Chapter 49 - The Warmth
It was dark by the time Alexios came in to the house. He didn't usually stay away for long but, as usual, he'd been having some thoughts he wanted to keep away from Eos... she had enough to worry about with the baby and, even him and, she was already suspicious. He was hoping she may be asleep but, instead, she was sat next to the baby in her little make-shift crib.
"I think she wants you" Eos said, glancing up at him as he shut the door over. He looked behind him, that small little hesitation still in his step as he turned to them. It had been a few weeks since she had been born but, Alexios was still that little bit worried when it came to her...
Eos watched as he picked her up, the babies eyes going wide and her little arms reaching up to him.
"I was thinking..." he said quietly, staring in to the babes hazelly coloured eyes, seemingly getting lost in them and losing his trail of thought.
"About what" Eos asked after a little moment. Alexios glanced up at her for a second, remembering what it was he was going to say,
"She needs a name" Alexios said. Eos smiled,
"I know" she sat back. Kassandra had mentioned the same thing just the day before. Except, naming her, it would make her even more real than she already was - if the sleepless nights and all the worry hadn't made it real enough...
But then, if Alexios was ready, Eos supposed she had to be too.
"What were you thinking" Eos asked him. It looked as if he already had an idea.
"I like Iris" Alexios admitted, tilting his head at his little girl as she tilted hers, her eyes already starting to get heavy.
"That's a pretty name" Eos agreed, her whole body aching as she took a deep breath - Hippokrates had told her that it would start to hurt less soon but, soon couldn't come quick enough.
Alexios had been thinking about it all day, he'd never had to think about it before, never wanted to but, it was a name he'd heard, in a story a grandmother had told her grandson... Iris was one of Zeus' messengers and, it had made him think of Laelaps, of how - even though him and Zeus hadn't ever been on the greatest of terms - it was almost as if Zeus had sent Laelaps to her... and, now he was gone, he'd sent something else.
"Do you like it" he asked the baby, trying his best to ignore the pain in Eos' face as she tried to get a little more comfortable - he knew she'd rather it that way, the baby even made it easier to do just that but, it still made him feel terrible. The small babe blew a bubble then, as if she liked the name too, "Iris" he said again.
"Iris" Eos tilted her head, he looked so sweet holding her, so big but, so vulnerable, like everything about him was raw, like he was actually happy...
"Then we're agreed" Alexios said, looking from one to the other. Eos sat up a little more.
"You know, that's the name their gonna say when they talk about the legendary Greek mercenary" - Eos said it with as much triumpth as her voice could muster.
"Are they now" Alexios asked, not as fond of the idea. The baby looked to him, her confused little face not knowing what either of them were going on about. Eos smiled,
"Seems like it runs in the fam-." the door knocked, making Alexios flinch ever so slightly. Iris was wide awake then, her bottom lip starting to quiver as Alexios passed Iris to her, his eyes darting between the bundled babe and the door. Eos reached out to him, the tingle in his arm that she gave him, made him flinch again.
"Calm down" Eos said quietly - they weren't expecting any visitors but, panicking wasn't going to help them. Holding the baby close, Eos watched as Alexios had moved towards the door, grabbing his sword off the table. Since the birth, they had moved to the house next door, already putting them out of reach of a couple of men Alexios had spotted passing the house in the middle of the night.
Kassandra had followed the first and returned with some news on the Order - which consisted of them only wanting to keep an eye on where they were, and the second of which Alexios had followed and returned with nothing... Kassandra had said that, from what she'd learned, there was nothing to worry about. Amorges was sticking to his plan of letting Eos come to him, but, Alexios hadn't mentioned what he'd done to the second man. And, Eos hadn't asked. She already knew.
Alexios was stood near the door now, not knowing if the silence outside worried him even more. Alexios had glanced back at Eos and she'd stood up, bouncing Iris so that quivering bottom lip didn't turn in to anything more.
"Who is it" Alexios asked,
"An old friend" the voice replied. Eos sighed and looked down at Iris, the quivering lip having been replaced by a very curious face.
"You have to watch out for this one, okay" she warned her quietly. The baby tilted her head and Eos looked back up as Alexios opened the door to Darius.
"Welcome back" Alexios said, whether he meant it to be as harsh as it was, Darius didn't care to notice,
"I have news" the old man said as he stepped in, Alexios closing the door behind him, "but I did expect Kassandra to be here",
"She's back tonight" Eos told him, taking her seat again.
"Agh, is this the little one" Darius asked, spotting the wriggling baby in Eos' arms,
"It is" Eos held her up, Alexios watching tentatively as Eos struggled that little bit, her arms hurting as the the baby scrunched up her face, as if she was scrutinizing Darius and not taking a poop as the old man came over to see hr.
"And do they have a name" Darius asked,
"Iris, I think" Eos said. Darius smiled and then looked to Alexios,
"A messenger of the Gods" Darius said, he smiled, Eos raised her brow, "do you remember what I told you" the old man asked, Eos looked to Alexios as well.
"You were right" Alexios admitted. Darius smiled as he turned back to Eos and then held his arms out. True to form, Iris reached out an arm too... honestly, if you were going to hold her, she was all yours... until she was hungry - or sleepy - and then, only mater or pater could get any sense out of her.
Eos let her go to him.
"It's been a long time since I held a baby" Darius said, he bounced her in his arms, "you forget how small they are".
"What news do you bring Darius" Eos asked, she knew Alexios was in no mood for small talk.
"Nothing of real interest" he said, other than what Kassandra had found that night a few weeks before, there was no real news.
"What" Alexios asked,
"There's no sign of them Alexios" Darius said as he turned back to him "there were a group of men in Messenia but, their gone",
"Gone" Alexios asked,
"Yes" Darius said, he went to say something more but, Alexios wouldn't let him,
"How can they-",
"Listen to him" Eos told him, Alexios glared at her for a small second. Eos had to stop herself from rolling her eyes, some things never changed.
"There's no sign of them" Darius repeated, "which means their up to something",
"What do you mean" Alexios asked,
"There's no reason for them to be hiding" Darius said, "they may not be after you" he glanced at Eos, "but that does not mean they've stopped coming after us",
"We took out their men" Alexios said, "Kassandra hasn't exactly been merciful - neither have you" Alexios said, "he has no option but to pull back" - it was plausible but, not when it came to them.
"The Order do not just pull back Alexios" Darius said, "they have even less of a reason to now" he looked to Iris. Alexios stepped towards him, Darius already holding Iris out to him, like some sort of peace offering. The old man clocked the hesitation Alexios had given before he'd taken her, the worry in his face as he held her close, as if he thought he would drop her... plus a small limp as well, a souvenir from Amorges and his visit.
"I dropped Natakas as a baby once" Darius admitted - Alexios held her tighter, "I thought I'd killed him but, when I picked him back up, he was laughing, like he'd enjoyed it... then" he smiled, "he saw the look on my face and started screaming" Darius said,
"What has that got to do with anything" Alexios snapped, making Iris flinch. He looked at her, her shocked little face making him feel even worse than he already did.
"Children are more robust than you think" Darius told him. He turned to Eos, "and with parents like you, she'll be the most robust of them all".
"He must like you Iris, you're already getting compliments" Eos said. Alexios was still staring at her, that shocked little face now tilting her head, her eyes starting to get heavy again. Alexios sighed.
