AN: Missed writing on this gem! I am really unsure how to end this but after what I just did, I don't know anymore. I'll just let it take its course...lol. Enjoy and thanks for reading, everybody! ;)
Chapter 48
The long bow creaked from the tight draw. She squinted her seeing eye and locked her target. In a split second she released the arrow and it pierced through the target board. Yelling in victory she brushed some dirt off her sleeves and waltzed over to Solan who looked very proud and even clapped his hands.
Eve was now six years old and quite tall for her age, she towered over girls who were a couple years older than her. Her long dark hair was braided in two long braids which hung loosely on her backside. She smiled and ran to hug Solan tightly. "Did you see the arrow? I hit it right in the middle!"
Solan nodded his head, admiring his much younger sister in her small victory. "I know, you've been working on that for months now," he knelt down nudging her shoulder lightly. Eve's smile grew wider and she hung the bow on her shoulder, heading to grab some water. Solan followed her and set her bow aside on the weapons wrack outside. "We've been out here for awhile, do you want to go inside?"
Eve shrugged and ran inside and Solan sighed, following the ball of energy running through the palace. She almost ran into Racha who was carrying a basket of fresh linens and she grinned. "Sorry, Racha!" Eve called out but didn't stop running. Solan came in shortly after and folded his arms, arching a brow. He was beginning to regret his decision to babysit Eve while Xena and Gabrielle were away for awhile.
"You gotta excuse her, she's a bit excited," Solan admitted and Racha nodded her head smiling at the vibrant child as she continued running down the hall. He frowned calling out, "Eve! Where are you going?!" he grunted and jogged through the hall trying to catch up to her.
Eve kept running, her breath quickening with every step. Her black blouse flowed in the subtle breeze that came in through the open archways. Her tiny footsteps came to a halt as she entered the art room, a new addition courtesy of Gabrielle, of course. She smiled and then Solan slowly trailed in behind her, a bit out of breath trying to keep up with her.
"Eve..." he breathed out slowly, "why did you run all this way to the art room for gods' sake..."
She roamed the room observing all of the paintings the young students did during the day. "How come mother won't let me leave the palace?" she frowned, touching one of the unfinished sculptures.
Solan sighed heavily. She had asked this before and his answer was always the same. Xena wanted Eve out of sight so she wouldn't be in any danger especially since she was just a child. Solan was no longer a child, he was reaching twenty one this year and he could go wherever he pleased, but Eve was still so young, so naive. "Eve you know why," he rubbed the nape of his neck apprehensively.
She folded her small arms and frowned. "But I want to go see the city of Athens. Mother doesn't allow me to go anywhere!" she pouted. "And how come I can never go with her and Gabrielle on a mission? I want to help!"
Solan smiled, a bit amused at the girl's acute irritation. "Maybe one day you can go but you're still too –"
"Too young, yeahyeah I know," Eve swept her hand dismissive of her elder brother's repetitive explanation. She threw her hands in the air out of frustration. "I am one of the best fighters here! I do really well in mother's class and I'm tall too. That should be enough, right?" she pleaded with her large blue eyes.
Her brother sighed folding his arms. "You're a great fighter!" he put his hands on her small shoulders as she peered up at his beaming face. "Maybe when mother comes back you can ask her to take you to Athens?"
Eve sighed brushing his hands off heading out of the art room. "She's never going to let me leave this place!" she growled and stormed upstairs to her room. Solan slapped his forehead and exhaled deeply, not sure what to do with this girl.
Upon entering her room she shut the door and took off her silver lined vest, throwing it on her neatly made bed. She then began taking off her leather gauntlets and threw them on the floor. Still feeling a bit heated she closed her eyes allowing herself to calm down. She sauntered over to a window and sat on the ledge, grabbing a scroll that Gabrielle gave her to practice writing. She began jotting down some thoughts she had today, including her victory of finally hitting the target. She smiled at this. Curling up she leaned back against the wall and continued writing what she did today for over an hour.
Becoming bored of writing she sighed and tossed the scroll aside, jumped off the ledge and waltzed over to the table to grab an apple. She plopped down on her bed, stomach first and took a bite of the small apple. She looked up and saw Zoe, Xena's friendly pet spider roaming around in her cage. Smiling she crawled across her large bed and opened the cage, allowing the fury spider to crawl on her arm as she continued eating the apple. Xena allowed Eve to keep Zoe in her room since she had become obsessed with the creature. She had a fascination for her since she was a toddler and when Xena was gone, Eve was the spider's babysitter, which she didn't mind at all.
