Chapter 7: Doubt rising
Notes: I would like to thank all those who still support me. I was on a small vacation and I was spending some time there to write on my phone, but I had to do a lot of corrections at home and some addition to the chapter as well. (I returned just yesterday!) Reviews really make the author happy. So please, if you have time, let me know what you think! ("Author", just me that I hit my head to the walls to write these chapters and struggle to find ways to make my scattered thoughts presentable.)
dziubasinsky thank you very much! You give me courage, I hope you had a great time, check your PM!
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It is early in the morning and Kassandra has gone to the beach with Kass. She named the lynx after her as Myrrine always says the small beast's behavior is similar to Kassandra's and insisted on it. So, finally Kassandra stuck with it. They leave in a week and that's why they make the most of the time they have left in Naxos.
Kassandra likes hanging at the beach. It is one of the very few good memories from Kephallonia and the only place she was happy to spend time on that island. The sea is crystal clear. The sand is clean and whitish, sparkling in the sunlight. It is so hot that swimming seems a wise choice for the day.
Right now, she is sitting in the sand where the waves lap on the shore with her feet stretched, being touched now and then by the stronger swells. A warm breeze blowing lightly carries the smell of sea salt to her nostrils.
Kass is still young so she plays running around. Kassandra takes up a stick and throws it for Kass to run towards it. She is trying now and then to train the lynx but it is more difficult than she thought. Ikaros attempts to fish his next meal while some dolphins leap out of the water at the horizon. Light footsteps on the sand are heard. Kassandra notices, not turning though as Kass is completely calm playing with the stick biting it.
"I knew you would be here." Myrrine's voice is soft as she approaches sitting next to Kassandra with her sandals in her hand.
"No work for today, finally?" Kassandra faces her mother hopefully.
"You were right, we have so little time left here and we have a hard road ahead of us. I will make time for us these days." Myrrine promises.
"I already took this week off. There isn't anything left to do." Kassandra sighs.
"This spot is my favorite. I will miss it." Myrrine admits.
"We can travel here with Adrestia sometime." Kassandra assures her mother.
"Thank you, child." Myrrine smiles taking her daughter's right hand in hers. "What's on your mind bothering you so?" Myrrine asks concerned.
"Sometimes I just wish for a simpler life." Kassandra mutters.
"Life isn't easy, lamb. We will face it together." Myrrine encourages rubbing her daughter's hand.
"Not all of us. Some are forever gone." Kassandra sights heavily thinking of Phoibe and fearing that more of those she cares for will have the same fate.
"We can only keep moving on cherishing the moments with those we've lost. Who was it?" Myrrine asks sensing that Kassandra loved them much and considering he might be her lover.
"A friend. She was very young. I wanted to take her here with me and we could adopt her, she had no family." Kassandra utters the words slowly in an attempt to restrain herself from crying.
This place was so beautiful. She could ask of nothing more than living in a place like this with her loved ones. No cult, no war, no one trying to kill them. In a way it was like a dream living here these past months. After they dealt with Paros everything was peaceful, almost, but she had to wake up from this dream and go back to the hell of the rest of the Greek world to make things right.
She wouldn't forget Phoibe's death so easily, her brother, those who ripped her family apart, Brasidas. She had to fight for what she cared for and take revenge for the pain. She had to win not a battle but her life back.
"I'm sorry, my lamb. Time heals." Myrrine breaks the silence after a long pause.
They remain silent for a long time.
"In a way, it does." Kassandra whispers agreeing at last.
"Look at the bright side, we are here together. We'll be a family again." The older woman says hugging her daughter. Myrrine's words aren't really enough to cheer Kassandra up, but her lips curve in a smile.
"You are right, mater. We can't expect our life to be perfect. I'm just angry and concerned about how connected is the cult. They are everywhere." Kassandra throws her hands in the air irritated.
"I have faith in you and you are not alone. We'll find them together." Myrrine encourages her rubbing her back lovingly.
"Thank you, mater." She smiles and kisses her mother on the cheek.
"No need, my lamb. I should thank you for giving me a second chance, giving our family a chance." Myrrine smiles widely and kisses her daughter's forehead.
"So, what do you say, shall we go for a swim?" Kassandra proposes. She is not the kind of person that will sit down and moan. She will take matters into her own hands as soon as she steps upon land but for now, she will enjoy the time she has with her mother.
