No Man's Land

Otella

This was the voice I remember in our meetings, the politeness bled out of his tone like an animal in butcher.  The patriarch of the neighboring city, whom we collaborated with at times to sustain our population.  Eva beside me tensed, along with the rest of the elite guard stationed around the patio, but they showed no sign of maliciousness in entering other than the strike with words.  "The Muses have apparently taken away your dignified speech, Carnus.  But as you can see, this is not a place of discussion currently.  This is of celebration," I say, lightly waving away Eva's clear defensiveness.  "You've given me a daughter, not a male.  Apologies if the messenger didn't arrive in time to give you the notice not to come to collect a false child.  But if you would please respect me, this is not a place for man to enter uninvited."

Carnus scoffed, halting in front of her and crossing his arms. Four of his men flanked his sides, eyeing the Queens guard sharply and gripping their swords. "Celebration, indeed. For the Gods see it fit to grant me only one child, and be that a girl. Regardless, she is the fruit of my loins and my blood at that. Until you can give me a proper hier, I have come to collect what is mine." His gaze dropped sharply to the pink faced bundle, any sign of a tender father that might be within, drowned by his harden, grim gaze.

Othella

"If you wish to discuss this properly in the morning, it would be easy to arrange.  Currently you are coming into a place you are not welcome, at a time which is supposed to be peaceful and uninterrupted.  While you speak of the Gods, you invade my city and seek to simply demand a babe away from her mother?  Athena and Demeter stand against you here; it would be wise of you to not offend the goddesses that take favor on my sisters and I."  Threatening my people would be exactly what would spur my tone into that to reflect my own power as ruler.  It was signal enough for Eva and the others to lay a hand upon their own blades as the older nurses came up to me to take the child back to my guarded quarters.  Within the palace was a maze to foreigners, another defense built into the fortress.

"Please," he scoffed once more, "Athena backs the virtue and chastity of a women. You, my feisty lion, are no more chaste than I." He stepped forward when the babe was taken away, eyes tinging red with madness brought about by the loss of many sons. 
Adorian stepped forward with the tense crowd, the ringing of the sword she deftly drew from a neighboring sisters belt breaking the silence. "So father yourself another. She is ours." She raised her sword to him in naive braveness. He laughed, raised a hand, and his men swarmed her, quickly disarming and pinning her hands tightly behind her. She gasped, then glared him, to which he chuckled in amusement and turned back to the queen. "The babe, now. Do not cross me, or mark my words, I will strick you down with one of Zeus bolts themselve"

Niobe
I suck in a breath with Adorian's brashness, multiple sisters drawing their blades and a few recovering shields from leaning against the walls but they do not move without the queen's word.  

"I give you a last chance at diplomacy, Carnus," she says, voice giving me chills with the commandeering of her power.  Otella waves away the nurses, who disappear down the queen's quarters passageway as a few of the elite follow to defend the princess.  She raises a hand towards the two balconies overlooking the patio, upon which groupings my of other sisters raise available bows to the trespassers.  "Allow my sister to go free and we can discuss this in the morning.  But you raise a blade at one  of us, you threaten all present, and I can assure you your chances of survival here are slim."

Carnes shot her a grim, defiant look, then took Adorian ruffly from his men and held her in front of her, like a shield. "I do not take orders from a /girl/. Do so, and you will tempt the sisters of fate to cut her string before mine." She struggled against her voluminous skirts to kick him, or inflict damage in any form, but the fine material was meant for looking pretty, not for moving. 
"Do it," she mouthed to Otella, her chin raised in bravery, but her young eyes locked on Niobe is blaring fear.

Otella
"Mere 'girls' can shoot through the eye of a squirrel from ten strides.  Yours would not be much of a challenge from there," Eva voices from beside me.  To insult our battle skill was to insult Evangeline's training. 

"In the morning, Carnus.  Lay your swords down and I will follow suit.  An arrangement could be reached if you would simply explain the sudden betrayal of trust forged between our nations and stop this barbarism."  Another signal, swords were raised in preparation.  "Must the babe's birth day be marred with blood?"

Carnes tightened his hold on the girl, licking his lips in an unsteady manner as his mind reeled for a way to keep things in his favor. "Very well. You may keep my babe until morn. But I will keep your girl as collateral." He took careful steps back, his swords edge moving up to caress her neck. 
Adorian's eyes widen as she swallowed against the sword, her mind torn between acting brave, or panicking. Her eyes harden as the former won out. 
"Mark my words, you better be here with the babe when apollo crosses the horizon tomorrow. Cross me, and she will feel my wrath." He continued, his men pressed tight besides him as backed toward the exit.

