Disclaimers in Part 1
Whew! Now, on to our story.....
Ring.
Ring. Ring.
"Hullo?"
"Lilla?"
"Bran?"
A muffled voice spoke from underneath a blanket. "Lilla, who the hell is stupid enough to call at--" a brief peek at the illuminated face of a nearby clock-radio, "-- 4:35 in the morning?"
Lilla Isolde Morrison-Cohen sighed. She sat up, pushed the blanket from the prone figure, and reached for the lamp near the bed. "It's Bran, Josh."
"That sister of yours--"
"Hey, is that Josh? Let me talk to him."
Lilla handed the phone to her husband as he rubbed his eyes, sat up, and yawned.
"Bran flakes, it's 4:30 in the morning--"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Josh! I thought it was at least seven there."
"It's seven in New York. For your information, your sister and I live in LA." A disgruntled sigh. "How the heck are you? How's France?"
An excited voice crackled over the line. "It's great! And I have news-- that's why I called. I need to ask you-- Hey, did I wake up Sarah?"
Josh blinked and stared at the receiver. "You called to ask if you woke Sarah!?!"
"No, you idiot. . . I just thought maybe the call--"
"She's probably still asleep, like a NORMAL person would be AT THIS HOUR. She slept through the last earthquake."
A knock.
"Mama? Papa?"
A disheveled blonde head peered through the now open bedroom door. The four year-old Sarah's eyes brightened as she spotted her father on the phone. With a loud giggle, she ran from the door and jumped onto the bed, landing between her parents.
Josh uttered a loud "oof" and Lilla swatted playfully at her daughter's backside.
"What did I say about jumping in our bed?"
The little girl grinned and sat up. "Sorry, Mama. Is that Auntie Bran? Can I--"
"May I--"
"May I talk with her?"
The phone crackled once more. "Is that Sarah? Let me talk to her, Josh."
He sighed, handing the phone to his young daughter. Sarah snuggled between her parents and the adults shared a smile as their daughter talked animatedly over the line.
"Auntie Bran? Are you coming home soon? I got the birthday present you sent. Are you going to be back for Hanukkah? Mr. Bobo misses you. I miss you too."
Laughter filled the other line. "Yeah, sweetie, it's me. I miss you and Mr. Bobo too. No, I won't be back before Hanukkah, but I promise to bring back lots of presents to make up for it, okay?"
Sarah nodded vigorously. "Does it earthquake in Fance?"
"Not so far, sweetheart."
"It earthquaked here. Papa says--" the young girl looked to her father. Josh smiled and tousled the child's hair. "Papa says I slept through it."
"Is that so?"
"Uh-huh."
"Did Mr. Bobo sleep through it too?"
Sarah laughed. "He hid under the covers. He's a scardy cat."
"But you're my brave Sarah and you protected him?"
The child nodded again.
"That's my girl. Okay, sweetie, let me talk to your Papa. Give your Mama a kiss for me all right?"
"Okay."
Sarah gave the receiver back to her father, climbed onto her mother's lap, and gave a sloppy kiss to Lilla's cheek.
Lilla laughed. "What was that for, sweetie?"
"Auntie said to give you a kiss."
Lilla smiled indulgently. "Give Papa a kiss too and we'll let him talk to Auntie, okay?"
" 'kay." Sarah turned and gave an equally sloppy kiss on her father's cheek.
Lilla lifted the child in her arms and turned toward the door. "All right young lady, let's get you back to bed."
"But I'm not sleepy."
"Nevertheless--"
"Can I--"
"May I--"
"May I have some foo loops?"
"Hey Josh--"
The phone line crackled and Josh put the receiver to his ear. "Yeah Oat Bran, this better be good."
"I'll give YOU a kiss if you would answer some questions for me."
"There's no need for threats. Now, why on earth did you call me this early? Couldn't you have just emailed or something?"
"Actually, I thought it would be better if you heard it from me directly."
Josh laughed. "Well, what in the world is it, Bran? Did ya suddenly find religion and decided to become a nun? Or better yet, did you seduce one of the good Sisters to the dyke side?"
A pause. "Did that last earthquake shake what little is left of your brain, Joshua?"
"Heh heh. Okay, okay. In all seriousness, what's up?"
A rustle of papers.
"Okay. . . . I need to know everything you can tell me about the time you spent at Columbia-- at the Covington-Pappas Institute."
"Covington-Pappas? As in the Covington-Pappas Institute of Xena Studies?"
"Yup."
"What does that have to do with-- Did you find something in France? A scroll or--" Joshua laughed nervously. "Don't tell me that you found them entombed in a medieval French abbey?"
"Do you know whether there have ever been accounts of them travelling to Gaul?"
