Day Seventeen: The perfect suitor.
Hephaestion arrived to the farmhouse by midday; his parents were about to sit to have lunch when they listened to the horse's steps and their abrupt halt by their house. Lady Amyntoros stood up and was heading towards the door when it was opened with a quick movement. The doorframe was suddenly filled with the shape of a tall but thin young man; the light entering through the door did not let her see who the person was, keeping the tall frame in shadows. She was about to call her husband when the door was closed behind the man and she could clearly see that that young man was her dearest son Hephaestion. She ran towards him and hugged him tightly, burying her head in the strong chest. The young man leaned over her, set his chin over his mother's head and hugged her back, sighing loudly because he was safely back at home.
As he did not listen to anything, Amyntas decided to go and see what was keeping his wife from coming back and when he entered the hall, he saw his youngest son hugging his mother as if she were his anchor to the world. He waited by the door until his son lifted his head and smiled at him but the smile that graced his face was so sad that the General thought that something terrible had happened to him. He was not supposed to be home for another six months but he would not complaint about it as he missed his son dearly.
"Joy to you, my son" the man said, patting the youth's shoulder.
"Joy to you, papa" he answered and the use of that address from his childhood confirmed the man's suspicion.
"Let's get inside and have some lunch with us" lady Amyntoros said and she started to walk with his son still hugging her.
The old warrior looked at that image and he knew that something had happened, his son was sixteen years old and he had not allowed his mother to hug him like that since he was ten years more or less. He also noticed that he was a bit thinner than before but he had still kept his gained muscles. He seemed to be well physically but he realized that his ailment was more connected to his heart and soul than to his body this time.
They shared their meal and they spoke about everything that had happened in the farm but when Hephaestion had dodged once more their questions about Alexander and their studies, even his mother started to suspect. With a silent signal between both parents, they stopped asking Hephaestion about Mieza, knowing that their son would tell them when he was ready and it seemed to them that it was going to take him quite a long time to open up to them again.
That day was spent quietly and Hephaestion retreated to his own chamber to rest, saying that the travel had tired him a bit. His parents knew that that could not be true as the young man had been exercising for some years and they knew that the training for soldier's duty was extremely exigent and demanding and he had never protested about its hardness before.
Even Sotiris looked worried; her yellowish eyes had been following her master around the house the whole time. After the young man had retired to this room, the she wolf had looked for lady Amyntoros and set her heavy head onto the woman's lap and she had whined, looking towards Hephaestion's room as if she wanted to warn them that something was wrong with her master.
The old woman sighed deeply, knowing that his son was suffering and that everything had to do with the golden prince. Nothing or nobody affected her son's behaviour and mood more than Alexander did.
The following five days went by slowly and Hephaestion looked more and more comfortable, even happier, not showing any of the symptoms he had shown before when he was staying many days away from Alexander. His face looked more relaxed and his mood a bit more relaxed than in his first day there. However, it was the nighttime that brought sadness to his face and heart, becoming more and more quiet while both parents still waited for Hephaestion to talk to them, telling them what was making him suffer and feel so sad.
On the seventh morning there, Hephaestion was still wandering inside the house when he heard a horse and his heart skipped a beat in his chest. He immediately thought that his Alexander had come to get him and take him back to Mieza and the brunette was almost sure that the blonde prince would confess that he was not able to live another day without him by his side. However, when he stepped out of the house to see if he was right, he saw his mother talking to a stranger. His heart fell to his feet; it seemed that his Alexander did not miss him at all and he was not going to come to fetch him.
The stranger felt a presence by the door house and stopped, in the middle of his conversation with the lady of the house, to look at the gorgeous young man standing by the door. The young visitor could not utter another word; he could only look at Hephaestion in astonishment; he had never seen such a handsome young man before and he had travelled to too many places during his business trips. He tried to speak again but he realized that his throat had instantly dried. Lady Amyntoros smiled to herself and asked Hephaestion for a glass of fresh water for their visitor. Maybe this young man might bring a bit of entertainment to her sad son. If she was lucky, this stranger could make his son smile again.
