Drabble – Too Late

Alexander's army was on the move again. A row of people, carts and horses meandered through the valley. The line came to a halt when one of the carts lost a wheel blocking the progress of all.

Roxanne decided to break the boredom of the day by riding her horse instead of in her royal cart. The delay found her sitting quietly on her mount as she watched Alexander and Hephaestion ride towards the broken cart many yards behind her. A servant brought a feedbag over to her horse and looped it over her head.

The next few minutes began for a nightmare for Roxanne. The horse suddenly shot up and then bolted carrying the frightened Queen holding on for dear life. The horses' head was in constant motion and the reins dropped down to the ground leaving her to hold onto the mane tightly.

Screams of alert ran through the crowd behind her and soon she heard the sound of a horse coming up behind her. She saw the black hide of the horse as it came beside her and an arm reach out and pull her off of the frantic horse she was riding and onto the safe lap of her rescuer. Her arms went around the firm body and she began to breath again.

She rested her head against the firm chest as her heart began to come back out of the throat. Her hand around her saviors' neck suddenly felt the long strands of hair down his shoulders and with shock she looked up to see the handsome face of Hephaestion. As if she was burned, she snapped her hands and body away from the man she hated most in this world as the horse slowed to a stop.

"You!" She screamed.

"Are you all right, my Queen?"

"Unhand me you barbarian whore."

Roxanne hadn't notice that another horse and rider had joined them and these hands now pulled her off of Hephaestion's horse and onto the ground beside him. She looked up to see her husband and fell into his arms and held on tightly. He asked her several times if she was all right. She heard Hephaestion ride off in the direction of her runaway horse. With her head buried in her husbands' broad shoulder, she failed to notice the look that passed between the two men.

Alexander set Roxanne on his own black steed and mounted behind her. As they made there way back to the royal cart he was very silent. Then he began to talk very softly.

"If you value your tongue and life, I would warn you to never say anything like that again to Hephaestion. If I ever hear of any other words like that directed to and about him from your mouth, I will not hesitate to cut out your tongue before I decide whether to end your life or not."

He took Roxanne's face in his strong hand, "Do you understand what I am saying?"

He dropped her to the ground and without another word turned and left her there as he rode back to Hephaestion.

She stood and watched as he caught up with his lover and best friend, dismounted and went to stand next to him as the they watched the horse that was now laying on the ground and withering in pain. She heard someone around her say that there had been a lethal snake in the feedbag and it had repeatedly bitten the horse.

Her eyes never left the two men as they put the horse out of its misery. She saw Alexander take Hephaestion's face in his hands and say something to him before he completely wrapped him in his arms and held him tight.

She knew then what a terrible mistake she had just made. Too late she realized that he had saved her life. Too late she recalled the cruel words she had spit out and Alexander had heard.

And so she watched her husband draw closer to the one man above all others that she despised most in this world and move farther from her.

Too late she realized the mistake she had made and must now live with.