"Not off-hand, but a few contemporary accounts mention a woman warrior and her companion travelling beyond the boundaries of what was ancient Greece. Look Bran muffin, Xena studies is controversial. I mean, it was practically the butt-end of jokes before Dr. Covington found those scrolls in the 1940s. Heck it's still controversial even now. Don't you remember any of your Archaeology 101?"
"That's what I have you for, Josh. You have to admit that it's a nice bonus to have an archaeologist as a brother-in-law."
"Hmm. Well, do you at least remember Schliemann?"
"He found Troy, right?"
"Uh huh. He was a German businessman-- an armchair archaeologist who was obsessed with Troy. They said that he used Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to find Troy. At the time, people thought he was crazy -- the Iliad and Odyssey were pieces of fiction, imaginative literature. He actually used those texts as a basis, a map, if you will, to find Troy. Before that, everyone thought Troy was just a myth."
"So you're saying that Dr. Covington--"
"Well, her father, Harry, and his translator, Melvin Pappas, were looking at the Xena legends before Janice. Her father was obsessed. Xena was thought to be a legend. Stories made up by matriarchal nomads and stuff. Anyway, Harry's legacy to archaeology was uh, colorful."
"And what about his daughter?"
"Well, she was quite a character herself, but she was a brilliant archaeologist. She brought legitimacy to the field of Xena studies with her discoveries. She was practically the founding mother, along with her translator, Melinda Pappas."
"And those scrolls, when did you say they were found?"
"1940. Macedonia. The institute at Columbia was founded after the war -- 1948-49, thereabouts…."
---
Present day, St. Marie d'Ormarc Abbey, Ormarc, (Midi Pyrenees) France
"….And as far as Joshua knows, there has never been any mention of Xena and Gabrielle after the rule of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in 138. It was as if they disappeared from the written cultural record. He did say that certain areas carried on an oral tradition--myths, folk tales, legends. But nothing substantial to link to any kind of written historical record. It wasn't until the dig in the 1940s when they actually found scrolls and a few artifacts that there was proof that there were more to the legends, that they were actual people. I guess it would be like finding Avalon and Arthur's tomb or Merlin's crystal cave."
"And the pages that you found here mentions these two women?"
"Yes, Sister Augustine. Right here--"
The nun leaned forward, her eyes skimming over the page to where the scholar indicated.
"I was astounded when I found that legal title concerning the convent and a cathedral here at Ormarc, but decided to see if I could find anything else. There were no other documents concerning the cathedral or the convent. I did, however, find these pages. If you look at the binding of the text, these last few pages seem to have been sewn into this volume after it was initially produced. The script-- the handwriting is different from the rest of the volume."
Gwen smiled and leaned back into the wooden chair as Sister Augustine looked over the text. The blonde shook her head and laughed softly. "These pages not only mention Xena and Gabrielle, but they also tell a story about them." She stood up and began pacing across the small room.
Sister Augustine's gloved finger moved slowly over the page. "Is it common for Greek legends to be mentioned in medieval texts?"
The scholar stopped by the shelves, smiling softly as her eyes lingered over the tall form looking over the manuscript volume. "More common than most people think. While it's true that the Renaissance brought about a re-discovery of Greek and Roman texts to the West, it was never truly 'lost' in the first place. The Renaissance essentially ushered these texts back into Western culture as a whole, brought it back to general popular knowledge and imagination. But these same texts were studied by monks, nuns, and other scholars throughout the Middle Ages. That knowledge was never truly 'lost'; it was just 'hidden' for lack of a better term. There were other 'Renaissances' throughout the medieval period. Periods when knowledge and learning flourished and thrived."
The nun straightened, turned, and watched as the woman continued to walk the length of the room. She smiled softly, her eyes bright as she quietly listened to the scholar.
"Contrary to popular belief, the 'Dark Ages' weren't all that dark. Ovid was quoted often, as were Aristotle and Plato, the Orpheus legend was told and re-told. Several medieval dynasties claimed to have their roots stretching back to Troy, Athens and other Greek city-states and the Roman Empire itself. Charlemagne claimed himself as the direct inheritor of the old Roman Empire. After all, the modern concepts of universities and nation-states had their origins in the Middle Ages. The Age of Exploration and the Renaissance were built upon and were made possible due to the foundations laid during the medieval--" Gwen sighed. "I-I'm sorry, Sister. I-I didn't mean to lecture there. It--it's just a pet peeve of mine. You can't imagine how discouraging it is to see the popular notions about the Middle Ages, how it's always portrayed as the backward stepchild of--" Gwen shook her head and chuckled ruefully. "There I go again."
Sister Augustine walked slowly toward a small window by the worktable, her eyes lingering over the view of the town in the distance. "No need to apologize, Gwen. I'm pleased to know that you show such devotion to your work, that you have such a passion for it."
