Warning: I’m not sure if this is an –M– Chapter but lets say it is just to be safe.

 

CHAPTER 144

 

Every time I think about that night it never ceases to amaze me how curious it was for so many different events to happen at the same time and under the same roof, and how, an apparently harmless party, transformed in one of the most infamous events in history.  Some times people like to think that the characters involve in a huge event somehow are conscious of their self importance in a particular crucial moment. Did we know how history would judge us for the burning of Persepolis? Did I know that, more than 2 thousand years later, people would be still questing Alexander’s motives to do what he did? Of course not! And that makes even more interesting to recall what happened that night.

 

Completely oblivious to what was going on near him with Ptolemy and Thais, Alexander indulged himself, for a sweet glorious moment, behaving like he never did, losing himself in the warmth of his beloved’s body, for once not caring about the prying eyes and curious ears, kissing and stroking Hephaistion and finding a very exciting freedom in doing this at the middle of a banquet. Unlike his father, the King had tried his best to control his carnal needs, not to pick up young boys and beautiful women like wild flowers in a field; one because he didn’t approve that kind of behavior, anybody could do that and this made the King no better than the men he had to command, and second because the General was all that he wanted, that he desired, that he needed.   

 

Chrysaor had been right in one thing, Hephaistion was too beautiful to be with just one man, but the same could be said about the King, Alexander was, for his part, too powerful to belong just to one person.

 

That’s why we are destined to be together –thought the King, while his lips traveled over that sinfully soft skin—Because we both aren’t common men.

 

That night, hearing his beloved’s voice drown in pleasure, his sweet moans, his sighs and gasps and his body beneath him, took Alexander into a whirl of emotions. He acted without thinking finding this exhilarating; doing what he wanted without consequences, even if it was just for a moment, just to take what his body was asking was one of the most wonderful sensations he had experienced.

 

The King had drank considerably more than his General, and maybe it was the wine the one helping him to reach this kind of freedom, or maybe it was just the maddening desire of taking that ungodly beautiful creature, but he was ready to make love to Hephaistion on that couch, in the place of honor, in the middle of a banquet full with people, officers, trusted advisors, Persian allies, courtesans, musicians, servants and slaves. The wine appeared to have stunned his jealousy, at least for that night, because he didn’t care if someone, or many someones, saw his beloved’s face transfigured in pleasure.  

 

- Alex… —a strong moan interrupted Hephaistion’s words, his body shuddered feeling his King’s hand playing between his legs—Alex…Mm, please stop…I don’t…want to…—he moved his legs over the couch and tighten his embrace around Alexander’s neck, holding the King as if his life depended on it.

 

So many sensations hit the General’s body in that moment, a strong wave taking all his coherent thoughts and replacing them with a wonderful sensation that was turning his body into water. He felt like falling if he didn’t cling to something, but at the same time, he wanted to fall, and lose himself in that heat, to take everything his King wanted to give him.

 

Alexander licked Hephaistion’s chin, savoring his skin, nipping it with his teeth, but didn’t stop his ministrations, he wanted to see him come, to see the expression on his face, to feel his body trembling against him. The General bit his lower lip, he didn’t want to make noise, everybody knew how noisy he was and even if the room was fill with voices and music, he didn’t want to take a risk and let the entire hall to hear him. 

 

But, is it really that bad? –thought Hephaistion, his mind clouded by that intoxicating electrical sensation running through his body and the wine that made him feel as if everything were possible—Or maybe I should do whatever I want… –that was such a tempting thought, besides, he had always been a very horny drunk and this time was not the exception.

 

Hephaistion ached and moaned with force, he rocked his hips following Alexander’s movements, panting and closing his eyes. That felt so good, his lover’s fingers over him, that and knowing that he was so exposed in this palce. He bit the King’s shoulder, opening the flesh until the blood flowed when he reached his release, but that, far from bothering the King, only served to ignited the blond’s arousal. 

 

- I wish you could see your face now, Phai –whispered Alexander, closed to his cheek, feeling Hephaistion’s breath hitting his skin, tickling him and, at the same time, making his nervous system tremble—You look so beautiful.

 

The General half opened his eyes and brushed his damped hair back, breathing rapidly, feeling his cheeks burning. He didn’t answer, words were unnecessary in that moment, and just watched in silence how the King stretched his arm to take another cup of wine from a servant. Hephaistion still felt terribly expose in those moments, even if they both were fully clothed and if it was impossible to say what were they doing from a far. But, he had to admit that this was also exciting. Hephaistion took Alexander’s cup, emptying what was left in one gulp, and then, they both started to laugh.

