Chapter 21 – The Hetarioi
After a long, restless night, Waver was annoyed to find out he needed an escort to get out of the room, even for something as insignificant as taking a bath or a bathroom break. Parmenion followed his every step, cautiously. He was an easy-going middle-aged man, and Waver had grown to like him quite a lot, but he liked his freedom better. On top of that, back in his room, Alexander had been nagging him all morning with different activities that Waver could find no interest in at that moment. All he could think of now was that hourglass shaped object he hid in his robe, and what to do with it.
As annoyed and stressed as he was, Waver could not find the strength to tell Alexander about his major concern. He knew the prince's intentions were only to keep him occupied while locked in his room. Even so, the lack of sleep was beginning to overpower any other feeling Waver could have.
"Waver, are you listening?"
Alexander was sitting by his side on the bed, holding a thick book he had been reading for the past two hours straight.
"Y-yes"
But he wasn't. He struggled to keep his eyes opened.
"Ugh, I lost the paragraph again, remind me, what was the last thing I read?"
"Something about…" Waver paused to yawn, "…Achilles being mad at…someone"
"Waver," Alexander put the book down again, "that was like, at the beginning of the book"
"Right"
Alexander sighed.
"Anyway, I'll continue from here"
Alexander's voice was like music to Waver's ears. Soft and warm, like a lullaby. He watched him read out loud, not blinking even once, thinking that way he could focus to fight exhaustion away. But his eyelids became suddenly heavy, to the point he could no longer keep them open. Alexander's shoulder turned into the most comfortable pillow.
"Wav-" Alexander's urge to yell at him vanished in a second as he saw Waver's peaceful face.
He sighed, and gently held Waver's head to rest it on the pillow.
After an hour or so, Waver woke up yelling in panic.
"What is it?!" Alexander, who had been cuddling by his side, fell off the bed when he heard him scream.
"Oh, sorry, it was just a dream"
"You almost gave me a heart attack." He said, panting.
"You are still here?" He observed, his eyebrows slowly rising. "Alexander, shouldn't you be training the new soldiers today? I don't want you to get in trouble again."
"Don't worry, Ptolemy and Hephaestion got me covered". He smiled with confidence, giving him a thumbs up.
Waver shuddered at the image of the queen scolding all four of them.
"Oh! " He suddenly remembered the queen had only just came back. "How's your mother? Were you and Cleo able to see her?"
"She is alright." Alexander's face showed unease. Waver watched him flatten the wrinkles on the bedsheets with his fingers, anxious. "I only saw her for a couple of minutes last night when she arrived. She was heavily escorted and put in her room under vigilance. She looks like she is unharmed, but she is hiding something, I don't know what it is. But I know something is off. Cleo has refused to come out of her room and talk to anybody ever since my mother arrived."
Waver had been wondering why the princess had not come see him yet since they arrived in Pella.
"Whatever it is, we will find out soon." Waver said, his hand on Alexander's hand. He felt the prince's grip tighten against his.
The air became dense between them. A certain heaviness on Waver's chest. His heartbeat rose, breathing heavily. A strange feeling in his body, even thought he was exhausted, he could feel a rush of magical energy flowing through him.
Waver brought his other hand to his chest, feeling the golden hourglass with his fingers in between his robes. The hard and cold metal against his hand was a painful contrast with the warmth and softness of Alexander's skin in his other hand. Sooner or later, Waver knew he would have to let go of that hand.
"Alexander." He spoke slowly. "Soon I… I will have to leave-"
But before he could finish, a small group of people entered the room with caution.
"My lord."
The high priest was standing at the door, followed by a dozen other priests, all dressed in their black robes.
"I am sorry to interrupt, but we have been sent here by the oracle."
Alexander got on his feet, his hand resting on his dagger.
"Sent for what?" His voice intimidating.
"Why, to meet you of course!"
A familiar, childish voice said. A man came into the room from behind the high priest. Impossibly long, white hair and eccentric smile, paired with odd-looking, flower-shaped earrings.
