Chapter 1

 

Glossary:

 

Hetairoi: literally it means Companion, it was the Macedonian elite cavalry. I don’t like how it sounds Companion Cavalry, so I used Hetairoi Cavalry.

 

Syntrophoi: this applies only to princes or kings, it’s a childhood or youth companion; in ancient Macedonia noble boys of the same age as the princes were call to be their companions.

 

Somatophylakes: noble Macedonians chosen by the king to serve to him as honorary bodyguards, but especially as close advisers. It was a particularly prestigious honorary title. They consisted of seven men, drawn from the Macedonian nobility, who also acted as high-ranking military officer, holding command positions such as general or chiliarch. 

 

CHAPTER 1

 

We are nothing but debris

Floating on a silver lake… (Debris, Theater of Tragedy)

 

I´ve been living for so long, many seasons have passed me by

I´ve seen kingdoms through ages

Rise and fall, I´ve seen it all… (Jillian, Within Temptation)

 

Give me praise for the blood it bled,

Grant a rose for the dead… (A Rose for the Dead, Theater of Tragedy)

 

You live long enough to hear the sound of guns,

Live long enough to see your friends betray you… (The Poet and the Pendulum, Nightwish)

 

May he now rest under aegis of mirage,

As the sands slowly turn to Elysian fields… (Sahara, Nightwish)

 

 

But…

There was…

No…

Peace…

 

Those are the sounds of the new Era, sounds I would have never dare to imagine were even possible…

I shouldn’t be here.

I don’t belong here.

I’m the past but I’m still here.

 

For 32 years I walked the path of men, but for 2,366 I have followed the steps of the Kindred of Kaine. I have lived more that is permitted, seen more that any one else, and even so, those 32 years in which my heart beat true life in my chest are burned in my memory, they are like a fresh wound that never heal and all for HIM… I could live for ten thousand years and HE will always be with me. Long time ago, in a forgotten moment, someone called me his shadow, but now HE has become mine, HE is the ghost that will torment me for the rest of the nights of my immortal no-life. But I’m glad; in this way I will never be alone.

 

How shall I begin? It’s difficult after so long, I must speak of places and people that no one else remembers and that so many fantasize trying to imagine how should be a world 2 thousand years in the past. Well, I was born in a world with no electricity, without petroleum, without computers, without penicillin, without space travels; I was born in the time of the sword and the horse, a time long before the Roman Emperors, in a world that shall not see the birth of Hannibal Barca or Julius Caesar for more than a Century. I was born in a time where the Iliad were the greatest of the stories, the pinnacle of everything which is good and noble, and Homer was the best of the poets.

 

Now they tell me the Iliad is nothing more than a mixture of myth and reality and Homer is no poet at all. My most sacred story now is a hobby for historians, men of letters and archaeologists. But that’s the way it should be. I should not be here.

 

I shouldn’t start telling that mine was the Era of mythology, bad omens and superstition. No. No story should start like that, instead I’ll say that I was born in the time of legends, honor and everlasting glory, I was born in the year 356 BC in a Balkan kingdom known as Macedonia…

 

 

The first days of January came with a strong snowstorm that had all the people hidden inside their houses; it wasn’t normal to have such amounts of snow in Pella, and for many it was a sign that the military campaign of King Philip in Potidea will be a completely disaster. A bad omen, like people liked to call these events always present in great deeds; even if the King Philip II, son of the late King Amyntas III, had always won victory after victory in his 4 years of government people still feared that something bad could happen.

 

Bad omens…the storm was making Antigone nervous; she was pregnant and prone to get scare with everything, from a broken amphora to find the house cat with a dead bird trap among his sharp teeth. She didn’t believe in bad omens but her nerves were betraying her, making her see disgraces everywhere, and her neighbors were of no help either.

 

- It’s too cold to be in the window, ma’am –said Cadie, a young orphan of 15 years old who lived in Antigone’s house since her 10 years old. She helped with the cleaning and had become her mistress’ mayor confident and best friend. Antigone and her husband, Amyntor, were like a family to Cadie, and she loved them deeply.          

 

- This cold must be bad for the child –Cadie kneeled to sweep the wooden floor with a brush.

