What If?
Authors Note: Chapter Two will be posted as soon as I can finish it. Hope you like it! Please let me know what you think. Thanks!
Chapter One:
Xena looked up from the dishes she was washing for her Mother and glanced out the window and sighed wistfully. It was beautiful outside, the sun was shining, a warm gentle breeze played upon the flowers, making it seem as though the plants were dancing with joy. Sighing once more, she shrugged her shoulders before returning to her task.
It was on days like today that Xena wished her Mother had returned from her trip for supplies. Usually, Xena accompanied Cyrene, but lately Cyrene had been palming off more and more responsibility onto Xena's shoulders. Xena was sure that her Mother was attempting to persuade her to stay in Amphipolis and run the Tavern. However, Xena had no plans to stay in Amphipolis her entire life. She wished to explore the world and learn about new and different cultures. She just had not found the right way to break that news to her Mother and only confirm her Mother's deepest fear.
A voice jolted Xena from her train of thought. It was rare when someone could startle Xena; she seemed to have a knack for knowing when someone or something was trying to sneak up on her. When she was five, Torres had been trying to scare Xena when suddenly Xena had surprised Torres so badly, he'd fallen down the stairs. Torres had never attempted to scare his younger sister again.
"Xena," Lyceus called again, "You alright?"
"Yeah, fine. Just lost in thought," Xena spied the sword clasped in his hands, "What are you doing?"
"I want to spar," Lyceus answered, "Come on Xena, just for a little bit."
Xena looked longingly out at the field beyond the kitchen. She desperately wanted to spar with Lyceus; she had missed their daily sparring sessions while she'd been running the Tavern for her Mother.
"Lyceus, I can't," Xena protested, "I've got to finish the washing up and then we have to get ready for the evening crowd."
"Please Xena," Lyceus begged his best friend, "We haven't sparred in ages and you're so much better than Torres. I think I'm actually getting worse practicing with him."
"Lyceus," Xena scolded her little brother playfully, "Oh, alright. You help me finish the washing up and I'll train with you."
"Thank you," Lyceus exclaimed, a bright smile lighting his face.
A little over an hour later, an exhausted and sweaty Lyceus entered the Tavern following a lightly perspiring and smiling Xena. They'd had a good session; Lyceus had finally managed to learn the move they'd been practicing before Cyrene had left Xena in charge.
"I'm going to go change," Lyceus called to his sister as he left her in the kitchen and made his way upstairs. Xena nodded in response. She quickly drank from a waterskin lying by the counter, before she too headed up the stairs.
Changing quickly, Xena was rushing back downstairs to begin sorting everything for the evening crowd, when she spotted her Mother in the corner talking to Hermia, the cook. Xena swiftly made her way to her Mother, placing a graceful kiss on the older woman's cheek. Cyrene smiled up at her daughter, before wrapping the girl in a hug.
"I'm proud of you, little one," Cyrene stated, laying her head on her daughter's shoulder, "Hermia says the Tavern's never done better."
"Oh," Xena said smiling, "So you're getting a performance report? Checking to see if I've been pulling my weight?"
"Oh, Xena," Cyrene chuckled, "Nothing like that. I just wanted to know what's been happening." Seeing that Mother and daughter wished to catch up, Hermia beat a hasty retreat to the kitchen.
"You better watch out for Torres," Xena warned her Mother, "He's been in a foul mood ever since you left."
"What?" Cyrene asked, lifted her head from Xena's shoulder, "Why?"
"Nobody knows. When he found me down here after you'd left, he decided that his time was better spent outside and hasn't spoken to me since. Lyceus said that even his fighting's been off, and you know that means he's upset."
"I know," Cyrene nodded thoughtfully, "I'll see if I can find out what's wrong."
Xena nodded her head once more, before placing another kiss on her Mother's cheek, "I'd better get started with dinner."
Cyrene smiled, the bright smile lit up her face as she watched her only daughter proudly. If for nothing else, Cyrene could safely say that Xena was the most responsible and courageous child she had raised.
"We'll catch up more after the dinner rush," Cyrene called to her daughter just before she disappeared into the kitchen to get started on organising the meals. A bright smile was her daughter's only response.
As the sun broke over the hills surrounding the valley of Amphipolis, Cyrene was abruptly awoken by the sound of someone falling and an exclamation of pain. Bolting from the bed, Cyrene rushed down the stairs and outside, spotting her daughter in the distance lying on the ground, the wind clearly knocked out of her.
Xena groaned; she had been trying this move for over a month and she had yet to master it. She had mastered the flip using a staff, trying to understand the rhythm and movement required, but now she was attempting the flip without the staff. Her first attempt had clearly been an abject failure; based on the fact she was now lying on the ground attempting to catch her breath.
