Moon Thief

Dominika hadn't really slept the whole night. It had been hard to sleep as of recently and with all the stress that was added onto her plate, it was suffice to say that she maybe only got a couple hours of sleep. The girl hadn't been up and about making it known to others that she was awake, but she just laid there with her eyes closed the entire time and just listening to the various sounds that came about. At one point in what she assumed was likely early morning she heard some rustling around and assumed either Lia or Lennie were awake at this point. Still the girl just laid there waiting to be told to wake up or waiting for anything really.

The blonde felt safer for some reason being with all females than she did with males, she had an issue with being touched in any sense, even someone patting her on the back. The memories of what happened less than twenty four hours ago came back into her mind. She let a few tears out before wiping them away. In this world you could only really trust yourself to fight for you and to do things for you. She used to have her grandpa who was there to fight her battles, but now she was on her own and she knew she was alone in that regard, and with recent events, it was too hard to trust men.

Even with Niko who she had known for about seven years now, she had a hard time trusting him, in truth it was hard to even want to skate with him and be in such close proximity with him. She knew it wasn't fair for her to do that to him because he hadn't done anything, but that was how she felt. It triggered so many things within herself, that she decided going to camp for a year would be good for her to just get away from everything else.

In a few short moments, she heard Xena's voice and immediately sat up in her seat. She watched as Lennie was already awake and Lia was just sitting there. When Lia was asked to join the other group at their point. Nika saw the look that Lennie had shot her and she shot her one back. Lia was about to get up, but Nika put her arm out in front of her. "Not yet, Lia." She said quietly. "Why do you need her there? You already have our men and half of their supplies."

Saw Dominika's arm in front of her and she was thankful that the girl was being cautious and on the defense, but Lia didn't feel it was necessary. Lia swatted the arm away and looked to Dominika, "If they were going to harm me they would have done it while I was sleeping." With that the rainbow haired girl got up and move passed the daughter of Zeus and stood at the point of the group.

"Lia, tell me, what is your goals and ambitions back home? What is it you wish to achieve?" Xena inquired. She paced alongside the girl, her arms folded behind her back. She stayed at ease, with no stress on her features. Her warriors walked behind them, they looked as ready as could be, and held their spears at hand.

Lennie was in agreement with Dominika, but Lia had dismissed the worry, and Xena hadn't even acknowledged the blonde, leaving her and Lennie behind to trail the group. They were walking by a stream once more, which enraged Lennie. It had been where her and Christian were taken, by the same people they now traveled with.

"What do you think?" Lennie had whispered to Dominika. "She seems to like Lia a lot. Is that a good thing for us, or is that detrimental?" She didn't know Lia enough to make a call like that.

Lia hadn't expected the questioned to come out of Xena's mouth. It was a little strange to hear it, but the rainbow haired girl didn't judge the questions and to be frank she had heard much worse ones. She didn't answer right away, but she thought about it. There wasn't the normal quick response that she normally had, but eventually she had opened her mouth to speak.

"Well, I guess for the most part I just want everyone to be happy, I want to create some kind of peace in the world. I just want to make sure no one ever has to feel bad if I can do anything to help it or not. I didn't have much for plans in terms of a job or anything, but eventually I think I would like to be a mother." Lia said in her normal ramble fashion before she opened her mouth again,

"What about you? What is it that you wish to achieve? What are your main goals in life and what would make you happy in life? if you died tomorrow what would make you feel like you led a good life?"

Dominika looked over to Lennie, "It could really go either way, but I'm not worried about Lia, there's a reason I asked her to come with me." She put simply for Lennie. It was true, she trusted Lia and she had very good reasons for bringing her.

"Those are very good goals, Lia." Xena replied, with a genuine smile. "We work with each other to survive and exist. My people voted that I be our representative, that was years ago." The redhead explained. "If I died this very minute I would be proud, helping our people last, survive, and thrive. We were built on a foundation of women who had been long thrown aside from the realm of men. Left to die, or worse. Our savior, Isadora, brought them in, and we've lasted ever since." Xena explained the rainbow haired girl.

"Perhaps in your life, you've been spared by them. But we know of their ruthless nature. They use us, and take us for granted far too often." She told Lia. "Perhaps your allies have been lucky too, or perhaps not." She mused. "But we take in those who can contribute to us and who we can help. Your goals are lovely, Lia, and could be reached with us." She told her, with a strong sense of confidence.

"Think about where is safe in the world to raise a child." She said, which sent a shiver down Lennie's spine. Did Xena hear them talk the night prior. "We'll be upon your moon chariot very soon, and I'll need your answer by then." She gave Lia a gentle nod.

The whole time that Xena was talking to Lia about why she was doing what she was doing, or more so what her goals and her achievements were, it sent a series of shivers down the blonde's spine. It was almost as if each of the words that she had spoken sliced through her skin and into her core each time. Each word was like a sword that was trying to pierce into her soul that had been so fragile lately, the very thing that dimmed her light only about a month ago.

