Day Nine: Entering the family business.
A month after Hephaestion had so miraculously recovered his health, the boy started a series of exercises to build up his strength again as he had lost too much weight and all those muscles he had gained before his strange illness. He had spent half of that month in bed s his lungs were doing better but they were not fully recovered; he still had some bouts of cough that left him with a laboured breathing for some minutes after his fit. He then started to get up for longer periods of time and enjoy the family life in the kitchen where the atmosphere was always warmer, not only because of the hearth lit but also by the constant presence of his doting mother and father who had made up to the impossible to secure him a swift recovery.
He started throwing a rag ball against one of the walls of the stables and tried to catch it when it slightly bounced back. The first times were a total failure and the young Hephaestion, who was ten years old now, felt totally frustrated because he wanted to get his old body back so badly, especially because he wanted to go back to do all those things he had always enjoy doing. He sighed because he had recently realized that his recovery would be a long one, filled with many failures until the success started to appear.
The second reason was that his parents had also promised that, as soon as he was strong again, they would ask King Philip if he could join the rest of the young companions in Mieza again so he could go on his studies with Aristotle. His parents had realized that the teacher was a strong and good influence on their son's character and that he had learnt so much in just one year that it would be a pity if they took that from him. Due to Hephaestion's inquisitive nature, it was quite difficult to keep him quiet and satisfied now that he had tasted the vast knowledge the old master had to share.
And that reason was the best incentive to offer Hephaestion and that was why he exercised everyday, long hours each day to build up his strength again. The young boy tried to spend everyday doing something, exercising the different muscles in his body as the Black Cleitus had taught him those months ago. He had fond memories of those moments spent together and he could see that everyday he was doing a slow but steady progress.
Lady Amyntoros also helped him in his recovery; she was well known as a green finger person, a person who had the ability to make things grow just by doing little. She had an enormous garden, who little Hephaestion had helped to design and, in the back part of it, the woman had spent many hours planting different kinds of herbs and all of them had a different healing power. Differently to the rest of the women of her time, lady Amyntoros was not only a very independent person but she was also very well educated, one of the many characteristics that had captivated the rude and brave Amyntas. She could read and write, not only Greek but also a kind of ancient dialect that was said to be connected to the cult of gods and heroes. It was also related to the healing powers of Asclepious who had always help the ill people through prays and the use of an alternative medicine, especially the one coming from the herbs and the infusions made with them. Only a few were able to understand this dialect and it was mostly because the god himself had revealed its secrets to them.
Lady Amyntoros, being a devoted follower of the god of healing, spent many days, revising her notes about the different herbs and after studying for quite a long time, she found the correct herbs to make infusions and some creams to massage the weaken limbs and muscles. In addition, she was luckily obtaining good results because Hephaestion was spending longer periods of time in the open air, when it was warm, and he had not been so agitated as he had been the first days after his recovery.
Four months had gone by since Hephaestion's near-death experience and it was now Amyntas's time to help his son. He was about to propose something and he already knew that it had always been his son's wish; the old General was going to grant it to his son because he wanted and because he was still a bit afraid of losing him as he almost did four months ago. He had talked with his wife about this so she had prepared some strong infusions that the boy had been drinking for the last ten days unaware of the situation; they were especially prepared to act on his muscles and to fortify his lungs and respiratory system.
That night, while they were having dinner, Amyntas broke the news to the quiet boy, who had been a bit sad lately as his recovery was still slow and summer was coming faster than he really wanted. He had has the crazy idea that he would be already back at Mieza but it dawned on him that his return to the studying place was still far away. His cheerful and optimistic mood had turned a bit quieter sand he had often found himself wondering if he would be able to recover fully and to be the boy he once sued to be. He knew that Father Zeus had let him know some things about a bright future but he was suffering now and there was nothing that could help him to get out of the depression he was heading to. His father, luckily, would prove him wrong.
"Would you mind getting up a bit earlier tomorrow?" the man asked seriously but looking at his son.
"If you want" the boy replied, his voice void of any enthusiasm.
"But if you are going to be like that all that, moping around, you'd better stay inside" the father said, trying to pick the boy's interest but he was failing royally.