 

Antigone smiled.

 

- Now you are an expert in pregnant women? –asked her, watching the enormous frozen garden through the window. In the distance she heard a horse whinnied, her husband workers must be in the fields making the impossible to save the crops. But Cadie was right; the air was freezing so she closed the wooden doors.

 

- You should make a sacrifice to Artemis, ma’am, people said its good for future mothers, besides, it will help to keep away bad daimons.

 

- I made one yesterday –answered Antigone absently, her mind wandering far away from the safety of her house—Please, fetch me a chair.

 

Cadie made as she was told. Her mistress was a young woman of 20 years, straight golden-bronze hair, long to the waist and slender figure… But now she look more like a giant planet with her own orbit and natural satellite name Nikandros, her small son of 5 year old, who didn’t stop running around his mother.

 

- Andromaco’s wife, Elpida, said that yesterday she saw an owl flying above our house –said Antigone—She said it’s a bad omen.

 

- Ma’am, Elpida could find bad omens in her own wrinkles –her mistress laughed—You shouldn’t listen her.

 

- You are probably right –Antigone caressed her womb absently—Tell me, what’s new in the city?

 

- Nothing, everybody is talking about the war, Potidea and Athens… But I don’t understand much of that –Cadie sighed.

 

- The King betrayed the Athenians –Antigone explained—They had a pact, the King will conquer Amphipolis for them, or at least they thought so, and the Athenians will give him the city of Pydna. At the end, the King broke the pact and kept for him the two cities.

 

- But that man has no honor! –exclaimed Cadie, outraged like an old woman.

 

- My husband told me once that the King used to said “cheat boys with knucklebones, but men with oaths”¹ –Cadie shook her head disagreeing with that way of thinking.

 

- Do you think is true what people are saying? About the King being unable to conquer Potidea? –asked her servant in a whisper, as if they were plotting; but Cadie had noticed that, when people criticized the King, they always talked in whispers. 

 

- What can I tell you? I don’t understand about military campaigns, but my husband has confidence in the King –Antigone smiled seeing her child playing with his toys—I just hope he could come back soon, I know that been a hetairoi it’s a great honor and everything, but with this King who lives for military glory… —she sighed heavily—I certainly can’t understand how was that he had the time to leave his new wife pregnant…

 

Suddenly, Antigone stopped talking and bent over in pain.

 

- Mom? –the small boy didn’t have a clue of what’s going on, but that expression on his mother’s face scared him.

 

- Go for the midwife…—for Antigone, each word suppose a great effort, she was very paled and fat drops of sweat appeared on her forehead.

 

- Now? –that was the stupidest question Cadie could have done, but she was terrified.

The look in the eyes of her mistress told her everything, and she immediately jumped on her feet and ran to the midwife’s house.

 

And that’s how I came to the world, in a cold day of Audnaios… Oh, my apologies, I forgot the modern name of that Macedonian month: January, in the year now know as 356 BC. There is nothing important about my childhood that deserves to be told in detail, my mother, Antigone, was too smart and too noble for her own good. If she had been born in the XXI century, she could have being everything she wanted: doctor, astronaut, veterinarian, lawyer, writer… Anything! And then I’m sure she would have chosen the same thing she always was: my father’s wife.

 

Unlike other women who never had a choice, my mother loved to be a housewife; I have always thought that was her true destiny. My family was extremely happy, but for Macedonian standards of the third Century before Christ, we were the weird ones. My father, Amyntor son of Demetrios, had no lovers, didn’t take part in orgies at the royal palace and adored my mother.

 

My mother, for her part, was an excellent wife, she gave my father 4 children: my oldest brother Nikandros, me, my sister Berenike, and my younger brother Lysanias. My grandfather Demetrios loved my mother as a daughter and lived in our house for long time periods. Cadie was like an aunt to us, once she was going to marry and leave us, but her fiancé got kill in battle. I was glad though I shouldn’t have, and after that she never spoke of marriage again.    

 

Mine was a time were the modern concept of romance didn’t exist, there was no fidelity in marriage, that’s a Christian believe, and in that kind of environment my family was like a stain in white silk, too advance for that time, if you want to see it this way. 