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The day has come. The Adrestia is setting sail for the port of Nauplia. They will be there in five days with good windy weather.
The journey was adventurous as usual but nothing Adrestia couldn't handle. Poseidon favored them and they docked at Nauplia as they expected. All the while mother and daughter came close enough to discuss openly with honesty. Kass became attached to Kassandra and isn't very aggressive, she trusts Kassandra and she is loyal to her. Phobos and Ikaros seem to get along with Kass.
The women planned to take different roads for a while. Kassandra will follow the clue from the letter and sneak into the Spartan fort here in Peloponnese in an attempt to find out who is the Spartan traitor and Myrrine will seek some old friends and contacts to help her and Kassandra return to Sparta.
The misthios wanted to send Kass with her mother but Myrrine denied as the lynx obeys only Kassandra and the people would fear them as well, drawing attention. Kassandra feels uneasy for letting her mother alone and exposed but she hopes for the best. She promises her to come and find her in four days at the ship dock of Gytheion, where Adrestia will be, at the outskirts of Sparta.
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Myrrine is travelling for two days to reach the outskirts of Sparta. Normally, it would take less but Myrrine avoided the main roads and the paths near camps and forts in case anyone recognized her. She slept in the wild and hunted to eat all the while being cautious and advancing slowly but carefully.
She wears a hooded cloak during the whole journey and whenever she comes close to the residences of her old friends to meet them, she walks with her head lowered and pretends to be an old woman.
Her old contacts are trustworthy and welcome her offering aid, but in truth, they can't do much. Only the kings can decide to accept her back, but other Spartans can support her strengthening her claim.
The fact that she parted with Kassandra makes her nervous and it stings like a thorn in her side. She has faith in her daughter's abilities but a mother always worries. She also feels unsure of how they will manage to be accepted again. They must have powerful enemies in Sparta as well, if they were a target even as Agiads all those years ago.
At least now Myrrine isn't alone against them. Kassandra will fight them off and will cut their heads before they can harm them. She will stand tall and do what Nikolaos failed to, oppose them.
Nikolaos. He let her down. She loved him so much and believed in him. He was so much older than her when they married. He was a small commander as he was already thirty-five, but she could have married literally anyone. She was an Agiad and foremost king Leonidas' daughter. Every unmarried Spartan offered her gifts and asked her hand from her mother, but she wanted no other than Nikolaos.
Her distant cousin was so upset that she rejected him as he wanted to unite the two Agiad families having a better chance at the throne as Myrrine's blood line was that to inherit the throne, if or when her brother died without heirs. Generals' sons who would become commanders and generals themselves soon where all very disappointed.
Gorgo, Myrrine's mother, especially after her husband died, was highly pushed and compelled to accept many things, but she let her daughter choose on her own keeping her ground on this matter. Myrrine wonders if it would be better, if she was forced to marry someone else, if her children would have a different fate. She shakes her head. A tear trails her cheek.
Love hurts.
Xxx
Kassandra is outside of the fort of Tegea. Ikaros has located the soldiers for her and when she motions for him, he follows a man's moves within the walls, so she can understand the route of his watch. She has spent the last two hours going around it secretly observing the guards' movements and noting in her mind the weaknesses and the possible ways out in case something goes wrong.
The darkness of the night is more than helpful. She gets inside easily thanks to the high-level grass. She is patient, to refrain from killing men. She wants a clean job without leaving behind any trace. She gets inside the central tower where the commander's office must be.
There is a guard at the far-left corner beside the stairs mid sleeping. She curses under her breath and exits again hiding at the grass. At the west side there aren't any soldiers, except of those up the walls who have their backs on her. She will take the risk and climb up at the second floor to get through the window.
She is skilled and strong enough to cover the distance in no time. She gets in through the window scanning the room; it seems it is the antechamber to the office. Fortunately, there is no one here just faint candle light from the next room. She steps silently stooping with her spear in hand peeking through the door from a low height.
A figure is sitting at the desk, probably the commander. She approaches stealthily considering her options as she realizes just when she is at arm's length that he looks familiar. He can't be who she thinks. Her eyes must be tricking her. Hundreds of thoughts invade her mind and she ceases them for the time being to decide on how to act.
She cups his mouth with her left hand as her right one brings the blade of her spear to his throat. His head pressed hard against her chest plate and her head tilted to the left to catch a glimpse of his face. Lilies and a faint sweet scent of sweat reach her nose. It smells like him. It is him.