Hearing her daughter groan and seeing Xena begin to move, Cyrene breathed a sigh of relief. Her daughter would be the death of her; scaring her witless was one of Xena's specialties. For example; when Xena was nine she had dived into the lake to rescue a younger village girl who had become caught in the weeds. Xena had remained underwater for such a long period; Cyrene had feared her daughter had drowned in her rescue attempt. When Xena broke the surface of the water, carrying the child with her, Cyrene had wrapped Xena in a tight hug and refused to let go. Now it seemed her daughter had just invented new ways of scaring her mother.
Xena dusted her outfit off, before readying herself for another attempt. Taking a deep breath and hoping for success, Xena carefully ran the distance she'd set out, before launching off her right foot and into the flip. With a thud she landed unevenly on both feet but managed to keep her balance. Filled with joy at her first successful attempt, Xena let out a trill that startled a bird in a nearby tree as well as her mother.
Xena looked up at the sun, calculating the time she had before everyone would be awake, she decided that there was time for one more try. Readying herself once more, Xena made the flip and once again landed on both feet. While her landing was still unbalanced, it was better than the previous attempt. Gathering the staff she had brought out with her for practice, Xena turned and was startled to see her mother watching her from the Tavern.
Slowly she made her way over to the woman standing by the Tavern. Knowing that her mother was rarely up this early, Xena wondered what had her mother out of bed.
"Why are you up, Mother?" Xena asked as she approached the woman. Xena could now see that her mother hadn't even had time to put on her robe before going outside.
"Somebody scared me out of my bed," Cyrene answered, barely suppressing a smile.
Xena made an apologetic face, "Sorry," she responded, though her tone did not convey her apology.
Cyrene smiled at her daughter; wrapping an arm around Xena's waist, they made their way indoors. Barely in the door, Cyrene and Xena were met by a clearly irritated and sleepy Lyceus.
"Why are you making such a racket?" Lyceus asked, sleep not hiding his irritation.
Xena and Cyrene shared a smile before they apologised in unison. Lyceus glared at his mother and sister, noting, even in his sleepy state, that neither were the least bit apologetic. Rubbing his eyes to wake himself further, Lyceus's brain processed both Xena and their mother's attire.
"You practiced without me, didn't you?" Lyceus asked Xena before turning to Cyrene and stating, "She woke you, didn't she?"
Cyrene did not have the opportunity to respond before Xena answered her brother's accusatory question.
"I wasn't practicing with a sword, Lyceus. I've been trying to master this flip. I told you about it and you weren't interested, remember?" Xena replied, irritated by her brother's attitude.
"So," Lyceus responded, "You still could have woken me. I might've changed my mind."
"Did you?" Xena question her brother.
"No."
"Then why are we arguing about this?" Xena stated, exasperatedly.
"Stop it, you two," Cyrene interrupted the argument, "Next time, sort this out before you go outside, especially this early."
Both children looked to their Mother with amused expressions before they headed upstairs to dress.
"They're going to be the death of me one day," Cyrene muttered to herself, as she watched her two youngest children leave.
Upstairs, Lyceus stopped Xena just as she was about to enter her room. "Will you teach me the flip after you've mastered it?"
"You know I will," Xena responded, "I teach you everything."
"I know," Lyceus replied, but he sounded slightly dejected.
"What's wrong?"
"It's just," Lyceus paused, trying to find the right words, "You're so much better at the warrior arts than I am. I think you were born to be a warrior, not a house wife."
"I love it Lyceus," Xena said, "More than you do. It's really the only think I can say I'm brilliant at. You know I'm hopeless at the things women are supposed to be good at. You've seen me cook."
Lyceus let out a quiet laugh but quietened quickly, "But Xena, I'm supposed to be better at this than you. I'm the one who took the lessons in the village. I'm the one who Torres passed on Father's lessons to. I'm the ..."
"Lyceus, being a warrior is not the only thing you have. You don't have to be a warrior. You can talk to people; inspire them. That is such a rare skill. If you want to be successful you have to be able to relate and connect to people, you can do that, so easily that you take it for granted," Xena embraced her brother gently, "You have more skills than you know. Give yourself more credit."
"Thanks Xena," Lyceus said, returning the hug briefly before departing for his room.
The afternoon sun shone brightly in the sky as Xena and Lyceus parried back and forth; a drop of sweat made its way down Xena's back as she struggled to block Lyceus's attack. Successfully halting his attack, Xena parried and saw an opening. Lyceus had over extended his lunge, and Xena swept his legs from under him and Lyceus crashed to the ground with a dull thud.
As Lyceus groaned and attempted to get his breath back, they heard an angry shout coming from their mother's Tavern at the end of the field. Offering a hand to pull her brother up, Xena and Lyceus headed back toward the Tavern, where they encountered Torres standing just inside the kitchen, head poked around the corner into the main room next door.
