Chapter 2B
The queen’s hut was much more lavish on the inside that Sarah had expected. There were all kinds of masks and weapons, not to mention a huge bed. She only hoped that the rest of the accommodations in the camp would be so nice.
“So what is this secret mission you two are on?” Varia asked. “The message that came in before you was somewhat cryptic.”
“We’re here to find the green stone Xena entrusted to the Amazons a couple of years before she and Gabrielle went to sleep in the ice cave.” Sarah said, not knowing whether the purpose of the stone had been revealed to the Amazons when the warrior placed it in their care.
“We were also hoping to possibly stay on for a while.” Eve interjected and Sarah looked at her knowingly. “There may be something we can do to help you with the aggressors in the woods.”
“Well we could certainly use your help with that.” Varia said, looking relieved. “As for the stone, you will probably have to check with our village historian. I don’t know anything about it, but if Xena entrusted us with it, you can rest assured it’s well hidden.”
“I believe you on that.” Sarah said, remembering the trouble she’d gone through to get the damn rock in her own time.
“Yes, well now that we know you’ll be staying on for a while I’ll have Zoe prepare a welcome party for tonight. We always like to celebrate the arrival of new guests.” The queen said. “In the mean time you’re welcome to go to the scroll hut and speak with our head historian.”
“Great.” Sarah said as she moved toward the exit, Eve in tow.
“Eve.” Varia called as she perused some papers on her desk.
The messenger looked back and answered. “Yes.”
“Could you stay behind for a moment?” The queen asked. “I’d like to catch you up on a few things before you leave. Sarah, you can go ahead, just ask someone where to go and they’ll be happy to escort you.”
“Sure.” Sarah, said as she left the two women alone.
Varia looked to Eve and started to speak. “So what’s her story?” She asked.
“Sarah?” Eve asked and was answered with a nod. “She’s a distant relative of my family. She heard that I was in trouble and found Xena and Gabrielle. She is the reason I’m still alive today.”
“Oh, a relative.” Varia said, seeming almost relieved. “I thought that maybe you two were…”
As the implications started to dawn on Eve she opened her mouth in shock then laughed.
“You mean, you thought we were…” Eve laughed again. “No, no definitely not. We’re just family….and friends, but that’s all.”
“Right.” Varia said with a small smile. “I guess I just assumed that you would probably be with someone by now. It’s been a while since we last saw you and you are an attractive woman… and … can I get you something, you must be thirsty.” She said as she turned to the pitcher behind her and began to pour.
Eve looked at her quizzically.
Is she…No there’s no possible way she could be interested in me. I killed her little sister for Eli’s sake. She thought, and then moved closer to the queen once she turned to offer the water. She sure is acting strange though. Maybe I’ll test the water’s just a little.
“How ‘bout you?” She asked, taking the offered cup. “These Amazons must be chomping at the bit to get to their beautiful queen, huh?”
Did I really just say that?!? Eve thought.
Did she really just say that?!? Varia thought.
“Well um… some more than others.” The queen said, nervously. “But I’m not really interested in anyone in the village. Don’t get me wrong, I love my subjects but…”
“But it just doesn’t feel right with any of them.” Eve asked.
“No, it doesn’t.” Varia answered, feeling herself calm into the conversation. “I think it might be because they are my subjects, you know. There’s this ease to it that just doesn’t make any kind of courtship exciting.”
“I understand, it was really hard for me to connect with anyone when I was…” Eve stopped and her brow furrowed as she tracked back to a time when she had nothing but subordinate soldiers under her command. A time when she raided Amazon villages and sold their warriors off as slaves. And when she looked into Varia’s eyes she could tell that the queen had thought back to that time as well.
“I’m sorry, Varia.” She gave the cup to her. “I should go.”
“No, Eve, wait.” Varia said, grabbing Eve’s bicep. “We can’t tip toe around this forever. We need to talk about it.”
Both women had tears in their eyes when they locked. The stood there in silence for a few seconds, when Eve broke the contact.
“I’m sorry, Varia, I just can’t.” She pulled her arm away and started again for the door, then looked back to give a final explanation. “I care about you so much now. I just can’t bear to relive what I’ve done knowing how much it hurt you. I’m sorry I’m such a coward.”
And with that she left the queen alone with her thoughts.
Varia didn’t know what to do. Every time she was around the young messenger her feelings raged in a war with each other. Part of her still wanted to hate her for what she’d done to her sister, and part of her could not help but know there was a very powerful connection between the two. She was disgusted with herself. She should hate Eve.
But she didn’t, and that made her hate herself much more than she could ever hate the messenger.
Sarah perused the grounds of the Amazon village and finally found a group of girls off in the corner. They appeared to be smoking something, and the very possibility that there was tobacco in the camp was enough to distract her from her current task.
