Chapter Fifteen

EPILOGUE

Cleitus POV

I had never heard a man scream as the King did unless it was me. Hephaestion was dead.

I had loved him since the day I returned from Philip's siege of Byzantum to get the relief troops. He ran into me on his way to see the young regent, Alexander, and I found my arms full of the most beautiful young man I had ever seen. Instinct had taken over and I kissed him hungrily and was pleased to feel him return it.

"Hello beautiful." I crooned to him after releasing those sweet lips.

"Commander Cleitus – I… Will you let me go please?"

"Certainly, provided we continue this later. What's your name, lovely?"

"Hephaestion Amyntoros."

I recognised the name from Philip – his son's lover. I knew then he was beyond me. For years I watched him and loved him; it took me by surprise that my feelings were so strong but he was beautiful, intelligent, brave, a good soldier and passionate. He also had the most amazing legs which looked good on a horse or anywhere else. I watched and waited until Alexander made such a fool of himself as to hurt that glorious creature so loyal to him, not once but twice, first with a eunuch and then with that bitch Roxanne. Finally he came to my bed and I loved him as I had wanted for three wonderful years until the King won him back from me. He had never stopped loving Alexander but we did share a love as profound as any I ever knew. When he had my daughter Phila I was overwhelmed and ready to give him whatever he needed and protect his children with my life.

Now he was dead and my King would soon follow him. Alexander died five days after. According to his last instructions they were both embalmed in the Egyptian way and nearly three months later were both laid in their tomb. The sarcophagus was carved from alabaster so thin that it was transparent. Inside, Alexander was dressed in full parade armour, wearing his lion helmet; the Shield of Achilles propped up at the foot of the plinth they lay on. Hephaestion, as the king had ordered, wore the blue chiton he wore at Achillaeus' coronation, a sword around his slim waist. He wore no helmet but lay with his hair spread out on an embroidered pillow. The embalmers had done a superb job – both looked as if they were merely sleeping.

The Tomb became a place of pilgrimage for the city and the army, open to all to marvel at their King, Meglos Alexandros, and his consort Hephaestion Amyntoros, Philalexandros.

May the gods protect them and, I hope, that wherever they are they are together as they wanted.

The Duat (The After Life)

"Alexander – open your eyes."

"Hephaestion?"

"If you open your eyes you'll be able to see me too."

Alexander did as ordered and found himself lying on the ground near a river.

"Where are we?"

"The Duat. The Egyptian Afterlife."

"Not Elysium?"

"That's here apparently. Our friend Ty pulled a 'few strings' with Zeus to get us here. He has plans for us it seems."

The Macedonian King was less interested in Ty at that moment than the view of tanned thigh his lover was displaying beneath a short chiton. The one question he had then was whether they could have sex and, if so, how soon?

But at that moment Ty and Maks arrived and hailed them. They then discussed what they would do in their new existence but Alexander had a question he wanted answering first.

"Ty – when Phai was poisoned at Ecbatana you said 'not again'. What did you mean by that?"

Maks snorted at that and sat down on a rock where Hephaestion joined him.

"Did either of you ever get the sense that you had done something or been somewhere before when you hadn't?"

"Yes." Hephaestion replied. "Aristotle thought it a regular occurrence, something to do with memory or the mind."

"Well he was right – but not in your case. You two HAD lived it all before, done most of it before too."

The two Macedonians looked at him utterly confused.

"What Ty is trying to say, and making a total dogs dinner of it, is that you have both lived your lives as Alexander and Hephaestion twice."

"Twice?" they echoed.

"Twice." Ty retorted. "I didn't like the way things turned out the first time so I – reversed time and you started all over again. Unfortunately, you both still died young but at least this time the empire is stable and will continue."

"It didn't before?"

"No. You married late, you didn't leave India early enough nor handle the men as well and there was a mutiny…"

"You killed Cleitus too…"

"And Phai didn't bear you any children. Your only child was posthumous and Roxanne murdered Stateira and Drypetis whom you two married and the Generals tore the empire apart."

The two Egyptians watched as the other men absorbed this information.

"On the second life I wanted to ensure the empire lasted. When you restored Hathor's temple she agreed to assist me and arranged for Phai to be able to have your children."

"Why are we so important? Alexander I can understand but me?"

"Phai – there are thousands of soldiers here. What I need are men and women of intelligence who question and want to know more. You both have that quality, the spirit of exploration and we need such as you."

"In the After Life?" Alexander queried, surprised.

The Egyptian explained that the Creator set life in motion and then left it to its own devices. There were thousands and thousands of worlds out there with different cultures and creeds, life forms and species that were waiting to be explored and understood. This was the object of the orders of Khepri Ty mentioned to them; deceased souls who had passed judgement and become new life forms, Akhu, that were placed back into the original bodies so they could visit other worlds and mingle as normal humans with the benefits of never falling ill or dying again.

"We want you to go exploring. Are you up to it?"

The two men looked at each other and then smiled.

"Yes."

"Good. Let's go get you back in your bodies then."

Hephaestion found the sensation much like plunging into a pool of cold water as his soul or Akhu re-entered his body, reconstructing parts removed in the embalming process and uniting every cell in his body with his immortal soul. When he opened his eyes he was staring at the top of the burial chamber aware of the cold of the alabaster beneath him but also of the warmth of Alexander's own body beside him.

Swinging down from the plinth his legs didn't hold up his weight and he would have fallen if not caught by Maks as Ty did the same for Alexander and they both sat down gratefully whilst the Egyptian divine reconstructed copies of their remains in the sarcophagus, replacing the lid.

"We can't stay here much longer, Ty." Maks called to him. "This place is visited regularly. Once your Akhu have gotten used to having the weight of real bodies again we'll move back to the Duat."

"Who exactly are you Ty?" Alexander finally asked removing the helmet he wore and scratching his scalp until Phai grabbed his hand and slapped him.

"I'm Herihor – Horus the Elder."

Hephaestion gasped and his lover looked at him questioningly.

"Ankhtefi told me of this person – he is the Champion of the Creator, placed above all the other gods…"

"We prefer to call ourselves Netjeru – we're a different life form, the first the Creator devised and the one he based humans upon, rather than 'gods' as you think of them."

"Then you're like us, Khepri?"

"No. We were made immortal from the very beginning."

"Is Maks?"

"Yes and no. He's unique."

"That's not an explanation." Phai retorted, grinning.

"It's a long story my friend." Maks answered. "Suffice it to say it involved Ty interfering – again."

"But sweetheart, we've had such fun."

"We need to leave – now."

"One other thing Ty." Alexander asked as they stood up to leave. "Achillaeus…"

"Will go on to be a great king. This time the empire will not be split but last."

"Where do we go now?"

"You go to conquer the galaxy, boys – but peacefully; no armies this time." Ty laughed.

The Netjeru opened a gateway of bright light in the Tomb and they stepped through it into the Duat to be beside the River once more.

"See Phai, I told you we only needed the two of us to conquer the world – and now this time the galaxy."

"Yes, my king. The two of us, together."

THE END