Alexios loved Eos, and, he had done for a long time, he knew that now... he knew that the guilt he'd felt for even touching her was nothing compared to not being able too... that he needed her, more than she could ever imagine, because she believed in him when every one else didn't. She understood if he fell, if he slipped... and, he couldn't help but feel the same with this baby... he had something so small, so precious and, he didn't deserve it... He didn't know if Eos believed either of them did but, the sentence would slip out of her mouth at the exact moment the thought entered his head, as if she knew him more than he knew himself...
He hadn't realised how scared that made him until now... how vulnerable he was... but, then, he'd looked back at them, at Iris, at Eos and... that peice that was so empty for so long, was full... and, it only made him feel more guilty.
Kassandra, as promised, had returned later that night. The great misthios had been on a voyage to find herself some Cultist captains and, she had even found a Swordfish...
Alexios remembered the thought that had gone through his head, that if he didn't get to the Swordfish first, he'd let his sister do it... he had just never imagined that his sister would be telling him about it.
Seems he had been busy, scaring the whole town he'd run off to in to working for him and then, hiding in a cavern underwater, completely unaware of the mess the Cult had got themselves in to. And, it even seemed that, despite Deimos' reputation, the Swordfish hadn't known he was a man and well, despite Kassandra' terrible acting skills, she'd had a little bit of fun with him before her spear met his chest.
She finished the story just as the Tegeans were wrapping up what was left of their wares for the night, the markets closing and the people leaving to go home.
Kassandra had watched as Alexios picked at the hem of his robe. Even though in Sparta, he had been reduced to nothing but some grey robes their mater had purchased for him a week or so after he finally put that golden armour to rest, it was weird to see him look like nothing more than another civilian - even if his sword was still strapped to his waist in a sheath. The mercenary-like armour he'd had made was getting a refurb by one of her crew, dampening down the gold exterior and making it not so stand-outish - although, she did wonder if, without it, he felt as vulnerable as she did without hers... or, if the Deimos inside him didn't need any of that...
Kassandra still had so many questions, about him, about what had happened but, there was only one of her mind right now.
"Have you told her yet" Kassandra asked,
"No" Alexios said, he knew what it was she was asking, she didn't even need to say it. "She doesn't need to know".
"She does" Kassandra said, "and, if you won't..." Kass shrugged a shoulder, "I will",
"This is my family" Alexios said as he stood up. Kassandra sat back,
"It's my family too Alexios" Kassandra told him, "and Eos deserves to know if Iris is-"
"What good would it do" Alexios asked, trying not to shout, "we can deal with it ourselves".
"You know what the cult is like" Kassandra leaned forward, she knew Eos was inside and, the last thing she wanted was her overhearing it - no matter how much she wanted her to know.
"Isn't that the point of these little adventures you've been having" Alexios spat, "to make sure the cult disappear like Amorges did",
"That doesn't mean I'm any closer to finding their leader" Kassandra snapped,
"I. Was their leader" Alexios told her,
"Right. Of course" Kassandra folded her arms, "because you're the one who told Kleon he could rule the world" Kassandra said. Alexios huffed, just the name made him feel sick. "There is, or was, someone pulling the strings. And, we need to figure out who they are".
"That doesn't mean Eos has to know" Alexios told her, his temper was getting the better of him,
"She does" Kassandra told him, "you know that"- all she wanted was to help him, he couldn't let the thought of it all eat him up inside, he needed Eos to know...
"No. No. She's..." Alexios shook his head, he sighed "she already spends enough time worrying about us, about Iris" his voice broke, he was so worried, Kassandra almost forgot how much everything weighed on him, "she doesn't need to worry about this too" - not to mention that Kassandra didn't know for sure that it was the Cult, as obvious as it was...
"She still deserves to know Alexios". Kassandra saw the heave in his chest, the fight he was losing. He sighed,
"I'll tell her".
"You need to" Kassandra said quietly, leaning back as she heard the front door open.
It was Darius.
Alexios left the both of them quickly and went back inside, not looking at Darius as he tried to pull himself together.
The old man was already getting on his nerves.
"Was it something I did" Darius asked. Kassandra put her head in her hands,
"He is such hard work",
"A baby changes a lot about a person" Darius said,
"It's not just that though" Kassandra sighed,
Darius sat down on the stool Alexios had been on.
"What is it Kassandra".
Kassandra turned her head to the door, wondering if Iris was going to keep Alexios away long enough for Kassandra to tell Darius everything she'd learned.
She decided it was.
"On my way here" Kass said, "just after Iris was born... I took out a Persian patrol and, I met a man named Gergis" Kassandra said,
"I know him" Darius said, he was another one of Amorges' Majis, probably even the last. He'd had some encounters with him before. His words much more colourful than he was. "Did he tell you about the tainted ones, of the fire we hold inside", Darius had to stop himself from laughing,
"The fire they're trying to stir up" Kassandra said to him, she leaned her chin on her hands. Kassandra sighed, "It's not that though" Kassandra said, "it's what he said about Eos, about the baby",
"And",
"He said Amorges would wait until Eos came to him but... the Order have no use for a baby - that Amorges had made a promise to someone - that... someone else could have her instead" Kassandra looked up at him,
"The Cult" Darius asked. Kassandra shrugged a shoulder, he hadn't exactly said that but, who else could it have been... who else could make use of her other than them... Darius sat back, thinking a moment.
"Your brother was taking by the cult as a baby, wasn't he" Darius asked,
"Yes but, he was different, our father, our real father... our blood..." it wasn't even about being tainted, it was about the power their blood held, a connection to a lost civilisation, a connection Iris, or even that first baby, may never have actually had... she shook her head at him, it wasn't the same,
"They may not care Kassandra" Darius said, the Cult may have been so lost in their ways, they could have seen Iris as a way to fix things, even if it hadn't worked out the first time, "and, let's say the cult attacked, that they took her.. and just her" they would be in no position to take Eos, or Alexios, taking Iris would come down to chance, to planning they'd have to think of themselves to avoid, "perhaps Amorges is hoping Eos would go to him in hopes of having her daughter returned" Darius suggested,
"Or their planning to kill us all so Eos has no one left in the world but them" Kassandra said, "and she wouldn't be able to protect herself from the Cult and the Order all at the same time",
"They can plan all they want Kassandra" Darius said, "but, so can we".
Kassandra spent the rest of the night contemplating it all - their numbers were too low for a full frontal attack - which made them all the more illusive... more dangerous.
"Eos" Kassandra said as she came in. Eos was sat at the table, eating some roasted vegetables. Her appetite had come back with a vengeance these last couple weeks and, having to feed a hungry baby every few hours made it so that even Kassandra's cooking tasted delicious. Eos looked up at her, her mouth filled with food which she tried to swallow quickly,
"What" Eos asked. Kassandra's eyes met with her brother who was sat near the fire, the baby in her crib behind Eos.
"I have something to tell you",
"Kassandra" Alexios was on his feet, Eos glanced at him and then to Darius who came in behind her, shutting the door over.
"She deserves to know" Darius said as he turned around to them, hearing the hesitation in Kassandra's breath,
"No" Alexios said, "no one needs to know",
"Alexios, please" Kassandra said, "if you don't tell her now, I will". Eos rested her arm on the back of her seat, following the argument as it went from one person to another. She wasn't stupid, she knew something was up - it had been ever since she'd woken up - but, Iris kept her busy enough to not want to know.