 

- What are you laughing at? –asked the General.

 

- I don’t know –and they laughed even harder before the King kissed him again, tasting the wine in his beloved’s sweet lips.

 

Hephaistion let the cup fall at his side and smiled against his lover’s lips when he felt Alexander’s hands on his hips, ready to take him and drown in him the arousal that was threatening to drive him crazy. The General still had his legs completely spread, lying languidly and satiated on the cushions but curious to what the King was planning to do.

 

Even if Hephaistion was no longer horny, Alexander had to admit that he looked extremely hot with that spent expression on his face, his damp hair attached to his face, covering his eyes and his flushed cheeks. He kissed his beloved again, holding him with force by the thighs, his skin intoxicating him. The King let his fingers wandered inside his General, wondering if he would be able to make him burn in desire again, but then…nothing happen. For a moment, Hephaistion didn’t understand why hadn’t his lover taken him. Was he playing with him? 

 

- What’s wrong? –he asked softly, kissing his King’s cheek.

 

- Nothing –Alexander lied, trapping his lips in a desperate kiss but he didn’t fool his General.

 

- You don’t want to make it here? –his beloved asked among kisses—We can go to my room if you want.

 

- It’s not that –Hephaistion stopped his kisses and looked at him—I may have…er- drank too much tonight –that made his beloved laugh as if someone were tickling him, which didn’t serve to improve the King’s mood—It’s not funny. 

 

Hephaistion really wanted to stop but each time he saw Alexander’s face he started to laugh again, as if he had never heard something funnier in his entire life, until his stomach hurt.

 

- I’m….sorry…Alex –said the General, cleaning the tears with the back of his hand. He had always been a very happy drunk, which, ironically, never made the blond happy. He took a deep breath trying his best to stop laughing—Do you want me to… give a hand with your er- problem? –he purred at the time he slid his hand between his King’s legs.

 

Alexander bit his lip, watching that beautiful creature pleasing him while hearing a distant commotion. At first neither paid attention to what was happening, too busy with what they were doing, and not even the words: ‘burn it!’ or ‘damn Persians!’ made them turn, that was of no importance. His beloved tried, with all his skills, to wake up his arousal without much success, which only served to worsen the King’s mood. He truly wanted to do it; why, then, in the name of all the spirits of the underworld, he couldn’t do it?

 

He felt a terrible anger, and the voices chanting: burn it! Burn it! Burn it! Didn’t help, they were like a drum inside his head.

 

- What the hell is that? That noise is diving me crazy –asked the King, he was horny, frustrated, horny, drunk, horny, angry and now, irritated…and still horny. He turned to look at his beloved and blinked twice, seeing, to his complete astonishment, that Hephaistion had fallen asleep.

 

You have to be kidding me –thought Alexander without believing his bad luck. He took Hephaistion by the shoulder and shook him. 

 

- Phai?

 

- Mm…—his beloved opened his eyes for a moment and closed them again. He was sleepy, and drunk, and the only thing he wanted in those moments was to surrender himself to Morpheus. 

 

Now Alexander was really pissed off and the chanting mob looked like a great scapegoat to vent over his fury and frustration. He stood up, wobbling a little, and went to see what was going on.  

 

- What’s this? –asked the King, his voice strong and clear for someone who had drunk that much.

 

- We are going to burn this hall –said Ptolemy, pointing at the floor with his index finger. At his side Thais was holding a torch, still thinking that they were only joking and too drunk to actually do something.

 

If the hetaira was hoping to hear Alexander exclaimed: ‘are you out of your mind?’ she felt really disappointed when he only asked:

 

- Why? –the King had thought several things that could be happening when he heard the chant, but this truly took him by surprise.

 

- Because this is a cursed place, Xerxes built it with Greek gold –explained Leonnatos, quite proud with his intervention. 

 

- The damn Persians robbed us; lets make them pay! –someone else shouted among the crowd of guests that had assembled at the hall entrance.

 

- Let’s avenge the Greeks!

 

- Burn the damn place!