“Hey.” She said to the group.
“Hey.” They all answered back, not quite knowing quite what to say at first.
“I’m Sarah.” She said, holding out her hand.
“My name’s Meg.” The one to the left came up first. She was cute with cheek length light hair that curled at the ends. Her eyes were calm and welcoming. “This is Rah.”
She pointed to the small, but very toned girl to her right. Rah came forward with quick movements and broke out a smile that was infectious.
“Hi!” Rah said enthusiastically as she also took Sarah’s hand.
“Rah, that’s Egyptian, right?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah!” Rah said, excited about the fact that someone knew about her heritage. “I was born in Egypt as a slave girl, but then I escaped with one of the noble’s sons and we headed for Greece. Then we got attacked by some thugs in the forest and the Amazons saved us and took me in. I was really lucky they did because I love life in the village, with all the girls and stuff…. And I talk a lot… They don’t let me out much.”
Sarah chuckled at the end of Rah’s monologue. She talked very fast, and the time traveler found it endearing. “Nice to meet you, Rah.”
“And this is Zoe.” Rah said, pointing to the spiky haired blond to her right. “She’s the supervisor of festivities and me and Meg work under her. Meg more than me though, cuz they’re bonded and all.”
Meg and Zoe looked at Rah and sighed, and then Zoe offered up a hand.
“So where are you from?” She asked, not really knowing what to think of the new girl. She dressed funny, she talked funny, and though she didn’t seem like a threat there was something about her that seemed very strange.
Even if Rah hadn’t said so, Sarah would have figured out that Zoe was the leader of the group. She seemed very cool, just leaning back and taking in the situation before saying anything herself.
“I’m from all over really, but I was born in the west.” She said.
“Like in Ionia?” Zoe asked.
“A little further west than that.” Sarah said, and then quickly changed the subject. “So um, what are you smoking there?”
“Oh it’s this great stuff that Zoe grows. Just kind of relaxes you for a couple of minutes.” Meg said. “Would you like to try some?” She asked offering up a small cigarette.
“You’re a fucking life saver.” Sarah said as she took her up on the offer. She then thought about it for a second, it could be pot and she still had stuff to do before settling in for the night. “This doesn’t make you… hungry and sleepy does it?”
“Oh no.” Meg said. “We save that stuff for later on.”
“Gotcha.” Sarah said as brandished her Zippo and lit up.
The rest of the women jumped back and looked at her as the first cave men would have at the site of flint scraping together and sparking.
“Oh my Goddess! What is that? Some kind of magic?” Rah asked.
“Oh, no.” Sarah said, exhaling the smoke and realizing how odd the small device would look to these women. “No, it’s just a fire making device I picked up on my travels. It’s harmless I promise. You wanna try it?”
She offered the lighter up to the group and it was Zoe who first moved to try it out. She opened up the top of the Zippo then studied it for a moment as the other girl stared as well. With two hands on the silver object she rotated the flint a couple of times then finally did it fast enough to create a flame.
“Nice.” She said, using it to light another cigarette and discarding the half smoked butt of her previous smoke to the ground.
Sarah thought for a minute then started to rummage through her bag. She had packed a five pack of Bics in there before she left just in case she lost her Zippo, but she figured using them to make friends might be better than letting them stick around in there on the off chance she might need them one day.
“Here.” She said offering up three different colored lighters to each of the women. “It’s the same thing only …”
“Pretty!” Meg said, reaching for the red one and striking the flint correctly on the first try.
Zoe reached for the blue one and gave back the Zippo before Rah reached for the green one.
They all struck the flint at the same time and smiled to each other. Very happy with the new toy they’d received from their new friend.
“Now you’ll have to use it wisely, because the fuel won’t last forever. But you should get some quick lights out of them for a while at least.”
They all thanked her emphatically then Zoe started to speak.
“Look, I’m sure we’ll be throwing a party later for your arrival. You should come by our fire pit at some point and try out some of the special stuff I’ve made. We don’t share it with everybody because these bitches can party something fierce, but you seem pretty…”
“Cool?” Sarah said.
“Cool?” Zoe tried the word out for size and decided she liked it. “Yeah, you’re cool. So make sure to find us later and we’ll show you how Amazons really party.”
“Sounds great!” Sarah said. “Hey before I let you get back to your work can you point me in the direction of the scroll hut? I’m supposed to be meeting the head historian.”
“Well it’s that one over there, but the historian is teaching lessons to the younger Amazons.” Rah said. “You can go over to the lesson tent, it’s right next to the scroll hut and the lessons should be over soon.”
“Awesome, thanks.” Sarah said as she waved goodbye. “I’ll see you guys later.”