 

I lived in the golden age of Macedonia, when King Philip II transformed this unknown, unimportant, barbarian kingdom into the most powerful force in Greece and when Alexander turned it into an empire. Macedonia would be the central power in Greece for 150 years after my mortal time, but never again would be a King like my Alexander, never again will be a story like mine…

 

And then 13 years passed, 13 happy, bored and peaceful years…

 

Hephaistion son of Amyntor was sitting at the river edge which marked the limit of his family property, this day was his 13 birthday and regardless of the cold, he left his comfortable bedroom and went out for a walk at sunrise. He barely escape from his Spartan tutor, the one his father hired to trained him and his brother Nikandros in the ways of wars. It was somehow of a fashion those days, ever since King Philip brought Leonidas, kinsman of Queen Olympias, to train his Crown Prince, every noble family wanted to have a tough instructor to teach the Macedonian youth.

 

And that was how his father arrived one day with a Spartan named Aristaios. For what Hephaistion knew, the Spartan was the bastard son of his father and had no rights but all the obligations of the Spartan society, so Aristaios decided to proved his fortune in other places.

 

Hephaistion liked him, Aristaios was the most complicated person he had ever met, a kind of warrior philosopher who fascinated him at the same time he drove him mad. They spent hours discussing about warfare and honor, the human nature and talking about everything they could think about.

 

The Spartan hid his surprise at finding such an intelligent boy and so interested in philosophy, but at the same time was impress at Hephaistion’s lack of ability in the arts of the warriors: he knew how to ride perfectly, like almost all Macedonian nobles, but he exceeded the rest because of his natural grace and elegance which gave the appearance that rider and mount where the same living creature, but he wasn’t that good using weapons. Hephaistion had skills in fencing, but as Aristaios once told him, if he wanted to be part of the cavalry then the sword was his last option, he needed to be good drawing a spear, like his older brother.

 

Hephaistion wasn’t afraid of war, Macedonia was a warmonger kingdom after all, and like the ones who hadn’t witness it’s horrors at first hand, he dreamed with everlasting glory on the battlefield, he used to daydreamed, seeing himself coming back home, like a hero, to make his father proud, but his instructor didn’t see him in that kind of future. 

         

The teenager wrapped himself in his fur cloak, his grandfather had bought it for him in Athens at the beginning of the winter, and rubbed his hands trying to get some warm. He had been sitting in the same position for some time now, and had to start moving or he would freeze there.

 

He loved to walk alone, and let himself get lost in the enormous property of his family, that was why, the idea of leaving his home in order to go to the royal palace as a page, was less than attractive for him… The sole idea was as fun as the prospect of spending an afternoon hearing his grandfather’s war stories.

 

He only knew a few young members of the Macedonian nobility and he never had met the crown Prince, he had only heard what his father or Cadie talked about him. The one he knew the most was Perdikkas son of Orentes, he lived in Upper Macedonia in a region called Orestis; Amyntor used to traveled a lot, reason why Hephaistion had the opportunity to met him, along with other boys, places, and cities inside and outside Macedonia, like: Thebes, Athens and Sparta.  

 

Voices and laugher took Hephaistion out of his thoughts and made him turned around; he found a small group of 4 young men and women walking on the other side of the river. A haughty head of black-blue hair caught his attention immediately, recognizing his brother Nikandros. It was as if he had encountered a wild best.

 

No, please… Maybe if I walk slowly they won’t notice me –he was preparing to hide and run, when…  

 

- PHAI! –his brother shouted, stopping him—What are you doing here? Did you lose your mommy? –Nikandros’ friends celebrated his joke laughing. 

 

Hephaistion gathered all his dignity and turned to face his brother.

 

- And what about you? If dad hears that you are fooling around at this early hours he wont be happy.

 

- Fooling around? –Nikandros teased him, mimicking his voice tone—Who’s fooling around, Phai? We are the syntrophoi of the Kings’ nephew. 

 

The Companions of the King’s nephew? –Hephaistion surveyed the group and found the blond head of Amyntas, son of Perdikkas III, who was King of Macedonia before he got himself, and his 4 thousand soldiers, killed by the Illyrians.

