Dawning Day
Disclaimer – I do not own any of these characters, the greater gods of TPTB do. Story is for entertainment purposes only. Beware of the Y.A.X.I.s.
Rated – R for violence and suggested adult themes
"If we stand together, we have a chance."
The words rang out in the crisp morning air. They came from a striking young woman, tall with raven hair cascading down her back and shoulders. Her sharp, crystal blue eyes scanned the cheering crowd before her. It consisted of mostly villagers about her age -18- or even a bit younger. A small group of older boys was in the back.
"If Xena leads us, then by the gods we can win!" one voice yelled over the commotion.
"Cortese will only find defeat here!" echoed another.
"To Xena, our warrior princess!" rang out yet another, as he raised his sword.
Xena smiled to herself. Cortese would never take Amphipolis without a fight. And after she got through training these villagers, he would not be emerging as the victor. True, they were only simple villagers for the most part, but still, they had the passion to fight for their homeland, which was more than Xena could say for the adults. But she'd have to start training immediately, for time was short before Cortese would come. Already she and her brothers had built a training gauntlet in the hills just outside of Amphipolis.
It had only been a few days ago that Xena had discovered that the warlord Cortese was headed towards Amphipolis. Cortese. The name itself had struck enough terror in the hearts of the elders to make them scrape together everything that they had so that they could offer it to Cortese in an attempt to appease him. But Xena knew better. She knew that the offering would merely be one stop shopping for Cortese. The slaughter would be inevitable. Those that would die would be the lucky ones. The men who survived would be most likely to be sold as gladiators to satisfy the Roman zest for blood and violence. Those not sold to the Romans would be sold into slavery. Rumor had it that Cortese sold most of his prisoners to Egypt. The women, on the other hand, would first be disgraced. Chained down and at sword point, each woman would be used for the pleasure of Cortese's men. Bodies ravaged, they too would be sold into slavery. Then Amphipolis would be burned to the ground. Xena would not stand for any of this, not if she could do anything about it.
She had desperately tried to persuade the elders into standing their ground. But they had refused saying, "We are simple villagers not warriors." Then she had been dismissed and given a warning not to get involved. And yet here Xena was, rebelling in her own way. She would lead the movement herself, regardless of the elders' wishes. She would never stand by and watch her entire world be torn apart by Cortese.