Day Seven: A strange disease.
One year had gone by at Mieza and Hephaestion was now nine years old. He had grown more than five centimetres in height but he still retained his slender body. His hair had a fairer hue in the long tresses than were now passing his shoulders and his skin had a slightly golden tan that gave him a healthier complexion that his former pale one. His eyes were still the most outstanding feature in the childish face and they had acquired a deeper look. He was frequently praised due to his handsomeness but the boy did not pay attention to it. Ptolemy always laughed when someone said something about Hephaestion's singular beauty because the boy got furious. The little boy always answered in the same way, pouting and speaking in a whisper, repeating that he was not a girl and that if he went on receiving such compliments, he would mar his face so no one would say a thing about him being beautiful again.
The first time he said that Alexander, who was nearby, ran to his friend and pleaded him not to do that. The expression in his two coloured eyes was showing so much panic that Hephaestion ended comforting him and promising that he would never do anything to his face at all. Alexander released a long and low sigh and he hid his face in the crook of Hephaestion's neck, a thing he had been doing for the last months, especially because he was shorter than the brunette and he could always enjoy of that scent that only Hephaestion's skin had, a mixture of summer and sandalwood.
Young Hephaestion had learnt so many things in that last year that he sometimes marveled at the vast and varied knowledge that his master had and he really enjoyed the way in which his idea of the world had widen in an astronomic way. His eyes opened widely with every story Aristotle said and that only served to make his idea of travelling more desired. He wanted to live those things, not only heard and knew about them and it seemed as if he had found the perfect partner to share those dreams. Prince Alexander had become his best friend after such a rocky beginning and it was normal to see both friends, walking arms around the other's shoulders and speaking with their heads, one brunette and one blonde, together. These two friends were always followed by two faithful four-legged friends, the she wolf Sotiris and the dog Peritas, a black karaman as big as his wolf friend.
Hephaestion was one of the best students, always ready to answer and his questions revealed a vey high mental speed. This virtue brought him many problems, especially with those companions who were not so quick or were always ready to laugh at him. Luckily, Hephaestion had never felt the need to change the way he was and his stubbornness helped him to face those offensive remarks. He could always count with Alexander's friendship and understanding and, even though they had some discussions between them and the prince could be as stubborn as Hephaestion was, that had never put on danger their friendship.
At first, Hephaestion had been a bit behind as regards his physical development. He had always been taller than other boys of his same age had but his body had always been thinner, slender without a single gram of fat or muscle. Cleitus had always laughed at his appearance, telling him that his body looked like a twig, always at the point of breaking and the boy, who had always wanted to impress the huge warrior, answered that his body was more like a bamboo cane that could bend but never be broken easily. After such witty remark, the black warrior had spent some time with the young brunette training him and teaching him ways to build up some muscles in that body. The training had had very good results, the boy looked no longer as thin as a twig but he did not have bulky muscles yet but Cleitus had confidence that when he finally grew up, he would have his father and brother's magnificent tall and strong physique.
In the meantime, poor Hephaestion had a lot of blisters to take care of in his sore feet, which had never been used to walking or marching for such long hours. He sometimes felt as if his muscles were burning inside the skin of his legs and arms after those long exercises under the hot sun and one afternoon he nearly passed out of exhaustion and everyone could see that his breathing was quite laboured.
Cleitus, who had been visiting the complex at Mieza, picked up the boy in his strong arms and took him back to his chamber where his overheated body was freshened up with clothes damped in cold water. Aristotle himself looked after the young boy, preparing his own concoctions and giving them every three hours. Alexander was by his side as long as it was possible for him but he slept every night in a makeshift bed by his sick friend's side while Sotiris and Peritas waited for the boy's recovery outside the room.
It took Hephaestion three days and their nights to recover fully and, after that, a constant wheezing could be listened in the boy's breathing and that made everyone worry about his health. King Philip was informed about it and he sent his personal doctor to check the boy and decide what course of action should be done to help him get his health back.
The doctor checked the boy thoroughly and when he finished, his face did not have the best expression all the presents were expecting. He cleared his voice and said that his lungs were in a very delicate condition and that there had to be something wrong with the thin layer that covered them, because it sounded as if it were fraying. He suggested moving the boy back to his hometown that was much warmer that the chilly Mieza before the winter came. The decision was communicated to the king and he called Amyntas to let him know that he had to take his son back home to preserve his health. He also added something that the doctor had not told the rest of the people; Hephaestion's lungs condition was really delicate and he might not survive the winter, that was why they had suggested to take him back home so he could see his family again before the worst came.
The night before Amyntas's arrival, Alexander sneaked into Hephaestion's chamber. The brunette had been moved to a single chamber when he had fallen ill but the prince really missed having his friend by his side. He approached the bed and whispered lowly:
"Phai, are you awake?"
"Yes, Alexander. What do you need?" the blue-eyed boy asked in a whisper.
"I wanted to spend the night with you before you go tomorrow" the prince said, letting his friend know how much he was already missed.
"Alright, jump in" the boy said shifting over one side of the bed.