 

All these events happened when Amyntas was only 1 year old and the Macedonians, in all their great wisdom and eagerness to have a strong King, decided to crown Philip, younger brother of the deceased, as the new sovereign. The most logical and cruel action would have been to kill his nephew Amyntas, and in that way eliminate future candidates to the throne, because if this small kingdom of Macedonia knew about something it was of dynastic conflicts.

 

Like Archelaus I, who didn’t wait for his father’s corpse to be in his tomb before he killed his half brothers and his uncle, and in doing so, he, the bastard son of the late King with a harlot could be crowned King; or Amyntas III, father of the actual King Philip, who killed Pausanias, son of the usurper Aeropus, for him to accessed to the throne unopposed…  And in future years, long after this cold morning, the conflicts would continue and the last King of Macedonia, Perseus, would kill his own brother in order to be crowned, and for what? Just to lose his kingdom in the hands of the Romans.

 

Oh, yes, Macedonia knew, and would know, about royal family conflicts, but King Philip, in all his magnanimous glory, decided to pardon the life of his nephew and named him his heir, just as long as he didn’t have a son of his own. Bad luck for Amyntas that Prince Alexander was born 13 years ago….

 

And for all this reasons, family quarrels, conspiracies and murders was why Hephaistion didn’t like the royal palace at all, he feared that one day he would woke up tied on an altar ready to be sacrificed by the infamous Queen Olympias.

 

- Nick, It’s cold out here –one of the young women complained, rubbings her arms.

 

- Go home, birthday boy –said Nikandros as a goodbye.

 

- I’m not a boy –the teenager complained, frowning.

 

- Oh, really? When you win your belt after killing your first man, we will talk, until that you are still a boy –Hephaistion clenched his jaw, until his teeth ground, watching them go.

 

They were the most peculiar group: first, his brother Nikandros: at his 18 years old was famous among the women of Macedonia, there wasn’t one pretty girl in Pella who hadn’t slept with him. Nikandros wasn’t drop dead gorgeous but was attractive and for some reason, that the innocent mind of Hephaistion couldn’t start to imagine, women found him seductive. He had black-blue hair, like his father, and green eyes, like his mother, all the contrary to him; Hephaistion had gold-bronze hair, like his mother, straight and silky to his shoulders, with a long lock sliding to his chest, he used to tied his hair and let some locks to hid part of one of his gorgeous dark-gray eyes, adorned with a smoke ring of lighter gray, like his father.

   

Both brothers were alike, but despite of his youth Hephaistion was astonishing and his beauty promised to improve with the time until he became the living fantasy of any man or woman. 

 

Amyntas for his part, at his 16 years old, had nothing spectacular about himself, in fact his best friend, Philotas, son the famous general Parmelio, would have pass for a better member of the Argead dynasty than him. Amyntas was blond, not too tall and very pale with blue eyes, he didn’t talk much, in fact he was a very depressing and sad person, Hephaistion was amazed that he hadn’t drowned in the river to finish with his miserably existence after all the times he had claimed he would do it.

 

Amyntas had a curious fascination with death and with the gods of the underworld; for what he had heard from Nikandros, the only reason why his brother tolerate him was because he was the King’s nephew and that gave him a high status… Not that his brother knew to be somebody’s friend, anyway. In Hephaistion’s opinion Nikandros only had season friends, like clothing, friends to go hunting, friends to get drunk, friends to party… He didn’t have one real friend regardless of his popularity and knowledge of all the Macedonian nobility. Here Amyntas had an advantage over his brother, again Hephaistion didn’t know why, but Philotas was his very best friend, sincere and unconditional.   

 

For his part, Parmelio’s son was slender, his hair was too short, orange-blond with intense blue eyes; all about him scream SOLDIER! But he had more presence and attitude than his depressing friend. He was arrogant, egocentric and had a big mouth and the ability to use it in the very worst way possible, he gave his opinion even if nobody ask for it and his opinion must be the one and only. Nikandros said that almost nobody could stand him, but it was really fun to go out with him searching for girls. Hephaistion didn’t want to ask why it was so great to go out with Philotas… Now that he thought about it, maybe that was why Philotas and Amyntas were so close; nobody stood them. As far as he knew Nikanor and Hektor, Philota’s brothers, were much better than him.

