Meliora; Chapter 4: Path of Heroes
Story Info
Title: Meliora
Author: Del Rion (delrion.mail (at) gmail.com)
Fandom: Alexander the Great
Era: Spanning the years between 342-323 B.C.
Genre: Romance, drama
Rating: M / FRM
Characters: Alexander, Hephaistion (Bagoas, Olympias, Roxane and several others mentioned)
Pairing: Alexander/Hephaistion
Summary: Through the years and across the miles, one man held Alexander’s heart.
Work in progress.
Warnings: Sexual situations between two men (slash), description of violence, brutality, war and death.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 4: Path of Heroes
Babylon, 331 B.C.
Darius’ possessions were rich and many in number. Not only the harem, which had a beauty for every night in a year if one should want it, but the art and Asian culture represented in his palace greatly fascinated Alexander.
Yet his favourite among it all was a beautiful casket that he came upon, that once belonged to Darius himself. Within it Alexander placed his precious copy of the Iliad. It had survived many miles so far, but of all his possessions, it was one of the most important, and now it had a worthy shell of protection around it.
Slowly he ran his hands over the rich, beautiful surface of the casket, then opened it and carefully took the book out once more, opening it and looking at the familiar passages. How many times he had read them, he could no longer recall. Sometimes he would just go over the certain pages that he found closest to him, or that were important at that time. For hours he could browse it, re-live the lives of those great heroes of old…
Mieza, many years before…
Alexander was lying on his bed when Hephaistion walked in and lay down on the edge of his own bed, which made him lie half on top of Alexander’s since they were so close to each other. It was their way these days, not outright joining the other boy on the same bed - not before being asked to do so - yet showing that they were welcome to be closer to each other than anyone else.
“What are you reading, Alexander?” Hephaistion asked.
Gently closing the book in his hands, Alexander looked over his shoulder. “The Iliad.”
Hephaistion smiled. “You have read it before. The way you cite it without the blink of an eye is making Aristotle very happy he made you a copy.”
“Yes,” Alexander nodded, “but I still find it… captivating. Every time, I find something new - and yet, it feels like familiar ground. Reading of those heroes and their deeds, their lives and choices…” He fell quiet for a moment, then turned to better look at Hephaistion. “I sometimes wonder whether I should go along with my mother’s dreams, or my father’s? And what do I want for myself? Who is this… Alexander, and what will he become?”
He often spoke of it to Hephaistion. Alexander shared everything with him: his hopes, his fears, his insecurities. Hephaistion never made fun of him, nor was disappointed in him. So unlike his parents, who either thought too little of him - or too much.
“Perhaps one day they shall write tales of you,” Hephaistion told him, leaning on his arm. “The great Alexander, who… conquered the impossible.”
Alexander knew he would like that, yet he still felt a bit indecisive and uncertain as to what his path was going to be. “Is that what you think I’ll become?” he asked his dearest friend.
Hephaistion gave him a more serious look. “Every great hero knows in the end what they want, and they follow their own path and no one else’s. That sets them apart from everyone else, and one day, it will set you above all others. I know it.”
“And you shall be there with me, Hephaistion,” Alexander said excitedly, his hand caressing the cover of his beloved book once again. “We shall honour the lives of Achilles and Patroclus, and do more than anyone thought possible. And we shall outshine anyone who thinks we cannot. You and me. For you shall always be there, will you not, Hephaistion?”
“To the end,” Hephaistion agreed. “Nothing else matters to me but to be there with you when you find your path - and to follow it beside you.”
to be continued…
Story Info
Title: Meliora
Author: Del Rion (delrion.mail (at) gmail.com)
Fandom: Alexander the Great
Era: Spanning the years between 342-323 B.C.
Genre: Romance, drama
Rating: M / FRM
Characters: Alexander, Hephaistion (Bagoas, Olympias, Roxane and several others mentioned)
Pairing: Alexander/Hephaistion
Summary: Through the years and across the miles, one man held Alexander’s heart.
Work in progress.
Warnings: Sexual situations between two men (slash), description of violence, brutality, war and death.
~ ~ ~
Chapter 4: Path of Heroes
Babylon, 331 B.C.
Darius’ possessions were rich and many in number. Not only the harem, which had a beauty for every night in a year if one should want it, but the art and Asian culture represented in his palace greatly fascinated Alexander.
Yet his favourite among it all was a beautiful casket that he came upon, that once belonged to Darius himself. Within it Alexander placed his precious copy of the Iliad. It had survived many miles so far, but of all his possessions, it was one of the most important, and now it had a worthy shell of protection around it.
Slowly he ran his hands over the rich, beautiful surface of the casket, then opened it and carefully took the book out once more, opening it and looking at the familiar passages. How many times he had read them, he could no longer recall. Sometimes he would just go over the certain pages that he found closest to him, or that were important at that time. For hours he could browse it, re-live the lives of those great heroes of old…
Mieza, many years before…
Alexander was lying on his bed when Hephaistion walked in and lay down on the edge of his own bed, which made him lie half on top of Alexander’s since they were so close to each other. It was their way these days, not outright joining the other boy on the same bed - not before being asked to do so - yet showing that they were welcome to be closer to each other than anyone else.
“What are you reading, Alexander?” Hephaistion asked.
Gently closing the book in his hands, Alexander looked over his shoulder. “The Iliad.”
Hephaistion smiled. “You have read it before. The way you cite it without the blink of an eye is making Aristotle very happy he made you a copy.”
“Yes,” Alexander nodded, “but I still find it… captivating. Every time, I find something new - and yet, it feels like familiar ground. Reading of those heroes and their deeds, their lives and choices…” He fell quiet for a moment, then turned to better look at Hephaistion. “I sometimes wonder whether I should go along with my mother’s dreams, or my father’s? And what do I want for myself? Who is this… Alexander, and what will he become?”
He often spoke of it to Hephaistion. Alexander shared everything with him: his hopes, his fears, his insecurities. Hephaistion never made fun of him, nor was disappointed in him. So unlike his parents, who either thought too little of him - or too much.
“Perhaps one day they shall write tales of you,” Hephaistion told him, leaning on his arm. “The great Alexander, who… conquered the impossible.”
Alexander knew he would like that, yet he still felt a bit indecisive and uncertain as to what his path was going to be. “Is that what you think I’ll become?” he asked his dearest friend.
Hephaistion gave him a more serious look. “Every great hero knows in the end what they want, and they follow their own path and no one else’s. That sets them apart from everyone else, and one day, it will set you above all others. I know it.”
“And you shall be there with me, Hephaistion,” Alexander said excitedly, his hand caressing the cover of his beloved book once again. “We shall honour the lives of Achilles and Patroclus, and do more than anyone thought possible. And we shall outshine anyone who thinks we cannot. You and me. For you shall always be there, will you not, Hephaistion?”
“To the end,” Hephaistion agreed. “Nothing else matters to me but to be there with you when you find your path - and to follow it beside you.”
to be continued…
Story Info