"I will miss you Phai, so much" Alexander said, hiding his face on the crook of Hephaestion's neck, as he had done tons of times before.
"I will miss you too but I have to go, Xander. I am too ill and I would only be a charge for everyone here" Hephaestion said, a bout of cough followed his statement.
"Never for me, please stay with me, I will look after you myself" Alexander begged and hid further into his friend's neck and started to sob quietly.
"Don't do this, Xander, you will make me feel guilty for leaving you alone and then …." But his sentence was interrupted in mid-air and his wheezing was higher and higher until silence reigned in the room.
Alexander looked at him and saw how his Hephaestion's lips and his skin started to loose their natural complexion and turned into a strange hue of bluish, mixed with a deep red. He started to shout at the top of his voice, calling for help while he cradled the stiff body between his long but not so strong arms to control the seizure that was attacking the brunette's body.
Aristotle entered the room running and after him, the royal doctor who immediately realized what had happened. He was almost sure that one of the boy's lungs had started to fail in its function and would quickly collapse if it did not receive enough air to inflate it again. He took the ill boy from the tight grasp the prince had on him and laying him flat on the floor, proceeded to give him mouth-to-mouth respiration until the boy coughed loudly and a huge intake of air entered his lungs, restarting their normal function.
Alexander looked at his friend who was trying to breathe normally but that it was still quite a feat for him, and threw himself onto the bed and hugged the slender frame between his arms and begged for his forgiveness.
The doctor asked why he would ask for that because he had not been the cause of the seizure but Alexander told them that he had made Hephaestion feel guilty and sad when he strongly begged him to stay by his side. The doctor in that moment realized that the condition was also connected to the boy's emotional state and he prayed the gods to keep him alive until the morning when his father was coming to take him back home.
Hephaestion saw the distress in his friend's heart and face so he patted the cot and motioned him to lay with him. Alexander did not doubt a second to do what his friend was asking him so he set on his side with his arm onto the raising and falling chest as if he could control like that his friend's breathing while Hephaestion racked the blonde's short tresses with his long thin fingers.
After some minutes, both boys fell asleep in each other's arms and remained embraced until the morning came, no matter that both their teacher and the doctor had already expressed their concern about them being so close to each other.
Amyntas arrived in the wee hours of the morning; he had been ridding his horse fast and without a rest to get there sooner. He practically threw himself off the horse in movement and ran into the complex where his son was waiting for him. He found Sotiris and Peritas outside the room and the she wolf whined when she saw him as if she wanted to prepare him for what he was about to see.
As soon as he entered, he saw Master Aristotle and the royal doctor whispering to each other and on the bed two boys with their small bodies so entwined that he could not distinguish where one began and the other ended. He walked towards them and he suddenly realized that his son was seriously ill. He had already been notified of the seriousness of Hephaestion's sickness and everything that master Aristotle and the royal doctor had already done to soothe the pain; however, everything had been useless and it seemed as if he was getting worse every passing day. The doctor told him about the previous day's seizure.
Alexander, who was wrapped around Hephaestion's body as a starfish, listened to the murmured words and dared to peek, knowing that, as soon as he opened his eyes, his friend would be gone. He sat on the cot quietly, greeted the General and finally got off the bed, leaving Amyntas talking to the men. When they left, the General took a good look at his son, tucked in the big bed, and he saw him so weak and small that his heart shrunk with fear; he had never thought that seeing his own flesh and blood suffer would be so painful.
The boy's complexion was so pale that it looked as if his body were carved in white marble; dark rings around his eyes made them look as if they were two holes in the ashen face; his lips were so void of colour that they could be confused with the surrounding skin.
He leant over to kiss the feverish forehead and, at that moment, Hephaestion opened his cyan eyes that had already lost their usual sparkle.
"Hello son" Amyntas said, his voice laced with worry.
"Hello father, I am sorry" the boy said in a whisper, his throat was parched.
"What are you apologizing for, Hephaestion?" he asked because he could not think about anything his son could have done wrong.
"You have to leave mother to come to fetch me" the boy said between fits of cough.
"But you are ill, son; of course I will always come for you" he explained, ruffling his son's hair gently.
"How is mother?" he asked, each word causing him more trouble than the former one.
"She is worried but she is waiting for you, she had prepared your room and she had taken all her concoctions and healing books out and she has been reading them looking for a way to cure you" he said in a clear tone of voice.
"I am so sorry" the boy said again, thinking that he had been adding more work to his already over loaded mother.
"Don't say that; you did nothing to catch this illness. Can you tell me if there is something that hurts?" the General asked, trying to assess the situation and the way to take his son back home.
"Everything hurts, papa, even my hair, but the worst are my eyes and my chest, it is awfully painful" he replied, grimacing with pain.
Amyntas leaned over again, this time covering his son's face completely, he looked at his son's eyes that were completely reddish, like injected with blood, and tiny blisters covered his eyelids. Hephaestion sighed deeply because the darkness soothed his pain a little but moving made him gasp in pain when he tried to breathe deeper than before.
Amyntas looked at Hephaestion's chest and saw it covered in purple rings of different sizes, they looked ulcerated so it should be quite painful.
