{"id":1123,"date":"2015-12-04T07:18:24","date_gmt":"2015-12-04T13:18:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1123"},"modified":"2015-12-05T07:25:15","modified_gmt":"2015-12-05T13:25:15","slug":"ephiny-and-the-new-princess-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1123","title":{"rendered":"Ephiny and the New Princess – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ephiny and the New Princess<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Disclaimer:\u00a0 This is a Xena: Warrior Princess fan fiction, also has same sex pairings.<\/p>\n

Part 1<\/span><\/p>\n

Ephiny glanced over where Eponin and Princess Terreis were, deep in conversation over something.\u00a0 Eph still could not believe they would be entering Cornith as guests after so long being enemies of Greece.\u00a0 The trade agreements were doing even better than anyone thought and relations between the Nation and the city of Patrii were doing well.<\/p>\n

Erika returned home to the nation alive and with news of the Conqueror\u2019s defeat of the Horde.\u00a0 She said nothing else other than vengeance was done and Ephiny never pursued the story anymore, nor did the Queen who seemed satisfied with the report.<\/p>\n

The mines were starting to become profitable to the point they had built a small village outside the mine for everyone to sleep and eat in for both the workers and the guards.\u00a0 No Amazon thought the process would go so smoothly and Eph wondered if Gabrielle had.\u00a0 Ephiny made a mental note to ask Gabrielle about it later on.<\/p>\n

They had also noticed a reduction in soldiers in Patrii and neighboring towns as the Conqueror moved troops around to what she considered more vital areas.\u00a0 It was obvious she no longer considered the Amazons a threat, which worked well both ways.\u00a0 They no longer had to hold as many troops along the border either.<\/p>\n

The rising sight of Corinth came into sight and her thoughts turned to what type of reception they would receive upon reaching the town.\u00a0 Already she noticed a few strange looks from passerbys, but nothing hostile, merely curiosity.\u00a0 Even as she thought about it she noticed couple of guards approaching them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcome Amazons, the empress stated you would be attending, we have a place outside the palace for you to set up,\u201d the guard said, pausing as if he remembered something.\u00a0 \u201cThat is if you don\u2019t mind, you\u2019ll be near representatives from Chin.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eph glanced over at the others then at Terreis who seemed to glance at her wanting her opinion.\u00a0 She shrugged her shoulders, not sure what to expect from the people of Chin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019ll be a problem,\u201d Terreis replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well, if you\u2019ll follow me then,\u201d the guard stated taking a few moments to talk to the other guards before nodding to them.<\/p>\n

Ephiny walked along to a small secluded spot near the palace.\u00a0 She watched Eponin walk around looking at the area and nodding her head in agreement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope this spot is acceptable to you,\u201d he guard said, but was also questioning it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes,\u201d Terreis replied to which the guard appeared relieved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chin delegation is through those trees, Lao Ma is peaceful, only asks that her privacy is respect3ed, she will respect yours,\u201d the guard said to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cShouldn\u2019t be a problem,\u201d Eph replied, glancing in the direction the guard pointed, and now she could barely make out the tents of the delegation, very different than Amazon tents.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery well, if you have any problems, questions or concerns please let us know,\u201d the guard said, bowing and leaving them along.<\/p>\n

Eph watched as Eponin quickly set up the camp and pitched in to help out as well.\u00a0 Her thoughts went to what would happen later on and who else she might encounter.\u00a0 It would be an interesting visit, full of discoveries.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Ephiny made her way into the dining area marveling at the size of the room.\u00a0 Walking through the town had been an eye opening experience as well seeing all types of people walking around from nobles to slaves.\u00a0 She understood better now why Gabrielle didn\u2019t feel the need for clothing as many slaves lacked clothes at all and seemed typical for the town.<\/p>\n

Shaking the thoughts from her mind she focused again on the dining hall.\u00a0 She thought it had to be bigger than the dining hut back in the Nation and already she could smell the food as it wafted from the kitchen into the dining room.\u00a0 Following Terreis to a seat before looking at the rest of the groups.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems like quite a few different groups are here already,\u201d Eponin remarked.<\/p>\n

\u201cRomans,\u201d Eph said, nodding her head in the direction of a man sitting down wearing the recognizable armor of the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d think they\u2019d wear something more comfortable to a dinner,\u201d Eponin stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, looks uncomfortable to me,\u201d Terreis replied as Eph looked around to see another group arriving.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they are from Chin,\u201d Eponin said as they looked at the same group.<\/p>\n

Ephiny looked the group over seeing that they appeared to be wearing some combination of robes and togas in what looked to be very fine clothe.\u00a0 She had heard of silk, and wondered if that was while wishing she knew what it felt like.\u00a0 A woman with long black hair sat down, making eye contact with her for a brief second giving an impression she could read her mind.<\/p>\n