Eve finished the apple and tossed the core out the window next to her bed. Smiling she grabbed Zoe and set her on the bed, staring at the fury creature. Smiling she folded her arms, "mother doesn't want me to leave the palace, you know?" she spoke to Zoe and the spider stayed still as if listening. "I want to see the world. All I'm asking is to see Athens but she doesn't want me to go!" she huffed and Zoe crawled closer to her leg and crawled on her boot.
She tapped her chin pensively as an idea popped in her head. She smiled deviously and bent down to look Zoe in her many eyes. "I'm going to Athens. I shall leave without Solan's permission," she whispered. She pointed her finger at the spider. "Don't say a word!" she commanded and Zoe crawled further on her leg up to her thigh. She smiled softly and leaned back on her pillows staring up at the painted ceiling. "Yes, that's what I'm going to do," she spoke to herself.
Xena and Gabrielle sat near a campfire outside their tent. The feud between Xena and Phraates had not lessened in the last five years. They tried a blockade but that sure didn't work and only angered the Persian king. He was beginning to think of himself as a god and Xena wanted him eradicated. Gabrielle and Xena both tried their best to keep the Roman Empire out of this feud but it was almost impossible. Deep down in Xena's heart she wanted to kill Octavius and just be rid of him, but then she'd have to deal with another cocky Roman emperor.
Gabrielle poked the fire with a stick while Xena sharpened her blade. "How long do you think Phraates is going to keep this charade up?" she brought up small talk, well in their eyes it was small. Empires are at stake here.
Xena's eyebrows rose into her thick dark bangs. "Until I kill him, I suppose," she smiled and Gabrielle shook her head at her response.
"I'm serious, Xena! He's going to run his army into the ground if we don't do something," she grunted and tossed the stick aside.
"So you're giving me permission to kill him?" Xena smirked. Gabrielle rolled her eyes and hit her palm on her forehead.
"No I'm not, but nice try," she wagged her finger at her companion and Xena shrugged her shoulder, not admitting defeat in Gabrielle's sly joke.
A moment of silence passed by and Gabrielle relaxed on her blanket and Xena abruptly stood up with her blade, her eyes began scanning the area. Gabrielle stood up and pulled out Sais from her boots and came closer to Xena. "What is it?"
Xena snarled and went to the bushes and grabbed the intruder and threw him onto the ground. The intruder looked up holding his hands up in surrender as Xena thrust the blade closer to his neck. "What are you doing sneaking around in the bushes?" she demanded in a low voice.
He clamped his hands together and stuttered, "I...I was lost. I was trying to get away from the Persian King, Phraates. Please, don't kill me!" his voice was much higher than a man's and Xena raised an eyebrow at the young man. He was wearing armor, a Persian helmet for sure and had a sword at his waist. Gabrielle stayed behind Xena, examining the young runaway soldier.
"How can we trust you? You could be a spy for Phraates," Gabrielle announced and the soldier shook his head.
"No! you don't understand! I'm no spy, I was just trying to get away. He was going to do bad things to me, horrible things!" he shouted and Xena lowered her sword. She nudged her head towards the camp and the soldier looked to the tall empress a bit puzzled as did Gabrielle.
"You can stay here until the morning. By first light, I want you gone, understand?" Xena pointed her finger at the young man and he nodded his head and stood up slowly to come sit at their campsite. He sat a fair distance from Xena. Gabrielle furrowed her brows and came to sit next to the warrior queen.
"um, you're letting him stay here?" Gabrielle whispered and Xena picked at her meat in her clay bowl with her fingers, ignoring Gabrielle. Xena's eyes went to the young soldier, eyeing him cautiously. The soldier took off his belt and set it aside, turning his back from the women once they saw their eyes gazing in his direction.
Xena smirked and turned to face Gabrielle. "He's not a he: he is a she." Gabrielle's mouth gaped and she peered over at the she-soldier and saw the soft features she possessed. Her cheeks were rounded, her lips large and her nose was petite, not very manly looking though her attire said otherwise. Xena set her empty bowl on the ground and drank from her wineskin filled with water. Gabrielle scooted closer to her and shared the wineskin with her.
"Why do you think she was with Phraates? She's in armor," she whispered. Xena peered over at the young woman and frowned.
"She is in trouble. I knew girls like her," she sighed. "They would run away from home because they felt endangered. They pose as soldiers just to get by but usually...they end up as concubines or dead," she took another swig and Gabrielle shook her head, feeling sorry for these girls.
