Previous – Story Time (1)
Styliani woke and felt the dread that the nightmare had caused, like a lead weight in her gut. She stood and seeing Calla feeding Adelpha with a bottle of goats milk, while making silly faces quietly. She approached and Adelpha’s little face broke into a huge grin upon seeing her. “Thank goodness you’ve woken Styliani! This little monster,” Calla puffed her cheeks, crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Adelpha and was rewarded with her giggle, “is refusing to drink her bottle!”
“Luckily I am trained to deal with monsters such as this one!” Styliani laughed and swooped Adelpha into her arms and spun around as Adelpha giggled her delight and cooed in what she considered understandable words.
“The tribe will be back soon. How are you feeling?” Calla asked and raised a hand to gently touch the bruising around Styliani’s neck, where he had managed to grab hold of her.
“I’m worried. He was a Gargarean prince, so they may not be so forgiving,” Styliani sighed as she unconsciously bit her nail.
“You’re sisters are here to defend you. You were right to defend Melina and will not be handed to the Gargareans to decide your justice. Let Athena’s justice, not Ares wrath determine your innocence,” Calla reassured.
“With my sisters behind me, how can I be worried,” Styliani smiled, raising Adelpha into the air and looked up in delight at her care free face. Her good mood vanished as a horn sounded deep in the forest, telling them that the tribe was returning. Calla left to make some refreshments as they would be hungry after the nights festivities.
The mating rituals of the Gargareans and Amazons had been going on every year to ensure both tribes survival. The Amazons would divide the tribe each year for the ones to give birth and the ones which would care for them, being generally the young amazons and the elderly. Styliani had a year left before she would be given the choice to attend the rituals. No one was ever forced to participate. If one of them conceived a child they would be looked after by the tribe and they would wait until the ones expecting gave birth to contact the Gargareans to collect the male children after three months of nurturing. The girls would stay and the cycle would repeat. There would be emotional outbursts when the boys were collected, but they did not allow the Amazon’s giving birth to form attachments to only one child during feedings, they would switch the babies, so they didn’t become attached to one. They often did not allow the mother to hold their own child in the first week to ensure that the parting would not be a burden on them if they had a boy child. The babies were a collective property and each one would be nurtured and ensured their protection from all tribe members until the Gargareans collected the boys. This happened after the three days which they held the mating rituals and then they collected the boys and left the Amazon forests to go back to the mountain paths. Styliani knew that they would be handing the children over that day and she hoped that her sisters would inform the Queen before they had to meet with the Gargarean tribe when the sun was hitting the mountain top. Placing a sling around her back and settling Adelpha in it, she quickly made her way to the common grove to help collect the waters for her sisters to bathe in and refresh themselves. The elders were slicing off meat from a wild boar they had over the fires and sprinkling wild herbs along the pieces, including sage and mandrake to increase the chances of conception. The tribe often had recipes which would contain silphium, but it was not allowed to be added to any meals the woman who were expecting to eat. She heard that it made the woman unable to carry the babies. Before the mating rituals they were also not allowed to eat the herb. The horn sounded closer to camp and she quickly slung the bucket onto the cart before running to the pathway to join her sisters in greeting them back. The women entered the clearing with the tribal red paint disguising their faces and drawn along their arms and bodies, as the custom demanded. Some had the paint smeared and it looked like intimidating war masks on some as the light flittered through the tree tops. They kneeled as Queen Hippolyta entered the clearing. She was by no means a beautiful woman, but her strength and confidence gave her an almost ineffable allure. She had coarse white blond long hair, a scowl which drew down to a slightly large nose and thin lips, which could only be really seen when she laughed with true amusement. Her shoulders were broad and well defined to make her appear bigger than she was. Her waist was small compared to the wide hips and strong muscular legs which seemed to stretch her to a head higher than her sisters. She was strong and wore her father Ares war belt proudly. What most felt when they looked at her was intimidation. But if they knew her, like her tribe did, she was kind hearted and had a quirky sense of humour which often elated the dourest of hearts. “Daughters and sisters, let us relax after our night of revelry and return to the bosom of our family to eat and relax now our duty is done,” Hippolyta enthused and spread her arms as the women quickly made their way to the bathing tubs and food set out for them. The sisters who had stayed behind quickly followed to lend aid for anything they might need. The queen waited, as if sensing that someone needed to talk with her and smiled warmly as Styliani nervously approached. She bowed as the Queens gaze settled on her and felt like holding her breath as she rose. The queens steel grey eyes cut through her and she felt like she had already told the queen everything she knew by their penetration into her mind. Shaking her head and trying to get clarity.