Still, she guessed it'd be nice to finally be in on all the secret little talks and quiet arguments that seemed to be going around.
"We don't even know what it means" Alexios argued, "it could be nothing",
"And, it could mean everything" Kassandra argued back, she turned to Eos, "Eos-",
"No" Alexios said again, Kassandra opened her mouth to counter him when,
"Just tell me" Eos said, "this isn't worth you arguing over and... if any of you wake up this baby, so the Gods help me".
Like any other baby, Iris liked to wake up multiple times during the night and, no matter how good Alexios was with her, the whole thing still exhausted Eos so, when she was asleep, she'd rather she stayed asleep.
Alexios sighed.
"Kassandra thinks-",
"I don't think, I know" Kassandra snapped.
The snuffle that came from the crib made all of them look towards it,
"Kassandra" Eos looked at her, "just let him finish". Honestly, Eos wished Kassandra's timing was that little bit better... she knew that her brother got less confrontational as the day went on. A hungry, needy baby in the dead of night didn't do anyone much good but, Kassandra never seemed to hear her, "then you can have your turn" - she knew she sounded a bit too sarcastic.
"Whats the point in that" Alexios asked, his voice was low but, the spite did make Iris twitch a little, "its the same-"
"I'll tell it" Darius said. Darius could take the heat for telling Eos the truth but, Kassandra and Alexios' relationship couldn't.
Eos waved her hand at him, she didn't care who told her.
"On her way here" Darius nodded at Kass, "Kassandra met with a man named Gergis, a Maji of the Order" he said, Alexios sat back down and Kassandra turned around, her hand on her head - "he told Kassandra much of what Amorges has told you - that he'll wait until you come to them", Eos had to stop herself from interrupting him, she honestly didn't care what Amorges had to say anymore. "However, he also mentioned that they had no use for the child but" he glanced over at Alexios, sure there was a last ditch attempt in his eyes for him to stay quiet - Darius didn't "others would".
Suddenly, her food wasn't all that appetising anymore,
"The Cult", Eos placed her hand on Iris' stomach, feeling the little breaths she did beneath her finger tips.
"We don't know that for sure" Alexios said,
"Would you rather it be someone we don't know" Eos asked, she sighed and looked at Iris, "someone we're not ready for" she smiled as Iris, who, in her sleeping state reached down, grabbing for one of her fingers. "Kassandra" Eos said, "tell me what he said. All of it".
Alexios sat back down, poking at the fire as he listened to it again...
"I'm sorry" Alexios said, he was stood as she placed Iris back in to her crib, looming over the both of them, wanting to help but, Iris was all fed again and sleeping...
"You know, he's getting good at saying that word" Eos said to Iris. Alexios sighed, looking to the floor, "but he doesn't need to be, does he" Eos said to her, she looked back at him. "Kassandra could have timed it a little better".
The nights were long and, Alexios spent a lot of them awake, whether it was with Iris or just for himself and, Kassandra knew he got less confrontational as the day went on.
"I should have told you",
"But I get why you didn't" Eos said, "and thats all that matters". She reached out her hand and he took it, pulling her over to him gently as he stood up, his arm winding around her waist as he leaned his head down on hers.
"What if it's not the... the Cult" Alexios asked,
"Then who" Eos asked, she looked up at him,
"What if it's someone inside of it, someone who..." he trailed away, he didn't know,
"Alexios" Eos said, she didn't want to push him but, this was too important to let go off and, he knew it,
"Before..." it sounded so stupid now, the thought of a whisper being true, of words coming from inside the darkness of a cave, "the Ghost... they whispered something to me... I didn't listen to it then because..." it was around the time he'd lost her, lost him and, he was so conflicted, with the thought of being replaced, of being second-best and then, she'd died and, so had he and, that threat... of being obsolete... it had disappeared... the ghosts whispers hadn't meant anything any more... Alexios felt her squeeze his arm, he could tell her, no matter how much it hurt, she'd be there, "they said that they'd take them, that they'd start anew" Alexios told her.
Eos looked over at Iris... it made sense...
"How do you stop a ghost" Eos asked,
"I don't know" Alexios said. He leaned his head in to hers and closed his eyes.
Eos smiled a little, whatever happened, they'd get through it.
Iris woke up then, a little cough in her throat that turned in to a small cry, Eos pulled away from him, going over to look at the baby who stopped her crying when she realised who was leaning over her.
"You make noise just for the sake of it, don't you" Eos said to her. Iris gurgled something and then stretched out her little body, as if she'd just needed a little talking to before she closed her eyes again, "she's just as-what" Eos asked, having found Alexios staring at her, that coy look on his face,
He smiled, "nothing" he said.
Eos raised a brow and then looked to Iris again, whispering something to the sleeping babe instead.
Alexios sighed - he wanted it to be like this. Forever.
He wanted to be able to watch Eos talk to her as if she understood every word she said, as if there was nothing that mattered more to her than Eos and him...
But, he knew the fight that was coming...
Running... running had always been an option, it still was but, running from the Order, from the Cult, when Amorges was still alive, when essence of the Cult still gripped the Greek world... it wasn't worth it...
"It's a good idea" Eos told them.
For once, Darius, Kassandra and, even Alexios, were in agreement - it was a terrible idea.
"And, what are you planning to do when you get there" Darius asked,
Eos shrugged, "I don't know, reminisce on all our time lost" she snorted, as if the answer wasn't obvious enough. "I'm going to stab him - in the eye, in the stomach, in the chest, in the leg" she shrugged again, "maybe all four. Maybe I'll bring you back a souvenir".
"You'd be using yourself as bait" Darius said, Eos shrugged,
"I guess".
"And are you planning on taking your daughter as well" Darius asked,
"I'm not that stupid" Eos said,
"Then there's no point" Darius told her, "if you turn up without her, they'll know something is up". Kassandra looked at Darius, appalled at what it was he was trying to say. Alexios held Iris tighter and Eos raised her brow.
"You better not be suggesting she takes-",
"Of course not" Darius said, "but that would be the only way her plan would work" he looked to Eos. She sighed, she knew he was right.
They'd either have to do this together or, put her daughter in even more harms way than she already was...
"Fine" she said, "it's a stupid idea" she leaned back in her chair, flinching a little as she sat back on a sore bit - the pain was only annoying her now.
None of this was a good idea.
"Did any of you ever consider that the only way for that child to be safe now, is if you and her were to disappear" Darius asked, looking to Eos.
Eos didn't feel like Alexios was included in that look.
Eos shook her head - it wasn't that she hadn't considered it - it just wasn't an option. Perhaps as a mater, she should have been more selfless but, she also knew she couldn't be much of one on her own. Not to mention, she wasn't in any shape to do any sort of running at the moment - especially with a baby.
"No" she said.
"You hid from the cult for years, you could do it again" Darius suggested,
"I wasn't hiding on purpose Darius" Eos told him, "and, if you didn't know, I wasn't exactly great at hiding then... I'd be even worse now",
"I've heard about you and yo-",
"I had a lycaon Darius... and every time I didn't, I almost died" Eos told him.
She was good but, the only way she'd survived so long was because of that damn lycaon and, in the end, having him still hadn't mattered...
