Chapter 44
Zoe's POV
It had been Two weeks since Ali's and the other girls' celebration, adults don't really celebrate much, unless it's a milestone or something. It's really got out. I had a small weather thermometer and humidity tracker I had in my gear and forgotten about until recently. Now I've become obsessed with it, last I checked it was 112 degrees with 70% humidity that was yesterday Mama took it away because I was staring and she said knowing was doing me no good, I told her what the numbers meant. I swear it's hotter today, and it's making me a little crazy. Right now I'm in the corner with my shorts and undergarments around my ankles. (I introduced shorts last summer and they've become all the craze. I was wearing a fabric pair of shorts, and sleeveless top, shorts were all the rage in summer for the 7 to 16 year olds, since I introduced them last summer, The under 7 year olds just went naked. With the younger kids you sometimes had to watch where you stepped if they weren't wearing a diaper. Some adults wore shorts, or skirts, Last Summer we discovered I knew all kinds of things about making clothes even though I never made them including how to make shorts, and lightweight tight knit things. I don't understand it myself. It's really tense in the village no one under 16 is allowed outside the village itself and no one under 20 without a lot of back up. All the adults are acting like we're going to be attacked any minute, everyone is scared. How I knew I mean I didn't know before. I had, had some kind of freak out I don't think tantrum is the right word, episode seems better, when I got home from school for really no good reason, I had said something kinda of smart-alecky and mama wanted me to apologize and when I said no, she swatted me and then we had an argument and then it just snowballed and I had a meltdown and said some really bad things, Mama had enough and gave me a spanking.
"I never want to hear those words coming out of your mouth again." Mama said with me over her knee, letting her hand fall down again on my bare butt. Mom and Ali interrupted us.
"What happened?" Mom asked.
"Your daughter had a tantrum when I told her we couldn't visit your mother this summer and decided to repeat some words she shouldn't have" Mama stood me up, my underwear and shorts slid down and Mama pulled them up. "Zoe you're confined to your bed except for the latrine for the rest of the afternoon." After she pulled me into a hug, and I held on tightly burying my head in her chest. "Sweet girl I love you very, very much but you're getting too old for tantrums and you know better than to behave that way."
Xena's POV
Ali was playing on the main room rug with her blocks and Zoe was stewing on her bed, I was sitting on the couch with Gabrielle I finally asked "What set her off?"
"She really wanted to see your mother, Xena but I tried to explain calmly that it wasn't possible she just wasn't having it."
"I'm Sorry, every one's tense. The men on the other side of the centaurs are putting everyone on edge. They're issuing threats, they're using lands that isn't theirs, they're hassling the villagers Alexon is responsible for, and the Romans, I think this might be a ploy by Harmon to show what I'm not exactly sure but it's much too close to him trying to replace Alexon and failing, for it to be a coincidence. It isn't safe outside the village, the guards are sticking to the trees, and the hunters are going in groups, bringing no children with them."
"I know and her sudden lack of freedom can't be easy on her but we need to keep her safe, she and I are most likely targets, along with Tyldus and Vander, and Alexon and his family. It would show the romans and the villagers there was no one to protect them…..if we can't protect our own leaders."
"It's what would I have done." I said. When did Gabrielle start thinking like warrior? "But quite frankly all the children even the student warriors, especially the student warriors are at risk, the student warriors are exactly what someone would want in an Amazon Slave girl. They're the right age, they're not trained well enough to completely defend themselves but are trained well enough to be completely physically fit, they've never bared children, they're virgins, they have no battle scars, yet because of their Amazonian upbringing knows much more about sexual pleasure than a Greek Slave girl, most Greek girls know the basics but Amazons are taught much more…."
"We need to do what we can to protect everyone."
"The centaurs are speaking of a show of force."
"Might be a good idea. We also need make sure our water supplies remain uncontaminated I wouldn't put it past them to poison them, it's what I would do?"
"It's what the destroyer of nations would do, not you, Xena. The Destroyer of Nations, Xena Warrior Princess Champion of the People, are the name same…"
"Who we are never changes Gabrielle, what we are is constantly changing….."
"You come up with that."
"Zoe said her Dida used to tell her that. She didn't know where Dida got it. But every time she learned something new, every time she tried something grew in from ground or in knowledge, Artemis would tell her that."
Artemis appears "Well I am surprisingly brilliant."
""Hello, Artemis what can I do for you?" Gabrielle said standing then bowing.
