By Briar
Disclaimer: I own no rights whatsoever to any characters from Xena:Warrior Princess, I am only borrowing them for the length of this story. This story is for the amusement and entertainment of my friends in the Ares and Xena Shippers club. I promise to return the characters intact when I am finished with them. I am making no money from this story.
It was a slaughterhouse. There were dead people and animals all over the road. Xena and Gabrielle had heard the screams from far down the road, but by the time they could get here, it was all over. The crows were already gathering, and the unmistakeable shape of a vulture was slowly circling overhead. Xena had turned Eve so that she couldn't see what was before them. She stopped quite a ways back, and handed Eve to Gabby. "Hold her for a minute, please? I'm going to take a closer look. She dismounted from Argo, pulled her sword, and walked forward. There were tracks all over the area. Booted feet, horse hooves, and drag marks. The victims were all wearing soft shoes, villagers at first glance. Men, women, and children lay indiscriminately spread over a large space. The wagon had been torn apart, and belongings were strewn all around. She heard a faint whimper, and turned to locate the sound. It came from the crumpled figure of a woman wearing a large cloak. Xena cautiously approached. Using her sword, she pushed back the cloak. A small child was exposed. The mother was definitely dead, her head had practically been shorn from her body. Xena gathered the child up in her arms, keeping his head turned from his mother. "Mama?" he whimpered. She cuddled him, and walked back to where Gabrielle was waiting. "Mama's not here right now." Xena told him.
Gabrielle had a questioning look on her face. "They're all dead." Xena said. " Looks like bandits, but it could be a minor warlord. Booted foot and horse tracks all over. Looked like maybe twenty men." Gabby gestured at the child. "And...?" "We'll have to look for his people. They appeared to be coming back from getting supplies. They probably have a place up ahead somewhere." She lifted the child onto argo, mounted, and held him in front of her. They started down the road, making a wide detour around the carnage. With two small children to care for, they were going to have their hands full. They had to move slowly, and dusk fell before they had found anyone. They made camp in a clearing, with a small brook babbling nearby. Eve sat down with the boy, and held his hand. "He sad?" she asked her mother."Yes, he's sad, "Xena replied. "We're going to look for his family." "Good." Eve replied. The boy sat there with huge moist eyes, and watched everything. After a while, he stuck his available thumb in his mouth. The other hand was still being held by Eve. Gabrielle fixed some supper. Xena had soon come back with some fish, and with potatoes baked in the coals, and some carrots, they made a good dinner. The boy ate, but not much. He continued to stare at the three of them. "It's okay. My mama and auntie Gab will take care of you." Eve assured him. "I want my own mama." he replied softly. He cried himself to sleep, and Gabrielle wound up with him cuddled in her bedroll.
By morning, he was a little better. Xena got out a few toys, and he played with Eve for a while. They ate pancakes for breakfast, and he seemed to really enjoy them. Both children wound up wearing more of their breakfast than they ate. It took a while to get them both cleaned up. Then the adults had to clean up. "Baby kisses...bleah." was Gabrielle's brief comment. They repacked the horses, and mounted up. They rode side by side so that the children could see each other, for most of the day. Still no habitations. Just as it was getting dusk, Xena smelled woodsmoke. They pushed on until they came to a crossroads. There were only about a dozen houses in the village, but they did have a small Inn. The crossroad was the hub of the town, and apparently they got quite a bit of traffic here. They pulled their horses up at the Inn, dismounted, and took the children inside. The Landlord came to greet them. "Have you ever seen this boy before?" Xena asked. "No, I haven't." he replied, "Should I have?" Xena explained about the slaughter they had found, and that the people were headed this direction when they died. "I'll get the magistrate." he murmured. He quickly left the room by the front door.
It was only moments before he returned with an older man. The man examined the child, asked him a few questions, learned that his name was Jeb, and shook his head. "I don't have any idea who he is, nor do I know his people. There is a new village going in up in the hills. People are gathering from all over to take land there. Maybe someone there knows of him." That was at least a possibility. They would check it out. He gathered several men, hitched up a wagon, and headed out to clean up the scene and collect the bodies. Xena and Gabrielle took a large room with two beds. They ate in the dining room, and then went up to their room. By this time the two children were asleep on their feet. Each adult took a child into bed with them.