"Perhaps when we're not given a choice" Darius remarked. Eos glared at him. For just a moment, Kassandra came around to the idea,
"Eos, if you disappear, she-", Eos cut Kassandra off,
"I can't Kassandra..." she stood up. They may have been willing to let go of this family they had but, right now, she couldn't... not yet... not when it wasn't what either of them wanted... Alexios couldn't even argue his own view on it... if he told her to go, she would but, he didn't... all he did was sit and watch her, that tortured expression on his face that always made her heart sink.
"They won't stop until-".
"Until we put Amorges in the ground" Eos said, "until we find that Ghost and dig them a hole as well" Eos told her.
"The Order is not just made up of Amorges Eos" Darius said, "even without him, they will-",
"Running now won't fix anything" Eos said. She bit her lip for only a moment before the next words came out of her mouth, "and it didn't exactly help you".
It had come out sounding so much worse than it had in her head but, Eos wasn't in a mood to care, not bothering to look at him as she turned to Iris, the babe now wide awake.
Darius had looked at the floor, thinking for a short moment before he stood up, leaving them all to it.
True to form, Darius had left that night. Eos hadn't felt bad though. The old man was old enough to know when words were used in the heat of the moment, to make the teller of those words convince themselves their lives weren't imploding all around them. He would be back. Just like before.
Kassandra was more pissed though. She understood where Eos was coming from but, she felt the words cut a bit too deep herself - the wounds Cyrus had left that day having not healed for her yet either.
Which meant, that following morning, Eos took it upon herself to go outside, taking Iris on a small walk to the Sanctuary of Athena Polias.
She had wanted to be alone. She'd look like nothing more than a mother and her child in the robes she wore; to a face she didn't know. And, it wasn't as if she had an eagle that could give her away, or a sense of dread that would come with a lycaon shadowing her every step.
Although, she did have an Alexios.
However, she didn't mind it. He wasn't giving her any ear ache or any scowls but, he was that little more distant today... part of her wondered whether or not he agreed with Darius and, the other part knew if he really wanted them to leave, for her to run, with Iris, he would have said it already.
Deimos had always been selfish... a lot of the things he'd done was for his own sake and no one else's - but, he was also good at self-destructing... and, she knew, that sometimes, the want for that put all sorts of thoughts inside of his head...
Eos stopped eventually, looking to the sanctuary she'd sat up in the eaves of once. She took Iris from off her shoulder, holding her in the crook of her arm. Iris had been watching her pater intently all the way here and, she was now a little peeved by not being able to see him anymore.
"One day, when you're old enough, I'll tell you all about this place" she said to her quietly. Iris looked at her for only a moment when Alexios came back in to view.
Alexios stood next to Eos then - he'd been playing with something in his pocket the whole way here. Eos smiled at him, Iris copying her. Eos looked down, shaking her head before she saw him pull that something out. It was her dagger. "I..." Alexios held it out to her, "I didn't know if you wanted it back".
That day at the wheat fields, Amorges had left it sticking out of the bottom of his chest plate, Eos' scream diverting his attention away from the little nick of pain it had caused.
Eos took it from him, turning it around and thinking about all those who had died from it, the lives she hadn't cared for, the lives she had... it made her ask why the Gods kept giving her chances... and then, it made her wonder if the Gods existed at all... Iris watched it intently, the blade shiny in the sun.
It also reminded her of when Cyrus had used it against her, of when Amorges had tried to as well... it made her feel a little sick.
"I don't even know why I've kept it all these years" Eos told him. "It only ever served as a... reminder of the cult" she looked up at him, "of the day Elpeanor gave it to me; of all the people I killed with it, by stabbing them in the back..." Eos sighed, she looked back at Iris. "Part of me thought that, if I could use it against them, it would..." she shrugged a shoulder and looked at Alexios again, "that it would make me feel something more but... it didn't". She held it out to him. "I don't need it" - for just a moment, she saw him go to argue but, she didn't mean it like that, "there's plenty of daggers out in the world that will do exactly as that one does",
"But this one was yours" Alexios took it from her,
"A dagger doesn't kill people. Its the person holding it" Eos said, she smiled at Iris, "Laelaps taught me that" she walked forward, bouncing Iris in her arms, "he couldn't talk like you and I can" she told her "but, he did grunt a lot" Eos was sure the baby raised her eye brow at her, "as amazing as he was though, we'll probably get you a puppy instead",
"Will we" Alexios asked, she could hear the smile in his voice,
"Yup" Eos said, "a fluffy one".
It was on their way back home when Eos stopped, Alexios had been walking next to her, Iris in his arms, completely oblivious to the world but, he had felt the empty space next to him and turned back around.
There had been a small tinge of panic but, he quickly saw Eos looking over a stall of food, some freshly picked fruit laid out in front of her,
"Freshly picked today" the friendly Tegean had said, such pride in his voice, Eos found it easy to smile - but, the fruit wasn't exactly why she had stopped,
"I'll have some apples" Eos told him. The man nodded, picking some of the best apples from stall and placing them in a bag as Alexios stood next to her,
"Peckish" he asked,
"Don't react" she told him quietly, "but, I think someone may be following us", she grabbed at his arm as he went to swing around, snapping him out of it, he looked down to Iris instead, trying to calm himself down.
"By who",
"Here you go-oh" the stall man had said, Alexios giving him the jitters as he passed the bag to Eos, she passed him the money and then turned away, Alexios taking that one second longer to follow her.
"Eos" he said quietly, he hugged Iris closer to him and Eos put her hand on his arm again,
"What happened to not reacting" she said,
"But who-",
"No one we need to worry about" Eos said,
"Eos, you can't-",
"It's Melaina" Eos told him quietly, she stopped at a second stall, "go" she told him,
"What" he said,
"There's a reason she avoids us when we're together" Eos said, "now, go, take her home",
"I'm not leaving you with her",
"She's not going to do anything" Eos told him. She felt something press in to her,
"Take it" he said quietly, her dagger. Eos did it reluctantly, if only to make him feel better, she slipped in to her robes effortlessly...
"Go" she said again, "I won't be long" she was saying that for Melaina's sake, to lure her out. Alexios took one last look at Eos and then listened, holding Iris tight, he made his way back to the house, turning down a different path.
It didn't take long for Melaina to emerge then. She set herself up next to Eos, asking the stall man for a loaf of his best bread.
"I was wondering when you'd show your face again" Eos said,
"It's been a long time" Melaina said, she was handed the bread, all nicely wrapped, "and it seems a lot had changed", she looked to where Alexios had gone to but, Eos was already walking the other way. Melaina followed her.
"What is it you want Melaina" Eos asked, hearing her shuffle up behind her,
"It's not a question of what I want" Melaina said, she got back in to step with her, "its the question of you, of who you will be", she held her hands behind her back, crumbling the bread now, as if she was leaving some sort of trail... Eos had no idea what she was doing, the trail being trampled by the people and, eaten by the birds.
"It always is" Eos said.
"It wasn't to begin with" Melaina admitted, "you were only an obstacle for our champion, one he should of passed threw like he did all the others but, here you are",
"Here I am" Eos repeated,
"Perhaps you were always meant to bd" Melaina suggested, "perhaps you were meant to face those who abandoned you";
"You mean Amorges" Eos asked, she stopped, "or the likes of you", she turned, spotting the look of guilt flash across her face - seems some wounds never really closed.
