| DEGREES OF SEPARATION
Disclaimers: The characters of Xena and Gabrielle are the property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is written for enjoyment and no profit will be made from this work of fiction. Hurt/Comfort: This story deals with the difficulties in relationships and may be distressing to some readers. Subtext: I believe our two main characters have a deep, loving relationship. However, there is nothing graphic and the relationship is mainly implied. Author's Notes: This is the third story I have written and is a direct follow on from my story 'Behold a Pale Horse.' You may find it difficult to follow the story if you have not read the previous story first. Nann, as always your help is much appreciated. Your constant friendship and support have kept me sane over some very difficult months and there is nothing I can do to thank you enough for picking me up and dusting me off when I fell. ' A faithful friend is the medicine of life.' Bible, Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus 9:10
Like it or hate it, please let me know at Karen Surtees. Copyright 1998-09-27 DEGREES OF SEPARATION
Virgil, 70-19BC. Aeneid, VI, 126.
William Morris, 1834-1896. The Dream of John Ball, Ch4. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kiaya saw Xena and Argo thunder past her window on the way out of the village; a puzzled expression crossed her face as she saw the saddlebags and sleeping roll strapped to Argo's saddle. She stood, careful not to jolt her still heavily strapped shoulder and arm. She crossed the room, opened the door and stepped out into the sunshine. Seeing Eponin nearby, she wandered across. "Where's Xena off to in such a hurry?" Eponin turned as Kiaya spoke. Shaking her head, she said, "I have no idea. Gabrielle told her about your arm this morning. She didn't take it too well, went storming off into the trees again. Gabrielle was upset; Ephiny said that she was going to do something to see if she could get Xena a little more manageable. I guess she's done it." A feeling of unease settled into the pit of Kiaya's stomach. She nodded at Eponin and made her way over to the palace. She stood outside the palace door and hesitated, hearing muffled voices behind the wooden barrier, then knocked before entering. Gabrielle was sitting in a chair; Ephiny, the Regent, knelt before her, gently brushing the Queen's blonde hair from her tear-streaked face. Ephiny looked up as the door opened. "Hello, Kiaya. What do you want?" Ephiny's voice held a tired edge to it and she returned her attention to the young bard before her. "I just wondered where Xena was off to in such a hurry?" Seeing her young Queen in such a state and her flinch at the mention of her partner's name, Kiaya's suspicions rose. "Has she left?" It was Gabrielle who replied this time, her voice full of choked emotion, "Yes, Kiaya, Xena's left. She'll be back when she's managed to get this darker aspect of herself under control again." "Why aren't you with her?" Ephiny shot the Amazon a querulous look. Kiaya ignored the Regent and concentrated on her Queen's shivering form. "She didn't just leave, did she?" Kiaya stepped closer, her voice almost a whisper. "You told her to go, didn't you?" "Kiaya," hissed Ephiny, "I really don't think this has anything to do with you." "Like Hades, it doesn't. We risked our lives to bring her back to us. I've lost the use of my arm." Kiaya's voice was rising with anger and Ephiny could feel Gabrielle flinching away from the angry warrior. "What was the point, if we don't stand by her now?" Ephiny stood and faced the warrior. "Kiaya, Xena is not herself right now. She needs time to regain her self-control." Kiaya refused to be intimidated by the Regent and stood toe to toe with her. "That's my point, exactly. How is she supposed to do that when the only person," Kiaya waved her hand in Gabrielle's direction, "who has the power to help her regain that balance has just sent her away?" Without another word Kiaya turned and left. Gabrielle sat and stared at Ephiny. "She's right, isn't she?" she asked quietly, her green eyes boring into Ephiny's brown, looking for an answer. "I don't know, Gabrielle. Maybe there was another way to deal with this situation, but, if there was, I couldn't tell you what it was." "But I have left her alone, haven't I, Ephiny? Who does she turn to now? It's not as if she has friends in every corner of Greece, is it?" "And whose fault is that, Gabrielle? It's not as if she's been a paragon of virtue all her life." "I know that," hissed Gabrielle standing up and pacing the room. "But she's turned that around since I've known her. She's stumbled a few times but she's always managed to pick herself up, and I've always been there for her, as she has been for me. But not this time; this time I've told her she's on her own." Ephiny sat with Gabrielle for another candlemark; her young Queen had totally broken down. Finally, the bard had fallen into an exhausted sleep and the Regent had gently lifted her onto her bed and left. Dusk had settled over the Amazon village as Ephiny emerged from the palace. Seeing Solari nearby, she called the scoutmaster to her. "Solari, find Kiaya for me and bring her to my quarters." "I'll send somebody out for her." "What do you mean?" "She took a horse from the stables shortly after she came out of the palace, and rode out." Ephiny ran her hand through her hair. "Get someone to check her hut. See if she's taken anything with her." Solari reported back to the Regent, a quarter of a candlemark later. Kiaya had taken her weapons and everything needed to travel on the road.
Dawn broke over the slumbering Amazon village; golden rays of sun lit the Village Square. Few Amazons were awake to see this daily spectacle of Apollo's racing chariot. Just those on watch at the village gates and their Queen who, in the months she'd been with them, had risen before dawn each day. Several of the Royal Guard strolled across the earthen-packed square to the practise ground with their Queen, who began to drill with her staff. Later, when she had warmed up, her Guard would take turns in sparring with her until the sweat of her exertions rolled down her face and arms. Then the entourage would make their way up to the hot springs to soak the ache from their tired limbs. Eventually they would return to the village as it woke, joining the rest of the Amazons in the dining hall. The meal would be eaten in relative silence, unless Ephiny or one of the village council came over to discuss matters with their Queen. The change in the once spirited Queen had occurred gradually. At first, the whole village had been certain that Xena would return within a few weeks, but, as the waiting grew, more and more of them had come to realise that the warrior would not be returning for their Queen. The Amazons would have seen it as an occasion to rejoice had it not been for the fact that their young Queen had been so dejected by the absence of her partner. The young girl had quickly fallen into a depression from which no one seemed to be able to lift her. Though she carried out her duties as the reigning Queen with conscientious precision, none of her quick wit or humour was present at the council meetings. The young woman seemed to be existing, rather than living. Ephiny and the council had become so concerned by her condition that they had sent scouts far and wide searching for the Warrior Princess, or Kiaya, the young Amazon who had followed her. But no word of Xena could be found. Kiaya had last been sighted in a village many leagues from the Amazon nation but no one had been able to find out whether she had still been on the warrior's trail. All the scouts had returned some months ago. Ephiny had not sent any more out to search; everywhere already having been covered. Every now and then, she would send someone to the nearby villages to see if anything had been heard about the Warrior Princess. She'd even sent Solari to Amphipolis to see whether Cyrene knew of her whereabouts. The simple fact of the matter was that Xena had disappeared, and the surrounding countryside was suffering because of it. Warlords who had once shied away from the area made frequent raids on the local villages; rogue bands of highwaymen made travelling the roads dangerous. People had gone from cursing the warrior for her past misdeeds to cursing her absence now that she was no longer around to protect them. The Amazon nation had survived virtually intact; there had been a few minor skirmishes along the borders, but nothing that they hadn't been able to handle. On several occasions, Gabrielle had accompanied the warriors in repelling attacks on the border, and respect had grown for her in the village. The Amazons would do anything for their Queen. But there was only one thing that would help the bard regain her spirit and, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't provide her with it. *************** The Amazon hunting party had been out for several days, hunting the lands on the southern borders of their territory. The hunt had been successful; deer had been plentiful and they even had managed to bring down a bear. Arguments had already started about who would have the pelt of the magnificent beast. The happy band of warriors had set up camp near the border markers to butcher and prepare their catch for transport back to the village. The southern border was seldom crossed due to the mountain ranges a league or so beyond; nevertheless, a border patrol was maintained in the area. A number of them had joined the hunting party around their morning fire, catching up on news from the village and partaking of some of the freshly caught venison. A piercing birdcall stopped the talking and laughter. The Amazons listened as another alerted them to an intruder on their lands. The women grabbed their weapons and melted into the trees, heading for the border markers. The lone rider sat casually on top of her horse, a sword strapped to her back, equipment required for nights on the road tied to the saddle of her mount. She guided the animal to the Amazon marker, dismounted and waited. She knew they were here and smiled as she heard the first of the alarm calls. She knew within seconds she would be surrounded but she stood, one arm hanging lightly by her side, the other gently holding the reins of her horse. She felt the presence of the warriors as they arrived and took one step forward, dropping the reins. "I'd lift my arms in peace," she said, in a voice loud enough to carry to the watching Amazons, "but I'm afraid my right arm just doesn't move that far." ******************** Kiaya walked into the village surrounded by her fellow Amazons. News of her return had spread quickly. They seemed excited by her appearance and were constantly asking questions about her disappearance so long ago, but mostly they were asking about Xena. Had she found the warrior, where was she, was she still alive? For the most part Kiaya kept her silence, replying to their questions occasionally but not answering any about the warrior princess. Before the village was told of the happenings of the last ten moons there was another who should be told first. The sun was beating down on the Amazon village and, as usual, the villagers were going about their daily routines. Little had changed since she'd left. A few new huts had sprung up and the well looked as though it had been rebuilt. The sigil over the palace had changed; obviously Gabrielle had taken up her duties as Queen full time. Kiaya glanced over at the temple. The doors were open but no evidence of the priestess could be seen. The growing commotion at her arrival hadn't seeped into the sacred walls yet. The party surrounding her came to a stop and a narrow corridor appeared as Eponin, the Amazon weapons master and once her mentor, stood in front of her. "Kiaya, it's good to see you looking so well. Will you be staying?" The crowd around her hushed as they awaited her answer. "Yes, Eponin. I will as long as I am welcome." "You are an Amazon, Kiaya, of course you're welcome." "I think maybe we ought to see the Queen before that decision is made. I wasn't exactly in her good books when I left, now was I?" "Come, then, I'll take you to her. I'm sure she will be anxious to see you and to hear any news you have on a certain warrior princess." Eponin studied the young Amazon warrior standing before her because it was obvious that, despite her crippled arm, she was still a fighter. The young auburn-haired girl didn't wilt or flinch under her stare and her face gave nothing away at Eponin's inconspicuous questioning. "As I said, we ought to see the Queen before anything is said." Eponin nodded and gave her a fleeting smile. She dismissed the milling Amazons with a flick of her hand and led Kiaya toward the Amazon Royal Quarters. "It's not good, is it?" she asked, once the rest of the Amazons had gone. "Depends what your interpretation of good is," came the deadpanned reply. "Is she still alive?" "If you can call what she is living, then, yes, she was last time I saw her." "When was that?" Kiaya stopped short and turned towards Eponin. "Eponin, I'd rather I only have to tell this story once and Gabrielle needs to hear it first." "Yeah, I know. Sorry. She's been a bit of a mess since Xena left. She honestly expected her to come back for her. She's not the same person you knew." "Well, that makes two of them then, doesn't it?" With that Kiaya turned and climbed the steps of the palace with Eponin close behind her. At a signal from the weapons master, the Royal Guard at the entrance disappeared inside to announce their presence. Seconds later the door burst open as the Regent rushed through it and came to a halt in front of them. "Well, you're a sight for sore eyes! Come on in, there is a young bard who could do with some good news right now." "I'm not sure I can give her that, Ephiny." "Kiaya, believe me when I tell you any information you can give her is better than the total absence of it." Gabrielle sat quietly behind an old oak desk that had been passed down from generation to generation of Amazon Queens. Her head was bent forward and her hand was clasped around the quill scratching lightly over the parchment before her. The door in front of her creaked open; she lifted her head and smiled as Ephiny's golden-haired head peeked around the jamb, a slight frown on her face. "Hello there, what's that look on your face for?" "Er... can I have a word with you for a minute?" Gabrielle put her quill down and quickly sanded off her scroll. "Sure, come on in." Ephiny opened the door wide and walked in, closing the door behind her. "What's on your mind?" The bard could see that Ephiny was nervous about something. Ephiny hesitated before she looked into Gabrielle's face. When she'd heard that Kiaya had reappeared in Amazon territory she had thought of it as a gift from the Gods; when she had greeted the Amazon at the palace entrance she had still thought so. But now, she wasn't so sure. Eponin had had that look on her face that meant trouble. And Kiaya? Well, that she had grown was without doubt. She'd stood there so confidently, and Ephiny thought she had lost that when she'd lost the use of her arm. Her weapon was still slung on her back though it was now set for a left-handed draw. Her face had aged. She'd seen a lot since her unexpected departure from the village, and Ephiny wondered who had given her the new scars that lined her arms. But, more than anything, it had been her eyes that had convinced her that maybe she ought to talk to Gabrielle before she brought Kiaya in to see her. "Before you get your hopes up, Xena's not with her, but Kiaya's returned to the village." Ephiny looked into her Queen's emerald eyes seeing both disappointment and hope flash within their depths. Gabrielle sat slightly stunned at Ephiny's words and quickly quelled the trill of excitement that rippled through her. "Kiaya's back here?" Ephiny nodded. "Does she have news on Xena?" "Yes, do you want me to bring her in?" Gabrielle sighed, a worried frown crossing her face. "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind." Ephiny turned back to the door. "Eph?" came the quiet voice from behind her. The Regent glanced back over her shoulder. "You'll stay with me when you bring her in, won't you?" Ephiny could tell by the expression on her face and the insecurity in her voice that Gabrielle expected bad news. "Sure," she smiled. "I can do that." "Thanks." Gabrielle was already pacing as Ephiny brought Kiaya into the room. The Amazon immediately fell to one knee, her head bowed in homage. Gabrielle took a second to study the crouched Amazon who had judged her so harshly ten moons ago. And she was right to have done so. Xena had always been there for her, no matter what. But this time, when Xena had needed her, Gabrielle's strength had failed her and she had turned away from her friend's need. "Stand, Kiaya." Her voice showed little of the emotions she was feeling. The Amazon rose slowly to her feet and stood quietly in front of her Queen. Gabrielle gave her a small smile. "It's good to see you. Why don't you take a seat." Gabrielle indicated a chair as she wandered back behind the desk and sat. Ephiny positioned herself at Gabrielle's right shoulder. Kiaya could feel Gabrielle's intent stare on her as she sat, but she didn't speak. The silence in the room grew and Ephiny shifted uncomfortably. Finally, Gabrielle spoke. "Is she alive?" Kiaya took a deep breath, wondering whether to blurt the whole story out now or ease her way into it. Easing her way won out; no matter what she told her, Gabrielle still wasn't going to like what she heard. "She was when I last saw her." Kiaya saw the tension ease from Gabrielle's shoulders. "When was that?" "About a moon and a half ago." "Where?" "We were up in the mountains to the south of the Amazon territory." "Why have you come back to us, Kiaya?" Gabrielle's voice was low. "Xena disappeared a moon and a half ago. It wasn't unusual for her to do that while I was with her. But this time, she never came back. I waited over fourteen days but there was no word from her. I decided to head back home." "You still think of this village as home, then?" "I'm an Amazon, my Queen. Amazonia will always be my home, whether I'm welcome here, or not." Gabrielle turned her gaze to Ephiny, then slowly brought it back to Kiaya. "Good. Because you have a story to tell, and I want to hear it all from start to finish." "In that case, my Queen, maybe Ephiny should sit down. It's rather a long one."
Kiaya launched into her story with barely a hesitation. "When I left the palace, after speaking with you..." Kiaya glanced up at the Queen to see how she would react to her mentioning the time she had burst into the palace and accused her of deserting Xena, but the young bard didn't show any adverse emotion, just nodded at her to continue. "Well, I didn't really know what I was going to do." Kiaya couldn't remember exactly how she'd managed to saddle the sturdy Amazon-bred equine she was sitting upon, but here she was galloping hell-for-leather after a half-crazed ex-warlord who from all accounts was in a really bad mood. And why? Only the Gods knew the answer to that one, she thought ruefully. She vaguely remembered snatching her travelling pack and food from her hut, which was why she'd been able to feed herself so far, but that wasn't going to last. She thought she would have caught up with Xena in the three days that had passed since she'd left the village, but she hadn't yet caught sight of the warrior. Xena, it seemed, didn't require food and sleep. The only signs of her passing that the Amazon had found were the crumpled areas around the streambeds that told of the warrior halting to rest her beloved Argo. At each of these sites, there was no evidence that Xena had set up camp or lit a fire, so either the warrior was eating cold or she wasn't eating at all. As a result, Kiaya had allowed herself to stop only to rest her horse and catch a few candlemarks of rest. She'd come to the mountain road early this morning and was convinced from the tracks upon it that she was catching the warrior. The sun was just passing the nooning when Kiaya sensed the change in the atmosphere, the bird song around her had fallen silent, and even the horse beneath her had grown tense. She slowed the animal into a walk and proceeded slowly down the earthen road. She hadn't yet come across any trouble but now that she'd left the comfortable presence of the forest it was to be expected. Although the Amazon had brought her weapons with her, she had little idea of how she was going to defend herself with them. She hadn't expected to be alone out here; she was supposed to have caught up with Xena by now. Even if the warrior didn't want the Amazon with her, she would have made arrangements for her safe escort back to the Amazon lands; but now she was on her own. She pulled the horse to a halt as four ragged and dirty men stepped onto the road in front of her. The dirtiest of the men, who, it seemed, was their ringleader, strode forward. "So, what's a pretty little lady like you doing travelling alone on a road such as this?" Kiaya sighed wondering if there was a school somewhere that taught these idiots their roadside manner. "If you'd be so kind as to clear the road, I'm in a hurry." There, that didn't sound too bad, thought Kiaya, trying to instill her voice with more confidence than she actually felt. "Now, my lady, my men and I would be remiss in our duty if we were not to offer you the pleasure of our company and protection. For a small fee, of course." The dirty man looked to either side, as his fellow dirtballs stepped up next to him, and smiled. Kiaya smiled back. Maybe she should try Gabrielle's renowned tactics and talk her way out of this one. Well, it was worth a try, anyway. "Your offer is kind and most appreciated, sir, but as you can see I'm mounted. It would be impractical for you to be my escort." The man looked a little flummoxed that the lady sitting on the brown mare was actually taking his offer seriously, but quickly recovered by drawing his sword and advancing. "I'm afraid I wasn't offering you a choice in the matter." Okay, maybe talking wasn't going to help her get out of this situation. But at least I can tell Gabrielle I tried, that is providing I can get myself out of this. Kiaya started to back the brown mare up slowly. She didn't like running, especially when so recently she would have been able to get rid of these idiots without even thinking about it. She was seriously starting to wonder about her planning on this mission; it was flawed, of that there was no doubt. She glanced quickly around her. She couldn't escape to the sides, the terrain was too rocky for her horse. Riding over them had its temptations but would most likely end in an injury or two. So, the only way left to her was to go back the way she'd come. Which would take her away from her ultimate goal, but would at least leave her alive. She began to swing the mare around on the spot as the men ran towards her, but never got the chance to run, as a familiar form leapt over her head. Gods above, Kiaya hadn't even realised she was anywhere near. The men halted their full-on charge as a tall, dark-haired warrior landed between them and their prey. Initially stunned by her appearance, they stopped, almost tripping over each other. They soon got over it, though, and, with a rather ragged cry, ran to their deaths. Kiaya was almost as stunned as the four robbers when Xena appeared. The warrior looked pale and tired, but it didn't stop her from silently ending their lives. Xena pushed the last of the robbers from her blade and then turned to the Amazon and gave her a cold stare. Then she bent down and cleaned her sword on the tunic of one of the dead men, before sheathing it in her scabbard and silently walking back down the road. Kiaya sat for several moments before urging her horse to follow the warrior. Kiaya sat quietly before she looked at Gabrielle and then she spoke. "It was then that it occurred to me why I was following a half-crazed ex-warlord that everybody else seemed to have washed their hands of. It occurred to me that, ever since she broke her alliance with Ares, she's been there. Every time the Amazons had been in need, Xena had been there. She was there for you, Gabrielle, even before she knew you; you'd be a slave or worse if she hadn't been there. You wouldn't be the Amazon Queen. Lord Hades below, I doubt the Amazons would be here if it weren't for her. "I know that you've been there for her, I know the Amazons have helped her out on occasion, but she's just one person, we're a whole nation. And we'd left her by herself when she needed someone to believe in her. She'd always been there for us, so I decided to be there for her. But it shouldn't have been me, Gabrielle." "I know, Kiaya, it should have been me." Gabrielle's voice was strong despite the pain Kiaya's story was bringing to her. "Then, why wasn't it?" "I got scared about things I couldn't control. I was tired of all the pain and hardship we'd been through in the months before we arrived here. I didn't think I could handle it, anymore. Xena was always the strong one when it came to difficult situations, and I always handled the emotional side of things. She didn't need me jumping at her every move, when she was in trouble herself. I thought she would be better off by herself."
Gabrielle took a deep breath, at least she now knew that her partner hadn't gone totally off the deep end when she'd told her to sort herself out. "So, what happened then? Had she been travelling around the countryside as we did? We sent out scouts but no one could find any word on either of you." "No, as I said, she was headed toward the southern mountains when she left and that was the direction she kept going. She must have known my arm was still giving me a lot of pain though, she slowed down and set up camp every night. She even started to hunt so that we'd have a hot meal in the evening, though it was Hades own bells trying to get her to eat anything at all. Even though we stopped each night, she hardly slept. Spent most of her nights doing sword drills or sharpening her weapons. "Xena kept us off the roads as much as possible, so we didn't run into much trouble. And, even if we did, she took care of it without even thinking. If they didn't run in the first few seconds, they died; it was as simple as that. "I always thought I knew her quite well, knew what she was capable of. We've all heard the stories. But I never believed I'd come face to face with that side of her. I mean, I know that when we went to rescue her we met those three different personalities, but they were within her mind. I never expected them to manifest themselves physically. It really was like living with three different people. "When we came across trouble she was death incarnate. When we were alone she was moody, silent, had a dark nervous energy about her that, quite frankly, scared me. But, every now and then, she showed a flash of that kinder Xena. I remember, we'd made camp one night..." The days were getting colder as they approached the mountains; Kiaya had even pulled her cloak out earlier in the day but Xena didn't seem to have noticed the insidious change that had crept up on them. She had called a halt to the day's travel, earlier than usual. Kiaya was beginning to wonder whether the warrior was fed up of having a cripple slow her down. She hadn't said anything; then again she hasn't said a word since she'd saved Kiaya's butt. At least, she'd lit a fire before she'd gone hunting. Darkness had fallen quickly after Xena had returned. She had efficiently gutted and cleaned a rabbit before setting it to cook. Kiaya sat watching the meat intently, knowing that if she was going to eat it in an edible condition, she'd have to keep an eye on it herself. They'd fallen into a routine. Xena would provide the food. Kiaya would eat it and would occasionally get the silent warrior to partake of it, but not often enough for her liking. Kiaya started, as a hand gently touched her right shoulder and pulled off the cloak. Then she let out a shuddering breath as she realised Xena was by her side. She watched the warrior as she studiously examined the damaged limb, poking and prodding, invoking a painful wince or two. Noting the Amazon's reaction, Xena stood and walked over to her pack and rummaged around in it before pulling a small drawbag from within. She strode back around the fire to Kiaya's side and knelt by her. Taking another look at the shoulder, Xena took a small vial from the bag, uncorked it and poured a small amount of pungent oil into her hand, then started rubbing it into the muscles of the shoulder. Wintergreen, the Amazon realised. Cassandra had mentioned using it to loosen the muscle spasm in the shoulder, but, of course, she'd left the village before that treatment could be started. The muscle began to warm up under the proficient touch of Xena's hands and the warrior started to rotate and move the shoulder, stretching the muscle. Xena kept the movement up for an age, until Kiaya leapt to her feet and made a dash for the fire. "Sorry 'bout that," Kiaya said sheepishly as, holding the cooked meat, she turned back to the warrior. "It was about to burn." She looked up from beneath her auburn fringe at the warrior. Xena just nodded and packed away her things and returned to her side of the fire. "Every night, after that, she worked on the shoulder giving me exercises to do. I eventually started to get some use back; I got the full use of my hand back and can pick up lightweight objects. But we both knew I was never gonna be able to use it to defend myself with again. So she started to train me how to use my left hand to fight with. I'm as good with my left hand now as I ever was with my right." Gabrielle smiled, and a warm feeling suffused her body. That was the Xena she knew, still looking after everyone else and never thinking of herself. She hardly ever needs anybody else. Except me. She told me that, didn't she? Told me that I was the only reason for her to carry on; I was her family, her home. And just 'cause I couldn't see my way through...Gods in Olympus, how's she ever going to forgive me for this? "You said that you didn't travel, so where did you go?" "We travelled for about a moon, went way up into the mountains. As I grew stronger and more capable, she pushed the pace; Xena seemed to know where she was heading. Eventually we came to a small village. Well, they called themselves a village. It was more a collection of huts. I dismounted but Xena stayed up on Argo and just sat there. It was some time, but eventually the villagers started to appear." Kiaya paused and looked up, seeing Gabrielle and Ephiny enthralled in her story. "It was weird. There could have been no more than twenty or so of them altogether. But every single one of them seemed to know Xena, even the kids. They weren't scared or fearful; one of the children was even bold enough to take Argo's reins. "One of the older men of the village approached Xena and she dismounted and followed him into one of the huts. I tried to follow but I was prevented, not unkindly so, but they wouldn't let me into the hut that she'd gone into. I was taken to another hut and given food and drink, was made to feel comfortable. It was just turning dusk when Xena came and got me from the hut. "Several of the villagers were there with their horses; they were loaded up with food and other essentials and, when we rode out of the village, they followed. Towering cliffs surrounded the village, and I hadn't realised when we first entered, but there were carvings all over them. The most ornate of them surrounded an entrance to a cave. Turned out it was a temple of Hades. I never went in while I was there, but I think Xena did. As night fell we came to another set of caves. The villagers left the food, blankets and wood they'd brought and left. Xena and I made the caves comfortable and that was where we stayed." Ephiny shifted in her chair and then spoke for the first time during Kiaya's story. "You said Xena disappeared quite often whilst you were with her. Where did she go? What did she do?" "I had no idea at first. But you remember that storm we had just before we found Gabrielle and Xena at the east gate?" Ephiny nodded "Well, the first time she disappeared it was for about a day. We had a massive storm. The headman from the village and a couple of the village women took refuge in our cave. I'd gotten to know them quite well since we arrived; I was always the one to go into the village for supplies. We became friends but they revered Xena, and I had no idea why until after the storm. As the storm lessened, Argo turned up outside the cave with Xena slumped over her neck. "The headman got her off Argo. She was freezing cold. The women heated some water to warm her, then we got her dry and into her bedroll, to keep her warm, and she slept." Kiaya got up and started pacing the room ignoring Ephiny's watchful gaze. She stopped in front of Gabrielle and leant forward and gazed into her green eyes. "You have absolutely no idea what you've done, have you? Don't even comprehend the injury you inflicted on her. I can see from the bewilderment in your eyes that neither Lissa nor Cassandra has spoken to you about bonding. Did you even ask when she left? I doubt it. It didn't mean anything to you. After all, you weren't bound to her, were you?" Kiaya's aggressive change in attitude startled Gabrielle, picking up unerringly on her insecurities. Ephiny had risen from her seat, now, and stepped in front of Kiaya. "I think maybe you'd better back off. You haven't been here, you haven't seen Gabrielle's..." The Regent paused as a gentle hand touched her arm. "Ephiny, leave it. She's right. The only time I started really worrying about Xena was when she didn't return for me. And I haven't asked what this bond means for Xena. I need to hear what Kiaya has to say. I need to know what's happened to her and if Kiaya needs to vent her anger at me, for thinking of myself before I thought about Xena, then let her." Removing her hand from Ephiny's arm, she nodded at Kiaya to continue. Kiaya returned to her seat and sat down, running her hand through her hair. "I wouldn't worry too much, Gabrielle, I didn't have a clue what you had done until Philius, the headman, who it turned out was also a priest of Hades, explained in detail what was going on. I know she told you about her deal with Hades, for the soul of one of her men, and while she travelled with you she was hardly called upon at all to fulfil that roll. Her efforts at redemption were enough for the God of the Underworld, and he only called on her talents if there was no other way. "But, since the incident with Ares priests, and her loss of control before that, Xena has found it harder to repress the darker side of her nature. It seems she's not the only one having problems. Warlords, bandits, uprisings in once peaceful city-states have increased out of proportion. Hades has been using his messengers more than he'd like, to redress the balance, and Xena is the best of them. "The storm we had was heralding Xena's arrival. Hades' messengers have the ability to travel the underworld to get to where they are needed. By returning to where they left, by the same route, Hades heals any wounds sustained in his service. But it takes a lot out of them, which is why they are always cold and exhausted when they return. If they don't use the underworld to return, then their wounds remain, but at least they don't have the other side effects. "Philius was a good teacher; I learnt how best to help when she returned. I spoke to him about what had occurred and brought her to their village. He was shocked that his Lord Hades had allowed her to bond with anyone." The Amazon looked up at Gabrielle. "Did you know that she feels everything you do? If you hurt, then so does she. If you're happy, then a small part of her is, too; if you're sad, so is she. You've gotten yourself into a few scrapes since she left, haven't you?" Gabrielle nodded. "Well, she knew; if you were in danger, she knew. Do you have any idea how it tore at her to know she couldn't come to you, couldn't be at your side? Because you had sent her away. She felt your fear when you did that, you know, and even if she had been able to control her darker side, she would never have been able to return to you knowing that she caused you fear."
