Day Twenty six: Hope.
It was uncommon for Hephaestion to lie in but he had been doing that for the last fortnight. He had always been an early riser but he had been having problems with that lately. Alexander was getting extra fun with his mate's reluctance to wake up in the morning so he let him lie in until he was fully rested.
However, one morning Alexander was already up and reading a book when he listened to Hephaestion getting up from their bed and ran towards the inner chamber. Sounds of retching could be clearly heard so the king ran towards him and found Hephaestion with his head deep inside a pot and vomiting yesterdays' dinner.
Alexander caught Hephaestion's long tresses in one hand and set his other arm around Hephaestion's waist. When the heaves were over, he helped his lover to stand up and offered a wet cloth to clean the layer of sweat that was covering his face and a glass of cold water to wash his mouth and get rid of the awful taste.
Alexander was no longer amused; he always got nervous whenever his brunette was ill because nowadays it was not frequent but it reminded him of that time when his mate almost died when he was a child.
Ten minutes later, Hephaestion ran to the bathroom again and vomited his guts out, but that time there was only liquid. After Alexander helped him once more, he made him go back to bed and immediately asked one of the guards still posted outside the royal chamber to call the doctor.
The old man arrived there quickly and he was taken to Hephaestion's bedside. He looked at the man thoroughly but he could not find anything wrong with him. In fact, Hephaestion was looking quite healthy and the pale complexion that Alexander had talked about had clearly disappeared, giving way to his normal tanned skin.
A week went by and Hephaestion was as bright as rain again, however their loyal cook Athina had discovered missing fruits and sweets; at first, she thought there were mice in the palace kitchen but she knew it was quite impossible as all the rooms were cleaned thoroughly. She thought that there might be a thief, one of those street boys who had managed to enter to many other places before. Instead of reporting the missing goods, she tried to catch the thief all by herself. One night she had hidden in the shadows after leaving a tray filled with just-baked cookies to cool in the windowsill. She heard a noise and saw some movement near the cookies tray. She was about to hit the thief with a wooden bar she used to knead when she saw a pair of guilty blue eyes and a mouth full of oatmeal cookies. She looked at Hephaestion in the eye and smiled. The thief was no other than the king's partner and the Macedonian chiliarch! The brunette had been caught with a pile of cookies in one hand and two red apples in the other.
Hephaestion finished eating the stolen cookie that was inside his mouth and swallowed it quickly. He suddenly blushed with embarrassment and Athina made him sit. She warmed some milk, sweetened it with a big dollop of honey and set the big cup in front of him.
"If you were a woman, Sire, I would say that you were expecting"
Hephaestion looked at her with horror in his eyes but then a warm feeling pooled in his lower stomach and one of his hands immediately set over his belly in a protective way.
Cook and General remained in silence for a while and the brunette concentrated in sipping his hot drink while polishing the rest of the cookies.
"Would it be a bad thing, Sire?" Athina asked seriously.
"What thing?" he asked but he already knew what she was referring to.
"Being with child" she said plainly.
"Well, first of all, it is not wrong to be with child but in my case, it is quite impossible, I don't have the right equipment for that" the man said laughing, but he was clearly hiding his frustration.
"But didn't you have a visit from Hera?" Athina asked as if goddesses' visits were something common.
"Yes, but what does that have to do with me?" Hephaestion asked, still in the dark.
"Hera is the protector of marriage and children are the product of marriage" she stated.
"Do you think Hera did this?" Hephaestion asked and he did not try to hide his hope.
"Well, it could be, Hera always knows what our greatest and deepest feelings are. Do you want to have children, Sire?" she asked.
"Well, I think I do but when I bonded with the king, I renounced to that idea, but deep down inside my heart, I have always wanted to give Alexander our own children" Hephaestion confessed.
"If I were you, I would look for a midwife, they know who is pregnant just by looking at the body" Athina said even though she was convinced that there was life already growing inside the blue-eyed man.
"I will do that, thanks Athina. I will go back to bed now" Hephaestion said and, on an impulse, kissed the old woman's cheek making her blush.
The brunette was about to cross the kitchen door when a gentle hand on his back stopped him. He turned round and found Athina with a piece of folded cloth. Shed gave it to him and said:
"Take these with you in case you feel a craving on the way back"
Hephaestion just smiled while munching on his new acquired cookies.
The following day started as the previous weeks had, with Hephaestion's head deep inside the bathroom basin and bringing up. The brunette sighed deeply because he thought that that had stopped but it had only given him a week's break. As usual, Alexander was by his side helping him but he was more worried than before and he decided that he would call the doctor again to check on his mate, no matter if Hephaestion wanted or not.
