Day Eight: A miraculous recovery.
The General started his journey back home slowly. The roads were not in the best conditions for his precious charge but he would do his best in avoiding the worst of them so Hephaestion did not have to suffer more than he really was. The old warrior went all the way talking to himself and in a moment, he started to pray to the Olympians and he asked them fervently to let him arrive to their house with his son still alive. He also told the gods that he was sure that his wife would be able to find a cure for this strange illness that was changing his son into a shadow of the lively son he had left a year later at Mieza. However, he also added a soft plea to them, if it was Hephaestion's fate to leave them while being so young, they would understand and accept the gods' decision too, even if it was not the one they would have wanted.
Lady Amyntoros had been wandering around the house for the last hours; no one dared to tell her to have a seat or to stop walking back and forward to the front door. Lena was also worried, she knew that if something happened to his Hephaestion, lady Amyntoros would not survive the pain. She was, once more, standing at the farmhouse door when they arrived. She ran towards the cart and immediately climbed on it with the agility of a young woman. Nothing had prepared her for what she saw; Hephaestion had taken a turn for the worse during the journey back home and he looked much sicker than what she had assumed. She remained frozen for some minutes until Amyntas set everything to carry the boy inside their farmhouse. The couple did not share a single word, it was not necessary, they had both realized that the situation was really serious and that their dear son was in danger.
When they settled him onto his bed, they wept bitterly because they did not think he would survive the night. All the signs of his illness had got worse since they had left Mieza and according to the royal doctor, the chances of surviving were not many. Lady Amyntoros sat by her son's side and started to examine every inch of her dear boy's body, trying to discover any distinguishable sign that could give her an idea of why she was fighting against. She looked for scratches, bites and even weals that might be hidden. She saw nothing but she promised herself to look again more carefully as soon as she stopped crying her eyes out, her tears had made the job quite difficult.
She was caressing his feverish forehead and letting her fingers run along the boy's fringe when Hephaestion opened his cyan eyes as thin as two slits and tried to smile to his mother to let he r know he was doing fine but it only came out as a painful grimace that made his features more painful to stare at.
"Mama" he whispered, trying to convey in that simply word all his love for her.
"I am here, my love, you are finally awake" she said smiling, trying to hide from him her worried face.
"Sorry mama, I did not want to cause any more problems …" his last words were drowned in a severe fit of cough and when it finished, a sharp scream let his mouth.
Lady Amyntoros shouted her husband's name who quickly entered the room running. The vision he saw broke his heart, Hephaestion was lying on the bed, all his muscles stiffen and he was gasping for air labouredly, opening his mouth repeatedly in an attempt to get some oxygen inside his nearly collapsed lungs.
Amyntas took him in his arms quickly but in a gentle way due to his constant pain, getting him into a nearly sitting position to help his breathing. He had practised that maneuver many times with his own soldiers when they were without air due to a wound with an arrow to their chest or when thrown to the floor by a crazy horse that nearly knocked them out. Suddenly Hephaestion took a big intake of air and restarted his laboured breathing, followed by smaller intakes of air.
The entire ordeal left the small boy exhausted and he fell asleep in his father's strong arms. The old man did not dare to put him back onto the bed so he cradled him for a long time, rocking himself forwards and backwards, the same way he used to do when Hephaestion was just a baby. Lady Amyntoros looked at them and left the room, crying inconsolably; she could not bear seeing them so broken, one because of his illness; the other because he felt impotent and useless.
The same episode happened two more times in the following hours, each of them taking Hephaestion more time to recover and get back to breathe by himself. They could clearly see how the body was losing the battle to the illness and how the last traces of the boy's strength were fading away rapidly. During the last episode, the stiffness was so severe that they could not help him to take the recovery position that helped him t least to get over the fit. Minutes went by and none of the parents listened to any deep intake of air entering the boy's body indicating that he was about to fill his lungs with that needy air and breathe again by himself. In a closer look, they saw with horror how his lips started to get a bluish colour due to the lack of oxygen in his body and his skin started to take that cyanotic hue and it felt rough as if it had dried instantly.
They realized that they were losing him and, what was worse t was that they were unable to do something in order to help him, when suddenly a brilliant lightning traveled along the clear day sky and it was followed seconds after by the loud roar of a thunder. The sky was clear and there was no sign of a storm brewing in the horizon that was very strange. A gust of hot air pushed one of the chamber windows open and blew strongly over the weak and almost stiff corpse on the bed, as if little Hephaestion were the only inhabitant in the room.
Lady Amyntoros and her husband could not clearly see what was happening inside the room because their vision turned blurred immediately but they could nearly distinguish a presence leaning over their son. They were worried but they could not move either. Amyntas was fighting against the wind that kept him away from his son when suddenly, as soon as everything had begun, it was over. They were ready to face the disastrous state that they knew the room would be but to their surprise, everything was safe and nothing was out of place.
They ran towards the bed and they could see that their son's body had lost its stiffness and suddenly they gladly saw Hephaestion opening his eyes. The boy let his eyes wander around the room as if he were looking for something but his search was interrupted when he felt the need to take a huge intake of air, after that he doubled his thin body in halves, and then he fell on his back onto the mattress still, once more.
The child's face suddenly showed a happy expression while a tiny smile graced his now pinkish lips and the rosy colour went back to his cheeks. The bluish colour of his skin let place to the ashen colour until it also disappeared. His lips parted and his mouth opened, letting a long and loud sigh go. His body relaxed and he fell into a deep sleep.
