Marc Anthony
When they all came through the portal they had arrived in Rome. They immediately began forming their ranks more tightly as they marched towards Rome where she knew her daughter lay. The roman soldiers who had been in Sultry marched in front they would be the first to die in what would be a bloody battle. They all stopped in front of Rome, they were already closing the city off and there was a vast army in front. Even if they fought there would still be at least a month before a siege brought it down, but than what was normal about this battle. Catapults appeared from their own portals led by some of those who could not power up. Xena signaled to them and everyone began to take a knee. Their shields resting in front of them, but still on their arms.
"That's right bow to me!" They heard General Ving yell as horses disappeared. They didn't need them here at the moment. Xena would have smirked, but he had her daughter, her baby. Drake pointed and the archers pointed their arrows towards the air. Drake pointed to the Romans left flank, than the middle, and than the right. Xena controlled the Romans as they followed Drake's orders. They watched as Drake signaled them to release the arrows. The arrows flew over their heads either on fire or Ice or glowing in someone's magic. They tried to use their shields, but some ended up frozen to death others ended up burning and others lost shields or crucial pieces of arms if they were pierced in the heart, neck, or arms without the protection their shields could no longer offer them. They began to scatter like frightened ants when someone disturbs the anthill.
"Again!" Xena ordered. They shot again as the Roman soldiers under her control began to move forward. Drake stopped them after the fourth volley of arrows. The archers became obscure again as the remaining soldiers began to attack their fellow Romans. Xena controlled each one they were free to use their own skills, but they could not run or stop fighting. It got to the point where there were so who were so scared in a fight and not being able to run they fainted and were killed by either another Roman she had ordered or the ones fighting for General Ving. They all stood as the Romans under General Ving's orders began to press forward.
"Kill them all!" Drake yelled.
"And crucify all survivors!" Xena yelled. They all ran forward and the two armies clashed hard. Xena slit throats left and right turning her chakram to ice or fire and throwing it. Men fell under its sharp blade. They retreated into Rome as archers appeared on the walls and the entire army except the Roman soldiers under her control left standing. They made their own shields. Some survived and others did not.
"Orders?" Gabrielle asked.
"Crucify all those living and stick their heads on pikes," Drake told her as he stared in the distance to where he knew Eve was crying. Xena angrily ran a roman soldier through as soldiers watched. They dragged the women out of arrow range and soon there was a long line of Roman soldiers nailed to crosses if they were wounded or knocked out. If they were dead their heads were cut off and spikes appeared. Xena smirked as she watched Brutus and Marc Anthony watching. They were Caesar's generals. She turned.
"Break their legs!" Xena yelled. Than more quietly she said. "Its time these bastards experience what they've been doing to other people." She turned back to Brutus and Marc Anthony. "You're both next!" They both walked off as the screams of the Roman soldiers filled the air.
"Xena I think its fair to ask you're not going to begin pillaging are you?" Xena looked at Gabrielle.
"No, is some in this army hurting innocent people?" Xena asked uncrossing her arms and her angering focusing on a possible new target. Gabrielle held up her hands.
"No, no we were kind of worried you would." Xena shook her head.
"No, when we enter Rome the people will be spared unless they see fit to attack at that point its out of my hands they have made their decision to fight against us."
"And when you get Eve back than what?"
"We leave a ruined Rome and go home. I have no intention of returning for no more than a vacation." Gabrielle nodded.
"Well than I am here for you." Xena smiled and hugged her. They went back to the tents.
"My Queen," a group of soldiers greeted. They held their swords threatening chained up Roman soldiers.
"Why are these men still alive?" Xena asked angrily.
"Forgive us but they were much to young to be in a battle like this." Xena walked forward as a torch was brought closer to them and she looked at all their faces. They were very lucky that the man or woman they had come up against had spared their lives for their youth.
"You're very lucky," Xena told them seeing that they were a little beat up, but not wounded anymore than they would be in a sparring match.
"Bow you dogs, you're standing before a Queen!" They pushed and kicked until they bowed to her.
