Dear friends: Thank you for the wonderful responses to the previous chapters of this story. I hope you will continue to enjoy it. Your comments are always eagerly anticipated and appreciated.
As Aliantha pointed out in her review, this story is obviously AU but since we don't know anything about Hephaistion's life before he is first mentioned at the site of Troy, I felt more or less free to fill the gaps. Obviously, some quite logical suppositions can be made, he studied with Alexander in Mieza, his father was a prominent figure in Macedon and so on. However, despite writing an AU, I put a lot into research (it's a pleasure for me, not necessity) and try to stick to the known facts not contradicting (intentionally, at least) well attested events. For example, while charting Hephaistion's and Agenor's route in the Mediterranean, I used the detailed maps and also a very helpful tool for calculating approximate times of travel in Ancient world (Orbis website created by Stamford University). So, by telling you these details about the way I write, I actually admitting my weakness for the comments praising the efforts I put into research. blushing smiley face inserted here
To the Guest reader (if you are the same person commenting on different chapters) – since I can't respond directly to your comments, I first of all want to thank you and also assure you of the fact that, though Hephaistion said goodbye to Mazaeus in the previous chapter, it definitely wasn't a farewell. I am contemplating the possibility of describing the events that took place in Persian Empire at the courts of Artaxerxes and Darius at the same time as events in Macedon, i.e. from Mieza times till Alexander conquers most of it. Obviously, since we know even less about those events that we know about Macedon/Greece, even more is left to imagination but it's going to be centered on the question that bugs me for a long time – who really was Mazaeus?
348 BC (mid summer) – 343 (end of summer)
From time to time Hephaistion felt uneasy twinges of conscience for enjoying his journey so much. He would forget for days his father's death, the screams of Teitu and his own tearful farewell from Mazaeus. Like a sponge, he would absorb with delight all the wonders that he was able to watch from the ship, Agenor's stories about the land of Tauris where they were headed and respectful deference that the ship's crew was showing him.
Agenor had two ships with him and one more was waiting for them in Miletos. From Sidon they took direct route to Cyprus where they spent one night ashore at the picturesque bay off the west coast. Hephaistion wished he could explore more but Agenor was anxious to get back to his native Theodosia. He initially undertook the journey hoping to forget the death of his family, to see once again the lands he traveled through as a young man and maybe never to come back. There were many ways for merchants to lose their lives and livelihoods – rough seas, murderous pirates, barbaric inhabitants of the unknown lands or treacherous hosts, those who believed that robbing a rich cargo ship was a better trade bargain than to exchange gifts and establish profitable mutual relationship. In the past Agenor managed to avoid all those perils but leaving Theodosia after the death of his family he almost hoped that one of those dangers would prove fatal for him. Yet, the Moirai seemed to favor his journey making Agenor wonder whether it was the final bliss before leaving the realm of the living for good or the gods had some purpose in keeping him alive.
The merchant didn't think much about his Tyrian host proposal to accept the invitation of Persian satrap. In the past, he would get excited about such opportunity and would start immediately devising plans of using such an opportunity to his own and his king's advantage. Yet now he simply accepted it because it seemed that Sikarbaal was eager for this company.
Agenor dealt with Persians before but mostly those were either merchants or soldiers, he had never had the chance to meet such a high placed person. Being a Greek, he despised the Persians as barbarians and like many of his compatriots hoped that one day the Greeks will unite and avenge the atrocities that Xerxes and his generals inflicted on the cities and peoples of Greece. Yet, he was merchant first and politician second, he could afford to deal with a person and think about profits he could reap and bide his time for well-deserved revenge for later.
Mazaeus seemed a pleasant person, well versed in Greek and the affairs on both sides of the Middle Sea. They discussed the latest prices of wheat, the ongoing revolt on Euboea against Athenian rule and even the trade agreement between Carthage and Rome, something that Agenor learned about from Sikarbaal. It made sense that Tyre, the mother city of Cartage, would be informed about the events concerning their former colony far west but Agenor wondered whether Mazaeus just asked to be updated on the topics that might be interesting for this Tyrian guests or the Persians had some plans of expanding their influence in Egypt further west. After discussing politics and trade with Mazaeus, Agenor was sure that the satrap's questions about his personal life was a mere politeness and therefore he was taken by surprise by Mazaeus' proposition of assuming guardianship role over the young boy under his temporally protection.
Agenor had no intention of adopting any child as his own, he felt it would be betrayal of his family. Yet he accepted satrap's suggestion of meeting the boy in person, after all, in doing so, he simply paid respect to his host's wishes, he didn't feel pressured into situation or threatened in any measure. Now, watching Hephaistion boldly climb the mast of the ship trying to learn the skill of unfolding the sails, Agenor knew exactly why Mazaeus didn't feel it necessary to pressure him – satrap must have known pretty well that Agenor's heart would be captivated by the boy immediately. The merchant smiled, less than an hour into his first encounter with Hephaistion, Agenor already knew that he would like nothing more than being granted the honour of adopting the boy. He wondered how did it all happened so fast, how the ten years old boy managed to revive his lost spirit and bring back the intense desire to live and do things. Was it boy's insatiable curiosity about everything? His ready, sincere smile? His desire to learn and obvious recognition of the fact that nothing is given free, that trust and knowledge should be earned by hard work and honesty of the heart?
