Responsibility

By

Lady Razeli

Disclaimer: I do not own Xena: Warriorprincess unfortunately the characters of this brilliant show belong to MCA Universal.

Prologue

"I can't believe all our girls were born the same day," Cyrene gushed as she sat with her three friends she had grown acquainted with each moving to Amphipolis at different times in their lives. "Yes, I know and all girls how lucky." They all nodded to Wendy. "They'll be life long friends now the fates have decreed it by giving them all the same birthday." Selma looked very pleased at the thought and noticed that her words pleased the other women as well. She was new to their circle of friends having only arrived in Amphipolis only a month before the birth of her daughter. "Yeah, lucky Cyrene got two beautiful daughters we've only got one to spoil," Jennifer commented. Cyrene smiled pleased as she looked down at her two-week-old daughters in their cradle. They all were sitting in a beautiful field their husbands having carried the cradles out, so they could all be together. They all sat smiling as their husbands played with a ball. Cyrene's three-year-old son running after the ball as it flew from each man's hand.

"Well what shall we name them?" Cyrene asked. "It must be something special."

"Oh I know how about we give them similar sounding names?" Selma suggested.

"Anastasia!" Cyrene suddenly exclaimed. They all looked at her. "Their first names will be Anastasia its such a sweet sounding name."

"Anastasia," They all said trying it out and looking at their daughters.

"Perfect!" They all exclaimed even Cyrene. So they were named Anastasia.

"Wait, wait but Cyrene how can you have two daughters named Anastasia."

"Well I'll just have to name her Sophia after my mother," Artius said coming over. Since he a strong son he was not angry with Cyrene for having twin girls. None of the men were as they viewed it as a way to marry into some different families that would be good for them strategically when it came to war later on.

So the girls grew up all called Anastasia except Sophia who was smaller than her sister and sicker. Artius love them both more than his son he came to realize and taught them everything and he was never far away from them when he was home from war. Cyrene didn't like that he treated them like boys, but Torres didn't seem to mind when they wrestled. Anastasia was fiercely protective of her little sister from everyone and never let her over exert herself. She was always carrying her home after a day of playing out in the fields and as Selma had said all the Anastasia s and Sophia were best friends.

Anastasia's hair had started out blond, than morphed into a beautiful chestnut brown, but by the time she was seven her hair was jet-black hair like her father and she sported stunning blue eyes. She had also inherited his temper and height. She was very beautiful with her mother's eye shape, mouth, nose, ears you name it she had it, but her hair, eye color, and height were all her fathers. Sophia had blond hair and there was no chance of it darkening. Instead of blue eyes she sported gorgeous green eyes that Xena wished they shared. She looked exactly like their father except for her hair and eye color excluding her height, which she seemed to inherit from her mother.

Wendy's Anastasia became known as Anastasia Alexandra, while Selma's Anastasia became known as Anastasia Victoria, and Jennifer's Anastasia became Anastasia Cerelia, and Cyrene's Anastasia became Anastasia Xena, and Sophia was simply Sophia Anastasia.

"Hop on Sophia," Xena said bending down. Her twin sister carefully climbed onto her back as they prepared to return to the village as the last bit of sunlight left the sky. As usual they had been out training to join the Amazons. For once Xena and Sophia's little brother Lyceus didn't tag along. He was always tagging alone.

"Xena, I don't feel well today," Sophia said as they walked down the path.

"Well you did do some exercise today against mother's wishes, but I think fresh air is good for you." Sophia nodded as she leaned her head on Xena's shoulder.

"Xena, what would I do without you?" Sophia asked.

"You'd be stuck in bed without us," Alexandra told her.

"Xandra!" Xena exclaimed. "Sophia would be out and about even if we weren't around."

"You wish that were true pipsqueak," said a nasty boy who they always banded together to defeat.

"Shut up, Lykus!" Xena growled at him. He laughed.

"That little weak mouse can barely walk half the time, she'd never get more than a foot from her bed every morning if you didn't carry her."

"Lykus you shut your mouth, Sophia is strong!" Victoria yelled at him.

"You Anastasia s all the same which is Stupid!" Cerelia walked up to him and beat him with her staff in a very unwarrior like way.

"You take it back you stupid cow!"

"Never you blond idiot." Cerelia immediately whacked him across the face. She hated the saying that blondes were dumb. She was blonder than Sophia was and neither of them by no means dumb. Her brown eyes flashed with anger before she calmed down enough and motioned for them all to continue. Sophia started crying and talking about how she wished she wasn't so weak.

"Don't let him make you feel bad," Xena told her. "I love you just the way you are and I enjoy giving you back rides back home. It brings us closer together. Its bad enough we can't trick people into thinking we're the other don't take away my back rides too." Sophia smiled at her sister's devotion.

"I love you Xena you're the best sister ever." Xena smiled and promised her sister a hug later on. Once they reached the village Cyrene was upon them immediately to see to any scraps and bruises, but most of all she wanted to make sure Sophia wasn't to warn out.

"I got her mommy," Xena told Cyrene as she kissed them both and started to lift Sophia off her sister's back.

"Hey girls," Cyrene said to their friends. They all smiled and greeted Cyrene as they all headed into the tavern for dinner. Wendy, Selma, and Jennifer were already there chatting around the table. Xena put her sister down and helped her sit in a chair.

"Xena, you're just a regular little healer when it comes to your sister, aren't you?" Selma asked. Xena nodded.

"Yup!" Xena agreed happily as she served her sister. Lyceus did too refusing to let her serve herself while Xena let her do things for herself for the most part. Torres wasn't interested in helping his sister like they were. He loved her to death like his siblings, but he was jealous of her she got the majority of attention for their father, which never bothered Xena or Lyceus. Than he remembered that they got more attention than he did and were content with what they got.

"Cyrene when will the men be home do you know?" Jennifer asked. She like the others hadn't heard anything in weeks and more often Xena and Sophia received a letter from their father addressed them and enclosed would be several other letters for their girls.

"No, Artius hasn't sent a letter to any of us in six moons just like you guys." They nodded. The children ate and continued to talk about their plans for tomorrow. None of the women approved of their need to practice the art of war, but their husbands had encouraged it and that made it hard to discourage.

The days passed the girls could be seen watching for their father's all the time. News came that their entire army had been wiped out and there were rumors that Xena's father was still alive, but he never returned home. Little did they know that Artius had returned days ago and Cyrene had had to get rid of him to protect her family. They grew older and Xena, Victoria, Alexandra, Cerelia, and Lyceus were determined to get Sophia in better health as she had taken to her bed for two years of her life after the news that their father had abandoned them.

"You're strong now," Xena told Sophia as she watched her do back flips without tiring. Sophia smiled and grinned at her sister. Their features had changed and they both now resembled a mix of both their parents and Sophia's blonde hair had darkened to Xena's color after being red for quite some time. The only different between them was their eye color and even now that was questionable sometimes. Every day Cyrene had a new tale about the wayward girls all them considered daughters and her son. Things were happy and peaceful until Cortese and than everything changed and when he departed he took her son's life and her daughters' blood innocence.