Once she was out of sight the three women looked at each other and then at their new toys, then struck the flint in synchronicity and smiled.
ut contents here.
“So what is this secret mission you two are on?” Varia asked. “The message that came in before you was somewhat cryptic.”
“We’re here to find the green stone Xena entrusted to the Amazons a couple of years before she and Gabrielle went to sleep in the ice cave.” Sarah said, not knowing whether the purpose of the stone had been revealed to the Amazons when the warrior placed it in their care.
“We were also hoping to possibly stay on for a while.” Eve interjected and Sarah looked at her knowingly. “There may be something we can do to help you with the aggressors in the woods.”
“Well we could certainly use your help with that.” Varia said, looking relieved. “As for the stone, you will probably have to check with our village historian. I don’t know anything about it, but if Xena entrusted us with it, you can rest assured it’s well hidden.”
“I believe you on that.” Sarah said, remembering the trouble she’d gone through to get the damn rock in her own time.
“Yes, well now that we know you’ll be staying on for a while I’ll have Zoe prepare a welcome party for tonight. We always like to celebrate the arrival of new guests.” The queen said. “In the mean time you’re welcome to go to the scroll hut and speak with our head historian.”
“Great.” Sarah said as she moved toward the exit, Eve in tow.
“Eve.” Varia called as she perused some papers on her desk.
The messenger looked back and answered. “Yes.”
“Could you stay behind for a moment?” The queen asked. “I’d like to catch you up on a few things before you leave. Sarah, you can go ahead, just ask someone where to go and they’ll be happy to escort you.”
“Sure.” Sarah, said as she left the two women alone.
Varia looked to Eve and started to speak. “So what’s her story?” She asked.
“Sarah?” Eve asked and was answered with a nod. “She’s a distant relative of my family. She heard that I was in trouble and found Xena and Gabrielle. She is the reason I’m still alive today.”
“Oh, a relative.” Varia said, seeming almost relieved. “I thought that maybe you two were…”
As the implications started to dawn on Eve she opened her mouth in shock then laughed.
“You mean, you thought we were…” Eve laughed again. “No, no definitely not. We’re just family….and friends, but that’s all.”
“Right.” Varia said with a small smile. “I guess I just assumed that you would probably be with someone by now. It’s been a while since we last saw you and you are an attractive woman… and … can I get you something, you must be thirsty.” She said as she turned to the pitcher behind her and began to pour.
Eve looked at her quizzically.
Is she…No there’s no possible way she could be interested in me. I killed her little sister for Eli’s sake. She thought, and then moved closer to the queen once she turned to offer the water. She sure is acting strange though. Maybe I’ll test the water’s just a little.
“How ‘bout you?” She asked, taking the offered cup. “These Amazons must be chomping at the bit to get to their beautiful queen, huh?”
Did I really just say that?!? Eve thought.
Did she really just say that?!? Varia thought.
“Well um… some more than others.” The queen said, nervously. “But I’m not really interested in anyone in the village. Don’t get me wrong, I love my subjects but…”
“But it just doesn’t feel right with any of them.” Eve asked.
“No, it doesn’t.” Varia answered, feeling herself calm into the conversation. “I think it might be because they are my subjects, you know. There’s this ease to it that just doesn’t make any kind of courtship exciting.”
“I understand, it was really hard for me to connect with anyone when I was…” Eve stopped and her brow furrowed as she tracked back to a time when she had nothing but subordinate soldiers under her command. A time when she raided Amazon villages and sold their warriors off as slaves. And when she looked into Varia’s eyes she could tell that the queen had thought back to that time as well.
“I’m sorry, Varia.” She gave the cup to her. “I should go.”
“No, Eve, wait.” Varia said, grabbing Eve’s bicep. “We can’t tip toe around this forever. We need to talk about it.”
Both women had tears in their eyes when they locked. The stood there in silence for a few seconds, when Eve broke the contact.
“I’m sorry, Varia, I just can’t.” She pulled her arm away and started again for the door, then looked back to give a final explanation. “I care about you so much now. I just can’t bear to relive what I’ve done knowing how much it hurt you. I’m sorry I’m such a coward.”
And with that she left the queen alone with her thoughts.
Varia didn’t know what to do. Every time she was around the young messenger her feelings raged in a war with each other. Part of her still wanted to hate her for what she’d done to her sister, and part of her could not help but know there was a very powerful connection between the two. She was disgusted with herself. She should hate Eve.
But she didn’t, and that made her hate herself much more than she could ever hate the messenger.
Sarah perused the grounds of the Amazon village and finally found a group of girls off in the corner. They appeared to be smoking something, and the very possibility that there was tobacco in the camp was enough to distract her from her current task.
“Hey.” She said to the group.