"We did what we had to do to survive, like you" Melaina said,
"Except I almost didn't" Eos said, "I lost everything", she walked backwards for a moment before turning back around.
"You still had the wolf" Melaina shrugged a shoulder,
"And I lost my home, my family... my baby",
"Your actions led us here Eos" Melaina said, "you took his life, you took what was not yours to take", Eos stopped and turned back around.
"Thats rich coming from the likes you. You left me to the mercy of Chrysis and the Master and, if you'd seen that baby, you would have known the want for him to die in peace instead of being screamed at by a crazy old witch",
"Deimos survived the fall from a cliff. Chrysis brought him back to life" Melaina told her,
"So he could endure a life of pain and suffering" Eos asked, "you saw what they did to him",
"But they'd learned and he, that child. He was special, even without his blood",
"Ofcourse he was" Eos said, she snorted, "if he had been anyone elses, they would have forced hemlock down my throat as soon as they found out",
"She wouldn't have let that happen",
"Who, Chrysis" Eos asked, "dear old mater",
"No" Melaina said, she sighed, contemplating her next few words as she continued on, Eos following her, "Eos, that baby was special, not because he had the blood of Gods running through him but, because he had hers aswell",
"What" Eos asked, "who's".
Melaina smiled.
"Asphodel knew" Melaina said, "and Chrysis tore out her tongue for it" she hummed a small bit, "a shame really, perhaps if you'd known then, it'd all be different now. The things people do for their children" Melaina shrugged a shoulder. She smiled again. "You had a choice" Melaina said.
"No" Eos said, the lump, the feeling of impending doom, it made it hard to speak, "who wants my baby", Melaina ignored her.
"And, you made that choice",
"What" Eos asked,
"You chose to stay with the Order" Melaina said,
"Because of Glaukos" Eos shrugged, "Melaina, tell me who she-"
"And when you had the opportunity, you ran" Melaina said, "you left Glaukos",
"I-", Melaina turned a corner and Eos found herself following her,
"Glaukos would have made your exsistence hell in the underworld had you both made it there" Melaina told her, as if she was trying to assure her...
Eos didn't say anything. Still confused as to how any of these things were related anymore... and the terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach... a truth she knew but, she needed Melaina to say out loud before she did.
"But you have another choice to make",
"What is it" Eos asked her, Melaina had kept going forward so, she'd grabbed her arm and pulled her back. For only a moment, she'd felt Melaina tense up but, as she turned to face her, she calmed instantly - as if she knew Eos was too deep in their conversation to do anything stupid.
"Be a part of a new world, of a new dawn" Melaina said, "or watch everything you love burn".
For a moment, Eos stayed quiet, a sense of them not being alone tingling for only a second before it was gone.
"No" Eos said, she grabbed for her dagger "the only one burning is y-".
Eos ducked as she turned, feeling the wind of something coming round to smack her in the face. She managed to trip herself over but, she was able to stab her dagger in to the attackers ankle, the man letting off a scream as someone grabbed him by the neck and pulled him backwards - Kassandra.
The misthios pushed him on to the floor, her foot on his chest and her spear ready to bury itself in his stomach. Eos turned her head, the alley way now empty of Melaina... as if she had never been there...
"Who are you" she heard Kassandra ask, having taken a quick look at Eos to make sure she was okay,
"Please, don't",
"Tell me" Kassandra demanded,
"I'm just a merchant" he cried,
"A merchant with a death wish" Eos asked. It was the man with the apples, hers of which were now scattered all over the floor. She pushed herself up on to her feet, rubbing at her side as she came over to look down at him.
"No, please, I was only going to knock you out" - as if it made it any better.
"Well. Thats fine then". Kassandra lifted her foot and spear off of the man, giving him a moments reprieve,
"Really",
"No" Eos pushed him back down with her own foot,
"Please" he cried again,
"Where were you going to take me" Eos asked him,
"I... I don't know" he said, he held his hands up, closing his eyes,
"What",
"The red-head, she said, said she'd tell me" he said quickly,
"Melaina" Eos called out, wondering if she was stupid enough to return now Kassandra was here,
"Please, I-", the merchant was whinging again.
"How much did she pay you" Eos asked, she dug her heel in, feeling his whole body shake beneath her, terrified,
"What",
"You're a merchant, you know how money works" Eos spat,
"Well, she, uhm, she...",
"Ugh" Eos grabbed Kassandra's spear from her hand and rammed it in to his chest - not before she saw something though. It was so quick... and, it was nothing like the volcano or, the tower, it was a woman, with black hair, walking away...
"Kassandra, who was that" Eos asked. Kassandra was stood, torn between the two. The merchant started to splutter before Eos twisted the spear, a small pop being how his heart exploded inside his chest, killing him instantly,
"Kassandra" Eos said again,
"I, Eos" she looked down at the man,
"He would have done worse" Eos told her, "Kassandra, who was that",
"I... I don't know" Kassandra shrugged. Kassandra went for her spear, and Eos grabbed it at the same time, as if she hoped it would make the vision come back.
It didn't...
"Eos, stop" Kassandra said, "you know it doesn't work like that", Eos let go, turning back to look where Melaina had been - there wasn't even any sign that she'd been there... She swung back around,
"One of us must have seen her somewhere" Eos said, "did she look familiar",
"I've had many people walk away from me Eos" Kassandra told her, "it could have been anyone",
"Did you see where it was" Eos asked,
"No" Kassandra said, Eos sighed, putting her hands on her head, "Eos, please",
"It has to mean something" Eos told her, "it wouldn't have gone to the effort if not",
"What did Melaina want",
"Choices, more choices" Eos said quietly, "I don't-".
But it hadn't been all about choices this time.
"Wait, she said something. Something that-", she was going to say that it didn't make sense but, it did.
"Eos" Kassandra asked,
"The baby" she said, "before" - not Iris... whatever happened now, she'd never be able to bring herself to do something like that ever again, "the little..." Eos stopped, she shook herself, she could feel the lump in her throat, as if her body was trying to make her stop, "the little boy" she said it so quietly, Kass only just heard it,
"Eos, it's okay" Kassandra said quietly, "you did what you had to". It wasn't that though. Eos shook her head.
"Your brother... he said that he was told he was going to be replaced... by him... Melaina... she said someone else wanted him... not because he was his... because...".
Had it always been so obvious.
"Because he was mine..." Eos said. She looked to the dead merchant and then her. "Kassandra..." Kass was confused, having not put all the pieces together yet. But it fit. "Asphodel knew... that's why they cut out her tongue because... because Chrysis was so..." Eos sighed, "Kass, the Ghost..." Eos said, "the Ghost of Kosmo, she's my..."
"Eos, no" Kassandra said,
"Why else then" Eos asked, "other than Amorges, there's nothing special about me. I don't have the blood of Gods like you do",
"Eos...",
"Its true" Eos said, she took a step back, "what if... I...",
"Eos, stop" Kassandra said,
"I didn't know" Eos said, "I". Kassandra grabbed her by the shoulders,
"Eos, it doesn't matter who your mother is, who your father is, all that matters is the person you are now" Kassandra told her,
"But what if I was always meant to-",
"Eos, no" Kassandra said,
"But Melaina said it" Eos told her, "I had to pick, a new world or... watch it all burn...",
"She also told you my brother died" Kassandra said,
"Kass, he did" Eos shrugged away from her, "the man that went to that mountain didn't come off it",
"But the part you wanted did, didn't it" Kassandra said, the part Kassandra still struggled to find.
