Chapter 13
Gabrielle's POV
It's been three weeks since Larissa has been turned into a wolf, and we haven't heard anything from her, or from Artemis. Zoe finished her chess set and It's beautiful it's sitting on the table in front of the bench in the main room, it was carved from pieces of wood she collected off the ground, pieces that would have been used for kindling otherwise. Zoe has been asking random questions nonstop for the last four days. It was getting on everyone's nerves. She had refraining at school and only asking the questions that pertained to her schoolwork and training but at home, and around the village, she had decided to ask every question she had never bothered to ask before. Finding out she didn't know how big our lands were bothered her, I suppose. Now after over two months of living here she is trying to find out everything she can about the village, the lands, the people who live here, the centaur village, and everyone who lives there, and everyone who lives in the Roman settlement too, even things about Greece, and known world in general. I'm just grateful she doesn't want to know anything about Farmers and Villagers who've gathered on what used to be Krykus old land. They're very close to giving their village a name, and there's one man Harmon who wants to be the magistrate but has to wait until it's an actual village before he appoints himself, I know he wants to control our land and the centaurs land and the Romans small bit of land, but he can't do it legally, without some underhanded maneuvers and help from the people he'll lead, and the people who he'll soon lead will easily follow him, as long as it sounds reasonable enough, which is why we need to figure out how to preempt any of his attempts calmly and rationally. But that's a fight for another day, right now I'm worried about Ephiny who is eating breakfast with us and looks as if her head may explode, Zoe asked her a question, then asked for an explanation, which lead to another question, which lead to debate, with a mix of 8 year old and modern American Logic, which lead to a regent who is looking me like she wishes she could hurt me but knows she can't.
"Zoe, I don't know why we don't have someone Amazons can talk to about their problems and help them solve them, before they become too big a burden for them to carry, but I promise we'll look it into it."
"Good. Now Aunt Eponin."
"I'm almost afraid, to ask, Yes, Zoe."
"Since most of our opponents are men why don't you teach your warriors to use that against them, by kicking them in the manhood, or by chopping it off if necessary?"
"Artemis teach you that?"
"When she was Diana yes."
"I'll add that to my lessons."
"Also strikes to the eye are simple and effective, they blind your opponent, stun them for a few seconds so you can strike them somewhere more important or run to safety or higher ground."
"Also good to know."
"Gods, Xena I told you she was as much like you as she was like me, the first time you met Eph, you threatened to take her eyes out if she didn't stop staring at you." I chucked. For the first time in the half a candle mark Zoe had been interrogating the table, everyone starting laughing. Zoe finished up her breakfast.
"I guess, you're right. My Bard, Well, Little One, it's time for school, you think you can make it there on your own with stopping someone or somewhere to talk to anyone and ask them question."
"That only happened once….."
"It was yesterday." I added helpfully.
"Your word, Zoe." Xena said seriously. "or I take you by the hand and walk to school."
"You have my word, Mom."
"Alright go on…..and Go to your mother's work hut after school, okay?"
"Yes, Mommy." She kissed Xena, then me and ran off. "Bye…."
"Did she even breath?" Eponin asked. "There is no doubt in my mind she belongs to you my Queen."
We all watched her go. Ephiny looked at me and said. "It reminds me of that first time we met, before, Terreis was shot, that walk through the woods, you talked just like that, asked just as many questioned, argued just as much, and now just as then I feel as if I need a nap."
"Four days, Ephiny and it hasn't stopped, I wasn't that bad."
"Yes you were." Xena said, smiling the entire time.
"Maybe, but she is planning something, I didn't plan things, you did, that's what scares me, she's planning something and If she's anything like you Xena I'm almost terrified to find out what it is."
"I wasn't the warrior Princess when I was 8, although Lyceus and Toris often didn't like finding out what I was planning and my bottom didn't like the consequences when my mother found out. She called me Mom." Xena said sadly. We all looked at her.
"So….." Eponin said.
Ephiny understood. "Instead of Mommy…..Xena, I'm so sorry, I almost cried when That happened with Xenon I didn't of course I'm an Amazon but certainly felt like it."
"It happens to all children eventually Xena, then she'll stop calling you Mom, and move to Mother…." Eponin said. Xena raised an eyebrow.
