This is the last part of this story, something that began as a simple drabble and took a life on its own. Hope you enjoy this epilogue and tell me what you think!

Crossing towards life. - Epilogue.

One early morning a messenger arrived at Hephaestion and Alexia's house. He delivered a letter to the girl and told her that he would be back in three days for the response. Alexia agreed and went directly to the back garden to read it. Hephaestion found the situation weird but he dismissed the idea soon, Alexia would tell him about the letter in her own time. Even though Alexia was not his biological daughter, the girl had lived longer with him than with her own parents and she had adopted many of his attitudes and habits.

The girl was in deep silence most of the morning, coming and going from the little room where Hephaestion kept some of his scrolls to the herbs garden, always carrying the letter in her little hands.

Lunch was quiet too and Hephaestion realized that she was quite absorbed in her own thinking because she had never failed in doing little conversation during lunchtime. Hephaestion was getting a bit nervous and he decided that he would give her a little more time before he asked her what was going on.

Alexia excused herself as soon as lunch was over and she went back to her mission but now she was also carrying a scroll and a quill and she stopped every now and then to write something or to draw. However, Hephaestion could clearly see that she was not doing well with her task because in a moment she stopped and stomped her little feet against the floor and dried a stray tear quite violently from her cheek.

He decided that it was time she explained him what she was doing but he tried to ask her in the most diplomatic way.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" asked Hephaestion approaching his daughter and setting his hand on the small shoulder.

"Only if you promise not to get mad at me" whispered Alexia.

"I can't promise you before I know what you have been doing all day" explained the former General with a calm voice.

"I am researching about … about … healing herbs" stammered the little girl, whispering the last two words.

"Interesting investigation, Alexia, maybe I can help you, I took classes with Aristotle and he taught me a lot about it"

"I know, I have been consulting that thick book you have with the drawings and explanations but …"

"But what? Is there a problem?"

"Yes, I can't find the right herbs for his symptoms and I only have two days before they come for an answer"

"Well, now I am lost! Whose symptoms and what two days?" asked Hephaestion, trying to hide his anxiety.

"Alexander's symptoms, papa! I cannot stop thinking about him and he cannot die, not yet"

"It is very nice of you to try to help him but he is too ill and everybody dies, sooner or later …" he said with a breaking voice.

"I am tired of burying the people I love, I will not allow Hades near him, mark my words, father, I will save him and if you want to help me, fine; if not I will do it alone with Lena's help" said the girl with such decision in her voice that made the former General feel ashamed of himself.

Hephaestion had accepted Ptolemy's words too soon, without fighting and that was not his normal attitude towards the problems; he was known for discussing and trying to find the best solution even when the situation looked like a lost cause for the rest of the people; he had always managed to find a solution and he would not let his daughter down. The love he felt for Alexander came out from the dark and deep place he had put it in his heart and he let it bloom and grow and live again, feeding that tiny spark until it became a big flame.

Father and daughter worked without rest, reading and writing all the information they could get, always taking into account the list of symptoms and strange reactions that Lena had written down in her letter to Alexia.

When the messenger came back for a response, he found not only the reply but also two ready riders with two big bags attached to each saddle. They made their trip to the farm house and asked the barn boy not to announce their arrival.

Alexia dismounted and ran quickly towards the kitchen where she found Lena and both hugged tightly, smiling happily. The old royal cook asked the girl who had brought her and the vision of Hephaestion, loaded with his bags of healing herbs, put a big smile in the wrinkled face.

Ptolemy entered the kitchen as soon as he heard the commotion and another smile crowned now the tired face. The last month had taken a toll on all the house inhabitants and now with two more people to help they would be able to take a rest.

Hephaestion entered the darkened room and in the distance he could distinguish the lump on the bed, the man was resting on his side, in a fetal position, with his head resting on a soft pillow. Hephaestion sat on the bed by his side and let his fingers run the short locks, Alexander had cut his hair short when Hephaestion left the Army and he never let it grow again. The soft caresses on the scalp and temples made the former king moan in his sleep but a muffled and clear "Phai" escaped through his almost closed lips. The brunette took a deep breathe and leaned towards the body and set a kiss on the royal forehead, lingering in that gesture more than was necessary.

It took almost a week to gather all the herbs but as soon as they were all ready, Hephaestion took control of the kitchen and started the preparation of the concoctions; he knew that some of them would taste awful in their natural state so he asked Lena to mask them inside Alexander's food and drinks.

The former king of the known world was not responsive to them; in fact he started to feel worse and tended to throw out a lot after each meal. Hephaestion felt desperate, maybe he had made a serious mistake and he had accelerated the deteriorating process and Alexander would die sooner and it would be his fault.

But his little girl encouraged him to go on, repeating something that she had heard before "Things tend to get worse before they get better" and so Hephaestion continued until one day they saw a little improvement in Alexander's condition.

Everything had begun early that morning; Alexia was helping Lena in the kitchen when suddenly she started to laugh loudly, her father had just woken up after a whole night up, looking after an unconscious Alexander, and his hair was completely messed up, falling in front of his face, giving him the aspect of one of the furies in her myths book. She laughed louder when her father started to chase her, moving things and jumping onto chairs until he finally caught her and tickled her until she was lying on the floor, covering her stomach with her slender arms.

"Ptolemy, make Alexia shut up, my head is killing me" shouted Alexander from the bedroom with a renovate energy in his voice.