The announcement of the Empress\u2019 arrival interrupted Eph\u2019s sightseeing and glanced towards the front of the dining room where a curtain had been drawn back.\u00a0 It allowed her a grand entrance as the Conqueror stepped into the room, dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and a black skirt which almost went to the floor but with slits going almost mid-thigh.\u00a0 Eph realized that while it looked formal it allowed her a degree of flexibility for fighting if needed.<\/p>\n

She spotted a glint of metal and noticed the chakram on the belt of the Conqueror, her favorite weapon and she never seemed far from it.\u00a0 In trained hands it was a deadly weapon, Eph knew if she tried it she\u2019d probably lose a few fingers.<\/p>\n

Slightly behind the Conqueror she noticed Gabrielle, the small blonde seemed different than before.\u00a0 It took Eph several seconds before she realized it had to do with the fact there were other slaves, and Gabrielle was acting in the manner as a slave.<\/p>\n

The two made their way to the head table, aware that both were the center of attention and the two scanned the room as well.\u00a0 Everyone expected the Conqueror to scan the room, but Eph doubted they expected the same actions from Gabrielle, probably dismissing the small slave as only a slave unless you knew otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting, what do you think?\u201d Ephiny asked looking over at Eponin.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeems like the Romans have no love at all towards the Conqueror,\u201d Eponin finally said.<\/p>\n

Eph looked over at the Roman delegation and noticed the hostility almost right away, so think if almost felt physical.\u00a0 She wondered why the Romans even came if they hated each other so much.\u00a0 The Romans seemed to act snootily to Eph.<\/p>\n

The Conqueror reached the head table silently demanding everyone\u2019s attention, waiting until she felt she had everyone\u2019s attention before speaking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish to thank you all for coming to the third Conference of Empires, a place were we can get together and talk about things instead of going to war,\u201d the Conqueror said scanning the room making eye contact with a lot of people.<\/p>\n

\u201cYa know, I\u2019m not sure which is more dangerous, the Conqueror or Gabrielle,\u201d Eponin whispered looking at Gabrielle scan the room as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth,\u201d Eph replied back to her as the Conqeuror sat down and the food was passed out.\u00a0 People went about their business, eating and talking.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see Amazons are in our midst, don\u2019t know why though,\u201d a male voice said interrupting Eph\u2019s meal.\u00a0 She looked up seeing a small man make his way towards them and knew from his dress the man was Roman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were invited,\u201d Terrei replied slowly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd you are?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe supply your grain,\u201d the man said.\u00a0 \u201cI think you\u2019d show some respect, if not I can always increase the price, you have no other options\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou did supply us,\u201d Eph replied before anyone else could say anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you\u2019ll starve, oh well, good riddance to bad customers, never happy, bunch of women,\u201d the man said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt that, we\u2019re buying our grain from Greece this year, they made a better offer and we accepted,\u201d Terreis said calmly watching the man\u2019s face turn to shock.<\/p>\n

He looked over at the roman delegation before turning back to them and Eph realized he had not heard the news of the new treaty, and the fact Rome was no longer allied with the Nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI doubt Rome will allow such a treaty to remain for long,\u201d the man huffed before heading to the other side of the room again.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, bye-bye,\u201d Eph said waving at the man\u2019s retreating back.<\/p>\n

She looked around the room again seeing that Gabrielle, and it seemed the Conqueror, had witnessed the exchange.\u00a0 There were no smiles on either face only a deep thinking gaze before they both turned back to their food as did Eph.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get the feeling that we\u2019re a battlefield between Greece and Rome,\u201d Terreis said to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess it\u2019s better than a physical battlefield,\u201d Eph replied, hoping she was correct.<\/p>\n

Eph noticed that a second round of food came out and she was determined to try as much as possible.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Ephiny looked over at the other two, Eponin and Terreis, as it appeared dinner was winding down questioning if they should start to head back to the camp.\u00a0 Even as they rose a servant made his way over to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Empress has asked if you would join her for a private conversation,\u201d he said with a respectable bow and then looked at the Conqueror before refocusing on them.<\/p>\n

Eph and Eponin looked over at Terreis waiting for her reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we can,\u201d Terreis replied following the servant as he led them out of the room and to another room.<\/p>\n