The tension in the room was incredible; the silence lingered on before Gabrielle's broken voice shattered it. "Where is she, Kiaya?" The Amazon took a deep breath. "I was able to look after myself, there was no more she could do to heal my arm. I honestly think that, if I'd not followed her, that it was what she planned to do. She was tired of fighting herself, of feeling pain and not being able to express it; tired of feeling yours, and not being able to comfort you. Towards the end she ate less and less, virtually stopped sleeping altogether. I don't think her dreams were ones she cared to face. "I woke one morning and she was gone; thought she was off on one of her trips. I waited for a few days before I went to the village, stayed a few more days there before Philius told me she wouldn't be returning. He quickly reassured me that she wasn't dead, but that she had decided to stay in the realm of Hades, she felt she was no longer needed in ours. "I thought she'd change her mind, couldn't comprehend why she thought she wasn't needed. But I suppose when you can't be with the one you need, the one that feeds your soul, you would feel like that wouldn't you? So I came home." Kiaya stood and looked quietly over at her Queen and Regent. "I know this isn't what you wanted to hear. I know you wanted to hear she was fine and getting on with her life, even if you'd feel betrayal at that. The honest truth in the matter is the Xena you know died when she left the village ten moons ago." The Amazon turned and left the room. Ephiny turned her gaze to her Queen for the fourth time in as many minutes. Gabrielle was uncharacteristically quiet. Her thoughts had turned in on themselves, shutting out the rest of the world. A lone tear rolled down her face as she took a shuddering breath and focused on her friend. "Well, I obviously made the right choice sending her away, didn't I? I've done what nobody else has managed to do. I killed the Warrior Princess!" "Gabrielle, she's not dead!" Ephiny took hold of her Queen's hands. "Kiaya said that the priest..." "Ephiny, it doesn't matter what the priest said. It wouldn't matter if she walked through the door, now." She pulled her hands out of Ephiny's and stood. "The damage is already done. Don't you understand, Eph? I told her where you go, I go, but I conveniently forgot that when it suited me. Gods, she's not somebody you can mess about with like that. She never believed in herself in the first place; she relied on others to do that for her. "Xena gives her all or nothing; she made a commitment to me and she never failed to uphold it. I used to resent the fact that she used to send me away out of trouble all the time. Heck, I used to get into more trouble totally ignoring her. Until I realised she did it because she was scared that she wouldn't be good enough to keep me safe. "Even after I inherited Terreis' Right of Caste and you and Eponin taught me the staff, she'd go out of her way to try and keep me out of harm's way. She threw herself into hopeless situations, did the impossible just to keep me safe. That woman would die for me and once she would have said the same about me, but not anymore. Oh no, not anymore. I've destroyed her faith not only in me, but also in herself, in friendship, in family. How does someone who believed in that to begin with come back from that, Ephiny? But Xena had only just started to believe in herself, believe in us. How does she come back from that?" Ephiny didn't know what to say to her friend and Queen. She couldn't say she understood what she was going through, because she didn't. Couldn't reassure her that everything would be okay, because she didn't know that it would. "Gabrielle, you did what you thought was right at the time. It's easy to look back and say we would have done things differently, after we know the outcome of our decisions." "What do I do, Eph? What do I do to make this right?" "I don't know, Gabrielle. I can't even say we'll think of something, because I just don't know where to start. Look, it's been a rough couple of candlemarks. Why don't you forget about those Treaties you were working on and relax for a while?" "Yeah, I think I will. Could you get someone to bring me over some food later? I don't think I feel like being sociable tonight." "I'll bring it over myself." Ephiny stood and prepared herself to leave. "Gabrielle, there are going to be questions. What would you like me to tell the rest of the village?" "Tell them the truth, Ephiny. Tell them that Xena's gone." ******************** The perpetual sunshine of Mount Olympus shone brilliantly down into the leaf-dappled forest glade; its piercing rays were reflected amongst the trees by the crystal-blue waters of a small pool, nestled in its centre. A stout brown-haired woman dressed in Amazon leathers, with a bow slung over her shoulder, paced restlessly beside the water. "But I thought we'd managed to avoid this? I thought we'd fixed it so they'd be safe?" "Well, we had," came the disembodied voice of a middle-aged woman from the water's depths. "However, neither of us anticipated that your chosen would react to her trials in the way that she did. If they are not together, then the treaty we had avoided reasserts itself over their fates. Not even I can change that." "Okay, okay, so things are not as they should be. Can we change that? I mean, if we can get things back on track, can we still avoid their destruction?" Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and Patron of the Amazons, sat and gazed into the pool's blue depths. "It doesn't matter what occurs prior to or after the battle, but your Amazons will only survive if your chosen and her partner face the enemy together." "So all I need to do is to ensure that Xena is in the Amazon village the day of the attack and everything will be as it should be?" "I didn't say that, Artemis. I said your Amazons would survive. Your Queen and her partner have their own choices to make, and you may not interfere any more than you already have." The Goddess had the grace to look slightly guilty at the minor reprimand. She was well aware that the majority of the bard's problems, and for that matter the warrior's as well, rested on her shoulders. "How much time do I have?" Artemis rose to her feet. "Less than a moon." "Then I have a lot of work to do, and a few favours to call in. Lachesis, thank you once again for your assistance." ******************** Lissa sat on the steps observing the goings on in the village surrounding her. She enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle of the women below; there was a marked contrast to the peacefulness and serenity of the temple. The initial excitement caused by Kiaya's return had died down over the last week. Those Amazons brave enough to gossip about the Warrior Princess' continued absence, and some said death, was soon quashed by the irate Kiaya and an equally irate Regent. But things were back to as normal as it ever got in the Amazon village. The priestess sat quietly, people-watching, for a while longer, before an insistent tugging in the back of her consciousness drew her back into the cool shade of the temple. Lissa walked slowly up the main aisle, before coming to a halt and kneeling before the altar. Shortly, a warm glow suffused the area as her Goddess appeared by her side. Lissa kept her head bowed until she felt a cool touch on it. The brown-haired Goddess always looked resplendent in her Amazon leathers. "Come on, Lissa, we need to talk." The Amazon Goddess walked slowly away from her priestess towards the temple courtyard. Artemis had been intensely pleased when the Amazons built their temple to her. Her pleasure had only grown when they had created a woodland glade within the courtyard. They had planted it with her favourite trees and plants and whenever she visited the village it was where she preferred to rest out of the sun. Lissa followed her patron into the glade and waited for her to sit beneath her favourite tree before she sat cross-legged in front of her. Artemis watched her priestess as she settled. She was about to confide in the young woman whom she had chosen to represent her within the Amazon nation, but before she rested that weight upon her shoulders she would find out about the goings on in the village. "So tell me, Lissa, how are my people faring?" "Well, my Lady, the village has grown since your last visit; we now have three younglings to add to our numbers." "And are the borders free from trouble?" "Mostly, my Lady, but as you would know, the countryside that surrounds us has become a haven for bandits and would-be warlords. The people of this area are sorely missing their protector and your Queen misses her partner." "Things are changing, Lissa, for all of us. And a time of trial is approaching the nation which some of you may not survive." "The Amazons have always faced their trials with dignity and honour." "I know they have, Lissa, but this time the odds are stacked against you." Artemis tilted her head and looked at her priestess. "Do you think you could stand to listen to a poorly told story by a God, instead of an excellent rendition by the nation's favourite bard?" The Goddess let her face relax into a smile. "I think I might be able to manage that, my Lady." "Ha, you may regret saying that later, Lissa. I might find I enjoy telling stories and then you would be inflicted to the torture more often; this is, after all, my favourite hideaway." The Goddess leaned back and made herself comfortable against the trunk of the ancient tree and then let her gaze become unfocussed as she stared into the woodland surrounding them. "I am a God, Lissa, and rarely feel the need to explain myself to anyone, mortal or otherwise. But suffice it to say, this needs explaining. "Some time ago, before most of the Amazons in this village were born, I did a favour for Lachesis. It was not a small one, and all three of the fates benefited greatly from it. In return, I was granted a favour and I asked to see the future of my people. I saw many things, Lissa; I saw good and evil battling for nearly all of eternity with the Amazons trapped in the middle. With the help of the fates I have been able to steer you around the worst of it, and for those instances that could not be avoided, I provided a champion to ensure your success. "But a time was foreseen when the Amazon nation would be destroyed. We investigated every avenue of escape, to avoid this eventual extinction of the Amazons, but we could find nothing that would help. That was until a warrior of much power and skill was born. At first, it looked as though it would be a simple matter of arranging for this girl to be befriended and eventually adopted by the nation, but that was not to be her destiny. "She was the chosen of Ares and she followed his teachings with devotion. She committed acts of unspeakable evil, caused the deaths of thousands of innocents, all in the name of her God. If Ares asked, it was done. Her loyalty to her God was almost unbreakable except for one thing; she refused to kill women and children and would only attack those that resisted. "Ares thought that by having her second in command disobey and undermine her, he would force her into changing her ways to keep her army. He was wrong. She rebelled and was forced to run the gauntlet, but she was not supposed to survive her rebellion. The fates had marked her for death; however, she was the only one who had the ability and power to stop the destruction of the Amazon nation. "Something was missing. Even if we changed her fate and she lived, there was no connection to the Amazons, so there was no reason for her loyalty and protection to last. I needed to make sure that, no matter what, the Amazons had her on their side; that those same skills and fierce darkness and anger wouldn't be turned on you. "So I manipulated the situation. You mortals are so easy to read and it was a simple matter for me to see what her soul was missing. I provided that for her, but not by repairing her own soul, as I should have done. I introduced her to Gabrielle. I made sure she was in that glade, I ensured that a warlord's men would be attacking that village, I made sure that they met." Artemis looked up at her Priestess. "I wasn't happy with the situation, to say the least. Here I was, Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, unable to prevent the destruction of my Amazons unless I relied upon one of Ares' minions to be your saviour. I couldn't reconcile myself to allowing this monster, because that was what she was, to be totally happy. I knew that Gabrielle would be able to tame her turbulent heart and help her to control the rage she had inside her. "I felt that forcing Gabrielle into something she couldn't break, especially to one such as Xena, was unfair. So, I allowed Xena to bond with Gabrielle but prevented Gabrielle from bonding with her. It never occurred to me that it would be Gabrielle who would bring my work crashing to the ground, by sending the warrior away. By leaving Gabrielle with a way out, I have ensured the destruction of the Amazon nation." Lissa sat quietly, thinking over what her Goddess had told her. She knew that the Gods frequently interfered in the realm of the mortals but to hear one, her own Goddess at that, state so blatantly that she had altered two lives was, quite honestly, disturbing. "With all due respect, my Lady, why tell us now, if there is nothing to be done. What is the purpose of your story?" The Goddess sighed and plucked a stem of grass to play with as she continued, "I think I have found a way to resolve the problem..." "Why do I get the feeling there is a 'but' coming here?" "Mainly because there is a 'but' coming. There is still a chance to save the nation, but it requires the presence of Xena." "She's not here." "I know that, Lissa. I'm a God, after all. I'm going to give you a scroll. When the time comes, give it to Gabrielle. When she reads it, Xena will come." "How can you be so sure? And when do I give it to her? Before the trouble starts?" "Xena will come because she has no choice, but only Gabrielle can read it. You give it to her at the last moment. Xena will be more effective if the enemy troops are within the confines of the village. You may tell Ephiny and Eponin of this conversation, but not Gabrielle." The Goddess rose from the ground and looked down at the priestess. "There is just one other thing. Afterwards, Xena will not be able to return to Hades' realm. I have been forbidden to interfere further with those two." She smiled. "But no one said I wasn't allowed to ask a favour of Hades. That will be Gabrielle's chance to resolve her differences with Xena."
The sun ducked behind several clouds as Solari swung down from the trees near the Amazon village and trotted into the compound. She headed towards the mess hall, where the mid-day meal was being served, looking for Ephiny and the Queen. Spotting them leaving the Palace, she changed direction and ran toward them. "Ephiny. My Queen." She bowed as she stopped before them. "The scouts were right," she said, bringing herself up to her full height. "The village to the east has been totally destroyed. I had the scouts spread out along the border to see if they could find the army responsible. But it looks as though it is the same one that ripped through Thallis a while back." Ephiny frowned. "Any idea where they are heading?" "They look to be skirting our borders and no incursions have been reported, but I figure that isn't going to last long. Whoever is leading the army is making quite a name for himself, and we're just too good a target to leave without taking a hit at us." "Are we strong enough to defend ourselves against this army?" Gabrielle's voice interrupted the two warriors. "I'm afraid we won't know that until we know the size of the force we are dealing with. However, no matter its size, we will have the advantage of home ground and the trees." ******************** The scouts found the army some candlemarks later and the first reports back to the village did not bode well for the Amazon nation. The army was over 500 men strong. It had a mounted brigade and woods craftsmen who, it seemed, knew their trade skilfully. For such a large army, they had covered their tracks well. A council of war assembled in the chambers that usually housed the normal village council. The greatest of the Amazon warriors were discussing how to remove this ominous threat to their nation. Representatives from the nearest of the Amazon villages had been arriving at the village all day "They haven't approached our borders. I say we leave them alone. Any move on our part will antagonise them and force them to attack." The ebony-coloured woman sat back in her chair. "The reports from the scouts have said that Thallis gave the tribute that was requested of them, yet that village is now a smoking ruin." Ephiny's voice echoed around the chamber silencing the grumbling that her colleague's comment had started. "It may not have been an Amazon village but we had good trade treaties with them. Most of the villages along our borders have treaties with us. The nation cannot afford to lose them; we depend on them as they do us." "We are not obligated in any way; none of the treaties are mutual defence pacts. We need to look after ourselves first," said another of the newly arrived Amazons. The redhead had arrived shortly after the meeting started and came from one of the smaller villages in the north. "So, we just withdraw and hide ourselves away, is that it?" spat Ephiny. "And just what signal does that send out about the nation? That we'll take whatever people have to offer? Friendship and peace? Trade and right-of-way? But when it comes down to it we won't offer help in times of need because we are scared?" "We are not scared! We just want to protect our own!" The redhead, whose name was Seska, roared to her feet. "And that may mean that we have to protect those around us," Ephiny shot back at her, unwilling to raise the temperature in the room any further by climbing to her feet for a face-to-face confrontation. Eponin sat back in her chair, listening to the bickering and getting more and more frustrated at the lack of progress in deciding a defence against this army. "Shouldn't we be thinking about how we are going to defend ourselves if this army should decide to attack us? I understand we should be concerned about the closer villages we trade with, but we cannot do anything to help them with this threat hanging over us." The Amazon Regent glanced towards her Queen who so far had said nothing except to welcome the visiting warriors to council. Gabrielle was listening intently to what was being said, but showed no inclination to get involved in the plans for war at this stage. Looking back across the table, Ephiny spoke. "Eponin's right. We should be talking about defence. We'll worry about the rest once we've gotten rid of the problem." "I have a question." The voice came from the back of the chamber, but Eponin was unable to see who was speaking. "How did a force this large manage to get so close, without us noticing the threat earlier?" Amazon voices rose once again as various warriors argued over the matter and Eponin slumped back in her chair, knowing that this was going to be a long, long day. ******************** "It doesn't matter how they managed to get so close without our knowledge," said Regina, a dark-haired muscular warrior who'd ridden in from one of the nearer Amazon outposts. The meeting had been running for several candlemarks now. "All that matters is that they are here, and we need to decide what to do about it!" The tall warrior stood up and braced herself against the table as she leaned forward to stress her point. "We've been going round in circles for the last day and we've decided nothing. By the time we come up with a plan, they'll already be in the villages!" "Then let them come." All heads at the table swiftly turned as Artemis' priestess strode through the door and joined in the debate. "Lissa, we have no way to defend the villages from such a large army." Eponin's voice clearly showed the stress of the last few days, but there was no anger directed at the priestess who knew little in the ways of war. "If we try to protect them against such a force we would spread our warriors too thin to provide any sort of effective protection." "Besides," another warrior countered, "the hunting grounds would almost certainly be destroyed if we allowed them in." "So, don't let them attack all the villages then." Lissa had made her way up to the head of the table and stood near Ephiny and the unusually silent Gabrielle. "If we don't have the strength to defend them all, defend one." "And who gets to make the choice about which of the villages gets to be the one that has the protection?" asked Gabrielle into the silence that had greeted Lissa's last statement. "My Queen, I'm not talking about sacrificing any of our villages and settlements. This is the capital of the Amazon nation. We are their obvious target, but we are well defended, so they will try to break our will by destroying the lesser villages first. If we can make them believe that we are more vulnerable than they thought, then they might bypass the other villages altogether." "And how would that help us?" inquired Gabrielle. "I think I see what our priestess is getting at," said Eponin, leaning forward and showing more of an interest in the discussion than she had since they'd got bogged down on the "how did they get so close" issue. "If we can make them come at us directly, we'd have the chance to concentrate our forces and our attack." The atmosphere in the chamber perked up and discussion began to get more animated as ideas were brought up and discarded or kept for further debate. Lissa quietly left the dimly lit, humid confines of the council chambers. It was dark outside but the Village Square was lit by flickering torchlight. A few Amazons could be seen strolling from the mess hall or talking in small groups; the topic of conversation most probably being the same out here as it was in the chambers. Lissa took a deep cleansing breath and sauntered slowly towards the temple, stopping when she heard the light footfalls behind her. She turned her head and smiled as Eponin stepped up to her shoulder and gazed past her into the dense forest. "So, Lissa, care to fill me in on what's going on?" asked the dark-haired weapons master. "No offence, but you've never been one to partake in preparations for war." Lissa's face broke into a genuine smile of mirth. "Thought that maybe I'd sound a little too confident to fool you." "Actually, Ephiny told me to find out what's going on with you. You know something we don't?" "You could say that. Come on back to my quarters. We can sit down and have some tea whilst I tell you what I know." Lissa pushed open the thatched door to her hut and waved Eponin into its welcoming warmth. The lamps had already been lit by one of the acolytes. Over the fire a small pot of water was just coming to the boil. Lissa tried to hide the grin that crossed her face when she noticed Eponin's concentrated expression as the weapons master studied the varied decorations and hangings that adorned the walls. "Why don't you take a seat?" Eponin brought herself back to the present and glanced at the priestess. "Did you paint these?" She pointed at one of the pictures that had caught her attention. It depicted a golden sunset sinking beneath the rise on a meadow and, in silhouette, a mounted warrior. "Mostly, though a few have been given to me. You seem surprised?" The priestess turned her attention to the boiling water and the herbs required for tea. Eponin took one more quick look around the room before finding a chair and settling down in it. "Not really, we all have hidden talents and abilities. I just wondered why I hadn't seen any of your work before?" "Not everything is for public consumption, Eponin. The village already has most of my time and attention; I try to keep some things private. Hear we are talking about my work but what about you? Have you done any more since you did that one in the temple?" The weapons master shook her head, as a flush of warmth coloured her face. "Why not? The one in the temple is very good." Eponin shrugged, her face blushing at the praise she was receiving from the priestess. Lissa handed over the warm mug of tea. "So," said Eponin as she took the mug. "What's up?" Lissa sat herself down near the fire, stared into its fluttering flame and sipped at her drink. "You ever wonder, Eponin, why you do what you do?" She turned her head to look at the warrior. "I mean, do you ever wonder what it's all about?" Eponin shook her head not really understanding what the priestess was trying to say. Lissa turned her head back to the flames. "I've never wondered why I chose to follow the ways of Artemis; never doubted my decision, until recently." She sipped at her drink again and Eponin leaned forward and studied her priestess' face as she continued. "I talked with our Lady not so long ago. What she told me concerned me. I always knew that the Gods liked to interfere with our mortal realm. Always knew that to some of them we were nothing more than playthings. But I had always held it dear to me that Artemis was not the same and now, now I'm not so sure." Eponin began to worry at the disillusionment in Lissa's voice and edged closer to the priestess. "Why has your opinion changed? What did Artemis say?" "She told me a story." Lissa smiled at the remembrance of their banter beforehand and then a frown crossed her face. "I think if I had not known the people she was talking about, then maybe it wouldn't have bothered me; and knowing that only makes it worse." She sighed and faced her friend. "I mean, does because I happen to know and care about the people involved make what she told me any worse? And what does that say about me? That if I didn't know the people involved then that would make what she's done all right? I've been thinking over this for days and I haven't reached a satisfactory conclusion. It just keeps going round and round in my head." She smiled and noticed her tea was finished. Holding up the mug she asked, "You want another one?" Eponin grinned. "I think we could use something a little stronger." The Amazon stood and walked across to the door. "I'll be right back." And left. Lissa had hardly time to clear the cups before Eponin knocked on the door and entered carrying two skins of wine.
Eponin sat down opposite Lissa, after grabbing a couple of mugs for the wine. She placed one of the wineskins on the table and opened the other, pouring herself and the priestess a generous helping. "So, what's our Goddess been up to that has gotten you so upset?" she asked, passing the mug across to her friend. "Messed with a few lives, changed a few destinies." The priestess hung her head and played with a bit of twining that had parted from the woven mat they both sat upon. She took a deep breath and looked up at her friend and smiled. "We've always known they mess with people's lives. So, what's new?" "What if I were to tell you that the Amazon nation shouldn't even be here. That we should have been destroyed seasons ago and that the only reason we weren't was because Artemis was owed a favour by the Fates. That now we face a danger so great she purposely changed the destinies of two people. That their lives had been irreparably damaged and that they had been almost destroyed by her actions." Eponin looked earnestly at Lissa. "I'd say she was doing her job as our patron." She drank the last of her wine and poured herself another, then lifted the wineskin, offering to refill Lissa's, who gratefully held out her mug. "If you knew that the Amazon nation was about to fall wouldn't you do everything in your power to avert it?" Lissa frowned. That was exactly what she had been trying to figure out. Artemis had handed her the salvation of the Amazon nation, but she knew that to use it might inflict further pain on two people she considered friends. To do nothing, though, meant the destruction of the Amazon nation. Could she put the needs of two people above the needs of a whole nation of people? She thought not, but knowing that didn't make her task any easier. She stared directly into the eyes of the weapons master. "And if I told you that the two people involved were Gabrielle and Xena? And that the only way to avert our destruction was to force Gabrielle into doing something that will further harm Xena? What would you say then?" Eponin's eyes grew wide as she listened to the Priestess. The destinies of Gabrielle and Xena were the ones that had been changed by the Goddess? "How? How were they changed?" "Artemis had searched the known world to find a champion who would be able to protect the Amazon nation from their enemies. She couldn't find one; that was, until the birth of a particular warrior. She thought it would be a simple matter to get this warrior to become part of the nation, for us to befriend her and adopt her into our society. But she was born to Ares and not even Artemis could interfere and change that. She would grow to become so feared that she'd rule over half of Greece. "Artemis knew, however, that if she could manipulate the situation so that Xena would have an attachment to the nation, then we would have her protection. Xena was never supposed to have survived her Army's betrayal; she never should have lived through the gauntlet. But Ares' time in Xena's heart was over and that allowed Artemis to influence Xena's decisions. She gave her the strength to survive her Army's trial of pain and pushed her in Hercules' direction. She knew that if Hercules could get Xena to change her ways and see that her skills were needed, then maybe the Amazons still had a chance." Lissa gazed into her empty mug then held it up. Eponin continued to concentrate on the now quiet woman in front of her with some concern. Like most of the Amazons, Lissa had been know to overindulge on occasion, but the weapons master couldn't remember seeing her in such a morose mood before. She refilled the offered mug, prompting, "Where does Gabrielle come into this?" "Ah," replied the priestess raising her mug in salute. "That's where Artemis' plan was really ingenious. You see," she took a long draw of wine, "our Goddess knew that Ares wouldn't stand by and let his precious chosen leave his fold without a fight, and she knew that Xena would not be able to resist his charms for long. After all, it isn't easy to travel in a country where one-half of the people are terrified at the mere mention of your name and the other half are seeking your head; a country where even your own family wishes you dead." Lissa, noticing her mug was once again empty, rose unsteadily to her feet and walked to the table. Eponin watched as Lissa poured herself another drink and wondered whether the wine had been such a good idea. The priestess made her way back to the fireside, mug and wineskin in hand. She took another mouthful of the wine and carried on. "Not even the greatest warlord in the world can survive that on her own, especially one who was as damaged as Xena. Artemis had a decision to make: how did she ensure that Xena survive? She could repair Xena's soul and make it whole, enabling her to cope with the hate and loathing she would encounter. After a suitable period of time, after living in a world where she was not wanted, our Goddess would have steered her towards us and we would have welcomed her with open arms--after a little prompting from our Goddess." Taking another mouthful of wine, Lissa was starting to slur her words as her narration continued. "But, you see, Artemis had a problem with that. By going down that course Xena, warlord, Destroyer of Nations, would live a long life, would even find happiness and a family. How could our Goddess justify that the monster, Xena, was having a happy life when so many had died at her hands?" Imbibing another swallow, Lissa didn't even notice that Eponin had risen to her feet and removed the wine from by her side, or that the mug was being gently pried from her hand. "So, our Goddess decided to provide what Xena's soul required, in another form," Lissa paused and looked at Eponin for the first time in a while, still not noticing the mug was missing. Eponin raised an eyebrow in question. Lissa sighed in exasperation. "Don't you get it? Gabrielle?" Still no response from the warrior. "Gabrielle is the other half of Xena's soul. Artemis made it so that Xena wouldn't be able to function in this world without Gabrielle by her side." Lissa twisted round on her seat resting her elbows on her legs, her arms and hands becoming animated, almost excited by the story she was telling. "But here is the big stinger in the tail, get this. Artemis actually felt guilty about introducing such an innocent to such a monster, so she fixed it. She fixed it so that Gabrielle would have a way out if she chose it. She allowed a bonding to occur; Xena was allowed to bond with Gabrielle, but Gabrielle was prevented from bonding with her. It ensured Xena's loyalty to Gabrielle and Artemis ensured Gabrielle was accepted into the Amazon nation, so, by default, we would be under the same protection." Eponin sat back down next to her friend and handed her a mug of water. "How did Artemis know Gabrielle would stay with Xena?" Lissa took the mug and drank, frowning when she realised it wasn't wine, but answered Eponin's question. "She couldn't, but she had done her research well." She stood quickly, swaying and reaching out her arm to steady herself. "But, let's face it, Eponin, she chose so well. Have you ever seen anyone deal with Xena the way Gabrielle did? All she had to do was ask and Xena made sure it happened. And it wasn't as if it were forced, they were totally absorbed in each other. I've never seen two people so close as those two were. If you had asked me whether Gabrielle would ever have sent Xena away, I would have sworn, on any God you'd asked me to, that she wouldn't have. I still don't understand why she did; they had been through so much worse together." Eponin rose and took hold of Lissa's arm, guiding her towards her bed. "None of us can claim to really understand what happened, Lissa. You said Artemis had a way to prevent our demise, but that Gabrielle would have to do further harm to Xena. What did you mean by that?" she asked, lowering the priestess onto the cot. "Oh, well, you see, the key to defeating this army is Xena. Yep, the Warrior Princess has to be here or we're gone" "And how do we get her here?" Eponin pushed her friend down and lifted her legs onto the bed. "That's easy," she said drowsily as she settled down into the comfort of the bed. "Gabrielle has to call her." ******************** Ephiny stood and stretched as the council meeting finally came to an end. The chambers were now empty except for herself and Gabrielle. The young Queen had been quiet throughout the meeting, taking advice and council from the elder, more experienced, of the Amazon warriors. The Regent frowned a little, noting the look of concentration on her friend's face. "You okay?" Gabrielle managed a small smile for her friend. "Yeah, I guess," she said standing. "Just never thought I'd be sitting here preparing for war." Ephiny placed her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "We'll get through this somehow. We always do." "Without meaning any disrespect to the warriors, Ephiny, but how many times has that relied on a certain Warrior Princess coming riding to the rescue?" She turned and walked quietly out of the chambers. Stunned, Ephiny stood still for a few seconds, before sitting back down at the table, head resting in her hands. The young Queen had a point. In recent history, the Amazon's greatest victories had been due to the influence of the Warrior Princess. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there, before she realised someone had joined her at the table. Looking up, she saw that Eponin was seated across the table. "And where did you sneak off to? We could have used your input, you know. It is likely that you will be in charge of organising our warriors." "Yeah, well, I had the feeling that there was more to what Lissa was telling us than she let on." "Did you find out what it was?" "Oh, yeah, but you're not going to like it." "Eponin, do me a favour and just tell me. I don't think I could take the suspense." Several candlemarks passed, before the Regent and the weapons master emerged from the council chambers. Neither of them looked happy at their situation but at least they had a little more to go on. What disturbed Ephiny more than anything else, though, was how right Gabrielle had been with her parting comment. And now it looked as though the Amazon nation would be relying on Xena to come to their rescue again. The only thing she had to do now, was convince Gabrielle to go along with Artemis' plan, which would be no mean feat. Would the young woman have the strength and courage to bring her partner into the fray? For all Gabrielle knew, Xena was quite happy where she was; no bounty hunters after her, no brigands or warlords to fight, no Gods interfering (well, much anyway). For all the young bard knew, Xena was at peace, which is all she had ever been searching for since her break with Ares. Would Gabrielle risk that for the sake of the Amazon nation? Ephiny had to believe she would, but what price would she have to pay? She had suffered enough when Xena had not returned to her; would she risk it? The only way to find out was to ask her, but Artemis had told Lissa that Gabrielle was not to be told until the last moment. Ephiny could see her point. If Gabrielle were given the chance to think it through too much, she would tear herself up trying to decide what was the right thing to do. Yet, if they followed Artemis' plan as supplied by Lissa, and Gabrielle didn't have luxury to mull it over, she would instinctively call on her partner. Artemis had put the Regent and her closest advisers in a poor position. Gabrielle was the chosen of Artemis, the Amazon Queen; she had the right to make her own decisions, didn't she? Artemis had chosen her to run the Amazons. Was she now saying that she didn't trust her to make the right decision for them? Ephiny rubbed her head and looked over to the palace. Gabrielle's parting shot only made this harder. She took a deep breath and glanced back at Eponin, "I'm going to tell Gabrielle." A look of consternation and worry came over Eponin's face. "Is that wise? After all, Artemis said..." Ephiny started walking towards the palace. "I know what she said. But she's wrong to ask us to betray Gabrielle's trust like that. Artemis is the one who has dug us into this hole, and she's trying to get out of it smelling of roses. Well, she chose Gabrielle to run the Amazon nation and, by the Gods, that is what she's going to do, with all the facts at hand. If Artemis didn't think she would do what's best for the nation, then she should never have interfered in the first place." "Ephiny, she's not going to like this!" protested Eponin, running to catch up with the angry Regent. "Who? Gabrielle, or Artemis?" "Well, if you're being picky, both of them." "Well, Gabrielle is going to have to make the decision and Artemis is just going to have to abide by whatever she decides, isn't she?" "But what if Artemis decides to, you know, punish you or something?" Ephiny stopped suddenly, barely giving time for Eponin to stop before running into her, and turned around. "Pony, either Gabrielle will make a decision that Artemis likes, or none of us will live to receive her punishment. I'm in a no-lose situation, except for the fact that, if we do survive this little adventure, I very much doubt Gabrielle will ever speak to me again. And only the Gods know what she's going to think of them." "Okay, okay, if you insist on telling her, at least wait until Lissa can join us. She's the one who talked to Artemis; she might be able to shed a bit more light on the situation." Ephiny considered the suggestion for several seconds. "Fine. I'll wait until tomorrow, since you very kindly managed to get her smashed out of her skull. What did you give her to drink anyway?" Relaxing now that the Regent wasn't going to go storming into the palace to tell their Queen everything right that second, Eponin smiled. "Oh, just that stuff I brewed earlier in the season." "You'd better make sure you get over there early tomorrow then. She's gonna have one Tartarus of a hangover."