"Take away their armor and chain them up with guard, we'll decide more thoroughly what to do with them when I've got my daughter and the city is burning." They nodded. Xena was walking towards her tent when one spoke.
"I will die for Rome!" He yelled. Xena stopped walking and turned around with her arms crossed. She looked him up and down.
"Yes, well you just might," Xena told him before turning back around and walking to her tent. She entered it to see Drake pouring over a map of Rome.
"I'm going to go put some of the Amazons on watch." Xena nodded.
"Goodnight."
"Night, and don't worry Xena, we're going to get her back, okay?"
"Okay." Xena hugged her before Gabrielle walked off calling an Amazon towards her.
"There are aqueducts under the city." Drake didn't even have to look up to know it was gorgeous wife talking to him. Like him she had finally powered down for the moment, but the power would surge again.
"They're not on the map."
"They never are," Xena told him watching him. The candlelight gave him such a glow as he flexed a bit while stretching. She couldn't believe at a time like this she was lusting after her husband. Or rather she was more surprised that she was even thinking about it. She berated herself and reminded her that General Ving would and could slit Eve's throat at any moment. Vomit rose in her throat, the idea disgusted her and pained her in her heart as she swallowed forcing it back down.
"Yes, this is true, but do you know where the entrances are?"
"No, not exactly, but not hard to find just find the fresh water sources." Xena nibbled on some fruit. Drake nodded. "Tomorrow we use the catapults. Their walls are made from bricks and such so a few well placed rocks could coax it into crumpling.
"Maybe we ought to start hurling dead cow carcasses soon," Drake suggested. Xena shook her head.
"That'll only spread disease and who knows how long this seize could take, nothing is ever certain where Rome is concerned." He motioned for her to give him a bite. She moved the fruit to his lips and he took a bite.
"Thank you, and you're right, we could risk Eve catching something that wasn't meant for her and I won't be responsible for my own daughter's death."
"In a way we already are," Xena whispered.
"Don't say that, she's not dead and she won't be dead, we'll be marching into Rome by tomorrow even If I have to exhaust myself with crumbling that city with my power alone." Xena looked at him no longer sad, but as if he was a genius and he was.
"That's it!" She looked at him as if he already got it, but Drake was no longer in tune to where her mind had sped off so quickly.
"We can't do the that's a great idea dance if you don't tell me where you're at." Xena shook her head as if she just realized he was there.
"You, you're a genius, you could use your power to crumble the city."
"Yes, but I should only use such a massive amount of power when we need it. It'll take weeks to recover from something like that."
"Yes, if you do it by yourself."
"Oh no, you're not doing it, if I do it that's one thing, but you can't. If you do that to yourself you'll never rest and never recover than what will we do?" Drake asked her referring to himself and their children.
"No, no not the two of us all of us."
"All of us?" Drake asked. Xena nodded.
"The entire army, together we could crumble that city brick by brick, stone by stone until it is rubble around them, and little more than pebbles to be skipped across the water."
"But we could kill people."
"A little message from the Gods might compel them to leave their homes. A little false hope that the Gods will protect them might be a good thing." Drake stared at her thinking.
"I'm so glad I'm married to you and we're not enemies." Xena grinned at him as he kissed her. If Xena had her way she would have finally been released from her stupid curse, Ubel's mother had cast upon her, but they were in a middle of a war to save her daughter and distractions could not and would not be afforded so they separated themselves immediately.
"Tomorrow we bring Rome down," Xena told Gabrielle when she entered the tent.
"What's the plan?" Ephiny asked sitting up. Xena waved her hand for the Queens of the Amazons to gather around her.
"As it is to crumble an entire city takes a lot of energy and concentration. As easy as it would be to use you all we cannot for General Ving will surely send out soldiers to break our concentration."
"Every odd number take up arms for you will defend us against the soldiers and when the city crumbles we will march to victory with you on the Romans and reclaim our princess!" They all cheered. Xena turned and looked at Rome, the soldiers on the walls, who were gulping as if they knew that soon they too would be crucified especially General Ving.
