11-12-2022, 03:03 PM
The setting is Greece, 90 years after the Romans conquered the world. Jerome and Peter ran through the woods on the hill overlooking their village. The slender twins wore nothing but white loin cloths and were running just as fast as their long legs could carry them. Jerome scrambled up a tree and Peter stopped by the tree.
"That's not fair, you know I'm afraid of high places." panted Peter as he leaned against the trunk of the tree.
He stood there as still as he could with his slender body glistening with sweat. His only movements were his baby blue eyes as he glanced around the woods and his belly pumping in and out as he panted heavily. It had been less than a hour when he and Jerome were at the river swimming when they heard the attack. Jerome had grabbed his sword on the run and Peter had paused only to pick up his bow and a quiver full of arrows. They crested the hill to see the village below in a stage of chaos. A few of the villagers had swords, but most carried pitchforks or axes for weapons against a small army of soldiers dressed in a black armor.
"Give us the Warrior woman and we'll let the rest of you live as slaves." shouted the leader so loud that the twins could hear it on the top of the hill. Something small and round came from the side of the village. It hit one of the soldiers in the side of the head and knocked him down, bounced to another to slit his throat, hit another in the chest and knocked him off his feet, then bounced off the lintel of a hut to return to the side of the village where it was caught by a small woman dressed, barely, in green. She had reddish blonde hair down to her shoulders, a short green top, green skirt, and brown leather boots. She slipped the round weapon back onto her belt and spun sais in her hands as she moved toward the soldiers. As the soldiers swarmed toward the woman, the villagers attacked. The red head was holding her own against the horde, but the villagers were no match for the trained soldiers. Peter winced as he watched his friend George go down with a sword through his belly. Another of his friends Donald raised his sword to strike down at a soldier only to have the soldier stick a knife in at the top of his belt and yank it up until it came out under Donald's chin. Donald let out an awful shriek as his insides fell out and he fell beside them. In spite of her skill, the soldiers were beginning to close in on the warrior. She kicked one of them away as she drove her sai into another soldier's chest. A look of dismay came across her face as the blade broke off inside the man's armor as he fell. She threw her other sai and it drove deep into one of the lieutenant's belly. She reached over her shoulder and pulled a sword out of a scabard on her back. The metal seemed so sing as she beheaded three soldiers in one swing. The soldiers paused and backed away as if they recognized the sword and feared it now as much as its wielder. One of the soldier's regained his courage and ran toward her. His reward was a belly full of steel as she ran him through, then kicked him in the chest to get his body off her sword. She drew her sword back to strike again, but a rope coiled around her wrist. As she looked at her wrist to try and free herself, the leader moved in and punched her in the face. The red head spun to the ground and the sword fell beside her. The villagers were rounded up and those that did not resist were bound and put in a pen near where the warrior woman had fallen. Some of the soldiers pulled her up and tied her spread eagle between two posts. The leader drew a bucket of water from the fountain in the middle of the village and threw it in her face.
"They're going to torture her." said Jerome.
"Not if I can help it." said Peter as he lay an arrow on his bow.
When the warrior woman regained consciousness the leader of the army pulled her sai out of his dead lieutenant's belly. She stood motionless as he came closer to her, then slid the blade into her belly button. At the top of the hill the twins could hear the scream that came from her mouth:
"Xeeeeennaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Xena? Wasn't she rumored to have died three years ago in the far east?" asked Peter.
"Then that must be Gabrielle. It sounds like she's ready to meet her old mentor." said Jerome.
"There were some rumors that she was more that that." said Peter with a little smile.
The leader of the army lit a torch and walked toward the suffering warrior.
"We can't let them burn her alive." said Jerome.
Peter drew his arrow back and took careful aim. The leader was about to light the funeral pyre when an arrow hit between the warrior woman's sixth and seventh ribs. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, then she slumped down.
"Find that archer and make him suffer." screamed the leader as he threw the torch into an empty hut.
Jerome threw down his sword and Peter threw down his bow and arrow and they both ran:
"Can you see anything up there?" asked Peter.
"Nothing. I think we're safe." said Jerome.
Shump. Shump. Jerome stiffened as one arrow drove his outie belly button all the way back to his spine while another sank deep into the middle of his long lean belly. Peter looked up at his brother, who was teetering on a tree limb. Shump.
"Nooooo!" screamed Jerome as an arrow hit just above his loin cloth and caused so much pain that he bent double. He fell from the tree and rolled over on his back. Peter could tell from the wide eyes slack jawed expression Jerome's face that his brother had broken his neck in the fall and was dead. Sh-thump. Peter stiffened as three arrows found their mark in his big deep belly button.
"Ooooooo!" groaned Peter as he stumbled back and leaned against a tree.
Shump. Shump. Shump.
"Oooohhh!" screamed Peter as three arrows hid the middle of his belly.
Shump. Shump. Peter fell to his knees as arrows hit his strong thighs. Peter shook his head as he looked down.
"Just let me die. Please just let me die." whimpered Peter.
Shump. Peter closed his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth as an arrow hit between his loin cloth and his belly button. Peter opened his eyes to see the leader of the army in front of him.
"For three years I have looked for that accursed Warrior Woman. Now you stole my chance at taking her heart, so you will have to take her place." he said.
He put his fingers below Peter's sternum. Peter let out a whimper as he pushed his fingers into his body and up under his ribs. Peter's blue eyes widened as the leader pulled out his heart. The arrows in Peter's body vanished and he struggled to his feet.
"Now you will wonder the earth for all eternity forever feeling the pain of those arrows and doing my bidding. Maybe if you're a good soldier one day I'll give your heart back to you, so you can die." said the leader as he put Peter's heart in a wooden box held by one of his soldiers.