Agenor even regretted the necessity of calling the boy by his newly devised name. Surely, Theseus was a glorious name but he felt that Hephaistion suited his charge better. He was like that spark of divine fire from heaven that Prometheus once stole from his immortal friend Hephaistos. He inherited the ability and desire to work hard, just like the smith god did, only his mother must have been Aphrodite herself, otherwise, how can one explain the breathtakingly good looks of the boy? Agenor felt grateful to the gods that he never felt desire to bed the young boys or it would be very difficult for him not to have such thoughts about his young charge. Hephaistion might be still too young for such relationship but he couldn't fail to notice the looks that some of the ship's crew cast in his direction. He was also aware of the rumor that Hephaistion was forced to satisfy the carnal desires of the satrap but he doubted the truth of such rumors. Such relationship would scar the boy not only physically but emotionally but he didn't see the traces of either in the few short days when he was given the opportunity to see the interaction between Hephaistion and Mazaeus. If anything, Mazaeus treated the boy as if he was his favorite son and Hephaistion was all tears and sadness when he has to bid goodbye to the satrap. Besides, during his journey, Hephaistion relished every opportunity to talk about his time with Mazaeus; the satrap did this, the satrap did that, the boy's eyes shone with excitement and joy, not the dread as would be the case if Mazaeus abused him.
From Cyprus they took course to Rhodes, then Kos and afterward Miletos, when another Agenor's ship joined their flotilla. They spent only a few days in Miletos during which Hephaistion was given a chance to explore the city under the guard of the few trusted soldiers. From Miletos they headed to Samos and then Chios, staying just for a day or two on each island to replenish supplies of fresh water and other necessities. Their next destination was Lesvos from where they intended to take course hugging the shore of Troas till they get past Sestos and through Dardanelle into Marmara Sea and to Byzantium. From where, after the careful navigation through Bosporus, they would enter the Sea of Euxine, and then to Theodosia.
Under the favorable circumstances, they were supposed to cover the distance from Lesvos to Theodosia in under the thirty days. So far, the gods were benevolent to their journey and Agenor truly started to believe that bringing Hephaistion home with him to Theodosia was what gods intended all along when he, completely unaware of their scheme, accepted king Perisad's suggestion to undertake that long and often perilous journey.
Normally, the ships arriving at Chios from south would head for the harbor of the city of Chios on the east shore, the main on the island. Instead, Agenor decided to beach his ships in the south, hoping to trade with locals for their famous resin, natural by-product of mastic trees not known to grow anywhere else in the world and mostly found in the south of the island. The resin was a well-known antidote for snake bites and had many other uses, such as filling holes in teeth, helping to ease digestive and lung problems and fight the spread of infections especially suffered from wound that won't heal for a long time.
After successfully concluding the trade, the ships sailed along the west, less inhabitable coast. The sea was calm during the day but towards the evening the winds grew unexpectedly strong, the sky darkened and the waves acquired the dangerous height and complete unpredictability of direction. Before anybody realized the danger of the situation, they found themselves in what they thought was an open sea, far from welcoming safety of the shore. Agenor and Hephaistion were sent to the hold of the ship to keep them out of the harm's way but the waves tossed the vessel so mercilessly around that both of them acquired bruises all over their bodies in a very short period of time. They wasn't sure how long their ordeal lasted when suddenly they felt a severe jolt and everything started to spin.
"We have to get out," shouted Agenor, "I think we're going to crash. If the ship sinks, we're doomed here, at least we have some chance to survival upstairs."
Hephaistion needn't be repeated twice, he saw the wisdom of such a suggestion and grabbed the rope that led to the hatch that secured the impenetrability of the cabin. He was outside in a few moments but the opening of the hatch sent torrents of water downwards. Luckily, Agenor was right behind and managed to get outside as well. There was a complete chaos on the deck and before Hephaistion could think on the proper course of action, he was swept into the sea by the uncontrollable power of the next wave. Hephaistion felt being propelled downward by some huge force but he didn't lose his wits. Experience and confidence gained during his recent days and even sometimes nights of diving from the cliffs in Sidon now served him well. He managed to become relatively still underwater and then started desperately to kick his legs trying to propel himself towards what he hoped was surface. He managed to do so relatively fast but just when he thought he got a reprieve from Poseidon's rage, the wave tossed him onto some rock and Hephaistion screamed in pain as he felt his shoulder was ripped apart by the sharp edges of the stone.
The merciless water rushed into Hephaistion's mouth and he started to choke. Afraid to swallow too much water, he managed to cough it out, just in time for another merciless brash with sharp rock. Another flesh ripping pain but this time Hephaistion managed to keep his mouth shut. The next moment he felt being dragged away from the rocks by the force of the water but he knew the reprieve was short, he would be tossed again onto the rock and this will continue till he will lose all the power to maintain himself above the water. Desperate to avoid another crush against the rocks, he dived hoping to find some refuge underwater. His gamble panned out and he found some shelter among the stones that were eroded by the timeless swell of the sea.
