of some odd foreign makeup. Hephaestion closed his eyes once more and let Olympias mold him. He felt her hands, which were not as cold as he would have thought, touching him. She did not speak as she drew a prefect line over the top of his eyelids. Olympias stopped and leaned back in her seat. Hephaestion slowly opened his eyes and blinked. Olympias was already sipping wine from her cup once again.

"You look like you were born this way," Olympias said. She reached out and pulled a ringlet of his hair in front of his shoulder. Olympias' maids had curled his hair and had then pinned it back, modeling it after what they did to Hephaestion's hair every day. Hephaestion wondered why women endured such torture. The paint, which they called makeup, was not much better either. His eyes burned. At any moment he was going to go into a sneezing fit as well. Olympias looked at him once more before she nodded.

"You'll need a dress," she said. She then rose, picking up a snake as she did so, and made her way to a closet. Hephaestion rose as well. Before he followed her he stopped to look at himself. His reflection was a perfect stranger. His long hair now resembled Olympias', which was odd enough. Red lips parted as he reached up to touch his powdered cheek. Olympias had even put a light colored hue over his eyelids. Hephaestion blinked once more before following Olympias. In the back of his mind it still surprised him that he was wearing black eyeliner over his eyes. On the other hand, he wondered what Olympias was going to dress him in.

"This," she said as she selected the prefect garment for the occasion. The dress was rather simple in make. It was a pale blue, and long. Hephaestion swallowed. Olympias held it up against him. Her eyes sparkled and instantly Hephaestion began to thing that this was a terrible idea after all. He looked at the dress once more. The neck was low, but was not cut to expose cleavage, so he had that in his favor. "Yes. This is perfect for you. It matches your eyes."

"Maybe this is a bad idea," he told her. She had at first been skeptical of this idea. He had somehow convinced her though that his plan would work. He also told her it was in her best interests as well. She couldn't hold it against him that he loved her son either. In fact, she knew that Alexander was safer in the good graces of Hephaestion. They countered one another, perfect opposites in most things. Besides, she knew her son. She knew that he found his sanity in his friendship, and his love, for Hephaestion. All knew that. One would have to be rather blind not to notice the bond they shared.

"Nothing is a bad idea when done in the name of love," she corrected him. She smiled at him once more, as if she were his mother too. Surprisingly, it was rather reassuring to Hephaestion. He took the dress from her and turned his back to her. He then began to remove his clothes with a sigh. Dropping the chiton he wore to the floor, he then slid the dress on. Slowly, he turned and faced Olympias, hoping that he looked alright. Olympias held her hands clasped together, placed over her lips, and she nodded at him with a smile in her eyes. Hephaestion reached up to toy with a ringlet of hair once more. Suddenly he felt as if her stare was burning him, and he wished her to look away so that he could run, and hide from this entire idea.

"I can't do this," he then told her.

"Of course you can," Olympias said as she placed a hand on his cheek. She then looked into his eyes as a mother, not the vicious woman that she was known by many to be. "I believe in your love for my son Hephaestion. You are the only thing, the only one, in this world that I would trust with his life. Look at me Hephaestion, there is nothing in this world to keep you from him. Say that, tell me what the gods have already told you in your sleep."

"The gods do not speak to me."

"They do," she assured him. She placed a hand under his chin, lifting his eyes to hers. Her eyes were those of a Harpy, and her tongue belonged to a snake, yet even knowing this Hephaestion listened to her. He listened to her, not to the extent that Alexander did, but enough. "The gods gave me Alexander, they gave me a son to avenge me, and to rule the world. Yet you, Hephaestion, they gave him to you as well. You are to nurture him, to guide him along, for you are the one he loves."

Hephaestion looked at her a moment more. However, she clearly had a feast to prepare for as well. She had done what he'd asked of her. He now looked as if he had been a young lady his entire life. As he stepped out of her room, he truly wondered what he was doing. This was by far the least rational thing he'd ever done.

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Alexander looked around the room for a moment. He almost thought that he saw Hephaestion enter, but when he looked closely, it was merely another of his father's pages. Sighing, he lifted his cup to his lips and drank once more. He then set the cup down and continued through the crowd. There was something that caught his attention though.

"You know you want a good time," Cassander said as he wrapped an arm around the girl once more. Alexander shook his head as he cut through the crowd. There were times when Cassander had too much wine, and if Alexander had not, he would refuse to let him make a fool of his kingdom.

"Let me go," the woman said, shoving Cassander with a good amount of force. In fact, Cassander found himself taking a step back. Alexander, at that time, wrapped a hand around the wrist of the girl before she could strike out at him. He didn't need this getting worse. The last thing he wanted to see tonight was his father taking this poor girl in front of an audience as a punishment for reacting in such a way at his feast.

"You're strong," Alexander said, and the girl froze, but did not look at him. He stepped to the side, coming to face her, and his breath caught in his throat.

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Hephaestion knew that he knew. He drew in a breath, wondering what Alexander would do. To his surprise he did not do anything. Instead, he continued to hold his wrist, staring at him. Slowly Hephaestion pulled his hand back and Alexander drew in a breath. He then grabbed his forearm and pulled him to the side. Cassander was so drunk by now he barely noticed a thing. Alexander quickly shoved Hephaestion against a wall, and Hephaestion for the first time knew that Alexander could hold the same temper his father had. Yet he did not know that Alexander was not mad. He was concerned.

"What are you doing?"

"I had to see you," Hephaestion said.

"Like this," Alexander hissed as he glanced over his shoulder. "What are you doing? Do you have any idea what could happen if…."

"If I did not see you," Hephaestion whispered. "Alexander, I didn't mean what I said, not the way it was taken. I love you, and only you, but I can't be what you want me to be. I can't, and I know that you can't love me for that but…."

Alexander silenced him with a quick kiss. It did not matter who saw. For to others, Hephaestion was not himself, he was a beautiful woman. Alexander wrapped his arms around him and kissed him deeply. He then pulled away and placed his hand in Hephaestion's. Without an explanation, he led him out of the room, but not before some parliament member managed to slap him on the rear. It took everything in Alexander not to turn around and severely break the man's hand. Instead, he left, taking Hephaestion with him.

He took him back to his chambers, where they would not be disturbed. Hephaestion unpinned his hair, with some help, and washed the makeup off of his face. All the while Alexander watched him. There was something so wonderful about Hephaestion, and he couldn't put it into words. He just knew when he looked at him that all would be well as long as he had him to hold onto in the night. Hephaestion borrowed a chiton as Alexander pulled the blankets away from his bed.

"Stay with me," Alexander whispered. Hephaestion looked at him for a moment, still thinking that Alexander could ever be mad at him. "Besides, you still have to make up for calling me a brat."

"Do I," Hephaestion asked as he wrapped his arms around Alexander.

"Of course you do, and I think you're going to have to start right now."

Alexander then pressed his lips to Hephaestion's. There was nothing more he needed. Having Hephaestion hold him, and love him for who he was, that was the greatest gift of all. Being honest with him was not a fault. It was not something he should have to be apologizing for. In fact, Alexander never wanted him to apologize. He loved him. That was all he needed.

ENFIN

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A/N: I hope you all enjoy this. Sorry it was such a long delay for a very odd ending chapter. Let me know what you think though. Just thought we needed a light, happy end.