Everyone Has Rights
Skip to: part two
Copyright 1999
Jindra walked along the path from Thebes to Athens alone. She had left Joxer with Xena and Gabrielle. He hadn't wanted to go to the King's Festival in Athens with her and she hadn't wanted to hang around in Thebes anymore.
As she walked, she thought about the festival, which was a week long birthday celebration for the king, and how her aunt and uncle had taken her to it almost every year since she was small. She had always enjoyed herself at the festival but the one thing she hated about it was the slave auction at the end of the week. She had always thought slavery was wrong and had voiced her opinion to her aunt and uncle on several occasions only to be told there was nothing to be done about it. The law allowed slavery so that was the way things were.
"But the law is wrong," Jindra had told them.
"I agree with you, honey," her uncle always said. "But there isn't anything we can do to stop it. The king has allowed it, it's his kingdom, so whatever he wants, he gets."
"Not necessarily," Jindra muttered under her breath the last time they'd had this discussion. "If there's a way to stop him, I'll find it." She was hoping to find a way before she reached the festival.
In a small village on her way to Athens, she stopped at a local tavern for a bite to eat. Much to her surprise, Hercules and Iolaus were there. She wandered over to their table when she caught their attention.
"Hi, Hercules!" she greeted him. Then turning to his friend, she nodded to him and said, "Iolaus! What are you two doing here?"
"We just stopped here to get something to eat and rest a while," Hercules told her.
"Yeah," Iolaus agreed. "We're on our way to Athens for the King's Festival."
"Hey! So am I!" she explained. "Mind if I travel with you?"
"Of course not," Hercules said, pleased at the idea of being able to spend some time with her. He then looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Joxer?"
"Oh, he's still with Xena and Gabrielle," Jindra told him. "He wasn't really interested in the King's Festival and I didn't want to hang around in Thebes anymore. He said he'd meet me in a few weeks at our Aunt and Uncle's place just over from Athens."
"So," Iolaus started. "Have you ever been to the King's Festival before?"
"Oh, yes," Jindra said emphatically. "Many times as a child. The only thing I don't like about it is the slave auction at the end of it." She narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth. With her fists balled up, she continued in a strained voice, "It's just so wrong to make people into slaves!" She looked up at Hercules. "I can't understand what makes the aristocracy think they have that right." She lowered her voice, still looking at him and asked, "Why?"
Hercules looked down a moment then turned his gaze back to Jindra. His eyes didn't look sad exactly but they didn't have their usual shine when he looked at her. "I don't know, Jindra," he said. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know."
"There has to be something we can do about it though," Jindra went on. She looked at Iolaus. "Isn't there?"
"I don't know," Iolaus shrugged his shoulders too as Jindra frowned at them both.
"A lot of help you guys are," she said sarcastically. Getting serious, she ordered, "C'mon, you guys! There has to be something we can do! Help me think of something."
The trio sat there for a few moments pondering what could be done. Suddenly, Hercules came up with a suggestion. "Iolaus, do you remember when we were kids at Cheiron's Academy and we brought the Telequar Amazons there?"
"Yeah," Iolaus answered with Hercules's idea dawning on him. "King Leecius said the amazons were his slaves but they said they were free so you suggested the Combat of Champions."
"Right," Hercules confirmed.
"Combat of Champions?" Jindra wanted to know. "What's that?"
"What happened is the amazons had to choose a champion," Hercules started to explain.
"Their queen, Cyanne, chose to fight for them," Iolaus interrupted. "She said, 'The leader of the Telequar Amazons fights her own battles'."
"Yeah," Hercules agreed. "And King Leecius had to choose a champion for Athens."
"He chose Hercules," Iolaus added.
"Right. Anyway, we fought in the air using ropes, ladders, and the like," Hercules explained further. "The loser was the one who fell to the ground first."
"So who lost?" Jindra asked.
"Cyanne did," Hercules told her. "But the amazons didn't become slaves to King Leecius."
"Yeah," Iolaus concurred. "One rule he forgot about in the Combat of Champions was that if the king's champion won, he got a reward which meant he got to choose whatever he wanted from the king, be it money, status, land, you name it."
"So you asked for the amazons's freedom," Jindra deduced.
"I actually asked for slavery to be abolished in Athens forever," Hercules told her. "But when King Leecius died, his son reinstated it. I guess there is some law in Athens that states that when the king dies, his heir can make whatever changes he wants, including reinstating a law that was to be abolished forever."
"Well, it was a very clever idea," Jindra said, "but do you think it could work again?"
"Why not?" Hercules said. "King Leecius is dead now but his son, Petros, is a fairly reasonable man from what I hear. His father may have told him about what happened but that really shouldn't matter. Once the challenge has been made, there's really no backing out of it."