"Welcome to the army of the dead." laughed the leader as Peter shuddered from the agony running through his body.
"That's not fair, you know I'm afraid of high places." panted Peter as he leaned against the trunk of the tree.
He stood there as still as he could with his slender body glistening with sweat. His only movements were his baby blue eyes as he glanced around the woods and his belly pumping in and out as he panted heavily. It had been less than a hour when he and Jerome were at the river swimming when they heard the attack. Jerome had grabbed his sword on the run and Peter had paused only to pick up his bow and a quiver full of arrows. They crested the hill to see the village below in a stage of chaos. A few of the villagers had swords, but most carried pitchforks or axes for weapons against a small army of soldiers dressed in a black armor.
"Give us the Warrior woman and we'll let the rest of you live as slaves." shouted the leader so loud that the twins could hear it on the top of the hill. Something small and round came from the side of the village. It hit one of the soldiers in the side of the head and knocked him down, bounced to another to slit his throat, hit another in the chest and knocked him off his feet, then bounced off the lintel of a hut to return to the side of the village where it was caught by a small woman dressed, barely, in green. She had reddish blonde hair down to her shoulders, a short green top, green skirt, and brown leather boots. She slipped the round weapon back onto her belt and spun sais in her hands as she moved toward the soldiers. As the soldiers swarmed toward the woman, the villagers attacked. The red head was holding her own against the horde, but the villagers were no match for the trained soldiers. Peter winced as he watched his friend George go down with a sword through his belly. Another of his friends Donald raised his sword to strike down at a soldier only to have the soldier stick a knife in at the top of his belt and yank it up until it came out under Donald's chin. Donald let out an awful shriek as his insides fell out and he fell beside them. In spite of her skill, the soldiers were beginning to close in on the warrior. She kicked one of them away as she drove her sai into another soldier's chest. A look of dismay came across her face as the blade broke off inside the man's armor as he fell. She threw her other sai and it drove deep into one of the lieutenant's belly. She reached over her shoulder and pulled a sword out of a scabard on her back. The metal seemed so sing as she beheaded three soldiers in one swing. The soldiers paused and backed away as if they recognized the sword and feared it now as much as its wielder. One of the soldier's regained his courage and ran toward her. His reward was a belly full of steel as she ran him through, then kicked him in the chest to get his body off her sword. She drew her sword back to strike again, but a rope coiled around her wrist. As she looked at her wrist to try and free herself, the leader moved in and punched her in the face. The red head spun to the ground and the sword fell beside her. The villagers were rounded up and those that did not resist were bound and put in a pen near where the warrior woman had fallen. Some of the soldiers pulled her up and tied her spread eagle between two posts. The leader drew a bucket of water from the fountain in the middle of the village and threw it in her face.
"They're going to torture her." said Jerome.
"Not if I can help it." said Peter as he lay an arrow on his bow.
When the warrior woman regained consciousness the leader of the army pulled her sai out of his dead lieutenant's belly. She stood motionless as he came closer to her, then slid the blade into her belly button. At the top of the hill the twins could hear the scream that came from her mouth:
"Xeeeeennaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Xena? Wasn't she rumored to have died three years ago in the far east?" asked Peter.
"Then that must be Gabrielle. It sounds like she's ready to meet her old mentor." said Jerome.
"There were some rumors that she was more that that." said Peter with a little smile.
The leader of the army lit a torch and walked toward the suffering warrior.
"We can't let them burn her alive." said Jerome.
Peter drew his arrow back and took careful aim. The leader was about to light the funeral pyre when an arrow hit between the warrior woman's sixth and seventh ribs. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, then she slumped down.
"Find that archer and make him suffer." screamed the leader as he threw the torch into an empty hut.
Jerome threw down his sword and Peter threw down his bow and arrow and they both ran:
"Can you see anything up there?" asked Peter.
"Nothing. I think we're safe." said Jerome.
Shump. Shump. Jerome stiffened as one arrow drove his outie belly button all the way back to his spine while another sank deep into the middle of his long lean belly. Peter looked up at his brother, who was teetering on a tree limb. Shump.
"Nooooo!" screamed Jerome as an arrow hit just above his loin cloth and caused so much pain that he bent double. He fell from the tree and rolled over on his back. Peter could tell from the wide eyes slack jawed expression Jerome's face that his brother had broken his neck in the fall and was dead. Sh-thump. Peter stiffened as three arrows found their mark in his big deep belly button.
"Ooooooo!" groaned Peter as he stumbled back and leaned against a tree.
Shump. Shump. Shump.
"Oooohhh!" screamed Peter as three arrows hid the middle of his belly.
Shump. Shump. Peter fell to his knees as arrows hit his strong thighs. Peter shook his head as he looked down.
"Just let me die. Please just let me die." whimpered Peter.
Shump. Peter closed his eyes tightly and clenched his teeth as an arrow hit between his loin cloth and his belly button. Peter opened his eyes to see the leader of the army in front of him.
"For three years I have looked for that accursed Warrior Woman. Now you stole my chance at taking her heart, so you will have to take her place." he said.
He put his fingers below Peter's sternum. Peter let out a whimper as he pushed his fingers into his body and up under his ribs. Peter's blue eyes widened as the leader pulled out his heart. The arrows in Peter's body vanished and he struggled to his feet.
"Now you will wonder the earth for all eternity forever feeling the pain of those arrows and doing my bidding. Maybe if you're a good soldier one day I'll give your heart back to you, so you can die." said the leader as he put Peter's heart in a wooden box held by one of his soldiers.
"Welcome to the army of the dead." laughed the leader as Peter shuddered from the agony running through his body.
