The large house they were given to lodge in was comfortable enough, built as it was around a pleasant courtyard, although Diomache had complained that their lodgings should have been in the palace and a house was an insult to Sparta.
Hephaistion had found Diomache thought everything an insult to Sparta, even Laterides and Charilus had seemed to grow tired of him on their journey. Only the four of them had come, the other two conspirators had paid for the journey and then chosen to take no further part. Eventually, they would leave him to finish the task, to finish everything.
He felt as though he were no longer a part of the world, as though he were already dead. Things would have been simpler if the sword had gone a little deeper than it had, if he had died that day.
Arriving at Pella, his spirits had lifted for a while, it was a different world to Sparta and the hustle of the city, the curious, not hostile, glances from the crowd around the market they had passed through cheered him, then he would remember the dagger he carried and why he had come to the city.
Alexander seemed in no hurry to see them, it had been three days since their arrival but still no message had come for them to attend him at the palace. Excuses had been made when Diomache and Laterides had gone to find out the cause of the delay, they had come back none the wiser but sure that the king was hunting and might be away for several days.
From up in the balcony of the house, which looked over the market, Hephaistion sat and watched people go about their lives, listening while Diomache complained about their treatment, then called a servant for food and wine to be brought. He rested his head against a stone pillar and watched two young boys at play, fighting with wooden swords, calling out that they would go to Persia with Alexander and make themselves rich, then running along the street before turning and fighting once more, despite being chided by an elderly woman who might have been a grandmother to one.
"You hide yourself away."
Hephaistion looked around and saw Charilus walking over to him, stopping to look to the street and smiling at the boys.
"Life is simple then," he said.
Hephaistion nodded, then was aware that the man was studying him. "What do you expect to see?"
"They had such hopes for you," Charilus replied.
"The fates are not always kind." Hephaistion shrugged and turned to gaze on the two boys once more.
Charilus hesitated before he spoke. "Shave your beard, Hephaistion. The young men here do, you should too."
A look of puzzlement crossed Hephaistion's face. "Why shave my beard?"
Charilus shook his head. "Do you never look in the mirror?" He walked away leaving Hephaistion to brood alone.
XXOOXX
Two days later Alexander returned from hunting. It was late afternoon and he was riding towards the royal stables when the inclination came upon him to visit the Spartan delegation.
He jumped down from Bucephalus and threw the stallion's reins to one of his pages, then called for Ptolemy and Craterus to accompany him. Leonnatus pointed out that he could possibly do with bathing, that he hardly looked like the king but Alexander only grinned and made his way along the streets to the house he knew they lodged at.
The servants who knew him bowed as he walked up the stone steps in to the courtyard and he looked around to see three older men talking, as if making plans for something. Distracted, they did not see him enter, but a man his own age did, seated alone on the other side of the courtyard he stood, saying nothing, just watching.
A few moments later one of the three turned to see him, alerting the others who came forward, unsure of just who was in their presence.
"I am Alexander," he said, looking again to the solitary Spartan before turning his attention to the main group.
One plump man with grey, thinning hair and a sparse beard stepped forward. "I am Diomache." He pointed to the two other men, old soldiers who looked distinguished and proud. "Laterides and Charilus," Diomache said, then remembered to bow a little.
A servant came forward offering wine but Alexander refused it, instead he stepped forward and took a seat. "You have been waiting to see me," he said.
Diomache coughed. "We thought we might be called to the palace."
Alexander laughed, softly. "Well, I thought I would come to you. What is it you have to say?"
"That we offer men for Persia," said Laterides, moving to stand beside Diomache.
Distracted, Alexander looked over to the younger man, wondering why he had not been introduced. Spartans were known to be laconic but this man had said nothing and seemed to be invisible to the rest. Blue eyes gazed back at him with indifference, Alexander was pleased to see it, so many people rushed to fawn over him these days, it made a refreshing change.
It was Charilus who spoke next. "We did not introduce, Hephaistion. He is of Leonidas' line...the last of his line."
Alexander wondered if Leonidas had been so handsome, like Adonis brought to human form. He smiled to Hephaistion. "You have an illustrious ancestor, a brave man, one I much admire."
"He lived a long time ago," Hephaistion replied, softly.
Silence hung in the air for a moment. Alexander sensed a sadness about Hephaistion but had no idea what troubled him.
Diomache took a step forward. "We should talk of sending men to Persia."
Turning to look on the aged ambassador, Alexander nodded. "To have someone of Leonidas' line with me would be good," he smiled.
There was another cough from Diomache, a nervous cough it seemed. He gave a forced smile. "We could send three hundred men if it pleased you."
"It might," Alexander replied.
"Perhaps they could win battles by themselves," Craterus said.
Alexander laughed. "I think those days have gone," he observed.
He stood up and smiled to the three men before him. "We will have a banquet tomorrow night, come to the palace then and we will talk some more."
Hardly waiting for farewells Alexander left the courtyard with his two companions and disappeared in to the market place.