He couldn't stay underwater for a long but even a few moments of relative calmness allowed him to summon whatever strength he still had left. He surfaced again and was glad to discover that the battering of the waves was less merciless. He tried to climb up but the surface was too smooth to get any footing; he moved along, carefully, trying to avoid being exposed again to the rage of the waves. At last, his hand came in touch with a small ledge and, thankfully, his other hand found another crevasse. Collecting his remaining power into one burst, Hephaistion pulled himself up and was able to find some support for his feet. He stayed in this position for a moment, sending prayer of gratitude to the Olympians. He peeled his right hand from the saving ledge and tried to determine whether there was something similar further up. Indeed there was and soon after Hephaistion found himself in a rather awkward, painful but relatively safe position sitting between two small protruding horn-like clifflets of presumably bigger rock. It was still very dark and Hephaistion could only distinguish greyish outlines of the cliffs with almost black, still raging sea beneath him and suitably black sky above. He was in a lot of pain but he had no idea if he had any of this bones broken though he knew he was bleeding from many wounds; he was dizzy too and very cold. Trying not to fall down to a certain death beneath him, he carefully rested his forehead against the rock and pressed his trembling legs alongside the rocks, his whole position was similar to somebody sitting on the horse and though the rock was immobile, Hephaistion was afraid that he'd fall asleep and tumble downwards towards a certain death.
With shaking hands he managed to untie the belt of his tunic and, wrapping both ends around his wrists, hugged the clifflet before him, securing the girdle around. He judged that if he fell in his sleep, he will be at least hold in place by the belt and will have enough time and strength to pull himself up. These were his last thoughts before his fell asleep from exhaustion, mindless of the pain that ravaged his body.
When Hephaistion opened his eyes, the bright sunshine blinded him for a moment. He blinked trying to chase away the last mists of Hypnos and come back to the realm of reality. The tranquil blue sea stretched as far as eyes could see. It was enveloped from above by beautiful light blue veil of skies with a few featherlike puffs of clouds; the magnificent disk of Helios' crown shone brightly from above. Hephaistion carefully removed his hands from around the rock and slowly undid the girdle from his wrists. Even those small movements sent the ripples of pain through his body. He leaned backward, gently pressing his back against the rock behind him. The shift in position brought some relief but not much. His left shoulder ached and when he got a better glance at it by turning his head, he regretted his actions immediately. It looked even worse than it felt but at least he was able to move his both arms. Next, he peeked down. The sea was calm but the mild waves crashed against the jagged shore and he realized that he would never survive a dive. The climb down didn't look inviting either; surely, he came up this way but then the darkness blissfully covered the near impossibility of the task; besides, he thought that the shoulder got worse during the night and he couldn't hope to climb down relying only on one shoulder.
He looked backward trying to determine if the only left option was viable. It seemed so from his position but first he had to manage to turn around.
"Hey, boy, over here, careful!" Hephaistion heard somebody's shout from behind. He raised his right hand and waved, acknowledging the call.
"Stay where you are," the so far invisible helper shouted again, "we'll come to help you."
Hephaistion allowed himself to relax, he wasn't alone. Other people survived, gods be wiling Agenor among them, and they will rescue him and tend to his wounds. He waited patiently and soon enough he could hear small stones rolling down the slopes. He tried to turn at least a little, it wasn't easy but now he could see three people coming in his direction. He never saw them before but they looked like they were also survivors of the shipwreck and he assumed they were from the other two ships. It took some time but with the help of a few ropes and something that looked like oar's remnants, they managed to get Hephaistion from his precarious position.
"Are you Theseus, Agenor's adopted son?" asked one of the men when they got to the flatter surface.
"Yes, how do you know?"
"I don't think there were any other boys your age on any of the ships. We are all from Danais, there are few more survivors from our ship further down, but we didn't find anybody from Artemis or Pallas."
"I was on Pallas," said Hephaistion. "May be others survived too, we just have to look for them."
"That's what we're doing, my name is Daron, by the way, and this is Kephalon and Zetas. Let's go down, it will be safer there."
"Are we in danger, from whom?" asked Hephaistion.
"Pirates."
"Pirates? Here?"
"Yes, like in any uninhabitable place; and those vultures like to hunt after storms. I think this is one of the smaller islands around Psyra. Nasty place. Your shoulder looks bad but we have nothing to clean it with. Are you in a lot of pain?"
"I can manage," hurriedly assured him Hephaistion afraid that the men can consider him a weakling and nuisance.
"You must be a very good swimmer to survive such a storm," Daron continued the conversation but the other two companions remained silent. They all look tired and battered by the sea.
"I got lucky," said Hephaistion. "Do you have any water? I am parched."
"That is the only good fortune the gods deemed fitting to send our way. There is a small spring between the crags, otherwise this rock is a rather desolate place. You'll have to wait till we get there."
They fell silent, concentrating on their path. The way from the crags was sloping down gently yet Hephaistion's bare feet, already injured from yesterday climb over the rocks started to bleed again. The other cuts over his body weren't severe with the only exception of the shoulder. The pain mostly became dull but when Hephaistion needed to use his arms to balance the steps over the uneven pebbles that covered the path, the pain shot so sharply that Amyntor's son almost fell several time due to the lost balance.
At last they came to what looked like some unremarkable outcrop of small rocks in the shape of half moon. The convex side of it looked towards the sea and the concave enclosure provided a nice shelter from the elements. From what Hephaistion saw of the island, it was some bare rock in the middle of the sea with almost no vegetation. There were other islands on the horizon and he thought that under better circumstances he would attempt to swim the water divide but at present, he barely had strength to lower himself to the ground using the bare rock as a support to his aching back.
Daron came to him shaking his head, "I am sorry, kid, but if you want to drink, the water is over there," he pointed to the right of where Hephaistion was sitting, "we don't have any vessels, I would gladly bring some water to you, but there is nothing to bring it with."
"I don't have any strength left," admitted Hephaistion, "didn't you manage to salvage anything from the ship?"
"No," Daron said, "let me help you up." He tried to lift Hephaistion but even with the rock behind his back, the son of Amyntor started to slide back down.