Hephaestion came back with the glass of water and got closer to the man. While walking towards him, he looked at the man and he discovered that he was younger than he had thought before, his eyes were grey and had an almond shape with long and dark eyelashes that gave them a depth that he wanted to explore. Hephaestion froze in the spot and wondered when he had thought like that about men's eyes before when it had always been Alexander's body the one he had seen or appreciated in that way. He felt confused but at the same time, more animated than he had been feeling lately.
Lady Amyntoros saw Hephaestion's uncertainty so she encouraged him to bring the glass, explaining that the young man was not feeling well and that he had come to her looking for some healing herbs. Hephaestion walked quickly towards the young man and handed him the glass, apologizing for his delay. The man, whose name was Theron, looked at Hephaestion with big puppy eyes and his behaviour in front of the young man did not coincide at all with the meaning of "untamed" his name had.
"Thanks and joy to you" the man said when he was able to articulate his words again.
"You are welcome, my name is Hephaestion, son of Amyntoros" the blue eyed youth said, blushing slightly because the man in front of him was staring at him … again.
"I am Theron, son of Kostas. May I say that you have the most peculiar shade of blue in your eyes that I have ever seen?" the man said seriously, without taking his eyes from the brunette's face.
"Thanks but I don't see how peculiar their shade is as my father's eyes have the same colour" Hephaestion explained, trying to belittle the praise.
"No Hephaestion, they are not the same blue; I have always thought that Hephaestion's eyes are two waves of the Aegean Sea, gifted by Poseidon himself at his birth" lady Amyntoros said proudly.
"I am sure that any man would go into battle happily if they knew that their reward would be that kind of remarkable jewels. I am sure that I will" Theron said staring at Hephaestion as if he was the only one person in the world.
Hephaestion blushed deeply and excused himself, saying that he had some chores to do around the farm. However, he went directly to his room and sat on the stool there, thinking about the man who was still outside and how he had made his heart jump with his flattery. He could not understand how he was feeling and he also felt guilty because he was cheating on Alexander but he suddenly remembered that he had pushed the prince away from him and that Alexander was engaged to Megara and he was happy with her, according to his own words. Maybe, if the merchant stayed long, he could give Theron a chance and see where things would go from there.
And that was what he did.
The following morning, Hephaestion got up and went to the kitchen to have breakfast and he found Theron eating the morning meal with his parents. They greeted each other and Hephaestion sat opposite him. The young man had dark circles around his eyes and his general state seemed to be worse than the previous day. He tried to eat his morning meal but it seemed as if every bite was a titanic effort for the sick man.
Lady Amyntoros explained that a strange snake in India had bitten Theron and even though an Indian healer had treated him there, he had not been feeling well lately. He was travelling back home when he realized that the medicines he had been given were not having any effects on him anymore. Six days before, he had stopped to ask for some water and seeing the condition he was in, one of the Amyntoros's neighbours had told him about lady Amyntoros's expertise with healing herbs so he had decided to stop and ask for her help on his way home.
Hephaestion saw that his countenance was truly pale due to the concoction he was drinking with his solid food. Theron was making a great effort not to bring out the whole pot, the taste was horrible and the smell was bad too. His eyes were shedding some unwanted tears and his lips turned down frequently with every sip he took of the horrible concoction. However, lady Amyntoros had assured him that that medicine would fight back any trace of venom in his blood and so the man was doing his best to empty the big bowl.
Breakfast was over and the family went to do their normal chores while their visitor had decided to stay inside as his eyes were a bit sensitive to the sun light. An hour later, Hephaestion found Theron passed out in the middle of the hall and, not knowing what to do; he took him to his chamber and laid him on his bed.
As soon as the man felt a soft surface beneath him, he curled up into a tight ball, his hands clutching his stomach tightly, and murmuring unintelligible words, in a foreign language that the brunette could not understand at all. Hephaestion was about to leave the man there to call his mother when Theron grabbed Hephaestion's wrist firmly and cradled it against his chest. The young brunette did not have another option than to sit on the cot next to him and wait until he released his hand. Minutes went by and the pressure in his hand increased as well as the pain in Theron's stomach.
