Chapter Four Gabrielle was nervous as the caravan left Amazon territory that morning. Out of the huge group of women - and one man - who began the journey, she was among the small handful that knew that danger lay ahead. Morgin and her two best scouts rode out just before sunup, and true to her word, Lilith and the rest of her followers were ready less than an hour later. Gabrielle politely declined Lilith's invitation to ride in the Priestess' wagon, preferring to walk along with Solari.
It was mid-morning when Vana, one of the two scouts, came galloping back down the road. Xena signaled the caravan to a halt.
"Slavers!" Vana called breathlessly as she approached, pulling her mount to a halt in front of Xena and Meleager.
"Where? How many?" Xena asked.
"An hour's ride west, in ambush along the road … at least thirty," Vana replied, catching her breath. "Morgin and Treya sent me back while they remained to scout further. Morgin will return as soon as more is known. Treya will stay, and note if there is any change."
"Do the slavers know we're coming?" Xena asked.
"It's possible," Vana said, smiling, "but we found and took down two of their own scouts. One is dead, having fought Morgin - she didn't have a choice. The other is a prisoner, and she will bring him with her. It was felt he would only slow me down, and that you should know of this as quickly as possible."
"All right. Good work," Xena commented. "Find Solari, tell her and Lilith, and put the watch commanders on alert - I want everyone in position immediately. Then come back for a debriefing."
Vana nodded and spurred her horse back through the caravan. Meleager turned to Xena with a half smile "I guess it starts, huh?" he chuckled.
"Looks that way," Xena replied.
"I'll check the deployment," Meleager turned his horse. "And Xena," he said, making sure he caught her eye, "I just want you to know, thank you. I really owe you one." He extended his arm.
Xena raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "You should wait until this is over to thank me," she said with a note of dry amusement. "Doing it now is just asking for bad luck. Still, you're welcome." She clasped his forearm and they gripped firmly for a brief moment.
"And you're right, Meleager the Mighty, you owe me big time." She flashed her eyes at him, then gave his horse a slap on its flank and sent him on his way.
The slaver scout told everything he knew with no trouble at all. Surrounded by an armed force that was much larger than he'd ever dreamed, he clearly feared for his life, which surprised no one - slavers and those who traveled with them were usually monstrous cowards at heart. Between what he told them and what Morgin could confirm, the situation wasn't good. A large tree had been felled across the road, and the slavers were waiting in ambush.
"We could just let him go back to his, um, companions," Gabrielle mused out loud. "Maybe when they know what they're up against, they'll just leave us alone. We outnumber them by a lot. Even if you only count soldiers, it's more than two to one."
"Maybe," Xena replied, "but I don't want to count on it."
"Yeah," Meleager agreed. "And they might come back with help, or figure some other way to trick or trap us."
"I would," Xena said simply.
Meleager scratched his beard. "Frontal assault is out, I guess."
"Damn right," Solari insisted. "Too risky."
"The log is the most serious problem," Morgin offered. "Were it not for that, we could almost certainly keep moving and weather the attack. They aren't many…"
As the discussion continued, Gabrielle motioned to Xena. The warrior rose and joined her, slightly away from the rest. "Xena," Gabrielle began. "You could take these guys - at the very least, you and Meleager, maybe take Morgin or Solari and a couple of others for diversion. Run them off…"
Xena smiled thinly, shaking her head. "You're right, I probably could, but the journey's too long. I don't want this whole camp depending on me, not this early anyway. Something could happen in a day, or a week, and I might not be there anymore."
"Xena…" the bard began.
"It's all right Gabrielle," the warrior quietly reassured her, "It's not like I'm writing myself off. Just being practical. You were the one who said we had to find out if the whole system works, remember?"
"Yes, but…" The bard's words trailed off. Gabrielle didn't know whether to be hurt or not by the comment, but her frustration was clear. Xena never ran from a fight.
"Look," Xena sighed, but smiled warmly, "I'll do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. You know that. But this is just the first obstacle. One way or the other, there isn't much danger, not really. I'll give advice, play my part in the plan, but we all need to work together, all right?"