"Most Amazons who have two mothers stick with their childhood names for their different mothers, it's easier, it's not like Greek families that can call their parents Mother and Father…..." Ephiny said then added brightly. "Besides it's Zoe, She wouldn't want a Mother, she's want a Mom, and a Mama…."
Xena smiled and so did I. Then Xena said. "Of course, I'm being silly, I just never really got to be a Mother to Solan and with her missed the first 8 years, and when she slipped and called my Mom instead of Mommy, it hurt a little, like too much time had passed and I missed something important again.
Zoe's POV
I truly hate math, I mean I disliked it a little bit in 2013, but here I absolutely hate it, despise it with every fiber of my being. But I know we need it, I just wish I knew how to explain the numbers from my time to my teachers, so they could teach those instead. Because they're a lot easier, when we do it in our heads or out loud I'm the best in my age group, when we do it on parchment I'm the worst in the whole school. After Math, there was Literature where we heard about some stories, and then there was History. Then were Lunch. We had sandwiches and I got to eat with my friends, Callie was still sick, but I got to eat with Alisha, and I had a few other girls I was kind of friendly with Dina, and Kaia. After lunch we went to the indoor sparring room, and had some sparring practice, we practice with our staffs, for a few hours and then were dismissed we went back to the school hut, for another half hour So we could have a kind of Verbal quiz. And then we were dismissed for the day. I did as I had been told and went straight to Mama's official Queen Hut I stopped at the two guards, I recognized them as Agnes and Phedra. I said Hi, to both them, and knocked on the wood.
"Enter." I heard Mama say. I entered. Mama, Mommy, and Aunt Ephiny were behind the Big table thing with maps and scrolls all over the place.
"Hi, Mama, Hi, Mommy, Hi, Aunt Ephiny."
"Hello, Sweet girl…" Mama said.
"Hi, Little one." Mommy added. "How was school?"
"I am never going to be any good at writing in Greek Numbers I just don't get them, I understand numbers okay in my head, and I can do sums pretty good in my head, but I cannot do them at all using Greek numbers, I think the system is ridiculous and I need to figure out a way to teach someone the system we used, it was Arabic or originally came India or something like that Dida told me that and she told me that it was much easier to use then Greek and Roman numbers and she was right."
"When she tell you this?"
"When I was 6."
"Here's a scroll, and Quill. I want you to start at 1, and then just keep going okay." I nodded. I sat down and quietly wrote the numbers that were so familiar. I knew it would take forever if I wanted it to be in my best penmanship. I was still pretty shaky with a Quill.
Xena's POV
I've never seen a child so happy when assigned a scroll. I think the fact that she thinks she's actually accomplishing something that will make her life easier has something to do with that, I doubt that any changes will be made while she's still in school, though, even if they do eventually happen. And actually Gabrielle just asked her to do that to keep her busy so we wouldn't be overwhelmed with questions while we were talking about the situation with the Romans, the centaurs, and the group Harmon wanted to lead, Gabrielle did want the numbers, wanted to learn the numbers, and addition and subtraction which no doubt as far as she went in school. But she could have asked at any time, she specifically asked at this time to keep her busy, because when she writes anything down especially using quill, she gets completely wrapped up in, not for the same reason as Gabrielle, not because of the bard in her, while she does have a touch of that, but because she is so terrible at using a Quill, she has to concentrate to hard to write as well as everyone else. Of course if she wanted her truly occupied she should have asked her to draw, of all the things, my daughters two passions the things that rise above all else are her harmonics and drawing. Either one would put her in her own world, but her harmonica would keep us from being able to talk. If she knew that's why Gabrielle told her do this this I don't think she would be as happy, she'd more likely be sulking and maybe even be throwing a tantrum that would result in my sore hand and her sore bottom. And Gabrielle is right she is planning something, and honesty unlike Gabrielle I can't wait to find out what it is. I just don't want to have to punish her for it. That's the part I'm not looking forward to. If she pulls anything remotely close to the kinds of things that I used to do, Gabrielle will insist she be punished. What worries me a little is she has over 2,000 years of everything under the sun to get ideas from and a devious mind, I just had my own devious mind. Her schemes could be so much worse than mine.
"What so we do about Harmon?" Ephiny whispered. "He's a shrewd, stop at nothing power mad pain in the backside and I really don't want to have to deal with him or his schemes at land grabbing, we're going to have to protect the centaurs, and the Romans, and ourselves from all kinds of attempts on their land, by force, my legislation, by intimidation, by subterfuge, yes the centaurs and the Romans have some land, but let's be serious we have the most land of anyone in the area, we have sizable village, and hunting grounds that go on the more than half a day's ride."