"What's going on?" Xena asked as they approached. Torres jumped; he had been so intrigued by the conversations taking place in the other room, he had failed to notice his younger siblings enter.
"There's a warlord coming," Torres answered, "They're arguing over what we should do. Mother sent me in here so I wouldn't 'have to worry'. Like that's going to help," He added sarcastically.
"Torres," Xena said reproachfully.
"What have they decided?" Lyceus asked.
"I don't know," Torres replied, "You interrupted me."
With a glare in both Xena and Lyceus's direction, Torres turned back to listen to what was being decided by the villagers. Xena and Lyceus copied the movement, their three bodies crowding the kitchen doorway.
"We have to give Cortese everything he wants," one villager stated.
"Yeah," another agreed, "Then he'll have no reason to attack us."
"We can't just surrender," another villager argued, "What are we going to live off of if we give them everything?"
"No," another villager disagreed, "Our safest choice is surrender. We might have hard times ahead, but at least we'll still be alive."
"We could always flee," another villager entered the conversation, "If he sees there's no one here, he'll leave and we can return."
"I'm not leaving my home to these savages," Cyrene argued, "Who knows what condition they'll be in when we return. If we return," she added uncertainly.
The debate continued in this manner for a few more minutes until Xena, having heard enough and fed up with the attitudes of the elders, walked calmly into the main room.
"We could always fight."
Every head in the room turned sharply to face Xena, shock plastered on their faces. Silence reigned supreme for a minute while the villagers, Cyrene and Xena's siblings digested her statement. Then chaos erupted. Some arguing that it was an impossible idea, other saying that it might be their best chance at survival, yet others insisting that fleeing or surrendering was still the best option.
Xena stood still while the chaos surrounded her. Slowly, Cyrene made her way to her daughter.
"Xena," her mother began, "What were you thinking? You know not to interrupt village meetings. You shouldn't even be here."
"But Mother," Xena interrupted, "This is our village too. We have a right to decide if we want to fight or not."
"Fighting isn't the answer Xena. It won't solve this problem."
"It'll help. If we successfully defeat Cortese, other warlords will think twice before raiding Amphipolis."
"And if we don't, we'll still have lost everything as well as sacrificing a lot of people."
"If we don't fight, he'll still come after us. He's not going to be satisfied if we just surrender. They want blood, Mother."
"And how do you know this?" Cyrene asked sceptically.
"I overheard Petrodes talking to Talmedeus before he left. He said that you have to have a lust for killing, revenge and power. If you don't have that you'll be easily defeated by your enemies."
"Xena," Cyrene looked scandalised for a moment, "Regardless, I don't think fighting is the answer here."
"So what is Mother? Letting them ransack our village, kill our friends and not do a thing about it."
"Of course not, Xena. But..." Cyrene was interrupted by a well-timed remark from Lyceus.
"I think Xena's right. If we don't fight we'll be slaughtered. And I'd rather be remembered for fighting a warlord than rolling over and accepting defeat."
"Lyceus, stay out of this," Cyrene scolded her youngest child, "This is none of your concern."
"Yes it is Mother. Since we have to live with what you decide, I'd like to be considered in this decision."
"We should flee," Torres broke into their discussion for the first time, "The tunnels beneath us lead straight to the hills. We have the best chance at survival if we hide in the forest and wait for them to leave."
"We can't flee, Torres," Xena said, "They'll just hunt us down and kill us."
"Not if we hide. Besides, we'll die if we fight. This way we've got a chance."
"How are you going to hide an entire village in the forest and make sure that Cortese doesn't find any of us?"
"I don't know yet, but we could hide in the cave, near the ridge."
"Torres, that cave can barely fit fifty people. What about the rest of them?" Xena asked, seeing Torres baffled look, she stated her opinion again.
"We'll die if we don't fight. We have to try." With that, Xena turned and made her way toward the staircase. Standing a few steps from the bottom, she gave a loud trill. Startled, the occupants of the room ceased their arguing and turned to the figure on the stairs.
Looking around the room, Xena began speaking, "We have three choices. We fight and have decent chance at survival, we surrender and have no chance of survival or we flee and have little chance of survival. We need to decide now!"
Xena looked around the room once more and seeing the blank faces on the majority of the villagers, she continued, "Raise your hands if you are in favour of fleeing." Only a small group of individuals raised their hands, Torres included.
"Raise your hands if you are in favour of surrendering." Again, a number of hands were raised; almost double the number in favour of fleeing.
"Raise your hands if you are in favour of fighting for our village." The hands that rose into the air with this option easily outnumbered either of the other choices.
"Okay," Xena said firmly, "We fight."
Please let me know what you think. I apologise for the bad writing. Thanks!