 

It could be that Alexander was indeed very drunk, and also a little angry and frustrated, or the fact that he had been thinking in the possibility of destroying Persepolis for days now, but, in those moments, hearing all those voices clamoring for justice and the torches burning in their hands, like a mob with forks heading to the monsters lair, he thought ‘why not?’. A little devil inside him told him that he wanted to destroy Persepolis, so why to wait any long? Besides, his companions were right, the Persians had robbed them, they were in all their right to take revenge. 

 

Revenge. That sound like a good explanation to justify the burning of Persepolis, it would look good with the Greeks. Yes, it was a good idea. He took the nearest torch, the one Thais was holding.

 

- “Why do we not avenge Greece, then, and put the city to the torch?”(1) –he said and was instantly acclaimed by the others, as if they had just won a major battle. Nikandros, holding his torch with one hand and embracing Vashti with the other, acclaimed his King along with Philotas and Nikanor at his side. Thais got pale, not believing that they were actually going to do this, were they serious? They did look serious.

 

The King led the way, torch in hand, and followed by a large retinue of men and courtesans, looking like a long snake of fire.

 

I dreamt the world would end

I was not wrong

To doubt, to discredit

The words I've heard before

From inside a shell pretending

It's all you've shown your faith

And what you've always known

So lay your trust in the unthinkable

It's time to justify your lesser faith

(Dark Tranquility, Lesser Faith)

XXX

 

- Hephaistion!, Hephaistion! –Thais shook him frantically, his hands trembling badly and her beautiful face pale like a corpse. The General had fallen asleep on the couch after too much food, too much wine, and a hot foreplay. In other circumstances the hetaira would have found him irresistible, lying there with his strong and long legs spread, his chiton swirling around his waist, but not now.

 

- Mm…

 

- Hephaistion, please, you have to wake up –Thais pleaded, she about to cry; scared and lost, she never imagined that the men would take her words seriously, who listen to a women, even more, who listen to a hetaira after all?

 

- What? –the General asked, finally opening his eyes.

 

- Hephaistion, Alexander is going to burn the city –said Thais with gravity.

 

- Really? When? –the hetaira was really going to cry in that moment. Hephaistion was too drunk to be of any help.

 

- Now! You have to stop him…Hephaistion? –but the General had fallen asleep again. Thais cursed like the most vulgar soldier in the army.

 

What now? –she asked herself, taking her hands to her face—Eni! I have to find her, maybe she can think of something. 

 

Thais ran out the hall while Dismas came in looking for his General. He too had been invited to the banquet but he wasn’t drunk, and among that orgy of destruction he was the only one who kept a cold head. At first he had thought the same as Thais that, if someone could stop the King, that one was Hephaistion, then, when he saw how drunk was his superior he gave up hope and concentrated in taking the General to his room. He remembered just too well what had happened the last time Hephaistion had been drunk and alone, Philotas had almost raped him and the King had been beyond fury.

 

No, it was safer for everybody if he took the General to his room and left a couple of guards outside.

 

XXX

 

Seleucus wasn’t in the hall when Alexander and his retinue decided to burn everything in a rather festive mood, as if burning a sacred city were nothing more than a game and all would be fine in the morning; but he saw them passing through the corridor. He was hidden behind the statue of a griffon having sex with a beautiful and young, very young, slave of delicate and slender figure and straight golden hair reaching his shoulders.

 

The officer had purchased him a couple of weeks ago at a very scandalous price, he and Hegelochus had almost come to blows because both wanted the boy, but at the end Seleucus was the winner.

 

Maybe he had been a fool spending that amount of money in just a slave, but…Since that night at the garden when he met Achilles he couldn’t stop thinking about him, evocating again and again their conversation, wishing to hear his voice again. It was hard to explain and he didn’t understand, or didn’t want to, what the hell was happening to him.

 

To begin with he didn’t even like children, at least not in that way, he had one friend who enjoyed chasing pretty young boys and Seleucus never understood what did he find attractive in them; but, for some reason, he couldn’t think in the Prince as a child, maybe it was because he didn’t think or behave like one, and he certainly looked older, but for the officer Achilles was a brilliant young man who had completely bewitched him.

 

When Seleucus was sure that he wasn’t going to be able to forget the young Prince he had learned everything he could about him. Not even for a moment he thought in the possibility of looking for Achilles or talking to him again, even if he longed to do it, he didn’t trust himself and didn’t want to do anything to hurt him. Reason why he almost suffered a heart attack when he saw this young and beautiful slave; in a way, he looked a lot like Achilles and they were certainly the same height.