Xena picked up a hunk of bread wrapped in a cloth and threw it at the girl. She trembled and looked over at Xena and Gabrielle whom seemed to be staring at her for quite some time. "You should eat something," Xena said. The girl nodded her head and slowly grabbed the bread, immediately diving in.
Awhile later Xena and Gabrielle decided to turn in for the night. Gabrielle entered the tent and began laying out the animal skins for them to sleep on. Xena was organizing their campsite to get ready to leave tomorrow morning. They had been on the road for a couple of weeks now and both were anxious to get back to Athens and soon. Xena saw the girl was still in her armor and had nothing else with her. She waltzed over to the girl with a blanket and handed it to her.
"You can sleep close to the fire to keep yourself warm," Xena said in a warm tone. The girl wannabe soldier slowly took the blanket and nodded her head. Xena turned to leave and then the girl stood up cuddling the warm blanket against her chest.
"Wait!" she called out and Xena turned around before entering the tent. "Why are you being so nice to me?"
Xena smiled warmly, "would you rather I kill you?" she jested.
The girl shook her head. "I know who you are. You're the Empress of Greece," she mumbled.
Xena nodded, pursing her lips and then lowered her head slightly. "And I know who you are," she smiled and entered her tent leaving the female soldier confused and bewildered.
Gabrielle was brushing dirt and sand off the animal skins when she saw Xena enter the tent and set her chakram and sword on the ground by her side of the makeshift bed. Gabrielle grinned and Xena began unlacing her blouse hastily. "You're in a good mood today."
Xena shrugged and laid down as she slipped off her boots. "What are you talking about Gabrielle? I'm always in a good mood when I'm around you," she slyly smiled causing Gabrielle to blush.
Gabrielle wagged her finger, "that's not true. A couple of days ago you were upset at me because I used your sword to chop wood for the fire."
Xena frowned, "that was different. You can't just steal my sword for...for wood chopping!" she scoffed and got comfortable on the animal skins. Gabrielle chuckled and then began weaving a string of yarn in between her fingers as she felt a bit restless. She eyed her playing with the yarn making very intricate designs and raised a brow. "Am I too boring for you?"
Gabrielle shook her head, "you're never boring, Xena. Just a little something I do when I feel –"
"Restless," Xena sighed heavily and laid back down on the ground with her hands comfortably behind her head. "I hope Solan is doing alright with Eve," she sighed. Gabrielle stopped playing with the string and laid down on her side, staring at Xena's profile.
"I think they're fine. Solan is great with Eve!" she pat Xena's arm for reassurance. "Don't worry about it." she grinned and Xena nodded her head in response.
Xena startled chuckling under her breath. "She has been asking me to take her to the inner city for months now. And every time I say no, she throws a fit," she shrugged her shoulders, unsure of what to do with her feisty daughter.
"Yeah, she definitely has your temper!" Gabrielle began laughing and Xena slowly lolled her head, glaring at her. Her laughter died down and she cleared her throat. "But also other great qualities," she tried to save herself but Xena simply rolled her eyes and turned her face away.
Gabrielle sighed, "well you know Xena, you can't keep her locked away forever. The more you do that the more she's going to rebel. Maybe you should take her to the inner city when we return?" she replied. Xena nodded, sighing heavily.
"I can't believe I am saying this but I am eager to get back home," Xena smiled.
"Me too," Gabrielle yawned.
The following morning Xena stepped out of the tent and found the girl still sleeping on the ground next to the embers from last night's fire. She kicked the girl lightly and saw her stir awake a bit frightened. "It's morning. My friend and I have to leave which means you have to leave too." Xena placed her hands on her hips.
The soldier girl stood up still in her armor and looked at Xena with pleading eyes. "Where will I go?" she asked.
Gabrielle began putting their supplies on the horses and looked back at the soldier girl. "Don't you have a home to go to?" she asked. The girl shook her head vigorously.
"No I can't go back there! I will feel so ashamed..." her head hung lowly and Xena groaned. She then grabbed the girl by the arm and lead her to the horses.
"While we're traveling through Greece we can drop you off at a nice village, how's that?" Xena smiled tightly. The girl didn't seem the argue but Xena knew she didn't like that idea, but she couldn't just tag along the entire way back to Athens either. Gabrielle mounted her horse as did Xena. The girl soldier trailed behind them as the men took down the remaining tents.
Xena peered behind to see the girl walking behind Argo at a steady pace. "What is your name?" she asked.