"Very well, I will try something else," promised the sailor and went away. A few moments later he was back, his hands cupped together to imitate a bowl. He carefully lowered himself to the ground and let Hephaistion drink from his hands. Daron had to make a few trips to the source of water to partially eliminate the thirst that parched Hephaistion's throat.
"We have no food," admitted Daron, "and it looks like nobody is coming for us."
"What we are going to do?"
"A few of us want to attempt to swim over to the other islands. The distance is fair to cover but the problem is we don't know which one of the islands is inhabitable, if any."
"How many of you can manage the swim?" asked Hephaistion; he was feeling a little better after drinking water.
"Four or five, may be."
"Can't you swim to the different islands?"
"Clever boy!" Daron smiled and raffled Hephaistion's hair, "Agenor was lucky to find you, unfortunately, it doesn't seem he would have the advantage of bringing you up."
"You don't believe he could survive? Or any others?"
"It doesn't seem so," sighed Daron, "you don't know what happened, do you?"
"No, tell me."
"In the darkness, Artemis and Pallas ran into each other. We too were nearby, I personally didn't see the crash, it was so damn dark, but I've heard it, and so did others."
"So, this is what it was," said Hephaistion, "Agenor and I were in the hold of the ship and at some point we felt a crashing jolt. We managed to get up to the deck but almost immediately I was washed away," Hephaistion continued to tell what happened afterwards and Daron listened, nodding his head in approval at the decisions that Hephaistion took under such duress.
Three other men appear from behind the bend of the rock and Hephaistion realized they were another search party. They didn't find anybody and there were now eleven of them, Hephaistion including. Some were in better shape than the other but it looked like they were a tight team, no disagreements broke out and nobody was whining. They discussed whether it was better to attempt swim now which might prove challenging under the blistering sun or wait till tomorrow morning and hope that another storm won't break out and they will have enough strength left.
In the end they decided to wait till the morning; there also was a vague possibility that somebody may come looking for them or that another vessel or some small fishing boat will come their way. They settled in, a few men went away in hope to find some meagre food or at least to bring some vegetation to make bare rocks more comfortable to sit and lay upon. Others went in search of seafood, they didn't have any fire, but crabs and mollusks could be eaten raw. Hephaistion rested, sleeping on and off during the day. His clothes were in tatters but he was glad the sea left him his girdle; not only it saved him from the fall previous night that he spent on the rock, it also contained the only treasure he was left with – a carved stone that once belonged to Teitu, a poor slave boy from the unknown land whose life was cruelly cut short by his heartless masters.
Hephaistion was glad when darkness fell; the few crabs that sailors managed to catch was given to eat to those who would attempt to cross the sea next morning, Daron among them. The sailor tried to offer a small piece to Hephaistion but Amyntor's son stoically refused, it was more important to get rescue that to fill the stomach yet he was grateful when Daron settled nearby for the sleep offering Hephaistion to share some body warmth. Hephaistion was hesitant first and Daron perceived the reason for his hesitation, "Don't worry, Theseus, I am more eager to get some rest than some action." Hephaistion relaxed and despite dosing a lot during the day, he fell asleep almost immediately.
When he woke up next morning, Daron and few other sailors were gone. The remaining survivors occupied their time searching for food and trying to make their surroundings more comfortable. Hephaistion felt strong enough to go to the spring by himself and it was he who now, somewhat recovered, brought water to a few weak sailors the same way Daron brought water to him the previous day. After afternoon heat was gone, Hephaistion went to the beach searching for some crabs but he had no luck and had to go to sleep again on the empty stomach. Some of the men dug out some roots that they claimed to be eatable but they looked too unappetizing for Hephaistion to try. Next day he managed to wake up very early and after a few hours was rewarded for his efforts with a few quite meaty crabs that he found under the rocks.
In the late afternoon next day a few finishing boats came; luckily, they had enough space to bring back with them all the survivors. They were told that the island they were taken to was indeed Psyra and it was actually Daron who managed to get to that island and convince the local fishermen to come to the rescue. Out of four sailors who swam away, three managed to reach their destination and though two islands that they reached were uninhabitable too, they were picked up by other fishing boats. Psyra lied to the west of the northern part of Chios and though inhabitable, was nothing more than a treeless, rocky island covered here and there with some shrubbery. The small population of the only village lived off the sea heavily relying on the abundance of lobsters on its rocky shoreline.
There was not much to do on the island and the ship's survivors didn't want to burden the inhabitants further. As things stood, they had nothing to offer to the inhabitants but their thanks. A few days later, the biggest of the boats that the small island boasted was heading to Chios and Daron and few other sailors who were well enough asked to be taken to the bigger island. The Psyrians, though eager to show their hospitality were glad that they would have a fewer mouths to feed. Daron offered Hephaistion to go with him; the boy's shoulder, though somewhat healed, still was a matter of concern – it wasn't exactly infected but showed few signs of getting better and Chios could offer a better hope of finding a proper doctor.
The fishing boat arrived to the village of Nagos on the north east side of Chios. From there, all the survivors fetched other boats heading to the city of Chios, the largest on the island, hoping to get hired on the bigger ships; they were all very skillful sailors and were sure to find a captain who needed their skill. Hephaistion stuck with Daron, the sailor pretty much adopted him and promised not to abandon the boy.
"I can teach you the craft," promised Daron who actually was a sails master on the Danais. "You even have a fitting name to become a sailor, remember, Theseus was Poseidon's son and I am sure the God of Seas watched over you when he raged his anger against our ships."