 

The last of the group was Ptolemy son of Lagos; he was the oldest with 24 years on him. Ptolemy was the typical nobody who, for some joke of destiny, ended with the most popular boys of high school: he wasn’t part of the high nobility, wasn’t handsome, not very smart and definitely not one hell of a warrior, not a mister personality either. His hair was orange-carrot, which made him look like the victim of some explosion, his eyes were dark and was more gossipy than Cadie, which was a lot to say. Ptolemy always knew what was going on in the royal palace, he was way better than the royal spokesman.

 

Nikandros said that in barracks Ptolemy was called “the man of the thousand deeds” because he always exaggerated his prowess in the battlefield. His brother found him funny, Hephaistion considered him pathetic.       

 

The teenager sighed heavily and decided to go back to his house.

 

- Phai, play with me –asked his sister, Berenike, of 11 years old, running to caught him at the entrance.

 

- Not now, Eni I’m not in the mood –his sister opened her big dark gray eyes, crystalline and pleading, and her lower lip trembled in what promised to be the mother of all tantrums…

 

- But you are leaving soon –Berenike’s voice trembled—A-and nobody is going to play with me anymore…

 

- Fine, let’s go… —said Hephaistion and his sister’s eyes shone happily.

 

They were out the rest of the morning, and at noon Cadie looked for them. Their grandfather had just arrived and food was already served. Antigone carefully prepared everything to celebrate her boy’s birthday; the table was beautifully adorned with flowers and she personally cooked everything Hephaistion liked, so when the teenager entered his house a delicious smell floated to him immediately, filling his nostrils.

  

- Grandpa! –Berenike ran to hug grandfather Demetrios.

 

- How is the most beautiful girl in the world? –her grandfather hugged her fondly—Phai, what are you doing there? Come to hug your grandfather.

 

- Me too –the sweet and childish voice of Lysanias reached them, at the same time the 3 years old brother of Hephaistion, appeared for the group hugged.

 

- How cute, you are going to make me shed a tear –Nikandros mocked them entering the room.      

 

- Where have you been, lad? –asked Demetrios, already free from his loving grandchildren.

 

- Went out with some friends.

 

- These friends of yours have names? –Demetrios didn’t like Nikandros escapees, if he were his son he would have done something about that, but he respected Amyntor’s house and his decisions.

 

- Philotas, Ptolemy and Amyntas, the King´s nephew –Nikandros had said the magical word, he knew that, as Amyntas’ syntrophoi, it was his duty to be with him, so his grandfather contented himself with staring harshly at him.

 

- When I was your age… —started grandfather Demetrios.

 

- Here we go… —whispered Hephaistion under his breath.

 

- We were always busied in the royal palace…

 

- I’m sure it was like that grandpa, but times change –said Antigone sweetly, with a silver plate smelling deliciously—Besides, Nick is going to the battlefield soon enough, isn’t it honey?

 

- It looks like it, I heard the King is planning to escort his brother-in-law, Alexandros, back to Epirus –said Nikandros—Ptolemy said he is planning to put Alexandros in the throne next year –he took a piece of bread but his mother slapped his hand like a little child.  

 

- Not before your father arrive –she scolded him.

 

- That’s not going into the battlefield –his grandfather snorted—When Bardylis, King of the Illyrians, attacked Epirus THAT was a real battle, bloody and savage, and even more when Sparta came to help…

 

- DADDY! –exclaimed Berenike, standing up on her chair.

 

Amyntor entered the room and kissed his wife on the forehead. He was a tall and strong man of 41 years old, attractive with a perfectly groomed beard. He kissed all his children, including Nikandros for his complete embarrassment, but he said nothing, he knew he would always be his father small kid, even if he were old and lame.   

 

- Here is the man of the day –said Amyntor hugging Hephaistion.

 

- He is not a man –complained Nikandros, but nobody paid him any attention.