It was amazing how much Jeb looked like Gabrielle. He had the same color hair, but with baby blue eyes. He was only about a year and a half old, and Eve had decided to be big sister. She took him by the hand and led him everywhere. A look of importance on her small face. She was bigger, so she would have to take care of him. It would have been quite comical under other circumstances. The child was still silent most of the time, although he would occasionally whisper to Eve. He wouldn't sleep by himself, but had taken over part of Gabrielle's bedroll. He would place one small thumb in his mouth, and solemnly look at her for a while. Soon he would fall asleep. She wasn't as tall as his mother, and her hair wasn't as long as his mother's, but there was still a slight resemblance. He seemed to take solace in that.
The next morning they ate and headed out. Xena had gotten directions to the nw town, and it didn't take them too long to get there. Again, no-one knew the child. They returned to the crossroads, and went down another road. They had traveled for half a day down this road when they came to another small town. After many questions had been asked, they soon found that no-one was missing from their town, and no-one recognized the child. When they had asked what his mother's name was he had replied "Mama." and his father's name was "Dada." He was too young to know his last name. At each place they asked, they had left word to send any information that was learned to Amphipolis, to Cyrene's Tavern. It was getting late, so they spent the night in a clearing.
Gabby and the two children were asleep when a tingle notified Xena of the presence of company. She lifted her head and looked at him. He looked askance at the small blond body snuggled up with Gabrielle. "Is there something I should know?" he asked. "Well, yes, actually. Did one of your warlords attack a wagon full of people near here and slaughter everyone?" she questioned. "Not to my knowledge." he replied. "Does that have something to do with the child?" She looked at him for a moment, and nodded her head. "Something like that, he was the only survivor, and we're looking for his kin." Ares considered the matter for a moment, then decided he better check into the matter. It wouldn't do for Xena to get the idea that he had ordered that attack. "I will find out, and let you know." he said, and disappeared in a shower of blue sparkles.
He had returned to his temple, and gone to his chambers. There he took a seat in front of a large silver mirror. He waved a hand, and pictures began to form. He clearly saw the massacre, but didn't recognize any of the men who had perpetrated the deed. He continued to watch as the men left, and Xena entered the picture. He narrowed his eyes, as she approached with drawn sword. She was careful in every move, watching in all directions. He saw her turn suddenly, and approach a cloaked, blond haired woman. As her sword moved the cloak away, a small, frightened face appeared. The full measure of the damage also became obvious. The head was almost completely severed, laying face down, and with long blond hair covering the face. The body was on it's side, with arms sheltering the child. There was blood everywhere except on the child. The cloak had shielded him from not only death, but also it's bloody aftermath.
He returned to the clearing, and an anxious Xena, who quickly got up and moved to the other side of the fire. "What did you find out?" she asked softly. "I searched the area in my mirror, I found the site of the carnage, and none of the men were familiar to me. I saw you discover the child, and what was left of his mother." he related in a calm voice. "So you didn't know anyone at all?" Xena asked. Ares soon filled her in on the group. It had been 18 men, dressed in haphazard armor, and not acting with any real cohesion. Not the men of even a minor warlord. Obviously they were bandits. He offered to find out more, and Xena accepted the offer. She had to do something about those bastards. Ares was being awfully nice. She wondered what was in it for him. There was almost always an agenda of some kind. She'd worry about that later. Right now she had more important things to worry about. "Have you any idea as to the identity of this child?" she asked. "No, sorry, I don't keep track of small children. Other than Eve, of course." He grinned down at her. She gave him an appraising look, then shook her head and decided to let it pass. He waited for a moment for any further comments, then grinned again and disappeared..
After breakfast they backtracked to the crossroads again, and took the final trail. It wasn't too far to the nearest village, although it was another very small one, and again they found no further information. No-one had seen the child, and there were no missing members of the village. Apparently the murdered people had come from nowhere within the area. A mystery to be resolved at a later time. But.....wait! They hadn't checked the direction from which they came. There may be more information there. They began the slow journey back the way they'd originally come. Two small children sure could slow things up.
