Hello all,

Here comes the fifteenth entry to my Destiny tale.

The Autumn Festival is now at hand. Hephaestion thinks that he has recovered from his illness. He needs more rest but still he feels obliged to take on all his administration duties, even when they risk to overwhelm him.

All the best wishes and hopefully good reading,

/ NorthernLight

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Escape From Destiny, Part Fifteen

Ecbatana 324 BC

Autumn Dreams

/ Hephaestion walked through a glorious autumnal landscape. He saw the trees dressed all in fiery orange, golden yellow and russet red and he could feel the high clear air and the chilly but refreshing breeze on his face and all over his body. It brought a cascade of flaming leaves around him and ruffled and blew his auburn hair mane. Then it made his bear fur cloak lift. He pulled it closer around him. Now a warm and strong arm was put around his shoulders. A friendly hand ruffled his auburn hair in unison with the autumn breeze.

Alexander was at his side. They were safe and together way back in Illyria. The autumn forest was theirs and theirs alone. They were young and all their lives lay open before them. The wide world awaited, filled with adventures and achievements.

As for now they were together and they tumbled around in a beautiful forest glade. A friendly heap of warm autumn leaves welcomed them. They embraced and fell asleep, always together.../

He woke up, shivering. The fine Royal bedchamber was cold in the dead of night. The smoldering embers could not bring any more warmth to him. His warming bear fur had been cast away from him and he had to reach out for it. He pulled it close over him and he also let it cover Alexander. Then he embraced his King and friend. Alexander was warm as usual and he came close to him to let his unique warmth and strength engulf him. Some early gray morning light was entering through the window. It allowed him to see Alexander's bright golden hair. Nowadays it had many strands of silver in it. His own auburn hair mane was the same, with long silver waves. He gently caressed the golden hair mane. Alexander lifted his hand and shared the caress. Hephaestion felt his warm hand on his chin, neck and hair.

They were not young anymore - but they were still together and the wide world still awaited them.

Hephaestion fell asleep once more, close to his beautiful Golden One.

Evil Whispers

Morning came with bright autumn daylight filling the Royal bedchamber. This day Hephaestion wanted to get up early and start to work as usual in his office again. There was so much to do. A whole world of important matters, paperwork and administration awaited him. He needed to catch up with it before he was supposed to join his King at the Autumn Festival Games.

Alexander was still sound asleep. Hephaestion rose from bed in a very careful manner and put the bear furs back over the golden haired man at his side. He did not want to upset his friend. Alexander needed a good night's sleep these days.

Hephaestion tried to persuade himself that he was well again. One week's rest in bed together with his Golden One had done much to make him feel better - but still he was not back to his normal strength and stamina at all. His hands and legs were trembling and he had great difficulties when he washed, dressed and walked to his office.

Then he heard them once more. The Evil Whispers had been following behind his back for a long time, a constant reminder of his complicated relations with his King and friend.

/ "That man! There he goes again. It should have been ME becoming Chiliarch!" /

Kraterus! Always envious, always wanting the things he could not have. The King's friend, but surely not Hephaestion's.

/ "That man! Now he will occupy the Office that I could run so much better!" /

Eumenes! Always envious, too, always thinking that he was the better Administrator. He was of course wrong, but no one dared to tell him.

/ That man! I want his position! It is more becoming for ME!" /

Cassander! Always malicious and envious, always wanting a higher position than he would ever deserve.

Hephaestion ignored them as always. He lifted his head high and walked with long, proud strides down the stoney corridor towards his office.

Evil Administration Overload

His office waited for him. He had hoped in vain that the towering heaps of administration would have disappeared in some miraculous manner.

Sadly they had not.

His desk was overflowing with scrolls, dispatches, letters and writing tablets. He could feel them overwhelm him. They made his head spin. He suddenly felt dizzy and feverish again. He wanted to return to bed immediately, but he was bound by duty to Alexander and the realm to do this assignment.

He had to deal with those towering heaps at once, or else they would bury him one day!

His Persian helpers and advisors the eunuchs Kamal and Koosha had done their very best to prepare the heaps for him. They had been put in meticulous order, the most urgent and important matters in front and the ones of lesser dignity at the sides.

Still it was way too much of it all.

He sat down and started to read the most important scrolls and dispatches. The Greek and Persian letters swum before his eyes like a swarm of angry hornets. He found that he was not able to read them at all. He called out to Kamal and Hoosha.

"I am not feeling well today. You will have to read this correspondence out loud to me!", he commanded them.

They bowed politely and obeyed him. He sat back in his chair and listened to their shrill voices droning on. He had great difficulties to hear what they said but he managed to understand the most important issues all the same. When he had heard enough he ordered them to silence. Then he took a stylus and started to write.

His hands trembled and he had great difficulties to write. His eyes were sore and the letters flew before them turning into watery blurs. Soon he had great difficulties to see anything at all. His head and all his body ached. It was like a burning pain all over and inside. Then he felt very weak. A wave of heat engulfed him, worse than the glaring red sun in the Gedrosian Desert.

Hephaestion passed out. He fell over his finely ornated writing desk, his head resting amongst the heaps of scrolls, letters and despatches. His auburn hair spread all over the papers.

Kamal and Hoosha at first let him be. They thought that their Master had fallen asleep and they knew that he well needed his rest.

"He works much too hard, "they said. "We must guard him and let him sleep and rest. We will see to it that the Evil men do not disturb him!"

They waited a while. A quarter and another passed on. Hephaestion was still asleep. Then Kamal and Hoosha became worried.

"Our Master NEVER falls asleep over his desk. There must be something wrong with him!"

Kamal silently approached and put his hand on the sleeping man's brow.

It was as hot as a furnace!

" Hoosha! Our Chiliarch is not asleep at all," Kamal called out in dismay. "He is burning up from a very high fever! You must go and fetch Doctor Philip and Amanda at once! I fear that the Chiliarch Hephaestion is very ill!"

Hoosha swiftly ran away down the stoney corridor. His feet made an uncanny clattering sound, rising an alarum all over the Ecbatana palace.

TBC

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