Day Fourteen: Some needed reassurance.
Hephaestion quickly understood what Megara was so openly and unselfishly offering, however it was hard for the brunette to see Megara spending the whole banquet talking to both of them at first; but then she started to separate Alexander from Hephaestion by sitting herself between them as she wanted to test her theory about the queen's plot to separate the two lovers.
In order to achieve that, Megara made her advances towards the prince more notorious and flirtatious. She smiled lovingly at the blonde youth as if the young man were the very same Apollo in disguise or she giggled after he had said something, making it seem more interesting than it had really been, as if only pearls of wisdom fell from the blonde's mouth. She also batted her eyes towards him or hid them beneath her delicate hand, making herself blush as if she were the most innocent flower in the whole room. Nobody could deny that she was a true master of deception but no one knew why the young maiden was so resourceful or the deep reason behind the attitude she was showing. In a moment, she realized that they had caught the Queen's attention so she tried twice as hard to let her see how well they were getting along and how she had managed to keep the prince's attention only on her person.
At the same time that Queen Olympias's smile got bigger and bigger, Hephaestion's frown got deeper and deeper and his heart heavier. The brunette realized that all those displayed scenes were part of the show they were trying to sell the others but he also knew that that very same situation was actually going to arrive any day, sooner than what he had really expected or desired. He had never considered time as an enemy but he would have to see like that firm that moment onwards.
Hephaestion looked, out of the corner of his eye, the wide smile that was gracing the queen's face and he realized that their plan might not be as successful as they had thought before. If the queen saw how well Alexander and Megara were getting along, she might force them to get them engaged before they had planned the second part of their plot.
Megara was talking to Alexander animatedly and the blonde youth was answering her questions, at first, with monosyllabic answers and devoid of emotion and interest but then, he had started to answer her with more details and he discovered himself enjoying their conversation. Megara was totally different to any of the young women he had met before; she was really a strong maiden with many interesting things to share and his mind was witty and smart, rival to his Phai's. In a moment, Megara was telling Alexander a sad story about one of her pets and the prince had felt the need to comfort her so he had taken her small and delicate hand between his bigger ones and cradled them until the red-haired girl ended telling him her story. When it was over, he patted her hand once more time and let it free after squeezing her fingers gently, showing her some consideration about her feelings. The gesture had been totally innocent and any of the two persons involved had seen it with a different meaning.
However, two pairs of clear eyes had seen the full exchange between them and they had reacted in accordance to their own deep feelings. The cold green eyes had sparkled with joy because their owner had never thought to have a second victory so soon after the first one; she was sure that she had made really good and steady advances in only a few hours. On the other hand, the cyan sad eyes had seen their owner's world crumble in a heap of shattered dreams and the heaviness of his heart sank it deeper into a hollow chest. The brunette could not believe how much he was about to lose when the real thing happened in their near future.
Megara, out of the corner of her eye, saw both reactions and had very opposing feelings; she was happy because she had been able to fool the queen so easily, just bating her eyes and sharing some giggles and pieces of conversation. However, she also felt sad because she was hurting an innocent young boy who was deeply in love with the golden prince and that's aid prince requited the same feelings towards him. She thought that she would have to find a way to reassure the brunette that her intentions towards Alexander were totally innocent and that she did not want any kind of answer on the prince's part; she only wanted to make the queen's plans fail and help them to be together without any meddling from the royal woman.
Nevertheless, before she could put her plan of reassurance into practice, she sadly saw the blue-eyed boy walking out of the room quietly with his head hanging over his chest, his shoulders hunched forward and dragging his feet onto the marble floors as if he had difficulty in walking out of the room.
Mother and son also saw his quiet and quick departure. The former breathed deeply, knowing that the handsome troublemaker had finally learnt his lesson while the latter was ready to jump of the chair and go after his beloved friend. A gentle touch on his arm prevented him from doing that; the simple look in Megara's face alerted him that if he had gone after his Hephaestion, they would have ruined the entire plan and then Olympias would remain suspicious and she would probably set someone on them, following them as a shadow and reporting to her of every single of their movements.