To say that Gabrielle took the news of Artemis' interference and plan badly may have been putting it mildly. The young Queen's temper had erupted as soon as Ephiny finished telling her the story. Lissa had arrived with Eponin shortly after Ephiny asked to speak to Gabrielle. Amazingly, the priestess didn't seem too handicapped by the horrendous hangover she must have been suffering. In fact, when Eponin had told her just what Ephiny had planned for her morning chat with their Queen, she'd been up and out of bed in a flash. No doubt she would suffer for her earlier indulgence, later. At least Eponin hoped she would; she was rather proud of her beverage. About the only person it hadn't flattened in the village was Gabrielle and that was because she'd declined to partake on previous occasions. Though Eponin was sorely tempted to get another skin of it now, in the hopes it might calm the bard down a little bit. The weapons master winced as her Queen shot another sharp rebuke at Ephiny, who was trying to reassure her. "Are you telling me that my friendship with Xena was nothing more than a sham, nothing more than a spell from Artemis?" demanded Gabrielle. "I don't know, Gabrielle, I'm as much in the dark with this as you are. But I doubt it. Not even the Gods can make friends as close as you and Xena are; even with the influence of one of the other Gods." Gabrielle was pacing the floor, frantically trying to think her way through what Ephiny had told her. "So Artemis just took a chance that I wouldn't leave Xena?" "Well, no, not really. She allowed Xena to bond with you, so I doubt even you could have got her to leave you totally alone." "But I did get her to leave, didn't I? Or we wouldn't be in this mess now, would we?" Lissa shifted in her seat as she spoke. "That is true, Gabrielle. But we get the feeling, especially after Kiaya's story, that the only reason she stayed away is because she thought you were scared of her. It's obvious to us that Xena loves you very much and the only thing I can see keeping her away from you is the fear that she might harm you, or hurt you, in some way." "That's ridiculous, Lissa. Xena would never hurt me..." "It doesn't matter what you think, Gabrielle," said Eponin. "It only matters what she thinks. And if she picked up on your fear, like Kiaya said she did, then she must have thought that you believed it was possible. Otherwise, why send her away?" "So, I brought us to this crossroads. It's my fault that the Amazon nation is about to be destroyed." Gabrielle's voice was weary at the thought that her decisions were the cause of this strife. "That's not what I meant, Gabrielle. We all make mistakes," said Eponin, feeling like she was digging herself into a deeper hole than she'd already managed to get herself into. "What Eponin is trying to say, Gabrielle," interrupted Ephiny, "is that it is no one's fault. We all had a hand in the situation. But what we really need to know, Gabrielle, is what you are going to do about it?" The bard paced silently for a while longer, the three Amazons watching intently as she pondered on her choices. "Lissa," she said, finally, straightening her back and pulling back her shoulders--a look of determination on her face, "I want to talk to Artemis." "I don't know whether that will be possible, my Queen," she replied, noting Gabrielle's formal attitude. Gabrielle's eyes hardened. Why was it that everyone thought she would just lay back and let them walk all over her? Did they really still see her as someone who could be pushed about? Well, she wasn't, not anymore. Once maybe, but Xena had taught her to rely on no one but herself. Artemis wanted to play with people's lives? Fine, she could, but Gabrielle was determined to get something out of it for herself and Xena. "You're her priestess, make it possible. If I'm going to do this, then I want some reassurances." She walked across the room. "And someone get me Kiaya, I want to talk to her." She turned and looked at the three Amazons. "Sometime today would be nice." Eponin and Lissa left the palace at speed. Lissa to the temple; Eponin into the forest, heading for the watchpost that Kiaya was assigned to that day. Neither of the Amazons had ever seen their young Queen in such a determined mood, but they had seen her in a temper and neither one of them wanted to be on the receiving end of it. Ephiny stood quietly in the palace, waiting for Gabrielle to talk to her. The young woman had been pacing restlessly since Lissa and Eponin had left. The silence was getting to the Regent, so she decided to break it. "Gabrielle, what are you planning?" Ephiny's voice broke into her deliberation. "Huh? Oh, sorry, Ephiny. I know you want answers but I don't know whether I can give you them. It's funny but I was just thinking, 'What would Xena do in this position?' She is the best at getting out of difficult situations with the minimum of problems. But you didn't want to know that, did you? You want to know what I'm going to do with the Amazons, don't you?" "I know you have a lot to think about and I know this is hard for you, but, yes, I need to know what you're going to do?" "Have faith, Ephiny. I won't let you or my Amazons down. But I have to ensure that Xena comes out of this as well." "How are you going to do that?" "Well, I'm not quite sure yet. But Xena always said I had a knack of talking people into things, so I guess I'm going to have to use that talent." A knock at the door interrupted anything Ephiny might have said in reply. Gabrielle acknowledged the knock and the door was opened revealing one of the temple acolytes. The young girl bowed as she saw her Queen. "Queen Gabrielle, your presence is requested at the temple." "Thank you. You may tell Lissa I will be with her shortly." "Yes, my Queen." The young girl inclined her head and left "Well, I guess it's time to go use my talents on our Goddess." ******************** Gabrielle was met at the top of the temple steps by Lissa and escorted to the Gallery room she'd seen the first time she'd visited the temple. At that time, Artemis had appeared to Gabrielle and spoken with her, urging her to believe in her friendship with Xena. Gabrielle hadn't known whom she was talking to on that occasion. Looking back on it now, Artemis had not only been helping Gabrielle, she'd been ensuring the continuation of her plan. And in some ways it had worked to her advantage; she and Xena had become closer after that incident. Their friendship had deepened, or was it that Xena's bond to her had strengthened? And did it really matter? Could she change what had happened? Did she want to? Gabrielle sighed; trying to think through this was like trying to get Xena to talk about her feelings, impossible. Turning, she wandered around the room, noting that several new pieces adorned the walls. She stopped and stared intently at one in particular. Was that her? She bent closer. Yep, that was supposed to be her. Curious, had she really done anything that the Amazons considered a pivotal point in their history? Obviously some had, and Lissa and Artemis must have agreed, for it to be placed inside the temple. Straightening again, she turned to glance around the room, a slight shiver running down her spine. She couldn't see anyone in the room with her but, somehow, she knew someone was there. "I know you're here, so you might as well show yourself." She waited several seconds before the shimmering form of Artemis appeared. Stepping toward Gabrielle, the Goddess smiled. "You're getting as good as Xena at sensing when we're around. Lissa tells me you wished to speak to me?" The Goddess didn't seem too perturbed to have been summoned to the Amazon village. "I had an interesting conversation with Lissa today," Gabrielle said, keeping her gaze on the Goddess. "She said you told an extraordinary story about the possible destruction of the Amazon nation." "I had thought I'd told her not to tell you." "She didn't. She told Eponin, who, in turn, told Ephiny. Who decided that, as your chosen and Queen of the Amazon nation, I ought to make the decision on whether to call Hades' Horseman of Death to our aid. After that, Lissa really didn't have a choice in the matter and filled me in on the rest of your story. Tell me, Artemis, were you so unsure of my loyalty to the Amazon nation?" "I had wondered whether you might feel you owed something to Xena." "And you thought that might be more important to me than the whole of the Amazon nation?" "Yes, I did." The Goddess sat at a table, which appeared by her side. "Wine?" She lifted the carafe and poured the ruby drink into a goblet. Gabrielle walked to stand opposite the Goddess and leaned, arms braced, against the table. "You were right to believe that. I do."
Disclaimers: The Characters of Xena and Gabrielle are the property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures and are used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended. This story is written for enjoyment and no profit will be made from this work of fiction. Hurt/Comfort: This story deals with the difficulties in relationships and may be distressing to some readers. Subtext: I believe our two main characters have a deep, loving relationship. However, there is nothing graphic and the relationship is mainly implied. Nann, once again your help with this endeavour has been phenomenal and this story would not have been written without your encouragement and support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you also to PT whose comments and suggestions were greatly appreciated. Sorry it has taken so long to get this part out but life has a way of interrupting. Comments of the non bruising kind can be sent to Surtees1@aol.com Chapter Seven Artemis sat in shocked silence, goblet half raised to her lips. "You would do that? You would sacrifice the Amazon nation for your friendship with Xena?" "No, I didn't quite say that; I said you were right to believe that. You see, Xena is very important to me and so are the Amazons. So we are going to come to an arrangement." Gabrielle sat and poured herself some wine. "And just what type of arrangement are we going to come to?" Artemis was intrigued, and also a little proud. She'd chosen well, when she'd picked the little girl from Poteidaia to be Xena's companion. She'd grown so much in the seasons she'd been with the warlord; maybe Xena wasn't so bad after all. There was a time when Gabrielle would have quaked at the thought of meeting a God, never mind bargaining with one. Yes, being with Xena had taught the woman much. "Lissa said that Xena had been damaged during her time with Ares. That part of her soul had been destroyed." The Goddess nodded wondering just where her chosen was going. "She also said that you had repaired that to some extent by allowing her to bond with me." Artemis again nodded. "I want that bond to work both ways." "Why?" "Because then I will know how she feels. I'll know when she needs me, just as she knows when I need her. Because then Xena will know that I feel the same about her as she does about me." "And what will that do?" "It will provide her with the security she needs to maintain her course." "Is that all you require?" "No, I want you to make a deal with Hades." Shock stopped Artemis from laughing, especially when she realised that Gabrielle wasn't laughing. She quickly wiped off the smile that had been forming on her face. "You're serious, aren't you?" Gabrielle deepened her voice but kept it matter-of-fact. "Deadly." Her green eyes bored slowly into those of the Goddess. Artemis shifted in her seat and concentrated harder on the bard in front of her. "What do you want?" "I want Xena released from her bargain with Hades." "Ha," laughed Artemis. "You don't want much do you? What makes you think I will be able to get Hades to release her?" "You've already gone to great lengths to secure the Amazons' future. Why stop now?" "And say I can get Hades to agree to let her go, what do we Gods get from this deal?" "Nothing. You've had your fun and games; Xena seems to have been the favourite toy of most of the Gods at one time or another. Now it's time to stop acting like children, grow up and put your toys away. Xena deserves her chance." "Chance!" Artemis pushed herself up out of the chair. "She had her chance and she chose to be a warlord. She killed thousands, destroyed kingdoms and nations. And you say she should have a chance. How can you justify that?" "I don't, but you did." Gabrielle stood, to be on the same level as the Goddess, refusing to be intimidated by the powerful aura crackling off of the Huntress. "If Xena had lost her life when she was supposed to, then she would have been judged and sent to Tartarus. But you stopped that judgement from taking place; you put us on the path we were on to save your nation, and save it we will. And in return for that, you will fix the things you've damaged and you will let us live our lives as we see fit, not as you would wish them. You made your choices, now it's time to find out whether you chose well." Artemis paced the room, keeping the delightful amusement she was feeling off of her face. There weren't many mortals who were prepared to confront the Gods and play them at their own games. Gabrielle was truly a force to be reckoned with. Taking a deep breath, she forced a scowl onto her face. "Fine! I'll see what I can do with Hades, but no promises," she agreed, already knowing that Hades had agreed to help. "And I will allow you to bond with your partner, if that is what you truly want." "It is!" Gabrielle made no attempt to keep her exhilaration out of her voice. "Okay, but I warn you, Gabrielle. I cannot repair the damage between you and Xena. You have to do that for yourself." "I know," Gabrielle smiled at the Goddess. "Thank you." "Don't thank me yet," the Goddess said, fading from view. Lissa and Ephiny were sitting waiting on the temple steps as Gabrielle left the shady confines of the building. Both leapt to their feet as they saw their Queen. Ephiny was the first to approach. "Is everything okay?" "Yeah, considering." Lissa didn't like the look on Gabrielle's face. "Considering what?" she asked. "Considering I just told Artemis to stop playing games and grow up." Ephiny felt a shiver run down her back, and Lissa turned white at Gabrielle's announcement. "Is Kiaya back?" Ephiny nodded not yet able to trust her voice. "Good. I'd like you to bring her to my quarters in half a candlemark. Lissa, I'd like you and Eponin to join us as well." Gabrielle gave the two Amazons a smile and strode off toward the palace. Ephiny and Lissa looked at each other. "She wouldn't have, would she?" Lissa's voice was tentative. "Right now, Lissa, I wouldn't put anything past our Queen. If she did, Artemis must have taken it in good grace since we are still standing here, don't you think?" ******************** On her return to the palace, Gabrielle had sent two of the Royal Guard over to the mess hall to bring food and wine to the palace for her forthcoming meeting. She had decisions to make and she needed to know as many facts as possible before her choices were made. The one thing she needed to know more than anything was how Xena was likely to react on her arrival at the village. In fact, knowing how she would arrive would benefit the Amazons immensely. Eponin and the other warriors would need to know how to organise their attack around the warrior. Gabrielle wasn't even sure the Amazons were supposed to be involved in the fighting once Xena arrived. She was hoping that Kiaya would be able to answer some of these questions. Kiaya arrived with Eponin just after the Guards had finished laying out the meal Gabrielle had asked to be provided for them. The two women sat and made themselves comfortable, Eponin providing them each with a mug of wine. Ephiny and Lissa arrived shortly afterwards, Lissa steadfastly avoiding the wine after the previous night's adventure into the realms of drinking with Eponin. The small group of friends chatted and ate before they turned to business. "Okay." Gabrielle drew everyone's attention to her. "We all have some idea of what's going to happen. Eponin, have the plans been made to draw the army towards the Village?" "Yes, Regina and her scouts will harry the point men away from the other villages which will hopefully steer them in our direction," replied the weapons master. "How do we make sure they keep headed in our direction? Won't they just turn back towards the other villages?" "Well, we can't guarantee which way they'll turn, but we can help them along. Warriors and scouts from most of the other villages will booby trap the game trails and stage ambushes along them. We will keep one trail that leads to us relatively free from traps. They should take the path of least resistance." "Which will lead them right to us," said Ephiny. "Our main forces will meet them within the confines of the village. We should have whittled their forces down somewhat by the time they get here." "Lissa, how soon will Xena arrive once I've used the scroll Artemis has provided for us?" Gabrielle used all her skill as a bard to keep the nervousness and fear she felt at the thought of seeing her partner again. "Very quickly; the Horsemen travel through the underworld. She will be here almost as you finish reading it." "That doesn't give us much time." Or me for that matter, she thought. "Kiaya, do you have any idea what she is likely to do once she gets here? You've had more experience with this side of her than any of us." It seemed funny to Gabrielle that someone who Xena had come so close to killing at one point was now the only person who'd been near enough to her to have an understanding of the person she had become. Kiaya pondered her answer for several seconds and then shook her head. "No, not really, I was never with her when she arrived, only when she returned to the cave. But, from what Philius said, she'll know who the enemy is and her focus will be on them, not us." Great, Gabrielle let her thoughts wander as one part of her listened to what Kiaya was saying the other considered what would happen when Xena arrived. Will she know me? Will she consider me the enemy? Will she focus on me rather than the battle? Would Xena allow her, to beg forgiveness for the pain she had caused her? Or would she be so subsumed by the other personalities that there was now nothing left at all of the warrior she knew and loved. She turned her attention back to Kiaya. "Hades' Horsemen normally work alone." Kiaya carried on not noticing that for a split second that she had lost the attention of her Queen. "But they have been known to work with armies. I suppose it depends on what Hades wants." "Well, we shouldn't have a problem then." Gabrielle looked over at Eponin. "Just let all the warriors know to keep out of her way once she gets here. The next thing to consider is what happens after; providing we defeat this army; which Artemis assures us we will if Xena is with us. What about at the end of the battle?" Her gaze fell once again on Kiaya. "We can pretty much guarantee she'll have injuries. Not being able to return to Hades' realm is going to cause some problems. Xena always fights full out, anyway, but if she believes that any wound will be healed when she returns to the underworld, she's not going to worry about protecting herself." "What about when she finds out she can't return to Hades' realm?" asked Lissa. Kiaya sighed, "I don't know. Will she see it as a threat? An attack on her?" "No," Gabrielle's voice was full of sadness. "No, she'll see it as rejection, as someone else throwing her loyalty back in her face. That will be the most dangerous time for us. That will be the time she will turn on herself or us, if it's going to happen. We'll have to hope it doesn't come to a confrontation. Well, let's not dwell on it until it happens. How is the evacuation of the children and elderly going?" Gabrielle turned the conversation to other matters, yet keeping her own mind on the problem her partner could potentially cause. How was she going to react to seeing Gabrielle, to being unable to escape back to Hades' underworld? Gabrielle's mind spun with possibilities. If nothing else, this problem would keep her awake at night.
Regina and her scouts crouched in the hidden safety of the trees as the squad of soldiers passed noisily beneath them. Hand signals and birdcalls passed among the Amazon warriors then, silently, they descended. So blended into their environment were the Amazons that the soldiers didn't realise the warriors were among them before the bloodshed started. It ended quickly; the soldiers could put up little fight against the suddenness of the attack. The Amazons cleared all trace of the bloodbath they had inflicted and ascended into the trees from which they had come to await their next victims. The pattern of silent attack and withdrawal occurred throughout the forest as the Amazons began to whittle down their enemy. Several squads of soldiers never even met the Amazons before they died, falling victim to the various traps that the warrior women had set up on the trails to the other villages. Eponin swung across the trail and landed next to Solari, sharing the sturdy branch the warrior was perched on. "Less than a candlemark, there are about fifty soldiers heading our way. Everything ready?" whispered the weapons master as she settled. "Yep. I've got Kiaya and ten archers at the clearing. They'll take out the first group as they get there. Providing we coordinate everything correctly, we will take the rear guard at the same time." "Kiaya managed to get up into the trees?" Eponin raised a querying eyebrow. "Oh, Artemis, you better believe it," smiled the Amazon. "Wouldn't stay at the village. Venna and Diana are keeping an eye on her. But, to be honest, we could use a sword of her calibre down there if they have to go hand to hand." "Fine, what about the rest of them?" "In place. Rhea will sound the retreat as soon as you give the word." "Good. See you back in the village when this is over." Eponin gave her friend's shoulder a squeeze then disappeared into the foliage with barely a sound. ******************** Kiaya sat awkwardly braced between two branches in one of the tallest trees she had ever seen. When she had first insisted that she be allowed to fight in the forest rather than the village, she had thought to hide herself on the forest floor amongst the bushes. But her two erstwhile self-appointed guardians wouldn't hear of it and, between the two of them, had managed to get her into an almost ideal vantage point, except for the tight squeeze between the branches. For the last candlemark, she had been practising loading the crossbow the two women had supplied. Kiaya only hoped it didn't come to a ground fight, though she could get down from her perch without help; in fact if push came to shove she'd just fall down. She'd seen Xena jump further and survive but knew full well that in real terms that meant nothing. Xena could survive just about anything if she put her mind to it. The warrior stiffened as a birdcall reached her ears. Looking to her left she saw Venna's hand signal and pulled back the cord on her crossbow and loaded it. Kiaya hadn't arranged a signal as such with the archers. She had just told them to wait for her to fire the first shot. Peering intently down to the forest floor below, she waited for the first of her prey to show themselves. She didn't have to wait long. First one, then another and another of the soldiers crept wearily into the small clearing. Kiaya held her breath, waiting as long as she could, to allow as many targets as possible into view. Then, just before the first of the soldiers disappeared from sight, she fired. Her bolt sailed fast and true, embedding itself into the throat of the first soldier and liberally coating two of his colleagues with a fountain of crimson blood as he fell to the ground. A hail of death followed as the rest of the Amazon archers, hidden around the clearing, fired. Solari steadied her breathing as she saw her Amazon sister signal the attack. Watching what seemed like hundreds of soldiers pass below, without attempting to stop them, had tested her patience severely. Now that the signal had been given, she dropped her braided cord and absailed quickly to the ground, drawing her sword just as she landed. The clash of steel and cries of the injured and dying echoed through the forest as the two opposing forces met in battle. Eponin spared a second to catch her breath and wipe the sweat and blood from her face. Things were not going as badly as she had feared. The Amazon warriors were, for the moment, holding their own; but that would not last for much longer as the army moved more and more of their soldiers into the Amazon hunting grounds. The ambushes the scouting parties had set up could only accomplish so much and, now that they 'd attacked, the element of surprise was no longer theirs. The Amazons were slowly backing towards the clearing where they would make a stand, until the numbers were too many to hold. The plan was for the retreat to be sounded at that time and the warriors would take to the trees and head for the village. The warriors would then arrive nearly a quarter of a candlemark before the army, allowing them to reinforce the village defenders. Eponin backed up slowly, parrying the odd thrust and slash thrown her way, and making sure the younger Amazons were retreating. Subconsciously, she was noting where her fallen sisters' bodies lay, shying away from the faces she recognised and vowing silently to herself to make this army pay a high price for the lives it was taking. A gore-covered soldier lunged at her from behind a tree, making the weapons master duck beneath his swinging blade. Eponin sliced her blade along his abdomen and stood upright smashing the hilt of her sword against the back of his neck as he fell. More and more soldiers were beginning to appear; word must have got back to their lord that the fight had been engaged. Eponin's sword began to fly as she thrust against another soldier, her blade blocking his swing while her fist connected with his face, knocking him back several paces. He recovered quickly and replied in kind, faking a swing to the left to Eponin's head, then reversing it and swinging to the right. Had that move not been tried so many times on the practise grounds, she would have lost her head; instead she stepped into her attacker and blocked with her arm against his wrist, deflecting the momentum of his swing and allowing her to bring her sword across his neck. Pushing the body away from her, she looked up to check on her sisters, just in time to see Solari fall to a dagger thrust to the stomach. Without hesitating, Eponin flung herself across the dividing space between her and her friend, driving her shoulder into the side of Solari's attacker before he could make a killing blow. The soldier fell, hitting the ground hard but managing to keep hold of his knife. Eponin glanced at her fallen friend, relieved to see that she was still breathing, then turned to the soldier who was struggling to his feet. She ran her sword deeply into his chest, bringing herself almost face to face with him. So close to the dying man was she, that she didn't see his arm swing round to plunge the dagger into her shoulder. Eponin felt the searing pain as a hot burning poker in her right shoulder and violently pushed the dead soldier away from her. Using her other hand, she probed the wound and decided it could wait. "Solari?" She knelt down by the side of her friend. "Solari?" She shook her shoulder gently, and let out a sigh of relief as the fallen Amazon groggily opened her eyes. "That's it, well done. Now you keep those open while I check this wound." She squeezed her shoulder again then looked at the bloody wound on her right side. It was deep and bleeding heavily. "Oh, honey, we've got to get you out of here. I'm gonna sit you up and I want you to put your arm around my neck. Then we're going to stand you up and get you home, okay?" The Amazon gave a weak smile and nodded. The small clearing that Kiaya and the archers had set their ambush up in was now a mass of bodies. The Amazon archers had soon run out of quarrels. They had then dropped from the trees to fight their enemy face to face. Kiaya had actually been enjoying the battle, especially once they'd left the safety of the trees, mainly because trying to reload a crossbow and hold herself in the tree with a crippled arm was no picnic. Venna and Diana, her two guardians, had remained close and Amazons had been steadily retreating through the clearing back towards the village as previously planned. Rhea, the young Amazon who would sound the full retreat, had arrived in the clearing sometime earlier but neither Solari nor Eponin had appeared. Kiaya took charge, figuring they had waited as long as they dared. "Rhea!" she shouted. "Sound the retreat." ******************** Gabrielle and Ephiny heard the deep bellow of the horn as it echoed through the forest and the village. As its cry faded, the Amazon warriors began to swarm from the trees into the village. Yet, even with so many appearing, it was obvious to their two leaders that many others would not be returning. Ephiny turned to Gabrielle. "You'd better get over to Lissa. We won't have much time now that we've called our warriors back here." "Okay, but you take care of yourself, you hear me?" Gabrielle managed a small smile then reached up and wrapped her arms around her friend, giving her a hug. Ephiny squeezed the young bard tightly then pulled away. "As you wish, my Queen, but that goes the same for you. Now get going." Gabrielle turned and jogged off towards Lissa and the temple, two of the Royal Guard glued to her side, where they would stay till the bitter end, no matter what. Assured that Gabrielle would be as protected as possible, Ephiny turned her attention to the Amazons who were heading her way, noting sadly that neither Eponin nor Solari was with them. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the pain that the absence of her two closest friends caused her to the back of her mind. "Regina, make sure everybody gets out of sight and make sure they know not to make a move until we see whether this plan of our Goddess' works. And if it does, make sure everybody stays out of Xena's way." Gabrielle stood hidden within the shadows of the temple, surrounded by her Amazon Guards, as she watched the first of the invading army enter the village. They were cautious at first as they walked tentatively through the seemingly deserted village. Gabrielle saw the hand signals passed along. Then the Amazons attacked. A roar of challenge echoed around the Amazon village as a wave of arrows arched towards the soldiers; then the Amazons appeared and the battle began in earnest. "Now, Gabrielle, read it NOW," urged Lissa. Gabrielle unrolled the scroll. Taking a deep breath, trying to calm her shaking hands, her dread was building as she began to read. "And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see." Sweat broke on her brow; her stomach clenched in tight knots. She knew she'd told Artemis that this was the right thing to do. But was it? "And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and her name that sat on him was Death, and Tartarus followed with her." Was bringing Xena back the right thing? For any of them? Was she being selfish? Was her desire to see and be with Xena again endangering them all? They didn't really know how Xena would react to being called. And the thought of her dark side reacting to Hades' apparent betrayal was terrifying. But more than that, Gabrielle worried at how Xena would react to her. If that reaction was bad, the Amazons would do everything in their power to protect her and they would die doing it. And if that dark side couldn't be tamed in the Amazon village then what were they releasing on the world? The stories that she had written chronicling her friend's struggle for redemption flashed through her thoughts. If that darkness couldn't be contained then she was risking everything that Xena had fought for. If Artemis persuaded Hades to release Xena from her deal with him then there would be nothing to stop her return to Ares. Her fear deepened; was she doing the right thing? All she had ever wanted to do was to help Xena. Ever since the fateful day they had met she had wanted to be by her side, to travel the land, to find adventure. She hadn't thought about the consequences of her actions, hadn't thought that she would find the friendship and love that she had with Xena. Her actions now could destroy all that was and that could be. Too late to worry now. She had made the decision and they would just have to deal with the consequences. Her lips spoke the last of the incantation. "And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." It was faint at first, but, as time passed, the pull became stronger until it was impossible to ignore it anymore. The warmth and security of the void, of darkness, of silence that surrounded her and prevented her from thinking and feeling was shattered. Her place of refuge was pierced by the blinding light of the call from the one soul that she could not deny, the one voice that had always had the power to pull her out of the darkness. The voice that had ripped her soul in half, had rejected her, had forced her to leave the only home she had ever truly known. She felt the rousing of her anger, the seeping trickle of rage that would turn into a torrent and bring Tartarus to all who stood in her way. Gabrielle wanted her now, needed her now; needed that darkness she had rejected. An evil smile creased Xena's face. Gabrielle wanted the darkness now, did she? Her eyes opened and around her the fires of Tartarus burned, the heat caressing her body, the screams of the tortured echoing through her. The powers of the Horsemen were great; that paled in comparison to the anger that the remembrance of Gabrielle's betrayal stirred in her soul. Her rage built until the need to kill was the only thought she held. The thundering of hooves approached from behind and instinct guided her vault into Argo's saddle. She felt Argo gather herself for the jump she knew was coming, then the mighty horse leapt. A warm breeze blew through the village, ruffling Gabrielle's hair; the stench of death grew heavy. Then a chilling voice rang out in reply to her summons and Hades' Horseman of Death was among them. Gabrielle looked up and the scroll fell from nerveless fingers. Her heart started pounding, her breathing became fast and shallow as her body instinctively reacted to the magnificent sight of her partner. Argo was gleaming, her tack and saddle polished to a bright shine. Xena's armour glared blindingly in the sunlight, her raven hair pulled back severely into a braid. She looked... she looked... awful. Her face was gaunt, with dark smudges beneath her eyes. Those eyes locked with hers, blazing with the fury of madness. The sounds of battle imploded around her as Argo charged into the dazzling sunlight. And Xena roared the reply to her summons, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of the Gods, and for the testimony, which they held: Kill them all." Xena focused on her surroundings, recognising the Amazon village, the Amazons fighting and Gabrielle. For one eternal moment their eyes met; a cataclysm of pain and sorrow cleaved through her soul. Her rage erupted in a blistering inferno. Standing tall in her stirrups, she let out her bloodcurdling war cry, "Yiyiyiyiyiyiyiyia." Urging Argo forward, she plowed into the writhing mass of fighters before her. If the soldiers hadn't felt fear before, they did now as Xena's sword swung mercilessly among them. The village was now a mass of swarming bodies as the fight had spread to every corner of the compound. Gabrielle found herself and her Guard fighting on the steps of the temple. Her staff flowed with blinding speed as she swept the legs out from beneath the bloody soldier who had tried his luck with the Amazon Queen. She ducked, as another thought to catch her off guard with a thrust that would have taken off her head, and rammed the end of her staff into his chest, breaking several of his ribs and knocking him backwards down the steps. Whenever there was the slightest lull in the fighting, her gaze would travel across the savage battle before her, looking for the form of her partner. What she saw was horrifying. Xena had no mercy on any who stood in her way; the Amazons had soon left the battlefield around her as they recognised that they were in as much danger from her as the soldiers were. This Xena didn't just kill; she played with her victims, inflicting as much pain as possible while still leaving them alive. If they were lucky, she would inflict a death blow before she went to find a new toy. More often than not, though, it was an Amazon warrior who put them out of their misery. A sliver of fear at what she'd brought into the world crept up Gabrielle's spine sending chills across her body. A cry brought her attention back to the fight as one of her Guard stumbled into her, sword protruding from the woman's stomach, and fell at her feet. Gabrielle stepped over the young Amazon and swung her staff at the head of the laughing soldier, causing him to step back right into the sword of another of her Guard. Gabrielle swung her gaze around and saw that Lissa and one of the healers had dragged the wounded Amazon into the temple. Seeing that nothing more could be done for her, she turned and stepped to the side of her Guard and engaged the enemy once more. ******************** Eponin pulled Solari close as another band of soldiers ran past their hiding place in the bushes. Eponin had been unable to carry her friend far; her own wound was bleeding severely and giving her great pain. She would have ignored that, if it would have meant getting her friend to the relative safety of the village, but neither of them had been able to take to the trees and going by ground would have meant all but certain death. They'd heard the horn sound and knew that their sisters would be on the retreat and that there would be little chance of help in the near future. So Eponin had made the decision to take cover and wait the battle out. It had been a difficult decision for the weapons master to make. There was a battle going on that she should be taking part in, if not leading. But she also knew that to leave Solari would mean her friend's death and that, with the wound to her own shoulder, she would be of little use to her sisters. Solari was unconscious. The deep wound in her side had stopped bleeding after Eponin had bound it, but the loss of blood had been great. Her skin was pale, cool and clammy to the touch; her breathing was rapid and shallow. Eponin hoped that the battle was short and that her sisters would start looking for wounded soon; otherwise, she would be standing beside her friend's pyre that evening. She looked up suddenly and strained her hearing as she heard a faint war cry from the direction of the village. Xena had arrived. She felt the pounding of her heart settle and a tinge of relief swept through her. She felt better about not being part of the battle now that the Warrior Princess had arrived; the loss of her sword in battle would mean little now the warrior was there. Solari stirred in her arms and she held her tighter. "Don't worry, it won't be long now. A certain warrior friend of ours has come to chase all the bad men away." She pressed a kiss to her friend's forehead and settled back to wait out the battle.