"Huh?!" Alexander and Waver yelled in unison, recognizing the unmistakable face of Merlin. Except this time, the mage wore black robes like the rest of the priests.
"Hello", Merlin smiled, carelessly waving at them in a familiar way.
"Young man", said the high priest, "this is prince Alexander, greet him properly". The old man now turned to the prince. "Forgive him, my lord, he was raised in a temple on a small island, he is still getting used to this."
"My lord." Merlin bowed, elegantly. "I am pleased to serve you. My name is Anthos".
Waver snorted, although nobody else in the room seemed to get the joke. The Greek word for "blossom" was an amusing choice of a name for the mage of flowers.
Alexander, however, did not share his humour. He was silently shaking, restraining his anger.
"How. Is. He. Here. Again." His voice harsh against his clenching teeth.
"Anthos has been sent by the gods to us in a moment of great despair." Said the high priest, bringing his hands together. "In the past 8 months, every single young man chosen as the oracle has died within a week. Until Anthos appeared a few weeks ago. He has been the only one able to overcome the curse. The king has sent him to study the mage boy closely and determine whether he should keep him or get rid of him."
"You- you, wicked man!" Alexander unsheathed his dagger, ready to slice Merlin up.
"Oh!" Yelled Merlin, suddenly pointed at Waver. "What is this!? I sense some powerful energy within this boy!"
The group of priests gasped loudly, exchanging curious looks.
"Everyone, out of the room, I need to be alone with him!"
The priests murmured and nodded, leaving the room in haste. As soon as they did, Merlin's face relaxed.
Alexander stood there in silence, his blood boiling.
"What do you think you are doing!? Do you think this is funny, mage?!"
Alexander grabbed him by his clothes, shaking him several times. "You dare mock our gods?! This is not something a foreigner should meddle with!"
Merlin sighed, gently grabbing Alexander's wrists.
"I am sorry if I have offended you, young prince. That was not my intention. But this was the only way".
Alexander's face slowly softened a little.
"The other oracles were being killed, and I have been trying to figure out by who and why."
The prince studied Merlin's face, hesitant, only half-convinced of his words. His eyes staring back at him. Not the sharp, penetrating amethysts Alexander remembered, but a soft lilac, smooth like a flowerbed. Maybe he had misjudged him before, maybe Merlin's intentions were not that bad after all.
He softly let go of his clothes, and Merlin slowly crawled up to Waver's side.
"Also," The mage's arm slid around Waver's neck and down to his shoulder, "I needed an excuse to stay close to Waver." He said with a smile.
"NO!" Yelled Alexander, shaking his head violently. "His intentions are definitely the worst!"
"But, how did you get the high priest to select you as the oracle?" Asked Waver. Even Alexander wondered that.
"Oh, I told them about things before they happened." He said, and his staff suddenly materialized in his hand.
"MERLIN! " They both yelled. "Did you use your magic to trick the priests!?"
Alexander had jumped over him to punch him, but Waver stopped his fist just in time.
"It was either that, or let more people die." Merlin turned to the prince, feeling suddenly guilty. "Look, I know how you feel…" The mage paused to starch his head. "Well, alright… actually maybe I don't, but let me explain something to you."
Merlin sat on a stool by their side.
"You see, young prince, you may think I am messing with your gods. But the truth is, all religions, all beliefs and faiths, they are all the same to us mages. Different cultures in different periods of time have given just different names to the same gods and mystical phenomenon. Us mages are mere witnesses, "conductors", a "channel" to these mystical beings or phenomenon, that manifests in different ways.
"What do you mean?" Alexander asked, intrigued. He remembered hearing something similar about different religions during Aristotle's teachings, however, he never heard anything about magic.
"Magical Energy," added Waver. "The source of all mage craft. In other words, how we convert our own mana and the world's mana into magic through our magical circuits."
Alexander felt like his brain was going to explode. He held his head with his hands.