Just as luck would have it, there was a ship from Cyzicus and Daron and two other sailors got hired almost immediately. Captain of the ship, though not too eager to show his excitement lest he has to pay more, promptly offered a place on his ship. The main catch was Daron, the ship's own sails master managed to get into a brawl in the tavern a few nights ago and got his head smashed in. The captain first seemed reluctant to take Hephaistion, the boy was a dead weight but Daron insisted and the captain gave in.
The sailing was uneventful but Hephaistion's shoulder didn't want to heal properly. There was a doctor on the ship but he could nothing either to ease pain or facilitate the cure. When they dropped anchor at Antissa, the harbor on the northern shore of Lesvos, Daron went ashore in hopes to find a better doctor. Hephaistion at times would become delirious and other crew members became fidgety about sheltering the sick boy; some started to whisper that the boy was a bringer of the bad luck, first to the Theodosian ship that drowned and now they all might be at danger because of him. The mariners, as usual, were very superstitious folk, they learned about the tragedy that struck Agenor's ships from other survivors who joined them together with Daron.
After falling yet again into fretful sleep, Hephaistion woke up when he was brought up to the deck of the ship. Daron was carrying him in his arms and Amyntor's son realized he was taken ashore.
"Are you abandoning me?" he asked Daron weakly.
"I have no choice, Theseus, I am really sorry," the sailor sounded really regretful, "but I am not leaving you alone at the mercy of the passers-by, I found a doctor for you here; well, not really a doctor but he knows a lot about plants and he promised to look after you."
When they were on the firm ground, Daron put Hephaistion onto the cart. "I have nothing to give to you," he admitted, "whatever money I had from my first pay, I left to this man so that he would take care of you. His name is Tyrtamos. I wish you well, Theseus. I hope Tyrtamos can heal your shoulder and then, who knows, you still can become a sailor and then one day we'll meet on the same ship."
Hephaistion tried hard to fight the tears that were filling his eyes. So many good men came into his life and they all were taken away either by death or by circumstances. First was his father, then Mazaeus, later Agenor and now Daron. Even the boys his own age left but a passing memory, the mysterious Alexander whom he met but for the short few moments back in Pella and with whom he felt an instant connection and then Teitu with whom he actually never exchanged the word but whose memory, Hephaistion was sure, will haunt him forever.
Now another man was going to enter his life – Tyrtamos. Will he be as good to him as others? Will he stay in his life for a long time or disappear the moment Hephaistion develops affection to him? Hephaistion waved a weak good bye to Daron and at that moment decided he would make his heart cold as stone so that he won't suffer any more disappointments and heartbreaks in his life.
The task appeared not too difficult with Tyrtamos. After initial surprise of discovering that his guardian was a young man in his earlier twenties Hephaistion quietly submitted to all the ministration that Tyrtamos was heaping on him. The young man seemed eager enough to heal Hephaistion and tried numerous potions and salves taking careful notes of the resulting effects. He was kind enough to buy him modest clothes and fed him well though Hephaistion was astonished to discover that Tyrtamos refused to eat any meat saying that by doing so the people deprive animals of life and it was therefore unjust.
Hephaistion started to feel better. He suspected it was more combination of rest, plentiful food and his ability to take a proper care of his body than any special medicinal skills that his guarding possessed. Yes, the son on Amyntor had no doubt that Tyrtamos knew a lot about plants, only he was far more interested in their classification and commercial uses than medicinal applications. The young man was of rather reserved disposition and after Hephaistion showed visible signs of improvement after a week or so, he seemed really unsure what to do with his charge. Hephaistion admitted that he really had nowhere to go and offered his help with running the house or maybe taking notes of the observations that Tyrtamos sometimes mumbled to himself when he studied the plants. Tyrtamos was really surprised to hear that the young boy could write and read but agreed to test him. The results exceeded his expectations and it seemed that he was more impressed with Hephaistion neat beautiful writing than the fact the boy did just a few mistakes.
When they left Macedon, Amyntor insisted on Hephaistion continuing with his education and either personally supervised his son's studies or relied on the few learned men that he was able to find in Mazaeus' camp who knew Greek well enough. The Persian satrap seemed to have the same ideas about the necessity of education and provided Hephaistion with teachers for both Greek and Persian languages. The son of Amyntor was a quick study and yet he often begrudged both men for forcing him to spend time inside instead of allowing him to roam freely outside. Now he was grateful to both his father and Mazaeus though he never admitted to Tyrtamos about his knowledge of Persian or his time under Mazaeus care.
The young man didn't talk much about himself and after a few months under Tyrtamos' roof Hephaistion still knew very little about his guardian. He was native of Lesvos but was away from his island for more than five years only returning recently. While still living in his native city of Eresos, he got an excellent education and got instructions in philosophy from the man by the name of Alcippos. Then he moved to Athens and was considered promising enough to be accepted by Plato himself into his famous school. Not that Hephaistion ever heard of Plato but from the brief phrases that Tyrtamos dropped here and there, he realized that it was a great honor. Unfortunately Plato died less than a year ago and his famous school became the scene of a bitter discord amount his most prominent students. Tyrtamos himself supported the nomination of his friend Aristotle whom he considered the brightest of all the other students but in the end the famous school passed under the control of one Speusippos, Plato's nephew, and all those who opposed this nomination left the Academy in bitter disappointment.
