Shortly before his accession, Alexander made an ill-judged attempt to assure his, and his mother Olympias's right to the throne. King Philip was far too canny for such an obvious move and banished almost all of Alex's companions. All but Hephaistion. Even the King realized that this would be a step too far. But he kept his son in guarded quarters until a night of his choosing, when he let Alexander have access to his lover again. To quote Mary Renault again: "Alexander was lying flat on his back, staring upward. Suddenly he grasped Hephaistion in an embrace so fierce that it knocked the breath out of him, and said, 'Without you I should go mad.' 'I too without you,' said Hephaistion with loving ardour. Change the meaning, he thought, and you avert the omen. Alexander said nothing. His strong fingers gripped into Hephaistion's ribs and shoulder; the bruises would be there a week." The omen, sadly, was all too accurate.