They were on their way towards the dining room when they met an old woman who had been walking slowly beside two armed guards. The old woman looked poor but her clothes were extremely clean as well as the rest of her appearance. As soon as she saw in the distance the royal couple, her eyes got an extra brightness. She stopped her slow walking and when Alexander and Hephaestion were about to stop to ask what was happening, the old woman fell on her knees and reverently kissed the hem of Hephaestion's chiton. The brunette immediately helped the woman on her feet and asked if she was feeling well. The old woman caressed the clean-shaven cheek and said:
" My prayers had been listened and now I would be able to see with my own eyes the miracle I have been seeing only in my dreams for the last fifty years"
"I am sorry but I don't understand what you're saying" Hephaestion said with respect.
"My sire, since I was a little child I have had the gift of foreseeing and I have never been wrong. When I was ten years old, I started to dream about a baby with sky blue eyes; at first the images were blurry but as years went by, they became clearer and I could not only see the baby but also the parents" she said and stopped to let the information enter the men's mind.
"What does your dream have to do with us?" Alexander asked.
My king, your chiliarch is the man of my dreams, he will carry your child, my king, a baby with sky blue eyes and golden hair" the woman explained.
"But Hephaestion is a man, how could that be possible?" Alexander asked again.
"That is true but he had been blessed by the Olympians and by Hera in particular" she stated.
"Are you sure'" Hephaestion asked.
"Yes, Sire; my heart jumped inside my chest as soon as I saw you and I know that you already were suspicious" the old woman said smiling broadly.
"Is that true, Phai?" Alexander asked with a strange look in his eyes.
"Maybe ... Athina told me that pregnant women have the same symptoms I have and lately I …"
"You have felt like tiny butterflies inside your stomach and the need of covering your stomach with your hands, haven't you?" the woman asked.
"I have noticed that, your right hand is always caressing your lower belly and when it is not moving it is resting there as if it were a tiny shield" Alexander said and a bright smile appeared on his face.
"Aren't you angry, my king?" Hephaestion asked, his cerulean eyes cast down.
"Not at all, you will be able to give me the deepest desire of my heart and knowing that this baby will be truly ours in flesh and blood is a true gift from the gods"
"So my job is done here, Sires, don't doubt to call me if you need my help" the woman said and left the place after a heartfelt thanks but she could also realize that both men were eager to celebrate their news and the miracle that was about to be born.
Alexander turned round and took Hephaestion in his arms gently. He hid his nose among the bronze tresses and rested his face onto Hephaestion's shoulder.
After some minutes of hugging each other, Alexander kissed Hephaestion tenderly and whispered against his mate's lips a string of "thank yous" followed by thousands of "I love yous". Hephaestion blushed deeply and hugged Alexander once more before they started to walk again towards the dining room.
"Look at that, the pretty boy is all flushed; the king must have snooged him behind the curtains" Cleitus said laughing loudly but there was no malice behind the statement.
Hephaestion looked at Alexander and the king immediately understood what the brunette was asking him for, in that silent way of communication that both men had developed along the years. The brunette was asking for the king's silence, he really wanted to have time to celebrate about their good news on their own and if the new was not known, the baby would be longer theirs than the future Macedonian heir.
Then both young men laughed at the black warrior and Hephaestion told him that he was jealous because he was not the one with bruised lips. The elder man laughed at the brunette's boldness and offered him a goblet of wine. The young chiliarch refused it saying that he would be taking some milk instead. Cleitus looked at him as if the very same gates of Tartarus had opened but he changed the goblet for the requested one, anyway.
A pair of blue eyes, the wrong hue and without Hephaestion's warmth, looked at the royal couple with envy and then they immediately became two thin slits. Cassander knew that there was something going on between the king and his mate and he would find what it was.
The morning meal was over and they were standing up to go and do their different duties when Hephaestion felt a bit dizzy and missed his step. Alexander immediately supported him by placing a hand round the slender waist and taking Hephaestion's hand in his other one.
Cassander saw that tender gesture but he also realized that Alexander was worried about Hephaestion. The brunette batted the king's hands and he looked at him with annoyance, thinking that he was pregnant but not a woman in danger. The idea of being pregnant warmed his heart and his eyes immediately acquired a dreamy look. Alexander understood why Hephaestion did that; he knew that his mate disliked being considered weak and he would have to remember that if he did not want to be sleeping in another room for the following months.
The day went on without any further incident, no morning sickness ruined the brunette's happiness, and it went on like that for many days. The man thought that his sickness stopped as soon as he assumed that he was pregnant and accepted it gladly.
