Disclaimer: I don't own Alexander. I just merely have the pleasure of writing a story that the movie has inspired. He infact belongs to history and himself, and no doubt legend and time itself.
Please excuse any grammar problems, I don't have a BETA and sometimes the problems elude my attention.
Enjoy:
Dark brown eyes pierced into icy blue ones, willing the person they belonged to, to live. "Come now Hephaistion, you will not die here, not like this," the once strong voice gave way to his weakness. He'd watched helplessly as his young friend's health rapidly deteriorated in front of his very own eyes.
The doctor's had constantly assured him that it was just the water, and in a few days' time his General would be up and about just as usual. And even in those assurances, the young King had doubts; he'd almost lost his own life in the battle of India, not to mention the life of Hephaistion and now illness threatens to rip his lifetime friend and companion from his very own hands.
"Stay awake for me my friend," The radiant blond pleaded. Yet again the blue eyes bore daggers into his own, silently begging for sleep. Alexander had been notified again hours ago that Hephaistion was bating the gods with his life-and was losing.
"Alexander, I wish for nothing more but rest, I'm sure that it is all I need," the young General told the distraught King. Hephaistion berated himself in every conscious moment for mixing his wine with the water. He'd never been poisoned before, although he reckons that if he had, he wouldn't be there right then.
It had been so nice, getting to talk with Alexander again. He couldn't help himself when in a fleeting moment of weakness he had been bitter for it; the fact was that it had taken poison to run through his veins to get the much needed attention.
Hephaistion couldn't help but wonder whether those many droning and meaningless conversations himself and Alexander had shared would be the last. Over the last few day's, the young men had reminisced over olden times, and past memories of there seemingly forgotten childhood, and how the two young man had captured each other's hearts.
Flashback:
Aristotle stood in front of his pupils, making direct eye contact with each child as he passed them. "Today, we will learn about Demetrius," the old man paused for a moment then began again. "Does anyone recognize the name?"
Alexander had heard that name from somewhere, he knew he had, he just couldn't place it. The twelve-year-old glanced down at the young boy who sat at his right and smiled at the look of utter confusion that decorated the fare face.
"Demetrius was a young man given to Gaia, the earth goddess as a gift . . ." was all the young Prince could capture before completely engrossing himself in the presence of the young boy named Hephaistion. Sun bleached hair and the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen were only a few of the features Hephaistion owned, and Alexander fell in love with.
Before the young Prince could contest, he was being jolted from his daze. He looked to the person who was so rudely interrupted and sighed. "What do you want Cassander?" he whispered to the boy on his left.
Cassander smiled lopsidedly and spoke softly, "After the lessons, your coming with us to hunt right?" The young boy waited impatiently for the Prince to answer. He watched as Alexander bit his lower lip. Young Cassander knew what the Prince thinking of, or rather who.
Hephaistion. The Prince wouldn't go hunting unless Hephaistion went too, but getting the other blond to do so would be a hard task indeed. The other boy's were jealous of the young boys relationship with the Prince "Hephaistion is welcome to come too, if that's what you're worried about Alexander."
After hearing the declaration Alexander accepted. Now all he had to do was convince the stubborn boy to go.
"That will be all for today boys," Aristotle concluded, and shooed the young boys away.
The young boys scurried over to surround their Prince awaiting orders to start the following hunt. "You go on without me, I'll catch up," the Prince informed his friends.
Turing around, he spotted Hephaistion walking away from the group, heading towards the palace, presumably going to his room. "Hephaistion, wait!" Alexander called, tearing himself away from the crowd and steadily making his way towards Hephaistion.
"Where are you going my dear friend?" Alexander asked as he threw his arm over Hephaistion's shoulders. It wasn't unusual for Hephaistion to leave without saying goodbye to the young Prince, although Hephaistion had been ridiculed for doing so by the other boys many times. It didn't bother Alexander, but Hephaistion was the only boy allowed to do so, even though he's the only one who ever has.
"To my room," was the subtle reply. He knew that the other boys were planning to hunt. And he knew all too well that Alexander would not do so without him.
"How about you come and hunt with me instead . . ." Alexander proposed.
Hephaistion rolled his eyes dramatically at the young Prince. He was not in the mood to face the other boys, especially Cassander. They had pulled a most vile prank on him yesterday, stealing his clothes when he had gone for a swim alone. In good faith, he had not told Alexander knowing what the boy would do to Cassander.
"Alexander, I would love nothing more than to go hunting with you," Hephaistion emphasized the word 'you' "but the other boys do not like me, and I don't believe I like them very well myself."
Alexander's jaw clenched tightly, and he groaned inwardly. It was true that Hephaistion and many of the other boys disliked each other to a tee. Once it had gotten out of hand when Hephaistion and Cassander battled each other in hand to hand combat. Alexander had convinced his father not to give his two friend's each ten lashes after they broke a priceless statue of Aphrodite.
"Could I convince you if . . . I told you, you'd be doing a civil service for your Prince?" Alexander asked smiling widely when Hephaistion snorted then began laughing.
"No," the boy spoke, hiding a smile at the look of shock on Alexander's face. "I will not be doing a service for the Prince. I will be doing it for my very good friend, Alexander."
Now it was Alexander who rolled his eyes at Hephaistion. "Very well, I wouldn't have it any other way. I suppose that we should catch up to everyone else before they hurt themselves," Alexander grinned, knowing that this hunting trip would most likely end up in someone getting injured as usual.
The hunt had been amazingly dull, with only the prize of a baby deer that Alexander had slain. The young Prince was more than aware of the fact that Hephaistion was getting rather grouchy. He did not blame the boy though, he could hear the rude comments the other boys would whisper as they passed him. A light hand on Alexander's shoulder would be the only anchor to stop him from attacking Perdiccas.