Eos looked to the floor, it had, Kassandra was right but, at what cost?
"Melaina said you have a choice" Kassandra said, "it doesn't mean its going to end the way she says it will. Look at what happened with the Order" Kassandra shrugged, "and coming together to say goodbye? Eos, he's not going anywhere, Iris isn't going anywhere. Neither am I",
"But Natakas did" Eos said quietly.
"Eos... people die, with or without us".
Eos sighed, she knew that... she knew Melaina's words were twisted, to unsettle her... perhaps the Ghost... her mother... had been whispering in her ear all this time...
"Now, lets go" Kassandra said. She picked up the dead merchant and put him up against the wall, "if we don't get home, my brother will lose his patience",
"Why didn't I just kill her" Eos asked, "I said I would",
"Eos... she was your sister once" Kassandra told her, far too understanding... But, this wasn't the same as Kassandra and Deimos, or Myrine, or Nikolaus... Kassandra hadn't grown up with them, hadn't needed to depend on them... and, Eos knew Melaina was far too gone to ever reconcile with... they weren't the same people anymore, "and sometimes we all fall to our family".
Alexios was furious when they arrived back, and, grew ever angrier when he saw Eos sit down, the look as if she'd pulled something and was trying her very best to hide it.
"I said-",
"Stop" Eos caught him before he could say anymore, sure the words would have only made the room more tense... Honestly, she was surprised that it was Kassandra that had showed up. That morning, she'd still been pretty upset about the whole Darius thing but, on their way back, she had mentioned that he had been in touch. "Sit" she told him.
He did, the stool quaking underneath him.
"You need to listen to me" Eos said, she raised her hand when he went to say something, he took a deep breath and Kassandra leaned against the wall, her arms crossed. "Melaina... I..." Eos sighed, "the Ghost Alexios" his brow raised, confused - Eos couldn't see the point in delaying it, "I think... I think she's my mother",
"What" he was on his feet, betrayal, heartbreak, some agonising ache, flashed across his face.
"Alexios" Kassandra said quietly,
"No" he said to Kassandra, he looked back at Eos,
"What did she say" Alexios asked Eos,
"She didn't need to say it" Eos said,
"Then how would you know" Alexios said, "you're not-",
"It makes sense" Eos said, she stood up, "and, the baby... before..." Eos hated talking about him, so much. Alexios softened then, taking a step towards her, Eos shook her head. "MeIaina said the reason he was so important" she could feel the lump in her throat, Alexios took another step towards her, "was because he was a part of 'her', just as much as you".
It only confused Alexios more.
"It makes sense, it all did" Eos looked to where Iris was asleep, "and it means she is too. Thats who Amorges promised her to" Eos told him, "she couldn't have you, or him so... she wants her instead...".
It was all falling in to place now... all of it...
And Asphodel, it wasn't just the fact that she'd found out what they'd done to her... Chrysis had tore out her tongue so she'd never be able to tell her or anyone that the Ghost was her mother... perhaps Chrysis had done it in a way to save Eos, from the likes of Kassandra, of Deimos, before, that blood connection would only have given her a reason for them to kill her, or, perhaps she was so far gone in her deluded little bubble that the thought of another mother just wouldn't cut it.
"We already gave them one" Alexios said, Eos choked on the lump in her throat, "we're not giving her them too" Eos ran her hand down her face, trying to force the tears away. Alexios sighed and caught her hand, pulling her in to him and wrapping his arms around her,
"You're nothing like her" he whispered in her ear as she let her head lie on his shoulder. Kassandra let out a small sigh and smiled. As much as Alexios did let his temper get the better of him, when it came to her, Eos quenched it, so easily, even without knowing.
Kassandra bid her goodbyes to them soon after. Whatever happened next, they'd have to leave. Eos, however still hurting she was, they had to keep moving. They had to find somewhere the Order, or the Cult, wouldn't think to look.
And, a letter that just so happened to arrive that day, led her to that exact place.
It took Kassandra a couple days to sort out, leaving Eos and Alexios to go on. He didn't bring up the Ghost, or the Cult, he just focused on them, his hand ever so slightly flinching for his sword even more than it did before - the feeling of someone watching them growing by the day.
When it did come to Kassandra's plan however, Alexios didn't like the idea.
They were to leave for a farm that, subsequently, Alkibiades was hiding in as well. Seems it hadn't taken him too long to piss off a few important Spartans.
"I don't like it either" Eos told him when Kassandra had left, she was off to pick a route, to find some safe haverns on the way should they need them. From what she had gathered, they'd only spend one night on the road, a night they could have continued on through if they didn't have Iris.
Iris, of who, was smiling at her mater. Eos had shook her head and picked her up, placing her on her knee and holding her head, patting the babies back as she looked up at her pater. Eos didn't know if it was wind or, if she was generally smiling for no reason at all... And, as infectious as it was, it was hard for both Eos and Alexios to follow suit.
"What do we do Eos" he asked as he sat down near them, letting Iris grasp at his finger,
"I don't know" Eos said quietly, she sighed, letting Iris lie back in her arms - they both knew that a showdown with the Cult, the Ghost, with the Order, it was inevitable... but, Eos needed time to rest and, Iris needed some time to grow, to be able to take that inevitable running away that they would have to do...
Then, as if on cue, to make them stop worrying, Glaukos came in, hopping on one leg and using his crutch to close the door behind him. He seemed to have taken having one leg in his stride.
"I know its late" Glaukos said before anything else, "I just wanted to say thank you - to the both of you", he had looked from Eos to Alexios, "I know we've had our differences, I know I've been a terrible friend" he looked back to Eos, "I'm just glad we fixed it" he said, "before it really was too late", Eos smiled,
"Me to. I'm glad you were there", he nodded his head, he was too - although, he'd freely admit that the tomb he had been in, before the Order had dragged him out of it, was much more preferable than the cell he found himself in for a few months.
And also, as much as he'd enjoyed him and Eos getting to reconnect - he wasn't going with them... He had decided to stay with the doctor, to help him finish with the clinic he had opened in Tegea before going towards Argos, back to the clinic Hippokrates had opened all them years ago.
If the Orders revelations had assured them of anything, it was that Glaukos wasn't a priority to them. They had no need for him and, in that moment, the drowned babe who had invested his life in to stories and books, had decided on what he wanted to do for the rest of the life he had left.
Although, after having a quick talk with Barnabas, who would be taking him and Hippokrates to Argos once they were finished here, was given a mission all of his own. Something he had to make sure was ready... just in case...
It would almost be like a final thank-you to Eos for staying with him. All those chances she'd had to run from the Order, knowing all too well that Amorges, and his men, would never truly hurt her and, not taking them, because she couldn't leave him to their mercy... even though he had left her to the Cults... he'd have to repay her somehow. Even if she didn't want it.
Glaukos had lost a leg, but she... she had lost a whole lot more...
It was early when they were stood outside, before most of Tegea had started to wake up but, early enough for the sun to be rising.
