Cyrene
"A sheep?" Xena asked.
"I got it off some slave and his owner. They traded it for fish." Xena looked at Tabbai and Daniel.
"You're as bad my son," Xena said shaking her head. She went back and watched the Pigs give birth. Piggy 2 birthed twenty piglets while Piggy Twenty-five only had six. She checked them all for any problems. They were all perfectly fine.
"Are there enough to pay us off?" Tabbai asked coming up to the pen. He liked it here and didn't want to go back.
"Yes, go tell him his payment will be delivered in four weeks once we've weaned them prematurely. Tabbai did as he was told and came back with a message.
"He says if you wanna keep me you'll wean them off so he won't have to feed them any milk."
"Tell him that'll take twelve weeks that'll be three months." Tabbai nodded. Three months passed. They had an abundance of eggs for breakfast and still plenty of chicks running around. The sows were already pregnant again because Asher had let the male boars back in with the sows by accident. The goat had gotten pregnant some how and the sheep had been pregnant already. The sheep was due any day now while the goat still had at least another month.
"All right let's get these pigs off to seal the deal." Tabbai nodded and eighteen pigs were taken to his old master. A messenger rode up and Xena accepted the message. Cleopatra was calling her to the palace.
"If Daniel comes back tell him I'm at the palace. She saddled Argo and rode up to the palace. When she arrived Cleopatra greeted her. They sat down at her table and she told her of Daniel's health and how he still hadn't let her get rid of all the animals.
"What I called you up here for was to tell you that your mother is sick. Your brother with Gabrielle's help has dispatched messages to all your closest friends begging you to return to Greece, it seems only you can help your mother. I feel it is my duty to tell you." Xena sighed.
"It is time I went home and faced the music." Cleopatra nodded.
"You can't hide forever and it will never be over if you don't face it. One day you'll be gone and than what. End the threat now." Xena nodded.
"You're right, I've never been a runner until now and its time I stopped." Cleopatra nodded.
"We'll leave next month when the sows give birth again and so forth. Gods forbid we leave before than."
"Take your servants, set them free in Greece if you like." Xena nodded.
"We will have a grand feast before you leave." Xena went back home and entered to find Daniel with a pet monkey.
"You have got to be kidding me."
"Nope, Monkey is my new best friend." Xena sighed. "Okay household meeting!" Tabbai, Asher, and Samara entered.
"In a month's time assuming we're prepared by than we will be moving to Greece. You three are welcome to free yourselves in Greece, I just ask you do it in a timely fashion." They nodded.
"Does this mean its safe?" Daniel asked. Xena shook her head.
"No, it means we can't run forever and it's not right to bottle up your fears. Fears are meant to be conquered the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Understand?" Daniel nodded.
"Do I have to leave my pets?" Daniel asked. Xena shook her head no.
"They can travel with us and there will be a lot more room for them in my home village." Daniel was very pleased.
"We will stay with you until you no longer need us," Samara said. Xena nodded.
"Well than let's eat dinner." They ate, but halfway through everyone was outside and they helped birth two lambs.
"Yay Sheepy had two babies."
"They're called Lambs."
"Lamb 1 and Lamb 2." Xena shook her head at him; he never was inventive with the names. Lamb 1 was a girl while Lamb 2 was a boy. In another month the Goat had a litter of two boys.
"Is Sandy gonna be okay?" Daniel asked.
"Yes Sandy, Windy, and Squishy are going to be just fine." The sows gave birth to another large litter. Piggy 2 who was on her third litter was exhausted. They weaned the babies off after another month, but they had to kill her. Daniel was sad. They salted the meat for their journey and stored it. Xena made cheese from goat's milk and Samara baked bread. They waited to gather the fruit and vegetables on the very last night.
"How many pigs mommy?" Daniel said running up.
"Um…let's see we started out with twenty-six, but now we're down to fourteen."
"What happen to them?" Daniel asked.
"We gave them to your Aunt Cleopatra."
"What's Samara weaving in the house?" Daniel asked.
"Cotton for your new clothes."
"Why do I need new clothes?" Daniel asked.