No matter what Megara did for the rest of the evening, she could not bring back the amicable chatting that they had shared during most of the banquet or that nice smile that used to grace the prince's lips. Alexander looked a bit jumpy as if he were to run away anytime soon, almost constantly looking at the door through which his beloved Phai had fled before. If looks could bring someone back, Hephaestion would have been there soon after he had left; but looks did not have that power so Alexander had to resign to not seeing his beloved back and he sulked the rest of the night unaware of the cold eyes set on them.
Queen Olympias did not want to let her moment of victory get cold so she headed towards them to see what had happened to have their jolly moods gone. She would not allow her son to fall for that boy again, not now when she had found a girl who could set her claws onto her son and keep him under control, well, under Olympias's control.
When Megara saw the queen coming their way, she freaked out; she knew that the mood between Alexander and her had gone cold when Alexander realized that Hephaestion was no coming back so she knew she had to do something and do it quickly. She started to giggle and slapped Alexander's arm gently to bring the boy's attention back to her. The young boy luckily reacted immediately and joined her in the light laughing, trying to mask his broken heart, and acting as if he were having the best of the times in the company of his new female friend.
"I see you are having a nice time together" the woman said with a sickly-sweet voice.
"Yes, we are, mother. What about yourself?" Alexander asked sounding very respectful.
"I have been having an interesting conversation with master Aristotle, you can spend the whole day talking to him and never get bored" she said, lying.
"And you cannot imagine how funny and interesting his classes are; we are really learning a lot of useful things" Alexander added, trying to protect his master from his mother's poisonous tongue.
"I am sure you are. So I see you have met Megara" the queen said looking at the girl and smiling at her.
"Yes, I have and we have been talking almost all the evening long, haven't we?" Alexander said, trying to show in his voice his interest about the red haired girl.
"Yes, of course, my prince, you know so many interesting things that I am amazed at such vast knowledge" the young maiden answered, trying to mask her true disgust for the queen.
"I am so happy that you were able to find a friend among the girls, Alexander; for a moment you had me worried" Olympias said and as soon as she said those words, she immediately regretted saying them because she would bring back her son's attention to his missing partner.
"Why is that, mother? Why were you worried?" Alexander asked, trying to make his mother mention Hephaestion's name.
"Because you are growing up and any day soon you will have to look for a nice and strong Macedonian woman to accompany you during your life" she said, being careful with every single word she uttered, knowing that a single slip of the tongue could cause a problem and her plans would totally crumble.
"I am still young, mother, I have time for that" Alexander said, trying to belittle the topic of their conversation.
"It takes time to find and know a person well …" Olympias said gently, looking at Megara who was in silence, standing beside the prince, her emerald eyes cast down. Anyone could have thought she was the true image of a well educated maiden but she was not looking at the queen because she knew she could not hide her disgust for the Epirote woman for a long time
"Unless you have already found your true love. In that case, you know how fast your heart beats whenever your beloved is near; how much you miss them when they are not near you or that they are the only people who make you feel happy. And finally knowing that by being together, everything is going to be alright" Alexander expressed his feelings so convincingly that Olympias threw him a menacing look.
"Have you already found true love, my prince?" Megara asked, praying to all the gods that Alexander remember his part of the deal.
"No yet, it is what people who had found it said about the feelings that are born with that meeting of twin souls" Alexander answered, his jaw clenched. The boy wanted to say the truth, he wanted to shout that he already knew what true love was because he had found it in his Phai, but he knew better than that, he knew he should keep quiet and follow the plan, at least, until his mother was no longer around.
"Well, maybe true love is nearer than you think, son" Olympias said, throwing a knowing look towards Megara, as if she was already giving them her blessing.
"Maybe, mother, maybe" the boy answered plainly, not denying the fact at all but without confirming it.
Alexander knew that it was quite difficult to sound civilized in that moment when the only thing he wanted to do was to run to his chamber and take his Phai between his arms and covered his lips with his kisses, until the brunette did not doubt that he was the real owner of the prince's heart and love.
Olympias sensed Alexander's stoic attitude and, even though she wanted to go on pressing on the subject, she decided to make a wise retreat and leave her son alone for a while; she would have time in the following days to plan her second attack.