The joy of battle roared through the warrior's veins; her sword was in a perpetual dance of death. Soldiers fled from her laughter, several of them throwing injured friends at her feet, hoping that sacrificing their comrades' lives to the unstoppable force would be enough of a distraction to allow them to escape. The remains of her victims spread a carpet of blood wherever she went and those that saw her coming ran. Xena's ice-blue eyes continually roved over the carnage about her, looking for her next target. She blocked and thrust her way through the army, leaving the dead and dying in her wake. The Amazons found the pressure on them easing as the army turned their attention to getting away from the far more deadly threat of the Warrior Princess. Ephiny found herself weaponless as a soldier knocked her sword from her hands. The soldier laughed at her helplessness until a familiar sword cleaved through his neck and removed his head from his shoulders. Ephiny stood stunned, chilled to the bone, looking at the Warrior Princess coated head to toe in the blood of her enemy, eyes feral in intensity, the look of madness total. The Regent shuddered, wondering whether she would be next under her sword, and then the warrior was gone, back into the morass of fighting. Ephiny let out the breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, with serious concerns over whether Xena would stop, once the fighting had. Xena yelled her familiar war cry as she leapt into the middle of a pack of soldiers and Amazons. The Amazons scrambled to get out of her path as the warrior began to decimate the ranks of soldiers that stood in her way. She thrust her sword, all the way to the hilt, into the abdomen of a tall, muscular soldier who stood before her, then reached around him with her left arm and drew his dagger as she pushed him off her sword with the aid of her foot. She now had weapons in both hands and used them with lethal effect. Her left hand struck with the speed of a snake, ripping the throat out of a soldier to her left. Her sword blocked the strike of another then disarmed him with negligent ease. The smile on her face was one of malicious enjoyment at the destruction she was causing. Finding herself facing three soldiers, she grinned, causing a flicker of worry to cross the faces of her opponents. She dropped to the ground, her foot whipping out and taking their feet out from beneath them, sending all three crashing to the ground. Then she sprung up in a twisting leap, landed behind them as they scrambled to their feet, and laughed out loud at the looks on their faces as they turned, realising she was behind them. Two charged at her, swords held high. She blocked them, twisting to the right and throwing the dagger held in her left hand deep into the chest of the third. The dark joy of battle shone in her face as she quickly threw back the two other swordsmen, parrying their thrusts and lunges. Then she jumped, her left leg striking out, sending them spinning away then crumpling to the ground. The tide had begun to turn. Where soldiers had once poured from the trees they were now beginning to run back toward them. The Amazons took heart at the thinning of the enemy ranks, and tired arms and bodies fought all the more fiercely. Ephiny grabbed hold of Kiaya as she ran past after a fleeing soldier. "Gather a squad and harry them as much as possible, but be careful, I don't want to lose anyone else. I'll send others out to help once I'm sure we're secured here." Kiaya nodded and turned to leave, but was pulled back by a tug on her arm. "Keep an eye out, we may have some sisters still alive out there." Kiaya studied Ephiny's face and returned the clasp on her arm. "If they're out there, we'll find them." She turned and ran off, shouting for several of her sisters to join her. Venna and Diana were the first to follow her into the trees. Gabrielle swept the legs from beneath the soldier then reversed her swing, knocking him down the steps. She planted her staff on the top step and leaned her head wearily against her clenched hands, her eyes scanning the battleground before her, looking for her partner. Ephiny had gathered several of the Amazons and formed a cleanup party, moving the bodies of the soldiers and tending to their injured sisters. There were still a few groups of soldiers holding out near the tree line and that was where Gabrielle spotted the familiar blood-splattered form of the warrior, throwing off several of the still fighting soldiers. A hand touched her shoulder and she turned to her remaining Guard and smiled. "I'm fine. Why don't you go and help Lissa in the temple?" The Guard nodded and walked into the temple. Taking a long, drawn-in breath, Gabrielle stood up straight and moved off down the temple steps, avoiding the pools of blood that had settled there. Looking amongst the bodies for those of her Amazons, kneeling next to one of the fallen, she gently touched her hand to the neck looking for a flicker of life. She dropped her head in despair at not finding it, then stood and moved on looking for the next. Several unresponsive bodies later, she caught the first sign of life beneath her fingers. A young, blonde Amazon warrior not yet out of her teens, with a vicious abdominal wound, still stubbornly clung to life. Gabrielle looked up and yelled to the nearest of the Amazon healers to bring a stretcher. The young Amazon had apparently acquitted herself well in battle; a small group of dead soldiers lay scattered around her. Gabrielle was shocked to see how young many of them were. One whose throat had been cut looked as if he were hardly in his teens. She slowly pushed the body of another over to move him off of the Amazon's legs when his arm flashed out, hitting her in the stomach with his dagger. The first thing that told the Amazons that something was wrong was a horrifying scream of pain, not from their Queen but from the Warrior Princess. As the dagger slashed into Gabrielle's stomach an identical ripping sensation in her gut brought Xena to her knees and a roar of pain erupted from her mouth. The soldier she was fighting couldn't believe his luck and swung at her exposed neck. An Amazon, seeing her predicament, charged the soldier, ramming into his chest and deflecting the blade enough to avoid a killing blow, while still leaving a wickedly deep wound in Xena's shoulder. The Amazon finished the soldier off with her sword then turned to the Warrior Princess, but she was gone. Looking up, she saw the warrior charging across the square to the slumped form of the Queen. Ephiny swung round at the cry of pain that echoed across the Amazon village, her eyes frantically scanning the area, then fixing on the terrifying sight of the blood-soaked Xena sliding to a stop next to the still body of her friend and Queen. A cold chill invaded the Regent's body and she ran towards the pair shouting instructions to the Amazon warriors and grabbing hold of the nearest. "Get Cassandra out here, now!" And she pushed the Amazon stumbling towards the temple where the hospital had been set up. Xena gingerly reached for Gabrielle's shoulder; the young bard had fallen forward over the body of an Amazon warrior. A scrabbling sound made her look up and she saw an injured soldier pushing himself away. Her rage erupted and, lightning fast, her fingers shot out and stabbed at the pressure points in his neck, cutting off the flow of blood to his brain. His death would be relatively quick but excruciatingly painful. She turned her attention back to her companion and pulled her carefully into her arms. Her hand gently pressed against her neck searching for life. She let out a ragged breath and closed her eyes as she found a faint fluttering beneath her fingers. Ephiny came to a halt beside Xena and watched the warrior intently. This wasn't the same Xena that had just been slaughtering soldiers, her whole demeanour had changed. She even looked different-- softer in some way, less intense, the darkness that had surrounded her had eased. The warrior lifted Gabrielle's clenched hands away from her stomach, revealing a wide gaping wound. She quickly replaced her hands, pressing down to stem the flow of blood. The Regent heard the warrior whispering over and over again, but couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Cassandra roughly pushed her way through the gathering Amazons and came to rest by the fallen Queen. Looking over her pale features, her eyes travelled down the Queen's body searching for injuries and stopping where Xena's hand pressed against her partner's. Knowing she had to see the extent of her Queen's injuries before she could even think how to treat them, Cassandra cautiously tried to pry Xena's hand away, only to find herself shrugged off as easily as a child would throw a toy. Blue eyes of death locked onto her and for a split second the Amazon healer saw her own death within them, then Gabrielle moaned and the crystal eyes refocused their attention. Ephiny saw the change as Cassandra reached for the Queen. It was startling at how fast it had occurred; for a moment the Xena they all knew had been with them, then she was gone. A much darker Xena cradled the form of their Queen, but this one was much more controlled than the one who'd so viciously defended the village such a short time ago. The crowded Amazons quickly shuffled backwards as the Warrior Princess rose from the ground with the Queen cradled in her arms. Cassandra climbed to her feet and tried to direct the warrior towards the temple and the equipment she had within it. But Xena was having none of it and strode off in the direction of the palace. ******************** Kiaya had spread the Amazon scouts out into a long line and had told them to search the battle site amongst the trees for their fallen sisters. The last of the soldiers who had not fled from the Amazon lands had been swiftly dealt with. Some of the Amazons were giving those wounded that still clung to life the mercy of a quick death. Others tended to their own injured and prepared stretchers to transport them back to the village and the care of the healers. Knowing that her sisters were well cared for, Kiaya decided to search the game trail Eponin and Solari had last been seen on, hoping deep down that the gods had been kind and spared their lives. Venna and Diana, her two guardians during the battle, followed her down the trails, moving the bodies and searching in the undergrowth for two of their greatest warriors. Kiaya looked up and sighed as she rolled the body of one of the younger Amazons over, unable to look at the peaceful face of the brutally slain girl. A tight knot clenched in her stomach and a tear rolled down her face as she struggled to choke down the sob that was building. Once she had lusted for the glory of battle, had thought the Amazon nation weak when their new Queen had insisted on speech before war. But now she understood, like never before, the futility of war. Why had someone so young had to die for the right to live on her own lands, without the interference of others? Why had the Amazons been forced to kill just to live? Wiping the dampness from her face, she stood and, with a last glance at the fallen warrior, strode off. ******************** Xena kicked the door to the palace open before any of the Amazons had the chance to open it for her. Her eyes swept the interior. Discarding the outer room as a place to rest her bard, she continued on to the sleeping chamber. Ephiny and Cassandra followed. Cassandra had sent one of the Amazons to gather her herbs and equipment and, as she entered the palace, rapidly began issuing orders for a fire to be made and water to be boiled. Ephiny grabbed her shoulder before the healer could enter the sleeping chamber. "Wait." Cassandra tried to shrug off the restraining hand but Ephiny held tight. "I said, wait." "But the Queen needs to be treated." "I know, Cassandra, but you can't do that if you're dead, can you?" The Regent looked at her pointedly. "Now, wait and see what she does." It's amazing how quickly these changes of personality occur. Every time Gabrielle even flinches our Xena is back with us, but as soon as anyone else tries to talk to her, never mind touch her, the warlord is back. Look at her now. I don't think I've ever seen her look so vulnerable. Xena tenderly placed Gabrielle on her sleeping pallet, then stood, looking around the room. Seeing a blanket, she quickly bundled it up and carefully lifted the bard's head and placed the blanket beneath it. She slowly pushed Gabrielle's hair from her face, leaving a trail of blood from her fingers. For an instant, she paused, and stared at her blood-coated hands. Then she stood up and turned from the bed towards Cassandra and Ephiny who were standing in the doorway. She looked down at her hands again, then at Cassandra, and waved the healer into the room. Cassandra didn't hesitate. She rushed to the Queen with Gina, the Amazon's junior healer, following with the healer's equipment. ******************** Kiaya had walked the trail twice and still found no sign of either the weapons or scout master. Most of the Amazons had returned to the village but several groups still searched the forest, with more than ten warriors unaccounted for. Teams had taken the injured back to the village and others had provided an honour guard for the dead. Kiaya swung round drawing her sword as a twig snapped off to her side, then relaxed as Venna, her tall, golden-haired watchdog, appeared. "Still nothing?" The Amazon shook her head. "Not a sign. I hate to say it but shouldn't we think about calling this off until tomorrow? It will be dark soon and we can't do much more with so few of us out here." "Yeah, I know." Her voice held a defeated edge to it. "But I hate to think of them out here." She sheathed her sword. "We'll carry on until dark and then call it a day. Let's check over by the stream. I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to get that far, even if they were injured." Chapter Ten Dusk had fallen and torches had been lit around the Amazon village. Funeral pyres for those who had fallen that day were being built and it was planned to hold a mass ceremony at dusk the next day. Most of the Amazons gathered in small groups; some at the temple helping the injured, some at the mess hall getting an evening meal ready, the rest cleaning up the village, though that was mostly complete. At every opportunity, however, most of them sent their gazes towards the palace, their thoughts with their Queen. Cassandra stood and stretched, trying to release all the kinks that were making themselves known in her back. The Queen's injury was severe. It had taken several candlemarks just to stop the bleeding. The wound was jagged and stitching it was difficult enough, but having the menacing form of the Warrior Princess standing over her shoulder had only made it more so. Ephiny tried, to no avail, to get the warrior to leave and let Gina, or Ariana, see to her shoulder wound and other cuts that, no doubt, littered her body. But the warrior refused, standing there silently watching over the healer. The Regent had actually felt fear as those cold eyes had locked onto her. This was not the Xena that she knew but a cold calculating creature whose eyes showed no feeling at all. It was a wonder to Ephiny that the warrior had shown such concern over Gabrielle. Ephiny got worried when she noticed the blood pooling at Xena's feet. She wondered whether the shoulder wound was more serious than Xena knew, but it didn't seem to bother the warrior. She had tried to point out to Xena that letting herself bleed to death wasn't going to help Gabrielle. Xena had responded by taking a step forward, grabbing hold of the Amazon and lifting her from her feet. Ephiny had rapidly held her hands up to ward off the other Amazons who rushed to her aid, knowing that the Warrior Princess wouldn't think twice about killing them if the urge took her. Thankfully, the show of strength, and the threat of violence that was implicit in that show, was enough for the warrior. Ephiny stepped back from Xena's line of sight when she was roughly thrust away by the warrior. The Regent stood to the side trying to calm her pounding heart. She wished desperately that Kiaya, or even Eponin, were around to deal with this positively dark-souled Xena. "That's as much as I can do," Cassandra said wearily as she turned to face the Regent. "We'll have to wait and see how she does through the night." Ephiny stepped closer to the healer and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you. Why don't you go and get some rest? We don't need you exhausted any more than you already are. If there are any problems, someone will come and get you." "I will, but someone braver than I am needs to take a look at our friend over there, first," she said, pulling away from the Regent and looking over at Xena who was still covered from head to toe in gore. "And then I want to have a quick check in the temple and see how Lissa is getting on over there." "Okay, but I'll take care of Xena." That's if she'll let me and I don't die of fright first. Her hand ran through her hair and tears crept into her eyes. "Has there been any news on Eponin and Solari? Have they been found yet?" Come on, somebody tell me Kiaya or Eponin are going to walk through that door and solve this mess for me. A surviving member of the Royal Guard shook her head. "Nothing yet, but Kiaya and others are still out looking." The Regent blew out a deep breath. "Okay. Well, someone let me know when they get back; and get me some warm water." Ephiny looked at Cassandra. "Gina or Ariana can stay and keep an eye on Gabrielle. Other than that I'm kicking everybody else out." ******************** It was fully dark when a despondent Kiaya, Venna, and, eventually, Diana, met on the banks of the stream. Kiaya took one last, sweeping gaze up the stream. "Come on then, let's call it a night. We can head out again at first light." The other two Amazons nodded in agreement and all three turned and began to work their way through the tangled and matted undergrowth that grew thickly in this part of the forest. Maybe it was that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness that had settled down over the trees, or the way that the shadows had grown and deepened, that made Kiaya look twice at the knotted snarl of brambles huddled next to the ancient husk of a fallen tree. Curiosity piqued, Kiaya veered off of the path they were following and hiked over to the tree, Diana and Venna still following. About ten feet away from her objective she began to battle against the thorny barricade. She drew her sword to cut her way through, managing another five feet or so before coming to a complete halt. The bramble was forming what appeared to be an impenetrable wall against their invasion. "See anything?" Diana's deep voice asked from behind. Venna was scouting around the outside of the thicket. "Not really," replied Kiaya. "It just occurred to me that we've searched everywhere it was possible to get to, but knowing our scout and weapons masters, searching where we wouldn't expect them to be would make more sense. This looked ideal... nobody could get through this, though." "No, but they could go underneath." Venna's voice came from ahead. Kiaya looked up to see Venna perched on the dead tree trunk. "There's a gap under the trunk. Want me to check it out?" "Might as well, now that we're here," she said to the Amazon, then turned to Diana, "Come on, we'll walk around," and trudged back the way they had come. Venna jumped to the forest floor from the trunk, landing in a crouch. The tree was large but had fallen over a natural hollow in the forest floor, creating a small tunnel. Getting to her knees, the Amazon began to crawl beneath the huge monolith. The space beneath the trunk was pitch-black and Venna felt her way through gingerly with her hands, stopping as they came against cool, clammy skin. She jerked her hand back then pulled herself further in, her hand now reaching out to discover just what she had found. "Oh sweet Artemis," she whispered, then louder, "Kiaya! There are people under here!" Kiaya ran stumbling through the undergrowth. "Who?" she yelled back. "Kiaya! How in Hades' name am I supposed to figure that out? It's dark under here. Wait, wait there are two of them. I can feel two heads... sweet Aphrodite, they're Amazons! I can feel the leathers." Kiaya grabbed hold of Diana and shoved her in the direction of the village. "Go, get help. The others will have gone back to the village by now." She watched after the Amazon for a few seconds then turned back. "They alive?" Venna ran her hand over the bodies, finding a neck to push her fingers into, feeling a faint flutter. "Yeah, one of them is." Her hand continued up to the face, then paused as she began to trace the features. "Kiaya," she said, so softly the other Amazon had to strain to hear. "I think this is Eponin." The voice was tinged with relief and hope. "How can you tell?" Kiaya felt her own hope building. "I've attempted to punch this face often enough. I know it almost as well as my own." Kiaya managed to smile at the rueful comment. "You ever succeed?" "No, she always dumps me on my ass before I get near." There was a silent pause, then, "Actually, that's a lie. I did get her once but she was drunk at the time and she still dumped me on my ass afterwards." That comment brought a chuckle. "Trust Eponin to pick the most difficult place to find to hide in. Any idea who she dragged in there with her?" "No, I can't reach that far; they're pretty well wedged in. Don't think we'll be able to get them out before help arrives." "Okay, then, we'll wait. You okay in there?" Venna's voice rose in pitch as something crawled across her leg. "Yep, but I hope Diana doesn't take too long. I don't think we're the only things alive in here, if you get my meaning." ******************** Cassandra and Lissa were just leaving the temple as Diana barrelled into the village, knocking two Amazons flying and barely avoiding another as she skidded to a stop. Her eyes swept the village. Seeing the healer and the priestess on the steps of the temple, she ran towards them and bounded up the steps until she was in front of them. "I need to see the Regent, can you tell me where she is?" she panted, her chest heaving, as she pulled in the much needed oxygen her body required after the exertion of running all the way back to the village. Lissa placed her hands on the unsteady Amazon's shoulders. "She's with the Queen and Xena and cannot be disturbed. What's the problem?" "No problem." Her breathing started to steady as she brought herself under control. "We found two more of our sisters and we need a healer and help getting them back to the village. Kiaya and Venna stayed behind with them and sent me for help." "Okay. Okay. Cassandra, have you got someone who can go?" Lissa kept her hands on the young Amazon's shoulders but looked at the healer. "Ariana can go; your acolytes are doing well in the temple. And Gina's tied up at the palace with the Queen." "Diana, you round up some of the scouts and take them back to Kiaya and bring our sisters home."
Ephiny was reluctant to push the warrior, remembering the power in her grip and the steel in her eyes from earlier, but her wounds needed cleaning--not only to stop infection in herself but to prevent her causing one in Gabrielle. Of course, getting her to see it that way was easier said than done. Ephiny had discussed the problem with Gina and both of them had decided to wait until they had the poultice made and enough hot water to let her bathe if she wanted to. "Ready?" Ephiny inquired. "Bathtub is full, poultice is warming and I got the cooks to bring some food and wine over. All we need is the patient." Gina stuck her head through the doorway. "You want to get her?" Ephiny asked the young healer with a smile. "Uhuh, I think I'll leave that to you," she replied quietly with a nervous laugh. "Cassandra taught us about difficult patients during our training, but I know for a fact that she wasn't thinking at the time in the Warrior Princess league for uncooperative patients. I'll have the bandages ready." Ephiny looked quizzically towards the healer. "Mine or hers?" "I'm a healer, ready for any eventuality," she smiled. "Thanks for your support, Gina." The Regent took a deep breath and shook her arms, loosening them up. "Right. I can do this. I can," she murmured to herself. "Heck, I might even survive." She took a step forward. "Xena?" ******************** Venna jumped, hitting her head on the trunk overhead as a twig snapped behind her. "What was that?" she asked over her shoulder to Kiaya. "Me. Help's arriving, I think. I'm just going to steer them in the right direction." Kiaya stood and made her way back towards the trail, stumbling occasionally as roots and vines hidden by the darkness reached out to snare her feet. She scrambled onto the trail, kicking away the last of the snarling undergrowth, and paused, listening to the night sounds. Sure enough, she could hear the sounds of Amazons approaching and breathed a sigh of relief. She let out a piercing whistle and heard the pace of the Amazons pick up. Shortly, she saw Diana and several other Amazons, including the healer, Ariana, trot into view. The group hurried back to the fallen tree, two of the Amazons climbing onto the trunk to peer at the mass of thorny brambles on the other side, another clearing an area to make a fire to provide a little light. Kiaya leant one arm on the trunk and bent down, looking into the black hole that hid Venna, Eponin and her unknown partner. "Venna, crawl out and let Ariana get in." She waited until she heard the scrabbling noise of Venna reversing out then turned to the healer. "We're pretty sure that Eponin is in there. Don't know who the other is; Venna couldn't reach in far enough. And, since they are unconscious, we're assuming that they're injured." Venna emerged and dusted herself off. "They're all yours." She pulled a twig out of her hair and scowled at Kiaya. "Next time, you can go crawling and I'll stay out here." Kiaya grinned and patted the Amazon on the shoulder. Ariana had disappeared into the vacated space beneath the trunk. Kiaya could hear her mumbling to herself about Amazon warriors hiding themselves in the most difficult of places to reach. When they were finally pulled from their hiding place, Eponin and her friend were in for an ear bashing from the healer. The two Amazons on top of the dead tree began to hack away at the thorny cage from above, while two others retraced Kiaya's footsteps and the path she had cut earlier. A flickering golden glow illuminated the now crowded area as the torches were lit from the small fire, and work began in earnest to free the two warriors. Kiaya wandered over to the fire and sat herself down, rubbing at her right shoulder and arm. It had been a long day, and she was looking forward to collapsing into her nice warm bed. Her eyes closed as she basked in the warmth the crackling fire threw towards her and her body began to relax, letting the stresses of the day ebb away. She sat like that for what seemed like an eternity but was no more than a brief moment before her hearing caught snatches of the conversation which was buzzing around her in which Xena seemed to be figuring prominently. Her eyes snapped open when she heard Gabrielle's name mentioned.
