Aaah... that was so perfect. Your characterisation of them are so believable. This was heartbreaking, and breathtaking, the slow crumbling of their relationship, and Hephaestion's realisation, the mysterious sculptor. Love. LOVE this story. D

I'm so very late to this story, I hope you have review alerts on! (At first I was going to comment on lj but thought it more likely you'd have the alerts on for here...)

Anyway, as I've said before I can't pick favorites from your stories because I'd prefer to choose the whole list rather than omit any, but Ivory Eros was the first one you I reviewed...? Anyway for that reason as well as for so many others it has remained in my memory, the wonder and joy and heartache of Alex and Hephaestion as they have to remember and discover their love anew, and I'm very glad you wrote this interlude.

I really appreciated the art merchant and his zealousness to please the Grand Vizier! ("that worthless dog of a sculptor...I shall never recommend him again, I shall see he is shunned throughout Persia" hahaha!) And of course the translator has to translate all this!

Really liked the developments between Hephaestion and Drypetis. Hephaestion's slight awkwardness with her, wondering how he should behave, reminds me of him with Thais in Rediscovery.

That moment of magic with the statue - the way you wrote Hepahestion's memories for us the readers, mirrors the mesmerization Hephaestion felt, I think. And considering its maker (if I guess correctly that the strange, NOT-overly-polite, decidedly non-fussy sculptor is a manifestation of Eros!), it's no surprise the statue captured Hephaestion's attention!

As always you ground this story solidly in AtG history - details about cultural mixing and integration, about the growing distrust between those who would later tear the empire apart. But it is the complexity of Hepahestion's thoughts and emotions here that really stood out to me, the train of thinking, from the end of the journey of discovery toward the Ocean, to this realization that he just wanted _Alexander_ back, that adventurous, eager, passionate youth he had fallen in love with. Lovely.

A most beautiful addition to your other *Eros* stories. Now it is a trilogy, and a very good one. I like *your* Hephaestion's deep introspection, he gives a poignant analysis of his and Alexander's complicated feelings, how they are falling apart now when the Campaigns are over.

The Ivory Eros appears, and gives him Healing as it lets him remember happier days. The flashbacks are very beautiful, and one would like him to be able to return to these blissful days of youth, love and friendship. Instead, we can sense his terminal illness creeping upon him as he goes to bed, instead of attending the drinking party. The Ivory Eros lulling him to sleep is a most beautiful ending, but I hope Alexander comes to see to him, too...

All the best wishes,

/ NorthernLight

This fits so well with the other two stories - nice link and beautifully written as always.

I'm putting up a new story The Best and The Beautiful but have totally forgotten how to update chapters correctly! Can you point me to an idiots guide?

All the best

Another splendid piece of work, Moon! It contains everything I love about your writing: vivid imagery, precise description, eloquent emotions, sensuality . . . and a very bold, assertive, slightly arrogant, always sexy Hephaestion! I really feel for him in this story; he's dealing with a lot of stuff: frustration, new responsibilities as Grand Vizier, irritation with the annoyances (like the entourages) of his new job, his resignation with the current state of his life, concerns about his relationship with Alexander - and all the while, his health is clearly declining. He's got so much on his mind that he forgets to take care of himself. I just want to give him a hug. I also like how you developed a relationship between him and Drypetis; it's so interesting to see them talk and interact Their affection for each other is sweet.

I'm so glad you wrote this, it's so wonderful!

Sultry, provocative, sensual... All my favorite ingredients. You keep my heart thumping & I find myself holding my breath, carried away by the emotions you describe. I was left in suspense of what will follow next.

Great story as always. I found very interesting this Hepahestion of yours as a Grand Vizier: upseted with the ceremonial of the position, so bored with people fussing, almost irritated with old companions and missing the Alexander of his times of youth. We almost get to understand why he died so fast in Ecbatana, cause in spite of the tender and soft relationship with Drypetis his heart was not there. But as "He wanted to find the boy with whom he had once fallen in love" and as his boy not more existed, what would remain for him now?

Another little gem from you. So much packed in a relatively short text, but that is your trademark by now. I liked the musing about Drypetis but more than anything I loved this:

"It had been their adventure, his and Alexander’s, and thanks to those mutinous bastards it had ended ignominiously. Hephaestion of course had not been there beside Alexander when it had all fallen apart. Instead he had returned to find the decision made, to listen to the story of Alexander’s supposed sign from the gods that it was time to turn back. And – absurd as it seemed, there it was – a part of him had blamed Alexander for letting it end that way, resented him for not somehow using that charm of his, that bond he had with his men, to save the day yet again.

Of course he had said nothing; had tried only to soothe and reassure. He had buried his disappointment, his frustration and anger, had not even railed against the men who had mutinied. Anything but burden Alexander with his own sense of loss. It had seemed the right thing to do at the time – but maybe he had been wrong. Maybe Alexander now believed that Hephaestion didn’t care, had never cared, had expressed enthusiasm for his plans only to keep him happy."

There aren't many stories dealing with that particular point of Alexander's life, and you summarized it perfectly, especially by showing the somewhat restless, somewhat bored aftermath of their return.

Short and very very sweet