"Yeah," Gabrielle answered thoughtfully, "and a shared victory will help keep everyone's morale up too. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Xena said, giving the bard's shoulder a squeeze. "You're just being concerned. Don't ever lose that - I count on it."
"Deal," Gabrielle smiled back.
Penthus was getting impatient. Worse, when he thought about it, he realized he was also getting worried.
"So?" Darmus asked spitefully. "What now, oh great leader?"
Penthus just glared at him. The uneasy peace between them had been sorely tested by the waiting game they'd been forced to play, and even their mutual hatred for Meleager and those damned whore guards had been barely enough to keep the two of them together for the last week or so. Then, last night, judging by the bonfire they'd spotted, it seemed he'd guessed right about the road the whores' caravan was taking out of Amazon territory. That had shut up Darmus at least.
They'd felled the tree Penthus had so carefully chosen - in Zeus' name, what else had he had to occupy his time? - and the caravan should have pulled up and been stopped by mid-morning. A couple of volleys of flaming arrows later, and their men would have been able to keep the guards at bay long enough to haul off at least a few wagons in the confusion. Then they'd have enough flesh for trade to make the whole thing profitable.
It had seemed like a good plan, but then his scouts that morning hadn't returned. Then the men he'd sent after the scouts hadn't returned. Darmus - damn his eyes - had insisted on sending out a few more, and they hadn't come back either. Now their mild numerical superiority over the guards had dwindled to nothing, and it looked like they didn't even have surprise on their side anymore.
"They know we're here. They're picking us off one at a time," Penthus said.
"Duhhh," Darmus rolled his eyes, spiteful as ever. It was the last thing he ever did in his short, selfish life.
Without looking, Penthus whipped his sword from his scabbard and decapitated his testy ally with a single, powerful sidearm stroke. "Don't piss me off," he said simply.
As the twitching body fell to the ground, Penthus continued looking thoughtfully down the road. All right, he said to himself, the plan can still work. They should have stopped for the tree, but now they've stopped themselves. No big deal.
"Mount up!" he called out to his men - all of them were his now. "I want two groups! We're heading east. Fan out from the road, and try to stay quiet!"
Shortly before mid-day, Treya returned to the caravan, bringing news of the slavers' imminent arrival, but by then everything was already in place. The Guardians had been divided into two squads and posted in the woods on either side of the road well ahead of the caravan, while Amazon archers, sheltered in the first row of wagons, covered the road.
The mounted slavers approached through the woods, planning on surrounding the caravan. It wasn't a bad idea, but moving through the trees and brush of the forest effectively sacrificed whatever advantage their horses gave them. The Guardians let themselves be seen, then pulled back - falling into neat lines which put them between the enemy and the caravan. The slavers pursued them eagerly, only to be fallen on by Amazons hidden further within the woods and in the trees.
Surrounded and outnumbered, the group to the south offered only token resistance. Xena quickly dispatched their nominal lieutenant by tossing him against a tree trunk like one would swat a mosquito. A single ice-blue glare later and all their fight was gone. They surrendered quietly.
The group to the north, however, had their leader with them, and his blind rage spurred them to action. Heedless of the Guardians barring his way, Penthus had simply charged the line, galloping towards the wagons as fast as his horse could move through the trees, his men following. While many were knocked from their mounts by sharply wielded wooden swords, at least a half-dozen broke through.
From her place in her wagon, Lilith rose to her feet. Crouching next to her, Gabrielle watched from behind the cover of the wagon's side planking. Although Lilith had seemed amused by the idea she needed a personal bodyguard, both Xena and Meleager had insisted - Meleager out of concern for the Priestess, and Xena, truthfully, so Gabrielle would have something to do that would keep her as far from the main battle as possible. Now it looked like the battle was coming to her anyway.
"Hey, Lilith," Gabrielle said, tugging at the Priestess' robe - the bard couldn't believe how calm Lilith seemed. "Don't you think you should keep down?"
Meleager galloped after the leader and his men. "Penthus!" he shouted. "Come on you bastard! Hey, bottom-feeder! It's me you want!"
