AUTHOR'S NOTE: A prompt for a fanfic challenge on the fanforum Xena Music Videos. Enjoy! :) Reviews are very welcome!
Pig tails and big blue eyes; who would have thought a sweet girl like this will turn out to be something quite the opposite of innocent when she grows up?
Cyrene lifted her head momentarily to gaze out of the window. In the evergreen meadows were her three children, their seemingly endless energy and the mix of wooden swords clashing, shouts and laughter, brought her a smile. Her husband loved it when she smiles-crinkles around her eyes and the blue seem to light up, he said. Probably another excuse to ravish her and their children with gifts. But that was before everything seemed to change.
The war was raging somewhere else, and in the name of Ares, men were hauled from villages to fight what seemed to be an unending battle. Many winters went by, but one night, he came home with a smile on his face. He laid a wooden horse on the night table for their son and kissed his wife senseless before putting an emerald necklace around her neck. Surprise sketched across her face, but the delight in her eyes could not be mistaken.
"Has the war ended?" Cyrene was hopeful.
"Far from it, my love. But we have got the upper hand. The commander sent us our merry ways back here. We should have a while before we are called upon again."
The time of his return puzzled her, but Cyrene pushed the thought out of her head. What matters is that he is back. For now.
"Come." he said, kissing the top of her hand then led her into the barn.
Candles lit the dark space and while lighting is poor, Cyrene could see the bunch of wild flowers on top of a bedroll. She smiled, with tears of happiness in her eyes and helped her husband off with his armour.
Nine-ish months later, a baby girl was conceived. Then not many winters after, a boy.
Cyrene wiped her hands dry on the apron and put on a pair of thick mittens before retrieving the freshly baked bread. In her mind's eyes, images of the eventful night flashed by.
"What are you doing?"
"I am going to kill her. I have to kill her!" he shouted with rage, dagger in hand, waving madly.
"Have you been drinking? What has gotten into you?"
"Xena. Ares. Xena. The villages, they talk." he rambled, but Cyrene knew exactly what he was talking about. Rumours flew about how Xena could be the daughter of Ares-the way she fights with her brothers. Sometimes Cyrene blame herself for letting things get that far, but after all, Xena was the only girl in the family and her interests hardly lie in knitting and cooking. With only brothers as siblings, it was hard to stop Xena from joining their rough games. Besides, it made her happy, and that was all that mattered to Cyrene.
"But she is yours! That night, you came, remember? The necklace, wooden horse, candles and the wild flowers..."
"What night?" he bellowed, face red with anger, embarrassment and alcohol. He pushed her out of his way in rage, dagger still in hand as he stumbled towards the exit of the shed.
That was when Cyrene realized that not only was he quite mad, he was quite serious in killing his own flesh and blood. Grabbing the nearest object she can find, Cyrene chased after her husband with fear. He was by the door of their hut when she drove the object into his back with great force, only hoping to knock him out. But in the mad rush of it all, Cyrene had not noticed what she held in her hand until it was all too late.
In front of her eyes, her husband crumbled, the dagger dropped to the sandy grounds, blade still glistering under the moonlight. Right down the middle of his back and axe stuck out, its head still wedged between flesh. Fresh blood started to soak the man's shirt and Cyrene could only run up next to him in tears, whispering late apologies as she cradled him in her arms.
She blinked back the tears as she sliced into the warm bread. Some days, every little thing reminded her of her husband and the skeleton in her closet. Cyrene never regretted what she did for her daughter, only that it was a deadly weapon in her hand when she striked. This was also a secret she would hope to take down to the grave with her.
She looked up at the sound of her laughter, the smile return to her face when she saw her eldest son fondly tackling his sister.
One day, Xena will have to make the toughest decisions in life, but now, Cyrene only wished that her innocence will last as long as it could.
Pig tails and big blue eyes; who would have thought a sweet girl like this will turn out to be something quite the opposite of innocent when she grows up?