Lady Amyntoros approached her head; her face still showing fear in her emerald eyes. She looked at the still body and she dared to set her soft hand onto the former feverish forehead to find it fresh and no longer clammy.
The purple rings that had been peppering the thin chest started to get lighter until they disappeared in front of her eyes and a new glow could be seen enveloping the small body, a glow that kept the thin frame warm and at the same time fresh and comfortable.
Lady Amyntoros sent a heartfelt pray to the gods, promising them to offer a big sacrifice as soon as Hephaestion was fully recovered. She thought that she would offer them something very significant, something she had and liked a lot or something that it was expensive or impossible to buy it again. If she was going to thank the Olympians for their miracle, she would offer them something that was worthy and equivalent to the gift they had just given them.
Amyntas, who had fallen onto a chair next to the bed, let a stray tear of happiness roll down his stubble cheeks and thanked the Olympians for giving them their son back. He was ready to even sacrifice himself to thank the gods for their son's recovery.
Mother and father watched over the boy's sleep, seeing how miraculously his chest raised and lowered with each breath that was now painless and deep. They were sitting side by side, their hands entwined and staring at Hephaestion who was still peacefully sleeping.
One hour later, Hephaestion opened his eyes again and prompting onto his elbows, he asked for some water, which he drank without any further problem. He was still feeling a bit tired so his parents encouraged him to go back to sleep once more in order to get his strength back. They told him that the rest would help his body to heal quicker and the boy just did what he was told.
The evening came bringing the dark sky only lit by the twinkling stars and Hephaestion was still sleeping peacefully. Both parents were getting ready a light dinner for the three of them; Amyntas was helping his wife so they could go back quicker to the chamber. However, in a moment, his parents turned when they saw how his room was suddenly illuminated with a golden light, stronger than any light they had seen before and it was coming from beneath the door. They ran towards the room but they found the door locked, even though they were sure that they had left it opened or slightly ajar. Amyntas threw his heavy body against the door but he could not open it, either. They were desperate to enter and see what was happening to Hephaestion.
Hephaestion's mother was wringing her hands nervously when she listened, inside her head, a sweet female voice telling her that her son would be all right because the Amyntoros family had always been faithful to the gods. She calmed down and realized that all that light had to do with the Olympians so after telling that to her husband, they let the room in peace.
Hephaestion could also see the light; he could also feel the warmth invading his whole body and travelled along it as if it were a river of fire. As that fire touched his innards, he began feeling better and better and a feeling of peace and happiness filled his heart and nestled there. A male voice, loud and clear, could be heard in the room and the boy realized that he had listened to that voice before, once in a dream, and that voice belonged to the same almighty Zeus, who was talking to him.
"Dear Hephaestion, you are one of our dearest creations and we do not want to see you suffer anymore. Today, even though everybody in the house has forgotten, is your tenth birthday so we wanted to give you a very precious gift, which you already had since the very day you were born because I granted it to you on that special day. We are going to activate it so it can help you to get better" the shinny man in white told him.
"Almighty Zeus, why are you doing this? I am just a common boy from a southern farmhouse" Hephaestion said speaking with his voice really clear.
"You are not just a boy and you will never be a common man, Hephaestion; you are a very important person and you will even be more important as soon as you reach your adulthood, becoming a remarkable man. You, my dear boy, will outstand from the rest, you will be a man who will be hated but also and much more loved by many" the thunderous voice of the father of the gods said convincingly.
"May I ask what that gift is?" the brunette boy asked with respect.
"The gift is within you and from this moment on, you will be able to use it without needing the intervention of the Olympians. You will be able to pass this gift, a new and stronger life force, to the only person who would hold your heart; in a word, you will be able to share it with your soul mate only" Zeus explained that to the boy and he immediately put him to sleep as his recovery time was not over yet.
"Thank you, almighty Zeus. I will do anything to give you back such a wonderful present" the boy said nearly asleep.
"Just be an honest man and we will all be happy. One more thing and it is really important that you remember and follow our instructions. When the time of your demise comes, do not let anyone burn your body, ask them to set you onto a bed and leave you alone in an empty room. The room must be left unoccupied and not even your soul mate could be present. We will tell you more about this as soon as you can understand it better" he added and, throwing one last look over the sleeping boy, he left the room and then the house but before, he ordered Morpheus to guard the brunette's sleep.
Hephaestion's parents entered the room as soon as they heard the door unbolt and they found their son deeply asleep and totally cured. Mother and father cried happy tears and thanked their gods for granting the deepest wish of their hearts. Hephaestion smiled in his sleep as if they could hear them and they truly knew that he was going to be all right.
The boy woke up two hours later, asking for his mother. As soon as she entered the room, he asked for some food and a glass of milk, telling her that he was starving. Lady Amyntoros went back to the kitchen and, with the cook's help, they prepared a hearty dinner. Mother, father and son shared their meal and Hephaestion told them what the father of the gods had told him in his dream. At first, they did not believe him, thinking that it might be a side effect of the recovery, but when the little boy added so many details, the idea was logical and well thought. They suggested Hephaestion, that as soon as he was fully recovered, he should write all what Zeus had told him and kept it safe, only revealing the content of that scroll when the right time came and to his true soul mate. They also decided that they would write a second copy and that one would be sent to the royal palace and ask the king to keep it safe with the kingdom's papers. Amyntas had decided that after revealing his wife the true nature of Hephaestion's relationship with the prince and how their young love was totally requited. The lady was totally shocked with the news but she understood the prince's crush on Hephaestion, her unique treasure in the world.
Thanks to the guest review in the previous chapter and to Mashou No Tenshi, knowing that you are reading makes me happy! :)