Hephaestion remembered that his mother used to massage his lower back whenever he had cramps or stomach-ache so he began caressing Theron's back with circular movements that seemed to have a soothing effect on the man. Some minutes later, the young merchant stretched his legs and sighing loudly, he fell into a deep and calm sleep.
Three days later, Theron was feeling much better, because not only his pain and cramps were almost gone but also because Hephaestion was keeping him company during all the time he was awake. Both young men had found points of common interest so it was easy for them to be sharing information about those topics, Theron, in a more practical way as he had lived and experienced many things during his travels while Hephaestion contributed with his more erudite knowledge and more reasonable explanations. Their long conversations were carried out in the merchant's room and no one in the house had thought badly about the fact that those two young men were spending so much time together while one of them was forced to be in bed all the time.
Twenty days had gone by since the arrival of Hephaestion to this family house and twelve days since the arrival of Theron. However, for the inhabitants of the house it seemed as if they had known the young merchant for a long time. They all felt comfortable with his presence and he was extremely polite and always ready to offer his help in what he could do around the house.
Lady Amyntoros and her husband saw Hephaestion flourish under the loving presence and attention of Theron. They had already suspected that the young merchant was head over heels with their son and that sooner than later, he would be asking for their permission to court him properly.
They had always thought that Hephaestion and Alexander would become a couple after they had received the news that the boys were together but something serious must have happened for Hephaestion to decide to come back home and never show any sign of going back to school. However, if Theron asked for their permission, they would not deny it because he was the perfect suitor for their son, but only taking into account Hephaestion's own decision on the matter. They did know that no one could force anyone to love them.
One evening, a week after his almost full recovery, before their last meal of the day and while Hephaestion was tending to Dione after a long ride, Theron asked Amyntas and his wife if he could court Hephaestion. He told them that even though they had known each other for a short time, his intentions towards the brunette were more than serious, that he had always been attracted to men but that he was also very shy to show his feelings. He also told them that he had enough money to give Hephaestion everything he wanted and that he was ready to settle down if that was Hephaestion's wish.
The Amyntoros couple saw the truth in those grey eyes and granted him their permission to court their son. However, there was only one condition, Hephaestion was the only one who would decide if he wanted a relationship with him or not and his decision would be respected by both his parents and Theron, no matter if the answer was positive or not. Theron agreed to that term and asked if he could ask Hephaestion before having their evening meal. They agreed to that and also told him not to worry about their meal with them, if things took longer, she could warm the food later when they were ready.
Theron went to the stables in order to look for Hephaestion; he could not wait any longer to ask the brunette. He entered the place and walked towards the back part where he knew he was going to find them. And there they were, man and mare in a loving conversation; the brunette was brushing the dark chocolate coat of fur while the mare nipped his nape and shoulders tenderly. Theron stopped one or two metres before so he could listen to what Hephaestion was telling to his horse. He was praising her for such a lovely ride and he was also telling how he was planning to make her been served by one of his father's stallions as soon as she was ready to have her own foals. The mare looked at him, as if she could understand the whole conversation and Hephaestion told her that, as he was planning not to go back to school in Mieza, she would be able to grow old and never die in the battlefield.
Theron was surprised, he did not know that Hephaestion was a soldier; he had only assumed that he was a student on holidays from school. He also thought that he had listened before that name of Mieza. Thinking a bit more, he remembered someone telling him that the best of the Macedonian nobles' offspring were studying next to Prince Alexander there.
At that moment, Theron could understand everything better. Hephaestion was one of those noble children studying next to the prince; he was also studying and practising to be a soldier, a brother in arms with the best of the Macedonian families and to serve under the prince and future king.
