The two young men had been practising their movements since Eos had appeared in the sky and brought dawn with her and her rosy fingers.

It had been a strenuous practice but both soon-to-be-warriors had practised longer and harder than their Companions had. Their king was preparing the invasion of Persia and he had let them know that they would take part in it if their Commander thought they were ready. The one-eyed King already knew that his son and his lover were more than ready to fight and take of themselves on the battlefield.

It was almost dinner time when the blonde and the brunette left their fifteen-hour practice. There was not a single muscle in their bodies that did not hurt but they were confident of their skills and expertise.

As soon as they entered their shared chamber, they fell on their beds and remained still for some minutes. They were so tired that they had decided to skip dinner and go directly to sleep.

They also decided not to take a bath on the hot tub because they were afraid they could fall asleep in the warm water.

They brought some bowls with tepid water and cleaned themselves thoroughly with a washcloth.

Alexander saw Hephaestion wince when he took off his boots and he now could clearly see why, a big blister had appeared on his big toe; the skin was so reddish around the area that it looked almost purple.

He brought a stool closer and made Hephaestion sit on it.

"Let me take care of it; Mother gave a cream made of camomile and calendula that will cure it and prevent an infection" Alexander said while putting Hephaestion's right foot inside a bowl with clean cold water.

After washing it with extreme care, the prince dried it carefully and applied the cream on the blister and a little bandage on it. After that, he kissed it long and softly and then proceeded to kiss the rest of the toes more quickly.

Hephaestion looked at him with confusion written all over his face.

"I kiss the rest of the toes so they don't get jealous"

After saying that, the prince washed Hephaestion's left foot that, immediately after, received the same toe kiss treatment.

"You may conquer with the sword,
but you are conquered by a kiss".
Daniel Heinsius (1580-1655)