"The climate is much different in Greece and you'll need sturdier things. I even got you a pair of boots. On the night before they left Daniel and Xena attended a party in their honor where Cleopatra bestowed them with some riches. They slept in the palace and returned home the next morning. They loaded an ox cart with their neatly folded clothing tied up in satchels. They placed the food packet in there. Next it was the chicken crates, duck crates, and geese crates. After that they added the pots and pans. A basket full of dried fruits and fresh vegetables were added as well. Cleopatra ordered two slaves to keep it in good condition for them and fill it with all new things so she would not have to transport things back and forth.
"I'll send on your furniture and take these two oxen something tells me you won't exactly be living in Egyptian finery." Xena laughed a little a long with her.
"I'll only accept one."
"Please take them, when you get to Greece than you may do what you like." Xena nodded. "Also take Hadar and Hadassa as extra help don't argue." Xena nodded again seeing something in her eyes. Another wagon loaded with goods was loaded onto the boat along with Argo, two oxen, cow, goat, sheep, lambs, kids, pigs, and birds. Xena held Kitty herself and Doggy stood next to Daniel and Monkey. Daniel kissed Cleopatra goodbye. Soon everyone was on board.
"Why did Cleopatra want you to come with me?" Xena asked Hadar and Hadassa when they were mile off the coast.
"She favors us, some one wanted us dead for spilling wine. He would stop at nothing to kill us. This way we're safe. We're yours now and forever." Xena groaned. The journey was long and the food they had stored sustained them most of the way. Soon they were docking in the North. All the carts were unloaded off the boat and loaded with their things. When they reached Amphipolis it was nighttime. They had unpacked in the home Cleopatra had sent a few noble soldiers to build ages ago after buying some land. It resembled their Egyptian home, but with more Greek architectural features. They slept in make shift beds.
In the morning set Asher to creating a new garden while Samara and Hadassa plucked the dead chickens except one who was free to peck the yard for worms. The goats and cow were fine. Argo was perfectly healthy and loved the new barn. The pigs were also okay in their sty, which was in the perfect spot as the smell didn't reach the house. Daniel was stiff however and wanted to go back to Egypt.
"Here, this will help." Xena massaged his back. She bathed him with the water Tabbai retrieved from the river before he went back to the docks to await their furniture with one of the oxen to pull the wagon. Xena gathered the herbs she had brought from her garden.
"Now let's go meet your grandmother," Xena told Daniel.
"Can I bring Kitty, Doggy, and even Monkey?" Daniel asked. Xena shook her head no.
"Later right now, I think Grandma just needs to see us." Daniel nodded. He left with her and they went into the village. They were met by lots of stares and surprised looks. Some people even greeted her as if she had never left.
"Xena!" Torres exclaimed. They hugged. "Mother will be so pleased to see you, when did you get back?"
"Last night, where is she?" Xena asked. Torres didn't notice his nephew who had a tight grip on Xena's hand from being nervous. His small hand fit so perfectly into her own, that Xena barely noticed his tightened grip. But she was never one to be completely ignorant to her son's feelings. She squeezed his hand reasuringly and pulled him a little closer.
"In her room, I really hope you can do something about her illness." Xena nodded. They went upstairs and Xena went in alone and than let Daniel in while she stepped out.
"Well?" Torres asked.
"Just pneumonia, it'll clear up with more constant and better care not that you haven't been doing a great job so far." Torres nodded.
"And the kid?"
"He's mine and your nephew that's all you need to know for now." Torres nodded.
"Excellent, I've always wanted one." Xena nodded and gave him a list of things to collect around the house or in the market. She went back inside as he turned to leave.
"Xena he's gorgeous," Cyrene said before coughing. Xena smiled, but than frown and quickly traversed the room to her mother's bed. Cyrene waved her off as she sat back and breathed deeply.
"He's a treasure," Xena told her.
"Mommy, I was just telling Grandma about Doggy and Kitty and Ducky and Monkey and Goosey and Pete and Piggy thirty and Piggy twenty and Piggy twenty-five and Piggy…"
"Yes, that's not name all the piggy it'll take you all day." Daniel nodded.
"Can I go pick flowers for Grandma?" Daniel asked.
"Why don't you go buy some from the market instead, we just got here and I don't want you wandering off on your own just yet." Daniel nodded and reached for the dinars she kept at her waist.
"Can I buy a toy too?" Daniel asked grabbing a handful.
"One toy no more so don't come asking." Daniel grinned and kissed his Grandma and Xena before running out.
"He reminds me of you when you were little." Xena smiled a little and turned towards her mother.