Kassandra had been explaining the route they'd take to Alkibiades farm to Eos but, she quickly noticed that Eos had stopped paying attention,
"Am I talking to myself" Kassandra asked, her voice a little more snappy this morning, seems the sleepless woeful nights and, Iris waking up to cry for a little bit of attention, had finally resonated with the misthios, Eos looked over at her, ignoring it.
"Can you hear that" she asked. Kassandra stood up quickly, her hand already on her spear,
"Kassandra, sit down" Eos told her, she smiled, they were all a bit too jumpy for her lately, "listen".
"What am I-" and then she heard it... humming... that song her mother used to sing to her as a child. She felt her breath leave her for a moment as she followed the noise to her brother. He had his back to them, swaying back and forth, Iris in his arms, drifting off to sleep,
"I never thought...", she looked back at Eos after a few more moments.
"He does it a lot" Eos told her. Kassandra smiled.
"It doesn't feel like it was that long ago that he wouldn't even touch her" Kassandra said, "but now, it's as if every chance he gets, she's..." Kassandra trailed off. Sometimes she forgot what they were fighting for.
"I think he realises that she's not as breakable anymore" Eos said. She leaned forward, "you know, when he wakes up with her in the night, and... sometimes she wants food and, sometimes she just wants someone to talk to her and, I'll be exhausted and he... he sits there and holds her and he'll talk... I don't think I've ever heard him talk so much..." he had never been one to fill the silence with words, that had been her job, he filled them with actions but, it was different when it came to her. "He"ll tell her anything and she'll just listen, as if she's just as infatuated with him as he is with her and... I doubt he'd admit to saying half the things he did if he knew I was awake",
"Like what" Kassandra asked, she sat back down,
"How he's going to teach her to fish" Eos said, "to milk a goat" she chuckled, "that she could have a chicken if she wanted - have eggs in the morning..." Eos tilted her head, "sometimes he says she should be a farmer, or a merchant... then, other nights, he wonders what it would be like having to worry if she ever decided to be a mercenary, how he wasn't sure he'd cope", Eos sighed and looked down at the ground, a stuttery breath making her take a deeper one as she tried not to cry. A future. One they may never even have.
It was moments like these, that were so fragile... Eos hoped Kassandra, and soon Darius, would see why she couldn't give it up.
"He took to it so well" Kassandra said, she was so caught up in that song he was still humming, she hadn't noticed the upset, which, suited Eos a whole lot more.
"So well he scares himself" Eos said. Eos sighed, pulling herself back together as Kassandra looked to her.
"Maybe this is your chance Eos - both your chances" Kassandra said.
Whatever happened, all Kassandra had wanted, from the beginning, was for her brother to be safe, to be happy, "that little girl..." Kassandra trailed off. She was so perfect, so normal... Hippokrates had no qualms about her at all. Eos, her brother, they looked after her better than they looked after themselves. All she needed was warmth, food and, a bit of love and, they had that for her...
"Won't be safe until we... kill her grandfather" Eos said - she killed the soft, heartfelt mood in an instant "and her grandmother"- if the added comment could have killed the mood even more, she would have.
"Eos" Kassandra sighed, "you don't have to... you know that" Kassandra said it so softly. Kassandra knew how it felt to have to do it, the feelings of letting what had happened in the past go.
Except, Eos wasn't Kassandra...
"But if I got the chance, I would" Eos told her, "and I'd expect you to aswell". Eos looked to the floor, sometimes she wondered if she should feel guilty and then, she'd remembered what had happened. "I don't care if I don't see them die, if I never see her face at all" she told her, "I don't care if their tortured to death. I don't care if it's quick" Eos said; she looked back to the little family she had, the both of them admiring the view. "Even if Darius is so sure it won't stop them, it'll send a message" Eos said,
"Their still a part of you Eos, of her" Kassandra said, "and its okay if-",
"Kassandra. I don't have it in myself to ever forgive them so... they can die without it".
If it wasn't for them, for the path she'd had to go down, her first baby may still be alive... and Laelaps... Laelaps would still be alive... it didn't even matter that it wasn't them that had wielded that last blow. They'd seen him as something utterly terrible and forbidden and, the Order even looked at Alexios, at Kassandra, the same way and, Eos couldn't have that. Not when that warmth, that truth was staring her right in the face at that very moment.
"I have no idea how you let Nikolaus live after what he did... if that's really what it means to be a Spartan then, Iris can be an Athenian instead".
Although, it only made Eos remember that her mater had run back to Athens... back to a man she'd loved more than Amorges... Perhaps she shouldn't be an Athenian either.
"Or she could just be Iris" Alexios said as he turned to them, little Iris asleep in his arms; he hadn't been listening the whole time but, the end of the conversation had peaked his interest. Eos stood up as he came over to her,
"That works" Eos said, stroking the top of Iris' head, "and, perhaps the family business is something we'll stray away from" she said to her.
Alexios leaned his head on Eos', Kassandra's heart breaking for all three of them.
The small little touches between them, the thought of her brother getting over his issues that ran so, very, very deep... how could she ever let him go back to that.
The scene only made her promise herself once again that she'd do all she could to make sure Alexios always had that, that Eos had it, that her niece had what she deserved.
Eos had strapped Iris to her chest with a blanket, the small babe wriggling around until she got comfortable, her hands grabbing on to Eos' robes.
"Please don't pinch me" Eos asked her, only for the baby to hide her face, as if she'd been thinking about it.
Eos wasn't sure if instead of a misthios, or a farmer, she would be a comedian instead.
It was as they left the safety of the Tegean walls that Kassandra promised they wouldn't be on the road long but, just the thought of it hurt. Especially because horses were out of the question.
Horses would mean having to stay on the road and, even Phobos couldn't make his way through the brambles and trees quietly enough not to wake a sleeping babe... the last thing they needed was Iris drawing attention to them - if Ikarons didn't - and also, Eos wasn't sure which would ache more.
As fast as they were, horses weren't the most comfortable of creatures to ride.
Kassandra had walked with her, Darius, who had turned back up that very morning, taking the front and, Alexios holding back a little and watching the rear.
"What has Alkibiades got himself in to this time" Eos asked her. Kassandra did seem that little more relaxed now that Darius was back, neither him or Eos showing any sort of bad blood between them. Although, Eos knew she'd have to talk to him eventually.
"Seems he's made enemies on both sides" Kassandra told her,
"Didn't take him long" Eos said,
"Yes, he left before it got any worse" Kassandra said,
"What did he do" Eos asked,
"He didn't tell me" Kassandra said, "all the letter said was that he was staying low",
"So he doesn't know we're coming" Eos asked,
"No" Kassandra said. She had been to the farm, confirmed he was there, alone-ish but, not made herself known to him, "it may work in our favour",
"Or we'll end up walking in on one of his parties" Eos said,
"His parties are quite fun actually" Kassandra mentioned,
"Of course they are" Eos said, she looked down at Iris, "you will never be old enough for one of them. Ever" Eos told her,
"I agree" Kassandra said. Eos smiled.
A few hours had passed when Darius decided it was time to stop. He wasn't taking the route Kassandra had set out, instead, taking one with a little more twists and turns, hoping to throw of anyone who might be following them.
If Alexios didn't.
Eos hadn't really wanted to stop but, they were stopping because Darius could see she was getting tired, that Iris was getting all the more grisly... the last thing they needed was a crying babe and a tired mother.
