Chapter 2
To believe in myths is crazy but to not make you ignorant
It's a hot, the air itself feels like it's going to melt my skin and my sweat runs down my forehead which I let run down my face and it feels cool against the hot breeze that passes through me. The only shade I have is from the trees that I am hiding in and this to me feels like I'm in the Elysian Fields. I see from where I am hiding the animal I have been hunting for all of my life the gryphon, I remember my father used to tell me that these mystical creatures are ones to give the most worthy of warriors superior strength and good fortune, and I even remember the bards that would come by the tavern they would tell stories about such mystical creatures, but it was said that the warrior who would kill one will always be the one to rule the world. Why has this intrigued me so much? Maybe because I want to be the ruler of the known world so I can free the people of the tyrant that is now constantly taking the joy of my fellow friends and family, I will soon make that happen.
I see the strong gryphon under the tree that I'm hiding in, for a moment I forget the reason I am here because its beauty hypnotizes me but when a crow beside me squawks I am reminded of my task. I take a deep breath and I start to pull the bow string along with its arrow, I can feel the strong tension of the bow string along with my muscles. I feel that my blood rushing so fast that to me it sounds like a waterfall and I fear this majestic creature will notice what I'm trying to do. I begin to feel that my arm begins to quiver because I'm waiting on the right moment to release the one thing that's seems that will decide my destiny. The gryphon is right under me and I have the right moment to shoot it, so I take another long breath as I'm about to release the bow but then I hear the one thing that can only distract me from my goal.
"Xena!" and that would be my mother, as I hear her call out my name that is the precise moment I let go of the arrow, I see that I missed my target the tall and muscular creature spots me on top of the tree and it stares at me directly at the eyes and in that precise moment I am mesmerized by its white eyes, I feel the creature stare down into my soul as if it knows the reason why I want to kill it and I know I should feel fear because it can kill me but I see that it doesn't want to, instead I see rather curiosity as to why should I even bother to kill it and that's when I felt something in me that filled me with great power but also I felt a deep respect for the creature. The moment broke once my mother calls my name again.
"Xena, Xena! I swear Xena if you don't answer me in this instant I will go grab that sword of yours and will give you the tanning of your life with it!" So yeah my mother was super mad at me, but before I answered her I looked back down to where the gryphon was at but it was no longer there.
"I'm up here mother."
"I cannot see you young lady come down from that tree." I sigh and come down from the tree right in front of my mother which in turn I scared the Hades out of her, and I couldn't help it but to laugh.
"Xena don't you dare laugh at your poor mother, you scared me!"
"Sure, bet I did." I said this with a huge grin on my face, and I knew that at that moment I wasn't into trouble at all, because she too was smiling.
"I thought I told you to go chop some wood for the ovens young lady, and where do I find you? Hunting, don't you ever listen to me at all?" She said this with mock anger but I knew she was just teasing me.
"You know very well mother that I do but sometimes I just don't choose to listen to you, but I did chop the wood for you if you haven't already seen it."
"I know that you have because I heard you get up early and that darn hacking nose woke me up."
"I'm sorry mother I didn't mean to wake you up so early." I looked at her with apologetic eyes because I knew how hard my mother has worked ever since father died.
I remember the day when my mother told me that my father will never return from battle, that's when I knew that he died in battle, that night I broke down and cried. What I remember most is that my mother never cried for my father's death and I always wondered why but I will never know. One of my younger brothers who are Toris hardly remembers father because when he died he was only 5 summers old and the youngest who is Lyceus never got to know him because he was 3 moons old, I just hope one day they would get the chance to get to know him.
Since then my mother has been working on the tavern on her own and every night she would sleep late preparing the food for the next day I only hope for the day she doesn't have to work anymore where I can take care of her and she doesn't have to worry about anything anymore but in order to do that I must rule the known world and overthrow this tyrant that has been mistreating not only us but the whole Greek nation.
"Don't worry Xena; anyways it was time for me to get up." She said this with a smile but when I least expected it she gave me a kiss to the cheek. She knew I never liked to display affection but since we were alone she knew I would allow it, all I could do was smile at her. So mother took me by the arm and led me back to the tavern, but I knew it wouldn't be long when she would ask the question she wanted to ask.
"Xena," I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"What were you doing out in the woods and especially, what were you doing up on top of the trees?" I had an internal struggle; I knew we had this conversation before about the gryphon existence but I know she would only get mad at me, so I decided to tell her anyway.
"Ugh I…I went to go hunt a gryphon." The last part was told just above a whisper, but I knew she understood me.
"You did what?" she asked me with an unreadable look, I didn't know if she was mad or just plain thinking.