"On your feet, Gabrielle, never between us." Gabrielle rose. "What can I do for you Artemis?"
"I came to see Zoe."
"She is currently confined to her bed with a sore backside. She had a tantrum." I said.
"She's a little spitfire that girl, I came to play with her and Ali I have a few days. Dite would come but she's trying to match an heir to the throne with his soul mate who happens to be the oldest daughter of a rival kingdom. The families have been feuding for generations, she has a lot of things to work out. She's even enlisted Hercules, Iolaus and Lyssa to help her."
"You can visit with her Artemis but she cannot get off that bed." Gabrielle said. "Actually since you're here we could use your help. The village is in danger….these men that have moved in are….."
"I know, they're men Gabrielle and they aren't being controlled or asking for help from any Gods I can't help. The most I could do would take Zoe and Ali away for to visit with me since I had planned to that anyway."
"Do it, you can them before dinner."
"Of course, I'd be delighted." Artemis said. "I'll be back in a few hours for the girls I'm going to go be worshipped and give the young warriors some pointers."
She disappeared.
Zoe's POV
My Bottom still hurt, it was throbbing Mama did a number on it. Dida had taken me and Ali, we went to her biggest temple, the one in Ephesus. We went directly to her I guess they were the rooms we were staying in, we had been packed and our own Dogs, Kallen and Nellie were brought with us. Every Amazon tribe, even the small or splinter ones had a small temple or at least a shrine devoted to her, and they weren't the only people who worshipped her but the Amazons were considered her people, like the people in Athens were Athena's people, Warriors were Ares people, and sailors and Pirates belonged to Poseidon.
"Girls now your Mama and Your Mommy have told me that while you're staying with me to think of myself as your Aunt to protect, punish, love, and treat you as my own that is exactly what I'm going to do. We're going to have fun but don't think for a minute I won't punish you if I need to." Dida said seriously "now what do you want for dinner?"
"We go hunting?" I asked.
"Tomorrow, Princess. Tonight I'll just make you something."
"Cake!" Ali said
"That's not a meal, Alice, or a choice…." Dida said sternly. "If you two can't come up with a decent choice than I'm choosing for you."
"I still think it would be better if we hunted and I cooked." She popped my bottom and it started throbbing more.
"Watch it, Zoe." Dida warned.
I sighed. "How about just some Bread, meat and cheese." We all disappeared and then appeared in a dining room. We were all seated, in fancy chairs, and the breads, meats and cheeses appeared. We spoke of the things we would be doing, there'd be games, and hunting, and archery, and foot races, and tree climbing, and wading pools so Ali could get wet and not have to worry about her ear getting wet. We ate and then Dida stood.
"You can play for about half a candle mark then you need to get ready for bed."
A Young attendant came.
"Lady Artemis….."
"The older girl my chosen the younger my sister Aphrodite's, but they are both Amazon Princesses and very important to me."
"Are the twins going to be your chosen too, Dida?" I ask.
"No, Princess. They will have Amazing gifts, and they are important to us and are chosen by us but not our chosen do you understand the difference?"
"Not really."
"There are levels of being chosen by God, Princess, you and your sister are at the highest level, the twins just below you, the Amazons just below that, you understand?"
"Yes, Dida. We play now."
"Of course what do you want to play?"
"Tree climb?" Ali Squealed.
"I don't want to climb trees." I said. "tree climbing hurts a lot when your backside is sore."
"We'll climb trees tomorrow, little princess, tonight how about we play with army. She waved her hand and we appeared in our chambers and so did dozens of toy army men and toy amazon warriors. Ready to do battle." So played.
Gabrielle's POV
Xena and I dined in the dining hut with the other adult members of our family, Taryn, Lila, and the twins.
"Where are the girls tonight?" Eponin asked
"Artemis spirited them away for some fun at the temple of Artemis in Ephesus." Xena said "she had been planning to surprise them and take them today no matter what was going on in our lives when she showed up today with everything going on we felt we'd take her up on her offer. She so cares for them and Zoe was disappointed she was unable to see mother this summer. She and Ali love their Dida very much even if she wasn't a Goddess just a mortal Aunt we couldn't very well disappoint them….and because she's a goddess, our goddess we couldn't very well say no. the fact that it takes them far, far away from the danger was an advantage …."