Ephiny kept up a constant spiel of chatter, not wanting to startle the warrior by coming up unannounced from behind. Not that anyone she ever knew had managed such a feat but she wasn't taking any chances, especially with Xena in such an unstable state. Once again, she silently wished that Kiaya or Eponin were here to deal with her; they had so much more experience with her in this condition. Ephiny wasn't at all convinced that she would be able to get Xena to allow anyone near her. In fact, it occurred to her that she really was in more danger now than she had been during the battle. She reached Gabrielle's bedside and slowly adjusted the blanket covering her. Cerulean-blue eyes fastened onto her and her hand froze, then slowly pulled away. "Xena, you really need to clean up and let Gina take a look at your shoulder," she said, hesitantly. "I can watch Gabrielle for you. You'd only be in the other room." She caught her breath sharply as Xena rose to her feet, the hardening in stature heralding the return of her darker side. Oh, Artemis, think I've done it now. Xena stared intently at the Amazon standing before her, liking the fear that she induced in her eyes. She could see a cold sweat break out on the tanned body in front of her. An evil grin spread across her face and she could see the pulse in the Amazon's neck double in speed. Her muscular arm lifted from her side and caressed the Amazon's face. She could feel the shudder run through the woman's body. "Are you trying to tell me what to do?" Ephiny gulped, trying to swallow several times. Xena's voice was deceptively gentle but Ephiny had the feeling that she'd just made a big mistake. She shook her head, knowing that to try to move herself away from the warrior would only engage her wrath. "Good. Now get out and stay out. Both of you." Her hands gripped the shoulder it rested on, increasing the pressure until she saw a grimace of pain on the Amazon's face. Ephiny nodded her head once more and slowly stepped back from the Warrior Princess, never taking her eyes from her lithe form. She reached her hand back until she felt the door, then quickly turned and walked into the outer chamber, letting out the breath she'd been holding. She looked at Gina who was standing near the door. "Come on, we're leaving. I don't think the softly, softly approach is going to work." Gina picked up a small bowl of water and walked towards Gabrielle's chamber. "I'll just put this where she can get to it," she said, walking through the door before Ephiny could stop her. Ephiny leapt forward, following her. "Gina, get out of there, now." Gina heard Ephiny's order but, seeing that Xena had returned to her position by the Queen's bedside, she ignored it and quietly walked behind her placing the bowl and cloth on a small table in the corner. She turned to leave the room and walked straight into the gore-covered armour of the Warrior Princess. A hand closed vice-like around her throat and, much like Ephiny had earlier, she found herself dangling in the air as Xena pinned her to the wall. Xena's gaze left the healer and swept to Ephiny. "I told you to stay out!" Ephiny gingerly entered the room, her brain working at a frantic rate, trying to figure out a reply that would satisfy the warrior and settling on the one thing she was sure of. "Gina meant no harm. She just wanted you to have water nearby should Gabrielle require it." Wincing inwardly, Ephiny wondered whether the ruse would work or whether Xena would just snap the healer's neck for the intrusion. Xena paused, seeming to consider what the Regent had told her. Then, in one quick motion, she threw Gina through the air, knocking Ephiny off of her feet and sending them both sprawling to the ground. "No more second chances." The warrior's voice was cold. "Get out." Clutching hold of Gina's leathers, Ephiny scrambled up, pulled the healer to her feet and dragged her from the room and out of the palace. ******************** Kiaya ran with as much speed as her tired body could muster and as much as the grasping undergrowth would allow. She ducked and weaved as branches reached out to grab her, jumped roots that seemed to leap out at her. Her only thought was to reach the village as soon as possible. She cursed herself and sent prayers to Artemis and one or two to Hades, hoping he would keep his warrior on a leash. Whilst searching for Eponin and Solari, as well as the other missing Amazons, Kiaya had believed the day to be a complete success in terms of the Amazon nation's survival. Now she wasn't so sure. It hadn't occurred to her that Gabrielle would be hurt, and the thought of the village having to deal with a Xena, who was, on some level, worse than their darkest nightmares, chilled her to the core. One wrong word, wrong look or action and she would destroy what was left of the Amazons. Even this Xena would never hurt Gabrielle physically; she would only be hurting herself, but she could and would destroy everything she held dear. Her breath was ragged as the village came into sight and she startled several of the on-watch Amazon sentries as she blew past them and headed for the palace. Ephiny was standing at the entrance to the palace surrounded by a small group of Amazons. She had had Cassandra wakened and Lissa brought from the temple to discuss the problem of the Warrior Princess. "Nobody goes in there." Ephiny pointed at the palace. "I want a guard around the clock. If Xena moves out of there, I want to know about it. But nobody goes inside and nobody tries to stop her; we've lost enough of our sisters today without adding to them." The Regent looked each one of them in the eye until she got a nod of acceptance from each of them. "Lissa, Cassandra, a word, please?" The other Amazons moved off to their duties, leaving the three alone. "Lissa, this isn't going to work, not with her like this. If Gabrielle were conscious, or if Kiaya or Eponin were here, we might be able to manage this, somehow. But she's swinging between moods so fast it's hard to know what she'll do next. One moment, I see the Xena that Gabrielle knows and loves, the next she's in full Warlord mode and unreachable. And, when she was fighting, there wasn't a shred of humanity in her eyes; she was almost uncontrolled and that frightened me more. She hasn't made a move against Gabrielle, and I don't think she will, but that isn't protecting the rest of us from her." "I can ask our Goddess for advice but she is not allowed to interfere further," replied the priestess. "Cassandra, will our Queen be okay without attention to her wounds?" "Her dressings will need changing but other than that I have already done all that I can." "What about drugging Xena? We've done that before." "We could try, but the penalties are likely to be severe if it doesn't work, and she has a tolerance for soneral, now. I wouldn't know how much to use. We could kill her if we tried." "That may be our only option if we can't come up with anything else. Can you think of anything else we could try?" "You can let me in. I'll talk to her," panted a voice from behind Ephiny, making her jump. The Regent swung round to see Kiaya bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "Thank the Gods, Kiaya, am I glad to see you. We already tried talking--it didn't work." "It will work for me," she said, straightening up and looking the Regent in the eye. "How can you be so sure? It was all I could do to prevent her from killing Gina and me." "Because she trusts me and I know this Xena better than any of you." "Are you saying she doesn't trust us?" "Why should she? She feels betrayed. Gabrielle sent her away and nobody tried to help her. I went with her; I put up with the violent mood swings. I stayed when everyone else deserted her. She trusts me." Ephiny hung her head and sighed. "I guess I can understand that." She looked up. "Do you need anything?" "Just make sure we have some hot water. She'll want to bathe." Kiaya started to walk past them. "There's a tub already in there but the water will have cooled by now. I'll have some more brought to you. Kiaya?" The Amazon stopped and turned, seeing a hopeful look on the Regent's face. "Hades, Ephiny, I should have said. We found Eponin. She's a little battered but she's alive." Kiaya saw a tear trickle down the Regent's face and stepped forward pulling her into a hug. "Didn't stay long enough to find out who was with her, but Venna and Diana should be here with them soon." She wiped a tear from Ephiny's face. "You okay?" Ephiny nodded unable to speak as emotion choked her. "Why don't you go and get some sleep. I'm sure Cassandra or Lissa will wake you up when they bring her in. In the meantime, I'm going to try to settle Xena down." Try being the word here, I have no idea whether anyone can calm her down anymore. Still I have to try. "And I'll check on Gabrielle for you, too." Kiaya handed the Regent off to the priestess and then walked up the steps into the palace.
Kiaya's eyes swept the interior of the palace as she stepped through the door, noting the cooling tub of water and the medical supplies on the side. The door to Gabrielle's room was open and Kiaya could see the pacing form of the warrior through it. She walked toward the room just as Xena's voice roared out. "I told you to stay out and I meant it." Undeterred, Kiaya walked through the door and stared the raging warrior straight in the eye. "No, you told Ephiny and Gina to stay out." Xena stared at Kiaya for several long seconds; her muscles tensing in reaction to the brazen Amazon standing before her. Then she relaxed a little, recognition dawning in her eyes. "I didn't know you had returned to the Amazons, Kiaya." "It's home. Where else was I going to go? Are you gonna throw me out like you did the others? Or are you going to let me have a look at that shoulder, and get cleaned up?" Xena looked back at the sleeping bard. "She isn't going anywhere, Xena." "No, she isn't. But, since you're here to keep an eye on her, I am." The warrior walked past the stunned Amazon. "You can't." "Oh, but I can. My job is done." "I mean you can't return to Hades realm, Xena, not in that way." Xena stopped short and turned back toward Kiaya. "The Gods are at play. Artemis asked Hades for your presence and Hades granted it. How else would Gabrielle have gotten hold of the scroll? Or known how to get you here?" Kiaya saw Xena's eye's darken at her words and hurried on. "You can always go back at Philius's village, you know that, but it will take time to get there. You're injured and exhausted. Take a day or so to rest up and then go." Her reasoning didn't seem to penetrate the anger that was building. Xena's whole character metamorphosed in front of her. Her stature hardened, muscles became more defined, her face paled even as blackness rolled across her eyes. Kiaya unconsciously took a step backwards, bumping her legs against Gabrielle's pallet, as she saw the little reason that Xena's psyche still held dissolve. Xena's fist flew out, hitting the wooden wall with enough force to crack the timber and shake the rafters. Kiaya flinched as Xena's fist struck again. Kiaya's words struck a deep wound in Xena's soul as the bitter taste of betrayal made itself known once more. Her rage began to boil to the surface and she hit out at whatever was in range. The impact of her fist briefly lessened the urge to destroy, before the wave of anger rolled back up and broke. Kiaya was rooted to the floor, terrified that the slightest movement might bring the warrior's rage in her direction. But her fears were groundless; Xena's rage was directed elsewhere. The warrior spun round and strode furiously out of Gabrielle's chamber and through the palace, destroying anything that got in her way. Kiaya hesitated; Ephiny needed to be told Xena was on the rampage. She quickly reassured herself that Gabrielle was still unconscious then turned to follow the warrior. She'd reached the door to Gabrielle's sleeping chamber when she heard the bard stirring. She stopped and looked at her Queen, seeing her eyes fluttering; she was coming around. Kiaya felt herself torn between warning the Amazons, not that they wouldn't soon know Xena was out of control, and staying with her Queen. If Gabrielle was awake they had a better chance of halting Xena. She hurried back to Gabrielle's bedside. The wooden door that barred unwanted entrance to the palace blocked Xena's path. With a negligent ease that belied the turmoil she was feeling, she kicked it open, knocking it off of the hinges and sending it crashing down the palace steps into the Village Square, scattering the Amazon guards. Ephiny was just climbing into her pallet, when one of the Royal Guard came crashing through the door without announcement, sending the Regent scrabbling around for something to cover her nakedness. The Royal Guard slid to a halt, ignoring the Regent's state of undress. "She's lost it. She just kicked the door off of the palace." It took several seconds for the words to pierce the fog of exhaustion that clouded Ephiny's mind. Then, with sudden clarity, she realised the Amazon was talking about Xena. "What about the Queen?" "We can't get into the palace to check," said the Amazon, turning her gaze away from Ephiny's shapely body as she dressed. "Why not?" asked Ephiny, as she pulled the last of her leathers on and secured her sword to her side. "Xena's pacing like a caged animal in front of the palace. Everyone's backed off as you instructed us to." Gabrielle felt as though she was lifting a heavy weight as she struggled to open her eyes. She was tired, very tired and the smallest thing required the greatest effort. She felt pain as well, her own and something else, something alien to her. She felt fear; her heart began thudding in an unnatural rhythm. Anger, she felt a horrendous anger, the need to hit out, and the need to destroy, to kill. Her eyes flew open, startling Kiaya who was standing over her. The Amazon brushed her damp hair from her forehead and spoke, "My Queen can you hear me?" Gabrielle nodded and slowly pushed herself into a semi-sitting position. "Where's Xena?" she managed to mutter through teeth clenched against the pain. The anger striking her mind like a battering ram threatened to overwhelm her. She struggled to bring her thoughts into some semblance of order. She vaguely remembered hearing Xena's whispered voice as the warrior had lifted her and gently cradled her in her strong arms. She'd felt safe, secure, protected. She'd known that voice, those arms, had come to rely on the feeling of security they imbued. But those feelings had gone, replaced by feelings so alien to the bard that she was battling to keep her own ethics intact. Never had she felt such hate, felt the need to destroy and kill, such betrayal; and within the maelstrom of darkness there were glimmers of light, of soul wrenching loss, hurt and love.
Looking around the torch-lit village, Cassandra was glad to see Ephiny approaching. But she started to move the gathered Amazons to more discreet vantage points to watch the warrior from. That Xena was nearing breaking point had been communicated well to the healer by her actions; having Amazons obviously watching her would only serve to antagonise her more. Xena, however, ignored the watching Amazons as her mind struggled to come to terms with the revelation of Hades' betrayal. The quieter part of her soul wanted to leave the Amazon village and find somewhere to heal her wounds. The more violent, darker aspects of her soul demanded a more aggressive resolution to the God's actions. Throughout her life her greatest changes had come about due to betrayal; her reaction to it was deeply imbedded in her psyche. Caesar's betrayal had sent her on a quest of death and destruction. Darphus' and her army's betrayal had eventually flung her into Hercules' hands and the road to redemption, but revenge had been first on her mind, and the destruction of her army. Then Gabrielle rejected her. The bard's influence had ensured that Xena's reaction wouldn't be as destructive, but knowing that violence was the inevitable outcome she had turned to her last refuge with Hades. Now, even that had been taken from her and her soul was demanding action. Other thoughts and feelings that she associated with Gabrielle made themselves known, fear and pain foremost among them. Gabrielle must be conscious, and that knowledge only served to make fury grow. She'd tasted that fear once before when Gabrielle had told her to leave the Amazon village. And that small wave of perceived fear was all that it took to push the warrior over the edge of the abyss she'd had been balancing on since Kiaya's words about Hades. Ephiny blanched as she saw Xena stop her pacing and look towards the Amazons still in view. Cassandra had most of them out of sight and she herself had ordered that others be woken from their sleep. She had no idea what to expect from the Warrior Princess but the look of rage on her face, now, told her that, whatever Xena was going to do, it would be bad. She reached out and grabbed Cassandra by the shoulder and pulled her towards her. "Get over to the temple. I've told the rest of the warriors to go there. Get inside and lock the doors and don't open them unless you hear from me." "But..." "Cassandra, don't argue with me, just do as I say!" Ephiny pushed the healer in the direction of the temple. Xena halted her pacing and finally turned her attention to her surroundings. There were a few Amazons about, most of them running in different directions away from her; one, though, stood still, watching her from the bottom of the palace steps. Ephiny. Their eyes connected and Xena felt a feral smile cross her face as she read the Amazon's fear. She reached over her shoulder and drew her sword and took pleasure as she saw the Amazon's breathing rate increase and trickles of sweat appear on her body. Ephiny slowly took a step backwards as Xena began to advance down the palace steps. She was unable to take her eyes off of the warrior. The power and strength that rippled through Xena's body was as intoxicating as the terror she also inspired. She couldn't see hate in the steel-blue eyes that were locked on her, they were empty. There was little thought behind Xena's actions anymore, vengeful subconscious driving the violent mind. Ephiny knew deep in her heart that Artemis had been right: the Amazon nation would be destroyed today. Not, however, by the army she had seen, but by the saviour she had brought here. Xena was going to tear the village apart and there was little anybody could do about it. Xena reached the bottom of the steps, sword still in hand. She was slightly surprised that the Amazon who stood twenty or so paces in front of her hadn't run. The Amazons were fierce fighters by reputation and by nature, but most of them had the sense to run when their death was staring them in the face. Should she kill her now? Or should she kill her last, after she'd seen her village destroyed and her family dead?
"She just went outside," replied Kiaya. Then she took a deep breath and told her what had happened. "Gabrielle, I told her about Artemis' deal with Hades and that she wouldn't be able to return to his realm. She didn't take it too well. I thought, at first, she was going to tear the palace down around our heads, but she stormed out of here, instead. I was going to follow but you started to come round." Gabrielle flung back the blanket covering her and tried to swing her legs off of the pallet, the pain causing her to catch her breath. "Get me out of this bed." Beads of perspiration covered her face, her jaws clenched as she commanded the Amazon before her, "Take me to her." It was obvious to Kiaya that the Queen was in no condition to be moved. "But, my Queen..." "Kiaya, I can feel her. I know what she's feeling; the hate is almost overwhelming. She is going to destroy this village if I don't stop her. Now get me out of here and take me to Xena." "You can't walk." Kiaya saw Gabrielle's eyes flash in anger and held her hand up to forestall anything Gabrielle might have said. "I'll carry you." Relief flooded Gabrielle's face.
Xena's respect for the Amazon before her grew when she pulled her sword from her scabbard. Did this brash Amazon actually believe she could stand up to her? Could stop her from destroying this village? A movement across the square caught her eye and she watched as several Amazons scurried towards the temple. Obviously the temple was where they were gathering their forces. She tensed as her eyes found one figure she was eager to meet. She disregarded Ephiny's presence as insignificant when her wandering eyes had found Lissa standing on the temple steps. Where once there had been indecision and conflict, there was now purity of purpose. With a silence-shattering roar, Xena flipped over Ephiny and charged towards the priestess. The howling cry echoed throughout the village and surrounding forest. Every living creature within its reach paused and turned its gaze in its direction. The small group of Amazons who were slowly carrying two of their companions back to the Amazon village stopped in their tracks and listened. Even Eponin, who had not stopped grouching since she'd come round, paused in her tirade against the indignity of being carried. Only Solari, whom they'd found clutched in Eponin's arms and who now slept peacefully in her litter, seemed unaffected by the piercing cry. Lissa wished she'd stayed in the temple when Cassandra had come in trailing several of the warriors with her. But she had decided that she would be of more use outside than locked in. She'd managed to get some of the story from Cassandra before the doors were shut, but that hadn't prepared her for the reality of the situation. Ephiny was standing in the Village Square not twenty paces away from Xena. The warrior held her sword waist height and was slowly advancing on the Regent. Lissa could see several other Amazons watching proceedings from out of the warrior's sight; none of them seemed too keen to intervene. Xena was exuding a lethal energy; the atmosphere around her rippled with destructiveness. When Xena's eyes locked and focused on her, Lissa froze. A chill suffused her body as the warrior smiled at her, then launched herself into the air. The priestess realised with horror that she had attracted Xena's attention. Ephiny spun, following Xena's flight, startled that the warrior had ignored her defiance and not cut her down where she stood. Then she saw whom Xena was heading towards; Lissa was standing near the top of the temple steps. "Lissa, get in the temple!" Come on, Lissa, move it. Xena's not in the mood to play right now. Why isn't she moving? Ephiny sent a quick prayer to Artemis as she realised that Lissa was unable to move--the hunted caught by the hunter. She sent out a birdcall hoping that some of the warriors would be able the slow Xena's charge, but knowing also she might be sacrificing them to Xena's wrath. She followed behind the warrior, seeing various Amazon warriors materialise from their hiding places to converge on the temple steps.
Faster, we have to move faster. Gabrielle was becoming frantic at the seemingly slow pace at which Kiaya was moving. In reality, they were proceeding as fast as the exhausted Amazon could with her Queen cradled in her arms. Gabrielle had her arms wrapped around Kiaya's neck while the Amazon tried to negotiate the debris that Xena had left in her wake. Gabrielle was rapidly coming to realise why she often saw frantic relief on Xena's face when she came to rescue her from whatever trouble she had managed to get herself into. If the hate and anger she was feeling now was even a fraction of the terror Xena regularly found herself feeling, whether she cared to admit it or not, then Xena must have been driven half crazy. No wonder she always used to tell me to stay behind. It was amazing that the warrior hadn't just tied her up and left her someplace while she solved the problems they were called upon to fix. But now, now all she wanted to do was get to her partner. Kiaya was glad the palace door was no longer attached to the palace. Even though Gabrielle was light she didn't think she'd have the strength to pick her up again if she'd had the door to contend with. The metal screech of swords clashing and Gabrielle's spasmodic grip around her neck urged her to pick up the pace as she stepped through the doorway. Even though Gabrielle could feel the battlelust of Xena's anger coursing through her, the sight that greeted her was horrifying. It reminded Gabrielle of seeing a deer surrounded by a wolf pack, the wolves darting inwards to bite at the deer's feet. The deer had lost that battle. In this case, though, the wolf was in the centre of a herd of deer and the deer were losing. Several of the Amazons were already sporting injuries, but their tactics of quick diving attacks had kept any of them from being killed, so far. She could see Ephiny making her way around the edges of the fight, trying to get to Lissa who seemed to be frozen at the top of the temple steps. It was obvious to Gabrielle that Lissa was Xena's target since she didn't take her eyes off of the priestess. "Can you get me to Lissa?" she asked urgently into Kiaya's ear. "I think so. We might get jostled a bit. Are you going to be up to that?" "Just get me there, Kiaya, this has to be stopped once and for all. I can't carry on like this anymore and neither can Xena." Xena swung her sword around, knocking the pale-faced Amazon from her feet, sending her sword clattering to the ground. Another jumped at her from behind as several of the fallen Amazon's sisters pulled her from the reach of the warrior's sword. Xena's anger was building even more as the Amazons managed to stay out of killing reach and prevented her from getting to her target. She would kill them all, eventually, but first, she wanted Artemis to know her people were doomed and the easiest way to get her attention would be to kill her priestess. Lissa was so stunned at becoming a target that she hadn't moved since Xena had locked eyes with her. The warrior felt a biting sting on her sword arm as one of the Amazons got a blow in under her defences. Once again she launched herself into the night sky and flipped herself over the heads of the Amazons, coming to rest on the steps of the temple. Lissa couldn't move. Her feet were bound to the ground. Even when the Amazons had come to her defence, she hadn't been able to take her gaze from the drama being played out in front of her. It was as though some invisible force were holding her in place. Incredibly, she didn't feel panic as Xena leapt over the Amazon forces. Hands grabbed at her shoulder and pulled her towards the temple doors but it was too late. She sent a small prayer to Artemis and waited. Ephiny reached Lissa's side just as she saw Xena leap over the phalanx of Amazon defenders. Grasping hold of Lissa's shoulders, the Regent pulled at the priestess, intending to get her into the temple before Xena reached them. But a chilling voice caught hold of her. "Uh, uh, Ephiny, she's mine." Xena's voice was close and Ephiny whirled around, coming face to face with Hades' messenger of death. Terror squeezed Ephiny's heart as Xena's empty eyes looked past her, still focused on Lissa. The Regent clenched her hand tight around the hilt of her sword and prepared to defend Lissa to the death. Then for a frightening moment her muscles froze. "Time to say your prayers, priestess." Xena raised her sword. The priestess first, then the Regent, and if that didn't get Artemis' attention then the whole village would go this night. An explosion of light robbed her vision, but she drove her sword downward for a killing blow. The light was so brilliant it hurt Ephiny's eyes but it restored her to action. Her body worked on instinct and she swung her blade up in a desperate move to block Xena's blow. The force of Xena's strike almost took the Regent to her knees, but she resisted with strength born of fear and determination and deflected the blow away from the priestess and herself. Kiaya stopped as the light blinded her; they were almost at the top of the side steps to the temple, only a handful of paces away from Ephiny and Lissa. She held Gabrielle tightly as the bard buried her face into Kiaya's shoulder, protecting her eyes. The Goddess stood resplendent in her Amazon leathers, a glowing aura shrouding her body, protecting Ephiny and Lissa with her presence. The Regent let out a trembling breath and stepped back, pulling the priestess nearer to the temple doors and further away from Xena, though the warrior's attention was now firmly attached to the Goddess. The appearance of Artemis didn't faze Xena; she had expected the Goddess to turn up at some point, though she had to admit to being a little disappointed that it hadn't taken a few deaths to get her here. The Goddess obviously doted over the Amazons more than Xena had realised. Well, now that she was here, maybe they could finish this game that Artemis was so fond of playing. "Well, well, well, look who we have here." Xena let her sword drop to her side as she walked towards the Goddess. "Couldn't resist interfering with my life again? Or is it you were scared I might hurt your precious Amazons? You invited me here to play, but I guess the game is getting a little rough for you?" Xena stood before the Goddess, eyes blazing in accusation. "Are you happy now? Are you pleased that your toys have played your games so well?" "This isn't a game for me, Xena. It never has been; my Amazons are all that matter to me. Gabrielle is one of my Amazons, my chosen. You had a second chance; I gave that to you. I gave you life. I gave you Gabrielle." "Then why have you had Hades prevent me from returning? Gabrielle doesn't want or need me here. She's terrified of me! I know what she feels; I've seen it in her eyes. I've felt it in my being." Gabrielle pulled Kiaya's attention to her; they were standing a handful of paces behind and just to the right of Artemis, still in Xena's vision. Gabrielle felt a compelling need to be standing on her own two feet. She had never seen Xena carried to a confrontation and it made her feel uncomfortable that this Xena would think her weak for its necessity. "Kiaya, put me down." The Amazon looked at her Queen. "Are you sure you are strong enough to stand?" "I'll be okay. Just stay near." Kiaya put Gabrielle gently onto her feet but remained in close contact, supporting her. "Xena!" The warrior turned from the Goddess as the familiar voice yelled her name. Gabrielle stood against Kiaya, the tall Amazon supporting her injured Queen. "Xena, it wasn't Artemis. She passed on the request to Hades but it was me who asked her to prevent your return to his realm. It was my decision to call you here; Artemis only provided the means to do it." Gabrielle's heart thudded against her ribs as she stared at the stranger before her. Not even when she had travelled in Xena's dreamscape and met her as Death had she looked so terrifying. Yet she could see the conflict in her eyes as she battled her own inner turmoil. Could feel the war of wills that raged inside her body, the fleeting echoes of vulnerability and tenderness that had distinguished their relationship. Xena left the Goddess behind her, walking ominously towards Gabrielle. "You? It was you? Weren't you satisfied with destroying my life, my world? What, you wanted another go? You can't play with people like that! You can't play with me like that and not expect payment in return. Well, consider that debt repaid." Xena twirled her sword around her hand then thrust it towards the unarmed Queen. Whatever familiar aspects Gabrielle had seen in Xena's manner were now awash with darkness, but no matter how much darkness there was, she never expected Xena to harm her and was totally unprepared for her attack. Ephiny had been watching the interplay between her Queen and Xena with rapt attention. It was obvious to her that, whenever Gabrielle spoke, Xena had to battle herself not to answer as her partner. If she looked closely, she could see the conflict in the way her body moved. The warrior, though exhausted and tired, moved with precision. Yet, when Gabrielle spoke, there was a hesitancy, as though something buried deep inside fought her natural inclination to hit out. But Ephiny could also see how quickly these instances were beaten back. And, while she knew that Xena, in her right mind, would never hurt her bard, she also held no doubt that this incarnation would have little trouble in causing her harm. Maybe it was because Xena was so focused on Gabrielle that she let her intentions show in her eyes. As Xena thrust her sword at Gabrielle, Ephiny charged, ramming her shoulder into Xena's side, knocking them both from their feet. Kiaya also reacted immediately to Xena's attack, swiftly stepping in front of her Queen as Ephiny charged. Gabrielle was barely strong enough to stand by herself and Kiaya felt her wavering strength as she leant against her back. "Lissa! Help the Queen into the temple." Lissa tore her gaze from her Goddess, who had made no move to help her chosen when Xena had attacked. The Goddess had a strange sorrowful look on her face and Lissa realised that Artemis was unable to interfere; she was prevented from doing so by the Fates. Lissa looked back towards her Goddess even as she moved to aid her Queen. She's not able to help, but she knows what is about to happen. And once again the priestess felt true fear as the glistening of tears could be seen in Artemis' eyes. Xena threw the weight of the Amazon off of her and scrambled to her feet. She had managed to keep hold of her sword through the impact but Ephiny hadn't been so lucky; her sword and dagger lay just out of reach. Xena took a quick step forward and kicked the rising Amazon, lifting her off of the ground and sending her tumbling down the temple steps. Ephiny felt the crunching impact as Xena's boot connected with her body. Experienced the swirling confusion of sight and sound as she careened down the steps into a crumpled heap at the bottom. She rolled onto her stomach and tried to push herself to her feet but a sickening pain dimmed her vision. At least she'd distracted Xena enough to let Kiaya get between the warrior and their Queen. Ephiny lifted her head as her vision cleared and looked up to the top of the temple steps. Kiaya stepped away from Gabrielle, as Lissa came to the Queen's side to support her, and drew her sword. Ephiny's charge had taken Xena's attention from Gabrielle for a short time but the warrior had soon recovered and was once again focused on Gabrielle. Kiaya knew she was hopelessly outmatched even against the battered form that was before her. But she had been trained by Xena and had fought with her countless times; maybe she could give Lissa and the other Amazons time to get Gabrielle away. It was just possible that, with her out of sight, Xena might be calmed; unlikely, but possible. She blocked Xena's path and the warrior of death didn't even glance in her direction as she engaged her in battle. The first blow sent a familiar ringing vibration through her arms, but it was not as powerful as Kiaya remembered it and Kiaya threw it off with more ease than she had anticipated. Gabrielle felt Lissa's arm around her waist and leant into its strong succour. "Let's get into the temple, Gabrielle. Kiaya won't be able to hold her and I don't want the doors to be open any longer than necessary." "I'm not leaving," she said, as Kiaya's sword sang against Xena's. "This has to stop here; if we go inside, Xena will just follow. We can't risk letting her in amongst the injured. It would be a bloodbath." "She won't be able to get in. The doors are blessed by Artemis. Nobody can pass who isn't invited," replied the priestess, vainly trying to pull Gabrielle towards the entrance. Even in her weakened state, she was proving too unyielding to move. Gabrielle looked Lissa in the eyes. "Lissa, you said yourself that Artemis was no longer allowed to interfere in our affairs. The doors won't hold Xena. Our only chance is to stop her here. Because, if we can't stop her, once she has finished destroying the Amazons the rest of Greece won't be safe from her wrath. I doubt even the Gods would be able to stop her... and we know one would actively help her. So it ends here." Lissa gave up her attempt to get Gabrielle into the temple, knowing it was futile and that the Queen was right. "What do you want me to do?" "Just stay out of her way. It's me she wants."
