{"id":1136,"date":"2015-12-07T07:19:56","date_gmt":"2015-12-07T13:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1136"},"modified":"2015-12-08T07:19:40","modified_gmt":"2015-12-08T13:19:40","slug":"ephiny-and-the-new-princess-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1136","title":{"rendered":"Ephiny and the New Princess – Part 4"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

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

Part 4<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGabrielle stop!\u201d<\/p>\n

They all turned to see who had spoken.\u00a0 They noticed a beautiful blonde standing not far away wearing a see-through dress.\u00a0 \u201cYou are always welcome in my temples.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAphrodite,\u201d Eph said quietly, there was no one else who she could be.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the flesh babe,\u201d the goddess replied back to her before making her way over to where Gabrielle stood.\u00a0 Eph spared a glance to the priest who now seemed shocked now that the goddess herself had appeared personally telling Gabrielle to stop.\u00a0 \u201cWe finally meet after all this time my Chosen.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this the priest finally sputtered back to life.\u00a0 \u201cMy goddess, you must be joking.\u00a0 I have to protest, she is but a slave!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSilence,\u201d Aphrodite said, her words cutting across his protest.\u00a0 Eph had never seen a god, or goddess angry and never knew the goddess of love could get angry but she was.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ve been watching you, and I\u2019m not pleased at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goddess, I\u2019ve only tried to serve your best interests,\u201d the man said falling to his knees.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019ve only served yourself,\u201d Aphrodite said turning towards him.\u00a0 \u201cYou are relieved of your position in this temple.\u201d<\/p>\n

They watched the priest look between them all before scampering away from the room.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to do that Aphrodite,\u201d Gabrielle said, and typical of what the woman would say.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been double-crossing me for a while now, saying I want higher tribute which he keeps instead of helping the temple of others and he knows it,\u201d Aphrodite said.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s a pompous man who is self-centered, not what I want in my priests or priestesses, I just haven\u2019t been here to do anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, I don\u2019t mean to sound rude or anything, but am I your Chosen?\u201d Gabrielle asked, her voice child-like.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut of course, who else would I choose?\u00a0 You and the Empress give a whole new meaning to the word love,\u201d Aphrodite said with a small wiggle of delight.<\/p>\n

Eph watched as Gabrielle blushed slightly at the statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou must know by now Bri that you\u2019ve been touched by many gods and goddesses,\u201d Aphrodite stated to her.\u00a0 \u201cArtemis wanted you as Queen of your Amazons, but other factors interfered with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The statement startled Eph as she looked over at Eponin and Airlea who both shared the same shocked expression.\u00a0 Such news would come to a shock for everyone back in the Nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor that path you would have been saved by the Amazons when you were taken as a slave, but the price, it would have meant an older age,\u201d Aphrodite said.<\/p>\n

Eph looked over at Gabrielle who now had a very strange, unpleasant look on her face, almost as if that would have been a worse fate and knew there was a story there she had not heard yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what factors interfered with that?\u201d Gabrielle asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor one, Xena, even you must know now that you two are soul-mates, even Ares understood that one early on,\u201d Aphrodite replied back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cAres.\u00a0 Is that why I can fight so well?\u201d Gabrielle asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, you were touched by Athena, that\u2019s where you get that skill, and your wisdom, she even thought about making you her Chosen as well,\u201d Aphrodite stated startling Ephiny.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd if Ares had touched you, I\u2019d have known it,\u201d another voice said causing them all to look over to see the Conqueror who walked over to Gabrielle and placed her arm around her waist.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that\u2019s love, it\u2019s beautiful,\u201d Aphrodite said with a slight sigh and smile.\u00a0 Even Eph admitted the way the two acted towards each other made people jealous.<\/p>\n

\u201cWait, what do you mean you\u2019d have known about it?\u201d Gabrielle asked looking up at the Conqueror.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can sense Ares, or things he has touched, part of the fact that I\u2019m his daughter,\u201d the Conqueror said.\u00a0 \u201cIf I sensed you were from him I might have killed you before knowing who you were.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eph looked on seeing an insight into their relationship she had not seen before, jumping slightly at the flash as another god appeared.\u00a0 Strangely the Conqueror never jumped.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello Ares,\u201d the Conqueror said to the new arrival.<\/p>\n