 

Persians didn’t have slaves but Babylonians did, and a very clever Babylonian had followed the army to Persepolis and made a fortune selling them slaves. This boy of 13 years old came from a place with a name Seleucus couldn’t pronounce and had an equally strange name, so the officer had decided to call him Laios. 

 

- What’s that? –asked Seleucus panting, his voice hoarse and his short blue-black hair attached to his forehead, damped with sweat. He watched, from behind the statue, the King holding a torch leading a mob chanting: Burn it! Burn it! Burn it!

 

- Do you want me to find out master? –asked Laios, his face so blushed that it appeared to glow in the dim light of the hallway.

 

The officer didn’t answer immediately. He kept watching for a while, finding several of his friends and companions among the mob, before nodding slowly.

 

- Yes, go.

 

The boy arranged his cloths and tried to run but his legs trembled a little after what they had been doing, and hurried to talk to the terrified and very pale servants. 

 

- Master, the King is going to burn the city –the 13 years old boy informed him.

 

- What?! That’s insane –exclaimed Seleucus, but the chanting ‘burn it!’ was quite clear in that matter.

 

Laios shrugged.

 

- That’s what the servants said.

 

The officer shook his head. If indeed Alexander was planning to burn the city the best thing was to be at the palace, surely the King wasn’t going to burn his own house, right? But as an answer black and thick smoke filled the hallway and to him floated the cheers and screams of the mob.

 

He is going to burn the palace too –he thought in utterly shock.

 

In that moment Seleucus’ astonishment was replaced by fear. What about Achilles? He knew the boy was sick and was in his bedroom at that moment; had somebody gone to put the boy to safe? He had seen the Prince’s personal guard, Chrysaor, at the party, most probably by now he should be as drunk as the King, his uncle Nikandros was with the mob; and Hephaistion? The General was nowhere to be seen.

 

- Shit! –the officer exclaimed and went running to the Prince’s quarters.

 

XXX

 

- Where are we going? –asked Hephaistion while Dismas did his best to walk with him through the hallways.

 

- Far from here, sir –answered his second in command. He had problems carrying him because his superior was a very tall man, but he had managed to arrive to the gate facing the garden after stopping 2 times to let the General puke.

 

In his naivety, Dismas had thought the King was going to spare the palace and was planning to take Hephaistion to his room when he saw the tower of flames consuming the building in front of them. Large parts of the palace, rooms and stairs, were made of cedar and burned easily, magnificent carpets, tapestries and curtains, everything that once served to decorate the residence of the Great King now served to feed the hunger of the merciless fire spreading everywhere. Dismas could hardly believe what he was seeing.

 

What could he do now?

 

What else? Go outside the city, to the where the rest of the army is camping –thought the General’s second-in-command.

 

XXX

 

- Are you sure? –asked Berenike, getting dressed as fast as she could after listening Thais’ story. She had been sleeping knowing that her husband would arrive extremely late, if he arrived that is, and exhausted after trying for hours to put baby Demetrios to sleep.

 

The hetaira nodded frantically.

 

- Yes! They are going to burn the city and it is my fault –that was too much for Thais, she sat down on the nearest chair and started to cry.  

 

Berenike ran to embrace her.

 

- Calm down, this is not your fault. Do you hear me? –she said with force, caressing her hair—They are grown up men and responsible for their own actions –she patted her friend’s back— Now, stop crying and come, we are leaving.

 

- Leaving where? –the hetaira sobbed—They are burning everything.

 

- Where else? Outside the city –said Berenike, his voice full with determination—I’ll send Nety to fetch Sofonisba and we all are going out of here.

 

XXX

 

Seleucus arrived to Achilles’ room without breath, his slave Laios behind him but unable to keep his master’s speed. The guards at the Prince’s door were standing in front of the opened window, watching the fire with puzzled expressions and trying to guess what was going on.

 

- Is the Prince inside? –asked the officer in his best commanding voice making both men jumped.

 

- Yes, sir –answered one of them.

 

And without saying another word Seleucus entered as if he owned the place.

 

- Sir! –both guards ran after him.

 

- The palace in on fire –said the officer, successfully stopping them—We have to take the Prince to a safe place.

 

- What about the rest of the King’s guests? –asked one of the guards and Seleucus stopped, his hands on his hips taking a moment to think. He turned and the guards wished he would stop looking at them like that. 