The strain of the day was taking its toll on Kiaya. The initial battle and the search for survivors, her first confrontation with Xena, even carrying Gabrielle that short distance had weakened the already fragile strength of her arms. She had told the truth when she had said her left arm was as strong as her right had ever been, but it had never been put through a day like today had been. It was only because Xena's attention was focused on Gabrielle, behind her, that she had lasted this long. And Xena seemed somewhat reluctant to breach her defences. There had been a couple of times when Kiaya was sure she'd left herself open to a killing blow but it had never come. She danced back out of reach of a wide sideswipe from Xena's blade, her new position allowing her to see Ephiny clamber to her feet with the aid of several Amazon warriors. If she could hold Xena for a few moments more, then maybe they could overwhelm her. Gabrielle was certain her Xena was in the warrior in front of her. Kiaya should never have been able to fight her for this long. In fact, she was hardly even looking at Kiaya as she parried and blocked her thrusts; Xena's gaze was locked onto her. Gabrielle let their eyes meet and felt the shock of their connection echo through her. The turmoil she saw within those eyes was great and what she felt was even stronger yet: conflict. One sentence kept surfacing in her thoughts; you have to end it. With a jolt, she realised these were Xena's thoughts as well. She shook herself free of Lissa's restraining arms and stepped forward, bracing herself with a strength from deep within her, a well of courage she had never found before. Xena had let her instincts take over as Kiaya had stepped into her path. Deep inside, she recognised the Amazon as someone who had never lied to her, as someone she trusted. But that part of her was submerged so far in hate and anger that it was unable to stop the beast that demanded vengeance. While one part of her mind fought the Amazon, another concentrated on Gabrielle standing in the embrace of the priestess--just one more betrayal to the warped personality that was driving her. She felt a stirring from within Gabrielle, a determination she had rarely felt from the bard before, and she recognised it for what it was. The bard wanted this confrontation as much as she did; she wanted a conclusion to this just as she did. An end, an end to everything would suit her just fine. The change in the air currents alerted Xena to the presence of Amazons behind her, and, for a few seconds, she focused all her might and anger onto Kiaya. The power of Xena's blows intensified, and Kiaya saw that she now had the warrior's full attention. She only partially managed to deflect the thrust of Xena's sword and stumbled backwards. Raising her sword ineffectually against Xena's continued attack, Kiaya fell to the ground. Xena stepped forward, intent on delivering the final blow, when a well-known presence moved into reach. Forgetting the Amazon, she swung her fist, hitting Gabrielle. The pain was intense but Gabrielle had been expecting it. She had known what Xena would do if she came within reach. As she fell to the ground, her arms outstretched, her hand closed around the hilt of Ephiny's fallen sword. Feeling the cold steel in her hand, her heart clenched. It has to end here. Kiaya looked up to find out why the killing blow hadn't landed and saw Xena towering over her Queen, sword raised. She scrambled to her feet, leaving her sword behind, and flung herself towards the warrior. Xena stood above the sprawled bard, eyes filled with rage. Anticipation that the end of her torment was near filled her as she swung her sword down at the unprotected bard. A movement in her peripheral vision alerted her to Kiaya's attack and she twisted the blade to counter the Amazon's headlong charge. Gabrielle watched in horror as Kiaya flung herself, unarmed, towards Xena, as the warrior's sword began its descent. Xena began to turn towards the Amazon's attack and Gabrielle knew Kiaya was leaping to her death. Sending a quick prayer to the Gods for forgiveness, Gabrielle raised the sword and thrust it forwards, hitting Xena just below her armour. Xena felt the furnace-hot pain slice into her side below her armour line. Felt the burning pain that didn't come from her injuries, shock and guilt that didn't belong to her but to her friend and partner. She turned incredulous eyes towards the pale-faced Gabrielle whose hands were now covered in the red gore of battle. Her bard, her friend who should never have been exposed to the terror of battle had now killed to stop the blind rage that had threatened her people, even though it was in the form of her best friend. Xena felt the terrible rage that had consumed her falter. Each beat of her heart was sending waves of pain through her body; her arms began to weaken as the loss of blood took its toll, and her sword began to slip from her hands. Fierce pain and shock battered at Gabrielle's mind and she watched in silent dread as Xena turned and stared at her. The warrior's face had gone a deathly shade of white, but her eyes still burned blue. But, even as Gabrielle watched, the fire in those eyes began to dim and falter. Then Kiaya, still charging, crashed into Xena, driving the sword further into the already damaged body. A small inarticulate cry of horror tore itself from Gabrielle's throat and she instinctively jumped up, pulling the sword from her partner's crumpling form. Ephiny and her Amazons reached the top of the temple steps and came to a sudden halt at the tableau before them. Gabrielle stood, physically shaking from head to toe, Ephiny's sword grasped in her blood-covered hand. Kiaya was slouched over Xena, who was lying in a rapidly spreading pool of blood. Lissa and the Huntress stood to one side, silently absorbed in the deadly play being acted out before them. Kiaya found herself once again on the ground, tangled, this time, in the arms of the Warrior Princess. Fascinated by the fact that she was still breathing, she scrambled away to give herself room to defend against Xena's next attack. She sat staring at Xena, pulling deep lungfulls of breath, puzzled at why the warrior wasn't moving... until she saw a ribbon of blood trickle from the corner of her slightly parted lips. The echoing clatter of Ephiny's sword hitting the ground, as it fell from the bard's hand, spurred both Gabrielle and Ephiny into action. Ephiny moved towards Gabrielle as the bard threw herself to her knees at Xena's side. Ignoring her own injury, Gabrielle slid her arm beneath Xena's shoulders, lifting the now limp body into her arms. "Xena?" Gabrielle's shaky voice barely carried to Ephiny and the rest of the Amazons. Tears began to stream from her eyes and her hand trembled as she carefully wiped the blood from Xena's face. "Xena?" Her voice became more frantic as she shook the warrior, getting no response. Her hand, that had so gently caressed the warrior's face, now forcefully pressed against Xena's side as Gabrielle tried to staunch the blood that ran freely from the deep, gaping wound. But the precious life force continued to seep between her fingers. "Come on, Xena, stay with me!" Gabrielle's voice choked as the pain of the emotion she was feeling took a vice-like grip around her heart. Then Xena's eyes fluttered and opened, blankly staring towards the sky, and Gabrielle's heart stopped. The bard leant nearer, holding the warrior close. "It will be alright, I promise, Xena, I'll make it right. Just hold on for me, Cassandra will fix you up." Gabrielle's gaze never moved from Xena, her tears leaving rivers of white as they washed the blood from her face. She lifted her partner higher as the warrior tried to speak. She could barely hear what Xena was trying to tell her and dropped her ear close to Xena's mouth. "It's... over... no... more." A feather-light touch startled the bard as Xena managed to lift a gore-covered hand to the bard's face. "Sorry... I didn't... mean to... hurt you." "Shh, you didn't." Gabrielle started to rock the warrior as she spoke. "You didn't. That wasn't you." "Forgive me?" The bard had to strain to hear the words. "Oh, love, there is nothing to forgive." Gabrielle's tears began in earnest once more. "Don't talk now; save your strength." A hint of a smile crossed Xena's face. "Love you." And her eyes drifted closed. "Xena? Xena, don't do this to me, not again." Gabrielle gently shook the fallen warrior. "No!" Her voice became harsher. "Don't you dare leave me, you promised." She lifted her hand from Xena's side and pressed it into her neck, searching for her pulse. No flicker of life remained. "No!" Her eyes frantically looked toward the watching Amazons then up at Ephiny, who shook her head, helplessly. Despair twisted Gabrielle's face and she pulled Xena's limp form tightly to her chest. "Noooooooooo!"
The Amazon nation stilled as Gabrielle's cry of grief echoed throughout the village and forest, then into silence. Not an Amazon moved, not a bird sang, as the bard folded herself around the body of her soulmate. Gabrielle sat clutching tightly at the still warm, yet lifeless, body of her partner. She still couldn't tell whether her heart was beating so rapidly that she couldn't feel it or whether it had just stopped completely. A dark empty hole had opened in her soul and she knew that, no matter what, nothing would ever be able to fill it. She barely felt the tears that were cascading down her face; the pain of her wound was insignificant compared to that of her heart and soul. She was unable to close her eyes. Each time she did, her mind was filled by the dazzling, yet so rare, smile of her partner. The smile that put shame to the golden orb of Apollo's chariot and now would never be seen again. She wanted to scream, to hit out, but her body refused to release its hold on her friend, so she just sat gently rocking her. ******************** Eponin sat upright as the cry echoed around her, recognising the voice of her Queen. "Stop! Let me get off of this thing." Her voice was thready from the battering her body had taken in battle but it still held the edge of authority. The Amazon entourage came to a halt and Eponin pushed herself up and swung her legs off of the litter. "Where do you think you're going?" Eponin hadn't seen the young healer as Ariana walked up behind her. "I'll get to the village quicker on my feet." Ariana reached a hand out to restrain the weapons master but it was slapped away as Eponin rose to her feet. "Eponin, you're injured." "Yes, I am. But last time I looked I was still the weapons master of this village. That's the second cry that's come from there and that time it was Gabrielle. If you think I'm staying here, then you are sadly mistaken." Ariana sighed and looked at the other Amazons who were wisely staying out of the argument. "Fine, go. I won't stop you." Eponin smiled at the young Amazon, making a note in her mind to tell Cassandra how well she had performed. Then she turned and, at a steady, yet still jolting, pace, ran the several hundred paces that still needed to be covered to the village. She'd gone at least a hundred of those paces before she realised that Diana and Venna had followed her. The lethargy that the inaction of the last few candlemarks had settled over her lifted and she pushed her pace up a few degrees. ******************** Ephiny stood silently at her Queen's shoulder, horrified at the turn of events. Tears of grief and anger streamed down her face. She slowly raised her head and looked over at the huddled form of Kiaya, who was staring at Gabrielle. Then the Regent slowly turned to face Artemis, her anger burning hot. "You knew, didn't you?" She took a step closer to the huntress, her face full of anger and sorrow. "You knew this would happen." "I had my suspicions that it might end in this way, yes." Artemis' voice held no anger towards the questioning Amazon, only quiet resignation at a course of events she could not change. "Then why?" Ephiny's fury overwhelmed whatever inhibitions talking to a God normally fostered in her. "Because that was the only way," came the soft reply. "That was the only way? You're a God and the death of our Queen's partner was the only thing you could come up with? And, not just her death, but at Gabrielle's hands?" Ephiny's emotions caught up with her and tears streamed, again, down her face. "Yes, I am a God, Ephiny, and I can control many things, but death is not in my domain; that belongs to another. You already knew I couldn't help and any interference by me would have been construed by the fates as help." The Goddess took a step forward, frustration showing on her face. "You think I wanted it to end this way? I didn't… I need my Queen to be strong. There are still many trials ahead for our nation. I may not have liked what Xena was, but even I can see that her death in this manner will destroy Gabrielle." "So, what happens now?" asked the Regent, frowning as the Goddess began to fade from her sight. "The matter has left my hands and now rests in the hands of others, Ephiny." Ephiny looked at Lissa as Artemis disappeared. "That's all she can do?" The priestess shrugged her shoulders. Ephiny looked back toward her Queen, her shoulders slumping even more as she watched the young woman rock her partner back and forth, gently. ******************** Eponin and her two followers pounded past the unguarded entrance to the village. The weapons master's eyes quickly scanned the village. Seeing the cluster of Amazon warriors at the top of the temple steps, she made her way over to them. Ephiny's gaze left the grief-stricken bard as she heard footsteps ascending the steps. The Amazons she had called to her side parted. Seeing the battered, but alive, body of her friend lightened the load she had settled on her shoulders, but not by much. She hurried over to Eponin as she reached the top of the steps to prevent her from charging over to Gabrielle and her warrior. Ephiny took in the wounded shoulder of her friend but enveloped her in a tight embrace, anyway. Eponin returned the Regent's hug but was shocked at Ephiny's reaction to her arrival; until she looked over her shoulder and saw Gabrielle wrapped around the very still, blood-covered form of the Warrior Princess. Ephiny felt the weapons master stiffen as she saw their Queen and her partner and she pulled back out of the embrace. "It's good to have you back. Things got way out of hand." Eponin looked deeply into Ephiny's brown eyes. "What happened?" "I'll tell you everything, later, but Xena is dead…" "Who did it?" Eponin's voice was small, showing the shock she felt at the great warrior's demise. "I promise I'll tell you everything later. Are you well enough to help me with Gabrielle?" Eponin nodded. "Thank you." The Regent turned and softly called over to Lissa. The priestess, hearing her name, quietly made her way past the grieving bard to the Regent. "Lissa, get Cassandra out of the temple and bring her here. But tell everybody else to stay put until they are told it's safe. I don't want anymore than necessary to see this." Lissa nodded her head in reply and left, walking towards her entrance at the back of her place of worship. "Eponin, you think you could get these warriors to clear somewhere that we can lay Xena's body?" "Yeah, I can sort that out." Her eyes hadn't left the tragic scene before her. "What's up with Kiaya?" she asked, after noticing the Amazon huddled near Xena's body. She looked at Ephiny, seeing the pain in her eyes burn anew at the question. "Never mind, tell me later. I'll get these ladies to work, then come give you a hand." Eponin turned towards Venna and Diana who were still close to the weapons master and who, though trying hard to hide their shock at the situation, were failing miserably. Eponin swiftly looked at the rest of the silently gathered Amazons, noting that the same look of grief appeared on all of their faces and their eyes told the story of a great warrior lost. Ephiny watched her friend take charge of the Amazons and felt the balance of responsibility shift. Eponin would take care of the village, allowing her to look after their Queen. Though how she would manage to bring Gabrielle back from this disaster, she had no idea. ******************** Cassandra, like every other Amazon in the temple, had heard the heart-wrenching wail of their Queen echo through the building, but, unlike most of the others, she had some idea what may have happened. Her fears were confirmed when one of the acolytes pulled her into a side room and ushered her through another door into Lissa's presence. Cassandra took in the distressed form of the priestess and her now tear-stained face. "Xena's dead," Lissa stated in a matter-of-fact way and raised her eyes to the healer's. "Gabrielle killed her." Her voice broke as she told the healer the news. For several moments, Cassandra's heart actually stopped beating. Then it started again, pushing the blood around her body at a much faster rate than it had done previously, while she tried to determine the consequences of what Lissa had just told her. She had thought the Warrior Princess dead, and knew that Gabrielle was having a hard time accepting her soulmate's death. But in time she would recover, as she had begun to since she had told the warrior to leave. But to have Xena die at her own hands might be an insurmountable torment. Cassandra let out a sigh. At least Gabrielle hadn't bonded to Xena, she thought. "She had." Cassandra looked up, puzzled, at the priestess. "You said, 'at least Gabrielle hadn't bonded to Xena.' Just before she confronted her, Gabrielle said she could feel everything that was going on inside Xena and that if she wasn't stopped now she would be unstoppable." Cassandra realised she must have spoken aloud. "Oh, sweet Artemis; this is bad, Lissa. Where is she? I need to get to her, fast." "Ephiny has asked for you to attend her, anyway; but I thought you should know what has happened before you went out." "This could kill our Queen, Lissa. The loss of a soulmate is not something to mess about with. It is bad enough that Xena is dead, but for it to be by Gabrielle's hand... That alone may have pushed our Queen so far into despair that we are unable to get her back. But if she has bonded to her then the chances are we will lose her, too." The healer looked around the small room. "I need my things." "We can go through the main doors, now. Ephiny has asked for everybody not already outside to remain in the temple. Get your things; I'll meet you at the doors." Kiaya sat with her eyes still locked on her grief-stricken Queen, unable to tear her eyes away from Gabrielle's pain. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, its pulse beating a loud tattoo behind her eyes. She felt her hands begin to tremble as the shock of Xena's death began to make itself known. This was her fault. If she had not returned to the Amazons then they would have been unaware of Xena's continued existence. But she had so wanted to make things right for her friend. She had known that returning with her story to the village would start Gabrielle thinking about her partner and her whereabouts. She knew that the little bard wouldn't allow the warrior to hide from the world and her own fears. She knew that Gabrielle would force Xena to find a way to defeat or at least suppress the darkness that lay within her. But for that defeat to have meant her death was inconceivable. Kiaya's body flinched violently as a hand clasped hold of her shoulder. She managed to tear her eyes from Gabrielle's tortured face and looked up at Ephiny. Ephiny squeezed Kiaya's shoulder tightly. "I need to you to help me with Gabrielle. Can you do that?" Kiaya heard the concern in the Regent's voice, and was faintly disgusted with herself that she was causing Ephiny that concern. She shook herself physically, trying to shake off the shroud of grief that held her immobile. "Yes, I can do that." She planted her hands on the ground to push herself to her feet and stopped. Her eyes slowly travelled down to see her hands bathed in the crimson pool of blood that had spread from Xena's body. Ephiny, seeing Kiaya's eyes widen in shock, grabbed the Amazon beneath her arms and hauled her to her feet. Kiaya's eyes hadn't left her blood-soaked hands and Ephiny turned the Amazon round so she could look into her face. "This is my fault." Kiaya's voice was no more than a whisper. "I killed her." Ephiny placed her hands on either side of Kiaya's face and forced her gaze away from her hands. "Listen to me. None of this is your fault; none of this is anybody's fault." "But if I hadn't come..." "No, Kiaya, this is not your fault, it's not Gabrielle's, it's not Xena's, it is not anybody's fault. We are just pieces in some cosmic game that the Gods are playing. If anyone's to blame, they are. But we have to help Gabrielle, now." "Yeah," she said, wiping the tears from her face. "I'm fine. It's just... I'm fine." She took a deep breath and turned towards Gabrielle, then looked back to the Regent. "Hades, Ephiny. How do we help her get through this?" "I have no idea, Kiaya, but we will find a way. We need to get her away from Xena's body. Eponin has some of the warriors preparing a resting place for her." "I'll look after Xena," the younger Amazon said. "I think you'd better be with Gabrielle." "Ephiny!" The Regent looked over to the temple door and saw Lissa and Cassandra exit through it. "We need to talk." The healer's voice drifted over to them and Kiaya and Ephiny slowly walked across to them. "Cassandra, we need to get Gabrielle over to the palace. But I don't think she's going to react too well to us taking Xena from her." "No, she's not, Ephiny. Lissa was telling me that Gabrielle told her that she could feel what Xena was feeling. Gabrielle has bonded to her, Ephiny." The healer ran her hand through her hair. "This is bad. This is really bad. I don't know whether we'll be able to get her through this." Cassandra hated to be the one to cause the stricken look on the Regent's face, but she could think of no other way of telling her. "This just gets better and better doesn't it?" said the Regent, anger building up in her voice again. "You think our illustrious patron is enjoying herself, now?" "Ephiny!" hissed Lissa. "It does us no good to curse the Gods." The Regent's shoulders slumped. "I know, Lissa. I'm just mad and have no one to take it out on. Anyone know how we can do this?" "Yeah," said Kiaya. "Lissa and I will take Xena, and you and Cassandra can look after Gabrielle." "Okay, let's get this over with." Lissa and Kiaya stepped nervously into the pool of blood that coated the floor in front of Gabrielle and her partner. The plan was quite simple: Lissa and Kiaya would gently remove Gabrielle's death grip from Xena and then remove the warrior's body, whilst Ephiny and Cassandra took the Queen over to the palace. None of them believed it would be as simple as that, but if they didn't do it soon they might not be able to. They dropped to their knees ignoring the warm fluid that adhered to their skin. Lissa tentatively reached out toward Gabrielle's hand, studiously avoiding looking into the Queen's face; knowing that to gaze into that well of grief would paralyse her with sorrow and pain. Gabrielle's skin was ice cold, but the young bard didn't flinch at her touch. The priestess glanced to the left to see that Kiaya gently held her other hand. Gabrielle seemed unaware of their presence; Lissa looked over her head and saw Ephiny nod. She took a firmer hold on the chilled hand and started to pull it away from the warrior's body. The bard was stronger than she looked, but Kiaya knew it was more than physical strength that was keeping her arms clutched around the dead warrior. It was the knowledge that to let go would make it real; the knowledge that this would be the last time she held Xena in her arms. It was goodbye. It was only as they forced Gabrielle's hands away from Xena's body that the grieving Queen reacted to their presence. She didn't make a sound and her silence was deafening as she attempted to pull her hands back to the warrior, but Kiaya and Lissa held firm. Ephiny, seeing her young friend begin to struggle, knelt behind her and wrapped her arms around her, trying to provide some measure of comfort to her. She could feel Gabrielle trembling under her touch; her muscles clenched in anger and denial as her body refused to accept the separation from Xena. "No." At first, Ephiny was unsure that she'd heard the bard's broken voice, but the heart-rending cry was repeated with more force. "No! Don't touch her!" It wasn't just her arms that were battling against them now; Gabrielle had thrown her whole body into the struggle to stay with Xena. Despite the lancing pain that Ephiny felt in her soul at depriving her friend of her heart's wish, she didn't let go but gradually pulled the bard back from the warrior. Cassandra could see that speed was required. The pain of removing their Queen's soulmate from her arms was causing as much agony to the Amazons as it was to their Queen. As soon as they had loosened Gabrielle's grip around the warrior, Cassandra stepped in and grabbed the limp form beneath the shoulders and began to slide the body out of the bard's arms. Gabrielle's attempts to free herself from restraint grew more determined, her cries of grief more profound. Cassandra had misjudged the strength required to move Xena's body and was struggling to completely remove her from Gabrielle's grasp; then two hands appeared by her side. The healer glanced up; she felt the strain on her arms ease as Eponin took the weight of the warrior's body. Ephiny braced herself from the torrent of grief that she knew would come from Gabrielle as Xena was slipped from her arms. She was startled when the bard slumped, the fight having totally gone out of her as soon as the warrior's body was beyond her reach. Lissa and Kiaya quickly released Gabrielle's arms, allowing Ephiny to gather the bard more closely to her. Eponin helped Cassandra move the warrior's body out of Gabrielle's line of vision then waved the healer away as Kiaya and Lissa came over to help her. The weapons master lovingly crossed Xena's arms across her chest, then, seeing her sword on the ground, picked it up so it could accompany the warrior to her resting place. She signalled to the Amazons who had been helping her and together they gently lifted the warrior's body and carried it away. The healer quietly approached the Regent and their Queen, her concern growing as she saw the spirit had fled from the bard. Her hand gently rubbed Ephiny's shoulder to get her attention. "We should get her over to the palace." The Regent nodded and together they got Gabrielle to her feet and led her towards the palace. ******************** Several candlemarks later the Amazon village was subdued; the funeral pyres for the fallen had been lit and Lissa had presided over the ceremonies in place of the Queen and her Regent. Ephiny had refused to leave Gabrielle's side and the Amazons hadn't really expected her to. The souls of those crossing over would understand their absence. The injured, including Solari, who had been brought in shortly after the Amazons had left the temple, had been moved from the temple to the healer's infirmary under the care of the junior healer, Gina. Cassandra was in the palace, attending to the needs of the Regent and their heartbroken Queen. She had welcomed Ariana on her return and had asked the young healer to care for Xena's body. The young healer had been conscious of the huge responsibility she had been given. She wanted things to be perfect--a show of respect for the warrior who had done so much for the nation and was so loved by their Queen. She had had the warrior's leathers removed so that they could be repaired and cleaned. Her armour had been given to the blacksmith, who had assured her it would be gleaming by the time it was required. She had warm water brought to the hut and had gently cleaned the blood and gore from the warrior's body. She had left the hut only for a short while, to collect the equipment she would need to close the wounds on Xena's body and to attend the lighting of the funeral pyres. It had been a tiring day and the hut had a sharp chill to it now that the sun had been down for a couple of candlemarks. The flickering torches that dimly lit the room did little to alleviate the shiver that ran down her spine. Ariana felt her heartbeat double as her eyes once again fell onto the body of the warrior. Her forehead creased in a frown as she noticed blood trickling from the wounds on Xena's body. Placing the needle and thread she had acquired from Cassandra's hut on a table nearby, she picked up the cloth she had used earlier and rinsed it in the water bowl standing on the table. The healer slowly walked to the warrior's body and carefully began to wash the blood away for the second time that day. The back of her hand caressed the warrior's face and her frown deepened; she put the cloth down and placed her hand firmly on the warrior's cheek. ******************** Cassandra sat tiredly in the outer room of the palace. After some time, she had convinced Ephiny to at least sit down but she was still in Gabrielle's room. The young Queen hadn't uttered a word since Xena's body had been removed; the healer and the Regent had all but carried the Queen back to the palace. They had laid the bard on her bed and removed her bloody clothing and cleaned her but had gotten no response from her. She just lay there and Cassandra was growing more worried by the second. A quiet knock on the newly repaired door roused the healer from her thoughts and she pulled herself to her feet as Ariana entered the palace. "What's the problem, Ariana?" The younger healer wrung her hands, nervously. "It's Xena's body. There's something not quite right." "What do you mean?" "I think you'd better come and see for yourself." The two healers stood looking through the doorway of the hut holding Xena's body. "I've washed the body twice and every time I leave, even if it is only for a moment, it begins to bleed again. She's been dead for more than a few candlemarks, Cassandra. That wound bled enough for there to be no blood left in the body. Another thing I noticed, you know how when you leave a body lying and the blood settles causing bruises?" Cassandra nodded. "Well, that hasn't occurred here. But, here's what really convinced me." The younger healer walked up to the body and put her hand on it once more. "She's still warm." Cassandra hurriedly bustled over to Xena's body to confirm for herself what Ariana was saying. After a hurried conversation with Ariana, Cassandra left the hut in search of Lissa. She found the priestess in the temple with her acolytes, cleaning up the mess left behind from becoming the infirmary during the battle for the village. She took the priestess to one side and explained the unusual condition of Xena's body. "I have no idea what is going on, but I am loath to consign Xena's body to the funeral pyre without investigating this further," said the healer. "I agree, especially with the circumstances of her death, and the involvement of the Olympian's in this matter. So what are we going to do?" "I think we need to tell Ephiny, and maybe you could ask our patron whether she knows what's going on?" "I don't know how receptive she would be to that; we have rather abused her patience. I get the feeling she knew something like this would happen, maybe even planned on it." "So will you ask?" "I'll try, but I can't promise that we'll get an answer." "I'll be over in the palace." Ephiny sat bolt upright, waking from the slumber as she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Her eyes immediately went to the bard who was curled tight beneath the blanket that Ephiny had draped over her. The bard didn't seem to have moved since she'd laid her head down. She looked at the hand on her shoulder and followed the arm until she came to Cassandra's steady gaze. "Everything okay?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and Cassandra gently squeezed her shoulder. "Let's just say we have an interesting development." Ephiny raised her eyebrow. "Xena. I'm not quiet convinced she's dead." Ephiny's face showed her shock. "What?" "I'm not quite sure she's dead. Ariana came to me, earlier. She'd noticed some peculiarities with Xena's body." "Peculiarities? Such as?" The Regent stood and motioned the healer out of the sleeping chamber, not wanting to wake the bard, especially to the news that her partner might not be dead. She'd hate to get the bard's hopes up over nothing. "Xena's body hasn't cooled, and her wounds have not yet stopped bleeding." Cassandra sat in the chair she had vacated earlier as Ephiny sat down next to the fire. "Do you have any idea what that could mean?" "This couldn't happen unless…" "The Gods," Ephiny stated flatly. "I have asked Lissa to look into it." Cassandra looked over at the Regent to see her reaction. Ephiny quirked her eyebrow again. "You really think Artemis will tell us anything after my little outburst this afternoon?" Cassandra smiled at the Regent. "I rather think our patron was expecting it. It was, after all, a very stressful day." "Yeah, it was. More for some than others." Her eyes slid over to the open door and Gabrielle's sleeping form.