 

- 13 years old, who would say? It appears to be yesterday when I received a letter on my way to Potidea telling me I have another son –Amyntor took a seat and lifted Lysanias who was jumping at his side.

 

Antigone called Cadie, and she started serving the food. 

 

- Phai, did you know that you were almost named Alexander? –said his father smiling.

 

- And why was that?

 

- I liked that name –Amyntor admitted—But your mother disagreed with me, she said that one third of the Macedonian boys were called like that.

 

- That’s true –Demetrios agreed, and Cadie filled his cup with water wine—Or Philip, every Macedonian family has a Philip. In Athens things are different, I love this kingdom but my Athenian cousins are right to consider it a barbaric land.

 

- Did you hear Demosthenes’ last speech? –asked Amyntor and his father nodded.   

 

- I was in Athens this week, in your aunt’s, Thaleia, house –said Demetrios to his son—In the Agora I had the opportunity to listen to him.

 

- What did he say? –asked Nikandros, his mouth full of bread.

 

- The same as always; according to Demosthenes King Philip is a barbarian, and he and all the Athenian delegation suffered ill treatment when they came to discuss the Amphipolis affair –said Demetrios without emotion—Thaleia is afraid that war could start between Macedonia and Athens, and she begged me to stay in Athens. 

 

- Really? –exclaimed Hephaistion, a sudden excitement filled his body. If all his family moved to Athens that would mean he wouldn’t have to go to the royal palace and become a page.

 

- Like Athens could win a war against us –Nikandros laughed.

 

- Careful with that kind of speech, lad, remember that our family comes from Athens –his grandfather reminded him—It’s the land of my ancestors, and home of my sister and her children.

 

- Grandpa, Phai is going to the royal palace next week, to served as a page –said Antigone, changing the subject.

 

- So soon? –Hephaistion couldn’t be more depressed about it.

 

- You should be proud, son, it’s an honor.

 

- Honor? We are made pages in order for the King to keep us like hostage and assure him that our families will behave –said Hephaistion angrily.

 

- Phai! –his father and mother scolded him.

 

- What is this nonsense? –exclaimed Demetrios, rising his  booming voice as if he were talking to someone at the other side of the house. 

 

- I don’t want to go to a place where I don’t know someone doing servants work for the King, his somatophylax and the Prince –Hephaistion talked from the bottom of his heart.

 

- When I turn 13, I want to be a page too –said Berenike with all certain.

 

- You can’t be a page, you are not a man –said Nikandros.

 

- Yes I can, right mommy?

 

- No sweetie, you can’t be a page –Berenike eyes opened, round and big like coins, threatening with tears—But you can stay at home with me, and I will teach you how to cook delicious things.

 

- Phai, don’t think of this like a punishment –said Amyntor, understanding his feelings—You are a free man and the son of one of the Kings hetairoi, being a page is an honor. Your grandfather, Nick and I were pages too, and besides you are going to be one of the Prince’s syntrophoi.  

 

- And your friend Perdikkas is going to be there, sweetheart –said his mother—Along with that nice kid Leonnatos.

 

- Which Leonnatos? –asked Demetrios, eating his meal with all delight.

 

- The son of Anteas –answered Amyntor.

 

- Who is Anteas? –asked Berenike.

 

- The King’s uncle –said her father with all patience—He was the cousin of the King’s mother, Eurydice. Leonnatos’ family is from the royal house of Lyncestis.

 

- Leonnatos is adorable, a littler gentleman –said Antigone, with a sweet smile on her face—I think you already know him, don’t you Phai? –Hephaistion nodded.

 

- Excellent wine –said Demetrios, raising his cup.

 

- Of course, is Phai’s birthday, we have to celebrate with the best –said Antigone with a big smile. She was now 33 years old, but her beauty increased every day. 

 

- This is delicious, mommy –said Berenike, like a happy cat after drinking milk.

 

- Sir, I heard at the city that a Persian delegation is coming to see the King –said Cadie.

 

- Yes, that’s true, they are coming to negotiate a non-aggression pact –said Amyntor.

 

- Really? Can we go to see the Persians? –asked Berenike with stars shining in her eyes, as if the Persians were exotic animals.