\u201cXena, my favorite human, and Gabrielle,\u201d Ares said walking over and Eph could now see the similarities between the two, tall, dark-haired, and the same imposing stare.\u00a0 The two looked at each other before Ares looked down at Gabrielle.\u00a0 \u201cI had Aphrodite search for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou?\u201d Eph squeaked out before she could stop herself earning a nudge from Eponin.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, me,\u201d Ares said looking over at Eph, who felt uncomfortable with the stare.\u00a0 \u201cI may be the God of War, but I do care for my daughter, even if we don\u2019t see eye-to-eye very often.\u00a0 I only intended to watch over her, but others had plans for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat others?\u201d the Conqueror asked, narrowing her eyes at Ares and Eph knew few people could ever get away with that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know of Aphrodite, Artemis and Athena, it wouldn\u2019t surprise me to hear Apollo\u2019s name as well,\u201d Gabrielle stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, even Hera and Zeus were interested in your path,\u201d Aphrodite said.\u00a0 \u201cFew mortals are so blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHardly,\u201d the Conqueror said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy so many? Gabrielle asked, ignoring the statement by the Conqueror despite the other two looking at her.\u00a0 It took a few seconds before Aphrodite finally answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes a rare mortal comes along, once in a thousand lifetimes and they deserved to be blessed,\u201d Aphrodite stated, and Eph thought the answer was a bit vague.\u00a0 \u201cIf you ever need me, call my name and I\u2019ll be there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before anyone else could say anything she disappeared followed quickly by Ares leaving them to ponder what they had been told.\u00a0 Eph looked over at the others and noticed Gabrielle appeared deep in thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they do that on purpose,\u201d she finally said pushing a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d the Conqueror said.\u00a0 \u201cNow, if there are no more major epiphanies, let\u2019s get back to the one we can solve.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have something?\u201d Ephiny asked, looking at the Conqueror and hoping she did.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, though I think we should talk about this back at the palace,\u201d the Conqueror stated.<\/p>\n

Eph nodded as the group left the temple.\u00a0 It was a public place and they had no way to know who else might be listening in, or who even heard everything that went on.\u00a0 She hoped that het Conqueror really did have something on who killed Terries and that things were not about to get complicated.<\/p>\n

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

Eph watched the way the Conqueror walked with Gabrielle after everything that happened in the past few minutes.\u00a0 The Conqueror wrapped an arm around Gabrielle\u2019s waist, but said nothing.\u00a0 Three was a silent communication going on between the two of them which seemed very sweet and unexpected by the Conqueror.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you think she\u2019s actually got something?\u201d Eponin asked whispering to Eph.<\/p>\n

\u201cI, well, I don\u2019t know,\u201d Eph replied giving it some thought.\u00a0 \u201cI hope the Centaurs didn\u2019t do it.\u201d\u00a0 She looked over at Eponin who had a strange look on her face, but Eph thought everything seemed too convenient.\u00a0 Sure there was bad blood, but to do this, it wasn\u2019t how Centaurs operated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho else would do it?\u201d Eponin asked.\u00a0 \u201cThey don\u2019t\u2019 like us, never have, no one else has a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI know, but doesn\u2019t it seem a little too convenient and easy.\u00a0 If the Centaurs had done it they would have been a bit better at hiding their tracks,\u201d Eph replied back to her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess, but I wouldn\u2019t put it past the Centaurs to have done it,\u201d Eponin stated back.<\/p>\n

Eph couldn\u2019t blame Eponin for her thoughts.\u00a0 Her first thoughts had been blind rage against the Centaurs as well upon seeing the arrow.\u00a0 Now, after all that happened, it all seemed too easy for her, like the people behind it knew the Amazons would easily go to war against the Centaurs with a slight push.\u00a0 Why assassinate the princess unless you were ready for war?\u00a0 She went over the last reports from the meeting with the Queen about the Centaurs.\u00a0 There were reports they were under pressure from Rome, with that thought her mind froze.\u00a0 Could Rome be behind it all, and if so, what was the goal?\u00a0 War?<\/p>\n

\u201cYou all right?\u201d Eponin asked giving Eph a nudge.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, just thinking,\u201d Eph replied back to her.<\/p>\n

They continued on into the palace and into an interior room where she noticed Autolycus standing nearby.\u00a0 She hoped he found something in the time they had been one from the palace.\u00a0 She realized they still had to completely inform those back at the camp of what happened, if they already didn\u2019t know something.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, we\u2019re all here,\u201d the Conqueror said turning to Autolycus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were signs of Centaur prints, we\u2019ve discovered it\u2019s highly unlikely that it came from the Centaur camp, no Centaur has left the camp since this morning,\u201d Autolycus stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe prints, are they Centaur or re they not?\u201d Eponin asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought they were at first, a rouge Centaur hoping to stir up trouble between the two camps, but the prints didn\u2019t look right to me,\u201d Autolycus stated.\u00a0 \u201cSo I had the Empress take a closer look at them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI looked at the prints myself, and as Autolycus stated, there was something wrong about them, so we followed them,\u201d the Conqueror said to them.\u00a0 \u201cThe tracks led to the Centaur camp, placing more suspicion on them, but short of the camp the track stopped and the prints changed into regular horse prints which leads to suspicion of the Centaurs doing it and someone setting them up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHorse prints?\u201d Ephiny asked, slightly disappointed that the Centaurs didn\u2019t do it and the mystery would remain.\u00a0 Terreis deserved to have justice for her death.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had Autolycus follow the tracks, and I think you\u2019ll be surprised where they led,\u201d the Conqueror stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cRomans,\u201d Ephiny said before anyone else could say anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight on,\u201d Autolycus said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRomans, who would they be behind this?\u201d Eponin asked, confused.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur treaty with Greece, even the Centaurs have been having trouble with the Romans, and remember the merchant who seemed surprised the news,\u201d Eph answered.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe did seem a bit upset,\u201d Eponin stated and by her face Eph knew her lover was thinking about something else.\u00a0 \u201cHow well do you know Kori?\u201d<\/p>\n