“My Queen, I apologise, I mean I’m sorry, I um,” Styliani fumbled and felt her cheeks go red.”
The Queen smiled good naturedly and wrapped her strong arm around her shoulders giving her a squeeze, “Daughter, I do not want to be a grey haired mule by the time you’ve told me the story. Come to my tent and we’ll settle your nerves with some mulled wine?” Styliani felt herself being marched along with the Queen to her tent and she sat her down on the small tree log as she sat on the one opposite and pulled a bottle from her pack. She bit the cork and released it from the bottle opening, spitting it across the enclosed space and took a swig. Then handed the bottle to Styliani and took off her roped sandals as she watched Styliani take a swig, “What is wrong daughter?”
“I killed a Gargarean,” Styliani exclaimed and stopped herself thinking how hard it was to utter the simple statement. The queen arched one eyebrow and considered her for a moment.
“Why?” She asked after what seemed like five million years.
“He was hurting and maybe about to kill Melina,” Styliani confessed. She watched the queens face closely, trying to find any condemnation. She could see the Queen processing the information and finally settling on something. She smiled and Styliani felt like crumpling in relief.
“You did the right thing. But I was told it was the Gargarean Prince? Could cause some ruffled feathers, but don’t fear, we will blame them for the infraction and they will ask for forgiveness rather than the other way around,” The queen nodded in approval.
“You already knew?” Styliani questioned feeling a bit betrayed after all the worrying.
“Of course. Part of being a leader is knowing everything. We do this through people and understanding human nature.” The Queen explained.
“I thought you would condemn me and banish me?” Styliani laughed a bit hysterically feeling both a wash of relief and astounded that it was alright.
“Loyalty is both ways daughter. You do not ever have to fear about us not supporting you,” Queen Hippolyta admonished, ” You look like you’ve been spending too much time worrying. Go have some fun before the afternoon ceremony. See if you can beat my stone skipping score by the lake!” The queen took another swig of the wine and pulled off her other shoe as Styliani left the tent and felt almost giddy at the sudden freedom. SHe pulled Adelpha’s swaddle to the front and started babbling to her about all the flowers in the forest that they were passing as she made her way to the lake. She stood on the rock and looked out at the peaceful water, the clearest blue. Suddenly she was distracted by the sound of a splash, she looked curiously around for the owner. The hanging tree next to her blocked her view and she went lower to see if she could see who had jumped in. She pushed a branch out of the way as she ducked another one to try see in the direction that the splash had come from. Making her way over the rocks she saw a foot beneath the overhanging branches and smiled at her sister who was probably trying to grab a quick soak before the afternoon. She called out, but received no response, so quickly made her way through the bush, while protecting Adelpha from the branches and looked brightly down at the water. Beneath the tree the water was darker and she took a moment to adjust her eyes to the darkness. She put a hand over her mouth, to protect Adelpha from the scream she felt bubbling up. Melina’s bright green eyes were clouded and her rosy cheeks pale. The stillness of her death was unnerving and Styliani looked around for help as she took a breath to try figure out how to reverse what had already been done. Her mind raced so quickly that she barely registered the sound of a snapped twig. She turned, hoping to see a sister, but her face fell as she saw a frowning Gargarean with his teeth bared.
“You killed my brother,” He growled.
End of second part.
Maxine the Magnificent 