"I doubt it I can't possibly have been as spoiled as he is." Cyrene nodded your head.
"I spoiled you rotten no matter what."
"I've missed you so much these pass five years."
"Why didn't you come home?" Cyrene asked. "Gabrielle stayed here for over a year waiting and hoping you show up. She even went looking for you, but her search was in vain. I would have helped you with Daniel you know. I didn't think you'd come though when Torres tried to find you in the hopes that you could help me."
"I would never let anything happen to you if I could stop it, but in a way Daniel is the reason I left, but not the reason your thinking. Things were much more complicated and leaving kept him safe, but I can't teach him to live his life in fear. I had to stop hiding or I'd cease being myself." Cyrene nodded. Xena used some herbs to free her mother of the fluid in her lungs, but this also meant that Torres needed to keep close watch on her and give her water to keep hydrated every so often. The days passed as the summer progressed and Cyrene was able to walk around the village with her grandson.
"Grandma don't let him kill Bunny," Daniel cried. Cyrene bought the rabbit and they took him to the house Xena had been expanding to include her mother. Torres was content to watch over the tavern at night. He thought it would do his mother good to live in a house. Hadar, Hadassa, Samara, and Asher were perfectly happy to help. While Hadar and Hadassa had dedicated their lives to her Samara and Asher had found that they were older than they realized. They had urged Tabbai to leave, but he would not go until his parents were in their final resting-place.
"Not again," Xena said riding up on Argo. She had taken her for a very relaxing exercise in her free time.
"What do you mean?" Cyrene asked. "Its one little bunny, I'll help care for."
"You must not been fully awake when he told you about his other pets."
"Other pets?" Cyrene asked. Xena led Argo inside the walls the slaves had constructed. Xena didn't bother to stop them when she saw they had already started and it was coming along quickly. White walls were nice to see after brown of the village. She was missing Alexandria already.
"Well there goes Goosey, Goosey 2 and so on. Than there's Chicky Twenty because there were a lot but they died on the way here. So it's just her. But than there's Ducky, Ducky 2, Ducky 3, Ducky 4 and so on. After Ducky its Doggy and Kitty. Piggy Twenty, Twenty-five, Thirty, and Thirty-one etc…"
"Oh," Cyrene said.
"Mommy you forgot Monkey and Pete and Argo and Sheepy, Lamb 1, Lamb 2, and Windy and Squishy."
"I thought Pete was named Sandy since it turned out to be a girl?" Xena asked. Daniel shook his head.
"Nope, Pete again."
"Right well note Argo is mine and the rest are yours."
"Mommy you silly, I'm gonna go show Bunny, Monkey." Xena stuck her tongue out at him and he did the same before running off.
"Next time I'll think twice." Xena nodded as she led Argo to the barn with her mother following.
"Why do you have two oxen?" Cyrene asked. Xena shrugged.
"I got all this land and it was assumed I'd do some farming but I'm quite content to buy my wheat and barley, but we don't exactly have corn here so Tabbai is using them for that. Other than that they're really useless to me."
"I thought you didn't like slaves." They walked out of the barn and watched Asher tending to their beautiful garden where he had added chili peppers, legumes, peas, melon, watermelon, parsley, Cucumbers, Mint, Oregano, Coriander, Turnips, Dill, Arugula, Carrots, broccoli, tea, and strawberries.
"I don't, but you see Asher was borrowed to help me out, but than he asked me to buy him. I guess he preferred me to his abusive master. Asked me to save his wife as well. So his master heard him and cut out his tongue. So I bought him and than I bought his wife and finally his son. Hadar and Hadassa I saved them from certain death and they've dedicated their lives to me. I've freed them, but they insist on staying as servants with food, room, and clothing." Asher looked up at that moment and waved to them. They waved back. They went inside the house where things were furnished and comfortable. They sat down while Samara brought them some tea.
"Are you all right?" Xena asked seeing her mother looked a little tired.
"Yes, just tired, I guess my illness is still here." Xena nodded.
"Drink your tea it will help." Cyrene nodded as Daniel ran in. He wedged himself between the two of them as he ate some meat he had gotten from Hadassa with bread and cheese. Hadassa brought more in and set it before them.
"Bunny likes it here."
"Did you feed bunny?" Xena asked. Daniel nodded.