"March on Rome and wait do not bother attacking the walls, they hide behind." They nodded to her and saluted her. They marched forward closing ranks and kneeled to watch the walls crumble always ready to attack at a moments notice just out of range of the arrows.
"Now what?" Gabrielle asked Drake.
"We power up and open your minds to us," Drake responded as He and Xena began to glow. They closed their eyes as did everyone else and Gabrielle followed suit.
"Picture Rome in your mind," Xena told them all. One by one she felt them all concentrating on Rome. "Now concentrate your power and I want you to picture it falling apart grain by grain." No one moved as stared ahead of them seemingly seeing nothing.
The soldiers on the walls were the first to be aware of the changes in the wall as one soldier found his foot in a pit of sand.
"Hey what the hell is going on around here?" Marc Anthony asked.
"I dunno its like the wall is turning to sand," said a soldier as a chunk of wall turned to sand and covered his foot. Marc Anthony took out a spyglass and looked out. He saw the soldiers waiting for an attack he expected them, but that was only half the army. He looked behind them and saw the glowing mass.
"Its them, the witches." He heard the gates opened and saw the enemy's forces watching the gates closely. They were sending men to the slaughter and possibly even their fellow Romans who were being controlled. "She's going to bring down Rome, she's going to bring down this empire for that child." He hurried to the stairs trying to be careful of patches of sand, but he tripped once, He finally made it, but the stairs crumbled under each of his steps. Marc Anthony was relieved to make it to the bottom safely. He ran over to Brutus.
"What are you doing, you're sending these men to slaughter we cannot attack yet."
"We can if we want to live, now I'm in charge now that Caesar is dead not you," Brutus told him.
"I'd be careful Brutus, Caesar isn't dead, you heard what Ving said, he can't die in their world. He has to die here," Marc Anthony reminded him. Brutus smirked.
"Caesar is weak and he seeks things that Rome does not. If he comes back here he will die. Get out of my face Anthony." Marc Anthony glared at him. If Brutus ruled Rome all would be lost and even worst under General Ving. It was up to him to return Rome to its former glory, but first he had to get their enemy away from Rome and make a deal with them. He hurried to Caesar's palace. He knew exactly what he had to do to save Rome and its people.
"Xena!" Xena ignored Brutus and continued to focus. "You will not defeat Rome!" He growled at the fact she was ignoring him. "Once I have taken care of your soldiers I will personally nail your daughter to the cross for what you have done to my soldiers!" Xena powered down and was now staring directly at Brutus he had most definitely earned her attention and he knew it.
"Slaughter the lot of them," Xena ordered and her soldiers stood and attacked the Roman soldiers faster than they could react most of the time. Solari engaged Brutus in battle as Xena quickly hurried to her side. They fault and just as it looked like Solari would get the other hand and cut him down he stabbed her in the side. Xena back flipped and landed next to her. She touched her wound as Brutus retreated.
"I tried," Solari told her, but Xena put her hand to her wound.
"Save you strength, you'll need it to recover, its not deadly or poisonous." Solari nodded as two Amazons ran to her side to protect her as Xena handed her, her sword. Xena stood up and spotted Brutus running back to safety. She took out her sword and ran a Roman soldier through before she back flipped letting her infamous war cry, which put fear in his heart. She landed right in front of him, rotating her sword threateningly, and he held his sword up at the ready.
"You will not defeat me Xena, I'd run while you can." Xena gave him a feline grin making him gulp, it was clear she had nothing, but the worst intentions for him.
"Oh don't worry Brutus, I'm not going to wound you that would be too nice of me, considering the payback I owe you. You see you're much more devious than I previously thought and I'm sure Caesar will be happy to be rid of you. I have no doubt that since I am going to dispose of you first that Marc Anthony will let him know of your treachery if only to make himself seem more trustworthy."
"Maybe, so, but you're not going to kill me Xena, I am going to walk back into Rome right now, and if Caesar returns I will kill him and Marc Anthony won't be living much longer either."
"Oh believe me he will, I'm pretty sure he wasn't bonded to my world yet. You can bet on it he will return to find Rome no more than a pile of sand."
"Maybe you will turn it to sand, but I'll prevail in the end, and I will march on your world once you're out of the way. I will do what Caesar could not."
