Alexander: The Retelling

Prologue

340 BC, Macedon

"The Gods were mocking me when they gave me this weakling of a son." King Philip the Second of Macedon was used to blaming unfortunate events on his son, Alexander the Third.

"I will bear your true heir and I will give you a son to be proud of, my king, but for the love you bear me stop stressing yourself with the thought of that abomination that your wretched old wife brought for you," Meda of Odessa, his sixth wife and her father were obsessed with the idea of having Philip's "true heir" to the throne from their family, while they ignored Alexander with so much as treating him as if he were a bastard.

"Why have the Gods cursed me with such a shame?" Philip put his head in his hands as he closed his weary eyes, he let out a curse under his breath.

"Maybe they were trying to bring you a reflection of yourself?" Alexander was standing by the door, leaning his body on the door frame.

"You were spying on us, boy," his tone was despised and his eyes burnt with tiredness and hate.

"If I were spying on you, father I wouldn't have made my presence clear, now would I?"

Unlike his father, Alexander's eyes had a different kind of fire inside them, the fire of pride and strength, of power and the desire to harvest it. They burnt with wickedness and thought; they were restless and sleepless but never weary and tired. You could mistake his aura for that of a lion, but there was not a person alive who could ignore how handsome he was. He was exceptional in every way there is.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard the siege was unsuccessful and that you were back here, I've been meaning to speak to you,"

"Speak of what?"

"Aristotle left." They were both silent for a few moments

"Good. Maybe now you'll focus on actual learning like sword fight or archery or anything that may help a true man, that is if anybody lives to see you become one," Alexander looks around, he was never easily provoked, but his father's insults had been going for sixteen years now. You'd think he'd grow used to them, but he never does. If anything, he grows to understand the meanings behind them better, and it gets harder to not be angered by them.

"Everyone has lived that day long ago, even you. It's only that you wouldn't admit it."

"A boy of sixteen talks about being a man LONG AGO? And not even a true boy, an abomination, a sin made to walk the Earth, talks about manhood. Now that's a good joke to give my men." He laughs gently, as if pitying himself for having a son of such.

"What abomination, father? Must I be as cruel as you and let servants tremble at the mention of my name to be a true man? Must I not forgive my men when they do wrong? They are mortals they mistake; they were born to mistake and to redeem themselves, must I kill a man for his honesty like you did to hundreds?"

"Oh how I wish I had meant your kind heart, but you know well of which abomination I mean, should I say it out loud? A man who likes men, who won't drink wine because the taste is not to his liking, who won't intercourse because it's disrespectful to the future wife, but wife is it or husband?" He moves towards Alexander and leaves only a thin line of air between them before he says what he has to say last "A boy who mistakes himself not for just a man, who thinks of himself as a demi-God when he is merely a punishment of the Gods to humanity. The abomination is ironic, in truth: a little lady trapped in a man's body. That is the last I talk of this, now leave us." He turns around and Alexander stands his ground for a few seconds before he starts talking again.

"I never said I had liking for boys, and I wouldn't like to be a drunken like those fools on your troops who failed alongside their king in a siege, unfortunately I like to keep a clear head, is that a sin too?"

"You needn't admit your preference for boys in speech because it is very obvious in its own silent language. Or do I have to bring your little bed partner, that boy servant you've developed a likeness for, what was his name?"

Alexander's hands curl into fists as he suppresses his anger, that anger that only came out in the presence of his cruel father. Oh, how he hated that his father had that kind of power over him, how he could anger him so easily. He had another father, one he had by choice, Cleitus was his name and that is why he kept his patience over the course of the years.

"Hephaestion." A pause "And he's a soldier," he would love to deny that Hephaestion was his bed partner but during this talk and under that stress of a sort of private interrogation, Alexander could not lie, and even if he could he would've never continued having a talk on the matter when his father seemed to know him so well. To prove his point, Philip would go to great lengths to torture poor Hephaestion just for the pleasure of watching his son break. Alexander would take any risk any day of his life, only not one that included this particular man.

"A servant, a soldier, what's the difference anyway? They're both not royalty and they both follow my commands. Now go, you've ruined my morning with your smug face,"

"Did you not ruin it yourself when you spoke my name? Or is it only beauty that puts you in a foul mood? Now it's clear." He smiled wickedly and headed for the door.

"What is clear?" a demanding voice

"The reason behind your choice in this marriage, of course." By the time the king was at the door, his son was already nowhere to be seen. He had the quality of light and fast footsteps. Well at least the lad has enough sense to run away King Philip thought.

Alexander was already heading for his own chamber, he remembered he had appointed a meeting with Hephaestion when his father mentioned him. He wasn't really at his father's chambers to tell him Aristotle had left, the king wouldn't care, and neither does Alexander for that fact. Aristotle had done his part in tutoring him quite well, the old man was not without certain brilliance but he was not without certain madness either. He went to see his father because he was scared of his own plan, he had several plans, but this one was certainly the most unbelievable, the scariest. He went to tease his father, to anger him so Philip could anger him back; for only anger can conquer fear. And he would sooner die than be conquered by fear, he would rather be angry than afraid.

Alexander reached his chambers and only from the doorway, he recognized Hephaestion's posture, his back and the way he stands. Alexander recognized anybody's backs but Hephaestion was acknowledged as a whole, he had an aura, an atmosphere, a surrounding. All of which can never go unnoticed, at least to Alexander they couldn't.

"I have a surprise for you." Hephaestion turns and smiles widely at the sound of Alexander

"You do." It was a statement, he often did that. Speak in phrases where others would tone out questions. He often read the intentions behind his and Alexander's meetings far before their time. He knew Alexander would be talking about his plans, and he understood his close friend so well that he knew his plan and surprise would be about world dominion and becoming a God. Hephaestion never believed in the Gods, never believed in the higher powers or that he should worship or pray to anyone or anything. But he always believed that Alexander was no ordinary man, he was so much more and Alexander may think Hephaestion never observed his surroundings and that was true in some ways, only not in all. He noticed everything about the prince, he noticed all the questions Alexander asked about becoming a God and doing the impossible, he noticed his electric mind, working in webs and connecting things together. He noticed the different prospect of which he looks at things, he also noticed how he irritated almost everyone around him with his distinctiveness. Almost.

"I have an idea." Alexander's body practically vibrated with the words, to Hephaestion it was like seeing the sun rise to present a new day, a new opportunity, whereas to others it may have resembled looking directly into the summer sun until your eyeballs were burning and welling up. "We will conquer the world."