Title: Someone please believe in me
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters on "Xena Warrior Princess", I'm only borrowing them for the story.
Ship to north Africa
Xena was leaning over the railing watching the sea. Gabrielle enjoyed preaching to her about the peacefulness of the sea. But she had never really understood what it was that the Bard saw when she watched it. All Xena could see was water. She didn't get seasick and she didn't mind being on a ship. But she preferred land over sea if the choice was hers.
Metaxas didn't seem to mind being on the ship however. He looked just as broody as usual but every now and then when he gazed out over the sea he would actually smile a little. Xena had given him the task of helping out with the food below deck when ever it was needed. The ship had one man whose job was to prepare the food for the passengers and he appreciated all the help he could get. When Metaxas was done he would go directly to Annie and help her do her job. Xena had not objected to this yet even though it was Annie's punishment and not Metaxas'. She felt it was a nice gesture of the boy to help her out. Annie would usually get stuck with swabbing the deck and cleaning things that needed to be cleaned. But never anything too heavy for her. Sometimes she would be asked to fetch things for the captain.
The captain was a kind old man with a very long white beard. He was not the kind of captain that kept to himself in his cabin. He spent time with his crew and made sure everyone did their job, but without using fear and he was kind to Annie and Metaxas. The other passengers were simple people leaving Rome to look for jobs elsewhere or Roman noblemen or merchants travelling to North Africa. Probably to buy slaves or do business there. He was friendly toward them too but he seemed to have taken a liking to Annie and Metaxas. When Xena had asked him to allow them to work on the ship he had agreed. But it was obvious that he was sometimes offering them a break by letting them hide out in his cabin. He sometimes asked one of the kids to bring food down to his cabin. Then the child would stay down there longer than necessary to deliver a tray with food and wine. Xena wasn't sure what they were doing down there but she knew there was no need to be concerned. The captain was no threat.
Annie was doing her job well but not without complaining some. She did that even though Xena wouldn't make her work very long each day. But for Annie it seemed like she did nothing else but work.
They had been on the ship for three days now. Xena had occupied a space on the floor in a corner for the three of them below deck. It wasn't much but it was right below a small window which provided a certain cosy feeling. All the passengers that weren't Roman noblemen or merchants with a lot of money slept together in a big room. Usually the warrior was all for travelling as light as possible. But since she was travelling with two children this time she had made sure to bring at least seven blankets and a pillow each so they could sleep on something soft and stay warm during the night. Nights could become awfully cold on a ship. She had put it all in the corner and put herself between Annie and Metaxas.
On deck quite close to where Xena was standing Annie was swabbing the deck once again. It was a hot day and she was sweating quite a lot in the sun. Every now and then she would glare at Xena, hoping she would take pity on her and let her go off and do something fun instead. But the warrior didn't budge. Annie grumbled to herself. She was beginning to wish she had never even seen ale. If she ever became a goddess she would banish it from earth, quickly.
She smiled when she saw one of the crewmen approach her. "The captain would like some food and wine to be sent down to him. Go to the cook and he will give you a tray with what he wants."
Annie nodded and put away the mop and the bucket and ran off as fast as she could before Xena had time to object. She ran down some stairs to the cook's place and retrieved the tray and then carefully carried it to the captain's cabin and knocked on the door. She heard him rise and then step over to the door. He opened it and smiled gently when he saw her.
"Oh, miss Annie it's you. Please, come in." he stepped aside and allowed her to enter. She had been there several times before and she really liked the atmosphere. The cabin was full of old furniture placed randomly around the room. The walls were covered in maps of places the captain had been to. Old coffers were functioning as tables and each coffer had at least ten candles on it.
The captain pointed at a coffer "You can put the tray down over there."
Annie did what he said. "Would you like me to pour you some wine?" she asked.
The captain simply dismissed her suggestion by waving his hand. "Never mind that now, dear. I have a scroll here to show you. Inside it there is a wonderful adventure hidden. Would you like me to read it to you?" he asked enthusiastically.
Annie nodded eagerly. "Yes, of course. Does it take place in North Africa?"
"As a matter of fact, it does." He sat down in an armchair and pulled out a stool for the girl. Then he grabbed the bowl of fruit in front of them and offered her an apple.
Annie had just exited the cabin and was back on deck again. It was late and Metaxas had already gone below deck to get some sleep. Annie trotted over to the railing and stared out at the sea which looked black now in the dark. There was no one else on deck besides the look out and herself. At least that's what she thought until she felt a hand on her shoulder and Xena was standing beside her.