"I'm not sure exactly. But we need to do something soon, Krykus tried to start a war for profit and he was a horrible human being but I still liked him a lot better than I like Harmon, it wasn't personal for him the least, it was about money, for Harmon he doesn't want the land because he wants the land he wants it because we should have it, he believes Centaurs are animals, the Romans should still be slaves, and we are nothing but whores." I said. "I can tell you right now, this will not end well for any of us, of Harmon comes to power. I have known many men like him. It may take him 20 years, or 30, but he's young, and he has a son, and if it takes until his son becomes Magistrate and Zoe takes the Throne for all these Horrible things to happen, they will happen. Hatred doesn't just exist in children it has to be taught, and you bet that he is teaching that boy to hate us, and the centaurs, and the Romans."
"Mommy?" Zoe said.
"What is it Little one?"
"You said my name, first Mommy."
"I wasn't calling You Zoe, I was just using your name in a sentence."
"I know I was paying attention, is this guy Harmon going to start that much trouble."
"Yes."
"Then that's easy, get a guy you can trust nominated, or elected, or appointed or whatever first."
"Why didn't we think of that, There are a few older men who like us, who are more trustworthy more responsible…" Ephiny said.
Zoe's POV
Okay, So I figured out a few things, maybe not any secrets to the universe, or anything like that, but still some pretty important stuff. Okay first off I'm pretty sure I was never really a modern American girl I was always an Amazon and I got some proof too. 1. and yes I'm using my numbers. 1. I do love to hunt and fish and climb trees and play Amazon tag. 2. At the end of Bambi I was hungry maybe a Little sad but mostly hungry. 3. I feel more at home here then I ever did in Connecticut. 4. The girl scouts are basically like the Amazons the original ones anyway and the way Diana ran them, not the way most people run their troops. 5. I am too honest for my own Good (most of the time), I'm still making a list, but that's what I've come with so far.
"Zoe….." I looked up at Mama who was smiling. Then around at the breakfast table, I guess I was thinking about this Amazon girl verses American girl thing to hard, because everyone, Mama, Mommy, Taryn, Aunt Ephiny, Aunt Eponin were all looking at me funny. "Where did you just go little one?"
"Nowhere really I was just thinking."
"Thinking, thinking about what." Mommy asked.
"How was I never really a regular American girl, how I was always an Amazon."
"Good thinking, little one. I agree with you."
"Me too." Mama said.
"What was everyone talking about while I was thinking…." I said.
"Your Aunt Ephiny was telling us how she's going visit Xenon today…..and she was wondering if you'd like to go with her."
"Really?" I wondered why I was so excited. I shouldn't be except that I hadn't seen Xenon since Solstice and he really meant a lot to me.
"Of Course." Aunt Ephiny said. "But you have to finish your breakfast."
"Absolutely…." Mama said. "Every bite, and no wolfing it down. I don't want you getting sick."
Gabrielle's POV
After Ephiny and Zoe left, Xena and I went about our morning. Xena went to work with Eponin some of the younger warriors still needed help with some of skills, and I was hearing the problems and complaints of anyone who needed a shoulder to cry on or a sympathetic ear to complain to for the day. We decided that Zoe was right people needed someone to come to with their problems and as Queen it fell to me. That if when Larissa was Zoe's age if she could have told someone her mother was an insane taskmaster with impossible standards and no regard for human life maybe she wouldn't have turned out the way she did. So we designated one day a month, as a day when anyone in our village could come and talk to me about anything, we also put in place that teachers, doctors and Seers would be listeners as well, but not on any specific day. Ephiny is visiting Xenon today, as she often does around the time in the week, but decided to take Zoe with her so that she does not know of our little experiment in case it does not go well.
The first amazon to walk in was Eris, who was wearing her new wooden claw, it seemed to be working just fine. By the way. So I didn't think she was here to complain. "Hello, Eris what can I do for you?"
"Hi, Queen, Gabrielle…."
"Forget the Queen for, now, just call me Gabrielle, what's bothering you."