 

The King’s guests which included Achilles’ grandmother and his best friend, Cyrus Ochus. Oh yes, Seleucus had made his homework and knew even the names of his pets.

 

- Wake them up –he decided at last— We have to leave the palace.

 

- Yes, sir.

 

The only fault in the officer’s plan was that he wasn’t expecting to come inside Achilles’ room alone. Until this moment he had been sure of what he had to do, but, when he saw the boy peacefully sleeping and no one around, he felt lost. Seleucus swallowed hard when he saw that beautiful face again, knowing that he had to touch him in order to wake him up…

 

Touch him? –he thought almost in panic. He shook his head, he was behaving like a fool and this was an emergency.

 

- Achilles, wake up –Seleucus shook him by the shoulder—The palace is on fire.

 

- Mm…What? –asked the boy half asleep, moving lazily and opening his amber eye.

 

- The palace is on fire, come –the officer put aside the several blankets and covered him with just one. He did his best to stay calm when he had to carry the Prince on his arms.  

 

He is lighter than I thought –said Seleucus to himself.

 

- What happened? Where are my father and the King? –asked Achilles now completely awake.

 

- I don’t know but I’m sure they are fine –Seleucus said the first thing that came to his mind, just wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, but Achilles frowned.

 

- If you don’t know where they are, how can you be sure they are fine? –asked the Prince and the officer stopped before reaching the hallway. He turned and found the most fascinating pair of eyes looking at him, and that made him feel something very strange, a mixture of desire and another emotion he didn’t want to recognize because it was something close to love, and he didn’t want to fall in love.

 

The Prince’s eyes could be the same color as the King’s but they weren’t the same, Alexander had a piercing gaze and no one, with the exception of Hephaistion, could hold his gaze, unlike Achilles who had warm eyes full with emotion but at the same time, difficult to read.

 

He doesn’t have the eyes of a child –thought the officer.

 

- You are right –said Seleucus, clearing his throat—I apologize. I don’t know where they are but the last time I saw the King he was leading the mob to burn the city and the most certain thing is that your father was with him.  

 

That answer satisfied Achilles but at the same depressed him, that meant Alexander had made up his mind and decided to destroy Persepolis. What was Cyrus going to say about this?

 

- Thank you –said the boy. The officer nodded and was going to keep walking when…—But I can’t leave, not without the copy of the Iliad the King gave me.

 

Seleucus sighed. He lifted his head and found Laios standing at the threshold not sure of what to do.

 

- Where is it? –asked Seleucus.

 

- Next to my bed, on the night table –the Prince explained, coughing. The night wasn’t cold but the contrast after being so tightly wrapped in blankets made him sick. 

 

- Laios, fetch the Prince’s book and meet me on the hallway.

 

- Yes, master.

 

- And Bastet –said Achilles—Someone has to go for Bastet.

 

- Your pet Cheetah? –oh yes, Seleucus was so smitten by the Prince that he even knew who was Bastet. One look at his uneven eyes told him they were going nowhere without the Cheetah. The officer sighed.

 

I don’t remember much of what happened that night, I was too drunk to even know how was that Dismas took me to a wagon and then out of the city, but I have a good idea of what happened. It was true that Alexander had thought a lot in the possibility of destroying Persepolis and when Thais, innocently, proposed to burn it, it looked like a good idea. Something my King would regret later, why? Because that was no way to do it; first he had endangered not only my life, I fell asleep and if it hadn’t been for Dismas maybe my story would have been very different, he had also endangered my mother, Achilles, my sister and her children.

 

Seleucus stayed with Achilles all the time, I have to give him that, he protected my son, saw that everybody at the palace were taken outside the city and stayed with him even after the sunrise.

 

The army was camped outside the city walls and when they saw the fire they thought it was an accident and that the King was in danger, as you can imagine they ran with buckets full with water to help until they saw that it was Alexander the one who had ordered to burn down the place. Then, everything was chaos because the men followed their King’s example. 

 

Not the entire city burned, the palace complex was destroyed, yes, and the houses nearby, but the rest was intact. After that, there was no reason to prolong our stay here, by now Alexander was sure that he would never be acknowledged as the legitimate Great King so his only choice now was to capture Darius alive, why? I would think that’s obvious, that way Alexander could force him to abdicate in his favor, don’t you think?

 

My King left 3000 men behind, to garrison Persepolis, and we continued our way, this time, to Ecbatana…

 

XXX

(1) Quintus Curtius book 5 # 7