That brought the slaver up short, his eyes blazing with hate. He turned to his few remaining men. "No prisoners," he hissed, waving an arm in the general direction of the caravan. "Just kill!" Then he spun around, screaming as he charged toward Meleager.
His men continued on, and the first one who broke through the treeline was immediately pincushioned with Amazon arrows. The rest dropped from their horses, pulling out their own bows and crossbows and taking cover behind the trees.
Meleager and Penthus charged each other, their swords ringing out, clashing as they passed. Penthus pulled up and began to turn, but Meleager didn't bother. He drew Melampus up short and leaped back out of the saddle, twisting around as he did, catching Penthus in a flying body tackle and taking him to the ground. In moments they were both on their feet, Penthus in a low crouch, growling. "I'm gonna bleed you slow!"
Meleager stood with his sword out, but settled into a casual slouch. "Aw come on Penthus, you can't still be angry about that broken nose? That was years ago."
Xena was just beginning to supervise tying up the captured men to the south when she heard shouts coming from the other side of the road. "Gods, now what?" she grunted, sprinting towards the noise.
A crossbow bolt thunked solidly into the side of the wagon. "Lilith!" Gabrielle hissed insistently, a little frustrated. "You really need to keep down!" She rose to her own feet, reaching out to grab the Priestess by the shoulders and force her under cover, when Lilith's hand struck within a few inches of her face, faster than the bard could see it move. Clenched in Lilith's delicate fingers was another bolt.
The Priestess gave a sly grin. "Perhaps you should take cover young one," she said coyly, pressing Gabrielle back down to a sitting position. "I truly need no protecting." Then Lilith's gray eyes darted to the side and in an instant she was airborne, diving headlong over the bard. She connected with the wagon driver, knocking her from her seat as both women tumbled over the front end of the wagon and out of Gabrielle's line of sight.
Penthus did exactly what Meleager hoped he would: Charged forward, screaming with anger, his sword making a sloppy arc that Meleager easily countered. The graying warrior landed a solid kick to the slaver's knee as the bigger man went past, hearing a satisfying crunch as the joint was pushed in a direction nature never intended it to go. Howling in pain, the slaver hopped a couple of yards on his remaining good leg, then turned back to face Meleager again, cold fury in his eyes.
"Aw c'mon Penthus," Meleager drawled, "don't you think you should just kinda, you know, cut your losses here?"
The slaver drew a dagger and threw it at the aging warrior, who easily batted it aside with his sword. "Guess not," he shrugged as Penthus came at him with another bouncing charge.
Xena ran down the road, sensing the position of the snipers in the treeline. Two were down, but two more were left. With no conscious thought, just instinct and skill, she let fly with the chakram into the woods, angling it off two trees and one sniper's helmet before it buried itself in the chest of the other. Hearing the sounds of battle continuing from deeper in the woods, she drew her sword and charged into the trees.
Gabrielle scrambled out of the wagon. Lilith was on her side, back arched severely as she listened to the driver's chest for a heartbeat. "Is she…" Gabrielle began.
The Priestess turned to look at the bard with a strange, tight smile. "No," she half gasped. "She is unharmed, merely knocked senseless. Thank the Goddess I was able to reach her in time."
"Lilith, you're hurt," Gabrielle observed, taking the Priestess by the arm and helping her sit up, scanning for signs of injury. "What in the name of Artemis made you do that?"
Lilith looked down, closing her eyes, an unreadable expression on her face. Then with a deep sigh she gave a shrug and looked back up with that same tight smile. "Simple, young one. So she would not be struck by this." With that, Lilith half turned and let Gabrielle see the crossbow bolt lodged deep between her shoulder blades.
Xena reached the battle just in time to end it. Having been knocked from their horses, the few slavers with any will to fight weren't in any shape to be effective, and were easily overpowered. Xena was well pleased with the actions of her troops, none of whom were even scratched. She had passed by where Meleager was fighting the leader, but he hadn't seemed in need of help. Still, after making sure the Guardians and Amazons had the situation under control, she jogged back in that direction - no sense in leaving anything to chance.
