Hephaestion sat up in the bed, stretching and yawning and blinking the sleep from his eyes. A quick glance told him that Alexander was already up and about. He rose from the bed and took care of his personal needs before throwing on the clothes he had worn the night before. He needed to return to his tent to gather clothing and supplies for their day trip today. As he stepped out of the royal tent, he paused, taking in the beautiful scene in front of him. The sun was just rising, and the sky was brushed with hints of pink and gold which were reflected on the dancing surface of the river beside them. It looked to be another clear day…just perfect for what they planned to do. He turned and walked the short distance to his own tent, nodding a greeting at the guards and the pages waiting to attend to him.

After having a hearty breakfast and a warm bath, he dressed for the day. He dressed in a light blue chiton with a darker blue chlamys fastened with a silver pin that bore the Macedonian star. It had been a gift from Alexander. One of his slaves braided his hair at the sides. It not only kept his hair out of his face, but Alexander loved it that way as well. Once his sandals were laced, he gave instructions to his slaves and pages and went in search of Alexander.

Alexander was bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement as he watched a groom drape a leopard skin over Bucephalus' back and fix a bridle with a golden headpiece on the impatient stallion, who stomped his feet in annoyance. He had asked for Hephaestion's chestnut stallion to be prepared also, with a blanket of buttery soft tan suede draped over its strong back. He felt a hand on his shoulder and warm breath in his ear as he was embraced from behind, and he smiled widely. "Joy to you, Hephaestion."

Hephaestion chuckled. "Joy to you, my king." He moved to stand beside Alexander, looking the horses over briefly. "You were up early this morning. I take it you are excited?"

"I am! Oh Hephaestion, think of it. Today we will honor our heroes. What a privilege this is."

Hephaestion looked Alexander up and down and smiled. Alexander wore a pale gold chiton with a chlamys of royal purple edged in gold. The pin at his shoulder was the same design as the one Hephaestion wore, only this one was gold. "You look very regal, Alexander. I doubt Achilles himself was so handsome."

Alexander smiled, flushing slightly at the compliment. "And Patroclus couldn't hold a candle to you, love. You look stunning."

Hephaestion blushed slightly and smiled. "Have you spoken with the others? When are we to leave?"

"Very shortly. I'm not taking a very large group with us. Mostly our close friends and companions, and of course our pages and slaves and such. I organized some games for the rest of the men. They are going to stay here in camp and relax and enjoy themselves. They seemed quite pleased about that. After we return this evening, we shall have a feast! Lots of good food and I want to keep the wine flowing. This is a celebration, Hephaestion!" Alexander smiled softly and tenderly stroked Hephaestion's cheek. "I cannot think of anything more perfect than celebrating this with you."

One by one, the rest of their companions made their way over and readied their horses for the trip. Alexander made sure that the supplies he had requested had been gathered and put into a pack which was draped over the back of a horse belonging to one of his pages. Everyone was finally ready, and he was anxious to get going. He smiled at his friends and companions. "I am happy to share this day with all of you. Today we will honor the heroes and give our thanks to the gods for favor they have shown to us." He looked over at Hephaestion, who was standing patiently beside his horse. "Shall we?" With that, he swung up onto Bucephalus' broad back.

Everyone else mounted up and followed Alexander as he led them inland towards the town of Troy. Hephaestion rode beside Alexander, glancing at him from time to time. It was obvious that Alexander was very happy. A soft smile played on his lips, and when he turned to look at Hephaestion, his eyes were shining. Hephaestion heard the chattering and laughter of the men behind them, and a deep belly laugh that had to be Cleitus. Alexander was humming softly under his breath. Hephaestion could not remember the last time he had seen Alexander so happy and carefree.

They passed small hillocks and mounds of long forgotten stones. The land was rather nondescript, and Hephaestion secretly wondered if Alexander was disappointed. How he would have loved to see the stately walls of Troy in all their glory, but they had both known that time and history had claimed them long ago. A small village was ahead of them, just past the low hills, and behind it a flat plain that ended quite a distance away against a ridge of larger hills.

Hephaestion was shaken from his reverie by Alexander's softly spoken words, which gave voice to the very thoughts that he had just had.

"Hephaestion, wouldn't it have been wonderful to see Troy as it once was? Oh, I knew that was not to be, but it's hard not to think of it and how it must have looked. How would it have felt to stand before those walls, daring Hector to come and fight? Brave Achilles had to avenge his Patroclus, you know." He smiled softly at Hephaestion and received a gentle smile in return.

"Yes, and he did just that. Achilles is the stuff of legends, Alexander, just as you will be someday."

Alexander shook his head, his gaze on a small section of a low stone wall that still stood along the road leading to the village. He sighed wistfully. "Achilles had Homer to sing of his deeds and to immortalize him in great glory." He frowned slightly. "I have no Homer."

"Alexander," Hephaestion said gently, "do you not remember what Aristander told you just yesterday, after your sacrifices were made? He said that your deeds would be so great and so many that men will speak of you for all time." Hephaestion smiled warmly, his blue eyes sparkling. "Trust me, Alexander, you are not a man easily forgotten."

Alexander seemed pleased by Hephaestion's response and returned the smile. "There is one thing that I have that rivals Achilles. I have you, my Patroclus. Achilles was blessed with a friend who he loved as his own life, and who loved him in return. That I have."

They exchanged a look that spoke volumes of their feelings towards each other and then turned their attention again to the area around them. Crumbled stone ruins dotted the landscape; small sections of broken walls and a few structures that may have at one time been alters for their sacrifices - remains of an age of long ago. Just beyond that were the dwellings of the current inhabitants. A larger stone temple stood at the far end of the village.

Ptolemy kicked his horse up beside his friends, looking down the road ahead of them. He pointed to a couple of structures on the western side of the village, covered in white stones. They had obviously been carefully repaired and maintained, unlike most of the other ruins. "Do you suppose those are the tombs you seek?" He looked at the village they were about to enter. "It is unfortunate that much of the city has crumbled with time. The temple seems unscathed, though."

Alexander nodded his agreement. "Yes, I was just telling Hephaestion that I would love to see it as it once was. To answer your question, I am not sure if those are the tombs we seek or not. They appear to be the only ones that have been maintained. If I had to guess, I would say it seems likely that they are. The temple" he directed his gaze at the large stone structure, "I would say has been restored and carefully maintained. I wonder how many have come over the years to make their sacrifices here?" He turned to Hephaestion and Ptolemy and smiled. "We shall make our own sacrifices later. One must never fail to seek the favor of the gods and give them their due. And I among men have been richly blessed. I have much to be thankful for." His warm gaze lingered on Hephaestion for a moment.

They rode a short distance more and entered the village. Curious villagers lined the road and peeked out from their doors, wanting to get a glimpse of their visitors. Word had spread quickly that the young king Alexander of Macedon was coming here himself. There was excitement and a sense of awe as the men made their way into the village square and stopped.

Hephaestion laughed as giggling children pointed at them and ducked behind a vendor's cart. A lovely girl with dark hair that hung to her waist and startlingly green eyes smiled at Hephaestion as their gazes met, and he smiled in return, nodding his head slightly to acknowledge her. If he had been inclined to seek the company of a woman, this one would definitely have been to his taste. He chuckled softly as he heard Ptolemy whispering to Nearchus, who had caught up with them, about the girl. No doubt one of them would seek her out later if time permitted.

Alexander slid down from Bucephalus' back, patting the great stallion's neck. The others followed suit and dismounted as well. He turned and smiled at his friends and companions, laying a hand on Hephaestion's shoulder. "My friends, welcome to Troy."