Otella
"And may Artemis strike you if you bring any harm or disgrace to Adorian until then," I hiss.
Niobe spoke up from the side.  "I may go as company, my queen?"  She chewed her bottom lip in nervousness, but her eyes were fixed with strength.  
After a moment I nod.  "Guide them out."

Adorian struggles resumed, eyes widening again as she shook her head velminiously(sp?) at Niobe.  Carnes scowled as he caught her mouthing "No!",  shaking her and cutting her protests short. He nodded once, sharply, to Otella and jerked his chin for Niobe to move along, backing up until he was out the door and safe from enemy swords.

Niobe

I take lead as Otella ordered, to guide them out.  "Would you favor the inn or do you intend to set up a camp outside the walls in a continuation of your mock invasion upon my queen, Sir Carnus?" I ask him as pleasantly as I can given the circumstances, standing with pride and dignity.  It was my teaching, as I wished to be more of an adviser or negotiator than a pure warrior.

Carnes shot a sharp look at the girl, fists clenching. "Watch your tongue girl, do you think I am so foolish as to camp outside, where my men and I can be locked out? No. The fields at the back of the city will do. And my men will be posted along your walls, to guarantee that your queen keeps her word."

Niobe
"Remember, sir king, it was not us to barbarically break agreement tonight. Outsiders continually mistake us for their women, but we are just as much warriors as your army. And we in the right have no reason to run," I cut off my words before I took it too far. Childish bullying didn't sway us. Hera stayed faithful to the so easily distracted Zeus, Ares was so easily tamed under the eyes of Aphrodite, Athena won Athens from Poseidon, victory and righteous judgement were goddesses...there were plenty of legends to speak of women's strength over these men, so I would not be so easily scared and I allowed that comfort to read plainly on my face in intensity, as something for them to fear.

"We shall see about that," Carnes grumbled, remaining slight for the rest of the journey. Once they reached the field of tents already being pitched into the ground, he shoved Adorian to a guardsmen with chains, which he quickly made use of. Adorian keep her chin high and steady, saying nothing until this point.
"Thank you, sister, for ensuring my safe arrival. Hurry back, enjoy the feast for me." She offered her a forced, smile.

Niobe swallows hard, glancing away from Adorian to the king. "Then I shall arrive in the morning with the queen's schedule for a proper discussion between the two of you," she says, words still hiding a biting tone. "Please heed her words. Adorian comes back tomorrow with any tales of harm then we will see it fit to exterminate your group from our lands." With a final nod to her sister, Niobe turns about to return inside her city's walls. Athena protect them from siege...


Deep within the winding passage ways of the palace, Otella sat beside her baby girl's crib to calm herself. Much of the celebration had died down from the originally planned festivities of the night with the sour note. A schedule was set up for watch upon the walls, regular patrols would be watching the streets, and her own guard with Eva would be busy within the palace in case Carnes attempted something dastardly himself. She couldn't imagine he would optionally place his city in such danger if he were to steal the child away without entertaining the idea of some sort of talk first. Be quick to name her as your own, Otella... It went against tradition to wait until at least her first moon cycle - no need getting attached to a babe destined for death, Otella had learned from the past.
Lightly, she cupped the small child's head to stroke the thin hay colored hair. "Medea," Otella spoke softly. It was a name of the far east, outside of Greece, the young sorceress from the stories of Jason and the Argonauts. A woman who would not stand for the betrayal of a man and challenged the normal expectations for a woman outside of the Amazonian culture.

Phoebe slipped out of the shadows as Niobe walked by, matching her pace with a frown. "I cannot believe you /walked him/ to his camp ground. You should have let him get lost." Her small bare feet were silent against the ground, expression sour. Not past her 14th summer, Phoebe was determined to prove herself in the clan, and often did so by sticking her nose where it did not belong.

"If this comes to war we must keep the image as the the attempted pacifiers rather than aggressors. We have so few allies who withstand our way of life, we cannot make any moves to upset that. And if it comes to a fight we will be the ones to have friends outside of our walls compared to the king," Niobe explained carefully. The queen had enough to stress about in this political game with the surrounding city-states. "We stick by our treaties to show we are trustworthy."

"Well that is ridiculous," Phoebe scoffed. "They are not trustworthy. Why should we be any better?" She kicked a rock ahead of them, counting the skips. "Of course, they will not get out little princess. .... Right?" She glanced up at Niobe through dark lashes.

Niobe gave a curt nod. "We in the right are not required to give anything over in payment for nonexistent wrong doings. That is the point." She smiled after. "There isn't a way we would lose. The king's stacked up the chances against himself already." Which was a slight bother with him displaying such confidence in barging in...

Pheobe sighed dramatically, skipping a little besides her. "Well I say we just rescue our sister," she whispered with a grin, "and get on with it all. Hm?"