He shook his head as if he could erase any bad idea in it and decided to ask his question anyway, knowing that a negative answer was probably the one he was going to get. However, he was decided to ask because if he did not do it, he would always regret and would be always wondering what the answer could have been. The question had been wandering around his head and heart for the last twenty days, since the very first moment his tired and sick grey eyes had set onto those amazing cerulean ones. He might not be brought up to be a soldier but he was no coward.
He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, approached the brunette and clearing his voice, he let the young man know he was there. Hephaestion turned round to greet him and he immediately blushed; Theron thought that that was a good omen.
Hephaestion invited him to sit onto a high pile of hay and wait for him until he finished with his work. Theron waited patiently, looking at the economic and efficient movements of the brunette, and in a moment, he wanted so badly to be Dione so he could feel the brunette's hands on him, taking care of his needs or caressing his body as he was doing to the mare.
The young merchant also thought that if he played his cards well, he would be enjoying more than the brunette's hands on him and he was really looking forward to having that precious gift for himself.
When the brushing and feeding was finally over, Theron invited Hephaestion to walk for a while so he could exercise his legs too; he was doing much better and he could almost feel his life energy back but he still got winded when he moved too fast or for a long time.
Hephaestion accepted the invitation and guided him to his mother's garden where they would be able to walk in peace and be safe at the same time. He also wanted to be sure that Theron could find a seat whenever he felt his strength abandoning him. He internally blushed because he was having more and more thoughts about Theron and he realized he really cared about the young man. He also realized that he did not know what to do with all those new feelings that were invading his heart little by little.
After a long time walking and talking about their day, Theron took Hephaestion to a loveseat the brunette's father had made for his mother and asked Hephaestion to sit there because he wanted to ask him a serious question. The brunette agreed but he could not hide he was feeling quite nervous. However, as he had found out that he liked Theron, he also thought he was ready to go further if the occasion arose.
"Hephaestion, I am good with words only for selling my goods but I do not know those nice and pretty words that a man should know to praise someone about their good looks and their virtues. However, I will try to do my best because I have wanted to tell you that I feel very attracted to you and that it would be an honour for me if you let me court you. My intentions are serious, I am a wealthy and honourable merchant, I can give you anything you want or need and even though I never thought about settling down in one place, I am ready to do that if that is your wish" the young man said, repeating the same words he had already told Hephaestion's parents.
Hephaestion remained silent for a while and then, lifting his sky-blue eyes, he replied while blushing deeply:
"I truly appreciate your offer and I gladly accept it"
Theron looked at Hephaestion and smiled widely, he had never thought Hephaestion would accept him, and less so quickly. He leaned over the younger man and brushed his lips against his. He stopped almost immediately because he did not want Hephaestion to feel pressured at all. He wanted to do so much more but he knew he would have to be patient.
The brunette let his head fall onto his chest and sighed deeply. Theron did not understand why the younger man had done that but he could assume that he was still nervous.
"Can I ask you something, Hephaestion?" Theron asked gently.
"Of course" he said, lifting his face to find those grey eyes looking at him.
"Have you ever been in a relationship before?" the merchant asked but internally he did not want to know the answer.
"Yes, I have" he answered in a whisper.
"Was he a man?" he asked again, sensing the positive answer.
"Yes, he was" Hephaestion replied.
"Was he your erastes?" Theron asked, knowing that the practice was still very common among soldiers.
"No, he wasn't. He is my own age, in fact some months younger" Hephaestion said plainly.
"Who was he? And why did you break up?" he decided to be bold and asked what he really wanted to know.
Hephaestion looked at him, thinking how that piece of news could affect his new relationship. Sensing his reluctance to answer, Theron was going to ask him not to say anything he was not comfortable about when Hephaestion replied plainly:
"He was prince Alexander and he got engaged to my friend Megara"
"Do you still love him?" Theron asked.
"I will always love him but I knew that he would never be totally mine, that is why I let him go without a fight when the time came" he sincerely answered, but still hiding a white lie.
"I might not be a prince but I can love you as much as he did" Theron replied, taking Hephaestion's hand between his.
"I know and I think that, with time, I can love you too" Hephaestion replied and then he leaned forward and kissed Theron's lips, without any regret.