"Mana? Magical circuits? Magical Energy? What the hell are you guys talking about, stop making stuff up!"
"You can find mana, or in other words, life-force, in everything in this world. Even in someone like you, although in a very limited state." Stated Merlin. Waver nodded.
Alexander internally debated whether he should feel offended by his comment or not.
"This mana can be transferred from one being to another. But taking too much away will cause the death of the individual or source. Same goes if the receiver takes in more than his or her circuits can handle. It is, as everything in nature, a matter of balance."
Alexander's face slowly began to relax. Merlin's words finally started to make sense.
"So, let's say I wanted to become a mage," the prince said, bringing a hand to his chin, "could I become one by absorbing someone else's mana?"
Merlin shook his head slowly.
"It is not as simple as that, unfortunately. Mages have more magical circuits to process life-force and turn it into magic. A magic crest is past from generation to generation in magus families, in which every mage forges and adds some of their own to strengthen them, making older families more powerful."
Alexander rubbed his head again in confusion.
"But the mana on this Earth is completely different from where Waver comes from. Here, mana bursts from the air, manifests as living gods and deities in many forms." Merlin now turned to Waver again. "Which is why you have only been able to survive with the help of a magical artifact, to help you balance your magical circuits."
Waver clutched the object in his robe in between his hand. Alexander looked at him, puzzled.
"Think of it as a river." Explained Merlin, "This river has a damn that opens and closes, letting enough water in and out. If it overflows, the river will eventually collapse, eroding the earth. The same way how your body will be destroyed if you don't have something to help you balance this energy flowing in and out of your body."
Alexander crossed his arms, scowling at his own inability to completely grasp Merlin's words.
"Something like…for example?" The prince asked.
"For example…"
With a smooth movement, Merlin slithered onto Waver's side in the bed. One of his hands went to Waver's chin, forcing him to lift his face, his long fingers soft against his skin. Waver opened his mouth to protest, but his words were lost into Merlin's lips.
"Eh?"
Alexander's eye twitched several times.
Waver remained frozen, in silence. A rush of blood came up to his face, he felt like a thermometer rising.
"MERLIN!" Alexander jumped in front of Waver, bristling like a wild beast claiming his prey. "G-get away from him! Wh-what the hell are you doing!?" He meant to threaten him, but he was so shocked he could barely stand in front of him.
Merlin immediately raised his hands, taking a step back. A cynical smile on his face. "You asked for an example, my lord! I just gave you a demonstration of mana transfer! I was just helping him by taking away the excess of mana in him! Forgive me if it does not delight you."
"Mana transfer?" Echoed Waver. He observed the feeling in his body for a moment, and his chest felt suddenly lighter.
Alexander gritted his teeth, ready to eat him alive. But Waver grabbed him, restraining his arms. "Let me go! I swear I'm gonna kill him!" He yelled, struggling to get his hands on Merlin.
Waver listened to him rant until Parmenion walked in.
"What the hell is going on in here?" Parmenion, hearing all the fuzz from outside, had come in to set order. "Are you trying to get the attention of everyone in the palace or what?"
"Sorry," apologized Waver, and Parmenion dragged his feet back outside the room, muttering\\\.
Waver sighed and rubbed his chest with relief. "I do feel a little better now."
Alexander's face immediately relaxed as he heard Waver.
Merlin made himself comfortable back in his seat. He eyed Alexander's books spread all around the bed, some of them on the floor. Books about mythology they had been reading all morning.
The mage flicked his staff, releasing a gust that turned all pages of the books at the same time.
"As you have seen, many myths have created different characterization of the gods, causing them to manifest in different ways: male, female, human, animal, even nature and ethereal beings. But in the end, they all come from the same place."
Alexander and Waver listened attentively.
"Take Hades, for example. The keeper of the underworld. Or, better known by the Sumerians as "Ereshkigal", in the female form of this god."
They watched how a picture of Hades from the book slowly turned into a young woman with Merlin's magic.