"Even so," Jindra countered, "is there any guarantee that you will be picked to be Petros's champion? Or that Iolaus or I will be chosen for the slaves?"
"She's got a point, Herc," Iolaus said. "Besides, the amazons weren't in Leecius' possession when the challenge was announced. They almost captured Cyanne but when Cheiron said to give us 24 candlemarks to come up with an answer, he let her go. These slaves will be held by Petros til the auction."
"Not if we can get to them before that," Hercules told them. "Now here's what I think we should do."
A few candlemarks later, the trio was on the road again toward Athens. Since it was another day's travel to get there, they found a secluded spot in the woods and made camp for the night. Hercules made a fire while Iolaus went off to hunt for dinner.
Jindra did the best she could to help get the camp set up but she was so jittery about the plan she couldn't concentrate on anything. It seemed like everything she touched went clattering to the ground.
Hercules noticed her nervousness and asked, "What's the matter, Jindra? This isn't like you."
Jindra sighed and looked to the ground, shyly playing with her hands. "I know we've gone over this about a hundred times but are you really sure we can pull this off?" Jindra asked, making the total one hundred and one. She looked up at him to gauge his reaction to her asking him again. Hercules had already assured Jindra the plan would work, but she couldn't help being a little apprehensive.
"Jindra, would you relax?" Hercules said back to her, smiling and chuckling a little. He came over to her and put his arms around her pulling her in protectively. "I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. We all know what we're supposed to do, we just have to get it done."
"I'm sorry," Jindra apologized, "I'm just nervous about this. I mean, intentionally getting myself captured by the slave traders isn't something I had ever thought I'd have to do." She rested her head against his strong chest.
"You just have to talk to the captives," Hercules told her, "gain their trust, and assure them you will do everything you can to set them free. Iolaus and I won't let you down. We'll be there to get you out."
They were still in each other's arms when Iolaus came back from his hunt. "Am I interrupting anything?" he asked.
Blushing and looking guilty, they jumped apart. "We, uh, that isÉ" Hercules stammered. Iolaus smiled but didn't say anything more.
"So what's for dinner?" Jindra asked, smiling brightly as she tried to casually change the subject.
The next morning, Hercules' plan was to be set in motion. Iolaus scouted ahead to see where the slave caravan was and what would be the best place for Jindra to get captured. In the mean time, Hercules and Jindra broke camp.
Hercules noticed she was unusually quiet. "Still scared about doing this?" he asked, breaking into her thoughts.
She looked at him with little emotion in her eyes. "No," she answered him. She looked away as she kneeled folding her bedroll. "I'm terrified." She looked back up at him. "I know I have your assurance that everything will be alright and I know you have this all worked out. But I have this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that something is going to happen to mess it all up." She went back to finishing packing up her things. " I can't explain it," she said. "It's just there."
Hercules came over to her and interrupted her packing. He picked up her hands and made her stand up to face him. "Jindra, you need to listen to me," he told her gently but firmly. "I know this isn't how you imagined you'd spend your time at the festival and I know you're apprehensive about this, but I need you to be clear-headed and squash your fears. If this has any chance of working, you need to be one hundred percent focused on the plan." He saw her start to protest and put his finger on her lips to stop her. "I know," he said, "easier said than done, but you have to try. It's the only way it can succeed."
Hercules held her for a few more moments, trying to comfort her and to help her relax. Jindra broke away first. Giving him a half grin, she said, "We need to go. Iolaus will be waiting for us."
They met up with him about a half league later. "The caravan just stopped so they could rest a while," Iolaus reported. "Drucan is their leader. I've heard of him. He's mean but not a hard opponent. I think most people get captured by him because he puts the fear of Zeus into them not because he's skilled. I think now would be a good time for Jindra to get herself captured."
"Now?" Jindra asked in a high, nervous voice. She cleared her throat and tried to lower her voice a bit. "Now? I mean, why not when they get going again?"
"You want as many of the slaves as possible to see you fighting," Hercules explained. "If the caravan is moving, they will be locked in the wagon and won't have a good vantage point."
"But that also means I have to fight more of the traders than I can handle," Jindra countered. "I know that will make it easier for them to capture me, but I don't want to get killed." She started pacing nervously. "I don't think I can do this."
"Yes, you can, Jindra," Hercules told her. "Going after the slave traders was your idea in the first place. Don't worry so much. You'll be fine. And Iolaus and I will be there to help if something starts to go wrong."
"Yeah," Iolaus agreed. "You won't have to fight all of the traders anyway. Some will be watching the slaves to be sure they don't escape."