She found Meleager standing with his arms crossed, watching as the slaver dragged himself across the ground, still growling and swinging his sword despite his two obviously broken legs. Xena sheathed her own sword, "Having fun?" she asked Meleager.
He gave a disgusted grunt. "No, not at all." He caught the slaver's weak swing with the sole of his boot and stepped on the blade, pinning it to the ground. "Lights out, bottom-feeder," he snapped before knocking Penthus out cold.
"Gods Lilith!" Gabrielle gasped. "OK, don't move! I'll get Xena, she'll know what…"
"No, young one," Lilith said quietly, waving her hand. "Do not be troubled. I am in no danger. I am, however, in … uhnn!" she groaned, then unaccountably chuckled. "I am in some pain. Please, help me to stand…"
Wide eyed and totally beyond understanding, the bard took the slim hand in her own and pulled the Priestess to her feet. Lilith swayed a little but miraculously stayed upright. She gently stroked the side of Gabrielle's face, smiling warmly, and for no reason the bard could fathom she felt her panic subside.
"I wish you to know, young Gabrielle, I have seen into your heart, and trust it with all of my own. Please, have courage." With that, Lilith closed her eyes tightly and slammed herself back against the side of the wagon, driving the bolt all the way through her torso and out the other side.
Gabrielle was simply too shocked and scared for the scream inside to escape. Instead, she stared, mute, as Lilith's legs buckled slightly. The Priestess made a feeble attempt at reaching for the bolt which now protruded from just under her left collarbone. She looked up at the bard, smiling weakly. "Gabrielle," she gasped, "could you be kind and pull … pull this…"
Numb, the young woman watched as her own hands reached out and gripped the shaft, then with two short tugs, managed to pull it free. "Ahhh," Lilith sighed. "Better."
Gabrielle instantly pushed her fingers over the wound, looking around for something to make a bandage with. "It's OK Lilith, we'll get help…"
"Young one," Lilith said softly, her usual warm smile back again, covering the bard's hands with her own. "There is no need. Truly. Look." She gently pried Gabrielle's fingers away, and the bard saw that under the small amount of blood, the wound had already closed. She watched, dumbfounded as the small mark it left behind faded before her eyes.
She looked up into Lilith's amused face. "Gods," the bard breathed, "you're … you're…"
"Yes, I am," the Priestess said simply, running her hand over the young woman's brow and down her cheek. She cocked her head at a coy angle. "It is, I think, time for us to talk. We shall do so tonight, after we are camped. For now there is much to do, and you should find your warrior. I have little doubt she will wish to know you are safe and unharmed."
"Yeah, Xena," Gabrielle babbled. "Oh gods, Xena! She needs to know this … and Meleager! Does he know? He does know. Right?"
Lilith shook her head. "No young one, he does not know, and he should not for a time longer. I will make things plain tonight, after we make camp. Bring Xena as well, as I believe she already has her suspicions, and there is no further point in keeping this from her. For now, however, please respect my wishes and tell no one else. Do you see?"
"Yeah, I see, I guess," Gabrielle said slowly, rubbing her temple, still trying to take it all in.
"Amazon Queen," Lilith said affectionately, but as if talking to a small child, "go now. Find your warrior."
"Yeah, that fits," Xena said slowly. "Explains a lot."
Gabrielle gave a half grin. "She said you suspected."
"I did, sort of," Xena looked thoughtful. "Question now is, what else has she kept from us? More to the point, what else will she keep from us?"
"Well, we can ask her tonight," the bard said cheerfully. "Personally, I've got a million questions."
"You would," the warrior playfully raised an eyebrow. "Personally, I've got a bunch of prisoners to deal with. Let's see now - executing them would be easiest…"
"Xena!"
That prompted the warrior into real smile. Xena rolled her eyes unconvincingly. "All right, so we'll graciously spare their lives. Let's find Meleager and Solari, see what we can work out."
In the end it was decided to leave the captured slavers at Nimos, a good-sized village not far off. It was slightly out of the way, but the caravan could reach it before nightfall, and if Penthus and his men had been working in the area for any length of time, the villagers would be happy to get their hands on them.