In the moment Dominika got flashes of cold air that surrounded her, and the next she could hear the ripping of the netting. All her senses were flooding back in waves that she couldn't get away from, it was like a huge storm had clouded her reality. A few times it felt like she was seeing things, and she could see her skates on the ground too far away to use and get away. She still felt the struggle with trying to get any words out anything at all, hoping she could be heard, hoping she could be saved, but none of those things that could save her were in her reach.

With a simple blink of her eyes the girl had come back to where reality was. She felt stunned in the moment and she didn't know what to do. As hard as she had tried to get the memories to leave, they wouldn't and in the moment all she could do was rub her wrists where it felt like the pain had still lingered.

Lia listened to what Xena had to say. It was when she had finished that Lia gently rested a hand on Xena's shoulder and looked her in the eyes with as much care and gentleness as she could. "I'm sorry." She spoke softly to her and she didn't say anything else and she didn't offer to talk about it. She was just sorry about everything that her kind had to go through, and she was sorry about whatever Xena may or may not have had to endured.

"No need to wait for my answer." She said simply and didn't even give a look back to her partner. "I want to come with you guys."

Lennie felt herself tense up as Lia gave agreement to join the amazons. She felt fury at her, and wanted to say so many things. She felt all of the rage of the prior events resurface, then at the last second glanced at Dominika, and remembered what she said. There was a reason she asked Lia to come with her. Lennie was willing to trust Dominika on it, and if it turned out to be misplaced, she'd just have to kill Lia too.

"You do not need to be sorry, Lia." Xena gave her a faithful smile. "Out struggles, ours and those who came before, can bloom into something better. Together we can, and will build a future where these struggle do not happen. After this moon chariot business is over you can meet Isadora. She is the one who looks out for us, provides for us, so long as we provide for her as well." Xena explained.

Shortly after, Xena noticed tracks, which Lennie clearly noticed at the same time. Lennie ran in front to them, seeing the long straight tracks turn to mud in the grass. "This is the chariot." She breathed out. "It has to be, we can get it this time." She declared.

Lia nodded her head in understanding. "I know, I don't need to be, but I am." Lia said, the girl knew that whatever it was that any of them had ever gone through that they obviously made good by it and they changed their lives for the better, but it still didn't mean that, that pain would ever fully go away. She knew what it was like to be mistreated and to be damaged, it was why she had made it her goal to make everyone happy and make sure no one had to suffer through anything ever. Although Lia didn't necessarily agree that men were always the fault to it, if anything it was the opposite in her life.

The rainbow haired girl had always had women constantly verbally abuse her to friends, classmates, and even her grandmother. Along with verbal abuse she had the physical abuse that came about too from her grandmother, and every single one of them had been female, yet she hadn't found to make a society with all men to equal it. "I'm just sorry you had to go through it regardless." Lia finished.

Dominika was shaken and didn't know what to do in this moment. Lia had said that she was going to go with the amazon's and part of her heart felt like it was dropping. She already lost Niko and Dimitri, and now she was going to possibly lose Lia. But it further proved to her that everyone was on their own in life no matter what.

The moment Lennie mentioned that the tracks were indeed from the chariot, she began to run up to it too. "We have to be close, they look relatively fresh." She commented on them.

Lennie could see the tracks further ahead. She thought back to the last time they'd found the chariot and it slipped out of their fingers. The chariot had taken off just as the sun set, but if they had it their way this time, they'd be all set. That chariot wasn't going anywhere in the sky with the sun up, and with the terrain, they weren't running anywhere this time. Lennie breathed a sigh out. This was it. She quickly made haste further, before Xena yelled out to her.

"Halt, Lennie." She said with authority. "If you wish to take point, you may do so, but you cannot fight a threat alone." She said. "Stick close, lest you alert the chariot and it gets away after besting you." Lennie felt anger roll through; this woman didn't know her or what she was capable of. She wanted to say she didn't need help from anyone anymore, but she knew she'd be wrong, and all of this would have been for nothing.

"Dominika." Xena said. "Take point with Lennie. We'll take rear." She ordered.

"I don't know about this."

"Come on Niko, we're a team we stick together."

"Yeah, but it could be dangerous."

"Anything could be dangerous Niko. I would like if you would come on the quest, you have some assets we could use."

"I will think about it."

---

That whole conversation she had with Niko she could tell the whole time that he didn't want to go and that he was very hesitant on it and yet she had pushed him. She pushed him in a way she shouldn't have done and she only felt regret for probably forcing him or convincing him to come, she should have left him say no. Dominika felt the heaviness in her heart at that realization, she wasn't sure exactly what Xena meant, but she was good enough to read between the lines.