"Hi, Xena."
"Hi." The warrior smiled warmly at her protégé. "You didn't finish your work today. You do know that means you'll just have to do a little more in the morning instead?"
Annie sighed but had to smile at the warrior. "Yes, ma'am. "
Xena put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "So how are you doing?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I sort of like it here on this ship. It's peaceful."
Xena grinned. "Now you're starting to sound like you've been around Gabrielle to much." she teased. "But seriously, how are you feeling? You haven't spoken about going home very much lately. Do you miss your parents?" Xena asked these questions feeling she had to for Annie's sake. The girl might need to talk about it. She was a little afraid of the answer though.
The girl was quiet while she thought it over. Then she looked the warrior in the eye. "It's different now. Someone once told me that home is where the heart is. I mean, when you live in a place that you've always known as home you sort of accept that place as your home. Because that's the way it is supposed to be. When I first came here I still had Wisconsin portrayed in my head as home. But when you accepted me as you call it your responsibility, I accepted you and Gabrielle as my home."
Xena listened to the girl speak. She had never heard anything so vice coming from a girl of fifteen summers before. It was impressive.
"Also, I know that I am meant to be here. I'm supposed to learn from you. Hestia said so remember?"
"I remember."
Annie leaned her head against Xena's shoulder and closed her eyes. "And one other thing. I feel safe with you. In a way it's strange because I feel safer with you here in Ancient Greece where there are many dangers than I ever did back home where nothing much ever happened."
Xena could feel herself relax and let go of a lot of anxiety she had been carrying since Rome. "I'm glad to hear that, Annie. Especially since I've been worried you'd never feel safe with me again after I left you at that school." She admitted.
Annie lifted her head and looked at the warrior with an irritated stare. "What?! Of course I feel safe with you. So, you made a mistake. Everyone makes them. It's no big deal." She said, doing her very best to convince Xena. "I trust you with my life." She lowered her voice and lowered her head. Suddenly she knew why Xena must be doubting herself. "I'm sorry about what I said in Rome about you leaving me at the school. It was not your fault and I was just angry when I said that."
Once again the girl impressed the warrior. She was very young indeed and yet she could apologize in the way she did. Xena herself had had a hard time doing that when she was the same age as Annie was now. "It's alright, Annie. I understand. And it was a mistake. A very big mistake which I don't intend to repeat. But that doesn't mean though that I'm going to take you with me everywhere. If there is too much danger then you're staying where I leave you to keep you safe. However, I guarantee you that that will be the safest place around and not like last time."
Annie smiled. It was nice being protected.
After having stood up on deck listening to the sea and enjoying the peace and quiet without words, Xena took Annie below deck and rapped her up in blankets and put her in their corner. Metaxas was already asleep and Xena motioned for Annie to lay down on his right side. She then took her place beside the girl. It didn't take long before they were both visiting the land of Morfeus.
Days went by on the ship. Xena was starting to get restless with nothing to do. She helped out on the ship when things needed to be done. The Roman noblemen and merchants gave her sceptical and judgemental looks and glares now and then. They knew she was a passenger even though she hadn't paid as much money as they had for the journey and therefore slept in the bad end of the ship's courters. They still did not understand why she was working.
Annie kept doing her work and running down to the captain when ever she could. After having been down there three times in one day Xena finally decided it was enough and followed her. She opened the door and entered without knocking and asked the captain what it was he was doing that was so fascinating for a young girl. He told her about the storytelling and about Annie's interest in his life as a sailor. Annie tried to explain that it wasn't the captain's fault and Xena then softened and said it was okay for her to be down there as much as she wanted as long as she finished her work first. Annie agreed. Metaxas soon started joining her too.
All the passengers were dining in the dining room. They were sitting together gathered at a big table that took up almost the entire room.
"Metaxas would you pass me the fruit plate, please?" Annie asked. Metaxas grabbed the plate and handed it to her. They were both hungry from the events of the day. Annie watched Xena. She had noticed that she hardly ever spoke to any of the Roman noblemen or merchants and was starting to wonder why.
"Xena?"
The warrior looked up from her plate and nodded.
"Why don't you like the other passengers?" she asked bluntly.
Xena chewed and then swallowed. "It's nothing personal, Annie." she answered, obviously avoiding the question.
"Come on, Xena. The volume is so high in here anyway so no one is going o hear you speak. Just tell me." she insisted.