They sat down, a small fire burning away in front of them. Changed and fed, Iris was now awake, lying on her back, distracted by the dancing flames as she gnawed at a little wooden block Darius had given to her.
"You just ate" Eos told her as she gently pulled the block away from her,
"Perhaps she's teething" Kassandra suggested, which even got her a weird look from Darius, Kass shrugged,
"I would know if she was teething" Eos said, she picked her up and Iris reached out for the block again. Alexios had almost given it back to her but, Eos had caught him and he'd put it back down. Iris had started to blub but, Eos had shushed her and held her on her shoulder, her little hands burying their way in to her robes and finding her skin... and then trying to gnaw at her too...
"I swear to the Gods, you are turning in to a cannibal child" Iris stopped, her little eyes looking to her for a small moment before going back to it. Eos sighed and then sat back, Iris letting go and almost falling back in to the crook of Eos' arm, a smile coming over her face as she gurgled something.
Kassandra looked over at her brother, watching the huge smile that came over his face as well.
He loved them so much.
And, it was then that Kassandra pulled something from her pocket - a red blanket...
She had kept it on the ship for a long time, since she'd been given it by that priest in Argos...
Kassandra caught Alexios' eye, her brother having been looking longingly at Iris and Eos, both of them now sat, snuggled up and falling asleep.
"When I went looking for mater, I found this" she passed it to him, his brow raised,
"What is it" he asked, the fabric was old, he could see that but, it was still soft, his fingers spreading over it, like he knew it from somewhere, he looked up at her.
"It was yours; it is yours" Kassandra said, "its what mater took you to Argos in, when you were a baby". Alexios looked back to the blanket, smoothing out the creases in it, he looked over to Iris, the baby wide awake now, looking at him.
Eos had laid her head on her shoulder, already having fallen asleep. He stood up, taking Iris' from her arms before kneeling back down. He held the blanket up for her to see. Iris reached out, her small hands grabbing at the material.
"It kept you alive all the way from Sparta" Kassandra said, the thought of him being that small...
"Thank-you" Alexios said quietly. He didn't know what for... he didn't know how he felt about having kept it... especially after the conversation he and Eos'd had in the days prior - she had already given her dagger back to him, asking him to sell it or throw it. This though, this was different, this wasn't for him...
Iris had already pulled it towards her, her little fingers stroking it as she held it close. After another moment, she had closed her eyes, the blanket still clenched in her hand.
"I guess it's not yours anymore" Kassandra said.
It was almost dark when they arrived at the farm, Darius' rerouting really had taken them a while but, it was in view now and, Eos had been asking whether or not Alkibiades would have a spread of food all set out. She was starving.
Except, the old man had spotted something up ahead and pulled Eos from the road and in to the cover of the wheat fields that surrounded them. Kassandra and Alexios having noticing the threat too.
There was someone up ahead, heavily armoured and, as they turned around, as if it was their job to walk up and down the small path between the wheat, they saw the Persian mask on his face.
Leaving him to his very unenthusiastic pacing, the group found somewhere off to the side, hiding behind a broken wall and, spying a few more Persian guards leading up to the farmhouse.
"We found your Persians for you Darius" Eos said.
They didn't have to wait long for something to happen. The men soon started to make their way to the house, some sort of invisible signal calling them to it as two men came out, the lantern on the door being snubbed out.
"Is that him" Eos asked, it was too dark to see but, she was sure she'd glanced a part of his face before the light had gone out.
"I believe so" Darius said.
Amorges.
Kassandra looked to her brother, the nod between them being all they needed but, they'd waited, watching as the Persians formed a small group, reclaimed their horses and, rode down the path, away from them.
It was then Alkibiades had emerged; unscathed. His hand was on his hip, his other held up in his usual fashion, contemplating it all.
Alexios snapped at Kassandra, "what is this",
"Alexios, please" Kassandra said quickly, quietly, sure the Persians would hear him,
"He" his voice only grew louder,
"I'll speak to him" Kassandra said - there had to be more to this than the betrayal Alexios could see.
"We're not staying here", Alexios told her, he turned to Eos, "and-"
"Okay" Eos said quickly, hoping it would calm him down,
"If you..." he trailed off, "what",
"I said okay" Eos said, she turned to Kassandra, the misthios ready to argue the Athenians corner, "Kassandra, the Order are-",
"Eos, please" Kassandra said, "let me talk to him first" she looked to Darius, "it could have been nothing",
"Or he may have just warned them that we were on our way" Darius said,
"He doesn't know we're coming", Kassandra said - seemed she hadn't let that on to Darius or Alexios just yet, she looked back to Eos, "and he wouldn't do that. Eos, he's my friend, our friend",
"Kass, just the chance",
"Just let me talk to him" Kassandra said, "please". Eos sighed and then looked to Alexios, he still wasn't convinced "we're better off knowing what's going on with him if the Order is involved" she said. Alexios grinded his teeth and then threw his hands up in the air, muttering at himself as he walked off, trampling the wheat fields in the process.
"Eos" Kassandra asked,
"Just go Kassandra" Eos told her.
Kassandra nodded and then left them, Alexios returning not long after, trying to keep his mouth shut as he chewed at the inside of his lip.
Even Darius was quiet, not having much of an explanation just yet. He didn't know what Amorges would want with a fallen Athenian politician, other than his relationship with an eagle-bearing misthios... or, perhaps his business with the Spartans had went wrong for a reason.
And, from the look on Kassandras face when she finally returned, that's exactly what had happened.
Alkibiades, in all his infamous wisdom, had somehow agreed to work with the Persians... except, it was nothing to do with them... and, more to do with a war some Persian King was planning instead...
Alexios had wanted to put the man out of his misery quickly, along with any of the other men who tried to stop him but, Darius saw it as an opportunity.
"The Order and the Cult are at heads" Darius said, "the whole reason the Persians stayed away from Greece, was because the Cult had such a hold over it. Now. They don't". The Cult and the Persians were known to work together, Gergis had even had one in his party... but here... here they'd had none...
"But how does that help us" Kassandra asked, "it doesn't help us at all in finding out who the Ghost is" - and that would have to be their main priority right now. Not to mention that if they really were working against the cult on this, it would include the Ghost, would it not?
"No but, perhaps their plans will lead us to Amorges" Darius said, "and he'll tell us who it is",
"And what makes you think he would" Eos asked him,
"Did he ever lie to you Eos" Darius asked,
"How would I even have known", Eos asked.
Although, a part of her knew he was right, he had been so open with her, as if he really thought the truth of her birth, of her mother, would change anything. It hadn't.
"Amorges isn't a liar" Darius told her, "If you asked him who he promised your child to, he'd tell you",
"Maybe" Eos said,
"And this time, you won't be using yourself as bait" Darius said,
"Its too dangerous" Alexios said, he held Iris tighter.
But Eos knew he was right. They had no other leads.
"Its our only chance to get to Amorges before he gets to you, before the Ghost gets to her" Eos shrugged a shoulder, looking at the babe in his arms, "it might be our only way to hold on to it all".
A/N: This took a while, and I'm so sorry about that! I had a lot on and, this story is getting to its end and, a part of me never wants that to happen... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and, right now, I think there's only two chapters left before we wrap up! So, thank you for your patience and, if you're still here, I'll see you next time!