The scholar smiled. "Some people would say that it's more of an obsession-- I-I guess." She took the cotton glove from her fingers and ran a hand through her short locks, her shoulders shrugging in a nonchalant manner. "At least it keeps me out of trouble. I mean, I couldn't possibly find trouble in a convent, now could I?" You are really pushing it, aren't you, Morrison? What the HELL are you thinking?!?
The veiled head turned toward the shelves, hands hiding her mouth in a gesture that had grown all too familiar to the blonde scholar. "Unless you decide to raid the abbey kitchen, get drunk on sacramental wine and run around naked while singing 'Climb Every Mountain', then no."
The scholar stood in stunned silence, mouth agape in shock. Did she just say what I thought she---
Laughter. Deep, rich, joy-filled laughter erupted from the nun and echoed through the small library. The veiled head shook slightly, mouth upturned in a rakish grin as the dark form turned to face the scholar. With a gesture that surprised them both, Sister Augustine crossed the space between them and placed a gentle finger against the blonde's chin. "You'll catch flies."
Nodding, Gwen spoke softly. "I-- I-- thank-- yes, Sister." She has the MOST amazing mouth. All I have to do is move my face an inch or two and I could almost-- What am I thinking?! Her eyes went wide. I can just hear Josh now…Ya see, Lilla, I TOLD you that she would make some poor, defenseless nun forsake her vows--
The nun's hand lingered a fraction longer before she turned abruptly toward the worktable. "Is there a connection between the legal title you found several weeks ago and the pages concerning Xena and--"
"And Gabrielle?" Gwen blinked, the sudden change sending her thoughts skittering to an abrupt halt. "I-- um--it's possible. I-- That's why I need to-- to make an appointment with the Lady d'Ormarc."
"Lady Thisbe?"
"Yes. Since the parish records are sketchy, I need to interview Lady Thisbe and ask her about her ancestors. She may have some information that might prove useful." The blonde walked toward the worktable, gesturing to the open volume. She stopped next to the nun, pulled a white glove over her bare hand, and gently turned the pages of the manuscript. "At first I wasn't sure, but as I read through more of the text, I realized that this name --" Gwen pointed to a small portion of the document, "right here wasn't referring to Xena's companion."
The nun peered at the elaborate script, her forehead wrinkling in confusion behind her wimple. "Forgive me, but that looks like it also says 'Gabrielle.' How do you know that it talks about someone else?"
The blonde nodded. "Yes, that's what I thought at first as well, but this bit roughly translates to, And gladly shall I, Gabrielle, tell the tales of one, skilled in war and art, doubly blessed daughter of Potidaea, friend and companion to the warrior woman, Xena, of Amphipolis born. "
"But what is the connection between that and the request by--"
"En Chrétien?"
"Yes."
"Well, the text continues here," Gwen gestured to another portion of the manuscript, "And from what I can tell, it seems to make reference to the Lord of Ormarc requesting the work, essentially commissioning this Gabrielle to compose this tale. It says, Because En Chrétien wills it so, I shall undertake it with great goodwill. I can't be certain that it refers to the same Chrétien, but names tend to run in families. I'm fairly certain that this Chrétien may be related to the same man who asked the Bishop of Toulouse for permission to build a cathedral at Ormarc."
The veiled head peered closer at the text. "And what does this name refer to? Is it one of the characters in the story?" A tapered finger gently brushed against the document.
"Uh, well--" the scholar shook her head. "I'm still-- that is-- I'm still translating most of it and what I've-- it's still quite rough." Gwen sighed. "It, well, frankly it says, Since first I caught sight of you, Dompna, I've been at your command. Because merit and beauty exist in you without pretension, with great happiness N'Alexandra, to you do my stanzas go, for in you lies my heart." Gwen turned from the worktable, avoiding Sister Augustine's gaze. "It--it's still quite rough, as--as you can tell."
Silence filled the small library and Gwen ambled toward the far shelves as the nun continued to look over the manuscript.
The scholar stopped in the middle of the room and spoke once more, "I--I'm guessing that this Alexandra was a--a noblewoman-- possibly-- or maybe this Gabrielle was praising her patron. It was common for troubadours to--to give excessive praise to their employers, the nobles of the court." And do you seriously believe that, Gwen? There's no doubt about what that stanza means and you know it. It's gonna be difficult for anyone to make the argument that it's just in praise of the Virgin Mary. Can you imagine what would happen if you brought this up at a conference session at K'Zoo? You thought the arguments about the Bieiris de Romans poem was a hoot, just wait until THIS hits.
The nun's eyebrow raised behind her veil as her gaze fell upon the blonde. "Is it also possible to conclude that this noblewoman was the troubadour's belovéd?"
Gwen turned, her eyes locking with the nun's, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, that's entirely possible."