The question took Eph by surprise so she had to think about it for a few seconds after picturing the dark-haired Amazon.\u00a0 True, she didn\u2019t know much as the Amazon usually associated with other people but had never caused any trouble.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot that well, why?\u201d Eph asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the meeting with the Conqueror in the winter, I overheard her and someone else talking, I don\u2019t think they expected anyone to be listening, and I didn\u2019t think anything of it, but Rome and the romans were mentioned several times.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a bad feeling about all of this,\u201d Eponin finally said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn invasion?\u201d Eph asked, the possibilities of such an attack occurring were slim but would devastate the Nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cRome is foolish, but usually not this stupid,\u201d the Conqueror said pausing to think about this situation.\u00a0 \u201cPerhaps we can use this to our advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAdvantage?\u00a0 You want to turn this to an advantage?\u201d Eponin said outraged by it all and Eph could not blame her one bit by sounding shocked.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, yes, it\u2019s the perfect time for this,\u201d the Conqueror said.\u00a0 \u201cCaesar thinks he knows everyone, perhaps its time to show him that he doesn\u2019t know the Amazons like he thinks he does.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Eph asked, and Eph remained quiet listening to what the Conqueror was thinking, hoping she knew what she was doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, the Romans believe they have an advantage, and they are also extremely egotistical when they think this way, with a proper plan we can keep them at bay for a long time,\u201d the Conqueror said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat may be, but we still have to inform the Nation of Terreis\u2019 death and that Gabrielle received the Right-of-Caste,\u201d Eph replied not looking forward to explaining all of this and hoped some might have patience.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s not going to go over well,\u201d Eponin stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdd in the fact that Gabrielle\u2019s technically a slave and things could get very messy,\u201d Eph said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I the Queen?\u201d Gabrielle suddenly asked surprising Ephiny with the question, something she had not expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cUm, well, no,\u201d Eph finally replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd who is the next in line?\u201d Gabrielle asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be Valaska, so you\u2019re third in line,\u201d Eph replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven with Artemis\u2019 blessing this will take a small miracle,\u201d Eponin stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should be about to use that to our advantage, at least a bit,\u201d Gabrielle said.<\/p>\n

Eph suddenly didn\u2019t feel like thinking about the Amazons right now, Terreis\u2019 death, Gabrielle as an Amazon and everything else including the Centaurs and Romans involved was giving her a headache.<\/p>\n

\u201cRegardless, we need to get back and tell the others at eth camp what happened, not all of it, but the basics,\u2019 Eph finally said not liking that task.<\/p>\n

Eph looked over at the others, the Conqueror was talking with the guards and Gabrielle was now talking with Airlea waiting to see what would happen next.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou realize someone is going to have to stay with her to guard her, right?\u201d Eponin said breaking Eph\u2019s thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll stay,\u201d Airlea said, speaking up.<\/p>\n

Eph looked over at Eponin, who merely shrugged her shoulders and they both realized that Gabrielle had more guards than most Amazon royalty.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d suggest keeping who gained the Right-of-Caste a secret for now, if some Amazons are part of this they might try again,\u201d the Conqueror stated.<\/p>\n

Eph groaned to herself but knew the Conqueror was right this time.\u00a0 She found it hard to believe that another Amazon might be part of this, but with everything else going on she could not easily dismiss the thought.\u00a0 Her first job was to defend the princess, regardless of who that was, and if Rome was involved in this things would have become much more dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t\u2019 like it, but I agree,\u201d Eponin finally said.<\/p>\n

With that Eph and Eponin bid Airlea good-by and made their way back to the camp ground.<\/p>\n

End part 4<\/p>\n

Continued in part 5<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ephiny and the New Princess by AJ Marks Part 4 \u201cGabrielle stop!\u201d They all turned to see who had spoken.\u00a0 They noticed a beautiful blonde standing not far away wearing a see-through dress.\u00a0 \u201cYou are always welcome in my temples.\u201d \u201cAphrodite,\u201d Eph said quietly, there was no one else who she could be. \u201cIn the […]
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