Xena put down her knife. Metaxas was listening eagerly as well. "It's not that I don't like them. But they aren't going to North Africa on a vacation, Annie."
"Then why are they travelling all this way there?" she asked puzzled.
"To buy slaves. The really rich Romans want to pick out their personal slaves by themselves. And the merchants here are probably working for rich Roman noblemen and are travelling to North Africa to purchase slaves for their employers."
"Oh. That doesn't sound right. Can't we help the slaves that are going to be sold?"
"Perhaps some, but unfortunately not all of them." Xena explained. "Now, eat your dinner both of you before it gets cold."
Annie and Metaxas turned their attention back to their food and Xena glanced at the door. She had noticed the captain was not dining with them tonight and she was wondering why. Suddenly the door opened and the captain entered. He raised a hand and the room fell silent with expectation.
"Forgive me for interrupting your meal, my friends. But, I have an announcement that cannot wait. I and my crew have been keeping our senses open today for we have received signs that a storm is approaching. We have now spent an hour preparing the ship for the storm which we believe will come tonight." The crowd began whispering nervously and studying each others' faces. "Please, there is no cause for alarm. But I'm going to order you all to stay below deck tonight. It is for your own safety and for the safety of my crew who will be working on deck to keep the course and the ship in order. If they have to watch out for you as well as themselves then accidents might happen and someone could get hurt."
One man dressed in a red cloak stood up and asked irritably "And what are we supposed to do down there? Sit and knit? Personally I am a man of action and I feel you might need my services up there later. Let the women and children stay in their beds and tremble." He announced.
The captain remained calm and answered the man with dignity. "My dear sir, I understand you wish to feel useful. But I assure you we can manage. If we need your assistance then I shall call upon you." With those words he turned around and left the room.
The man who had spoken murmured "Unbelievable."
"There is going to be a storm?" Annie asked nervously.
Xena nodded. "Finish your meal now both of you. I want you in the sleeping area as soon as possible."
Metaxas pointed at Xena with a questioning stare. Annie understood what he meant. "What about you? Aren't you coming too?"
"I'm going to check on the situation on deck first and then I'm joining you, okay?"
Annie was about to object but stopped herself. Something told her Xena was not in the mood for protests so she just nodded.
Xena had gotten hold of two extra blankets for her two charges. They had a cold and uncomfortable night ahead of them. They were both laying covered in blankets and pillows supporting them in their own little corner in the sleeping area. Xena had to smile when she looked at them. They looked like two small bears hiding from he cold in the mountains somewhere.
The warrior did not really want to leave them alone. She had been in storms before and usually the captain and crew were able to manage everything fine and get them through it. But sometimes they did not. She was more worried this time because of the kids being on the ship and felt it was better to go and help as much as she could and check on them repeatedly instead.
She fixed them with her icy blue stare. "Now you two stay right here. And when I say here I mean right here." She pointed at the spot they were laying in. "I'll be back in a while. In the mean time try and get some sleep."
"Be careful up there, Xena." Annie said and grabbed hold of the warrior's hand.
"I will." Xena said and smiled at the girl's sweetness. She left to go up on deck.
Annie and Metaxas were now left alone. But the room was still full of passengers who slept there as well. Except for the rich Noblemen and merchants of course who had their own cabins.
Both Annie and Metaxas felt it was impossible to sleep. The ship kept rocking back and forth violently and strange sounds surrounded them. People were coughing and swearing silently around them and in the corner on the other side of the room a baby was crying. Annie was entertaining Metaxas by telling him some stories Gabrielle had told her while being on the road. But eventually she ran out of those as well. They would lay there just looking at the ceiling.
"Metaxas, do you miss your parents?" she asked. There was no answer – just a quiet snore. Annie grinned. How could he sleep through this storm she wondered. She started thinking about Metaxas and that he couldn't talk. She was wondering about Sign Language. She had never seen him use it. He used his hands to signal things and to make others understand what he meant. But no actual letters. For the first time in her life she regretted not having chosen a course in sign language in school like her parents had suggested. If she had she could have taught it to Metaxas now. Learning it could open up some new possibilities for him. She felt very smart to have thought of this idea. Even though she had no chance of teaching it to him, it was still a good thought. Then she remembered that Gabrielle knew a lot of languages. Perhaps she knew sign language. Suddenly Annie was overtaken by the urge to run and ask Xena about it. She got up from their safe and warm corner, put her blankets over Metaxas carefully so she wouldn't wake him.
To be continued