Chapter 2: Exile

(Why the hell does one servant take 240 SQ to get, I'm going to go die in a corner.)

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I woke up from my dreams sweating, the memories from yesterday still frighten me. Even if time has passed from that moment, I can still feel her in my arms. That gentle smile telling me It would be alright. I oh so miss it, if only that bastard didn't do this. But in his mind, I'm a so-called pagan child. He even forced tattoos to be etched onto me like a criminal, marks that look like blood running down my arms reminding me of what I did.

"Eury, are you alright." A voice sounded out knocking me out of my thoughts. It was Rhene, it looks like she just got the news of what happened.

"I'm alright Rhe, as alright as a broken man can get." As soon as I said this Rhene was quick to pull me into a hug, not minding the still fleshed tattoos on my hands. She was looking at my arms in sadness.

"Look at what that savage of a man did to you, not even giving you the proper treatment for it to heal," Rhene mumbled in annoyance, making me place my hands into a pot she bought along. As soon as my hands were in it, I hissed in pain but keep my hands in.

"As I said it's alright Rhe, it's not hurting as much as I thought it would." As I said this, Rhene who was treating my hands gripped them hard making me hiss out in pain. I looked up to go say something to her but stopped at the look in her eyes. It was full of sadness and grief. It was silence after that for a while until she finished washing my hands and then wrapping them in cloth, she brought me into a hug. We sat there for a moment, time slowly went by as we held each other.

"Eurystheus are you ready," A voice said from the entrance of the chamber, it was Anchialus. He was here to take me to the gate, where my exile would begin. But before I could fully get off the kline, Rhene pulled me back down and whispered to me.

"Eury, before your mother's body got dumped, I had some of my family take her body off the guard's hands. She would be buried where we first met," I was shocked, Rhene was able to get my mother's body before it was chucked. Before she could say anything else, I hugged her in gratitude.

"Thank you Rhe, you probably took a major risk to get her body. So..thank you." She was stunned but hugged me back. This lasted for a moment but I had to let go, Anchialus was waiting for me. We shared one last hug and kiss before I let go. I got up and walked towards Anchialus, before I and Anchialus left, I gave one last look at Rhene and waved goodbye.

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Anchialus and I walked to the gate in silence, not saying a word to each other. Just trying to enjoy our last moments with each other, and even when he walked with that stone-cold face of his, I could tell something was bothering him.

"Anchialus are you alright, nothing is going to happen to me, it's just an exile. I'll probably travel around Greece learning about the different cities. So don't worry about nothing will happen to me." I tried to calm down Anchialus's fears, but alas it didn't help, so I tried again.

"Anchialus I said I'm fi-" I tried to calm down his fears again but got cut off by him.

"It's not that my prince, I'm just worried about what your father would do to you so that you don't come back from exile. I've been around since he was crowned, he has done stuff to keep his reign stable that would make even the most vicious of men's skin crawl. Something that a proud king of Sparta would never do, now the people of Sparta are starting to see him for who he truly is, behind closed doors he has a new title that was given to him. 'The Mad King of Sparta' he is called."

"What do you mean by that Anchialus, I've never heard people call him by that."

"Eurystheus, your father is a cowardly man. He may seem all-knowing and strong to you, but he is weak. From the start of his reign to now, no one has threatened his rule like you, you are an unknown factor to him. Your brother on the other hand is easy to control, give him power and women, and he is yours too control." I was doubtful about what Anchialus said, my father was cowardly but what shocked me was how that bastard said I was an unknown factor to him. So with this tidbit of new information, I started to poke at Anchialus trying to learn more about my father and why Anchialus called him a coward.

"What do you mean he is cowardly Anchialus, there are many stories I have heard about him that say otherwise. Ones where they tell a story of him defeating armies that are twice the size of his own. Are you telling me that those were lies, that he and his men that were under him fabricated those stories?"

"Eurystheus, when reading history, there is only one thing you need to know. That the text you are reading was written by those who were the Victor. What I mean by that, is that what you read may not be how it happened. While the stories you may have heard of may or may not have been fabricated, those stories would have happened differently from what went down. Your father in one of those stories barely won the battle, and it wasn't against an army twice his size, it was against one that was not even half his own. That day Sparta faced humiliation, we were mocked by the other states for our weakness." I was shocked by what Anchialus said, does this mean that the man I saw as a figure to surpass, was all a lie? The hardships I faced in my life trying to become a figure of renowned strength like my father were all based on a lie.

Silence followed for a bit, and this lasted until we got to the gate. Before Anchialus could react, I pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you Anchialus, for everything you have done for me. You have helped me a lot throughout my life, and for that, you have my eternal thanks. I hope the gods will bless you with a great life." Nothing happened for a moment until I felt Anchialus's arms wrap around me tightening the hug.

"While you may not be my son by blood, you are by heart." We stayed like this for a while, until Anchialus pulled and started pushing me away.

"Now go, and also when you get to your mother's grave, I have left a small gift for you. Stay safe my son and live long." With this final sentence, Anchialus turned and walked away. And I did the same but in the opposite direction towards where my journey would now begin.

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When I made it to my mother's grave, I finally dropped to my knees, and let my emotions free. Crying and trying to ask forgiveness from her. Mostly from not being able to help her against the machinations of my father. I stayed like this for a while, just letting my emotions out.

After finishing my little session of crying, I was able to spot what my true father left me. It was a spear covered in cloth but what caught my attention was the note that was with it. It read.

"Hello Eurystheus, I originally was going to give this to you on your 23rd but with your exile, I've decided to give it to you now. While this spear may look ordinary it is anything but ordinary. This dory was given to Sparta by the god of war Ares, it is forged using his blood as one of the materials. Making this dory a Divine weapon, but there is a risk you've got to take to use it. You may fall for the temptation of Destruction and War. If you somehow curb its temptations it is a weapon of immense power. I hope you can wield this power to its full potential. This is my gift to you my son, live long and free. - Anchialus

'Hmph, I thank you Anchialus for this gift, with this dory I would be able to control my fate.' With this final thought, I started walking away from the clearing carrying the dory with me. From here on out my journey begins.

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Holy Sheet, I got swamped by my appointments it's been 2 days since the last upload. Well, I hope you guys like this, and please leave criticism.

Teaka out.