Xena, Meleager and the Amazons had begun stringing the captives into rope trains when Lilith and several of her priestesses approached and stopped them. "Dear one, warrior Xena, it is my wish that they should ride in the wagons, with us."
The two warriors just stared at her, puzzled. "Uh, Lilith," Meleager began, "I don't think that's such a good idea. What in Hades' name for?"
"To reclaim their spirits," Lilith smiled. "We will lead them to the face of Inanna, perhaps then on the road to redemption."
Xena crossed her arms. "Lilith, these men are dangerous…"
"Yes, they are," Lilith said simply, "and they will continue to be so unless they are shown another path. I well know we may not reach them all. It is possible we will not reach any, yet as sons of the Earth they must be given the chance."
Meleager stared at her in disbelief. "Lilith, these men would have kidnapped you, sold you into slavery, gods know what else, and you're just going to … well, I mean, I think you're going to…"
"Yes, we are," she laid a hand on Meleager's arm. "Dear one, you have done a hero's work this day, as have you, Xena, and all who protect us. It is time now for I and the priestesses to do our work, that work you fought to protect. Can you see?"
The aging warrior stared at the smaller woman for a time, then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Gods," he sighed heavily into her hair. "Yeah … I guess … I guess I do…" They held each other for a long moment, Xena just watching, pursing her lips thoughtfully.
"Again, dear one," Lilith said softly, brushing her lips over his neck and shoulder, "I ask if you wish for me not to give myself…"
"Nah," Meleager replied, squeezing her tight again before letting her go. "Just … just do what you think is right." He patted her shoulder. "I gotta check a few things," he announced, then walked off without looking back.
Xena gave a sharp sigh and shrugged. "All right," she said flatly, "do what you want. I'll put guards around each wagon. If any of these men give you even a hint of trouble, have someone call out. Use the word 'flying' - that'll be the signal. Understand?"
"Yes, Xena. This I will make plain to us all."
"And one last thing," the warrior said, letting the seriousness be heard in her tone. "These men stay tied - tight. No exceptions."
"I would not expect less," Lilith replied. "Forgiveness and love we graciously extend, but this does not imply any measure of stupidity. Many times have we dealt with ones such as these, and know full well the risk it entails. Besides," she gave the warrior a playful smile, "it will make things somewhat more … interesting, will it not?"
Xena couldn't help a short laugh. She caught herself and rolled her eyes. "I've heard immortals are a jaded bunch. Now I know it's true."
Lilith laughed honestly - a wonderful, musical sound. "Ah, Xena," she sighed, running a hand down the warrior's arm, "you know not the half of it. Yet ones such as you make eternity bearable, you and Meleager … you and your bard…" She looked and caught Xena's eyes. "Of this, we must talk."
"Maybe," the warrior grunted, then turned and went back to have the prisoners untied from the trains.
Xena had looked on, both amused and impatient as the bound slavers were given a nominal washing before being split into groups and loaded into the back of several wagons. After that, the journey to Nimos was relatively uneventful, unless one counted the chanting of the priestesses, punctuated occasionally by loud, often emotional shouts from the captive men. As for what went on inside the wagons, none could tell - except, perhaps, the Guardians riding alongside who doubtless could hear everything. The boxy, canvas wagon covers which had been removed as a precaution against flaming arrows had been replaced.
Xena and Meleager rode together at the head of the column, but neither said much, and it suited them both. As they reached the outskirts of Nimos, Xena signaled a halt, then motioned to Morgin. "Tell Lilith we've arrived. Whatever they're doing has to stop, now," she said, not missing the way Meleager stiffened slightly. "The Amazons can get the prisoners together. Meleager and I will ride ahead and let the villagers know what we've got."
"Xena," Meleager spoke finally, "it's probably not a bad idea to ask permission if we can stay here too. I mean, an armed camp outside your village can be a little, uh, distressing."
Why didn't I think of that? Xena asked herself. Simple, dumb warrior, last time you rode with an armed camp, you never needed to ask - they accepted it or they paid the price.