Alexander was more attentive than ever; his true love and life partner was going to give him the so much desired heir and he could not have asked a better person to grant him that gift.
The brunette went on with his duties as if nothing were happening inside him. There were no visual or external changes but he had started to spot some differences; for example he felt more excited whenever Alexander was near, in fact, the passionate blue-eyed man had dragged Alexander to their chamber by mid-morning and made love to him with so much need that Alexander came after very few thrusts, with his lover's name on his lips.
While they were resting after their intense lovemaking, Alexander caressed Hephaestion's belly with his lips, whispering something against the skin.
"What are you doing, my king?" Hephaestion asked curiously.
"I am speaking to our baby, my love" Alexander answered but he continued with his whisperings.
"What are you telling our baby?" Hephaestion asked interested.
"That it is a miracle and a gift from the gods, as you also were to me; that it will have the best father in the world and that his other father will do up to the impossible to take care of both of them" Alexander said, lifting his eyes and looking into his mate's.
"Do you think it can hear us?" Hephaestion asked seriously, it was still a mystery how life developed inside a womb.
"I am sure it can, but if it can't, I don't care; I feel the need to talk to it, tell it about us and how much it will be loved" Alexander stated.
"I already love it, just because it is ours. You know that I think my belly skin is getting softer" Hephaestion said while caressing his lower belly.
"Softer? I don't feel it that way" Alexander said caressing the same area but getting a needy groan in response to the caress.
"Stop that or we will be having round two very soon. Well, maybe not softer but thinner; it will have to stretch a lot and my abs and stomach muscles are quite toned so …" Hephaestion's explanation was interrupted.
"Quite, they are very toned … Phai, I have not considered all the changes your body will suffer. Will you be alright, love?" Alexander asked really worried, it was wonderful to have a baby but not if it turned dangerous or life threatening to his gorgeous Phai.
"I am sure I will be fine. Hera would not have granted me this huge gift to take it from us or me later" Hephaestion said, setting his cheek onto Alexander's chest and dozing off.
Alexander left Hephaestion sleep for two hours, during which he spent looking at him. Alexander set his hand over Hephaestion's belly and whispered
"I won't let anything happen to you or your father, poor the one who dares to touch any of you!"
Hephaestion stretched his arms over his head and twisted his strong and long frame as if he were a cat; the vision was so sexy and exciting that Alexander could not help taking care of his lover through a long and slow lovemaking.
When round two was over, Alexander got up and fetched a damp cloth to clean them both and once they were ready, they went to the dining room where they ate a hearty lunch. Hephaestion was enjoying the meat and vegetables too much; when he served a second helping, as big as his previous one, Cassander shouted from the opposite side of the table:
"Watch what you are eating, General Amyntoros, or soon your armor won't fit you"
Hephaestion blushed immediately and left his plate untouched. Alexander threw a lethal look towards the rude companion and he was about to comfort this mate but he stopped; he just set his hand on the brunette's knee and gave it a gentle and quick squeeze. Hephaestion looked at Alexander and took a bite of the food resting on his plate.
"Thanks for the advice, General, I will take care of that if the time comes" and after that he took a bigger bite.
Hephaestion realized that he had been feeling more confident lately; he attributed it to the fact that his baby would need a stronger father that he already was. He felt happy and knew that everything was going to be all right.
As he felt so well, he started to do as many things as before so it meant that sometimes he was a bit careless, working long hours and resting very little. Alexander told him off but the brunette always answered that he was feeling well and that he should go and annoy someone else. However, he should have listened to his body, he had been having some cramps in his lower belly but he attributed it to his skin stretching but one morning, while he was coming back from a ride, he felt a stronger cramp and a searing pain made him dismount and threw him onto the grass. He grabbed his belly and then he felt blood coming out of his body. He tried to stop it but the flow was getting thicker and there was no way to cut it. Another cramp made him bent over and screamed loud. His breathing was coming out in short puffs of air and he thought he was going to die there, alone and cursing his unborn child with an early death. With extreme care, he knelt and asked the gods for help, he did not ask for him but for his child.
Zeus listened to his creation's prayers and decided that the young man needed his help. He induced a soft sleep to make him feel calmer and then boosted Hephaestion's extra life force, the one the very same Zeus had gifted him at his birth, to save the baby. Later, Hephaestion woke up from his dozing and saw that there was no blood or pain in his belly and he felt his unborn child kick him to let him know he was still alive. An eagle flew over Hephaestion's head, making repetitive circles until it soared near him and then went back to the sky. Hephaestion sent his thanks to Zeus because he was sure it had been he who had helped him to keep his baby.