"It's just so hard, I was training to be a warrior my whole life and I liked it, I liked being a border guard protecting my sisters from harm even if I didn't like Larissa and now I feel so useless. Yes I enjoy working in the kitchen but I can't do very much and that's frustrates me to end. I know it was my non-dominate hand that was effected but still. I'm angry and I'm frustrated and I don't know what to do."
"You need to let go of your anger and find a way to forgive or you'll never move on, you'll become like Larissa is that what you want?"
"No, of course not, I do not want fleas or to howl at the moon."
"I've seen you do It under the right circumstances."
'One too many ales at the harvest festivals, alright I see what you're saying, but how to I forgive and forget."
"You never forget, Eris, you just forgive and accept that this is your life now."
Zoe's POV
It took about an hour to get to the centaur village. And Aunt Ephiny and I talked the whole way. About halfway taking a risk I asked "Dida, Aphrodite and I are trying to get my Mommies to be a couple, married and living happily ever after wanna help?"
She laughed, her curls bouncing. "Sure, Zoe I'd love to, so would a lot of our sisters, those two belong together and everyone in this tribe knows it. They want your Mama to be happy, and of course live here as our full time Queen."
"Is that what you want?"
"Of course, I like being regent, but when one becomes Regent for an Underage Queen, like I did with your mother, technically I was really only supposed to rule until she was 21. Then was supposed to step up and be a full time Queen, At that time, I was supposed to take on a more a more of an advisory role, My title would remain Regent and I would still have many of the same duties, but I wouldn't rule, I'd be closer to a chief council or chief advisor in some of the Greek Kingdoms, and only rule when she went into battle or on a mission or peace as our Queen."
"But wasn't what she and Mommy doing important?"
"Which is why it was allowed, but everyone here would have preferred she stayed."
"I want to stay here too. Even if we can't get them together."
"Is that why you want them married, Zoe if that's the only reason you want them together you need to stop what you're doing."
"It's not the only reason, Aunt Eph, I promise. I want them be together, because I have a touch of Aphrodite's powers and I can see they belong together, they're soulmates, they're completely and totally in love with each other and neither one will admit it, and None of my scheming is working, If my next few things don't work and if nothing you or Eponin can come up with works. I'm going to back up plan."
"Which is?"
"Ask them both flat out in front of each other, Why aren't you two married to each other?"
"Isn't that risky?"
"If everything else fails, we may have no choice, especially since Aphrodite's been working on them since Mommy rescued Mama from the slavers that first day, she told me during one of our planning sessions, but apparently while there have been jokes mostly really mean ones no one's just come out and asked them, and if I ask in the most confused voice I have, they'll have to explain it and really think about it, and the more follow up questions I have, the more they'll realize they're having trouble answering the questions. Or at least answering them truthfully. They can lie real well, but not to each other. That's something Dida told me once when I was little. Even if they lie to me, the other will know they'll lying, and they'll talk about it later."
"I think you should just do that." I heard Aphrodite's voice and looked up and saw Aphrodite and Dida standing there.
"Hi, Dida, hi, Aphrodite." Ephiny got her one knee, and bowed her head and her hand on her heart.
"Hi, little Sweet pea, you need to come up with a name for me, because Artemis shouldn't be the only one us with a cute little nickname."
"Well, Dida comes her Roman name Diana, from when I was little and couldn't say Diana.
"Arte, will you tell the Ephiny to stand already….."
"Arise, Ephiny." Artemis said with a laugher in her voice.
"You know who I am Aphrodite?"
"Of course, Gabrielle and Xena may have laid the groundwork but I'm the one that really got you and Phantes together….."
"I'm grateful."
"You're Welcome, Now, Little Sweet Pea, how about that nickname."
"Now about Dite like everyone else?" I say.
"I want something special."
"Well, like I said my Dida's name came from Diana, how your Roman name is Venus, how about Nussie, or maybe Lovey…."
"I like Lovey, let's go with that." She doesn't need to know about Gilligan's island I only it that one time. But things stick in my brain.
"Good now that, that's settled." Artemis spoke. "I think that, asking a simple straight forward question is exactly how you should handle this, Princess. No more schemes just ask."
"Yes, Mother." I said respectfully. I thought it was weird, that that was the version of Yes, Ma'am. But I didn't argue, and it wasn't meant to be sarcastic like it was back in the future. They disappeared and we walked the rest of the way to the Centaur village, I'd never been to the centaur village, but I knew what it smelled like because Lila always smelled a certain way, and I'd met Xenon that one time. We met in Tyldus outside hit hut, we ate together it didn't bother me when they had the same reaction that horses do when they eat, I used to eat with Kari all the time, I just shrugged. Tyldus smiled.