“Hey.” They all answered back, not quite knowing quite what to say at first.
“I’m Sarah.” She said, holding out her hand.
“My name’s Meg.” The one to the left came up first. She was cute with cheek length light hair that curled at the ends. Her eyes were calm and welcoming. “This is Rah.”
She pointed to the small, but very toned girl to her right. Rah came forward with quick movements and broke out a smile that was infectious.
“Hi!” Rah said enthusiastically as she also took Sarah’s hand.
“Rah, that’s Egyptian, right?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah!” Rah said, excited about the fact that someone knew about her heritage. “I was born in Egypt as a slave girl, but then I escaped with one of the noble’s sons and we headed for Greece. Then we got attacked by some thugs in the forest and the Amazons saved us and took me in. I was really lucky they did because I love life in the village, with all the girls and stuff…. And I talk a lot… They don’t let me out much.”
Sarah chuckled at the end of Rah’s monologue. She talked very fast, and the time traveler found it endearing. “Nice to meet you, Rah.”
“And this is Zoe.” Rah said, pointing to the spiky haired blond to her right. “She’s the supervisor of festivities and me and Meg work under her. Meg more than me though, cuz they’re bonded and all.”
Meg and Zoe looked at Rah and sighed, and then Zoe offered up a hand.
“So where are you from?” She asked, not really knowing what to think of the new girl. She dressed funny, she talked funny, and though she didn’t seem like a threat there was something about her that seemed very strange.
Even if Rah hadn’t said so, Sarah would have figured out that Zoe was the leader of the group. She seemed very cool, just leaning back and taking in the situation before saying anything herself.
“I’m from all over really, but I was born in the west.” She said.
“Like in Ionia?” Zoe asked.
“A little further west than that.” Sarah said, and then quickly changed the subject. “So um, what are you smoking there?”
“Oh it’s this great stuff that Zoe grows. Just kind of relaxes you for a couple of minutes.” Meg said. “Would you like to try some?” She asked offering up a small cigarette.
“You’re a fucking life saver.” Sarah said as she took her up on the offer. She then thought about it for a second, it could be pot and she still had stuff to do before settling in for the night. “This doesn’t make you… hungry and sleepy does it?”
“Oh no.” Meg said. “We save that stuff for later on.”
“Gotcha.” Sarah said as brandished her Zippo and lit up.
The rest of the women jumped back and looked at her as the first cave men would have at the site of flint scraping together and sparking.
“Oh my Goddess! What is that? Some kind of magic?” Rah asked.
“Oh, no.” Sarah said, exhaling the smoke and realizing how odd the small device would look to these women. “No, it’s just a fire making device I picked up on my travels. It’s harmless I promise. You wanna try it?”
She offered the lighter up to the group and it was Zoe who first moved to try it out. She opened up the top of the Zippo then studied it for a moment as the other girl stared as well. With two hands on the silver object she rotated the flint a couple of times then finally did it fast enough to create a flame.
“Nice.” She said, using it to light another cigarette and discarding the half smoked butt of her previous smoke to the ground.
Sarah thought for a minute then started to rummage through her bag. She had packed a five pack of Bics in there before she left just in case she lost her Zippo, but she figured using them to make friends might be better than letting them stick around in there on the off chance she might need them one day.
“Here.” She said offering up three different colored lighters to each of the women. “It’s the same thing only …”
“Pretty!” Meg said, reaching for the red one and striking the flint correctly on the first try.
Zoe reached for the blue one and gave back the Zippo before Rah reached for the green one.
They all struck the flint at the same time and smiled to each other. Very happy with the new toy they’d received from their new friend.
“Now you’ll have to use it wisely, because the fuel won’t last forever. But you should get some quick lights out of them for a while at least.”
They all thanked her emphatically then Zoe started to speak.
“Look, I’m sure we’ll be throwing a party later for your arrival. You should come by our fire pit at some point and try out some of the special stuff I’ve made. We don’t share it with everybody because these bitches can party something fierce, but you seem pretty…”
“Cool?” Sarah said.
“Cool?” Zoe tried the word out for size and decided she liked it. “Yeah, you’re cool. So make sure to find us later and we’ll show you how Amazons really party.”
“Sounds great!” Sarah said. “Hey before I let you get back to your work can you point me in the direction of the scroll hut? I’m supposed to be meeting the head historian.”
“Well it’s that one over there, but the historian is teaching lessons to the younger Amazons.” Rah said. “You can go over to the lesson tent, it’s right next to the scroll hut and the lessons should be over soon.”
“Awesome, thanks.” Sarah said as she waved goodbye. “I’ll see you guys later.”
Once she was out of sight the three women looked at each other and then at their new toys, then struck the flint in synchronicity and smiled.
ut contents here.