As soon as he felt strong again, he walked back to the palace and went directly to bed. That was where Alexander found him two hours later and he smiled at the image he saw, his mate was sleeping on his side with his arms cradling his growing belly. Alexander took a second look and he realized that the tiny bump was more noticeable than that morning and he worried. He sat on the bed and Hephaestion woke up when he felt the change on the mattress. He immediately sat and retold Alexander what had happened to him. Alexander was so frantic that he was about to call the doctor to have him checked but Hephaestion explained that the almighty Zeus had taken care of everything. He also admitted that he would be more careful in the future and that they would have to tell the companions that they were expecting as the baby had had a significant growth in the last hours.
Alexander asked Hephaestion how he wanted to break the news to the companions and the brunette suggested that they asked for a meeting and they would tell them there.
The following morning, before breakfast, the companions entered the room and they found that Alexander was already there and that Hephaestion was by his side in his usual seat. They took their places and Craterous asked:
"What is so important that we were summoned before our morning meal?"
"What I am going to reveal is of vital importance, we must treat this with extreme care because it is not only important for me, in a personal level, but also for the empire future" Alexander said seriously.
"Well, cut up with the suspense, boy, and tell us so we can go and have some breakfast" Cleitus urged him.
"Well, I will let Hephaestion explain this" and saying that he looked as his mate with a confident smile.
"Since I was born, I have felt the presence of the Olympians in my life and in the most important moments, they had gifted me with their presence. That is how I got over a lethal illness when I was a child, I have a magic sword gifted by Hephaestus himself and I have been protected by Aphrodite many times along my life. Well, five months ago, I was visited by Hera and she gifted me the power to give birth" he stood up and let his cloak open.
The men gasped in astonishment when the 28-year-old chiliarch showed his swollen belly and they saw the slight movement inside it as if the future heir and prince wanted to show his presence.
"How do we know this not a con of yours?" Philotas asked.
"And what would I achieve with this ruse? Getting the king for myself?" Hephaestion asked, laughing at the stupid accusation.
"It is clear that you are expecting, is it alright?" Cleitus asked seriously, showing his concern about the future heir.
"The doctor and a midwife had already seen me; I had an attempt of miscarriage but once more the almighty Zeus came in my rescue and saved the baby" Hephaestion explained.
"Does this mean that you will stop working, loading us with more work?" Cassander said and his voice revealed his annoyance.
"Not at all, I will continue with my duties but I will not go into battle or do practice with the phalanx as I don't want to risk my life or the baby's in the first case or to get hurt or make you train slower" Hephaestion said, knowing what the other brunette was implying.
"Well, if there are no more questions, we can go and have our morning meal" Alexander said to their companions.
When Hephaestion was about to leave the room, Alexander stopped him and waited until the room was empty. He hugged Hephaestion tenderly and whispered his thanks against the brunette's lips. Hephaestion smiled and in silence followed their companions.
The day went on as the previous days however Hephaestion felt more eyes on him than usual. He knew that the revelation of his pregnancy would bring consequences and he would have to deal with them.
The closest companions were worried about Hephaestion's state but they were happy about it, even thought it was still difficult to understand how that had happened.
Another month went by and Hephaestion's bump continued growing more and more, however it had not limited Hephaestion's movements at all. The strong General went on moving from one side to the other, carrying his scrolls and maps or visiting new suppliers. When he was outside, his belly was concealed beneath his cloak and there was always a guard following at a short distance for his protection. There were more guards following him but the brunette, in his concern of meeting his goals in time, had never realized about them.
One evening while he was heading back to the palace, Hephaestion felt a cramp in his belly and the skin felt really hard beneath his hand. Hephaestion, who was always calm, panicked; he was in his eighth moon and just four or five weeks to go until he was due. He sent his guard to fetch the king while he rested for a while. As soon as the guard was no longer in sight, the light coming from the wall lanterns were put out and Hephaestion knew that something bad was about to happen. He stood up and quietly took his dagger from beneath his cloak. When he was ready, he shouted at the dark:
"Who is there? show yourself, that's an order"
However, silence was the only answer he got. He decided to make a dash, as fast as he could due to his slight waddling, for the opposite side where he could see some lanterns still burning. However, as he was walking, he nearly fell down when he bumped into the dead body of his guard, who had been murdered before getting some help.
A man, wearing a dark long cloak and a hood covering his head and face, got closer to Hephaestion and he was about to stab the chiliarch's belly when the brunette, due to his still instincts on alert, turned round quickly and covered his belly with his arm. He only received the worst of the hit on his back, getting a long cut along his back. When he turned round, he caught the attacker on his arm, cutting him with his dagger. The man yelled and rushed off so he could not be discovered.