"Aphrodite is another example." The mage said as a picture of the Greek goddess shaped shifted into a slightly different one. "Venus. Ishtar. Different names, similar deities."
He flicked his staff again, and a bas-relief materialized in his hand. A bearded old man holding two infants portrayed in it. "And so is the case of Chronos, the Greek god of time…"
Waver's eyes slowly widened.
"…Chronos and his two offspring, Chaos and Aether."
Merlin paused to observe Waver's reaction.
"In the lands to the east, not too far from here, Zoroastrians gave this god the name of Zurvan"
Both Alexander and Waver gasped.
"This god gave birth to the twin gods."
As he spoke, the black and white figures of the bass-relief slowly moved.
"One, the personification of all things holy, born with the power of creation. He was named "Ahura Mazda"."
Waver's jaw dropped in shock.
"And the other, the personification of evil itself…" Continued Merlin
Waver gulped. "Angra Mainyu".
"Yes." Confirmed Merlin.
"But what could a god like that want from us?" Waver asked, his face gray with concern. "From me?"
"It seems that you have created a path, a passage through time, that Zurvan, as the god of time itself cannot access. After the god gave birth to the twin gods, it was stripped from its powers, becoming immortal yet powerless. What we see is but a mere materialization of time, one of its many manifestations on Earth through a vessel. Through this material being, the god is trying to access a point of time in particular. I still cannot figure out when or for what."
Waver's hand tightened around the golden object hidden in his robes. The sudden memory of the his nightmares haunted his thoughts.
Alexander read Waver's face, watching him with a painful look.
"Even if he is a god," the prince spoke with determination, "we will not lose against it! We have other gods on our side."
Merlin admired the spark in the prince's eyes, that crimson flame stole a smile from his lips.
"This is why I can never get too tired of humans." Merlin sighed. "You never cease to amuse me. Even with everything against you, you will always continue to fight."
Alexander's eyebrow raised, unsure if the mage was teasing him. He had the feeling he was mocking him, although he was not sure how. Silence seemed like the wisest choice at the moment.
"Very well, then." Merlin said, getting on his feet. "I shall continue my investigation. Waver, you will know what you have to do when the time comes."
Waver looked down, slightly nodding.
"For now, we need to find out what Zurvan is planning. We cannot let it alter humanity's history and unleash who-knows-what calamities."
Merlin's eyes suddenly sharpened; the sound of footsteps at the door. A small man in a royal guard armor came in arrogantly holding his spear. It was the first time Merlin had seen Orestys. His tired eyes and sour expression made him look older than he probably was. The small man evoked a strange feeling of pity and repulsiveness at the same time.
"My lord," The guard's mouth curved down as he watched Alexander sitting comfortably close to Waver's side on the bed. "The king calls for your presence at the feast."
"Tell him I am busy." He said, bringing his hands behind his head, uninterested.
"You have an important guest coming." The man grunted, his bony fingers shaking against his spear. "Your father demands-"
"He can come get me himself if he wants." Alexander interrupted him.
"Prince Alexander!" Orestys groaned. "Your father needs you, how can you decided to stand by this Persian traitor's side!?"
Waver scoffed, tired of hearing the same thing over and over again.
"Oh, are you and Attalus taking turns to come and bother me now?" He said, a sarcastic smile on his face. "Are you sure you are not related? You seem as equally miserable as him." Waver said, bitterly.
Orestys' face crumbled with wrath, his eyes popping out. He could only take one step forward before he felt Alexander's dagger on his throat. The prince's deadly glare paralyzed him.
"Enough, Orestys. I don't want to hear another word. Get out."
After a long silence, Parmenion joined in.
"Relax boy, he is just worried about you," he said, lowering Alexander's dagger.
"Unfortunately, he is right about one thing. You should go to the feast. It will be far less trouble to go and sit for a couple hours to entertain the guests than dealing with your father's threats later."