Gabrielle opened her eyes as a scorching heat suddenly hit her. Startled by the sight before her, she nearly stepped over the edge of the ravine she stood upon. Hastily she scanned the area before stepping backwards onto surer footing. She was standing on a small, yet high, outcropping of rocks, surrounded on all sides by red-hot molten lava. The bard flinched as a fork of lightning erupted from the black, boiling sky, striking nearby. As she let her gaze travel towards the horizon she saw that everywhere in sight was the same; small islands of land surrounded by a sea of crimson, liquid rock. Tartarus, she thought. "Not quite." Gabrielle jumped at the voice close to her ear and her head whipped around searching for its owner. "It's about as close as you could come to it outside of the underworld, though." Gabrielle stifled the urge to take a step backward as Hades removed his helm and appeared by her side. "So, we're not in Tartarus?" Relief from anxiety edged into the bard's voice. Now used to having the Gods appear, she showed only curiosity. "Then, where are we?" "Come now, Gabrielle, surely you recognise the pristine landscape? You've been here before." Gabrielle let her eyes travel the horizon, again. But nothing triggered her memory of this place and she shook her head. "Well, I suppose it has changed a little since you were here last." Gabrielle looked at him from under hooded eyebrows. "This is Xena's dreamscape." Startled by this revelation, the bard gasped. "It can't be, she's dead. Her body is lying in the Amazon Palace." She could picture the hut that Xena's body would be laid in; she'd seen it once before. "Her body might be. But just because you have a body doesn't mean she's dead. You, of all people, should know that, Gabrielle. After all, you have been in this position before, haven't you?" "But, I killed her." The gasp that had come from her as her hands had become slick with Xena's warm blood rang in her ears. "I drove a sword into her side." She could feel the impact as the sword had sliced into the warrior. "I held her in my arms." …the weight as her friend had crumpled to the ground. "She stopped breathing." …those last agonising words that had penetrated her heart so deep. Hades turned to face the bard, his hand rising to her shoulder. "Gabrielle, I am the Lord of the Underworld; my sister is Death. Do you not think I would know if my favourite warrior was dead?" "Then, where is she?" Gabrielle was almost afraid to allow herself to believe him. "She's here, somewhere." He turned and waved his arm towards the horizon. "Take me to her," the bard pleaded. "I can't take you to her, Gabrielle. This is Xena's domain, not mine. I know she's here but I don't know where. You'll have to find her, yourself." "But…" "Gabrielle, nobody can solve this for you. I can give you time but nothing more." The God raised his helm. "I have things I must attend to. Good luck in your search, Gabrielle. I'll be nearby if you succeed." "Succeed in what?" the bard yelled as Hades disappeared from sight. "Ahhh! I hate it when they do that," she grumbled to herself, then paused, a smile growing on her face, a bubbling well of joy erupting in the pit of her stomach. She's alive! "Yes! I knew she wouldn't leave me." She let her eyes travel the landscape once again, seeing it in a different light. "So, now all I have to do is find her; that is, after I've devised a way of getting off this pile of rock surrounded on all sides by molten lava. Sweet Artemis, Xena, why can't you ever make things easy? I mean, lava? A raging river I could understand, but lava?" ******************** A cold wind swept through the door as Lissa stepped through, waking Ephiny from the light sleep she had drifted into, her body still trying to overcome the exhaustion she was feeling. The Regent managed a small smile for the priestess as she closed the door behind her. Cassandra got up from her chair and, using a stick, stirred the fire back to life and added another log. "Storm's brewing, wind's started picking up and I think it's going to rain," said the priestess as she discarded the cloak she had worn around her shoulders. "But, you don't really want to know about the weather, do you?" "Not really," the healer said, sitting herself back down in the chair. "Did you manage to find anything out?" asked Ephiny. Lissa walked over to the fire and curled onto her knees opposite the Regent. "I'm not too sure." She held her hands out to the fire to get the chill out of her fingers. "I asked and the reply I got was 'it is out of my hands.'" "Have either of you noticed," all eyes turned to the healer, "that every time we've asked Artemis for an answer she's said that it 'wasn't up to her' or that 'it was out of her hands'?" Cassandra gazed into the fire then lifted her head slightly. "Makes me wonder whether or not we're asking the right God?" "Well, who else could it be?" Ephiny clambered to her feet and wandered over to a small table filled with fruit. She picked up one of the wineskins and a couple of mugs before wandering back and settling herself down again. Lissa shrugged her shoulders, but Cassandra, deep in thought, murmured "Who else? That's a good question." She took a breath and then continued. "Who else has an interest in Xena?" "Ares." Ephiny handed a mug of wine over to Lissa and then passed one over to the healer. "Yes, there is our friendly God of War. Anybody else?" Silence greeted her question and she looked at both of her friends. "I was kinda thinking of Hades." "Hades?" asked the Regent and priestess at the same time. "Well, who else could persuade Celesta not to take Xena. Who else has a vested interest in our warrior? A part of her does belong to him, and it is that part that has caused the problems, if I'm not mistaken." "So, what are you saying?" Ephiny drank from her mug. "You think that Hades cooked all this up?" "No. I think Artemis saw where this was going from the start and made contingency plans. She would have to have had Hades' permission before she gave Gabrielle the scroll; and Hades was the one who wouldn't let Xena return to his realm after the battle." "But, isn't killing her a little extreme?" asked Lissa. "Unless that wasn't supposed to happen," replied Ephiny. "What if what we are looking at here is a major miscalculation on their part?" "In what way?" The healer shifted in her chair, leaning down towards the Regent. "What if they underestimated Xena's response to not being able to return? From what Gabrielle has said in the past and from what we've witnessed, we know that Xena was unpredictable. Maybe they thought that just getting Gabrielle back into her life would fix things?" "Then, when it didn't," continued Lissa, "when everything started to unravel, killing her was all they could come up with?" "But, if we're right, then she's not dead, is she?" said Cassandra.
Eponin slowly walked through the village, the wind ruffling her hair; she had told Ariana that she would go to the healer's once she had made sure that the village was secure. After everything that had happened today, she didn't want any intrusions in the middle of the night. She hadn't been surprised on walking the perimeter to find her warriors unsettled by the death of a legend, unsure of what was happening to their Queen. They needed reassurances that, despite the day's events, all would be well in the nation. The weapons master had tried her best to alleviate their worries, but how could she do that effectively when she had the same worries? The flickering of torches illuminated the outside of the hut in which she had laid Xena's body earlier. The guards who had been stationed there would no doubt be inside on a night like tonight. She stood undecided and then her legs made the decision for her and took her into the hut. She nodded at the two guards, who stood to attention just within the doorway, pleased to see that they had the foresight to erect a partition between themselves and the warrior's body. Stepping around the partition was one of the hardest things the weapons master had ever done. For some reason, she had never expected to Xena to die. She had always thought that, even when the world was old and crumbling, Xena and the bard would still be walking it. Even though she'd stood in this position before, gazing at the warrior's body, it still didn't seem entirely true. Ariana had been busy. Xena's armour was placed beside her, gleaming brightly in the dim torch light; her leathers, repaired and oiled, were draped over a chair. The warrior herself was covered, up to her neck, with a light sheet but Eponin could see that her wounds had been sewn and dressed. The weapons master moved closer, almost within touching distance. "This wasn't supposed to happen, Xena. You were supposed to come back and Gabrielle was going to make everything right. You weren't supposed to leave her, us, like this." Eponin felt the stinging that indicated that tears had appeared in her eyes. "Damn it!" Her hand slammed down on the monolith where Xena's body lay. "You promised her." The first tear escaped and slowly rolled down her cheek. The weapons master raised her hand and gently brushed the hair from Xena's face, pausing as she felt an unusual warmth to the warrior's skin. A slight frown crossed her face and she trailed her hand down to the warrior's neck, to feel at the pulse point, but felt nothing. But her mind was now stirring, questions being asked. She's come back before. Who's to say she isn't trying, this time? She stepped back and wiped another tear quickly from her face, staring intently at Xena's body before turning and leaving the hut faster than she had entered. ******************** Gabrielle had given up walking around the small island she had awoken on; she had walked for several candlemarks. At least, she thought it was several candlemarks--the scenery didn't change morning, noon or night and so she had no frame of reference by which to judge. Still, she had finally sat down after figuring out that there was no way for her to get off the island to those that surrounded her. Indeed, she didn't see how it was possible for her to get about in this landscape. She sat with her chin in her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. Every now and then, an idea would surface but she would quickly discard it; having no tools available was limiting. What I really need is some rope, she mused. No, no, what I really need is a bridge or, better yet, I need this place to turn back into the meadow it used to be. "Damn it, Hades! A little help wouldn't go amiss here!" she yelled at the top of her voice, getting no response. "Typical. Always interfering when you don't need them and, when you do, nowhere to be found." She went back to contemplating her predicament. ******************** Eponin trotted across the compound, heading directly for the palace. Activities in the village had ceased for the day. The Amazons were safely in their dwellings, quietly discussing the day and remembering those who had fallen, or curled up tight, holding loved ones close. Eponin knew that the Regent wouldn't have yet left the palace even if Artemis herself had ordered her to. The weapons master needed to talk to her friend; things weren't quite right and she could feel an energy in the air. Eponin nodded at the two guards as she took the palace steps two at a time, knocked on the door and walked in. Cassandra, she noticed, was sitting comfortably in a chair in front of the fire, which had burnt low. Ephiny and Lissa were resting on pillows on either side of the fire and all three faces turned in her direction as she entered. The weapons master smiled at her friends, the excitement at her discovery shining through. "I've just come from Xena's hut and there's something I think you ought to…" "We already know," said Ephiny, waving Eponin over to join them. "We were just discussing our options." Eponin walked over and crouched next to the Regent. "Has anyone…" "Did you get your shoulder seen to, yet?" interrupted Cassandra, peering intently at the warrior. "No, I've had more important things to see to," replied the Amazon. "Besides, Ariana did a good patch in the forest." The weapons master turned and let her brown eyes engage in battle with the healer's grey orbs. "She's a good healer, Cassandra," she said with quiet stubbornness. The healer smirked at the weapons master, knowing that she was going to regret letting Eponin get away with not following her instructions. "I know she is. Still, let me have a quick look at it to be on the safe side." The healer pointed to the floor next to her and Eponin slid over and sat next to her as she fussed with the bandage. Lissa quietly watched the interplay between her three friends, regarding Eponin with special interest. Most people looked at her as just another warrior, all blood and battle, but, to the priestess, she was the greatest of friends. She was someone she felt safe confiding in, someone who supported her without question. She often wondered if their friendship came anywhere near the devotion that she had seen between their queen and her warrior. She felt drawn to her in a way she had never felt for anyone else. She sighed, thinking of things that would most probably never be, then spoke. "You were about to ask something, Eponin. What was it?" The weapons master didn't lift her head from watching Cassandra's ministrations. "I just wondered if anybody had checked on Gabrielle?" Cassandra's hands stopped and Eponin lifted her eyes to see her three friends looking at each other; then all eyes focused on her, before they all scrambled to their feet and rushed towards Gabrielle's sleeping chamber. Ephiny gently touched Gabrielle's face, letting out a relieved sigh as she felt the warm tickle of her friend's breathing caress her palm. She looked up at the others and smiled. "She's okay; she's still with us. A little cold, though." "Try waking her up," suggested Lissa. Ephiny frowned. "Why?" "It's just a feeling I have. Try it." The Regent knelt beside the bard and shook her shoulder. "Gabrielle," she whispered into her ear. Ephiny shook harder as she got no response. "Gabrielle?" Louder this time. Ephiny felt her hand being taken off the bard as Cassandra nudged her away. She sat back and watched as the healer gave Gabrielle a quick examination. "I can't see anything wrong," said the healer as she finished. "She's had an exhausting day, though, and with that wound as well, it's not surprising we can't wake her." "You're saying this is normal, then?" asked Ephiny. The healer just shrugged. "Excuse me for being extremely stupid here but doesn't anybody think this is entirely too coincidental?" Eponin had all eyes focussed on her again. "I mean, here we have Gabrielle asleep, breathing away, but cold as death and unrousable. And, across the square, we have Xena dead but still bleeding and feeling warm?" "We know something's going on, Eponin, we're just not sure what," replied the Regent. "Would Artemis know?" inquired the weapons master. "I've already asked Artemis, but she either can't help or isn't inclined to." The priestess was beginning to show her frustration at this repetitive question and the god-awful answer she had to keep giving to it. Eponin looked at the priestess and thought for a moment. "Did she say anything about us helping?" "No, but how can we help?" "Well, Xena is wherever she is and Gabrielle is never far behind, despite their little misunderstanding. Just thought they might be together." "You're thinking that they might be back in Xena's dreamscape, aren't you?" Cassandra then shook her head. "Can't be. Xena's dead." "I thought we had decided that we couldn’t be sure of that," said Ephiny. "Even if they are in Xena's dreamscape, we can't get there. Her brain isn't active, no matter what the Gods have done." "Gabrielle's is, though," injected Lissa. "If they are bonded, then it would be safe to assume that Gabrielle is trying to find Xena." "Yeah, to give her Tartarus for leaving her again, no doubt," quipped the weapons master. "My point is that you are right, Eponin. We can't get to Xena's dreamscape but we could get to Gabrielle's. And it stands to reason that, if they are bound, then that would be Xena's, as well." Ephiny looked at the healer. "Is there any danger in trying?" "No more than when we did it last." "We should move them both to the temple." Lissa paused as she went over the things that they would need for the ritual. "We have everything we need over there and nobody would question moving Xena's body there." "Okay, let's get things sorted out," said Ephiny, giving the sleeping Queen one last glance.
The silent God stood, invisible to the bard, on the small island she had arrived on. His frustration at the lack of progress was growing in proportion to Gabrielle's who didn't have a clue on how to get off of the thing. The young woman's curses were becoming more and more detailed, the last one involving himself and the anatomy of a mule. He sighed, not knowing whether he could give her any more help without attracting the attention of the fates. It wasn't as if he were doing anything wrong, exactly, but they were surely aware of his connection to the warrior. They had already allowed the Gods to manipulate her life thread to a greater extent than they allowed most. Would they object to more tweaking? "They'll figure it out if you do it." Hades looked over at the dark, swarthy figure who had appeared by his side. "I'll help her." Hades couldn't help the grin that started to form on his face or the laugh that started appearing. "You are going to help the pesky sidekick? Oh, please, try another one. I haven't had such a good laugh in ages." "Fine, you don't want me to give her a shove in the right direction, I won't." "No, no, by all means." Hades waved his arm in the direction of the bard. "Be my guest." ******************** Ephiny stood and surveyed their efforts; getting Gabrielle to the temple hadn't been a problem. Eponin had insisted on carrying the bard, without help, until Cassandra had threatened her with a stay in the infirmary. She had grudgingly capitulated then, and allowed Lissa to help her. Ephiny had noticed an atmosphere around those two lately and wondered if anything would come of it. Getting Xena's body to the temple had been another matter. They had decided that waking the whole village would most probably not be a good idea. So, they had just used the guards available. But, as with most things in the Amazon village, nothing stayed quiet for long and it seemed as if most of the village was now awake. Xena and Gabrielle lay side by side; together, they seemed to fit. It was hard to think of one without automatically placing the other by her side; they were right together. In the past few seasons, it was as though something had been trying to pry them apart and this time it had almost succeeded. In all the times that the Amazons had stood beside the two, facing the dangers that hounded their lives, this one had a sense of finality about it. Either they would get them back together, secure in the knowledge that they were meant to be with each other, or neither of them would return. The Regent was certain, now, that there could be no future for Gabrielle without the warrior by her side. So, once again, she was preparing to send her Amazons into battle for them; Gabrielle was too much a part of the nation, of every Amazon, for her to do any differently. This time, though, Ephiny would be going, too. "Everything ready?" she asked, as Lissa came out from her private chambers. "Yes, we just need to get you there, now." "There won't be any problem with that, will there? I mean, you are going to have to ask Artemis for the blessing?" Lissa noticed the worried tone to the Regent's voice. "She said that her hands were tied in helping Xena and Gabrielle. She never said anything about helping us to help them. There won't be any problem." "Okay, let's get on with it, then. Eponin?" She looked across at the weapons master. "Ready?" "As I'll ever be," she replied and settled herself on the pallet. Ephiny looked over to Cassandra and quirked an eyebrow at her and the healer nodded. Ephiny was just climbing onto her pallet when the temple door opened. "I'm going, too." Kiaya stood by the door, her face haggard, a quiet desperation showing in her eyes. "Of course you are," stated Ephiny, surprising the healer and priestess but unable to deny the pleading look in the Amazon's eye. ******************** He stood as close as he could to her to see if she had picked up any of Xena's talents now that Artemis had let the brat bond with his chosen. Then he rolled his eyes; he could most probably walk through her and she wouldn't notice, she was that focussed on cursing various Olympians about her plight. Still, things had to be done, so he supposed he'd have to get on with it. Without thinking, he materialised. Not a flicker; she still didn't realise he was there. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the irritating blonde." Gabrielle jumped at the voice behind her but immediately recognised it as her nemesis in the battle for Xena's soul. She turned round to face the God of War. "What is it with you guys? You running a tag team or something? One dumps me off and another comes along to make it harder?" Ares could tell that the little bard was beyond frustration and well into the realms of fury at her predicament. "Just curious to see whether you had figured it out, yet." "And why would you be curious to see whether I figured it out?" "Well, you are here to get tall, dark and gorgeous back, aren't you? And, if I'm not mistaken, even if she has lapsed into a 'goody two shoes' for a while, she is my chosen. I kind of miss tormenting her." "You miss tormenting her?" spluttered the bard, her anger at the God making it difficult for her to get her words out. "Hey, it's a good enough reason for me. So how are you doing?" Hades was lying, thought Gabrielle. This is Tartarus. And he's sent this image of Ares to torture me. "I had thought you'd be a lot further along, by now," said Ares, when he got no reply from the bard. "Yeah? Well, all you have to do is click your fingers and you're there. Things are a little different for us mortals. This is Xena's dreamscape, not mine. I can't do anything." Gabrielle wanted to stamp her feet and throw a two-year-old's temper tantrum but refused to do so in front of Ares. "You know, I'm really disappointed. I had thought that, being a bard, you would have known better but I see I'm going to have to point you in the right direction. Gabrielle, Xena is dead! Well, sort of. She can't have a dreamscape; well, not by herself, anyway." "Ares, just spit it out, will you?" So much for the discreet shove in the right direction. Might as well go for the obvious. "This is your dreamscape, too! You're bonded, remember?" "Does that mean I can change things here?" "To some extent, but this is also Xena's dreamscape, so any changes you make she will know about. I suggest you keep to small changes like cooling the lava between landmasses as you wish to cross. I doubt that will alert her to your trying to find her." "She knows I'm here, though, right?" "Yes, she knows you’re here but right now she's secure in the knowledge that you can't find her and that anything you might try she can counter. You know her better than anybody else; the only way to defeat her is to use her own strengths against her. She can destroy anything else here except you and herself." The God of War started to walk away from her. "Ares! Wait! Why are you doing this, seriously, I mean, no jokes?" The bard was still unnerved that the God of War was helping. The last time he had a reason for his aid, he benefited as well as Xena. This time she wasn't so sure of his motivation. The God turned and studied the bard for several moments. "I have my reasons." "I know you have. I just need to know that we won't be beholden to you for your help. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'd rather she were dead than back in your hands." "Even if it meant your death?" Gabrielle didn't hesitate or flinch at his words. "Even if it meant my death." Ares thought for a second then walked up until he stood right in front of the bard, then looked down. "The fun of Xena, little girl, is not the capture but the chase." Chapter Sixteen I should hate him, I really should, thought Gabrielle, as the God of War disappeared from sight. He's waltzed in and wrecked our lives so often; then, just when I get to the point where I know I hate him, he helps. It's funny what people and Gods will do for love. The thought surprised Gabrielle. It had never occurred to her, before, that Ares actually loved Xena. Then again, he was always hanging around like a jealous suitor; not that Xena would look twice at him, now. That brought a smile to her face and a laugh to her throat. How many times had she seen Ares storm off in a huff because Xena had, not so politely, told him to stuff it? She had to admit, though, even if it was begrudgingly, that he had helped out on a few occasions and that if it hadn't been for him Xena would still be walking around in Callisto's body. Then again, it was his fault she'd been swapped, anyway.
me? Hope I don't disturb any good dreams. The temple was dimly lit. Although all of the torch holders held torches, very few had been set aflame. Lissa had had her acolytes stoke the fires in the outer rooms, ensuring that the heat spread throughout the vast space of the main hall. She waited patiently by the altar as the three Amazons settled in their pallets. She resisted the temptation to go and tuck Eponin in, though her heart was crying out for her to at least say something to the weapons master. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the ritual to come and only opened them when Cassandra touch her elbow. "They are ready," said the healer. "Okay. Let's begin, then." Lissa turned and collected some burning incense and water that had been blessed by their patron, Artemis. She approached Ephiny, first, and slowly walked around the Regent, trailing the smoke from the incense around the pallet where she lay. Then she gently anointed her head with the cool water. Approaching Kiaya next, she noticed how the past day had taken its toll on the Amazon. When they had finally managed to get Kiaya to leave Xena's body at the hut, Lissa had assigned one of her acolytes to watch over the grieving Amazon. The young girl had reported that Kiaya had fallen into a troubled sleep, waking frequently from nightmares, but refusing to talk about the terrors plaguing her. The priestess knew that Kiaya felt responsible, in some way, for the situation that they now faced. As she knelt by her side to anoint her head, she whispered into the woman's ear. "Nothing you could have done could have prevented what happened today. The Gods don't appreciate the hurt their malicious games inflict on mere mortals." She kissed Kiaya's forehead and rose, turning to Eponin.
understand how she felt and hadn't even questioned her request. What they were about to face would be nothing like their previous experience. Xena's psyche had taken a beating even before the battle for the village and her knowledge of Hades' apparent betrayal. Whereas before, Kiaya had been sure of Gabrielle's ability to appease the warlord in Xena, she was doubtful that any of them would be able to calm the storm that had been raging as she had died. Still, it was her duty to protect the Queen. But, more so, on this journey, it was her duty to bring back her friend and mentor.
"Just scratch, Eponin, I'm sure Artemis won't mind." Lissa's voice by her ear made the weapons master jump and she cracked her eyes just a little, so she could see her face, then grinned and quickly wiped at her nose. "Thanks," said the weapons master, dropping her arm back down to her side. "You're welcome. You promise to come back safe and sound, now, you hear?" Lissa's resistance to her friend crumbled at such close quarters and she couldn't let her go off into danger without giving her a hint of the affection that she felt. "Only if you promise to make one of your famed apple pies," came Eponin's quick response, startling the priestess somewhat. "I'll see what I can manage," replied Lissa, a blush slowly colouring her face.
beat Xena. Even if she were tied up and totally naked, her partner would be able to fight off an army. In fact she had done it. Well, she wasn't naked at the time but I was injured and that counted as a big hindrance. So, after all that, Gabrielle was rather surprised when she opened her eyes to find not only Ephiny, whom she'd been trying to bring, but also Eponin and the ever faithful Kiaya. "That certainly worked out better than I expected," she muttered to herself, wondering whether she should wake them up or leave them to wake naturally. Cassandra stood back, quietly watching Lissa as she finalised the preparations for the ritual. She had a strange sense of déjà vu; it was only a few months ago that they been in virtually the same position. At least, this time, everybody pretty much knew what to expect. Eponin and Kiaya were becoming old hands at travelling within the dreamscape. The three Amazon were already asleep, not needing any sleeping draught to help them this time, since they were all exhausted from the efforts of the last day. The rest of the village was gathered outside. A large fire had been built in the centre of the square and it lit the surrounding huts and trees. Most of the Amazons sat quietly in small groups. A few of them started up a chanting prayer, which was quickly taken up by the rest. Cassandra heard the soft chanting from outside and silently joined with her sisters' prayer. Lissa turned from the altar and approached the three sleeping Amazons. With a last glance at Eponin, she closed her eyes and concentrated on her task of getting her three friends into the dreamscape. It wasn't as easy as most of the Amazons thought. It wasn't just a matter of saying a prayer to Artemis; Lissa had to search out the slumbering consciousness of the three Amazons and guide them towards the dreamscape. It was a difficult task, but her prayer to Artemis allowed her to control the trance-like state she needed to be in to achieve her task. Her forehead creased into a frown as she searched for the three Amazons. Cassandra knew something was wrong. Lissa had been still for over a quarter of a candlemark but hadn't made any of the familiar motions that the healer remembered from the last time that they had attempted this. "What's wrong?" she asked, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the sleepers. "I can't find them." The priestess tilted her head as though listening for something. "They aren't here. They've already gone." Lissa opened her eyes and looked at the healer. "What does that mean?" Cassandra left her position and moved closer to Lissa. "It means that, wherever they are, I didn't send them there." "The Gods?" "I have no idea but it wouldn't surprise me. They had their fingers in just about everything else. I guess we'll just have to watch and wait now." Lissa turned and waved to one of her acolytes and a door opened and the trainees walked to the sleepers and began to care for them. The special oils used to keep the body hydrated were opened and the fire of the temple stoked to keep the hall warm. "Yeah, we wait," said Cassandra, letting her gaze look out over the sleepers.
"Come on, Eph, wake up." Gabrielle crouched over the sleeping Regent. She had decided to wait until they woke up, but after less than a quarter of a candlemark changed her mind, as she became impatient to get on with the task of finding Xena. Ephiny opened her eyes and looked into the forest green ones of her Queen and friend. Then, she lifted her head to search out the landscape, seeing Eponin and Kiaya sprawled nearby. "We're here, then?" "Yep. It was really easy, too. I didn't think I would be able to get you here, never mind Eponin and Kiaya." Gabrielle grinned at the Regent and patted her shoulder. "Let's wake the others up then we can be off." Gabrielle stood and held out a hand to help Ephiny to her feet. "Er, Gabrielle, what do you mean you didn't think you would be able to get me here?" asked Ephiny as she grabbed hold of Gabrielle's hand and pulled herself up. Then she stared as her eyes saw what lay beyond the cool grass she had been lying on. The small island she stood on was grass-covered. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, but the Regent found it hard to reconcile what she was standing upon to what she could see. Beyond their oasis of calm, an inferno raged; boiling lava erupted from hidden spouts, fires roared with intensity. Sweat popped out across Ephiny's brow, just thinking of the heat that must be surrounding them. Yet, she felt cool, even safe, where she was. "I'll explain when we wake the others up," said Gabrielle's voice, startling Ephiny from her reverie. "That way, I don't have to explain it three times." "Yeah, okay. I'll get Eponin." "Eph." Ephiny turned back to face Gabrielle. "I'm really glad you're here." "So am I," replied the Regent, meaning every word of it.
they got back, she would have a declaration read in the widest reaches of the nation informing them of the change in the holder of that title. Eponin was rightly mortified by her actions, which only had the Amazons laughing louder. But the release of the tension between them was welcome and reassured the bard that they would be able to complete the task she was about to set them. "So, when are you going to tell us what's going on?" asked Ephiny, as the laughter died, looking at Gabrielle who was sitting across from her. Eponin and Kiaya slowly wiped the smiles from their faces and also set their gazes on their Queen. "Yeah, I guess that, now I've got you here, I should explain." Gabrielle let her eyes drop from her friends to the grass her hands were playing with near her feet. "You said, when you woke me, that you didn't think you could get me here, never mind Eponin and Kiaya. What did you mean by that?" "Well, I'm not sure what control I have here but I do have some. I needed help and, well, the Amazons were the only ones I could turn to. So I concentrated on getting one of you from your own dreamscape and, when I opened my eyes, all three of you were here." The three Amazons looked at each other. Eponin raised her eyebrow to Ephiny, and Kiaya shrugged her shoulders. Ephiny looked back at Gabrielle wondering whether she should tell her about the ceremony that Lissa had just performed to get them here. Gabrielle saw the glance that passed between the Amazons and felt her confidence falter slightly. "You're about to tell me that I didn't get you here, aren't you?" "To be honest, Gabrielle, I'm not sure," replied Ephiny. "All I can tell you is that we discovered certain things back at the village. Things like Xena's body isn't cooling and Ariana couldn't get her wounds to stop bleeding. We were in the palace discussing what we were going to do when Eponin asked if you were all right. We couldn't wake you up and you were as cold as ice. Lissa and Cassandra thought you might be on the dreamscape, so Lissa performed the ceremony to send us here." The Regent held her breath wondering how Gabrielle would react to her news. Gabrielle shocked them all by smiling. "Well, that fits. Hades told me she wasn't dead but I couldn't figure out how she could be alive. Celesta must be staying her hand to find out how we do here. The Gods owe Xena; I owe Xena. They're giving me time to bring her back. They know that, if they take her, they will have to take me and that wouldn't fit with their plans at all, would it?" Kiaya looked at Gabrielle with a deeper understanding. Since her return to the village, she had seen Gabrielle work through her complex feelings for the warrior. Now she was showing the type of commitment that Xena needed. "So, if this fails and we can't get her back, you're telling us that you will go with her? Why?" Gabrielle looked intently at Kiaya, reading easily the emotions she was showing in her face. "It's simple, really. I can't live without her by my side. Those months that we were separated... they were the hardest I have ever lived. I'm not going through that, again." The bard's face took on a determined look. "I woke up here and I thought I was in Tartarus and you know what? It didn't bother me. That was where Xena always said she'd end up and, if that was where she was, then I was happy. Then, just as I was thinking that, Hades appears next to me and tells me this isn't Tartarus, this is Xena's dreamscape." Gabrielle's eyes shone as she told the Amazons how she was given another chance to return to her warrior's side. "You can imagine my reaction to that. Here I was, convinced I was going to spend my time searching Tartarus for Xena... believing I'd killed her. Then the God of the Underworld turns up and tells me, nope, she's not dead, you just have to find her." Gabrielle laughed. "Well, that was easier said than done. Have you seen this place?" Her eyes looked out over her little island of peace into the raging infernos just beyond. "So I sat here wondering what to do, feeling a little sorry for myself. I don't know how long I sat here, but it must have been for quite sometime. I didn't know where to start, how to get off the island, or anything. I couldn't believe my eyes when he turned up. I was positive that he was here to gloat. But he was actually here to help." Eponin sighed, knowing she was having a bad day but having to ask the obvious before she was totally lost in Gabrielle's explanation. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but who turned up?" Gabrielle grinned at the weapons master. "Ares." "You're kidding me? Ares turned up and helped?" "Oh, come on, Eponin, he's helped out before. Admittedly, when he's going to benefit, but he has helped before." "So, what's he going to get out of it this time?" inquired Ephiny. "I'm not sure, but he knows it won't be Xena. I told him I wouldn't find her if that were the price we were going to have to pay. Anyway, he told me that this wasn't only Xena's dreamscape; it was mine as well. He told me that I had the power to change things here, that all I had to do was use my mind and believe. He was right. I changed this island into something more comfortable and I thought I brought you here but I see that may not be the case, now." "So, all we have to do is find Xena? Doesn't sound too hard, unless you take into account that there are three of them out there," said Kiaya, as she stood and dusted herself off. "We ought to start looking. If I remember correctly, this place is big."
"A simple bridge would have done, you know." Eponin was staring at the ornate carving that was still appearing on the structure. "What else do you expect from a bard?" said Kiaya, stepping without second thought onto the bridge and walking across. "Yeah, Ep, what else do you expect from a bard?" said Ephiny, patting the weapons masters shoulder and walking past. Eponin looked at Gabrielle's smiling face. "What is this, pick on Eponin day, or something?" she grouched, following the others, with Gabrielle bringing up the rear. They travelled for several candlemarks with Gabrielle providing for their needs, and designing the various methods of crossing the lava flows that ran between the small islands they searched. One of the main concerns the Amazons had was lack of weaponry. Gabrielle assured them that it would be available if it were needed and why carry the extra weight when you didn't have to. Neither Eponin nor Kiaya was entirely satisfied with Gabrielle's reasoning so the bard had relented and given them both a choice of weapon. Kiaya opted for a sword and crossbow; Eponin had selected a sword and several throwing daggers. Ephiny hadn't asked for anything but Gabrielle provided a sword for her and created a staff for herself. She still wasn't convinced that weapons were necessary but her Amazons felt more secure with them. She had made them swear not to use them unless there was no other option. Violence had helped to get them here but she wasn't so sure it would get them out.