Eph wondered what the Conqueror wanted this time.\u00a0 To pass the time she looked at the walls, which were covered with artworks, most were actually quite tasteful and not all were about battlescenes, including one of the Conqueror and Gabrielle turning as the Conqueror made her way into the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, have a seat,\u201d she said, heading over to a spot to sit down followed by Gabrielle.\u00a0 \u201cI noticed you talking with the Romans during the meal, they didn\u2019t do anything stupid?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, only gave us a bit of information we didn\u2019t know about, seemed to think they were still trading with us,\u201d Terreis replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, it appears Caesar didn\u2019t tell his top merchants about the fact the Nation signed with me,\u201d the Conqueror said, glancing at Gabrielle.\u00a0 \u201cLike you thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ephiny watched as the Conqueror and Gabrielle shared a look.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seems so,\u201d Terreis answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery interesting,\u201d the Conqueror said tapping her chin in thought.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe old Caesar was over-confident in his relationship with the Amazons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI get the feeling the Nation is about to become part of a larger war,\u201d Terreis said, echoing a statement she made earlier.\u00a0 \u201cI will say this, the Nation will not get involved in a war between Rome and Greece.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, we do not expect you to,\u201d Gabrielle said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever a weak Amazon Nation doesn\u2019t help in Greece\u2019s defense, it would allow a foothold for Caesar into Greece,\u201d the Conqueror said.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cA strong Nation actually helps prevent war by denying Rome a foothold onto Greece.<\/p>\n

Eph wasn\u2019t sure what to make of that, they were doing it for the best interests of Greece, but then again, isn\u2019t that what rulers do, work for the best interest of their nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, I wouldn\u2019t put it past Rome to try something, divide the Nation against itself, that I cannot help with,\u201d the Conqueror stated.\u00a0 \u201cIf Rome tries to actively invade the Nation you will have Greece support that much I can promise.\u00a0 Internal conflicts you must solve yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ephiny had not expected such a bold statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the Nation can handle any intruders,\u201d Eponin stated defiantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, the Conqueror is right, we can handle most things, but Rome can send wave after wave of Roman legions against us, we\u2019d be overwhelmed eventually Pony,\u201d Terreis replied back.<\/p>\n

Eponin scowled reluctant to admit the Nation could be defeated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we\u2019d only help if the Nation asks,\u201d Gabrielle pipped up.<\/p>\n

\u201cGreece does have the armies to fight Rome,\u201d the Conqueror replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll decided if that day comes,\u201d Terreis finally stated, ending the conversation about invasions and armies.<\/p>\n

\u201cFair enough,\u201d the Conqueror said, as the group fell into silence.<\/p>\n

Ephiny noticed they were still a bit nervous in the presence of the Conqueror after being enemies for so long.\u00a0 She supposed it was only natural for both sides to be tense, they only recently began working together.\u00a0 She looked over at Gabrielle when a thought came to her mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, can you read lips as well?\u201d Eph asked Gabrielle.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuh?\u00a0 Oh, no, never learned that skill yet,\u201d Gabrielle replied with a slight glance towards the Conqueror, obviously saying that she could.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould have fooled me,\u201d Ephiny finally said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLip reading I can\u2019t, but body language is like an open scroll,\u201d Gabrielle replied.\u00a0 \u201cHe appeared confrontational when he approached you.\u00a0 As a result I brought it to the attention of Xena, and I don\u2019t\u2019 think he felt any better after talking to the head of the Roman delegation.\u00a0 You see a lot of trading goes on here as well I\u2019ve noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t\u2019 be too happy either if I lost such a large amount of trade and no one told me,\u201d Terres said.\u00a0 \u201cMakes me wonder if something is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eph watched as Terreis got a strange look on her face as she looked at Gabrielle.\u00a0 The glance gave Eph a strange feeling about everything that was going on.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess we\u2019ll find out sooner or later,\u201d Eponin said breaking Eph\u2019s train of thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever it is, Rome isn\u2019t ready for a conflict with Greece yet, not after their last fight,\u201d the Conqueror stated.\u00a0 Eph understood that, the reports of the last war was it didn\u2019t go well for Rome in Egypt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m sure whatever happens will happen, I doubt they\u2019ll try anything here,\u201d Terreis stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are Romans, if they feel like they can make a move here, they will, especially if they can blame someone else, its how they work,\u201d the Conqueror stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, we wait around for them to make a move?\u201d Eph asked, not sure she liked that idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cExactly,\u201d Terreis said surprising Eph with the answer.\u00a0 \u201cWe keep out eyes and ears open to anything out of the ordinary but carry on like normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eph wasn\u2019t sure she like that answer, but with everything she heard she would be keeping a much closer eye on anyone who had ties to the Roman Empire.<\/p>\n

End part 1<\/p>\n

Continued in part 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ephiny and the New Princess by AJ Marks Disclaimer:\u00a0 This is a Xena: Warrior Princess fan fiction, also has same sex pairings. Part 1 Ephiny glanced over where Eponin and Princess Terreis were, deep in conversation over something.\u00a0 Eph still could not believe they would be entering Cornith as guests after so long being enemies […]
Continue reading…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,18],"tags":[10,6,27,20],"class_list":["post-1123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fanfiction","category-xenauber-xena","tag-fanfiction","tag-fantasy","tag-princess","tag-xena"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1123"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1131,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1123\/revisions\/1131"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}