Usual disclaimers apply.
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Chapter 45
"So I hear you got caught breaking into our house," Mama's deep voice came from the doorway of the queen's hut and Autolycus stood and shook his head.
"Now, Xena you know…"
His reply was cut off as Mom grinned at the man, "Yeah, who would have thought the self-proclaimed, King of Thieves, couldn't even break into one unguarded Amazon house."
"Gab! Xena! Now you know that I could have broken in undetected had I wanted to," Autolycus smiled at my moms as they all crossed the room to greet one another with a hug.
"Sure," Mama stepped out of the hug. "That's right, you wanted to get caught."
"Not the way he's been protesting," I quipped only to have Mom move towards me.
"I hear you sent Eponin and Daria into the village based on something Autolycus asked."
I nodded, "Apparently a piece of the reason he was trying to break into our house; an eight-year-old girl named Alex."
"Oh?" Mom moved to the table and invited us all to sit down. As we sat around the round table I briefly thought of the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. Wondering what type of Amazon spin I could put on that story, I was almost lost in my own world as Mom and Mama caught up a little with Autolycus, when I felt Mama pinch my leg under the table. Starting I looked at her sheepishly and began to pay attention once more.
"So, this girl?" Mama pushed.
"I'd like to wait until you see her," Autolycus hedged. "I think I'll have to explain less…" he was suddenly cut off when Daria and Eponin entered the hut with a small girl.
Her face lit up immediately when she saw Autolycus and ran to him the moment she saw him. "Daria said you kept your promise and I'd meet my namesake. Is that true?" Her dark brown eyes regarded him intently and he nodded.
"You better believe it," turning her around Autolycus tugged on her chestnut braid, "I would like you all to meet, Alexena," Autolycus began. "Alex, this is Gabrielle, Xena, and their oldest daughter Sam."
"You're Xena?" Alex's eyes feel on my tall mother before turning towards my blonde mother. "And you're Queen Gabrielle? This is so cool," her eyes sparkled and I couldn't hold my chuckle.
"A fan," I finally commented at the looks I was receiving. "Very nice."
"So you're a princess?" Alex asked me.
"Yup," I shrugged. "Apparently I'm an Amazon princess who will one day take over this tribe."
"You are so flipping lucky!" Alex scrambled onto Autolycus's lap and leaned against him. "I am so glad you're friends with them, Papa."
"Papa?" Mom's voice echoed the little girl's remark.
Autolycus merely shrugged, "Seems so."
"How?" Mom asked.
"Well, Gab, it's like this…"
"Enough, Autolycus," Mama's voice was low and calm. "I think what we're both wondering is, who and where is her mother?"
"And why is she dressed like an Amazon?" I added.
"Because I am an Amazon." The girl grinned at me. "My mother was part of the tribe in Assyria."
I looked at my mothers quickly and back to Autolycus. Alex hadn't seen his face when she mentioned her mother and I knew there was a much longer story there. Deciding I could learn about Alex's origins later I smiled at her. "Are you hungry, Alex?"
A nod met my question followed by a growling stomach. "Great, my Yaya makes the best food here. And I bet if we asked nicely she'd let us have some cake."
Standing I held out my hand to her, "Do you want me to introduce you? I know it's not your tribe, but I'm sure you'll like it here and make a ton of friends."
Looking at Autolycus the little girl finally grabbed my hand when he nodded. "Go on, kid. Sam's right, Cyrene is a great cook. Just be sure to save me some."
"Okay, Papa." Waving to her father as we left the hut I was glad not to be Autolycus at that moment knowing he would now have to answer some very pointed questions from my mothers.
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Waiting until Sam and Alex had left Gabrielle finally turned to her friend. "Alright, Autolycus. The whole story. Now."
Taking a deep breath, he nodded, "About nine years ago I was traveling around a bit. I happened to make my way to Assyria. I'd manage a few thefts here and there but had come to find out that there was a big score on the island off the coast. Small place but nice enough. I managed to blend in pretty well until I met her."
"Her?" Xena asked.
"Yeah, Alex's mother." Autolycus looked to the ceiling and finally back to the women in front of him. "She and a few of her fellow Amazons had come for the sole purpose of finding a mate and hoping to get, well, you know."
"To get pregnant," Xena commented.
"Exactly. Anyway, Ramina and I hit it off and before I knew it I was spending all of my time with her. We had a wonderful few months together. At the end of our time, she was pregnant and I was under no obligation to stay.
"We parted ways. She headed back to her tribe on the mainland and I journeyed back this way. Ramina knew which way I was headed though and I word reached me when Alex was about nine months old that I had a daughter. I headed back that way and met my child when she was around two. That was the last time I saw her until I received a message to meet Ramina and Alex in Abydos."
"What happened, Autolycus?"
Looking at Xena after she asked the question the man leaned forward on the table. "I found them in a small inn, Ramina was working in the kitchen to pay for their keep and Alex was causing havoc with the local children. Ramina introduced me to Alex as her father and that night she told me what caused her to leave her tribe."
The man was silent and Gabrielle finally touched him on the arm. "Autolycus, what did she tell you?"
"Her tribe had been led into battle after battle by a new queen hungry for power. Ramina saw nothing more than her sisters dying. Their children at risk for growing up orphaned. She decided to leave and come to the only tribe she would want to be a part of other than her own. Yours."
Gabrielle looked at the man in confusion. "Why us, why here?"