Jindra looked at Hercules and sighed in defeat. "OK, I'll do it your way," she said. "But only because I trust you." In her mind, she added, 'Please, don't let me down.'
A little while later, Jindra stepped out onto the road from the bushes she was hiding in, surprising the traders. "Hello, boys," she greeted them. "What do you say you just let those people go and I won't have to hurt you, huh? We can all just be friends and go about our business. What do you say? Are we agreed?"
The captives looked surprised and pleased that someone would step forward to help them. But their excitement was short-lived when a trader came over to them to keep them in their place.
Drucan stepped toward her, sword drawn. "I don't think so, missy," he sneered. "We set them free and we don't eat. A guy's got to make a living somehow now, doesn't he?"
Jindra drew her sword and prepared to fight him. "Maybe you ought to look for a new job," she told him.
Drucan rushed at her and their swords clashed. A few of the others lined up to get a chance at her too but Drucan threw them a nasty look and they backed off. "She's mine!" he yelled at them. "No one is to interfere!"
Jindra was a little relieved because that meant she only had to concentrate on one opponent. But that also meant she had to put on a good performance because Iolaus was right, he wasn't much of a fighter. If this had been any other situation, Jindra would have been able to defeat him quickly and go about her business but because this man was to capture her, she had to make it look they were equal in fighting skills.
The fight didn't last long and Jindra made it look like he'd disarmed her. After she dropped her sword, Drucan picked it up and backed her into a tree. "Now, what do you say to joining the slaves to be sold in Athens?" he sneered. "Either that or I can kill you now and be done with it."
"Well, when you put it in those termsÉ," Jindra replied sarcastically. She frowned at him as two of his guards grabbed her arms roughly and put her with the rest of the slaves to be sold.
The slaves just looked at her but no one said anything. Jindra felt real uncomfortable under their gazes and she just stared straight ahead as she sat down on a log near the wagon.
She suddenly saw movement in the bushes and discovered Hercules and Iolaus had witnessed the whole thing. Hercules gave her a smile and a nod. Iolaus grinned, giving her a thumbs up sign.
Soon it was time for the wagon to get moving again. The guards herded the people into it and locked the gate behind them. The quarters were small but there was enough room for all of them.
Jindra sat down in the back of the wagon, hoping that if the people were mad at her, they would leave her alone. One man, who looked only a few years older than Jindra, sat down next to her. He just looked at her a moment, as if trying to read her mind.
When he finally spoke, he said, "We all think that was a brave thing you did back there."
She looked at him in surprise. "Really?" she asked. "I feel pretty stupid myself."
"But you're not," the man insisted. "Letting him capture you on purpose proves that you've got a plan to save us."
Jindra's eyes flew open wide as she stared at this man. "How did you know that?" she asked in a hushed voice. "I thought I played it off very well. You know I didn't have much to work with. Drucan's not much of a fighter."
"A warrior knows his own," the man replied. "My name is Valcrist. Who're you?"
"I'm Jindra," she told him. "I'm here to help rescue you."
"Only help?" Valcrist asked. "Who else is with you?"
"Hercules," she said. "Also his best friend, Iolaus, is here. They had me get captured so I could make the Combat of Champions challenge to King Petros for our freedom when we reach Athens."
"Wonderful!" Valcrist said enthusiastically. "I'll get to fight for my freedom!"
"That's not the way it works," Jindra told him. "Only one from each group can fight."
"I know what the Combat of Champions is," he angrily replied. "I will fight for the freedom of the slaves."
"That's still not the way this plan is going to work," Jindra repeated. "I will fight for their freedom," she nodded to the people sitting around the wagon, "and yours," she paused for a second then looked at him intensely, "and mine." Valcrist was quiet for a bit, then reluctantly agreed to let her fight.
Jindra looked at Valcrist closely. She noticed the pain in his eyes and the slump of his shoulders as if he was carrying a burden. She wondered how a warrior, if he was one, could have gotten captured by slave traders, so she asked, "how is it that a warrior like yourself is with this group to be sold as a slave?"
"I was taken by surprise," Valcrist answered her. "Drucan's men started attacking people in my village and by the time the rest of the militia or I could respond, it was too late. They had taken most everyone you see here, including me."
Jindra wasn't quite sure whether or not to believe him. She knew that the soldiers in most of the villages around Athens were highly trained in defense and tactics. If he were really a soldier, he would have fought until he killed or was killed. She raised an eyebrow at him and countered, "So you ran from them and they captured you anyway, right?"
Valcrist looked at her and knew he was caught in his lie. He hung his head and sighed, "Right." He looked up at her with shame written all over his face. "So you can imagine how I feel at letting the people of my village down." He hung his head again and continued, "I'm no warrior. What kind of warrior runs at the first sign of trouble? What kind of warrior runs from slave traders who canÕt even fight? I'm a coward."