"I knew I liked you when you send Xenon that thoughtful gift, it was a very good likeness of my son Phantes" He said.
"I can make you one if you like, I can even do a portrait of you with both your sons if you'd like that better."
"I would like that very much." He said not quite smiling.
He wasn't really a smiling type I guess.
"It may be awhile, I make them on scrap pieces of parchment, and I never know what size they're going to be, or what shape, or when I'm going to get them I'm out of them right now….."
"I understand." I attacked my meal a lot like Mama does.
"She's a lot like Gabrielle isn't she." Vander said.
"She is." Aunt Lila said. As they both approached.
"Hi, Aunt Lila, what are you doing here?"
"Visiting Vander, what are you?"
"Visiting Xenon he's my stand-in brother, you know."
"I didn't know that." Aunt Lila said.
"Congratulations, Nephew, to be the honorary brother of an Amazon is a great honor to be bestowed on any male, and for a centaur for any woman to bestow that honor to a centaur is a lifetime commitment we take most seriously." Vander said. I didn't know this said nothing, and with Solan on this other side figured I could use a brother, especially one about my age who would be bigger and stronger than me pretty soon. And one who was practically family, looks like I chose good without thinking about it. I think my powers may have been involved. I'm not sure which of the Goddesses to thank this time.
"I know Uncle Vander, I Know." After our meal and after Aunt Ephiny and Xenon visited, Xenon and I took a little walk, I played my Marine band Crossover for him while we walked.
"You play that very well."
"Thanks, it's a descendent of the pan flute…..so If we ever travel outside the village Mama said I have to switch so we don't draw too much attention, but they trust you guys."
"That's good…."
"Is all that true, what they said about you being my honorary brother."
"You didn't know that when you asked me?"
"No asked out of emotion, out of what I felt, but you have to remember I have all these powers sometimes my emotions tell me the right thing long before I know it's the right thing."
"That's good to know."
"What's Vander's deal anyway?"
"Uncle Vander."
"When I first heard your father's story I thought he was an only child…."
"My Grandfather's second wife died in childbirth and her relatives were angry took Vander and mistreated him, Grandfather only got Uncle Vander back when he was 13. A little over 3 years ago, he was underweight, you've seen his scars…Grandfather was furious but there wasn't anything he could do."
"That's why my Aunt and him bonded before Melosa and the Amazons took her in she had a very similar childhood….."
"Yes….."
"Xenon can I hug you?"
"I guess if you want to I didn't think Amazons hugged very much, I mean except for very rare occasions."
"Have you met my blonde mother?"
"Good point, go ahead." I huge him and he didn't even tense then I pulled away. "Why'd you do that?"
"I got the sense you needed it."
"I think you're right I feel better somehow."
Xena's POV:
After working with the young warriors I got some dinner from the kitchen and brought it back from the hut. Gabrielle and Zoe showed up at the same time. Zoe told us she was going to make a family portrait for Tyldus of him with his two sons as soon as she got the materials. That she hugged Xenon, She will be taking a bath before beg whether she likes it or not, she found out Vander's story and then she told it to us. It was a lot like Lila's, there was some small talk, halfway through the meal. Zoe cleared her throat. We both looked up.
"Mommy, Mama I have a question?"
"What is it sweet girl?" Gabrielle asked.
3rd person POV
"All of my friends and age mates who have two mommies are married together, why aren't you?" Xena raised an eyebrow not sure what to say hurt heartbeat quickened she loved Gabrielle with all her heart and all her soul and she was physically attracted to her but she was scared. Scared of losing the bard. Gabrielle's mouth dropped open and the first time in her life she simply did not know what to say. She loved Xena in every way possibly including romantically and had for as long as she could remember knowing her. She wanted to be with her that way, to be married, have more children with her, but she was scared to. She wasn't a warrior, not really. And If the warrior rejected she would lost her best friend, and the mother of her child, her heart, her home. Both of them wanted the other, but were scared. They looked into each other's eyes and all of that was conveyed, and more. But what exactly was the next step? And how to do they tell Zoe, or even say it out loud, or tell the tribe, Gods it was going to be a long night!
N/A: The End of Chapter 13, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, No hints on chapter 14.