After assuring the other companions that he would be fine with Hephaistion, the Prince hung back letting the group of boys get ahead so he could speak with his dear friend in peace.
"I am sorry for the way they have behaved today Hephaistion," Alexander spoke directly to the young boy, while placing his hands on both sides of Hephaistion's face.
Hephaistion smiled softly. Alexander rarely apologized, his pride to much of a feat to surpass. But this time he was doing it to comfort the ailing soul that his heart belonged to. "Do not apologize for them Alexander, it is not your fault, nor does they're cruelty land upon your head."
A loud crack of thunder sounded through the sky, startling both boy's, and directing they're attention to the monstrous sky. The dark clouds were a dead giveaway for the storm that would surely be arriving before the two boys' could make it back to their home.
"We must hurry Alexander, the rain will be falling soon," Hephaistion spoke tearing Alexander's hands from his face and pulling him along through the wooded area they were currently stationed at.
Five minutes into they're journey back to the safety of the Macedonia palace, the rain began to drizzle, then began to pour, effectively soaking Alexander and Hephaistion to the bone.
It was hard to see, the rain fell steadily into Alexander's eyes, preventing him from seeing the path in front of his feet. He kept a firm grip on Hephaistion's arm, he would not let his love get lost in a storm like this alone.
"Alexander, maybe we should try to find shelter . . . maybe a cave until the storm lets up. We're still a good two hours away from the palace, it's not worth risking one of us getting hurt," Hephaistion called through the droning of the rain.
Alexander realized this too and agreed with his friend, "Fine, let us find shelter for the time."
Before either boy could catch it, they had ventured too close to the foothills that were currently eroding.
"Alexander, wait!" Hephaistion called. He watched as Alexander lost his footing and began to pitch forward down the muddy hill. Thinking quickly and on instinct he threw himself forward and latched onto the Prince and yanking him backwards towards relative safety. Unfortunately he couldn't catch himself fast enough and began the journey downward on the same path Alexander had just been on.
Hephaistion had always hated the feeling of flying, it made his stomach knot, but he couldn't prevent that right now. He could vaguely hear Alexander calling his name as his body twirled down the mud, he was too preoccupied with the pain shooting through his body as it caught rocks and tree branches.
Then to his utter horror, he saw a fairly large rock come into view then disappear for a moment as his body faced upwards then again as he turned to his side. He let out a yelp of surprise and pain as his head smashed into the rock. Then sweet oblivion.
"Hephaistion!" Alexander shouted for what seemed like the thousandth time over the roaring rain. The rain was making it impossible to see down the steep hill were the young Prince had last seen Hephaistion tumbling. He'd have to get down there, but it was too unsafe for him to even consider scaling down. He'd have to find a path that led down to the bottom of the hill.
He cursed angrily. Why had Hephaistion done that? He could be dead. Alexander shook his head at the thought. Hephaistion couldn't possibly be dead; the young Prince simply could not survive without the friendship and love of Hephaistion.
Alexander threaded his body through the many trees that obscured his path of getting to Hephaistion. Fifteen minutes passed and he finally set foot on flat ground, Alexander couldn't tell for sure but had a deepening feeling that this was indeed the bottom of the steep incline. "Hephaistion!" he called again, and after receiving no answer, he felt his heart sink dismally.
Sticking his chin up, he set his jaw. He would not lose Hephaistion, not today; he simply refused to do so. "Don't worry Hephaistion, I'll find you," Alexander whispered into the air, letting the cool rain cascade down his face.
As The Prince trudged through the mud and rain, his right eye caught something off to the side of where he was standing. He turned towards it, and walked cautiously. "Hephaistion!" he called again, after realizing the object was his missing friend.
He stopped horrified at the sight in front of him. There lay a limp Hephaistion, his face was resting against the rock that had stopped him from rolling forward. Crimson blood pooled the young boy's head, the once sun bleached blond hair was splotched with a dull red. His legs were lying at odd angles, and his shoulder was no doubt dislocated. Now Alexander was fighting not to empty the contents of his stomach on the ground beside him.
After getting over the shock at the sight of his friend, he quickly ran over to him and rolled him over. Blood completely covered Hephaistion's handsome face. "Oh, Hephaistion," Alexander gasped. Using his fingers, the Prince wiped away some of the blood from the wound. He inhaled sharply at the deep gash that was bleeding freely.
Fighting the urge not to smack himself in the head for not paying more attention to the palace doctor, he lifted one of Hephaistion's eyelids and winced at how large the young boys' pupils were. He let the eyelid fall back into its original position.
I have to set his shoulder, Alexander's mind screamed out as he realized that the shoulder was the only thing he knew how to set. Hephaistion would have to wait until a real physician saw him to fix the rest of his broken limbs.
After groaning at the pain his friend was going to be in when he woke, if he ever would. Alexander looked up towards the dark sky and frowned whispering, "Oh gods, why couldn't you have let us be this day." Turing his head back down to Hephaistion he latched onto his friends arm and yanked downward. The loud grinding then pop assured him that the bone had been put back into its socket.
Alexander had been relieved when Hephaistion had flinched in pain and groaned, but frowned deeper when he went back to being still and quiet. "I suppose I'll have to carry you out of here Hephaistion," Alexander mumbled.
Carefully, Alexander lifted his friend and carried him like a mother would carry her helpless child with one arm under the neck and one behind the knees. The Prince found himself feeling a little giddy at the fact that Hephaistion's beautiful head was lolling against his chest and shoulder. "When I find us somewhere to stay for a while Hephaistion, I'll take better care of your wounds," Alexander told the unconscious boy.
TBC . . . Reviews are welcome and appreciated! Thank You.