Alexander scowled. He had not thought Waver could be held hostage as a way to persuade him to do what his father wanted.
"Don't worry," assured him Parmenion, "I'll keep him company."
"Who is this guest that is so important for me to be there, anyways?" Scoffed Alexander with resignation.
"The king of Epirus." Said Parmenion, a hint of anger in his voice as he pronounced that name. "He comes with news."
Alexander and Waver exchanged worried looks.
"I better go," said Alexander. It was rare to see Parmenion lose his cool, that could not be a good omen.
Waver nodded and the prince exited the room, followed by Orestys. The guard looked at him from head to toe before he left.
"Geez," scoffed Waver. "Seriously, he and Attalus are the same. They should get married. What are the chances to find two of the most miserable people in the world gathered in the same place?"
Parmenion burst into laughter. Waver observed him grab his belly in pain from laughing so hard.
"Oh, boy." He said, wiping his tears of joy, still giggling. "You are quite the comedian. Don't ever let Attalus hear you saying that, they hate each other to death."
"No wonder he looked like he wanted to kill me."
"I'm surprised you are still alive."
Waver recalled Parmenion telling him about this before one time. He wondered what was that all about.
"But, why do they hate each other so much?" He asked.
Parmenion sat on the stool by Waver's side. He loosened the straps of his sandals and rested his feet on Waver's bed. "You don't mind, do you? I've been standing for a long time. And it's a long story, so I gotta get comfortable."
He removed his upper armour, revealing a white cloth stretching against his dark, toned chest. Waver had never seen him without his armour before. He tended to forget the soldier in front of him was not that much older than him. Waver could not imagine himself in the next ten to fifteen years with a body and an attitude towards life like Parmenion had. He wondered what he had experienced in life to make him like that.
"I was younger than them, by several years," the man said once comfortable in his seat, "but I still remember."
"Believe it or not, Orestys, general Attalus and king Philip were once good friends. In a way, they were like you, boys. Just like Alexander has you, King Philip had his own Hetairoi."
"Like us?" Waver thought of Alexander, Ptolemy and Hephaestion goofing around and pranking him during their missions and military campaigns. The image of the bitter old general, the sour-faced guard and the cold-hearted king as once young and cheerful was something hard to picture. "Similar in which way?!"
Parmenion laughed at his scepticism.
"Besides," said Waver. "There's four of us."
Parmenion's face turned suddenly serious.
"There were four of them too…"
Waver's eyes widened, listening attentively.
"Pausanias." Parmenion sighed at the painful memory. "The third member of king Philip's Hetairoi, and his most beloved one. The one who gave his life for the king."
Waver gulped, watching Parmenion's face darkened in reminiscence.
"I was just a boy," he continued, "I looked up to them and tagged along, hoping one day the young king would make me part of his Hetairoi. They were the best warriors the kingdom had ever seen. They helped build this empire with blood and sweat. Each one of them was admired and loved by the people of Pella. The were known as: Philip, the fair and virtuous. Orestys, the brave and loyal. Attalus, the audacious and strong. And Pausanias, the kind and selfless."
Waver thought it ironical how they turned out to be later in life, so far from what they used to be.
"I was particularly fond of Pausanias, since, just like myself, he was not noble born."
"How did he become a Hetairoi then?" Waver asked, lying down on the bed.
"Attalus, Orestys and Phillip trained together since a young age. One day, Attalus spotted a boy, a simple soldier, during practice in the training grounds, and was dazzled by his skills. He challenged the boy to a fight. Attalus lost, and Orestys and Philip mocked him. Attalus, with spite, challenged them to fight the boy, and watched them fall as they did. After being defeated, the three of them engaged in another fight, blaming Attalus for their embarrassment in front of the soldiers."
Waver rolled his eyes. "Like father like son". He said to himself.
"This boy, Pausanias, instead of bragging for defeating the three best fighters in the arena… guess what he did?"
Waver shrugged.