"Ephiny, I am calling a full amazon Warriors and Wisdom council for tomorrow, after morning meal…" I said. "And if needed a war council with the centaurs, romans and Alexon's people. We have much to discuss, I will not do nothing and allow my people to be put into danger. "
"Yes my Queen I will arrange it." Ephiny said. A war and Wisdom council includes Warriors of all ages, and Amazons of all different careers, the Queen, her regent and champion if she has them. It's actually where I got the idea for the council of 18, instead of just the council of elders. They are often convened in times such as these. To give a Queen ideas, and insight in war, and wisdom into the past, and perhaps into the future. They aren't held in the council chambers the indoor training field will be set up for us. As Melosa's heir I had only been to one. I would have convened one during the trouble with Valeska, but I didn't know who trust completely back then outside a very small group of people. And though it was a fair challenge that took down Melosa it was much more complicated than that. Technically valeska could only have kick Ephiny out of her regency and ruled until I came of age, and claimed the throne, if we hadn't have waged war. But it isn't the first time someone not a true Amazon had been put in a position of power. There are other ways besides combat to get them out. it's how we have more than 12 tribes now, and if an entire tribe agrees that the heir who is in place isn't a true Amazon they can overrule their current leader, or if their current leader isn't a true Amazon and it is agreed they can appeal to Artemis herself, or the council of elders. It's one of the few true powers of the elders, the council of elders can decide a Queen is not a true Amazon and remove her from power. No one knows how they decide, but it's very rare, and never once happened in our tribe, it happened in Corinth once. Many of the smaller tribes don't bother with the tradition they just break off into smaller tribes, and sometimes die out. Although if it isn't a matter of being a true Amazon, just a difference of opinion, breaking the tribe in two does seem like a better option. Corinth and Telaquire tribe are the two largest in all Greece, there were smaller tribes about. But that wasn't important, right now what was important was that we survive.
Zoe's POV
It was dark now, Dida stood waved her arm and the toys disappeared. "it's time for you two to bathed." She picked us both up and carried us both and one on each hip, mom isn't even strong enough to do that. "Of all my temples, I stay here most often." She said. She placed us both on the ground. "Is Ali still in diapers at night?"
"No, she's been dry for months, half a year…"
"Alright, let's go to the bathing chamber." She took us to the bathing room it was a lot nicer than the bathing hut at the village, and our bathing room in our family hut, it was all marble and gorgeous. There were attendants everywhere. "There's a larger bathing room for my Priestesses to use, this one is just for me."
She undressed us both and got us in the bathtub, then she washed me while I washed Ali. I recognized it, it was the kind that we had at home. After we were washed we were put in our shifts, and appeared into our guest beds. Ali in hers, and me in mine, blue in my arms, Tansy in Ali's. she thoughtful and made sure I was on my belly.
"Alright girls, it's time for bed." I wanted to disobey to fight it but I really was tired.
3rd person POV
Tables and chairs had been arranged in the indoor training area the Warrior and Wisdom Council, and every notified. After the first meal, Gabrielle, Queen of the Telaquire amazon tribe, Xena, her Champion and consort, Ephiny, her Regent, the Council of 18, Eponin, the weapon's master, Stephania the head of the royal guard, Barbara, head of the border guard, Eugenia the head of all education for all ages, and Lila. No decisions would be made in this council it was just for learning purposes, discussions, information but it was important. People think Amazons are all about bloody death, Amazons are wise, loyal noble, honorable but cunning warriors if they weren't they wouldn't live to have elders or have the rich culture they do. The meeting took hours there were meals brought around noon, and it was decided to call a war council. And many precautions were going to be taken around the village.
Meanwhile at Artemis' temple on the shore of Iona, Artemis woke her two favorite little Amazons up, fed them fresh fruit, and bread dipped in wine and some cooked goose eggs. After that Ali and Zoe climbed trees then, Ali was taught how to set a snare. Which caught a skunk which Artemis used her powers to release. Four year olds were too little to hunt anyway anything she caught would have been released it was impressive though. They played a game similar to the modern game of ring toss. And after lunch Artemis set them off to run around on their own. With the attendants watching out for them. And Kallen and Nellie playing a version of catch and tag with them.
After the Warriors and Wisdom Council ended about mid-afternoon messengers, taken from the Weapon's Master's Elite guards themselves and not the student warriors were dispatched to the Romans, to the centaurs, and to Alexon. After the meeting Gabrielle sat alone in the warrior and wisdom meeting room, in her chair, and closed her eyes. It had been a trying meeting. But they needed to protect themselves from danger.