The girl felt her heart sink and cleared her throat. "Adam," she replied in a shy meek voice. Xena smirked and trotted alongside Gabrielle slowly. Gabrielle and Xena shared a glimpse and then Xena replied, "what is your real name?"
"Adam. I told you my name is Adam!" she replied more forcefully and Xena nodded, her smile growing wider.
"Alright, Adam...since you were in Phraates army, I want you to tell me everything he is plotting."
The girl's mouth gaped and she didn't utter a sound. Xena looked behind her and saw the girl's shocked expression. "come now, don't be shy. You're lucky you're still alive!" she laughed and Gabrielle rolled her eyes at Xena's humor. She was truly enjoying this too much. "I'm sure a fine soldier like you has fought in many battles before. If you tell me what Phraates is plotting, I'll make sure you won't die, at least by my sword."
The girl decided to take off running in the opposite direction. Xena frowned and halted Argo, turning around she grabbed the whip hoisted on her hip and swung it at the girl, wrapping the whip around her ankles. The girl fell to the ground and groaned in agony at the blow. Xena jumped off Argo and drug the girl to her and flipped her over on her backside. She was now staring up at Xena and she breathed heavily.
"That wasn't a very wise choice," Xena grinned. The girl gulped and stared into the empress' blue piercing eyes, now very fearful of her life ending right about now.
Eve put on her best navy blue dress with a gold sash around her tiny waist. She wore her finest black sandals, laced up to her knees and her hair neatly brushed, she crept out of her room. Before she shut the door she looked to Zoe in her cage. She put her finger to her lips, "don't say anything, remember?" she smiled and left her room scurrying down the stairs as quietly as possible. It was early enough in the morning so everyone was still asleep and the sun was barely rising into the sky.
She went outside to the stables and grabbed her white horse, trying not to make any noise. She saw two guards at the gate and frowned. "This is going to be harder than I thought," she spoke to her horse. Grabbing the reins she tiptoed to the front of the palace gates out of sight from the guards. Eve knelt down and tried to figure out some sort of distraction she could put in place to make her escape. She looked behind her and saw an unlit torch and a canister full of explosive powder. Grinning deviously she lit the torch and scooped some powder into a small pouch she kept on her sash and lit the powder, throwing the pouch as far as she could.
As soon as the pouch hit the ground it blew up a few feet from the guards. Alarmed, they quickly ran to the scene and Eve smiled, hopping on her horse she galloped to the gates, opening them with a latch on the side of the palace walls. Riding outside of the palace she peered behind her and saw many other guards going to put the fire out desperately. Smiling she continued riding, not entirely sure where she was going.
She pulled out a scroll from a bag she took with her. She stole a map from her mother's office late last night and tried to pinpoint where she was. Nodding her head, sure of her map skills, she turned north and kept riding to the inner city of Athens.
After Solan had bathed and changed into fresh clothes he walked up the stairs to Eve's room. He knocked on the door. "Eve, class starts in an hour, you need to get up." He received no response and he rolled his eyes. She was probably sleeping in again he knocked on the door again. "Eve! Come on, I don't have time for this!" a few silent moments passed and growing impatient he opened the door. His eyes went to her bed and saw it was neatly made and she was nowhere in sight. The curtains gently flowed in the subtle morning breeze. He gasped and ran down the stairs to find Racha, hoping that she was with her this morning, bathing or something.
He ran and found Racha with a stack of Gabrielle's scrolls. "Racha! Is Eve with you?"
The maid shook her head. "Sorry Solan, I haven't seen her yet. Have you checked her room? She's probably sleeping still. The princess does not get up for anybody," she smiled.
Solan cursed to himself. He had lost his sister and if their mother found out about this, he knew he'd be dead. "She's not in her room!" he began pacing with his hands on his head. "She is going to kill me." His eyes grew thinking of that thought of his mother's angry face staring back at him. She's never going to let me babysit her again.
He started to think of where she could be. She was always adventurous. He ran out to the training area, figuring she would get an early start on practicing. Once he arrived he saw the training grounds were barren and there was no Eve in sight. Groaning he went to the art room and again found nothing.
Running to the library and every other room in the palace he searched for over an hour and Eve was definitely not in the palace. He sighed, rubbing his temples. Where could she have gone? He then thought of something, a definite place where she would be. The inner city. He snapped his fingers and then head outside to the stables.
Eve's white stallion, who she named Elijah, was gone. He groaned and grabbed the next horse in line and demanded the guards to open the gates.
Eve slowed her horse and unrolled the map again, staring at it. She looked around and she was in a very large forest, the trees must have been hundreds of feet high, or she was just really small. Frowning she looked at the map once more.