Another guard was coming to their rescue; he had listened to strange noises while he was doing his round in the palace gardens. He helped Hephaestion to a nearest couch and offered his cloak to patch his back until the doctor could cure him better. As he was walking towards the palace, he could see Alexander running towards him, he took him in his arms, and after checking that the wound had stopped bleeding, he took his lover back to their chamber. The doctor saw the injury and after cleaning it, he dressed it so the General could rest more comfortably.
Hephaestion was resting on his side and Alexander was sitting next to him, caressing the large belly that was moving from one side to the other. He asked the baby to calm down so his father could get the so deserved rest after such a dramatic experience. Hephaestion smiled because their baby stopped its movements and he told Alexander that the baby was obeying the king's commands from inside his cocoon. Alexander traced a fingertip across Hephaestion's cheekbones to call his attention and asked if he had seen his attacker. Hephaestion shook his head and snuggling down into his mate's arms, he let sleep claim him.
The early hours of the morning found an awoken king answering the knock on their chamber door. Cleitus was waiting and asked Alexander to step outside so they did not wake Hephaestion up. The Black General had heard the commotion the previous night and had offered his help to discover and follow some leads.
The warrior had brought some disturbing news, he was almost sure who the attacker was because he had followed a trail of blood to a known area of the palace but he wanted to confirm his suspicion before he accused the man. Hephaestion had said that he had cut the man on the right arm and as they had not been in battle recently, the injury would still be fresh and with a scar.
The morning meal was very quiet; the companions were whispering among themselves about what had happened to Hephaestion the previous night and thinking who had been so stupid to attack the king's mate and his unborn child. Cleitus's black eyes were set on a man who was more silent than usual and who had not given his opinion on the topic. He also seemed to be in pain but he was masking it very well.
Breakfast was over and all the companions were going for a meeting when Cleitus grabbed the man's right arm and the man screamed and the strong warrior's hand came out stained with blood. Cleitus immediately threw a punch to the man's face and pushed him to the floor, setting a foot onto his neck and promised to crush his windpipe if he dared to move. The General asked Ptolemy to look for Alexander quickly. When the king entered the room and saw Cleitus still holding the man against the floor, he realized that Cleitus had confirmed his suspicion. While the king asked the attacker why he had done it and did not receive any answer, he sent men to the attacker's chamber to look for more evidence that would incriminate him. Perdicas came back with a bloodied and torn cloak and several pieces of bloodied cloth.
There was no one in the room who wanted to help the attacker, he had always been jealous about the relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion and he had enjoyed belittling the brunette. There was not a single friend for the attacker in the room and the only one who could have helped him, did not move a finger to save him as he knew it was a lost cause.
Cleitus dragged the attacker outside and tied him to a post. Alexander told him that he was going to be executed for treason and grabbing a spear, he pierced Cassander's heart.
The ninth moon arrived and Hephaestion's body prepared for the delivery; the old doctor did not know how this miracle would happen so he had requested the presence of the midwife and the old woman who had foreseen Hephaestion's baby. Alexander for once, showed a weird sense of calmness and he was by his mate's side telling him that everything was going to be all right. He had learnt not to pamper Hephaestion in excess but the brunette had requested his presence during the delivery.
As soon as the contractions were coming more frequently, the good doctor prayed for the Olympians' assistance and Hera materialized inside the room and practised the surgery to take the baby out of the brunette's womb. The goddess cleaned the baby and then set in on his father's chest. The exhaust brunette kissed the crown of the baby's head. Covered by a blond mop of hair and as soon as it felt Hephaestion's lips bruising the head, the baby opened the eyes to reveal the blue in them, so similar to the ones the father that had carried it had.
"So what is it, milord?" Athina asked from the chamber door.
"Oh, sorry, as I already knew, I forgot to tell, you, it's a girl" Hera said smiling.
Many of the companions who had been allowed to enter looked at the king's face, expecting to find his disappointment but to their surprise, a broad smile was gracing the king's lips. Alexander approached his mate and after kissing him gently on the lips and thanking him for their baby, he took her in his arms and kissed her forehead. The baby yawned and so the proud father showed her to the people in the room in a quick way so baby and father could get their deserved rest.
The new family was about to spend some alone time when Cleitus asked:
"So what is the princess's name?"
Hephaestion looked at Alexander who smiled widely while caressing the soft pinkish cheek, and answered:
"Her name is Hope"