"Are you kidding? Her mother had heard of you both. She'd heard some of the stories and decided that you were a true Amazon. Named her daughter Alexena in your honor, Xena."
"My stories made it all the way to Assyria?" Gabrielle's green eyes caught Xena's blue and she shook her head slightly in disbelief.
"Of course. And after that whole Cleopatra thing and saving Egypt, let's just say that your stories have traveled very far."
"That's wonderful, Gabrielle." Xena smiled at her wife before turning back to Autolycus. That still doesn't tell us why you have Alex and why her mother isn't with you."
"I guess not." Autolycus admitted. "Well, like I told you I met up with Ramina and Alex at Abydos. We had a nice reunion and I told her that I'd help her get back to Greece and make sure that she made it to your tribe."
"Why my tribe?" Gabrielle asked.
"Your stories," Autolycus shrugged. "She also wanted to see if the stories were true of women living completely independently of men."
"Didn't her tribe live like Amazon tribes here?" Gabrielle asked.
Autolycus shook his head, "It's similar but in Ramina's tribe the women and men lived separately but not far from one another. Men and boys were welcomed in the village and the Amazons in the men's village."
"How do you know that?" Xena asked.
"Ramina explained it to me when we parted ways. I asked what would happen to our child if she had a son and she told me."
"If Alex had been a boy what would you have done?" Gabrielle asked.
"I would have traveled to get him," Autolycus stopped speaking for a moment and looked at his friends. "I don't know if I would have stayed there to raise him with Ramina, but he would have known his father."
"So why is Alex with you and where is her mother?" Xena pressed.
"This is where it gets tricky."
"Just tell us, Autolycus." Xena said.
"As we were leaving Abydos we were met by survivors of people that Ramina's tribe had fought and defeated. They didn't want to let us pass by peaceably."
"And?" Gabrielle asked.
"We fought," Atticus stood up and paced the hut for a few minutes before sitting once more. "We managed to get Alex and get out of town, but not before Ramina got hurt. I did all I could, but I'm not you, Xena. She died a few days later."
"So why did you continue on to us?" Gabrielle's voice was quiet as she watched her friend exhale slowly.
"Because I'd promised the kid. I promised her I'd make sure she got to meet you personally. I didn't want to let her down, not after her mom…Well, I just couldn't not bring her to you now could I? Especially since she's going to need guidance if she wants to remain an Amazon."
"You're planning to keep her." Xena stated.
"She's my kid." Autolycus smiled at his friends. "I never thought I'd say this, but I guess it's time for the," he paused. "King of Thieves to settle down with his kid."
Gabrielle and Xena looked at one another and back to Autolycus, "You know that we will help any way that we can." Gabrielle offered. "Just let us know what we can do."
"Thanks…" the rest of the man's reply was cut off by yells from the village.
"What the gods?" Gabrielle began as Xena bolted from her seat.
"Trouble."
"Let's just hope she's not naked," Gabrielle muttered as she and Autolycus ran after Xena.
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I watched from my vantage point near the kitchen and shook my head. I had introduced Alex to Eve, Addy, and Mavis at Yaya's insistence and against my better judgement. Watching the chaos around me I realized I should have gone with my gut.
"What's going on?" Daphne had come up next to me and I looked down at her.
"The girls made a new friend." I quipped.
Watching the chaos for a few moments Daphne smiled wildly, "Remind me to thank Eve later."
"For what?" I cringed when Mama's battle cry was heard above the din and the four girls, each in a state of undress, finally came to a stop as their parents surrounded them.
"Making Xena forget that she wanted to talk to Mom about our camping trip."
Deciding that Daphne's story was more interesting than watching the moms corral the mud throwers and their weapons, I turned fully and crossed my arms. "Do tell. What did you do, Daphne?"
Daphne sighed deeply, "Not so much what I did but what I didn't do."
"You didn't listen to Mama and got yourself into some type of trouble," I supplied with a grin.
"Well you don't have to be so happy about it," Daphne protested.
"She roast your tail feathers?"
Daphne blushed but shook her head, "No. Said she was going to talk to Mom first."
I shook my head and patted Daphne on the shoulder, "Good luck with that. First of all, Mama never forgets, no matter what." I supplied chuckling when I noticed Mama pulling Eve's tunic back over her head amid my sister's attempts to escape without it once more.
"And secondly, if Mama needs to talk to Yaya you are probably toast. So what didn't you listen about?" I pressed starting to walk towards our house with Daphne.
"Xena told me under no uncertain terms was I to try and show off that new tree flip that you've been teaching me."
"You didn't?" I asked as we entered the house knowing that Daphne hadn't perfected it yet.
"Well, I wish I could say I didn't, but I did, and I taught it to some other girls. We all flipped off a tree branch at the same time."
"And?" I asked.
"One sprained ankle, one broken wrist, one dislocated shoulder, and I got the wind knocked out of me."
"You're toast, Daphne." I shook my head and led her to the kitchen. Grabbing two mugs I poured us some cider and cut some nutbread. "You might as well have a snack before Yaya kills you."
Putting her head in her hands Daphne groaned and then looked at me. "You're still going to teach me how to do it, right?"
"Yeah," I replied. "Just be sure you have it down before trying to teach anyone else otherwise you might not be able to sit comfortably for a very long time."
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Hope everyone liked this installment of Sam. More to come.