In that moment, the royal doctor came in again, carrying this time several bowls and little flasks. Even though he had tried to minimize the situation, he realized that the General had already understood the severity of the illness. The military man had seen his fair quote of ill men ad he could easily distinguish one simple from a very complicated one.
"I brought some things for the trip, even though it is not a long one, it will be hard on him. We will make a bed to transport him to the cart. I will put this cream on those blisters now and then bandage his chest to prevent more injuries or an infection during the journey. There are also some cream and potions to put onto his eyes; I think it would be better if we covered them with a dark soft linen so in that way, he will have the medication and darkness, as well" the doctor said while moving around his young patient.
Amyntas agreed to everything the doctor said and he was about to tell Hephaestion what they would be doing to him so he knew what was going on, when he listened to a soft knock on the door. Granting entrance, Amyntas saw a blonde boy enter again; he was still a bit shorter than his son but not as thin as the brunette was at the moment.
"Ah, Alexander, my prince, please do come in but do not get too close. My apologies if I was not in the correct mind when I saw you earlier" the tall man said, apologizing to the small boy.
"There is nothing to apologize for, General. The doctor had not allowed me to be very near but I have come every night to read to him; it seems to calm him; that is why you found me here this morning, I must have fallen asleep by his side" Alexander explained, blushing.
"I am sure that Hephaestion is really thankful for that, Alexander" Amyntas said, seeing how distressed the young boy was.
"He will recover soon, won't he? Your home is in a much warmer climate, it will be good for his lungs" the little boy said, trying hard to stop the tears that were about to fall.
"Of course, Alexander, it will only take a long time, probably, but he will be back sooner than you think" the old man said, trying to console the friend.
"It will never be soon enough for me, I already miss him and he is still here" Alexander said, trying to express his feelings very clearly.
"He will be back and he will play and study with you again" Amyntas said, reassuring the nervous boy.
"And you will bring him back to me as soon as he is strong enough, won't you, General?" the boy asked but he was already masking a demand.
"You have my word, my prince" the General saw how important his son was for the prince.
"Please, I need him by my side, he is my best friend, he is my everything …" the boy confessed, blushing deeply.
"Aren't you a bit young to know that?" Amyntas asked curiously.
"I may be young but I know what my heart feels, General" the boy replied plainly.
"Xander, is that you?" a weak Hephaestion asked.
"I am here, my Phai. How are you feeling today?" Alexander asked gently while he approached the bed.
"I am fine, Xander, don't worry" he said, trying to mask the pain in his chest.
"Don't you dare lie to me, Phai" the shorter blonde told his friend off.
"Alright, everything hurts so much and I don't know how much longer I would resist this pain" the boy said in a whisper.
"What can I do to help you, Phai?" the prince asked and he would have traded places with his brunette if he had been able to do it.
"Nothing … just don't hate me" Hephaestion pleaded in a tiny voice.
"I could never do that and why would I hate you?" Alexander asked surprised by his friend's plea.
"For being weak, I don't deserve to be a Macedonian soldier if I cannot tolerate this pain" the boy said and coughed his lungs out.
"Don't say that, you are really brave" Alexander replied, encouraging him.
"Brave men do not cry" the boy said, letting fat tears roll down his feverish and sunken cheeks.
Amyntas had retreated to the back of the room from where he had been listening to the boys' conversation. Those two sounded so mature with their only nine years, and he could feel the underneath deep feeling that bonded those two and he prayed for his son's recovery but he was sure that the prince would never fully recover if something happened to his Phai.
"That is not true, my father says that men cry in the rain. Can I ask you something, Phai?" the golden prince asked.
"Anything, my prince" Hephaestion answered, trying to make him sound stronger than he felt.
"Promise me that you will get better and come back to me, I am nothing without you" the nine-year-old boy confessed to his crush.
"I promise" the boy lying on the bed said and he closed his eyes, the analgesic finally having effect in his weak body.
Alexander got closer and set a hand onto his friend's chest, trying to avoid any of the blistered marks, because he needed to feel his heartbeat. Leaning over, he kissed his cheek and whispered against his neck "Come back to me" and he left the room running, shedding copious tears.
When the cart was finally prepared, Amyntas cradled Hephaestion carefully between his strong arms and took the sleeping boy to the makeshift bed. Alexander, who had returned after composing himself from his breakdown, walked by the General's side having one of the brunette's hands in his slightly smaller ones. He squeezed the hand gently and ran off for the second time.
All the companions came to see him off, wishing him a speed recovery. The only companion absent was the prince who could not tolerate seeing his Phai going away from him.
As if he could sense his friend's absence, Hephaestion uncovered his eyes just a little and instantly looked towards the apple tree; he could distinguish a hunched figure next to it and he realized why his friend was hiding from him. Hephaestion did not hide his tears at all, even though he felt a deep sting while shedding them. Seeing that noble gesture, Alexander let a wish leave his clenched lips and the brunette could clearly listen to his prince's "Come back to me" and he just nodded, falling asleep almost immediately.