Chapter two: To Call Upon Fate

Six years had passed in the blink of an eye. Life with Thaya and Baris had been a kind one at best. They had shown her love and compassion, forcing the memories of her mother; a word whom was quickly replaced, to the back of her mind and eventually out of her life forever. They were her new family and they had fully convinced her they were all she ever knew. They had lived a simple life; one spent on the necessity of labor and hard work. Enyo had often watched Baris while he fished in the small river a few miles outside their home. He used a bamboo stick, a piece of twine and a copious amount of patience. For hours he'd sit on the river bank listening to the call of sandpipers, the wind whistling through his grey hair. By the time he returned home, he carried a basket full of fish. She had often watched while he cleaned them, how he started at the tail moving his knife upwards peeling away the layer of scales in a slow, natural movement; as if it were simple instinct. He'd finish with the removal of bones, using his fingers to feel through the flesh until they had all been removed.
As he grew older, Baris started to become frail, until he reached the point where he was unable to fish at all. Enyo would set off for the river every morning and return at the break of evening. She would catch, and he would clean. Then they'd bring them to Thaya who would light them over a fire until they were a golden brown- this she told Enyo, was how to tell they were done. Baris soon became ill, forbidden to leave his bed. Enyo remembered the first time she tried to clean a fish. She took Baris' knife and split the fish from tail to head as he had done, careful to keep the blade pointed away. The knife had caught on a bone and as she fumbled to loosen it with her thumb, the blade had slipped from her grasp and sliced into her flesh, her blood commingling with the piscine's. When she had shown Baris her injury, he smiled. "You'll make a fisherman yet" he would say and she would smile in return, satisfied that she could live up to his expectations. And then one day, everything changed and her world was turned upside down.
A band of Spartan crusaders, pent on finding proper slave labor for their army camps, found Corinth to be a hospitable location. Taking only the strongest they could find, the Spartans left the weak to die under in their wake, burning the city to the ground without a second thought or regret. Baris and Thaya had settled on the very edge of town and when at last the band had reached them, a trail of smoke and death followed at their heels. Enyo watched from afar as their leader dismounted and stepped into the home.
"Please, no!" Thaya begged, standing in front of Baris' bed, her arms outstretched in protection. "He's done nothing wrong! Please, please let him be!" she cried. "I beg of you!” the terror in her voice causing tears to roll down her cheeks. The Spartan had killed her in an instant, thrusting her off his blade as she fell to the floor. Baris, he had left alone, simply walking past him and out the door.
"Burn it down" he said to his guard, as he mounted his horse once more. The flames engulfed her home in seconds. The blaze of fire begged her to turn away, but Enyo watched and waited until the last shingle fell to the ground, swallowed in a pile of ash and cinder. Their leader, a rough and burly build of a man, with a sharp face and pointed chin, had noticed her. The look in her eyes had called to him; given off a signal that pronounced an aura of rage, and he loved it. He grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her onto his horse. Her destiny had begun.

"This is the one Kain" Leon said as he pushed the girl towards his commander. Kain strode from his desk, parting back his black hair as he came to stand in front of her; looking her up and down. Without hesitation, he drew back his hand and struck her in the face. Her head whipped to the side in agitation, her resolve hardly flinching as her composure only grew fiercer.
"Impressive" Kain muttered. "And what of her age?"
"She can't be anywhere over nine" Leon answered.
"Perfect" Kain smiled. "Take her into the camp. I want to see what she can do."
"Do you find it wise to implement her? These boys, they fight and train around men. They aren't used to the sight of a vulnerable girl"
"Well then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't stay vulnerable" Kain answered, returning to his seat. "Take her into camp and make sure she isn't messed with."
"Yes commander" said Leon with a nod of his head. He took Enyo by the arm and led her from Kain's tent. Kain had been the commander of the Spartan army for nearly twenty years and with Leon as his most trusted advisor, he made his legion a force to be reckoned with. The growing tension between Sparta and Athens had finally resulted in a standstill. Athens was aware they were becoming far outmatched and could only wait in vain as their country was slowly overtaken. Kain was power-hungry, always needing a constant fuel for conquest. His army was tough, but his tactics were fair and as he watched Leon escort this girl from his tent, he could not deny finding a hint of himself residing deep inside her.
The Spartan camp where they were located was built on the banks of the Evrotas River, bordered on one side by Mount Taygetus and on the other by Mount Parnon. From atop the fortress, the hilly spread of Arcadia could be seen dazzled upon the horizon, with the Spartan’s personal harbor, Gytheio, jutting out in front. Leon led Enyo through a set of wrought iron gates and opened to her, a world of war. They entered upon a training ground; a stone cut coliseum miles wide and filled to the brim with an army of men. From all ages and all statures, they trained out in the open; some sparring, others competing for strength and speed, but each having one thing in common; the will to prove who was best. It was not uncommon for death to take the weak; the poor souls who could not hold up under the strain of pressure and Kain wanted to throw Enyo right in the middle of it. He was a dog and she was his bone.
Though she was relieved, Enyo found herself surprised as Leon led her past the training ground and into the back rooms behind the coliseum wall. He shoved her through the nearest door and slammed it shut.
"Your training will commence on the morrow" he said, latching the door and leaving her in total darkness.
As quickly as she had shut her eyes, Leon had opened them. Sleep had not come easy. Enyo winced, covering her eyes as the flood of morning light poured into her cell.
"To your feet" Leon ordered roughly, pulling her up before she could move.
He led her back to the courtyard pushing her to the center of the coliseum circle. A crowd of boys had gathered, amused at the sight of her. Leon tossed her a staff from the nearest weapon rack causing a ruckus of laughter as she fumbled to catch it. With a motion from Leon, a boy not much older than Enyo herself grabbed a staff for himself and jumped into the center ring opposite of where she was standing as Leon moved off to the side, his hand in the air.
"Stay on your guard" He says looking at her, and drops his hand commencing the spar.
The boy let out a vicious cry as he lunged at Enyo with the staff. In a single movement he had jabbed her in the stomach, reeling her back a few feet as she doubled over trying to regain wind. The crowd of boys erupted in a flurry of yells, edging the battle on.
The boy sprang into the air, leg outstretched, landing a frontal kick square in Enyo's chest. Landing, he swept the staff beneath her feet, tripping her, and sending her to her back, causing the staff to roll from her hands. With a jump, he landed on top of her, his feet planted on either side and brought his staff down just inches from her nose; keeping it hovered, his face a mixture of fierce defiance and strength.
The crowd of boys quieted as he stepped back and turned away. Enyo regained her footing and once more taking possession of her staff ran to her opponent and struck him across the back of his neck sending him forward to his knees. The boys fell completely silent. As her opponent regained his composure, slightly staggering back to his feet, he brought his staff around quicker than anticipated hoping to teach his attacker a lesson. The blow was blocked. As he aimed a second time, Enyo dodged his attack once more and whipped her own staff around, catching him completely off guard with a blow to the side of his face. The boy dropped once more to his knees as the blood began to drizzle from his nose and into his mouth. He dropped his staff and looked at Enyo, his eyes holding nothing short of respect.
"Never turn your back on an opponent Attis" Leon growled, grabbing him by the scruff of his hair.
"Yes, sir" Attis muttered, as Leon released his hold.