By the end of the summer, Alexander would not know whom or what had hit him but he would be doing what his mother wanted. The queen never left any problems unsolved and she would twist everything to get finally, what she came looking for.
She bid her farewells especially to master Aristotle and her son and then she summoned the maidens to follow her, excusing their departure with the young boys by telling them that they were starting to feel their tiredness after such a long journey and a lovely and hearty dinner. Of course, any of the young people shared her opinion but they all decided to follow her lead.
As soon as his mother let the room, Alexander ran back to his chamber and entered it quickly, bolting the door behind him. He could distinguish Phai's shape beneath the sheet and cover and he realized that the moving bulge was no one else than his beloved sobbing alone. He quickly undressed and slid naked beneath the sheets, spooning the taller young boy, his chest against the brunette's broad back. The prince immediately hugged his friend and let one of his hands rest onto his flat stomach while the other caressed the slightly hairy chest softly, as if a thousands of butterflies were batting her little wings over the brunette's cold skin.
Alexander felt Hephaestion stiffen against his body and he cursed his mother for that; she had only brought problems to him since the moment she arrived and she had only made his Phai suffer from that very same moment onwards. The prince knew that he needed to calm Hephaestion down first if he wanted to talk about what was happening and he knew that the best and quickest way to do that was to make him feel comfortable and reassured. He began kissing the blue-eyed boy's nape, peppering the warm skin with tiny open-mouthed kisses; he felt his Phai a bit less tense so he continued with his ministrations, switching his kisses with tiny and gentle bites to that spot beneath his earlobe that made Hephaestion moan in ecstasy.
Between soft kisses and gentle bites, Alexander felt Hephaestion's fingers entwine with his own and one of his feet rub against the prince's calf.
Their caresses got bolder and more sensual, with hands wandering around their nether regions and snaking between their legs, finding that they were almost aroused. Alexander, who had a more advantageous position, took his beloved's length in his hand and caressed it from tip to root, following the engorged vein with his fingertips until he reached the mushroom shaped head and played with the slit that was already leaking tiny drops of precome. Hephaestion let a low moan escape between his clenched lips and pushed his full body closer to his prince's as if he wanted to fuse them together. He started to rub his behind along Alexander's erection and made the blonde boy groan. One of the prince's hands tightened around Hephaestion's hipbone and pushed him further into his body, rubbing his manhood against that delectable and so tempting arse. Alexander's hand around Hephaestion's length started to move faster, he wanted to get the brunette off so he could show him who he was in love with. Hephaestion came with a long and low moan and his sated body melted against Alexander's. A minute later, he rolled onto his side to face his lover and grabbing Alexander's face between his hands, he snogged him senseless. When their kiss ended, Hephaestion could still feel Alexander's hardness against his thigh so he gently asked:
"Why don't you let me help you with that?" his voice tinged with deep desire and love.
"It is alright, Phai" the prince replied, hiding his face in Hephaestion's neck and kissing the soft skin there.
"Are you sure? I don't mind …" he was stopped by a chaste kiss on his lips.
"This night was just for you, love" Alexander explained and grabbing the discarded chiton by the bed, he cleaned the mess on Hephaestion's stomach gently, he already knew his Phai did not like the sensation of dry semen onto his skin.
"But I …" Hephaestion started to protest but he was interrupted once more when Alexander draped his left arm across his chest and rested his head over the brunette's chest.
"It is you I love, Hephaestion, only you, no one else" the blonde whispered against the warm chest and kissing it reverently.
"I know, and I love you too, even if you need to take a girlfriend" Hephaestion said, realizing what was bothering his friend.
"I think that if Megara wants to help us, we should let her" Alexander said while caressing the brunette's chest hair with his fingertips, whiles scribbling many "I love yous" onto the still wet skin.
"It is a good idea but you should set the conditions clear from the very beginning so there will not be any mistake later" the diplomat in the makings suggested seriously.
"We, I mean, you and me, will talk to her when the moment comes. Now let's sleep; tomorrow we are back to training and classes" Alexander said, kissing the brunette's shoulder and spooning him gently.
Both boys felt reassured and basked in the happiness of their love, a love that was so strong that it would get over any problem … or that was what they thought ….