"Brasidas?" She whispers in his ear lowering her spear and moving it slowly away from him. He hasn't reacted all this time at all.
At first, he didn't know who was the assaulter and cursed his recklessness of being without any weapons on him, his spear and sword discarded a few meters away, out of reach. He had little choice but to try and fool his opponent into not resisting and see if he could find any opportunity to reverse the odds.
As soon as he smelled the familiar aroma of roses and more discreet aromas of lavender and jasmine, he heard her voice calling his name. Relief quickly washed over him as disillusionment and suspicion took its place.
She removes her other hand as well freeing him so he can face her. He turns around looking at her with a questioning look. "What are you doing here Kassandra?" His voice is hoarse, pained.
"I chase a cultist. The right question is what are you doing here?" Kassandra straightens up and fires back, suspicion slowly rising within her. The cult of Kosmos is everywhere, there are Spartan cultists, there is one right here, her mind screams.
"What does that suppose to mean? I came last week to investigate what is happening with the lost supplies and find you holding a blade to my throat." He stands up slapping her spear away. He is offended and upset.
The fort has a problem for some months now, about two or three. The war supplies are vanishing and the coin chests are always empty. He has just caught her having sneaked inside and she questions him?
"I would never hurt you Brasidas." Her words come out automatically, regretting for a moment her harshness. He remains silent trying to cool his temper. "Except if you are a cultist. I have this letter that led me here." She hands him the letter.
"Are you kidding me? It is coded." He huffs irritated tossing the paper, thinking that she's lying to him.
"Yes, it is the original, but someone decoded it for me. A Spartan sends money and weapons to Paros forces." She explains picking it up.
"Impossible." He shakes his head.
"I am telling the truth Brasidas whether you believe it or not. I need to search this place for further clues." She insists confidently.
"What do you think you'll find? These men are loyal and you get in and kill them." He has a hard time believing her.
It isn't his fault. His mind slips. He believed her when she said she didn't kill Nikolaos yet he's been missing for two years. She has Athenian friends helping them while she claims to help him, too, and there is doubt if she is truly loyal to those Athenian friends of hers. If she isn't loyal to them, she is not loyal to him, not to anyone.
She kills men, Spartans as well, when they get in her way or she is paid to do it, being completely indifferent. Now she has broken into a Spartan fort, where weapons and money are missing. She would kill him, if she didn't know him or if it was someone else in this room. It makes his blood boil and his heart ache.
"I didn't kill anyone, this time. I tried-" She begins but he interrupts her angrily.
"This time! Exactly, THIS is the problem. You don't care these men did nothing bad and have families waiting for them." He moves his hands aggressively.
She fumes up, too. "You don't care either Athenian soldiers have families. You know they are sons, fathers, husbands, as well."
"We are at war. It's different. We face each other on the battlefield." He defends his actions but he understands she has a point there. He is just too angry to admit it right now.
"Sparta is always hungry for war, killing, blood." She accuses.
"That doesn't justify why you come here killing." He argues pointing a finger to her.
"I said I-" She stops abruptly. "You are a fool like all Spartans. Your city gives a shit about you. Everything is for glory to Sparta. Stupid glory, which never comes no matter how many men fall. You are thrown to be eaten by wolves as kids, beaten up harshly from a young age and all those who survive are thrown to battles to be killed there. You are used, consumable and still you are following orders blindly, believing there are no traitors when one of your most loved kings was betrayed and his family, my family, is chased." Her words flow like a river after heavy rainfall. She breathes roughly.
"You're wrong." He simply states. He has lost his words, as hers cut deep like knives. That last part has him perplexed, what does that mean? Who betrayed Leonidas? Is she making things up, lying just to persuade him?
"Am I? Or maybe you are no fool but a cultist. You are always around other cultists knowing nothing about it when you claim to be a spy. You are here at the commander's office where the report for the cultist would be sent. Are you befriending me, keeping me close to find the right moment to capture me and kill me?" She accuses him openly saying more, naming all her dilemmas.
Skepticism has overpowered her. All these can't be coincidence. He is silent listening to her accusations. She said she would never hurt him just minutes ago and she is doing it this very moment. His reasoning reminds him that she has a hard time trusting; she was just a kid when she was sentenced to death. When she has finished, he walks towards the door.