"How long do you plan on letting your pets starve, Tabbai has been waiting for you to get back so you can take the animals to graze again. We agreed that was your job." Daniel nodded and enjoyed the company of his mother and grandma before he left.
"He's so obedient." Xena nodded. "The one difference between you and him." Cyrene laughed, as did Xena.
"Was I really that bad?" Xena asked. Cyrene shook her head no.
"I think you were much sweeter than Daniel."
"Do you know what happened to Gabrielle?" Xena asked.
"She went back home, she said if you ever turned up that's where you would find her. Home to the Amazons I mean. She went home to Potidaea, but things were to boring for her and they wanted her to marry. It wasn't what she wanted." Xena nodded.
"I feel so terrible about leaving her so suddenly, but I didn't know how I would be living and I couldn't drag her into that life." Cyrene nodded her understanding. "I probably should have let her make that choice for herself, but I didn't."
"Xena, all that matters to her is that you've come back and that you don't forget her. Gabrielle understands something happened and she just wished you would have trusted her enough to help." Xena nodded.
"Once you're better I think Daniel and I will take a trip down there."
"Why not leave him here?" Cyrene asked.
"No, it's complicated, besides he can't sleep when I'm not around. Only once have I ever had to leave him in the care of some one else and he didn't sleep the entire week I was gone and neither did I. He wouldn't eat or drink either." Xena didn't mention things kept catching on fire by accident and on purpose. Now she had to worry about Ares as well.
"Xena you have to let him have time away from you."
"I will in time just not now, now is not the time to start." Xena refused to talk about it after that. She distracted her mother with a game of Senet.
"Damn it, how did you win?" Cyrene asked.
"Skill," Xena replied with a grin. "Play Daniel you're bound to win against him." Daniel ran in at that moment all dirty." After he gets cleaned up." Daniel grinned at her and did as he was told. Everybody went up to the roof. Xena made dinner while they stared out at the stars. Torres came by and came up with his girlfriend Jasmine. They all ate dinner, but she seemed to hate having to share a table with Hadar, Hadassa, Samara, Tabbai, and Asher so they insisted on taking their dinner downstairs. Xena excused them with food enough to have seconds.
"Xena I was thinking you could create a large pond sort of for the ducks and geese." Xena nodded to her mother.
"It would look nice as well." Daniel joked with his Uncle and than later joined Cyrene in a game of Senet, which he won before they all, played Mehen.
"You know a fountain would look and work better," Jasmine put in later. Xena and Cyrene were silent.
"Yeah, I suppose, but it's a matter of being able afford a fountain." Jasmine nodded. After Mehen they played Chinese checkers with Daniel and Xena playing as one team.
"I win," Daniel muttered as Xena moved their last piece into position and snuggled up against her a little more.
"He's gifted that's the only reason he won even while he was half asleep." Xena shrugged.
"Well I think he has the right idea, come on I'll walk you home," Torres said to Jasmine. She nodded.
"Thank you for dinner it was very lovely." Xena nodded. Once they were gone Cyrene told her she didn't like her at all. She was rude to Hadar, Hadassa, Samara, Tabbai, and Asher. Xena nodded again as she rubbed Daniel's back. The dinner dishes had been cleaned up long ago and the leftover food stored.
"Here can you take him I wanna make sure everything is locked up. Cyrene nodded and took Daniel heading for his bedroom. He woke up almost immediately and started crying for Xena. She could hear him as she locked the front gate and the barn. Everything was quiet, but a little windy. She went back inside and closed the front door after locking it.
"Daniel calm down she's coming back," Cyrene tried to sooth. Xena walked in at that moment. He removed himself from Cyrene's arms and ran to Xena. She put him on the bed and now he calmly let Cyrene change him. She tucked him in and Xena sat on the edge of the bed next to him.
"What story do you wanna hear tonight?" Xena asked as he put his head on her lap and she rubbed his back.
"Make up a story about Me and Ducky."
"How about I tell you the story of the ugly duckling?" Daniel nodded. He was asleep halfway through the story. Monkey came in and curled up next to him. Xena left out with Cyrene.
"I've never seen a child so attached." Xena shrugged as she yawned.
"He'll grow out of it by the time he's thirteen," Xena replied sadly. "Do you need any help?"
"No, I'll be fine dear you go on to bed." Xena nodded and watched her mother go into her room before she went in her own. Daniel eventually crawled in with her never one to stay in his room long.