While the adults were doing chores, the children played. Sometimes, when it came time to move on, they continued on with their games. They would refuse to come when called, and would hide in the bushes, until Xena would start to become angry. When her voice became quiet and cold they knew she was fed up. About that time they both knew enough to call it quits. Two little bodies would miraculously appear from the bushes, hand in hand. They would smile up at her with innocent faces, and appear to be two little angels who could do no wrong. Xena and Gabrielle were usually amused, but would exchange exasperated looks, clean up the two children, and prepare to leave. It didn't seem to matter how many times they cleaned them up, they could get dirty that many times and more. Keeping up with clothes and diapers for two small children without laundry facilities was becoming a real problem. They needed to begin potty training. As soon as they found out something about Jeb, they would have to go to Amphipolis. There Xena's mother owned a Tavern, and had proper laundry arrangements.
They finally arrived in the first large town along their route. They had asked questions all along the way from people walking or riding along the road, with no results whatsoever. Their first move upon arriving in town, was to get a room at an Inn. They ate a quick lunch, then began circulating around the business area. They checked the various shops where supplies would have been purchased, and eventually found a merchant who remembered the group in question. "Yeah.... I remember them. They were three brothers with wives and children. The rest of their family had been killed in a raid some while back. They had heard of a new village down the road there, where land could be homesteaded. They were on their way to do that. How did you know about them?" Xena quickly filled him in on the story. Then asked "Are you sure there weren't any other relatives?" The shopkeeper replied that the family had been remarking the fact that they were the last of their line, and wanted to settle in a new place to continue their line in peace. "It looks like I have a permanent member of my group then." Xena said sadly. "I wish I could have found some of his people alive."
The pair stayed for the rest of that day, and spent the night at the Inn. While they were there, they did a considerable amount of laundry. They also purchased more clothes and diapers. By this time they each had large packs on the backs of their horses to contain all the children's belongings. It was amazing the amount of things it was necessary to carry in order to take care of two small children. Neither one of the women had experienced these problems before. Solan had been given up shortly after his birth. Hope had also been given up shortly after birth, so until Eve came along they had traveled by themselves. Eve hadn't been too much trouble, after they had gotten past the threats from the Olympian Gods, and had been a source of real enjoyment to them both. Spending all her time with adults had caused Eve to be very mature for her years. That is, until she got a playmate. Now, she was so involved with Jeb, that she had become much more playful.
The group that had slaughtered the three families had traveled hard and fast after they had completed the deed. They found a very small village up in the hills, and decided to attack. Big mistake! This village was the home of a warlord, most of whose men were stationed in a nearby walled valley, and he didn't take the attack very kindly. The sound of the attack carried to the sentries, and within seconds, they had brought reinforcements. The men of the village were all trained warriors with their families. The families had all been gathered into one place, and there were always men stationed nearby to keep them safe. That way they could raid without worrying about their own families being attacked while they were gone. The bandits never had a chance. This particular warlord's group paid homage to Ares, and he was instantly aware of the situation. They had immediately called upon the name of Ares. He had been scanning in his mirror at the time, had quickly changed the focus, and had observed the whole operation. He had recognized the attackers immediately, and grinned as he watched them wiped out. Xena would be interested, he was sure...!
Xena and Gabrielle had started for Amphipolis. They had resupplied from the same merchant that had given them the information about Jeb's family. They continued to travel slowly. The children needed to get down and run around every so often. Otherwise, they got fidgety, and fidgety children and horses don't mix. The horses would pick up the nervous energy, and begin to shy at everything. After about the third time Gabrielle's horse had shied (Argo was better trained.), they had given up and stopped for a while. They allowed the children to run around in a large clearing where they could keep an eye on them, and after the worst of the excess energy had been expended, they remounted the horses and continued on. They made camp that evening near a lake. They gathered firewood, made a fire, prepared supper, and watched the children play on the bedrolls. The children had several toys now, and were tossing a ball back and forth. There were approximately six months between their ages. At about a year and a half, Jeb would often become so excited that he would squeal with pleasure. Eve just giggled, after all, she was a big girl now. He was adjusting quite well, considering all that had happened in his young life.