"He apologized!" Parmenion chuckled. "Apologized… for winning a fight! Can you believe that? When the king and his friends asked him what he was apologizing for, he said: "because I did not want you three to fight, you are friends, you shouldn't fight"".
Waver chuckled, slightly confused.
"After that day, the four of them became inseparable… All until the battle against the Sacred Band of Thebes."
Waver had heard of this band before. He had heard from Alexander, who fought them and annihilated them only a few years ago. These men were well-known warriors of a mysterious clan of 150 pairs of male lovers, who fought on the Athenian side. The battle had been a challenging one.
"It was during the war with the Athenians," continued Parmenion. "We sieged the city and the Sacred Band came to defend it. We were surrounded, the king was going to be captured. But Pausanias gave his life to protect the king."
Parmenion's face darkened with grief.
"After that, everything went downhill. Orestys was accused of Pausanias death."
Waver gasped in surprise.
"Pausanias had been injured from the previous battle. Even after Attalus and Philip ordered him to stay safe in the camp, it is said that Orestys pushed him to go to war. It is rumoured that he forced him to go only out of jealousy, for Orestys had always been the most loyal to the king. However, Phillip and Attalus had always favoured Pausanias and protected him."
Waver felt suddenly sympathetic for the guard for some reason.
"So that's why Attalus hates him." Said Waver. "But if it was really Orestys' fault that Pausanias died, then why does the king keep him by his side as his personal guard?"
Parmenion sighed, an uncomfortable expression on his face. "He felt guilty."
"For what?".
"Because of what Attalus did to Pausanias after."
Waver frowned. He had a feeling he was prying on a very personal business, but it was too late and he was too curious now to not finish the rest of the story.
"After the battle," Parmenion spoke with some hesitation, "the king was so devastated by Pausanias' death that he was not able to be in command for a while. Attalus -recently named general of the highest rabk- driven by his rage, he ordered the incarceration of Orestys, where he was tortured and abused by the soldiers under his command."
Waver grunted, disgusted. Even if he did not like Orestys' constant bitter face – or the fact that he wanted him killed-, he could appreciate the guard's only quality of being loyal to the king.
"But then, Orestys was really guilty for Pausanias' death, wasn't he?" Waver deduced.
"We will never know for sure". Parmenion shook his head slowly. "But in any case, after the king came back to his senses, he realized what Attalus had done to Orestys. King Philip blamed Orestys for Pausanias' death, but he also felt responsible for Oresty's jealousy. In the end, he was nothing but devoted to the king."
Waver thought of how intricate and wrong all of this was, and thanked the gods he did not believe in for not having to face any of that with Alexander and his friends.
"With Attalus gone to finish the war against the Athenians, king Philip set Orestys free and exiled him. Five years later, he came back under the king's request. They never spoke about the past again, but things have never been the same between the three of them."
"Well," Said Waver, getting on his feet, "the past is past. We will not let anything like this happen again."
Parmenion crossed his arms, smirking. "Now, that's the attitude, boy. You take care of your friends… and yourself."
"I-I know." Waver slightly blushed. He felt suddenly awkward and small. "You don't have to tell me that."
Parmenion chuckled and patted his head, ignoring Waver's complains. "Oh well," he said, tying his sandals and standing up. "Time for a little break. You don't mind if I go grab a bite, do you?"
"You haven't eaten anything yet?!" Waver said, alarmed. Now that he thought about it, Parmenion had been outside the whole time since he offered to watch him. "Parmenion, you idiot! Take a break!"
"You offend me, Waver Velvet! I didn't know you thought me so weak!" He said with an arrogant smirk. "But I'll take that break. I know you'll be alright, that sneaky Merlin must be around somewhere watching you, I'm sure."
"Huh?! Y-you know about Merlin?!"
Parmenion raised an eyebrow. "Waver, I thought I warned you. When I told you that I would be out there hearing everything, I really meant g."
Waver gulped at the image of Merlin's example of mana transfer.
"J-just, h-how much is everything?"
"Every…thing."