"I would kill you in the warehouse, if I was with them." He whispers hoarsely. "Go ahead, take what you came here for. I am guarding the door." He states having his back to her with his head lowered.
"What? How do I know you aren't setting me up?" She questions moving closer to him still holding her spear.
"My weapons are over there. I will be in the room you can check on me from the desk. I just don't want anyone to come here and be killed. So, hurry up." He doesn't face her. He is hurt, he's angry and not certain of whether to believe what she has told him, but still he follows his instinct and his heart.
He stands there still with his head bowed. Kassandra begins to search all over the room, looking through the desk, the bookshelves, everywhere. She turns around every now and then for confirmation he is there. He hasn't moved an inch.
A long time has passed. She is looking at the last bookcase and then she finds it. A letter from Silanos it isn't coded but still there is no indication to whom it was sent. She runs through the rest of the papers finding one more similar. Taking them both she walks to the door.
Brasidas hears her and steps aside without lifting his head neither looking at her. "Leave without harming any soldier." He demands in a low voice. A feeling of regret hits her. She feels so unsure if he is lying or if she was unfair to him.
"Thank you." She decides to whisper, going by. She looks behind her taking in his stance. His disappointment seems genuine.
Maybe she was too hard on him. Her heart softens at his sight and takes over her again. "I… am sorry I-" She trails off.
"Leave, Kassandra. Before anyone spots you." He commands meeting her gaze for a brief moment averting her eyes again. She obeys. She is going to jump from the window, after she checked out for guards, when a hand grabs her arm. Normally she would make a move and reach for her weapons but this time she did not. Instead of a hand it could have been a blade, if that was his intention now.
"What on earth are you doing?" Brasidas voice is closer to what she has got accustomed to. Confusion and concern can be detected in his tone.
"I do this often, I won't die." She explains looking up at him. His eyes are warmer, his concern is written all over them and something else. Pain. She curls up the corners of her lips to give him the ghost of a smile. Her own eyes regretful. He retrieves his hand putting both of his hands behind his back.
He watches as she jumps out, peaks through the window, his eyes hardly catch a movement at the grass below. He wonders how she did it. He is amazed; she managed to erase all his other thoughts leaving behind only admiration. He is unsure about her motives and her character right now but he will give her more chances, she deserves it.
He hopes to have time to clear things up next time they meet or else this woman will be the death of him.
She leaves. It takes time to get out of the fortress but it's not the first time. She is too shaken to travel back to Sparta and she wants time to read the letters she found thoroughly so she camps at the forest at the spot where she left Phobos and Kass hours ago.
She picks some food she had with her to eat. Some bread, an apple and a pear for her, dried meat for Kass, another apple to Phobos and a piece of bread to Ikaros. She is glad she has plenty of company with her while at the same time none of them can talk to ask her what happened. She wants to put her mind in order, take her time to absorb what happened and calm down before talking about it.
She picks up the letters and reads them carefully. She finds that these messages are in fact reports. The older one is Silanos' agreement and assurance that he recruited many soldiers from Paros to occupy Naxos and the other one is an update that the Eagle bearer is there and that he will deal with her shortly but demands more money and weapons in advance.
Kassandra chuckles, he was too self assured. Something catches her attention. There are some words that seem to be inked on purpose on the middle of a sentence saying to inform that the bloodline may have been found, sister and mother. The name is smutted but this indicates that the powerful Spartan cultist she is looking for isn't at the fort. He has some commander or commanders, maybe even soldiers that are loyal to him. The message wasn't sent directly to the cultist leader in Sparta but to some associate of his.
She will have to be cautious; her old home isn't safe. Nikolaos told her in Megaris before he left to beware the snakes in the grass. Could he have known what was wrong? Had he heard whispers or witnessed something? He had been a target as well but after so many years. After he was rewarded to become the great General, he had proved his loyalty and obedience and they wanted his head. It makes no sense.
She is frustrated. The men she loves may both have followed orders of the cult with or without their knowledge. No, worse, all three of them, Alexios is their weapon. She will try hard to bring Alexios back, help him see the truth relishing him from their grasp. She has to talk with Brasidas to ensure his innocence but still he receives orders from Sparta who may be somehow controlled by the cult. For sure, she must clarify with her father what he knows and how, if he knew about this from the beginning, she is never going to forgive him.