"I think we are lost, Elijah," she stroked the horse's mane and sighed to herself. She looked at the map again and traced her steps like her mother taught her. They weren't too far from the palace, but far enough from the inner city it seemed. "Stupid map!" she rolled it up putting it back in her bag. Grabbing the reins of the horse they rode onwards, staying on the northern path.
An hour riding she was no longer in the forest but still no sign of people. Groaning she looked around her and she was on a grassy hill now, overlooking the water. She saw large ships ahead in the sea and she squinted her eyes, figuring that she must have been close to the port by now.
She trotted close to the shore and many men, dressed in different gear than what she was used to. They weren't wearing Xena's armor, so they couldn't be Greek. Eve furrowed her brows and stayed on the horse, looking from afar.
Some men caught a glimpse of the small girl on the white horse. One of the men smiled at her and folded his arms. "Now who is this?" one of the men said. He walked over to Eve, who seemed a bit fearful and very unsure of herself and where she was. "Are you lost?" he asked Eve.
She shook her head, refusing to speak to this man. He chuckled and whistled to his men. They came running at her and her eyes grew, suddenly feeling like she was not at the port, not at all.
"that's a nice horse you have there," he stroked the white stallion and he shook his nose, turning away from the foreign hand. The man noticed the girl's clothes were of fine quality, certainly not poor, he gathered. "you're not a farmers girl, are you?" Eve remained quiet and he smiled. He touched her dress and Eve kicked the man in his jaw as an immediate response.
He growled and yelled at his men, "get her!" the men came at her and grabbed Eve off the horse by her arms and she kicked her legs furiously.
"Let go of me!" she struggled to get free and then bit one of the men's fingers and he wailed in agony. She then kicked the other in the groin and they let go of her. She took off running on the sandy beach, breathing heavily. Her heart racing as she kept running, running as fast as she could. Don't look back, mother said never to look back. She kept telling herself this and her pace quickened.
The furious soldier mounted his horse and rode after Eve as fast as possible. He smiled as he saw she was slowing down as he knew that she couldn't keep that up. Eve saw the man on the horse riding next to her and she gasped, pushing herself to run even faster. He kicked the horse and rode closer and scooped Eve into his arms and she screamed an ear piercing scream. "who are you?" he yelled as the horse came to a halt. Eve huffed as she struggled to get free of his hold.
They rode back to where the other men were and he threw Eve on the ground. She groaned and looked up at all the tall men surrounding her. One soldier had Eve's bag in his hand and her eyes widened. He handed it over to the man on the horse.
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked inside, finding a locket which he threw in the sand, a quill and also a scroll. He tossed the bag aside and unrolled the map. His eyes grew as he saw this was a map of Greece and with Xena's seal on the upper right hand corner of the parchment.
"Did you steal this map from the empress, girl?" he chuckled. Eve spat at him and he frowned. He grabbed Eve by her cheeks and she grunted, grabbing onto his hand, squeezing it tightly.
"The empress will find you," Eve smiled and the man snarled. "And kill you!"
The man released his hold on the small girl and she fell to the ground, rubbing her cheeks. "you know the empress personally?" he laughed and Eve lowered her gaze. His laughter died and then took a good look at the small girl. She was rather tall, he thought she was no older than eight or nine. Her dark brunette hair swayed in the beach breeze and her eyes were a shade of ice blue –a very familiar color. He frowned. "You almost look like that witch!" he joked and all the other men laughed.
"As if that Thracian whore could have children. She would probably eat them," another man chimed in. eve was growing impatient and irritated as she listened to these men roast her mother right in front of her.
In between laughter a soldier began continuing bad mouthing Xena. "Have you seen what she does to those who betray her? Those stakes are still in Corinth."
Another soldier laughed. "She's a murdering good for nothing woman."
Eve grunted. "She doesn't kill people! She is a good person!" she yelled out in her small voice. All the men looked to her with frowns and she cowered down and began scooting away from them on the sand, attempting to run.
The man on the horse hopped off and unsheathed his scimitar and smiled, holding it close to Eve's throat. Her eyes widened and she stopped her imminent escape. "You're not going anywhere. Put the brat on the boat. Phraates will be here soon."
"What's so special about this girl?" a soldier asked.
The man smiled, "because this is Xena's daughter. Look at her, the eyes, the hair, the attitude," he snarled. Two men grabbed Eve, manhandling her body and drug her off to the boat with her struggling, grunting and yelling.