 

- I don’t think so, Princess –said Antigone for her disappointment.

 

- Well, too much talk and I haven’t give you a present, Phai –said Amyntor playfully while the servants where serving the dessert.

 

- I want a present too –said Lysanias.

 

- Anything would be fine –said Hephaistion, shrugging.

 

- What’s that? You are a young man now, so you must have an appropriate present –his father insisted making him smile, for some things he was still a boy and for other already a man, funny indeed.

 

- Daddy has something in mind –said Berenike, licking the milky caramel from her spoon.

 

Amyntor smiled.

 

- There is a festival in Pella, and they brought good horses –said his father—So I thought that maybe we could go and take a look.

 

- What for? –his family laughed at Hephaistion’s naivety.

 

- What else? To buy you a horse –said his father and the teenager opened his mouth comically.

 

- For him?! Phai is still a child, I, in the other hand, need a horse, I’m going to escort the King’s brother-in-law to Epirus next year –exclaimed Nikandros with all indignation.

 

- You already have a horse –Berenike pointed out. 

 

- My horse is old.

 

- Dad bought it for you 3 years ago –said Hephaistion.

 

- So?

 

- Boys, boys –said Demetrios laughing.

 

- Nick, is Phai’s birthday –said Antigone with the same patience and sweetness that she used with her baby boy Lysanias.

 

- A year is a long time, will see later if you need another horse –said Amyntor concluding that business.

 

XXX

 

Hephaistion and his family arrived at the festival by afternoon; the place was full with people from every corner of the kingdom, even the King and the Crown Prince were there but, in all that commotion, Hephaistion hadn’t seen them, not even by mistake. Nikandros found Koinos son of Polemokrates and Amyntas son of Andromedes, the first of 24 years, and the second of 22 years old, and soon he left his family to go with them.  

 

Hephaistion heard from his father that in that festival came horse traders from Thessaly, Thrace, Epirus and even from Hellespont and far away, some people even claimed that some horses came from the royal stables of the Persian King, Artaxerxes Ochus, himself. He was very excited, and could see that a horse racing where taking place too, some people were arriving to start gambling. Magnificent animals were displayed everyway and fragments of conversation floated to him: men arguing about exorbitant prices and sellers defending, what they considered, the just.

 

- Look! –exclaimed Lysanias, holding his mother’s hand while pointing at a beautiful white mare.

 

- How pretty! –exclaimed Antigone, smiling.

 

- When I grow up, will you buy me a horse too? –asked Berenike to Amyntor.

 

- Only if you learn how to ride –answered her father and the girl started to jump happily—Did you see something you like, Phai?

 

- Many things –admitted his son.

 

- Take your time, we are in no hurry –said Amyntor, taking him by the shoulder.

 

- Just make sure to choose a war horse –advised his grandfather—It’s good for you to start getting use to them, not like your brother Nick, he wanted a beautiful and completely useless horse.

 

Hephaistion smiled.

 

- Yes, grandpa.

 

- Daddy! Daddy! That man is selling apples, would you buy us some? Please, pretty please –asked Berenike, pulling her father’s cloths.

 

- All right.

 

Hephaistion was about to follow them when an astonishing gray horse caught his attention; before he realized it, he started to follow him, absolutely oblivious to the rest of the world and getting away from his family. He was so concentrated on the hourse that didn’t hear the hysterical voice of Ptolemy shouting: LOOK OUT! It was as if the world around him had melted, he didn’t see or hear anything and thanks to that, almost got himself crushed under a big, brawny warhorse, running straight in his direction.

 

The whinny of the animal made him turned in the last minute, and thanks to his quick thinking he moved away before the horse passed over him. Hephaistion fell on this back, and against the bright sunlight he saw the horse’s silhouette rearing up; for an instant he feared to be hit by the horse’s front legs, so he covered with his arms and waited for the pain that never came.

 

- Are you all right? –Hephaistion opened his dark gray eyes and found a boy about his same age, the rider. The boy of blond-golden hair, untidy in the backside with long locks at the front that crossed his attractive face, had a pair of uneven eyes that saw him with curiosity, one cerulean blue, the other brown, almost amber.

