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 Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:04 pm
Once Galena had patched her up as much as Zanna would allow, the Amazon demanded her weapons, which had been cleaned of their blood. She thanked Nyoka as she dressed herself in her armor once again, leaning heavily on the wall for support. After a bit more arguing and with the help of the Fa'e, a horse had been prepared for her.
The throbbing of the wound was dulled by the medicine that the healer had given her, and very much hidden from view by her clothing and armor.
Even if she hadn't had unfinished business to attend to at her city, the Simu wasn't about to sit around waiting for herself to heal. Especially since there were many loose ends to tie up back in her land.
Thankfully, Iphigenia had kept the order, as Nyoka requested, and the trip through the city went seamlessly. When she finally arrived in front of the palace, the young adult dismounted with barely even a hint of pain. The crowd, which was currently being held back by Iphigenia's women, gathered around the white building clearly curious and even terrified about their new queen.
Whispers buzzed through the air, but Zanna took the time to rub the horse's neck affectionately as she was briefed on the situation inside. She nodded and took a silent glance around before starting up the stairs with a resolute stride. Not an ounce of weakness was shown, regardless of her injuries smarting fiercely under her armor. Now was not the time.
Stepping through the marble doors and the set of guards, she glided quickly to the throne chamber. The moment she stepped through the door, the youth heard the angry exchange of words between the one they held captive and the pair of guards holding her down. All quieted seconds later, the dirty peasant woman's jaw hanging mid sentence.
"She claims that she is the true quee--"
Zanna held up a hand to silence the soldier, eyes staying on the woman. She had already been briefed on the situation. The peasant, surprise gone, glared up at her queen with a great fire in her eyes. Her hair was dark and curly, but she was pale skinned under the dirt and grime.
"You are not my queen," she sneered openly, ignoring the guards as they loosened their swords, watching Zanna for any signal she should give.
Instead of getting angry, the Simu simply stood her ground and smiled, which seemed dangerous behind the friendly nature it displayed. "By our rules, I am," a hand motioned towards the direction of the front steps, where Desdemona's head rested, "Do you wish the same fate as her then?"
"Our?! You are not Amazon!" She spat, "Desdemona was no queen of mine either, for I, Elpida, am all that is left of the royal bloodlines now. And therefore, I will never bow to you as my queen."
Zanna's face fell. Not because of the insults and disrespect that had been viciously thrown at her, but due to the epiphany this woman had triggered.
"Welcome home..."
The voice echoed through her very soul, and for a brief moment, the peasant woman appeared as the truth... A spitting image of the queen Aurora had shown her long ago.
Shaking her head free of the flashback, the queen's smile returned, and the woman's fire seemed to deflate somewhat. "How many generations has it been since Penthesilea's death in Troy?"
The woman reeled as if she had been delivered a blow to the face, eyes wide in shock at the name drop that the young adult had procured. "How do you know of her?" She stumbled, unable to regain the previous fire in her voice that she had had moments ago.
"She has reclaimed her throne," Zanna answered simply, still standing tall in front of the other woman. "Will you reclaim yours, Elpida?"
If Elpida had been in shock before, now she was utterly dumbfounded. "The prophecies..." She choked out, her resistance faltering, "They were old. Fairytales passed through the generations... But..."
"They were right," the youth finished for her, motioning for the guards to release Elpida, "I'll give you time to digest this." Zanna signaled towards those of the palace who had once served Desdemona, "Take her to the royal baths, and treat her as such. Dress her and send her to me when she is finished."
With bows, they did as they were told, ushering out the dazed Elpida quietly and quickly.
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:20 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 2:47 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:05 pm
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 3:06 pm
It didn't take long for Zanna to realize that Gaia was not where she belonged. Her loyalties and duties remained in her city, to her people, and most of all to Elpida, whom she had left in charge while she was at home. The closer she came to being fully healed, the more restless the Simu had become.
She wanted to fight. She wanted to train. And she definitely didn't want to seem weak to her fellow Amazons.
Unlike Nyoka, Zanna was not able to teleport herself too and from Greece, and it had taken her a long time to find her way back via human means. Luckily, all her weapons save her knife were still in Greece, left their so that she would not be tempted into training before she was well again. Galena's orders.
Once the airplane landed in Athens, Zanna was able to find her way to a train station, and then, after several bus rides later, she found herself in a small, but modern city. From there, the travel was on foot. She hiked for miles, using strangely familiar landmarks and a compass to guide her. And finally, a night of camping and more walking later, the queen found herself at the West most gates of her city.
There, she acquired a horse and rode the rest of the way to the palace. Her city may be smaller than Nyoka's, but it was still quite large.
She slipped into the palace, unpacked, and cleaned herself up before making her way to the main parts of the palace, where a servant had informed her of Elpida's whereabouts.
"Welcome home Zanna," the woman, who was dressed in deep green and gold robes, greeted from her seat at a large table. There were what looked like hundreds of years of records piled up around her, as well as a handful of the city's appointed officials. "How were the travels?"
"Tedious," she replied with a tired smile, "I really need to find an easier way to get here."
Elpida nodded, excusing herself from the table to catch up with her fellow queen. They kissed in a traditional greeting, which Zanna had finally gotten used to thanks to the time she spent in the palace before returning to her guardian's, before Elpida led her into a side room which they could speak privately in.
"The peace treaty with Nyoka's city has remained strong, and as you can see trade has started to resume," she said proudly as they sat down on a cushioned seats. "But there is still much to be done, now that you've returned."
Zanna smiled warily, chewing on a grape from a tray between them, "I will do whatever I can to rebuild the city, but I must also tend to our army."
The talks of city business went on for several hours, as Elpida filled in the Simulacra on what she had missed. In the end, the talks had to stop in favor of sleep.
Zanna slept better than she had in a long time that night. She was finally home.
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