"Alright, I will stay inside" Hephaestion answered, playing with the food on his table, moving it from one side to the other.
"Well, so if you are going to stay inside, I am going to ask Lysander to help me or maybe Kostas is already ready to be taught; I know he had been asking me for that for months" Amyntas said, talking with his wife who immediately realized what he was doing.
"What are you going to teach Kostas?" Hephaestion asked, lifting his head from the plate and sounding a bit more curious than before and his mother smiled because it seemed that the trick had done it but she was careful to hide her smile behind her hand.
"Shadow's foals are ready to be tamed and I was thinking that Kostas ….." but the warrior was suddenly interrupted by the boy's loud voice and when he looked at his son, Hephaestion's eyes were deep blue like the Aegean Sea in a stormy day and he swore he could see the storm brewing in his eyes.
"NO, you promised you would teach me first, even thought he is older than me, you are MY father, you have to teach me. Lysander can teach Kostas if he wants and apart from that I am …. " and he stopped ranting when he listened to his parents laughing loudly and with big smiled gracing their faces.
"This is the first time since your recovery that I have seen so much colour in your face, son, or heard the quickest and longest string of words" Amyntas said, laughing even louder when he looked at the blue eyed boy and discovered that his cheeks were blushed but his eyes were much more calmer.
"So do I wake you up earlier or not?" Lady Amyntoros asked directly to her son with a sweet smile.
"Of course. Papa, if I do a good job with it, can I keep it?" Hephaestion asked with a lot of emotion in his voice and he sent a quick pray to the gods for an affirmative answer from his father.
"Of course, son, but only if you can ride him without getting agitated" Amyntas said seriously. He really wanted to give his son a horse but he would never compromise his health.
"I promise that I will go on with my exercises and infusions to get healthier and I would do anything you two tell me" Hephaestion promised from the bottom of his heart and it seemed as if a ray of hope had entered there and brought some warmth to it.
"Alright, so tomorrow at dawn we will meet at the stable, after having breakfast" Amyntas said and considered the conversation ended because he did not want to put too much pressure on Hephaestion.
The boy ate all his food without leaving anything on the plate, even those nasty small green sprouts his mother was so fan of and that he really hated; he did not want to give his parents any reason to stop the taming lessons. When he finished eating, he realized that he had been famished but that his anger had not let him see that.
He went to bed when his mother told him, without a single protest and even though he was allowed a little reading while being in bed, he blew out the candle as soon as his father told him. He knew he needed a good rest in order to be ready for the following day exercises.
Dawn came soon and the weather was not as chilly as the previous days; it seemed as if the weather was helping Hephaestion in achieving his most desired wish. The boy got up fast, washed his hands and face and he finally tied his shoulder length brunette tresses after combing them not so carefully. He then headed to the chest where his clothes were kept and, after looking inside for a while, he found what he though it was suitable for the day activities.
Both men shared a hearty breakfast, the morning meal contained thick slices of bread with a thick layer of honey, goat cheese cur in small dices, a big bowl of warm milk with some herbs in it and two caramel figs to keep the sugar level up. When the meal was over, Amyntas looked at his son and nodded at his clothing, Hephaestion was wearing an old chiton with long sleeves and a kind of trousers so he would keep his body warm until the sun was up in the sky. He would be able to wear something lighter then if it got too hot later.
There were three foals in the stables but one of them had shown the easiest temper to be tamed until that moment; the other two would have to wait a month or a bit less more to loose their stubbornness. Amyntas made Hephaestion approach the mare and the foal next to her. It was another beautiful mare, her coat was of a dark brown, almost black and she had a white mark in the middle of her forehead, it seemed as if it were a kind of lightning bolt. Hephaestion immediately liked her and Amyntas realized that the feeling was mutual. The foal left her mother's side, approached the tall boy, and pushed her muzzle against the boy's hand, giving him little touches until the boy lifted his hand and caressed the white mark on her forehead, following the lightning bolt design. A name came immediately to his mind but he remained in silence because he did not know yet if he had the right to name the horse by himself. The little horse neighed lowly as if it were a kind of greeting and seeing that instant connection, Amyntas made Hephaestion walk towards the stable entrance and the mare followed him immediately, as if she were a big dog.