 

The son of Amyntor stood up, with all indignation, at the same time the blond dismounted, and frowned in an excellent imitation of his father when he was extremely angry.  

 

- Are you mad? You almost killed me? –exclaimed Hephaistion, with all the indignation that a 13 year old could summon—What were you thinking going that fast in place so crowded? Irresponsible! I almost finished like a sack of death meat under your horse. Did you think that for a second or were too busy showing around? 

 

The blond boy stared at him with wide opened eyes, as if he couldn’t believe that it was him to whom Hephaistion was shouting, for an instant he felt the urge to turn and looked for another culprit. People stopped to see what was going on with the same expression of confusion and incredulity of the blond. Ptolemy and Harpalus, son of Machatas, a young man of the same age of the first, arrived without breath.

 

- Oh, please! Put down that face of: “I-don’t-have-a-clue-of-what-are-you-talking-about” and at least show some shame –continued Hephaistion when Nikandros came out from the growing crowd and pulled him by his arm, in an attempt to make him stop.

 

- I’m very sorry of what happened –Nikandros apologized for his brother utterly astonishment—This reckless boy walked distracted without noticing your horse.

 

- What, in the name of all Hades’ specters, are you talking about? –asked Hephaistion even more angry—What’s wrong with you?

 

If Nikandros could have hit him leaving him unconscious in order to make him closed his mouth, he would have done it long ago, but that would require a lot of explanation. 

 

- Is he your brother, Nikandros? –asked the blond with his arms crossed over his chest, everybody could tell he was enjoying the scene, which was worsening

Hephaistion’s temper.

 

-No, he is a poor mad-kid we keep hidden in our basement, my father took pity on him and feed him with food leftovers, but he is mentally disabled –answered Nikandros theatrically, making Ptolemy and Harpalos laughed until tears came out.

 

Hephaistion narrowed his eyes so much, and clenched his jaw so hard that his face looked as if it was drawn with 3 lines.   

 

- Moron –muttered Hephaistion under his breath, furious for that humiliation.

 

- I own you an apology –said the blond and Hephaistion rose an eyebrow with incredulity—I didn’t see you, and you could have get hurt. I’m sorry.

 

- About time! I don’t know what kept you for apologizing –said Hephaistion and his brother nudged him with force.

 

- I’m Alexander, Prince of Macedonia –the blond introduced himself and up were Hephaistion’s eyebrows in surprise, it took him a second to recover his composure, and replied, as if he had been aware of that from the very beginning:  

 

- Hephaistion, son of Amyntor –he didn’t want to be remember as the idiot who yelled at the Prince without knowing he was the Prince, he preferred to be the insolent who yelled at the Prince in full knowledge of what he was doing.

 

- Alexander! –Nearchus, son of Androtimos called him—The King has arrived.

 

The Prince left, escorted by Ptolemy and Harpalos, and halfway he turned back, his eyes met Hephaistion’s and he smiled. For the son of Amyntor that was too much, it was like been insulted, as if Alexander was challenging him, mocking him for been fool enough to yell at the next Macedonian King, and he blushed.

 

Moron –thought Hephaistion, feeling for the first time in his young life that he hated someone.

 

A slap on the back of his head took him out of his thoughts.

 

- Ouch!

 

- You are insane, Phai INSANE! How could you insult the Crown Prince? –his brother scolded him.

 

- He almost killed me –insisted Hephaistion, abiding to his story.

 

- You wasn’t paying any attention, you were the only one who didn’t see him coming this way –said Nikandros and a little voice inside Hephaistion told him his brother were right, but he instantly dismissed it.

 

- And you? If you saw everything, why didn’t do something?

 

- I ran to you moron, but I was very far, I would have never reached you in time. Then Ptolemy saw me and figured out what was happening, he yelled at you “look out”, but you didn’t listen –Nikandros explained, walking with him to where their parents were waiting.

 

They both fell silent. 

 

- You didn’t know he was Prince Alexander, did you? –asked his brother.

 

- Of course I knew –said Hephaistion sure of every word and Nikandros laughed.

 

 

(1) Peter Green. Alexander of Macedon, p 8