"Listen, you can't be that much of a coward if you're willing to fight for your freedom," Jindra tried comforting him. "Besides, it takes courage to admit that you ran away." He looked at her and gave her a half smile. "Listen," she whispered into his ear, "I need your help with something."
"What can I do?" he asked enthusiastically.
"You can get the others to trust me and let me fight for them," she told him. "If they don't trust me, they won't let me fight. And if I can't fight for them, this plan is doomed." Valcrist nodded his understanding and proceeded to tell the woman sitting on his other side of the plan to help them escape slavery.
It wasn't long before the word was spread among the captives. Valcrist turned to Jindra and told her, "Everyone is in agreement. You will fight for us."
Jindra smiled and replied, "Great! Just make sure you keep everyone safe. I don't want this to go badly for all of you should something happen to me."
"I'll be ready," Valcrist said with much conviction.
The caravan arrived in Athens with no more trouble happening along the way. Jindra knew that Iolaus and Hercules were with her the entire way because every now and then she'd catch a glimpse of them in the woods.
The slave traders stopped the wagon in front of the palace. Drucan and a few of his men went in to see King Petros. He left two guards with the wagon.
Jindra saw Hercules and Iolaus standing off by the castle wall. They gave her a thumbs up that meant everything was going according to plan. So far, Jindra thought, but I still feel like something's going to happen to mess it all up.
The next day was the auction. It was set to take place in the center of town at midday and it was always a big event at the festival. Even those who didn't believe in slavery always came to the see the slave auction because it was a place to see and be seen.
Jindra looked out at the crowd of people from behind the bars of the wagon. Nervously, she gulped and took a deep breath. Valcrist came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you ready for this, Jindra?" he asked.
She looked at him and gave him a half grin. "Not really, but I'm going to do it anyway."
Just then a guard came and opened the wagon. He grabbed Jindra roughly. "C'mon, Trouble," he grumbled at her. "You're first on the auction block." He escorted her to the stage where he shoved her out front for all to see.
"Not much is known about this feisty young thing," the auctioneer started, "but you can tell she's very strong. IÕm sure she'll be a hard worker for the lucky one who bids highest for her. And the one who tames her will be the luckiest of all!" The crowd laughed as the auctioneer winked at them.
Jindra gave the auctioneer a nasty look. How dare he say something like that about her! She straightened up defiantly but decided to say nothing on that issue. She looked at the crowd and began to shout, "This is wrong, people! Slavery is wrong!"
The auctioneer got mad and tried to shut her up. He shot toward her and said, "Keep quiet, you! YouÕre not allowed to speak! You're a slave!"
She pulled her mother's dagger out and pointed it at the auctioneer. "Don't touch me, slimeball!" she sneered at him through clenched teeth so only he could hear. "I'm a free person!" Jindra yelled to the crowd. "I will not be anyone's slave!"
King Petros stepped forward and began to try and calm her down. "Young woman!" he called to her. "What is the meaning of this? This is a slave auction! Know your place and stay in it!" He figured she would quiet down at his royal command.
"No!" Jindra protested, not showing the least bit frightened at speaking to the king in such a manner. "These people you have up here to be sold are not slaves. They are free people. Slavery is wrong. No one should own anyone else."
"You were brought here just like they were," Petros told her. "They will be slaves and so will you. And there's nothing you can do about it!" He hoped his idle threat would shut her up.
"I have the right to Combat by Champion!" she countered looking at him in defiance. "I want to fight for my freedom and that of my fellow captives!"
"You can't do that!" Petros yelled at her. So much for my idle threat, he thought.
"I'm afraid she can," a voice from the crowd said. Jindra looked over at him and smiled in relief.
Petros turned toward the sound and was surprised at who he saw. "Hercules," Petros said. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm enjoying the festival," he answered. "Well, all but the auction, but then I've never liked the auction." Jindra giggled to herself at him using her words.
"But Combat by Champion is only allowed to be thrown out by a free person, Hercules," King Petros told him.
"Check your scrolls, Sire," Iolaus said. "Anyone can request a Combat by Champion."
"Oh, very well," King Petros said, waving his hand, sounding a little perturbed. He looked at Jindra. "You may have your challenge but it will take place tomorrow at this time. That will give us time to prepare a proper arena. That will also give you time to prepare for your loss and me time to come up with a champion." He turned and started walking away, but turned back around. "You will be released into the custody of Hercules to be sure you don't run away." He looked at Hercules. "And if she does, you will take her place on the auction block." He turned his gaze back to Jindra. "However, your cellmates will remain locked in the wagon until the combat begins tomorrow."