Authors Note: This is a challenge, the original idea was spawned by a reviewer of my last fic. But I took the characters down a somewhat different journey. Hope its still all right.
This is set when Alexander is 17. His father is abusive and mistreats Alexander terribly. He fights back and shows resistance to one of his fathers' actions, to which he pays consequence. This leads to the part in the movie where Alexander's father is killed.
King Philip sat across from his son. As his guests, Alexander and himself all dined on a massive dinner. It was the night before King Philips' big presentation, his speech that would talk of his conquest to Persia, how he would be the ruler of foreign lands. It was a big time in all their lives, and he was happy to share his plans and details. As the party moved on however, he grew to dislike Alexander's behaviour. Alexander was always so jovial, so cocky. He eyed him briefly, before standing, a goblet clutched in his hand, a lesson hatched in his mind for his son, a lesson of life.
"Alexander, come" he said surly, "ALEXANDER!" He yelled at him, Alexander looked at him, stumbling forward, his eyes raised slowly to look at his father's one blue eye.
"Not tonight, father. I think you should sleep off your drunken state" Alexander snapped, as his father staggered over, leaning down, grabbing Alexander's hand and yanking him forward.
"I think that it is time to learn what it means to be a real man" King Philip roared, and the others cheered. All men, no women present. All aging, sweaty, dirty men were look at Alexander with keen interest, as his fathers' giant hands smothered Alexander. Alexander tried to pull away but his father's grip was powerful, overbearing. His shoulders slumped forward, and he prepared for the worst. The other men all laughed as his father groped him, held his robes up so the men could ogle all whistling and slapping the table, like a pack of animals.
Alexander wrestled himself away from him, trying not to cry. His father was laughing, they were all laughing.
"Cry baby, cry" His father laughed, Alexander tried to fight his anger but like everything in Alexanders young mind it was far too powerful to resist it.
"Now I know my mother's reasons" he muttered, and turned away as his father put his arm around him, pretending to talk to him as other Macedonians walked passed. He then, licked the side of his young son's face, a saliva trail sliding down his cheek, as Philip pushed him to the ground.
Alexander fell hard and it hurt. He bit his lip to stop the pain, but it wasn't working. Philip stood over him, glaring down his face twisted into an evil grin.
"Why are you treating me like this?" Alexander asked him, knowing too well how his fathers mind worked. He only had to look at his mother for that knowledge. The way she lurked in shadows, kept snakes venom in jars under her bed. He knew what she was planning, a matter of time she said, and then her mind would wander and her mouth would walk with it. Sometimes Alexander thought his mother to be crazy, but that madness in his life was standing above him, still thinking of an answer.
"I want an heir I can be proud of, one that accepts his duties as my son" he grunted, "to fear a mans touch is an awful trait to have in a future King, what if your body was what saved you from being killed? What would you do then?"
Alexander's eyes widened slightly, as he glared at his father, "Why, father. Did this happen to you?" Alexander whispered, the other men snorted and gasped, the rage in his father's eye seemed to grow, but he remained still above him.
"I choose not to speak of it" he said softly, his eye gleaming with hatred.
"Yet you choose to inflict the same torture on others, as you suffered yourself?" Alexander questioned him, standing up.
"Don't talk down to me Alexander" Philip threatened, "Only I am allowed to do that"
"Such a childish response from a childish man" Alexander couldn't stop the words from pouring out of him. Long he suffered, since his 15 birthday he had endured excruciating pain, nightmares and terrible cold sweats. All though he knew it was part of the tradition of his homeland; it was one that Alexander was least comfortable with, especially when it was his father who did most of it to him.
His father seemed to be taking it well, laugh it off with the others. But as the numbers dwindled, and all that remained were his father's servants, Alexander began to feel scared.
"I'm going to go and talk to mother" he told Philip, standing up.
"Sit down" Philip commanded him, Alexander did so.
"What do you think you were doing tonight?" Philip snarled, Alexander started to feel sick in the pit of his stomach.