The warrior reminded Hephaestion about the basic cares of water and food timetables while he showed him how a saddle was strapped correctly to prevent the rider falling or the horse being hurt. As all Macedonians, they did not wear stirrups so the secret was in the strength the rider had in his thighs and knees to command the horse to do what he or she wanted. The riding whip was only used during the taming to teach the most basic and primeval movements but then it was totally discarded as any Amyntoros believed in punishing an animal when it did something wrong, in fact they did believe that the only guilty was the rider himself for giving a wrong or confusing command.
Amyntas lassoed a loose thin rope around the mare's tender neck and took her to the middle of the big paddock, only use for the taming exercises but the young foal refused to walk further. Amyntas looked at it with surprise, it had never happened to him that before, no horse had ever refused to follow his commands but he soon realized what the foal was doing; she had already recognized Hephaestion as her owner so she wanted him to take her to the centre of the pen to start the exercises. This loyal mare deserved a loyal rider and Amyntas knew that he could not have found a better pair in those two. He beckoned Hephaestion to get closer and handed him the rope and the horse walked gently where the boy was taking her.
Hephaestion looked at his father and he told him to make the mare make rounds around him with the rope a bit loose so she did not feel trapped. The boy was a natural tamer as his father had already predicted the very same he was born without knowing why that unusual idea had come to his mind. The mare was a natural too, following Hephaestion's gentle instructions meekly. The foal had quickly achieved the first and more natural gait that was the walk. After the fourth round, Amyntas saw that the movement was well and controlled so he told Hephaestion to shorten the rope and made her walk faster, to learn how to trot. At the increase of the speed, the mare stopped at first but then she realized that Hephaestion had not moved from his place or let go of the rope, so she follow his future rider's command. The second gait was quickly achieved so Amyntas taught Hephaestion to reward the horse when they had done a good job. The man grabbed a red apple from a leather bag and cut it in quarters with his dagger. He told Hephaestion that he had to praise her firmly but kindly and then offered the sweet treat. The whole reward was over when the rider patted the horse's head or flank. She had to learn that those treats were not gratuitous, she had to win them and she would only obtain them if she did a good job, lousy jobs were not rewarded at all but she would get a verbal punishment for them or the rider could withhold those gentle caresses new foals enjoyed so much.
The first day was over when Amyntas taught the boy how to take care of the mare, cleaning her sweaty coat after the long day of exercise, brushing her fur so it was free of any insect or little thistles that might bother her later. Amyntas also taught him to look at her hoofs to prevent any damage to them, as they were quite painful for the horses, and finally to prepare a soft bed with fresh hay and a bucket with fresh water so she could rest comfortably. Hephaestion had to spend some time with her doing nothing in particular, just being there and talking to her so she could incorporate his tone of voice or his whistles, which were also useful, especially in battle where the noise was sometimes deafening. It was their bonding time and it was really necessary, for both of them.
In the following days, the mare and Hephaestion spent almost every minute together and she finally learnt the last two gaits, the canter and the gallop and she, once more, showed that she was a quick learner and that his tamer was a good teacher and learner as well.
A month later, nearly six months after Hephaestion's arrival to the farmhouse, boy and mare went out for the first time in a long ride alone around the farmhouse and the nearby lands. Amyntas followed them at a short distance but they did not have any problem. Both returned home in the early afternoon and after cleaning and attending to his mare's needs, Hephaestion allowed himself to have something to eat and take a along a well deserved nap. When he was out of their parents' sigh, they let a loud and long sigh out because they had realized that the time of his son's recovery was almost over. They were happy for him but hey also felt a bit sad because that would only imply one thing; Hephaestion would return to his friend and to his future soul mate.
He could not be happier, his strength was almost recovered, his breathing was not longer laboured and he had not felt winded at all. He knew that he would be able to tame the mare and she had quickly become his second favourite animal; the first one would always be Sotiris but Dione had become important too in such a short time because she had also saved him from a peril, the peril of feeling pity for himself.
Hephaestion knew that his recovery was almost over and that he was ready to come back; he had a golden prince to spoil …..
A/N: Dione means "The goddess", a Greek myth name of the mother of Aphrodite, it is also a feminine form of Zeus, the god with powerful lightning bolts.