"I went to go hunt a gryphon." I finally said a little louder. Before my mother spoke she took a deep breath.
"Xena, how many times do we have to talk about the same topic?"
"Mother, father always talked about this majestic creature's existence." I said with some hope that this time she would listen to me.
"Xena your father always believed in mythical creatures that don't exist." I was about to tell her she was wrong because I saw one but she still kept talking.
"These mythical creatures don't exist and they cannot give you powers just like your father said along with some of the bards that come to the tavern, these things are just only stories to be told to entertain us, when are you going to understand that the stories your father told you were never real?" I looked at her with misty eyes because she was crushing the only one thing I had left of my father's legacy, his experiences with mythical creatures.
"How can you say that, this is the only thing I have left to remember father by. My father was not a liar that much I know mother." When I said this my mother looked at me with a look of regret.
"I'm sorry little one I never meant to hurt you but you speak as if you've seen the gryphon." I didn't know if I should tell her but after all she was my mother.
"I have, I just saw one right now." When I said this she looked at me like I grew two heads but then I could see she got curious about it.
"You mean to actually tell me you saw one right now?"
"Yes mother I did, that's why I was up on the tree I was ready to kill it but when I was about to shoot the arrow, you called me and I got distracted and it flew away." I think that my mother was more curious than in shock, when she didn't say anything I got worried but once I looked at her again she was wearing the biggest and brightest smile I had ever seen.
"Ok I believe you, only because my daughter is not crazy but I never thought they could exist, oh and I am sorry I made you lose your target little one." When she said this I looked at her and I gave her my biggest smile to show her I wasn't mad at her. Before I noticed we were already at the tavern, my mother gave me one last hug and let me go but before I could walk off she threw me a piece of bark she had picked up in the woods.
"Hey! What was that for?" When I looked at her she had a very mischievous smile on her.
"Xena don't forget it's your turn to wash the stables."
"Just my luck!" I didn't know my mother heard me but I could hear she was laughing really hard.
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I was hot and sweaty, and the stench of the stables was getting to me I think I could even see the green vapor coming off the horse manure. I was so caught up with raking the used hay that I didn't even hear Toris sneak up on me.
"Hey Xena!" once I hear my name I turn around and the next thing I know I have horse crap on my face. I can hear Toris laughing his guts out while I'm cleaning my face with my shirt.
"Toris, you shouldn't have done that to me buddy." As I say this I'm bending down to get some hay.
"You know why?"
My bother stops laughing he knows he is going to get it, so he starts backing away. Well I do have to give him credit at least he knows when to run, but as always I'm too quick for him, just when he turns to run I grab the back of his shirt then and put hay in it. By this time he is yelling at me to stop and I just can't help it to laugh at his little red angry face, so he resorts to the only thing he knows he starts to punch me. Toris and I never knew mother went inside the stables to find us and we both never heard her calling our names to stop, by the time we knew she was there all we felt was the cold ice water on our heated skin.
"Mother, that's freaking cold!" I yell at her, but then I realize my mistake as I see her pick up the water bucket again.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you, it's just that I wasn't expecting the water." I try to redeem myself form my mistake and I also resort to showing her my puppy dog eyes.
"Xena do you really think that if you gawk at me your puppy eyes that I won't throw you the water again?"
When she said this I didn't even know if she was playing around or if she was mad, but I decided to try my luck.
"Maybe?" I said this very uncertain. Once I said this mother started to smile.
"Your right your eyes are my weakness. But do explain this to me Xena, how do my two children end up getting there new clothes dirty with horse crap?"
I needed to think fast because I know mother would get mad if Toris was the one to start the fight, and me being the big sister I wasn't going to rat out my little brother but before I can speak Toris beats me to it.
"Sorry mother it was my fault I started the fight, Xena didn't start it." At that moment I felt proud of my brother, he finally understood the reasonability that every action he decides to make have consequences. I see my mother smiles broader when he says this.
"Well then young man, apologize to your sister and go inside the tavern to clean up, dinner is almost ready." As Toris and I get up I start to go but I hear mothers voice.
"Xena wait."
"Yes mother."
"Your uncle, Agathon is coming over." Once mother says this, I can't find the words to say anything at all.
"Xena please say something?" I look up at mother and I see she is very worried because she knows how much I despise my uncle.
"What do you want to me say? I have no words towards that man and he is not my uncle, he stopped being the day he said father was a fraud."
"I know Xena, what he said was wrong but he still is family, and one thing your father has taught you was that one doesn't turn their back on family even if they hurt us." When she said this I felt my heart ache because what she was saying was true, I did the one thing father would never do and at that moment I felt that I failed him.
