Chapter Text
Babylon, June 323
Alexander the Great, King of Macedon and Egypt and High King of Asia knew himself to be a lucky man but his latest near encounter with death had left him definitely shaken and angry, especially as he had yet to recover full fitness. He had escaped countless battles alive, and also some bad wounds and illnesses and many assassination attempts and plots, and now he had almost been victim of the last of them.
During his last illness, his trusted companions had almost started to plot to divide his empire, and that meant that although he had chosen to believe that they would stay loyal while he lived, he would no longer put the same trust in Perdiccas, Leonnatus, or Ptolemy, now that he knew the level of their ambitions.
When he had almost miraculously recovered, his doctor had told him that his illness had been caused by a poison, likely put in his cup at the final evening dinner he had participated in just hours before falling ill. Luckily whoever had put the poison in the wine had been inexperienced and acting on the orders of someone else, and had misjudged the quantity of poison to mix with the vine (and Alexander thought bitterly that the poisoned cup had been likely the one which he had half spilled on the floor). That opened another whole level of troubles for Alexander as the most likely culprit then was his own cup bearer, who had not noticed the spilled cup, and Alexander knew that particular for sure as the boy had commented on the speed with which he had emptied that cup, and the boy had been extremely nervous all the evening. At the time that had not been suspicious as most of his men, and especially the young pages, were always nervous all the time around him since the death of his most trusted and beloved friend Hephaestion, eight months earlier, but now that assumed another meaning. And as his cup bearer, in the last year and half, was Iolaus, the favorite son of Antipater, his Regent in Macedonia (at least until Craterus replaced him), that meant not only who Antipater, whom he had always trusted, had been the one to plot his death but that his old friend Cassander, Antipater's eldest son, also was likely involved. He had recently been in Babylon as messenger of his father (who had refused his summons to Babylon, as he likely had unfounded fears for his life, sending his heir instead as representative with some excuses), leaving the city only a couple of weeks before the evening of the poisoning.
The thought of having been betrayed also by the other old friend of his father, in whom he had full trust whatever his mother said of the old general, hurt him more than he was willing to admit, and he did not wish to believe that Cassander, one of the boys with which he had grown up, also was most likely involved in the plot. Still Cassander was more justifiable as his old friend was loyal to his own father and likely resented Alexander for having been left at home twelve years earlier at the departure for the Asian campaign. That choice had almost severed their relationship but Cassander had not looked to be too bitter or jealous of their successes and instead had tried to find again a place in their circle, something that had made Alexander glad, letting him hope that his old friend knew that the only reason for which he had been left at home was Antipater’s request to not take his firstborn as he feared the effect that such campaign could have on his not excellent health.
Now Alexander was left to wonder if that had been all an act, and maybe something to which he would not have believed if he had not been still so destroyed by Hephaestion’s death, or maybe the events had another explanation.
As he had no proof against Antipater and Cassander, for the moment he would simply replace Iolaus as cup bearer, and keep the boy at some distance and under surveillance, waiting for the moment in which the other two men would join his court as planned, as he would not risk pushing Antipater to an open rebellion in Macedonia and Greece or give the order to kill him and his son until he had no other choice. With Parmenion things had been different as he had already started to mistrust him well before Philotas' betrayal and his implication of his father had forced Alexander to eliminate him (and really he had to deal with Philotas and could not leave Parmenion alive after that). Luckily Iolaus was only a seventeen year old boy without any job in the army and Alexander had nothing concrete against him. The fact that the poisoning had happened two months after Cassander's arrival in Babylon was rather strange if he was involved, so he could afford to wait until Iolaus’ father and half-brother could join them before any interrogation, thus allowing Antipater and Cassander to hear the accusations and defend themselves.
Naturally Iolaus had been put under surveillance and Alexander had dismissed him as cupbearer and was keeping him at distance, but he was far from being the first page to be kept at distance without much in the way of explanation. Not that the current tension between Alexander and Antipater was a mystery for anyone, as the King had ordered the same treatment applied to Nicanor and Philip, the other two sons of Antipater currently at Alexander’s court. Everyone had counted it at something against Antipater, tied to his upcoming removal as regent in Macedonia and nothing more.