"If by some miracle you managed to defeat us, you'll find that you won't get very far, there are many more where we came from. You don't have the power." A surge of soldiers came at them both, but she knew they were all coming for her.
"Next time you're mine and I won't waste time with talk." Xena spun in the air jumping on their heads she just barely missed being hit by archers. She ordered a retreat, as they were weaker without all their numbers. They grabbed as many wounded as they could, but some were left to the Roman's mercy. While some were lucky enough to be taken to the stadium where they would surely be gladiators, others were killed and their bodies hung from the loose walls of Rome by the neck on chains. Thankfully they were already dead.
"This means absolutely no mercy," Artemis cried looking at her beloved Amazons.
"Mercy has already fled Artemis, this means we're going to be down right ruthless. Its time we brought out the wheel." There was a collective gasp from those who knew Xena's past. Xena sent them to build the wheels.
"Is this correct my Queen?" Xena nodded.
"In the center add a thick sharp stake. I want it to make them arch their backs so they can't relax against it, so that when someone spends it they're forced to lay straight driving it through them." They nodded knowing they would essentially kill themselves.
"How are you feeling?" Hercules asked her as she ate lunch as they were preparing for yet another attack.
"Not so good, I haven't felt this much rage in a long time." Hercules nodded.
"I understand, he's holding your daughter hostage, I have my anger too." Xena nodded.
"So you're not here to tell me not to build the wheel and to stop crucifying the soldiers?"
"Its not what I would do no, but this is war, and with a guy like Ving in charge we can't afford to be merciful to all. The people will survive, and soldiers that are too young will live and perhaps prioritize their lives a little better."
"One of them will rise to power amid such chaos," Xena replied. Hercules nodded.
"This is true." He held his head down. "Look I've got the men and women I need Ares and I can go through the aquaducts at nightfall if you don't bring the walls down." Xena nodded.
"We won't even with so many it takes time to grind the materials to sand. We're only going the extra mile for the innocent behind those walls." Hercules nodded. He put a hand on her shoulder.
"You will get Eve back, you have protected her from the moment she was born, she is not going anywhere." Xena nodded.
"I know, I have complete faith that she is terrorizing General Ving right now and actually enjoying her time as a hostage." They both chuckled.
"That's our Eve." Xena nodded. No one ever thought of Eve as a scared little girl, she would always be the one giving her captors a run for her money. And Xena knew that on the outside that maybe true, she was so much like her sometimes always hiding her fear except to Drake, Gabrielle, and herself. Xena thought they were perhaps the only three people to see her cry out of fear.
"Xena!" Drake called. He motioned for her to come to him and she stood and followed after a nod to Hercules, who nodded back and went in search of his brother.
"Do not worry Anthony even I can see Brutus is Treacherous, when Caesar returns he'll be disposed of soon enough."
"Yes, maybe so but Brutus is Caesar's best friend, we'll have hard time proving it."
"Do not worry, I have my proof." Marc Anthony nodded.
"If I may ask where is the child you stole?"
"Ah her, she is enjoying Roman life at this very moment, I find that children who are hostage are better kept in luxury rather than squalor or else they become more of a pain. Best thing about her age is I don't need to keep her under heavy guard." He laughed and Marc Anthony laughed too before he departed. He walked asking a slave where the child was located.
"Sir!" The Roman soldier saluted him.
"You are relieved soldier."
"But sir the General…"
"Yes, I am the General, you are relieved and you never saw me." The soldier looked at him and nodded before saluting him and leaving. Marc Anthony opened the doors and found Eve being fed dinner by two slaves and dressed in Roman finery. He also noticed that cold blue eyes locked with his own eyes the moment he had walked into the room. It sent a chill down his spine to meet a child with such eyes. He had seen those same cold eyes on her mother as she had watched them. He may not have had the up close view that he had to Eve's, but he had felt it. "Leave us." The slaves didn't ask questions as they stood up and left out. Eve stood up as well watching him. He noted she couldn't have been more than three maybe four years old and already she had her mother's beauty.