"What does he want?" I saw mother relax a little but I knew there was still bad news to come.
"I don't know all his message said that he was coming over because he wanted to talk about a family matter that involved all of us but that the decision was going to fall on you Xena."
I raised my eyebrow to my mother and rolled my eyes, "Leave it to Agathon to leave cryptic messages, what does that supposed to mean anyways?" By this time I was getting frustrated because all I wanted to do is take a hot bath, eat and go to bed and not worry about my uncle.
"I don't know Xena that's what the entire message said but all I know that he will be here soon and that you and I need to get ready for anything that your uncle throws at us."
"Your right mother, all we can hope for it's for the best." As I said this I opened my arms to give my mother a hug but my mother got a stick to keep me away from her.
"Oh no, young lady I'm not going to let you hug me like that, you have manure all over yourself."
"Oops, I forgot I'll just head up and clean myself up." I say this laughing; as I'm walking out of the stables my mother slaps my butt with the stick and starts to laugh while I give her my incredulous look.
"Oh please Xena don't look at me that way, you had it coming."
"What did I do?"
"Really Xena, you got your clothes all dirty and you can forget it, I'm not going to be the one to wash your clothes."
I just laugh to myself and think, mothers sometimes can be a pain to have around, but they are the best at making us feel better.
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As I'm the tub washing myself I can't help but think about my uncle Agathon, why is he here? Why now? He didn't come to my father's funeral at all, he came a day after to give his condolences to my mother and us but he never once asked what happened to my father and before he left he had called my father a fraud because I was telling my brothers of the mystical creatures our father had encountered. That night he became nothing but a madman to me, no longer was he my uncle, my family. But now that my mother pointed out what father had once said, that family stick together no matter what made me realize I had turned my back on my uncle.
I remember so clearly the day my father said this to me I was 11 summers old, he had barely come home from battle and my father had brought me a new sword to practice with. While my father and I were practicing my uncle comes and starts to yell at my dad.
"Diomedes, what is the meaning of this!"
"What Agathon, I'm simply teaching my daughter to be a good warrior"
"Have you lost your mind Diomedes? She is a girl who will soon become a woman, she needs to learn how to cook, do chores around the house instead of playing around with a sword, and no man will want to marry that kind of woman."
"Agathon what in tartarus are you saying, are you telling me how to raise my children?"
"No, it's just I'm worried for my nieces wellbeing."
"Thank you very much but I can take care of her, besides I don't want no child of mine to be defenseless when it comes to raiders, you don't know how many people suffer because they can't fight back and hold their own. So please stay out of it my dear brother."
"Fine Diomedes, don't ever say I warned you."
After the fight I went to father to ask questions.
"Father why was uncle Agathon mad?" when I asked this my father sighed and relaxed his shoulders.
"Xena you don't have to worry about that it's that sometimes brothers fight."
"Even though uncle is your brother?"
"Yes, but I know little one that is not your true question." Father smiled at me and I could see his bright hazel eyes glow at me.
"What if he were to say something that would really hurt, would you stop talking to him? Would you not help him no more?" By this time father and I were walking towards the stream.
"Look Xena sometimes when you're angry we say things that hurt each other, but the biggest mistake we can ever do is to turn your back to family forever. Here let me ask you a question Xena, let's say Toris and you got in a fight and weren't speaking to each other, what if you saw your brother being attacked by an animal would you turn your back on him because you were mad at him or would you help him out no matter if you were mad at him?"
I stared at the stream ahead of me and started to think before I spoke my answer.
"Well there's nothing to think about father, I would help Toris no matter what because at the end of the day for whatever reason we fought for isn't important all that matters that Toris lives another day, so I would help him."
When I answered my father gave me a hug and smiled at me.
"Yes that's exactly my point Xena, when we turn our back to family it's like we are killing them, we are leaving them to die but when we don't it's like we are saving them, how; because we forgive them. Do you understand now Xena?" At the time what he told me didn't make much sense until much later.
"Sorry father I'm going to be honest with you but I don't get it much." My father laughed and hugged me.
"You will one day Xena, so don't worry about it too much, just don't forget it ok, promise me you won't forget?
"I promise father, I won't forget it."
How could've I forgotten the promise I made my father? I hope father forgives me, I never meant to turn my back on my family. I hear a knock to my door that interrupts my inner thoughts.
"Xena you almost done honey?"
I sigh before I answer, "Yes mother."
"Your uncle Agathon is here so hurry he is waiting on you."
I need to keep reminding myself that this is family and that I need to give him a chance to talk, I just hope I can survive this night. Well here goes nothing it's time to face the music.
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