"How about you take point with Lennie? I'll take the rear." Dominika said, this lady made too many calls for her. At this point maybe she would have just enough leverage to kill Xena and end it all here if she wanted, but she knew it would be dumb on her part, but she couldn't help it.

The tension was suddenly high, higher than it had been. It felt like something was about to happen, but Lennie wouldn't be the first to pull the trigger in the situation. She gave Dominika a look, waiting to see if they should finish this now, or wait until they had the Chariot. Lennie figured the latter would be the better option, but if this was her chance to kill Xena, then she wasn't going to pass it up.

"If you insist." She said calmly, before her, Lia, and her two warriors took middle, while Lennie took point. The next few minutes was spent walking, with dead silence in the air. Every passing moment felt like an hour, until finally Lennie could see the Moon Chariot further up in a clearing. Lennie felt her legs desiring to sprint, but as she went to make a move, a sudden force sweeped her legs. She quickly tried to maneuver, but was met with a spear tipped right at he throat. Another millimeter would mean bad things for her.

She could see the amazon with the spear at her throat, and Lennie was suddenly enraged. The other amazon point her spear towards Dominika. "The Moon Chariot isn't going anywhere, Dominika." She suddenly said. "Hands on your head, or the Roman gets her throat cut and then you."

Dominika wasn't sure why Xena had no sense of hesitation when it came to taking the middle of the pact. Nothing was beginning to seem right it all just seemed really bad, but part of her felt like it was just her nerves and anxiety that was heightened right now. But in a few minutes the chariot had come in sight and they were fucked.

Her heart dropped and she was furious at the same time as she was sad. She had been played and she just wanted to blow her top and she wanted to beat the living hell out of her. Dominika slowly moved her hands onto her head and looked at her. "You realize this is fucking madness right? If that moon chariot isn't back, we all die. Not just me, not just all the men out there, you and all your little followers will die too. Every.Single. One. Of. You. And let me tell you, you can be pissed off at men if you want." Dominika just was so furious that she didn't even let anyone else have a turn to speak.

"You're so fucking stupid. You want to know something? I have been used by men. I trusted someone so close to me that helped me get me to where I got, and he betrayed my trust. I had to lay there in a cold fucking arena, while my clothes got ripped and he forced himself on me. I had to lose a part of myself that day. I know what it is like to have men use you." Dominika was yelling at this point and she had tears falling from her face, she was angry, upset, and everything else in between. "You do not need to toss men aside to make yourself feel better. Sure there are some real shit bags out there, but they aren't all like that."

She just shook her head in disbelief, "You're a cunt. Flat out a cunt. You know it, I know it, fuck I think your warriors know it too. Besides, you think me with my hands on my head would stop me from being able to kill you? You obviously don't know what I am capable of. Try me. You make one fucking movement of your muscle and I will end it for all of you easy as that. So drop your fucking weapons."

"You know it too." She observed. "You know what they're capable of. All of them." She kept her hands folded behind her back. "Your men would do it to you too, given the chance. Behind closed doors, not one of them would help you. The man who did what he did- tell me, did you ever think he'd be capable of that? I bet not. I bet you also think those two aren't capable of it. They are." She firmly said.

"Your men are dead by now." She plainly said. "We take them out, one by one, and give them to Isadora. We've built our temple to her outside, not far, and that's where your men were killed." She explained, with no expression. "We take them out, blindfolded, then we strip them of everything, including the clothes on their back. Then, we slit their heels and their throat, and drop them down the pit, for our protector. We do what they've done to us since time began. We take everything, and make them vulnerable, then we kill them. But we aren't monsters. Their belongings are folded alongside the temple. And even that is normal. I ask of you, Dominika, to consider. That your men being dead will save you so much grief. They won't have the chance to hurt you."

"You can live." She told them. "You can stay with us. Only drop your weapons, and allow Samuel to keep the Moon Chariot. All will become clear soon. But we cannot allow you to interfere." She finished.

Dominika felt like she was insane at this moment. The whole thing just seemed so fucking ridiculous. She couldn't believe it she couldn't fucking believe it. This was all mad. Hearing every single word that came out of the mouth of Xena. Dominika could feel all the voices that she had ever had in her own head circling around as well as Xena's. She wanted to hold the side of her head and just scream, but she couldn't. She shut her eyes shut tight and tried to block it all as best as she could before she spoke again.

"No. You're wrong. You don't know them. You have no fucking idea. Do yo-" She was cut off at that moment and there was nothing she could do and she had no reaction time as she watched.

Lia was sick and tired of hearing it all. She tried to be positive for so long and she tried to make it work and to do everything peacefully. It just wasn't going to work. She saw how mad Dominika was getting with going a little insane and Lennie was stuck at spear point, she knew this was when she needed to act and she needed to do it fast. Her hand was shaky as she went to grab her dagger from where she had always kept it. She had never used this once on anything except for practice dummies, not a ounce of blood had ever stained this blade that she was now gripping in her hand. She was conflicted on it, it went against everything, but if she didn't do anything then there would be no world for her to try and create peace in.