"Alright Alexander, be calm, please" Ptolemy shouted back and then turned round to look at his astonished friends.

"How did he know I was here?" asked Alexia, surprised that the blonde had recognized her voice.

"I don't know" answered Ptolemy.

"Have you talked to him?" asked Hephaestion.

"Yes, but he was unresponsive when I did it" Alexia explained.

"Aristotle once told me that people in a catatonic state could still hear what it is said to them so he should know we are here, me included" said Hephaestion quite nervously.

"Well, at least he had recovered his capacity to speak coherently and shout" said Lena smiling.

"Go and see him, Ptolemy, and ask him how he is feeling" commanded Hephaestion with urgency in his voice.

Ptolemy did as he was asked and when he opened the door he found Alexander on the big bed, with his head resting onto a huge pile of pillows but trying to move towards the edge of the bed. The tall blonde ran towards him and shouted him to be still. Alexander refused and set his eyes onto Ptolemy's face and the long nose man could assure that those two coloured eyes were no longer blind.

"Why do you want to get out of bed?"

"Because that little witch commanded me to stop being lazy and do something to recover my health. She called me spoiled brat and lazy bastard. She also hit my arm hard and shook my shoulders while whispering more insults"

"Did she do all those nasty things to you, oh powerful Alexander?" said Ptolemy laughing at his friend.

"Don't take her side, that little wench is dangerous; she threatened me by saying that if I didn't make amends with her father, she would ask Hades herself to take me sooner" said Alexander shuddering.

"By Zeus's balls, you have met your match in a little seven-year old girl!" said Ptolemy laughing loudly.

"Ptolemy, don't be stupid, Alexia must be five, my Phai went away nearly six years ago …" and suddenly the room was filled with a deadly silence.

"No, Alexia was seven last spring, Alexander, so think again …"

"She is not his daughter, he is not married!" said Alexander laughing.

"For someone who had been "dead" for a week, you are talking too much, my boy" said Lena, entering the chamber and carrying a pitcher of clear water and a bowl of stew.

"Lena, my loyal Lena, what would I do without you?" asked Alexander smiling at the old lady by his side.

"Ummm, die of starvation?" she asked cheerfully.

"I'm sure of that; now can I have my meal, please? And please bring that naughty girl here soon" asked Alexander.

"She is only a child, Alexander, don't be too rough, she is really worried about her father" Ptolemy explained.

"Is there something bad with Hephaestion?" asked the blonde with preoccupation.

"Apart from being worried about you?" said Ptolemy with mockery.

"I know that all of you had been doing something to improve my health and I can tell that I am feeling a bit better, so why is he still worried?" asked Alexander still confused.

"Because we thought we had lost you a week ago when things took a turn for the worse"

A knock on the wooden door announced the arrival of Alexia, who was immediately followed by a tired Hephaestion. Alexander set his two coloured eyes on cerulean ones and said firmly:

"I need to talk to Alexia alone … please"

"I am not leaving her alone with you if you are still mad at her" said Hephaestion.

"What I have to say is for her ears only, Phai" said Alexander with a tiny smile in his chapped lips.

"It is fine, papa. I will be right back soon" said Alexia, kissing her father's cheek.

Whatever Alexander said to Alexia during their long conversation was never repeated; Alexia, when asked later, said that if she said she would break the trust between patient and doctor and she would never do that to her Alexander.

After a long hour pacing along the kitchen, Hephaestion decided to go and confront Alexander. He marched towards the chamber, opened the door suddenly and froze at the entrance of the chamber: Alexia was asleep on Alexander's lap and the man had one arm snaked around the slender waist while his other hand was running along the girl's black tresses and occasionally caressed the tear stained face. Alexander nodded towards Hephaestion and the brunette got closer until he was standing by the bed. Alexander patted the space beside him and made Hephaestion sit there.

Silence invaded the room but their eyes did all the talking, they spoke about apologies, fears, incomprehension, pain, selfishness, regret but mostly of love and forgiveness.

Alexander looked at Alexia with a tender look in his eyes and whispered:

"She is an amazing girl and I am sure she will turn into a wonderful person, just like his father"

"Yes, she is, she really helped me to heal my wounds and I have tried to give her the love she lost when her parents died"

"She loves you very much, Phai, and she has promised me to help me too"

"I am sure she will, she is a natural healer"

"And what about you? Will you help me to be myself again so I can love you better this time?" whispered Alexander, blushing deeply.

"May be if you are a good patient …" answered Hephaestion smiling that particular smile only reserved for his Alexander.

"Will you kiss me better?" asked Alexander, feeling a bit bold.

Hephaestion leaned over and kissed Alexander on his forehead and whispered against the now cool skin:

"We will start little by little and we will cross the bridge again when we are both ready"

"No" said Alexander and Hephaestion looked at him with pain in his eyes, thinking that may be Alexander would never change.

"No?" asked Hephaestion defensively.

"No, when the three of us are ready" and taking Hephaestion's hand in his, he kissed it tenderly and then he turned round to kiss Alexia's forehead. "The three of us" whispered again before falling asleep.

Hephaestion looked at the two most important persons in his life and smiled. He took a warm blanket and covered them, leaving the chamber without making noise. When he was about to close the chamber door, he looked at them again and wondered how his life would have been if he had never crossed that bridge.

Finis.