Hephaistion tried to find out more about Tyrtamos' life in Athens and the city itself but the progress was slow until one day when Hephaistion, returning home from the market found Tyrtamos sitting at his desk with a lot of discarded scrolls scattered all around him. The young man was evidently upset with something and Hephaistion, putting his purchases on the table went to where his guardian sat erratically scrambling something of the scroll. Peeking over the shoulder, Hephaistion realized that Tyrtamos was trying to draw something on the parchment but it definitely didn't go well. Casting another glance around, he saw some unusual flower that resembled a water lily. The flower was cut in half and Tyrtamos was obviously trying to transfer the details of the shrivelling flower onto the scroll, having little success in the process.
By now Hephaistion knew that Tyrtamos, though of rather mild character, didn't like to appear as failure, even to somebody as insignificant as Hephaistion. This is why son of Amyntor quietly picked up one of the discarded pieces of papyrus from the floor and taking the writing material from the smaller table in the corner started to draw the flower whose image Tyrtamos failed to capture. When he was done, he went to where his guardian was sitting and quietly handed him the result of this efforts. The young man stared at Hephaistion almost in awe. He carefully took the list and looked at it comparing with the original.
"You never told me that you can draw like that," Tyrtamos said in unbridled admiration.
"I didn't think it was important enough," honestly admitted Hephaistion who never actually realized what talent he possessed.
Tyrtamos lovingly spread the piece of scroll on the table and caressingly went over the ink with his fingers. "I can't pay you a lot," he admitted, "but would you consider staying longer with me and illustrating some of my notes? I have an ambition of producing a volume on the plants, so that others can be taught about the plants, and I also have this idea of writing a classification of all existing plants but I can't do it without drawing the examples and, as you can see, I absolutely can't draw."
"You don't have to pay me anything," said Hephaistion, "you took care of me, a complete stranger, not counting on any return. Besides, as you know, I have nowhere to do. I would gladly stay here as long as you need me and draw your plants for you. Well, if you sell your works and become famously rich, then you can pay me something."
Tyrtamos laughed, "You got yourself a deal but I have to warn you, there is no money in what I am doing unless I can find a rich patron. With your abilities, as young as you are, you have more chances of securing a well-paid job than I am."
From that time on, Tyrtamos became more open with Hephaistion and would answer many of the questions that son of Amyntor pestered him with. Autumn came, then winter and spring; Hephaistion turned eleven and one day he sadly realized that after the death of this father, he actually spent more time with Tyrtamos that with anybody else. The young philosopher was good to him and even started to teach him different things about the nature around, the laws of physics, some geology and how the world around was built. Obviously, being quite obsessed with plants, the main focus of Tyrtamos' teachings concentrated on his favorite subject.
And then one day, the door to their house flung open and the older man appeared on the threshold. With smile on his lips, he opened his hands in the eager invitation for a hug and exclaimed, "My dear Theophrastos, at last we meet each other again!"
Tyrtamos froze for a moment and then rushed to the stranger, crashing him in the happy embrace, "Aristotle!" he exclaimed, "what a great surprise, I didn't know you were coming. Why you didn't send a word?"
"Because I wanted it to be a surprise," Aristotle chuckled, "let me look at you. I see you're doing well! And who is this beautiful young Ganymede? Isn't he a bit too young for being your eromenos?"
"He is not my eromenos!" Tyrtamos was taken aback by such a supposition.
"No? Then who is he?" Aristotle gave Hephaistion another look and son of Amyntor didn't like it a bit, the famous philosopher studied him as if he was some beautiful but soulless zoological specimen but at the same time his glance dwelled far too long on Hephaistion's lips and nether regions.
"He is a student that I took under my roof. An orphan but of clearly noble descent and very talented too," Tyrtamos explained almost apologetically.
"I see," Aristotle nodded knowingly, "I trust your judgement. I came here remembering how well we worked together in the past. If not for that scheming Speusippos, we would be still working together in Athens, I am sure that the Academy would benefit far greatly from our presence than from his. I plan to stay a little of Lesvos, we can work together again, you on your plants and I on my animals. What would you say about such a proposition?"
Hephaistion saw how Tyrtamos eyes shone in delight and though he was happy for his guardian, the sadness invaded his heart, the feeling that he didn't experience for some time. He felt that with Aristotle's presence, Tyrtamos would have no need for him and he would be forced to look for a new place to live. But it seemed that Tyrtamos had no such plans. Though he had to give the room where Hephaistion previously lived to Aristotle and assign a smaller windowless room to the son of Amyntor, Tyrtamos was really apologetic and tried to include the boy in many of the activities that Aristotle and Tyrtamos now shared. All, except one at least. One day, returning earlier than planned from his trip to the nearby village to buy some supplies, Hephaistion unintentionally walked on Tyrtamos and Aristotle who were clearly engaged in a sexual activity.
Tyrtamos was clearly embarrassed but Aristotle only laughed at his friend's discomfort and suggested Hephaistion wait outside until they were done. Hephaistion hurriedly left, cursing his bad luck and not sure how he was going to face both men again. "What it is with me and catching my guardians during their private moments," Hephaistion angrily rebuked himself remembering how once he walked in on Mazaeus and his red headed mistress. He sulked outside for a few hours but then realized it was stupid and went back, first politely knocking on the door.
"Come in, come in," Aristotle shouted from inside, "we won't bite."
When Hephaistion was inside, Aristotle asked as if nothing had happened, "Did you like what you saw?"
"I didn't see much," mumbled Hephaistion not wishing to discuss this topic.
"Are you curious enough to learn more?"
"Aristotle!" Tyrtamos protested.