She took a deep breath in and then made sure she was quick and steady with what she had to do. She then proceeded to swiftly cut through Xena's heels and then she moved quickly to slit her throat. After that she couldn't handle holding the blade anymore she dropped onto the ground, before she said. "You're wrong. You're all monsters. You all think you're right and justified. You think an eye for an eye will make things better that violence is the answer to everything. It isn't. It can't be. You gave me no choice! The world is worth having with everyone. Men and women. Women are cruel and men are cruel, but they are also kind and there are reasons for it. you can't just wipe them all out. You can't. All life is valuable. You're a monster just as much as them and you can't see it. I didn't want to do this, but the world needs to be better. I need to reach my goal."

Lennie watched the whole scene unfold. Her ears began to rang at the explanation of what happened to the men, of what happened to Christian. She didn't feel sadness anymore, she didn't feel anger, she didn't feel empty. She felt rage, for the first time in her life, rage with no filter or secondary emotion.

Lennie bobbed her head away, even though the spear still cut up the side of her neck, Lennie was able to grab in and jostle it, leaving the tall Amazon to fall to the ground. The amazon tried to reach away, but Lennie threw her body in a tackle. She didn't even pay attention to the other amazon, who Dominika was dealing with. Lennie grabbed the upper shaft of the amazon's spear, before impaling the amazon with it, sticking her into the ground. She left her there, with no concern, approaching Xena now. She ignored Lia.

She walked straight passed the rainbow hair girl, and fell to her knees next to the redhead. Her hand grasped into the dirt ground, pulling a clump out, and shoving it into the wound on Xena's neck, clotting it. "Her wound won't kill you Xena." Her voice sounded calm, as she pulled out Christian's pugio. Lennie held it until her wrists and knuckles were white with pressure, and plunged it down into the neck of Xena, who reacted, choking on blood.

Lennie removed it, and plunged it again, emotionless. She removed it again, and plunged it down once more. She did it again, and again, and again, and once more two dozen times over until her arms, torso, and face were covered in crimson blood from the former leader of the amazons. Her free hand held the hair of the scalp of the head of Xena, and eventually, it wasn't connected to her body any longer, and Lennie tossed it to the side, before turning, and realizing there were four people watching her.

This whole quest just seemed like a bad idea the moment he heard of it and he was absolutely right. Not only did he just lose someone that he had met and wanted to save, but now he wasn't even sure if Dominika or Lia were still alive, but he was hoping. Him and Dimitri tried to make good distance on the girls and get up to where the moon chariot was.

They could hear some yelling in the distance and knew that was where they needed to go and began to race over there, but by the time they had gotten there all that there was to see was a girl stabbing and basically beheading another one. Niko had no words and could only watch like it had been some sort of train wreck. When it was over he coughed a little and looked at everyone around them. He was hesitant to go up to the girl, but he knew he had to. Christian had words he wanted to get home and they needed to be said.

"Uh, he told us to give these to you." Niko said holding out the letters to the other girl. "Nice work?" He said not really sure what to say about it all and honestly he wouldn't be surprised if he was next, but he'd accept his fate.

Dominika felt crazy, she didn't know what to think anymore and she didn't know what to say. After she had taken the other warrior down, she had fallen down to her knees unsure of what to do at this point. She just watched as Lennie began to get her vendetta on Xena. She said she was going to kill her and she made good on her word. Nika was close to wanting to sob, but she saw Niko and Dimitri show up and so much relief flooded in to see them.

Dimitri offered Nikolai a shove, not a fierce one, but he felt anger at his reaction to the scene. He was also horrified at what had happened; seeing the head of the woman separated from her body. Even still, he wondered how he'd have reacted to Dominika dying. Or Aurelia dying. The scene was horrific, but it wasn't enough to make Dimitri feel that the girl wasn't human like the rest of them were.

Lennie felt devastation at the letters. The words the boy said didn't matter to her in the moment. She felt her hands shake as they accepted the letters in her hands. The words in them could be anything, and the fear began to seep in. How could she read them? How could she accept that this was the end?

"Will you take the Moon Chariot back?" Lennie asked, though it wasn't much of a request. Someone had to do it, and Lennie still would if that's what it took, but she had other priorities now that the Greeks were able to finish the mission. He hands handled the letters like they were a precious child, before she placed them carefully into her pockets. He hands shifted to the ground, searching the body of Xena, taking what emblems and small arms she could find, and lifting her head. Lennie wanted this Isadora to get a taste of her own medicine, and she began to walk in the other direction, back towards the Amazon camp.