Eve watched him closely as he shut the door and walked closer to her. He noted she was unmoving. He had never had anyone watch his every movement so closely as if calculating every angle, he could attack from.
"Can you understand me?" He asked her. Who knew what language she spoke certainly something he had never heard before.
"Yes," Eve answered perfectly. "You're the enemy." Marc Anthony nodded.
"Yes, but I do not want to be. It is not my vision for Rome."
"I want my mommy." He nodded again.
"I know, I have come to take you too her, I was hoping we could come to an understanding that you wouldn't give me too much trouble in smuggling you out of the palace." Eve squatted, but it appeared as if she sat. She tilted her head to the side scrutinizing him some more for deception.
"You have more."
"What?" Eve sighed and repeated herself. " I don't understand your meaning not what you are saying." Eve looked more puzzled. "What does I you have more mean?"
"Help self not Eve." Marc Anthony understood.
"Aren't you a smart little girl, yes I have other intentions but not bad, not to you or your mommy."
"No believe you."
"I swear it to you on Rome and my honor that I wish to be diplomatic, I want Rome to fall for now, but only so that I may take control and establish good relations with your parents."
"Mommy kill you." Marc Anthony nodded.
"Yes, I suppose she has every intention too I am the enemy, but you can stop her."
"Why should I?" Eve asked him.
"Because war is not always a good thing young one, have you not seen what it does to people." Eve nodded remembering the orphans and famine. They had, had to leave their home and go to another one. And as the stories went it wasn't the first time. "Will you help me if I take you back to your mommy?" Eve watched him.
"I help, you swear to protect Eve at all costs." Marc Anthony nodded.
"I swear to protect you at all costs while you're in my care." Eve nodded and raised her arms. Marc Anthony walked over and lifted her up. He wrapped her in a blanket and carried her under his arm as if she were not a child. Eve did not make a sound watching the floor as they went. Marc Anthony being a General easily avoided any mishaps because he did not run into General Ving. However he ran into lots of places where his foot went to the floor. He had to get to them before they completely ruined Rome.
"Anthony!" Marc Anthony stopped as Brutus called to him. He sighed and suddenly felt the weight of the blanket lighter and the sound of a snake. He turned.
"What is it Brutus I'm busy."
"What's that you have there?" Brutus asked looking at him. Marc Anthony looked back at him.
"Its just a blanket, am I not allowed to carry a blanket any longer?" Marc Anthony asked.
"No, that's a slave's job."
"Well if I wanted to use a slave I'd have grabbed them by the hair and ordered them to carry it." Brutus snatched the blanket from him and unrolled it, if he hadn't dropped it in time he would have gotten bitten by an Egyptian Cobra.
"Ah!" He moved back.
"Why was there a cobra in there?" Brutus asked.
"I guess someone was trying assassinate me," Marc Anthony told him. "Too bad they failed." He grabbed the snake from behind and it wrapped itself around his arm, but not too tightly. "I'll go dispose of it." He picked up the blanket and continued on his way. "You're a very talented little girl stay in your form." Eve didn't move and he took it as her understanding him. He made it out of the palace and to an aquaduct entrance in the cover of night. He jumped down into the water. For the moment it was only calf deep, that would change from time to time. He walked off towards the exit quickly. It felt like it took all night, but when he finally entered the night air it was only the middle of the night with the moon directly over head. The sound of metal clashing on metal could be heard. So the battle was still raging they would be missing him yes, but this was for the best.
"All right young one change back." Eve changed back. He nearly dropped her from the weight change, but he caught her and put the blanket around her. Eve looked around and than pointed in the direction of Xena and Drake's camp. Marc Anthony went as quickly as possible and made it a point to be caught.
"Who goes there!" The Amazon asked.
"It is I Marc Anthony, I've come to speak with your King."
"I don't have a King, I have a Queen." He squinted in the dark.
"Are you not a soldier fighting the Romans."
"Yes, but I am an Amazon." Marc Anthony suddenly understood.
"My apologies, but I must see the King who commands the others than."
"Why?" She asked as he heard more than saw someone else running off.