As per usual, Gabby and the two children fell asleep. Also per usual, Xena wasn't yet sleepy. She was sitting by the fire when she felt the first faint tingle. She looked around, and spotted Ares leaning against a tree with his arms folded. He had a big grin on his face, and reminded her of an excited puppy. He was almost wriggling with anticipation. She know something was up, but wasn't quite sure what. She stood up, and walked over to stand beside him. "Now what?" she asked him softly. "He was still grinning broadly, and hesitated before he finally burst out... "You don't have to worry about those bandits any more." "Why not?" she asked. "Because they made one too many raids, and on the wrong people." he replied. He went on to explain all that had happened, and how the raiders had all been killed by one of his warlords. "I watched the whole thing..." he went on. "they dared to attack a village containing the men and families of one of my warlords, reinforcements were nearby, and they were wiped out to the last man. That was good news, and she was glad to hear it. She nodded her head in understanding, and replied "Thanks for letting me know, that's a load off my mind." He stood there still grinning, and then moved a little closer. She didn't appear to mind, so he moved even closer. He slipped an arm around her waist, and hugged her. She began to draw back, so he released her quickly. They continued to talk softly for a while, then she looked into his eyes. She saw all the usual things, arrogance, self confidence, etc. but there was more. She saw a tenderness that she hadn't expected. She moved a little closer. He was surprised at the move, but never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he took advantage of the situation. Slipping the arm back around her waist, he slowly moved his mouth close to hers. He hesitated, waiting for her to make some move, and when she didn't withdraw he kissed her gently. He drew back, and searched her features for some reaction. She smiled softly, then reached up and drew his head back down. This kiss lasted much longer than the first one did, and their arms entwined until it ended. Then she reached both arms up and placed them around his neck, surrendering her body to his embrace. He groaned with suppressed desire, then led her to a nearby clearing. There stood the huge black canopied bed from his temple. She turned to look at him questionably. "Just thought we might as well be comfortable." he replied with a smile. He quickly swept her off her feet and into his arms. He walked the last few feet to the bed, wanting to make this moment last. After opening the sheets, he placed her on the bed. He sat beside her with his arm about her waist, and kissed her again, very slowly and gently. She returned the kiss with feeling. Reaching up with one hand she slowly began to stroke his hair. As the kiss lengthened, she entangled her fingers in his hair, and moaned softly into his mouth. His passion was reaching the point of discomfort, and with the wave of one hand they were reclining on the bed. Her armor had been left back at camp, and she wore only her shift and leathers. Both disappeared along with his leathers. Their ardor was increasing by the moment, and had soon reached the point where they felt that they would explode into flames. Just before that could happen, Ares moved into position. He looked deeply into her eyes, waiting for some signal, and was rewarded with a smile and a nod. That was what he had hoped for, and he soon had her writhing.
When she awoke, it was to find herself laying in her own sleeping roll. She hadn't even been aware of being moved. He was getting good at this. She lay there for a few moments with a lingering smile on her face, then shook herself and got up. As soon as she got up, there was movement in the other two sleeping rolls, and two small bodies crawled out and stood up. Gabrielle slept on. The children kept still, and gathered with Xena near the coals as she added tinder and coaxed the fire back. As soon as the tinder caught, she began to add wood. Soon the fire was crackling merrily. She got out a pan, poured water into it, and started some oatmeal, it was one of the few things she could cook well. The children waited patiently, and soon it was ready. By this time, the aroma had reached the other bedroll, and Gabby groaned and got up. "Good morning, sleepyhead." Xena greeted her with a smile. "You're in a good mood this morning!" Gabrielle replied suspiciously. "Yes, I am, I had an excellent night last night." was her only answer. They ate breakfast, did the dishes, cleaned the children, then straightened up the campsite and left.
They still had a long ways to go to get to Amphipolis. Was her mother ever going to get a surprise this time. Not one, but two small children, to get in her hair. Wait 'til she found out that they both weren't potty trained. She could see her face now. Like all journeys, this one eventually came to an end. They were greeted with enthusiasm when they arrived at the Tavern. Xena let Gabrielle take the children in with her mother, and she took care of the horses. When she entered the tavern with the two huge packs, she found her mother seated in a chair with two small chattering forms on her lap. Gabrielle had already finished the tale of the new child, and her mother was all smiles. They both were calling her grammy and trying to talk at once. She looked up at Xena, and shook her head. "I was happy with one grandchild, but I will gladly accept another." Jeb had taken to calling both women mama. He had finally come out of his shell, and was a happy, active child. Eve had always been active also, and now with the two of them they had double trouble. At least this was trouble they didn't mind having.