"What? It only natural for boys to explore their sexuality. How old are you, Theseus?"
"I am eleven and no, I am not interested!"
"There is nothing to be ashamed of. It is natural for youngsters to explore their bodies. Are you touching yourself at night, Theseus?"
"I wish to be left alone," as firmly as he could master declared Hephaistion and rushed to his small room. Only a curtain separated Hephaistion enclosure from the common room and Amyntor's son could hear a loud whispering conversation between the two men. He put his both hands against his ears trying to block the sounds and though he was successful in his efforts, he realized that he couldn't sit like that forever.
He didn't know how much time had passed when the curtain was drawn back and Tyrtamos appeared in the opening. "Come, you must be hungry. Aristotle promised me not to broach this topic to you if you feel uncomfortable. Are you bothered by us being together, I mean me and Aristotle, sexually?"
"It is your house, you don't need my permission for doing something you clearly enjoy doing. Don't you like women, though?"
"I do," admitted Tyrtamos, "but Aristotle and I go way back together, to the time when I first came to Athens. I was young and didn't know anybody. He took me under his wing and I became his eromenos. There is nothing shameful in that, you know. For me now, being together with Aristotle is like reliving my youth again."
"Your youth?" Hephaistion was surprised, "but you are young, why would you want to go back in time when… when you were dependant on somebody else's favors?"
"It's not exactly like that, one day you will understand; as for now, come and share some meal with us."
Another year passed; Aristotle still shared their house but he didn't bother Hephaistion with the uncomfortable conversations about sex though sometimes the son of Amyntor sensed Aristotle's roving eye over his body and he felt vulnerable and exposed. Then suddenly he declared that he was leaving for Assos, a city on the mainland, to the north of Lesvos. Yet another of Plato's students, Hermias, was a king there and he wished to establish Academy in his city that would rival that of Athens. Another Plato's student, Xenocrates, already arrived there, though it was Aristotle who was offered the honor to head the new Academy.
Tyrtamos or, like Aristotle liked to call him, Theophrastos, was obviously also invited and Hephaistion was offered to join them. Despite the distrust in Aristotle on the personal level, Hephaistion realized he was given an incredible opportunity and he joined the group. Their short sea voyage was uneventful and Assos was a beautiful city facing the sea in all its glory. As with many of the Greek cities it was built on the hill and had its own Acropolis with Agora, Bouleuterion, Stoa, gymnasium and temples to many gods, the most magnificent of them dedicated to Athena. On the side of the city facing the sea a huge theatre was erected that could accommodate as much as five thousand spectators and during a clear weather the island of Lesvos could be easily seen on the horizon.
There was so many things to do and explore in the Assos that Hephaistion easily forgot about any discomfort he felt in Aristotle's presence. Besides, he saw him rarely now; a few months after their arrival, Aristotle married Pythias, Hermias' own niece and adopted daughter. Within a year of their arrival, the new Academy became a famous place to where many aspiring philosophers came to gain wisdom and the king took a sincere pleasure in patronizing this establishment.
For Hephaistion, it was a real bliss. He was considered a real darling of the Academy and many established philosophers clamored for the opportunity to share with him their wisdom and showed real interest in his opinions. Despite the popularity, Hephaistion considered Tyrtamos his real and only benefactor and stoically refused all the offers from other philosophers to become his official patron. Even when Hephaistion didn't catch any sexually tinged offers, he still felt indebted to Tyrtamos for his initial kindness and knew that the man would feel humiliated if Hephaistion choose another patron.
Another year passed and Hephaistion was almost fourteen now. He grew up into a beautiful strong and clever young man who thoroughly enjoyed his life and freedoms. The only topic he purposely avoided in discussions was politics. Not that the subject was not interesting to him, quite the opposite, he found it quite fascinating but felt himself on a very shaky grounds. One reason for his unwillingness to participate in this sort of debates was the frequency at which Macedon was discussed. In the first days of his acquaintance with Aristotle he found out that the famous philosopher was not an Athenian as Hephaistion surmised, but from the city of Stagira in the Chalcidice and his father, Nicomashos, was a personal physician to the former Macedonian king, Amyntas. Several times he caught Aristotle conversing with visitors in Macedonian; the philosopher didn't speak the language fluently but Hephaistion guessed that his grasp of the language was better than any of the strangers could speak Greek. Of course, nobody thought that Theseus, as Hephaistion was known in Assos, knew any Macedonian, but son of Amyntor, though lacking the opportunity to speak his native language for quite few years, still knew the language well enough to follow any conversation.
Hephaistion was very apprehensive of those Macedonian visitors. He never knew who they might be unless he heard them speak and he was afraid that one day somebody will come who knew his father and his identity will be revealed. He wasn't sure how much he resembled his father, he had a very dim recollection now of how Amyntor looked and this uncertainty gave him reasons to be weary. He felt nervous any time Macedon was discussed and as time went by those discussions became more often. Another topic of inconvenience for Hephaistion was disdain with which the philosophers spoke of Persians and their own perceived superiority against the barbarians. In Hephaistion's mind barbarians were primitive people who lacked any civilization and, thinking back to his time with Mazaeus, Hephaistion couldn't disagree more. He didn't dare to argue, though. What arguments he had to offer? For everybody in Assos he was Theseus, son of Agenor from Theodosia, what he could possibly know about Persians? So, Hephaistion kept his mouth shut and found it easier either to avoid such discussions altogether or, if the escape wasn't possible, show his disinterest in the subject.