"I have come to return the child to her parents." The Amazon gasped.
"Eve?"
"Yes?" Eve answered sleepily with a yawn.
"Put her down on the ground and step back, you will have your audience that is for sure." He put Eve down on the ground. "Now your weapons and armor now hurry." He did so as others appeared. He could hear them whispering and he saw one approach for Eve than back away watching him closely.
"Don't hurt," Eve told them. "I want my mommy." The amazon who had picked her up looked her over before leaving with her as the others converged on him.
Meanwhile a retreat for the night had been called on both sides. The walls now had holes in them and the soldiers numbers had waned to that of over a thousand. Brutus knew they would have to pull off a large attack and not with tired soldiers. Xena knew what was coming and wanted her soldiers rested up too. As they entered the camps she realized there was a stillness.
"My Queen, my King we were just coming for you," Emily told her looking happy.
"Why are you so happy we're at war?" Drake asked.
"You must come see for yourself." She ran off and they hurried after her. Gabrielle, Ephiny, and Eponin following closely behind. They entered their tent to find the Amazon still holding Eve. She hadn't let her out of her sight for even a moment.
"Eve!" They all exclaimed. Xena had her in her arms immediately and was kissing her and checking her over for any injury even a scratch. She looked very well taken care of. Drake also showered her with hugs and kisses as he did so Xena turned to Emily and the Amazon.
"How did she get here?" Xena asked. "Who brought her, General Ving wouldn't just let her go."
"Marc Anthony I believe he called himself." The room fell silent. Xena turned and looked Eve in the eyes deeply afraid that it really wasn't her daughter she was relieved to find it was. She let Eve's face go and allowed her to look away.
"Where is he?"
"We have him bound in chains. Eve told us not to hurt him." Xena looked at Eve.
"You made some kind of deal?" Eve watched her for a moment as her mind processed what her mother was asking her. She reached for her again and Xena took her.
"He want more."
"He has an agenda for helping you than?" Xena asked. Drake was completely lost, but knew Eve and Xena understood one another perfectly even if the words were not clear to others.
"Rule Rome," Eve told her. Xena nodded.
"Bring him in," Xena ordered. The amazon nodded and left as they all moved in creating more room. Marc Anthony would be surrounded.
"He wants to rule Rome?" Drake asked.
"Not his vision," Eve told them. Xena nodded.
"He's told her that this is not his vision for Rome, he wants to rule but he can't do that with Caesar on the return, Brutus, and General Ving. He knows we'll have to defeat General Ving if not Caesar. He'll expose or murder Brutus, and finally Caesar though I imagine a plan for him was already in the works." They all nodded as Marc Anthony was pushed in. He fell to his knees. He looked at Eve.
"I have for filled my promise, now you yours."
"Mommy no kill him," Eve told her. Xena nodded.
"You are very smart to hide behind our daughter," Drake told him.
"I thought it was a good idea too thanks." There was a snicker that was quickly silenced.
"Well let's have it your full agenda, you just gave away Rome's bargaining chip."
"Yes, yes I have, but that's not my Rome, all I ask is you spare my life and destroy Brutus and General Ving. Caesar is easily handled without them around should he return. I enjoy conquest as much as the next, but Caesar's decisions have not made us prosper as well as we should. It is time for a new Era, mine."
"Lucky for you, I have a debt to pay to Brutus for crucifying Gabrielle and myself, but you, you have put yourself in a position for where we owe you by giving us back our daughter."
"So we will spare your life so that you can come to power," Drake told him. "However after this is over we will not hesitate to take your life should you ever give us reason." He nodded.
"Understood, I only wish to create peaceful relations between our worlds once again." They nodded as he was released from his chains, but the shackles remained on his hands.
"Forgive us if we do not trust you to sleep without chaining you a little. One never knows how elaborate the enemy's plan will be." Marc Anthony nodded.
"As long as you're not killing me, I don't see a problem."
"Good." They took him away.
"Well that was interesting," Gabrielle said.
"Very, but at least now we have Eve, tomorrow Rome falls whether they want it too or not," Xena told them kissing Eve's forehead.