When the eating was done, Alexander and Hephaistion were led to an open space about two thirds down the hall. Two wooden beams were in the ground there, just about fifteen feet apart. Alexander was pushed back against one, forced down, while the ties on his wrists were cut, his arms pulled behind him and then tied once more.
He looked up to see the same happening to Hephaistion, but his feet were also secured in rope shackles.
In the background, Alexander could see the chief and priest deep in conversation, although their words could not be heard.
They were left like this, two men were set as guards, but confident that their prisoners were secure, they drank and ate, throwing a bone to Alexander, then laughing at the joke of it.
The priest came over, standing between the posts, muttering an incantation before heading back to the altar.
"He must be angry that you ruined his fun," Alexander said, still shocked by Hephaistion's changed appearance. He knew he looked no better. Hephaistion's blue eyes shone back at him.
"I think perhaps we should have avoided the village," he replied, and smiled, lifting his feet to test the shackles, to gauge how far he could stride in them, how secure they were.
"Do you think it is too late to invite Ptolemy, Perdiccas and Seleucus to the party?"
"With the Vanguard right behind them," laughed Hephaistion.
One of the guards signalled for them to be quiet, pointing his sword at them, to add to the threat. They sat and watched people go about their business, watched as it became crowded in the hall, then watched people eat and drink their fill, sleeping where they fell.
Finally, Alexander watched as Hephaistion closed his eyes, trying to sleep. He realised they would need their strength, so he closed his eyes and let Morpheus claim him too.
OOXXOO
They had lined up thirty of their strongest men. Some carried swords, others axes, but they all had wooden shields. They had given Alexander a wooden sword, not trusting him with anything else. He held the hilt in his hand, turning it. He had hoped for a proper sword.
He turned to look for Hephaistion. The strongest man in the tribe had hold of him. A plain rope had been placed around Hephaistion's neck, this giant of a man was leading him from it. Hephaistion's hands were tied in front of him and he still wore the shackles on his ankles. It was bitter cold, but all he had to protect him from the chill were boots and his long-sleeved chiton.
Alexander wore the same, but he could move, whereas the giant kept Hephaistion still. There was an cold breeze, Hephaistion was trying to shelter himself behind the bulk of his captor.
Alexander's attention was brought back to the men he had to train, when one of them nudged him with a shield, handing it to him. He stepped forward. The training ground was clear of snow, a mixture of ice and frozen dirt. He moved the wooden sword in his hand, and thirty metal swords copied the movement.
He looked back to Hephaistion again. He did not care to train this army, he wondered how poor a job he could do and get away with it. They relied on numbers, on overwhelming their enemy; not on strategy and good fighting technique. Obviously they realised this, they knew that any Greek army could win battles against them. If they didn't he and Hephaistion would be dead by now.
He went to the first man, showing him a basic move any child could do. The man copied it clumsily. Alexander repeated it, faster this time. The man grinned and launched into an attack. Alexander had to raise his shield, relieved to hear twenty-nine voices calling their comrade to order.
Alexander shook his head, this was not going to be easy.
The first man was just the start. Every time Alexander stepped up the pace, he would face an attack. Their over-enthusiasm and desire to prove themselves the greatest warrior of the tribe, encouraged them to fight as they had always done. After going down the line twice, Alexander was spent.
He dropped to his knees, and put his hands on them, letting go of his toy shield and sword, looking at the dirt and ice, trying to catch his breath. It was too hard to fight with a weapon that wouldn't kill. In battle he would kill and move on, his adrenaline flowing, seeing men fall. Here, they fought, shoved and pushed him and he had to fight until the man was stopped, either physically or verbally by the tribe.
He didn't want to get up. They were pulling at his chiton, pulling him to his feet. The giant appeared with Hephaistion. "No," Alexander gasped, watching as the giant pushed Hephaistion to the ground, his foot deliberately catching in Hephaistion's shackles to trip him. As he hit the ground, the giant kicked Hephaistion in the back and the ribs, then reached down and pulled Hephaistion up on to his knees, gripping the rope around his neck.
"Bastard," complained Hephaistion, moving himself to find relief, grimacing from the pain of the unfair punishment. He looked at Alexander, surprisingly managing a smile. "Keep fighting, Alexander. Keep fighting or let me have a go, and you act as scapegoat for a while. Either that, or if they would give both of us wooden swords perhaps we could make our escape. Do you reckon we could beat them?"
Alexander looked at Hephaistion's shackled feet. "I'm not leaving without Bucephalus," he replied, smiling back at Hephaistion, before reaching for his sword and shield. "Tell them to follow me, not fight me. Tell them I will teach them…..but not everything, they will still die when the time is right."
"You're leaving their hearts exposed."
Alexander nodded. He walked over to Hephaistion, helping him to his feet. "You are cold."
Hephaistion looked at the giant. "Ajax, here, is keeping me warm. So long as he has no ideas, about the night, I will be fine. Go fight, Alexander. Before my ribs get broken."
Alexander embraced Hephaistion, then turned back to the first man once more. As he approached him, Hephaistion spoke up. Alexander smiled, longing for Hephaistion to add on the last part. The time wasn't right just yet.