One day Aristotle declared that he wished to travel to Lesvos to conduct his examination of some rare zoological specimens. To everybody's surprise, he took with himself his wife, Pythias, and not Tyrtamos who was native of the island. The life in the Academy continued as usual, everybody assumed that Aristotle would be back in a few months to resume his teachings. Then, one day, Tyrtamos declared that he was leaving too and asked Hephaistion to come with him.
"Are we going back to Lesvos?" asked Hephaistion because it was the only place where he thought his patron was going especially given the fact that Aristotle left for the island as well.
"Yes, but for a very short time, then we going to Larissa, in Thessaly."
"Why?" Hephaistion was truly puzzled.
"Did you ever hear about Thrasydaeus?"
"No, who is he?"
"He belongs to a very old and noble family of Aleuadae, ancient rules of Thessaly. He has a son, Orestes, a very bright boy and you're just a year or two his senior. Thrasydaeus invited me to be his son's personal teacher. I hoped you can come with me."
"It is a bit unexpected," confessed Hephaistion, "for how long we'll be going?"
"I am not sure, maybe some two or three years, but if we like there, we may stay longer."
Hephaistion considered briefly, he thought that the way back to Macedon was closed to him forever but he hoped one day to visit Greece. Thessaly sounded like a perfect place, he can be close to Macedon and yet away from the danger of being recognized. It seemed Tyrtamos was eager to go. Hephaistion thought he knew the reason, in Assos he was eclipsed by Aristotle's fame yet in Larissa he could become the centre of intellectual life. Besides, Thessalians were famous for their cavalry and Hephaistion dreamed one day of becoming a cavalry officer. Hephaistion gave his consent eagerly to Tyrtamos and they left Assos within a few days.
Their journey, in the end of summer, was a smooth one and soon they landed in the port of Pydna only after a few weeks of journey. Hephaistion was first very disconcerted when he learnt where exactly they were going to disembark, Pydna was in the south of Macedon and too close to his native country but he didn't know how to voice his problem to Tyrtamos. In the end he decided to stay quiet hoping for the best. They had just a few belongings with them and when they arrived to the city, apparently some arrangements were already in place for their further journey. They rested for the night and left their beds very early in the morning in hopes to cover the larger distance during the day. They were accompanied by two guards who looked fierce enough to serve as protection.
However, as the hours passed by, Hephaistion became confused by their intended destination. From Pydna they were supposed to travel south to Larissa but judging by the sun's movements in the sky, they were travelling north. He voiced his concerns to Tyrtamos who seemed surprised and hailed one of the guards for clarification. The two conferred in quiet voices and then Tyrtamos said that according to the guards the road to the south was unsafe to travel due to the recent unrest in the area and they were taking the longer route first to the north to the city of Aloros and only then south to Larissa through the inner Thessaly. The route seemed strange to Hephaistion but Tyrtamos didn't seem concerned and Hephaistion decided not to worry and enjoy the scenery. They spent the next night in some abandoned shack on the side of the road though it seemed to Hephaistion that they were expected – there was some food inside and some clean bedding.
They continued in the early morning again and now it seemed they were travelling west. Unfortunately, in the early afternoon the clouds covered the sky and Hephaistion had real trouble determining the direction of their route.
"Do you know how long we have to travel?" asked Hephaistion as innocently as he could not wishing to betray his uneasiness.
"No more than a week," affirmed Tyrtamos, "our guards assured me that we're making a good time and actually today we hopefully sleep in proper beds, there is a big village, I forgot its name, and we'll be welcomed there."
"Are we still in Macedon?" asked Hephaistion with hope that Tyrtamos will attribute his questioning to his natural curiosity.
"I am not sure, why? You seem to be really apprehensive of it?"
"Oh, no," Hephaistion tried to sound nonchalant, "I am simply trying to learn about the places we're going through."
"Of course, how could I forget that geography is one of your most favorite subjects? I've heard that the king's son is fascinated with it as well."
"King's son?" Hephaistion asked with surprise. "I didn't know that Larissa was governed by the king, I think you're mistaken."
"You are right, Thrasydaeus is not a king, but Aleuadae ruled in Larissa from the times shrouded in myths and legends, and even then they were called Tagos, or kings in ancient Thessalian. Herodotus himself called Aleuadae by the title of Basileos. I am just trying to adhere to the customs of our future hosts."
"I didn't know that," conceded Hephaistion.
"Don't worry," Tyrtamos smiled encouragingly, "you are very smart but you still have a lot to learn. I hope you remember that when we arrive to our destination."
"Of course I will," promised Hephaistion suddenly eager to turn a new page in his life.
They travelled all day only making a few short stop to take a bite and relieve themselves.
When it became dark and Hephaistion wondered how long they yet have to cover. The previous day they stopped while it was still light outside.
"We are almost there," suddenly announced one of the guards. It was first time Hephaistion heard him speak. The short phrase was spoken in Greek but with the accent that Amyntor's son couldn't quite place.
Some ten minutes later they stopped and both Tyrtamos and Hephaistion were helped from their wagon by one of the guards.
"You can leave your belongings inside," the same guard said, "servants will bring them into your place."
There wasn't much to see in the darkness but Hephaistion could discern some buildings and open places here and there. The guard guided them surely in the darkness though the flame of his torch provided only small light.
"Here," he stopped at the door of some building and knocked loudly.
Immediately, there were steps heard inside and the door flung open revealing a familiar figure inside.
"Welcome to Mieza, my friends," announced Aristotle.