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Post by Nadir on Oct 25, 2006 11:18:30 GMT -5
*Nadir started at Georgiana's name, as though he was suddenly pulled up into air and light from the depths of some well. He shook his head and pulled on his cigar.* "Georgiana...is not the only love I have failed. There have been others. There was one." *He sighed and rubbed his chin.* "She was wholly innocent--like yours--" *he jerked his head in the direction Susanna had gone.* "No, Alexander..." *he clenched his teeth for a moment.* "No. This girl I betrayed in cold blood. I turned my back on what she had become because of me and left her to die."
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Post by Alexander the Great on Oct 25, 2006 11:21:34 GMT -5
Alexander studied him for a moment.
"Who? Who was she, Nadir?" he whispered, terrified of losing this man to the dark depths of Hades. There was something in Nadir's eyes...something wild and dangerous, something that, if unchecked, might destroy him.
Gently, he settled his hands on Nadir's shoulders and touched his forehead to the Persian's.
"Who?"
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Post by Nadir on Oct 25, 2006 11:31:43 GMT -5
*Nadir shook off Alexander's touch and strode to the edge of the roof, glaring out at the spread of the city before him.* "She is gone," *he said shortly as he threw his cigar to the roof and ground it out with his heel, exhaling the last of the smoke, clearing his throat.* "She is no one to anyone but myself. It matters not."
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Post by Alexander the Great on Oct 25, 2006 11:42:22 GMT -5
Angry, Alexander stalked after him and stopped right behind him.
"It matters, Nadir," he said sharply. He forced the Persian to turn and face him, and then stood there, gripping him tightly.
"It matters...indeed, it grieves and haunts you...did you think I could not see it during our last meeting? She matters...do not lie, either to yourself or to me."
His eyes softened from their sharp steel to dove gray.
"Tell me," he said softly. "I could help."
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Post by Nadir on Oct 25, 2006 11:46:46 GMT -5
"You cannot," *said Nadir simply, with a shrug, placing his hand on Alexander's shoulder.* "You cannot save the world, my friend. I am not yours to save."
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Post by Alexander the Great on Oct 25, 2006 11:50:28 GMT -5
And Alexander wept at those words. They were the very culmination of his life, and of everything he strived for.
"I am the son of a god," he said brokenly. "Can I not?"
"You are my friend and companion, why can I not help you?"
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Post by Nadir on Oct 25, 2006 12:04:08 GMT -5
"You have done enough, Xandros," *he said, the name seeming familiar as it rolled off his tongue.* "Let it be. Even the gods fall prey to this pain." *He held Alexander close for a moment, for once being the one to extend comfort to the broken.*
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Post by Alexander the Great on Oct 25, 2006 12:13:33 GMT -5
Alexander clung to him, weeping silently.
"I have failed," he whispered, resting his head on Nadir's shoulder.
"Hephaestion is nowhere to be found in this wretched city, and I have driven Susanna into the arms of a man who is indifferent to her.
Even you, my companion, cannot let me help you."
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Post by Nadir on Oct 25, 2006 12:15:09 GMT -5
"You have not failed, friend. You have lived," *said Nadir softly.* "It is not your fault I cannot accept the help you offer. Susanna is not lost to you, nor Hephaestion--not forever."
((Class is over--gotta run back to the car before the metre runs out of quarters. Back in about an hour or less.))
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Post by Alexander the Great on Oct 25, 2006 12:21:27 GMT -5
Alexander wearily lifted his head.
"In my head I know that, old friend," he sighed. "But in my heart...it is a far different matter."
He tilted his head back and stared at the stars.
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Post by Nadir on Oct 26, 2006 14:52:21 GMT -5
"We cannot reconcile our hearts to our heads. It's folly to try," *said Nadir with a shrug as his put his hands in his pockets and peered down at the lights below.*
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Post by Susanna on Oct 26, 2006 14:56:28 GMT -5
((Who's Nadir talking about? *Is confused*))
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Post by victor on Oct 26, 2006 15:04:29 GMT -5
((A mysterious woman in his past. If Shadi were around more often, it might be explained in more detail. But--Shadi's mother. I think.))
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Post by Alexander the Great on Oct 26, 2006 16:45:01 GMT -5
"We cannot reconcile our hearts to our heads. It's folly to try," *said Nadir with a shrug as his put his hands in his pockets and peered down at the lights below.* Alexander studied his profile as he spoke. "Perhaps you are right. But I am a king. I was taught, even as a boy, that nothing was unattainable to me, the golden child with the bloodline of Zeus and Herakles." "How can you not see that? You, who bears the blood of Ghangis, the warrior."
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Post by Nadir on Oct 26, 2006 17:41:22 GMT -5
"You believe, still, everything you were taught as a child?" *Nadir smiled lop-sidedly at the thought.* "Whatever one's ancestry may be, it cannot guarantee anything." *Nadir leaned against the statue of Apollo, his eyes dark.* "Ghengis...the Great Khan..." *he mused in a dry tone.* "If I bear the blood of that warrior, it is of little consequence to me. My father was a great man--he did great things. But horrible things, as well. Terrible deeds which all the world shuddered the hear of. I wonder--" *He paused.* "--I wonder, often, which will take sway in me. The great deeds and heroic blood, or the tainted black spirit of evil that dictated much of his action." *Nadir broke off and glanced up at the impassive and handsome face of the god above him.* "To believe one's veins flow with the blood of a god requires one to believe that a god--any god--exists. I cannot." *He shook Alexander's hand.* "Goodnight, friend." *he left the roof and his friend alone with his thoughts.*
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