"my Queen?" She opened her eyes and Iris stood there.
"iris…."
"I know it's a few weeks until the full moon I was wondering if I could adopt under the battle adoption clause, to ensure if anything happens Nora is my child and would be taken care of. I am a fully trained warrior, As the horse trainer and healer, I will be providing horses for the battle should there be one. And I will am fully qualified to heal the centaurs if they need it, I'll be needed if there's a battle, If I die, my sister would take both girls, she's a miller she isn't needed in the battle….in fact it would be kind of pointless to send her she has very little warrior training and we can't risk losing her, even if she has taught her own girls. She's the best miller in area including the surrounding communities….."
"I approve the battle adoption, Iris, but for it to be official you need my approval, and one of your elder relatives or failing that a member of the elder council's approval….."
"My Aunt Yolana approves." Gabrielle nodded, Yolana was the village apothecary, the one Lila would learn from when it was time, and a gifted one who made many of the medicines that the healers used personally. And she wasn't so much Nora's Aunt, as her Mother's Aunt. she was over 60, never married, but adopted several children over the years all died warriors deaths except her youngest Helena who was training to a be a sort of field warrior healer as we speak but was recently becoming more and more interested in the Midwife duties of healers and focusing on that alone she was only 16 and didn't truly have to choose the narrower focus of her field until then. Yolanda was one of the smartest, kindest Amazons in the village, and over the years had taken in no less than 12 foundlings, she'd been asked many times to be on the council but said no each and every time. She had a distain for politics felt it brought out the worst in people.
"Then congratulations, has she officially taken the name Nora, and discarded Lenora?"
"Yes, we all thought it was best, and it was my grandmother's name, Aunt Yolanda was very pleased…..."
"Go celebrate with your family, we won't need you until we need you there's no need for you to worry about anything specific until you're given duties to attend to, in the meantime enjoy this time with your girls."
"I intend to do just that my Queen." She bowed and left. Xena came in.
"Are the precautions set up?"
"those lockable covers Zoe helped Candra, and Laria design will keep our wells, clean. her idea was to keep the smaller children from falling into the wells we were still digging when they left unattended but will work for this as well. We're also using a lot of the same basic defenses I taught you over the years, as well as the Amazon ones, and we're going to be adding some Warrior Princess defense techniques just in case."
"thank you xena."
"this is my home too….I really do think Harmon is behind this."
"Maybe you should go undercover?"
"the legend of warrior princess has spread too far, no one would believe the destroyer of nations was back. Especially not when they've seen her bounce children on her knee, and carry them on her shoulders."
"It's not as if we have a shortage of allies from the old days Xena….."
"We have to this ourselves, Gabrielle. Everyone here is loyal to you, but you haven't been leading them in battle since Valeska, and even then you were still a child so it was me and Ephiny, this is your first time in their eyes as a warrior, you must do this, aligning yourself with the centaurs and Alexon's people, and bringing the Roman's under protection is one thing, but bringing in outside help especially from a man and especially from someone like Meleager who would be the only one perfect for the job, and willing to help on your say so and not mine."
"You're right Xena." Gabrielle pressed her forehead against Xena's.
Back at the temple. Artemis was giving Zoe an Archery lesson, while Ali was sitting behind building a replica of the temple with her blocks. Kallen and Nellie were next to Ali keeping guard, and One of Artemis dogs, Shadow was by her side. Zoe who'd read many different mythologies would swear Shadow who was all black from head to toe except for her very expressive brown eyes looked to her very much like a Grim. Shadow despite appearances was actually a very exuberant and cheerful dog. It was one of the reasons that Artemis choose to use her to include in the visit, not all her dogs were child-friendly she'd be the first to admit that. but Kallen and shadow were the most even tempered of the dogs she'd bread, Shadow of course was a great hunting dog, but a lousy guard dog being a goddess she didn't need a guard dog, so while Shadow was considered for Zoe she didn't make the cut because Kallen was even tempered, playful good with kids, and he was a protective guard dog, something Shadow lacked. At least at time she eventually developed it when she had puppies.
"Dida how many dogs do you have?"
"In my Possession only 4 dozen, I've bred hundreds though maybe more, Pan gave me 7 to start with, but over several hundred years of litters that tends to add up, I've given dogs away to my amazons, all of the tribes, hunters I've trained or worked with Amazon or not. I gave Orion a black and grey spotted one, he named dog, he was a brilliant hunter but not very original when it came to names, his horse was named horse. I think If we were to have had children, he would have simply named them in order of their arrival, first, second….."