"I was defending myself… I am sick of your games with me, father" Alexander immediately started protesting; as he watched the guards stand at the door.
"You don't have that right. That right is wavered, you are my son. You know the happenings of this kingdom, of our duties as men to each other. How dare you refuse your father?"
"How dare you abuse your son" Alexander sneered, "I thought you wanted me to make my own choices?"
"Your duty isn't a choice, Alexander" Philip sighed, running his rugged hands through his hair, "I'm tired of explanations"
"I am deserving of such" Alexander cried, "Why say that I have choice when your anatomy commands you otherwise"
Philip grew angrier,
"Enough, Alexander' Philip put his hand up, "Enough or I will force you be silent"
" I am part of that pact all ready" Alexander muttered, as Philip, who was now standing ever so close to him raised his fist, it trembled at first before it flew, fast and hard to the side of Alexander's face. Alexander was knocked off the chair, and the guards ran over to hold him down.
"No, let him go" Phillip waved his hands, and the guards left Alexander.
"I want him to fight me" Philip looked at Alexander, who was rubbing the side of his face.
"I won't fight you" Alexander hesitated, "I see no point"
"If you don't fight me, you are cowardly" his father sneered, "If you don't I will have Hephaistion removed. Since you no longer appreciate a man's company there is little point keeping that boy alive"
Alexander's eyes grew fearful, as Philip laughed cruelly.
"Oh, I see. It is right when it's between you and him. Not when you are asked by your father"
Alexander put his fists up his heart racing a million miles a second.
"You can try and strike me first, Alexander" His father was coaxing him, Alexander was trying to control his nervousness,
"Come Alexander, don't hold back" his father, to Alexander seemed a little to encouraging for someone who a few moments ago, wanted to throw Alexander to the lions.
Alexander stepped forward and threw a punch in his fathers' direction, it missed of course, but like anything his father had done in his life, his fathers didn't, and it snapped him right across the other side of Alexander's face.
"AGGHGH!" Alexander roared, clutching his throbbing face with both of his hands.
"That's nothing" His father mocked him, "Wait til you get a skewer in the eye"
Alexander sneered and lunged forward again trying to grab his fathers neck, but missed again, his father tripping him. There, Alexander lay sprawled on his back. Philips mind was racing; he hadn't had a fight like this in quite a while. His whole body shook with excitement has he raised his fist to his son's face, breaking Alexanders nose.
Alexander screamed in pain and begged for mercy, but his father wasn't seeing Alexander anymore. He was seeing something else. Something far wicked. His own father. Damn you! DAMN YOU! Philip's subconscious was roaring at him, as his fists kept pummelling Alexander, shattering the bones in Alexander's cheeks, blackening his eyes.
Soon, Alexander became quiet. There were no more voices in Philips head. His hands were smeared with blood; his one eye that was once clouded in delusion was faced with the reality of what he had just done to his 17 year old son.
"Alexander?" Philip looked down, barely recognised the battered face that lay before him. Olympius came running into the room, pushing past the guards who had tried to hold her back, tears streaming down her face.
"YOU MONSTER" she screamed at him, "WHY! WHY!" she was scratching and biting the guards to let her through, but they wouldn't move.
"He needed to learn" was all Philip could mutter, as he dismissed the guards holding his screaming wife.
"Alexander" Olympius nudged him, Alexander didn't open his eyes.
"Please Alexander" she sobbed, she kissed his bloody forehead, lifting her face, the taste of his blood on her lips. She started screaming and wailing until she drew attention to the bloody body in front of her, one of those that heard her was none other than Hephaisition, Alexander's young lover.
"What's this?" Hephaistion asked, his blue eyes glazed over by fear and worry.
"Philip, Philip told him he'd kill you" Olympius was crying through our bouts of anger, as she tore parts of her garment to wipe Alexander's wounds.
"Why would he say that?" Hephaisition hissed, "he doesn't even know me"
"Don't presume things that Philip does or does not know" Olympius warned, "Come we must put Alexander in bed before Philip returns"
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