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Three days later Kassandra reaches the port of Gytheion to meet Myrrine on Adrestia where she would be for cover. Kassandra travelled through the forest so she wouldn't be spotted. Myrrine had met the previous day with some old friends she could trust and stayed the night at the ship. Kassandra hands over the papers she took from the fort to her mother and fills her and Barnabas in.
She hasn't mentioned Brasidas to her until now, but she wants a second opinion on the matter. So, after explaining in bried to her mother about her days in Korinth she reveals what happened at the fort. Barnabas scolds Kassandra that she was harsh to the man insisting on his opinion that Brasidas was a kind trustworthy ally. Myrrine studies her daughter for a long time and then drowns in her thoughts.
"I know him, a good and promising soldier. He was loyal to your father." Myrrine says some timer later.
"Yes, he has mentioned about it." Kassandra concedes considering what he had said and did then.
"We can't be completely sure but he hardly would betray Nikolaos." Myrrine states searching Kassandra's eyes.
Myrrine estimates that he is as she remembered him, kind, devoted, caring despite his military training, albeit she doesn't want to disclose it to Kassandra as she suspects her daughter is drawn to him and has no intention of encouraging this affair. Myrrine knows something that her daughter doesn't, the reason why Nikolaos impelled and patronaged Brasidas. Myrrine becomes uneasy.
She would wish for nothing more than their family to be reunited and hopefully Alexios and Kassandra have their own families. She may have been away as her children grew up but she knows they are old enough to marry, especially Kassandra. It really is her wish to see her happy with a loving husband and kids however she is overwhelmed with panic upon thinking it might be Brasidas by her daughter's side.
"If I see him again, we will resolve it." Kassandra sighs interrupting her mother's thoughts.
"Let's go to our old home and don't worry about Brasidas." Myrrine suggests in hopes of averting her daughter's attention. Barnabas wishes them both, good luck.
Home such a foreign word for Kassandra. She hasn't felt like she has a home for many years. She doubts if she will ever feel Sparta as her homeland but for her mother's shake she will try to stay in this place. She will give a chance to the family she missed dearly. Unsure of how things will turn out, she has to unveil the fabrication against her bloodline and stand beside her mother, even if Alexios remains Deimos and Nikolaos is unrepentant.
Kassandra rides Phobos as Ikaros flies above them in circles and Kass walks behind the horses. Myrrine is a little ahead of Kassandra showing the way on the horse they bought at Nauplia. They have been riding almost all day because of the slow pace. By the time they reach Sparta it is afternoon.
The hoplites that guard the city entrance watch them through narrowed eyes not daring to stop them from entering the city because of who Myrrine is. They came across with many people none of which talked or welcomed Myrrine. She was disgraced after she left the city and her husband, disobeying the Spartan laws.
No one knew or could imagine who the misthios beside Myrrine was. She was considered dead for fifteen years. Everyone assumed she was paid to accompany Myrrine as a guard and neither had they heard of the mighty Eagle bearer as Sparta was a closed society. The only thing that the citizens did was stay away in the sight of the misthios and the small beast she had with her and to spread the word that Myrrine, Leonidas' daughter had come back accompanied by a misthios while the two women were getting up at the uphill towards their house. They dismounted from the horses tying the bridles to some nearby trees and continued on foot. Kass still following them.
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A small war council among the Kings and the commanders in town, will take place shortly after commanders and some messengers share their reports. There is news from various different areas about the war and the situation at forts and camps, the progress on the war front lines, battle outcomes and losses of men and resources.
He is walking towards the throne room when he notices there are murmurs at the street among small groups of people both citizens and soldiers. A soldier with a familiar face approaches him and informs him of the hearsay that many saw Myrrine with a misthios here. Another one on the street claims the same. A woman gossips that Myrrine has come back now that her husband is dead, adding more mean comments and assumptions.
He swings around heading straight to Nikolaos' old house to witness if it is true with his own eyes. He strides through the streets urgently. The people get out of his way as soon as they detect him being in a haste. He is getting close.
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Notes:
So that's the end of this chapter, I expect you to guess who! And if you would like to say your opinion generally about this chapter. Did you like it? Have you any guesses or theories about the mysteries that were hinted in this chapter? If there are any mistakes, let me know. Thank you all, for reading this far! Next chapter, hopefully in seven days!