"You okay?" the regent inquired, noticing the bard's distraction. "Yeah. For a minute there I had the strangest feeling." Gabrielle smiled at Ephiny. "Don't worry. I'm fine." "You sure?" The bard nodded. "You know, you're still leaving green footprints." Ephiny had been startled to find that, wherever the bard trod, grass and flowers would sprout. The whole landscape was changing just as a result of Gabrielle's passing. Even though Gabrielle had explained that this was her dreamscape, as well, and that she was able to change things with just a thought, Ephiny still found it remarkable that the young girl's eternal optimism and belief that they would somehow get everybody, including Xena, out of this mess, alive, was showing itself as tiny blue pansies and daffodils in a bed of meadow grasses. "Sorry, I don't seem to be able to put a dampener on that." "No need to be sorry. It's great to see this place changing for the better in front of our eyes. Now are you going to tell me what put that look on your face a second ago?" "Can't get anything past you, can I, Ephiny?" "Nope, now tell me what's up." Gabrielle took a deep breath and looked around the island they'd stepped onto, it was larger than any of the others that they'd crossed which was one of the reasons that Gabrielle had decided to try for it. Eponin and Kiaya had wondered a little ways off to check the immediate area so weren't within hearing distance of their regent and queen. "Xena's on this island." Ephiny immediately became alert her hand straying to her sword. "Where?" "I'm not entirely sure. I'm not even sure which one it is, but she is definitely here on this island." "What do you mean you're not sure which one?" "I mean, I don't know if this alter ego is the one of death, the warlord or my Xena. I can't tell; all I can say is that I can feel her presence. Come on, let's catch up with Eponin and Kiaya, then we can go find her." Ephiny watched silently as Gabrielle strode off. She didn't know why searching for Xena didn't sound like a good idea. After all, that is why they'd come to the dreamscape. Maybe it was just the thought of the temper Xena would be in if she remembered who'd actually killed her. I hate this. Nothing is ever simple when Gabrielle and her warrior are about. Xena is not going to be in a good mood when we find her, and Gabrielle is rushing in where I certainly fear to tread. What if it's the big bad "I want to kill everybody" Xena? I suppose we can always argue that she's not actually dead but I have the feeling that that won't carry much weight. Ephiny sighed and then slowly followed her Queen, silently berating herself for her lack of faith in the bard. Kiaya and Eponin had taken on their scouting role with enthusiasm. Kiaya was just happy that they were doing something to get the warrior back and she was praying to the gods that getting her back this time would work out better than the last. She had been wondering, since this whole sorry mess had started, whether either Gabrielle or Xena regretted their decision to unite Xena's personalities to release the warrior from the dark and silent world she had fallen into as a result of Ares priests. Did Gabrielle look back now and wish that she'd never followed the ex-warlord on her travels? Did Xena regret not forcing the bard to turn back? Or was it, as Artemis planned, that the two never had a choice in the matter? Kiaya stopped and surveyed the land from the small hillock she had climbed her mind absorbed by its musings but her eyes still picking out each minute detail of the land around her. Subconsciously disregarding anything that did not pose a threat; she was just about to turn back when her eye caught a glint in the distance. She paused, her eyes straining for more detail. The glint repeated itself and Kiaya realised that something was moving towards them. Automatically, she referenced the object with surrounding landscape so that she would be able to pinpoint it when she left her vantage point. Then, she quickly turned and headed down to the Queen and her Regent. Eponin was across the other side of the small valley when she saw Kiaya's running figure heading towards Ephiny and Gabrielle. She took one last quick look and, seeing nothing suspicious, headed back to the small group.The two Amazon scouts reached the Regent and their Queen together, Kiaya trotting in just before the weapons master. "Something's moving towards us from the east. I couldn't make out what it was; just saw something glinting, but it had changed positions when I saw it again." "What do you want to do, Gabrielle?" Ephiny asked, before the other two Amazons could make any suggestion. Ephiny knew that Gabrielle was the key to their survival here and that her confidence would need to be carefully nurtured. By asking Gabrielle her thoughts, Ephiny was hoping to show the bard that it was her wishes they would accede to; it was her they trusted to get them through this. Gabrielle was momentarily speechless as Ephiny asked her opinion. She knew that the Regent respected her in matters of the court and negotiations, but to ask her the way forward when she had two seasoned warriors by her side and something unknown heading their way was...was. She looked up at her friend and saw respect in her eyes, then at Kiaya and Eponin who were patiently waiting for her to decide what they were to do. "We stay here," she said, making her mind up. "Let whatever, or whoever, it is come to us. And, if it is Xena, no weapons are to be drawn against her, no matter which one it is. Okay?" "Are you sure that's wise, Gabrielle? We know how unpredictable Xena can be." Gabrielle could tell by the tone of Eponin's voice that she was uneasy with her order. "Any other time I'd agree with you, but I'd say that Xena is having enough problems without wanting to get into any sort of conflict with me." "What do you mean?" asked Ephiny. "What Gabrielle is trying to say," replied Kiaya, " is that we only have a problem with one facet of Xena's personality and that the others would have been fighting her as hard as, if not harder than, we have. We know that Xena wouldn't have gone down without some sort of fight." Gabrielle smiled at the Amazon who could read Xena almost as well as she could. "Kiaya's right. Last time we were here, neither the warlord, nor our Xena, was too keen to involve Hades' Messenger. But it was the only way that Ares' priests could be defeated. We already knew that Xena was having difficulty bringing herself back under control... which is what caused this whole disaster in the first place. We have no idea what state any of them will be in and I'd rather not antagonise any of them if I can help it; so, no weapons are to be drawn." Eponin nodded her head. "In that case, shall we sit and rest until we find out what's coming?" Gabrielle made the area comfortable, producing food, a few skins of water and a few boulders to utilise as back rests. They settled down to wait, boredom eventually urging them into a mundane conversation just to alleviate the tension. Occasionally, Kiaya or Eponin would move to higher ground to check the progress of what now they were able to discern as a person, and none of them held any doubt it was one of the Xena personalities. "Less than a quarter of a candlemark and she'll be here," Eponin informed the group, as she returned from her second trip up the small hill. The warrior stopped some distance from where Gabrielle stood, patiently waiting for her to approach. The Amazons were several paces behind their Queen, carefully watching the warrior for any sign that she would attack Gabrielle. The warrior's attitude, though, was puzzling; she was tentative and had only come so close after cautiously searching the immediate area. At one point, Gabrielle had taken several steps forward but the warrior had correspondingly retreated. The unusual temperament of the warrior was a major cause for concern. Gabrielle moved slowly forward, knowing that a sudden movement would almost certainly startle the already nervous warrior. She had never seen Xena like this, had never known anything that could instil this much fear into her partner. She was pretty sure, too, that this wasn't her Xena, but more likely her warlord persona. "It isn't a trick, Xena," called the bard, as she took another step forward. The warrior seemed to be contemplating whether to leave or not but the familiar voice held her in place. As the bard got closer, she was able to make out the healing wounds on the warlord's body, the rips and tears to her leathers. The evidence before the bard was frankly disturbing. Was Hades' Messenger so powerful in this place? The warrior made up her mind and with a quick glance around her walked towards the bard. Eponin and Kiaya tensed as the warrior moved but Ephiny's calming hand warned them from making any untoward action. "I didn't think you would come here, again." The warrior's voice drifted to them. "I'll admit, it wasn't exactly my first choice but it suited my needs." Replied Gabrielle, as Xena stopped before her. The damage her body had taken was even more apparent, now. "You look like Tartarus, Xena." "What's new?" The warrior managed a smirk for the bard. "You shouldn't be here, and you shouldn't have brought the Amazons with you." "Why not?" "You brought me back to the village, Gabrielle. You should have thought before you did that. You sent me away because I wasn't able to control my anger and the violence that came with it. Did you really think that, after I came back, it would be any better? I was happy where I was; I was no threat to anybody." "You were hiding, Xena." "With good cause, considering what happened, don't you think?" Gabrielle looked at the warlord, then back towards the Amazons. "Will you come and sit with us? I need to know what's happened here." Xena threw her head back and laughed. The bard flinched at the slightly hysterical note it held. "Oh, Gabrielle, you don't want to know what's going on here. Go home; you did the right thing with the sword. Don't spoil all that good work." The warrior would have seen the change in Gabrielle's face, as the Amazons did. But, unlike the Amazons, she didn't seem to be able to see what was going to happen. Which was, most probably, why she didn't defend herself, as Gabrielle's hand swung up and connected with her face. The resounding slap echoed across the silence. This time, all of the Amazons gripped their weapons, knowing that they wouldn't be able to get to the bard should Xena retaliate. But the warrior didn't get a chance as the bard launched her attack with the most powerful weapon in her arsenal. "You think I enjoyed having that sword in my hand? You think I enjoyed knowing the only way to stop you was to use it? How dare you!" Gabrielle's hand flew, again, and the warrior still made no move to stop her as it connected, again, with her face. "I can't believe you would think that!" She whirled around and angrily returned to the Amazons. Kiaya kept her eye on Xena as Gabrielle joined them; she saw a smile cross the warrior's face before she turned and ran in the opposite direction. "Well, that went better than I expected," said Ephiny, as the bard stopped by her side. "And just what do you mean by that?" replied the angry bard. "We're still alive?" came Ephiny's sheepish reply, as she realised Gabrielle didn't appreciate her comment. "This doesn't make sense," Kiaya said, turning to the others. "When we were here last it was all we could do to stop her killing us. Now, she doesn't even react when Gabrielle hits her twice." "I agree," said Eponin. "She wasn't aggressive enough for my liking; all she did was make Gabrielle angry at her." "That's what she was trying to do." Gabrielle's voice broke into the Amazons' conversation, and her anger faded. "I'll never learn, you know that? Every time Xena wants to push me away she tries a different method. By making me angry at her, she's hoping that I'll leave." "What do you want to do about it?" asked Ephiny. "Eponin, will you be able to track her?" "It shouldn't be to much of a problem, providing she's not bothering to cover her trail." "In that case, we'll follow her." Xena ran her long, tanned legs eating up the ground faster than most mortals could dream of. She didn't even try to hide her trail, knowing that the bard would eventually find her no matter how hard she tried to avoid her. That was one of the problems of being bonded to someone: you couldn't hide. And since she knew the bard would follow why make her more irate, by leading her a merry dance all over this godforsaken land? Gabrielle and her three Amazons ran swiftly, their shorter strides not covering the same ground that Xena's had, and they knew that it would take time for them to catch the warrior. "She's not trying to hide her trail," panted Kiaya Ephiny suddenly stopped, Gabrielle and the others running some distance before they realised she wasn't with them. They stopped and turned, looking back toward the Regent. "What?" yelled Eponin. Ephiny slowly walked towards them. "What if she's leading us into a trap? What if she's leading us right to the Messenger?" "Isn't that what we want?" asked Kiaya. "No, not really. Though, I admit, we will have to face her at some point," replied Gabrielle. "But I was hoping to find our Xena, first. Still, I don't think this one is leading us into a trap." "Why do you think that?" said Eponin, as she bent to take a closer look at the trail Xena had left, trying to determine how long ago the warrior had passed here. "She was hesitant. I actually thought I sensed fear from her at one point. She also had a lot of healing wounds and bruises on her, been in one heck of a fight recently. And there is only one person I know who can inflict that type of damage on her and that's herself. So, I don't think she's leading us into a trap; if anything, she'd be leading us away. But I don't think she's doing that, either. Come on, let's get going or we'll fall further behind." Gabrielle picked her pace up and began to run again. "How long ago, Eponin?" the Regent asked, as she, too, started to run again. "Less than a candlemark." Xena had chosen the perfect cave for her hideout; that was her warlord ego's talent. She was able to think things through, look at problems with a critical eye, then channel the ferocious energy of the Messenger, or the gentle heart of what everybody thought of as Gabrielle's Xena, who was, in fact, nothing more than a child. The cave had a narrow opening and, at first glance, would look like nothing more than a fissure in the rock. But if you cared to inspect it more closely, it was the entrance to a vast cavern, beyond. The space the cavern afforded her allowed her to practise with her sword and chakram without having to step foot outside its protection. As the warrior squeezed through the narrow opening, she knew the bard would not be too far behind and that in a few candlemarks she would have to explain the situation in full... and that was not going to be a pleasant task, even for a warlord.
"Well, she didn't go in that direction," commented Kiaya, "or she'd still be in sight. Not even Xena could climb this that fast." "In that case, she's somewhere around here. Let's spread out and have a look around," said Gabrielle, getting more comfortable with her new take-charge attitude that Ephiny had been so eager for her to develop. "But, if you do find her, don't do anything stupid, will you? Just come get me." Eponin and Kiaya grinned at Gabrielle's comment, not sure whether it would be easier to stand against Xena's anger rather than face Gabrielle's. At least, with the warrior, you knew what you were getting into; but, with the bard, things were more unpredictable. They spread out, each taking a different section of the cliff that blocked their path and hid the warrior. There were no trees, not even the skeletal ones that they had seen in their last visit to this place, so the only place the warrior could be was within the cliff. It was finding the entrance that was the problem. Gabrielle, of course, knew where the warrior was but knew that taking the Amazons with her would be a mistake. Xena had never been any good at showing weakness and the bard knew that her apparent defeat by the Messenger would be impossible to admit in front of the Amazons. But she needed to find out what had happened here, and where her partner was. She needed to know what the warrior had tried to do to stop the Messenger and what she had learned. None of that would be possible with the Amazons standing over her shoulder, no matter how sympathetic they were to Xena. As soon as the Amazons were searching, she headed straight for the crack in the cliff face she had noticed as they arrived. Gabrielle squeezed through the narrow opening, and a small passage it led to, before stepping into the massive space on the other side. Her emerald eyes immediately adjusted to the dark cavern, picking out the warrior's seated form across the scree-littered floor. "You took your time." The warrior's husky voice echoed through the cavern, sending a rippling shiver down the bard's back. It sounded so much like her Xena, yet she knew it wasn't. She doubted anybody else would be able to tell the difference between the three, based on their voice patterns, but it was obvious to Gabrielle. "Well, I keep telling you that your stride is at least two of mine. You could have slowed it down and I would have been here sooner." Gabrielle carefully picked her way over the clutter of the floor, arms spread to either side to help her balance. "And you can stop smirking; it's not funny." "Yeah, but you can't see your face." "Well, a little light wouldn't go amiss, you know." "You can provide that for yourself, you know." "I shouldn't have to, Xena. You wanted me here, so stop being pigheaded and light up." The warrior looked up to the darkness above her, grinning for the first time in ages, and slowly a gentle light began to appear. "Is that better?" "It will do, for now," replied Gabrielle, as she reached the small, flat area of rock that Xena was sitting upon. "So, you gonna tell me what happened?" It didn't take the Amazons long to catch onto the fact that Gabrielle had disappeared into thin air. The only one who wasn't frantic with worry was Ephiny, which was unusual, considering the fact that it was normally she who worried most about their young Queen. "Ephiny! Aren't we at least going to search for her?" Eponin had been trying to find the bard's trail but came up blank, the rock hiding the bard's as well as it had the warrior's. "Will the both of you just calm down?" The Regent included Kiaya in her reprimand before she could throw her dinar in with Eponin. "Gabrielle is safer here than any of us, so why bother tearing our hair out trying to find her? Besides, she'll get more out of Xena by herself than with any of us hanging around her." Eponin and Kiaya looked at each other and decided that Ephiny was probably right. "Come on, let's sit down and wait for her. No doubt she'll be back soon."
"You can tell her that yourself," replied Kiaya. "I'm not going to step into that one with you."
"You didn't have to run, you know. I could have told Ephiny and the others to make themselves scarce while we talked." Gabrielle was staring into the fire, allowing the warrior to consider her words in privacy. "I know, but then it would have been on your terms and I feel more secure here." The warrior's voice didn't hold fear as such, more a feeling of trepidation. "It's been bad here, hasn't it, Xena?" Even the warrior could pick up on the sorrow that the bard was trying hard to disguise. "Things are always hard here, Gabrielle. They've just been more so, recently. It used to be that the three of us always worked well as a team, balancing each other out; but I suppose, in the past few years, your Xena has won out more than the rest of us. I guess this is payback." "So, you're saying that this was inevitable?" "She wasn't made to go saving the world, Gabrielle; she's been locked up for four years. I should have known she'd go a little crazy when we let her out. It used to be that I tempered them both; I made the decisions, decided which villages got taken and which we left. She decided how my army would do it, who died and how. Your Xena kept her heart alive, protected the women and children. We worked in conjunction with each other. We were a team, and we were perfect."
Xena angrily batted the bard's hand from her shoulder. "No, we're not! We're not balanced, anymore." The warrior stood and began pacing. "We don't balance each other out, anymore," She took a deep breath, "We need you to do that." Crystal blue eyes bored deep into Gabrielle's soul. The bard knew that this was an admission that the warrior wouldn't, couldn't have made in front of anyone but the bard. It was the admission of weakness, an admission that the warrior needed someone to complete her. What could she say to that? How did she answer the warrior when she had no idea how to help her? She'd thought that coming here would solve her problems, that finding her Xena and bringing her back would make everything right. But it wasn't as simple as that; Xena was, in essence, three people, none of whom could survive without the other. And it seemed, because of their bond, she was included in the mix. It wasn't a matter of reuniting these facets of the warrior; it was finding a balance that each of them was happy with. Persuading a deliverer of Death that, sometimes, life was a better way. Encouraging the battered and gentle soul, that Gabrielle knew the warrior had buried deep inside, that she wasn't responsible for everything the others did. And she had to convince herself to come to terms with exactly what and who Xena was and accept the fact that she would always be that way. It couldn't be about changing Xena anymore; it had to be about coming to terms with who she was and helping the warrior come to terms with it. "I'm not sure how I can help you, Xena. I don't know what to do here, but I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be. So, you tell me how I do this. Tell me how I calm the raging soul that is the Messenger? Tell me how I bring this balance about?" "You think, if I knew that, we'd be here, now?" "Xena, this isn't helping." The bard was getting exasperated with the warrior's defeatist attitude. "Well, gee, Gabrielle, you want me to go against her again and get beaten to within an inch of not being here anymore?" "Why didn't you and my Xena stand together?" The warrior looked incredulously at the bard. "You don't get it, do you? The only reason we held together as long as we did was because we stood together. And I'll tell you something else: I got off a whole lot lighter than she did."
Xena looked down at the muscular body of the bard, noting the strain in her arms as she pushed her against the rock. The young girl had grown strong in Xena's absence, stronger than Xena had imagined. "I mean that if you think I look bad, now, then she's ten times worse." "Why?" Gabrielle pushed harder against the warrior, not noticing her wince as the hard sharp rock dug into her already battered body, breaking open fresh wounds. "She isn't a warrior in the same way we are. I was able to defend myself better." "Why didn't you help her?" she yelled, pushing hard again. "Gabrielle, please?" The pain in Xena's voice penetrated Gabrielle's rage. "My body is in enough pain as it is without you adding to it." Gabrielle relaxed her hold but didn't let the warrior go, somewhat startled that she had been able to inflict such damage to the warrior. She felt Xena's body relax, slightly. "Thanks, I did help as much as I could, but we are talking about someone without conscience here, who is a lot stronger than I am, so I left." Gabrielle's fury rose again at word of her partner's abandonment, and she violently forced this Xena back again onto the rock. This time, she let go and turned away from the warrior, not seeing her slump towards the floor. Breathing deeply, Gabrielle tried to calm herself. Her voice shook as she spoke. "You left her defenceless against her? How, in Hades' name, could you do that? How do you know you didn't sign her death warrant?" Gabrielle turned to see Xena gasping in pain on the ground, fresh blood staining her leathers. She moved to help, but the warrior sent her a withering glare that stopped her in her stride. "She was alive when I left her, so she's alive, now." Gabrielle saw the anger in Xena's eyes and saw what it was taking for the warrior to hold it back. "How so?" "Because the other's been after me since I left your Xena. Each day she starts anew tormenting me, harrying me, not giving me a moment's peace. I'm her plaything, not your Xena. Yours is too weak to provide her any entertainment, so she's left alone." Gabrielle immediately felt guilt that she had believed this Xena would be any less noble than hers. "I'm sorry, I should have known better than to doubt you..." "Why?" Xena struggled to a sitting position. "I'm a warlord, after all." Gabrielle thought on Xena's comment and decided any reply would only make the situation worse. "So, how do we play this?" "Go to your Xena," said Xena, attempting to get to her feet. Gabrielle desperately wanted to help but knew that any offer would offend the warrior. "Maybe she'll be able to think of a solution. I'll keep our favourite personality off your back as long as I can." "Where is she?" Xena managed to stand straight. "Five islands to the north, still next to her little tree. Now get lost." Gabrielle turned to leave, but Xena spoke again. "Remember, she can't kill you here, Gabrielle, but she can kill the Amazons. Look after them well, or you might lose them."
"Artemis' arrows, Gabrielle, did you have to frighten the life out of us?" yelled back Eponin as she picked up her sword and resheathed it. "Did you find out what you needed?" Ephiny asked as the three Amazons reached Gabrielle's side. "Not entirely, but I know where we're going now," Gabrielle replied and started to walk away from the cliff, instinctively knowing where she was heading. "Is she going to help us?" Kiaya was looking back at the entrance to Xena's hideout. "Yes." "Then why isn't she with us?" "She has her own things to do. Come on, I don't know how long we've got before that someone in a very bad mood comes looking for us.They travelled for what they knew were candlemarks but the landscape and the light that bathed it never changed, giving them any visual reference, but Gabrielle made decisions without hesitation. Built her bridges without thought and walked on, stopping for rest only with reluctance.Gabrielle knew when they'd reached their destination. She could make out the small hillock in the distance, a huddled body at its base. Her eyes filled with tears but she refused to let them fall. The bard picked up her pace, not looking back to see the concerned faces of her Amazons.
Regent saw the bard sway and fling out her arm and she caught hold of her instinctively, providing support for the young woman beside her. Eponin and Kiaya heard the gasps from their two leaders as they finally reached the top of the incline they had been climbing, and hurried to catch up to them. "Merciful Artemis," whispered the weapons master as she reached the Regent's side. "What in Tartarus did that?" Kiaya stood silently thanking the form curled on the ground. If that is what hatred and anger can do to a soul, Xena, then I owe you more than thanks for the second chance you gave me. She understood that, if Xena hadn't shown her in their first meeting what an idiot she was, her inner being could have been as battered as the one before her. "What do we do?" she asked, without realising that she had spoken aloud. Kiaya's unexpected question galvanised Gabrielle into action and she covered the short distance to her partner in four long strides. "We need a fire, some water and food," she said, without looking back at her three Amazon companions. She crouched next to Xena's head and gently brushed the hair that covered her warrior's face, feeling some semblance of relief that at least her features were the same; even in this state, the bard would recognise her friend. The three Amazons stood, wondering what to do. Gabrielle had said she wanted a fire, water and some food. Unfortunately, they had none of that with them. There was no wood to make a fire, no water sources anywhere within this realm that they had travelled so far and not one of them had a scrap of food. Gabrielle looked up when she realised the Amazons weren't carrying out her requests. "What's the problem?" "Can't build a fire without wood, Gabrielle, there isn't a river or stream that we can go to for water and, last I looked, we didn't have any food." Ephiny raised her eyebrow at the bard in expectation.
Eponin sidled closer to Ephiny and Kiaya as the landscape around and beneath her dissolved and changed. She couldn't help the crawling feeling that rippled through her as the reality of the dark brooding landscape changed into a breezy meadow. She almost expected to hear birds singing. It was, she also noticed, the biggest change that the bard had attempted. The hillock now looked familiar, the trees once again stood at the base and she could hear the chuckling of a stream running through them. Several items were stacked nearby. In fact, the pile looked remarkably like the travelling equipment the bard and the warrior used when they were on the road. Eponin nudged Kiaya and nodded over to the equipment. "Kiaya and I will get the water and firewood. I'll have a look around and see if there is any game and berries in those trees." "Look for roots and herbs, as well, please. I'd like to make a broth and see if we can get anything inside her." Gabrielle's attention had once again returned to the warrior in front of her. The bard knew that altering the dreamscape to such an extent was bound to bring trouble, but the time for caution had come to an end. If they were to save Xena, then it was time for action, despite the consequences. There would have to be a confrontation at some point with Hades' Messenger and, looking at her friend now, the sooner the better.
The Amazons did well in their foraging, managing to find enough roots and berries to fill their stomachs. Ephiny got a fire started and began to make a thin broth for the warrior from the herbs, tubers and roots they had found. While they had been out searching, Gabrielle had set up camp around her partner, tucking a sleeping skin over her and settling her head onto the horse blanket that had appeared with the rest of the equipment. The bard now sat by her, gently stroking her arm; her gaze looked out into the distance but connected with nothing. Ephiny was hesitant to interrupt the bard's thoughts but decisions now had to be made on what they were going to do. So, leaving the other two Amazons to tend the fire and broth, she took a mug of warm tea over to the bard."Here, you haven't had anything to drink for a while." She handed down the mug as the bard lifted her eyes and gave her a slight smile. "How are you doing?" "Better, now I'm here." Gabrielle looked at her warrior then back to the Regent. "What are Eponin and Kiaya up to?" asked Gabrielle, as Ephiny sat down next to her. "Arguing, as usual." "Do they ever give up?" "Nah, they enjoy it too much. I'd worry if they agreed all the time. How's Xena?" Gabrielle let her eyes fall from the Regent's face to Xena's. "It's funny, but every time I see her injured I have to look twice to make sure it's actually her. I'm so used to seeing her do the impossible that sometimes I forget she's only human." The emerald eyes moved back to the Regent. "I'm not sure how to get us out of this, Ephiny. I thought I knew; that all I had to do was get to her, but it's not that easy." "It never is, Gabrielle. What you have to decide is whether you're prepared to do what it takes to resolve the situation, now that we're here." "But how do I make that decision, if I don't know what I have to do?" A gentle breeze blew in, ruffling the golden locks that fell to obscure the bard's face from the Amazon. Ephiny reached her hand forward and brushed them away. "What did she say to you in that cave, Gabrielle?" The Regent's voice was soft. Ephiny knew that Gabrielle was discovering things about herself, here, that she might not have wanted to know. The bard sighed, and let her hand gently rub along Xena's arm. "She said that they were out of balance; that, since she'd met me, her lighter side had gained more control and that she had been able to lock her darker side deep within her. But that, when they had merged, the dark side had to take control to free her and that even between the two of them they hadn't been strong enough to wrest it back from her." "And?" Ephiny knew there had to be more to it than that. "And that part of the reason they were unbalanced, was because I was now part of the mix." "I see." And, to be truthful, the Regent most probably saw things in a clearer light than the bard did. Ephiny thought back to the weeks before Gabrielle had sent Xena away. The warrior had been unpredictably moody, almost to the point of violence, on several occasions. The Amazons had become increasingly wary of sparring with her. Even Eponin, who was known to tease the warrior for the challenge of trying to see how long she could stay ahead of her when the chase started, stayed clear of her. The only times the Amazons felt truly secure with the warrior about was when Gabrielle was by her side. Even if the bard was unsure of her own safety and that of the Amazons, the Amazons had always known that the bard would remain unharmed by the unstable warrior. "And why do you think they weren't strong enough to stand against her, when they had been able to hold her for all that time?" "I don't know; something fundamental must have changed to bring about this, but I don't know what it was." Ephiny picked at the grass, knowing what she had to say to Gabrielle but not sure as to how the bard would react. "That surprises me, Gabrielle..." The bard stared into the Regent's face. "...because I think it's pretty obvious what changed." "Well, I wish you'd tell me." Gabrielle let her doubt and confusion colour her answer. "Because, as I live and breathe, I don't see it." "You changed, Gabrielle. You went from having unwavering faith in her, to believing her dark side would win. And because you believed that, so did she. You've always told me that Xena does all the impossible things she does because she believes she can. Xena didn't stay on her road to redemption because she believed she could, she stayed because you believed." Gabrielle felt a trickle of moisture run down her face and hastily wiped it away. "I seem to do more harm to her than good, don't I?" "No, Gabrielle, you've done more than anybody else could have, but you can't do it all." "So, to resolve this, I have to give Xena faith in herself? Any idea how I do that?" Ephiny smiled at the bard, pleased to see that some of her spirit was shining through. "I'm sure you'll come up with something when you need to, Gabrielle. I have faith in you." She squeezed Gabrielle's shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes. "And you're used to thinking on your feet, especially where Xena is concerned."
Gabrielle and her warrior; Gabrielle had made no attempt to waken the warrior, even when Ephiny had suggested it. The bard had just said that the warrior would wake when she was ready to, and nothing more.Kiaya took another look at Eponin who now had her dagger in her hand. It had brought a wry smile to Kiaya's face when she'd first noticed how nervous the weapons master got when she was in a tense situation and inactive. The woman just couldn't stop fiddling with her weapons; she'd drop the dagger and start on her sword in a minute. |