"being the deity in the relationship wouldn't you have named them."
"if my father let me keep them, he didn't let Aphrodite keep, Deion."
"He was a demigod, the son of Poseidon that would have been enough had we had children for me to be allowed to keep them, even enough for me to be allowed to marry him…..not that I wanted to."
"Because you like to play the field."
"Yes, people and Gods frankly assume I'm something I'm not because I've never married nor had children, I just more discrete then any of my family. And since the majority lovers are women, not all but most the likelihood of my having children is considerably less than my other siblings. In fact aside from Orion, all my other lovers had been….."
"Dida, in the future I think you were with mercury, I mean….."
"I'm not surprised he was always sweet to me, relax your bow…..now release." The bow goes far and hits the target. "Very nice Princess."
"What happened?"
"What happened when?"
"With Orion, There are like 9 different versions in the future."
"Well, the truth was he got drunk, challenged me to a hunting contest and it didn't end well, we loved each other greatly and were usually evenly matched but we were also competitive as can be. The contest caused chaos throughout the mortal realm and several of the Olympian Gods were prayed to because of it. Zeus punished our competitive nature by saying since he both challenged me to the contest and lost, he would be cast into the heavens and I would have to clean up the problems we caused. It took me the better part of two years and he's still up there."
"None of them are even close."
"I suppose they aren't."
"Dida I never apologized."
"For what?
"A couple of months before I got sent here, I started calling you Diana instead of Dida because I was trying to be all grown up and I know it hurt you. I'm sorry I did that."
"it's alright."
"it's not."
"no It's not, but you're forgiven. You could have easily never told me."
"No I couldn't. I could have not told you, but it would have been burden I had to carry and it would have been wrong. I'd forgotten about it, so It count I guess, why I mean, it was because I wanted to feel grown guess that part I knew but that fact that I knew it hurt you and did it anyway, I shouldn't have done that. Amazons aren't intentionally cruel, Dida…."
Abrinbus "No, there not. But didn't stop you did I?"
"No?"
"You were 8 years old, You were growing up, I most likely felt it was natural like the transition from Mommy to mom, or for some girls when they're older Mom to mother….it probably hurt because it meant that transition meant you were leaving soon, I'd remember that you'd call me Diana at first, not dida, that you'd have to remember that you use to call me that…..but I would be hurt by your actions wasn't Cruel, child….it was just you growing up…..."
"Do you think it hurt my Mom when I stopped calling her Mommy?"
"not hurt but it maybe made her a little sad, just a little, because you're growing up, but for no other reason."
Aphrodite appeared
"this conversation is bringing me down." Ali jumped up
"Lovey!" She bounced over and Aphrodite picked her up.
"Hi, my littlest Sweat pea. You've gotten so big!"
"Hello, Lovey." Zoe said. Handing her bow to Artemis and going to hug her one of her favorite Goddesses.
"My medium sized sweet pea." She gave Zoe a one armed hug. "Now what are you girls doing. Archery! No we need to get make overs!"
Once again in the converted indoor training field, Gabrielle, Xena, Ephiny, Eponin, Alexon, three of his men, Tyldus, and three centaurs, and four Romans lead by a man named Albinus, the original leader was either dead or unavailable no one was going to pry it was none of their business. The meeting was considerably shorter than the one with just the Amazons all agreed the men on the other side of the centaurs were a menace and had already done enough that they could attack. Alexon agreed Harmon was behind it, Harmon had left his village three weeks earlier and hadn't been back. They decided to wait for the men to make more telling moves to be a bit more cunning then obvious but to take precautions.
Gabrielle's POV
It was night I had gone to sleep, I was cuddled into bed with Xena after the meeting and after evening meal we had enjoyed each other passionately and then fallen asleep in each other's arms. But now someone was banging on our door in the middle of the night. Xena was up and armed and so was I. We went to the door, Stephania was there, she looked troubled.
"My Queen, one of the outer border guards was mortally wounded, the other guards were able to capture one of her attackers, the others were able to run off. It has begun."
"Assemble Eponin and Ephiny, yourself, Xena and I will join shortly make sure he's guarded, and the guards that captured him are healed if it's needed, we need to speak of this."
"Of course." She saluted then left."
"You up for this warrior?"
"Oh, Yes."
A/N: the next chapter will be the battle, and Zoe and Ali bonding with the goddesses.
