Past Imperative

Bagoas actually came with Nazabarzanes, not with any trappings captured at Susa, Babylon, etc. He came, according to ancient historians, to plead for Nazabarzanes' life and stayed on. Everything is pure modern speculation and assumption. Was Bagoas a slave? Likely. Was he freed following Darius' flight? That can be answered, kinda, with a question: who owns the slaves once their master runs like a scared rabbit? We don't know where Bagoas came from, how far he traveled with Darius until he came into contact with Nazabarzanes, and whether or not Bagoas was "freed" if he was ever a slave per se. In fact we know nothing of Bagoas, short of he was "Darius' favorite boy" and came to plead for Nazabarzanes when the wily old nobleman surrendered to Alexander. Hell, Darius could have given Bagoas to Nazabarzanes at one point; we just know once Bagoas had been the Great King's favorite, not that he still was when Darius lost the kingdom. Everything else Renault, which is imaginative and has many likely possibilities, but tis pure fictional speculation based on very, very skimpy facts.

There had to have been something about Bagoas, though, to have gained Alexander's attention. Whining that it's unfaithful to Hephaestion won't change the fact that it happened. And apparently, it's not out of character, because it happened. Bagoas stayed with Alexander just as Hephaestion did ... the nature of either relationship is skimpy but there's more certainty in the sources that there was a physical relationship between Alexander and Bagoas than with Hephaestion and Alexander, though not by much, admittedly. (shrug)

Otherwise, good dialogue between them I agree. Macedonians were known for being blunt people. LOL!

B