Xena shook it off. "Yeah, you're right. Go on Morgin." She waved the guardian off. "Come on, Meleager."
"Hey! Xena?" Gabrielle chimed in, hopping down out of the wagon she'd been riding in.
The warrior suppressed a smile. "Wanna come along, I gather?"
Gabrielle chuckled. "Want to? I'd better - or do you think a pair of heavily armed and mounted warriors seems like a friendly envoy? Besides, this close to the territories they're bound to be used to dealing with Amazons. I'll just flash my royal seal and they'll know they can trust us. Probably not a bad idea to bargain for supplies while we're here too."
Xena and Meleager exchanged a brief, stoically amused look. "All right my little flasher," Xena sighed. "Mount up." She reached down and helped the bard into the saddle behind her, then nudged Argo towards Nimos, Meleager chuckling beside them.
The village leader and his constable never had a chance. By the time the sun was just starting to set, the persuasive bard had not only convinced them to allow the caravan to camp near the river, but had also exacted a substantial bounty on the captured slavers, then negotiated the dinars for foodstuffs and other supplies.
"Gods," Meleager grunted from his horse, watching the hopelessly confused expressions on the faces of the two villagers, who mostly nodded while getting few words in themselves. He leaned towards Xena. "She always get her way like that?"
Xena gave him a wry grin. "Why do think I don't talk around her much? Arguing with her is like falling into a bear trap." The smile warmed on the warrior's face. "She could talk her way out of Charon's boat - all he'd have to do is open his mouth to disagree."
"Xena, you are a braver woman than I even gave you credit for," Meleager drawled. "Glad she travels with you and not me."
"Yeah, me too," Xena said softly, then realized she spoke out loud. "C'mon, let's go," she said quickly, turning Argo. "Oh Queen?" she shouted, managing to sound both reverent and playful at the same time.
"Yes?" Gabrielle said over her shoulder, clearly annoyed by the interruption.
"We, your humble captains, shall fetch the prisoners, all right?"
At that, Gabrielle smiled, then hid it quickly. "Good," the bard said soberly, "and bring back a wagon…" She paused, looking the village leader straight in the eye. "No, make that two wagons…"
Both warriors managed to keep silent until they were out of earshot, then laughed for a solid minute. As they neared the column, however, Xena noticed Meleager's mood drop again. By the time they reached the prisoners he was practically glaring at the bound men.
A bit jealous aren't you, Meleager the Mighty? Xena sighed to herself. Well, you could have told her 'no'. "Meleager," Xena called out. "Hey, Meleager!"
"Yeah, what?" he replied, snapping himself out of it.
"I'll take the prisoners. You set up camp, send out the scouts. Then take first watch, all right?"
"Yeah," he said slowly. "OK."
"And Meleager," Xena began, hardly believing she was saying it, "use the time to think a little, huh? She does love you, you know." Whoa! What was that for, Warrior Matchmaker?
He relaxed, gave an embarrassed grin. "Yeah, sorry." He caught her eye, then scratched his beard. "But, you know, I could say the same to you." He tensed slightly, almost as if expecting to get a dagger in the face.
Xena narrowed her eyes. Blocked and counterattacked. That's what I get for butting in. "Yeah, well, we've got work to do." She turned Argo. "Solari!" she called out, "let's get those men on their feet…"
The short trip to the village was odd. Many of the slavers showed the usual surliness of prisoners being taken to justice, but perhaps half were strangely meek and subdued. A few even seemed to be quietly weeping. It was a look Xena recognized from her own face - a dark soul that had been shown just how dark it was, and had come to regret it.
Gods Lilith, the warrior thought, I don't know what powers you have, but keep them away from me. She suppressed a shudder and kept riding.
The trip back, however, was much better. "Chickens?" Standing beside Argo, Xena raised an eyebrow as the small cages were stowed in one of the wagons.
"Yeah, well," Gabrielle seemed a little embarrassed. "I know they'll need some grain and looking after, but we'll all get tired of salted meat, and I figured a few eggs wouldn't be a bad thing in the meantime…"
"Bartered for the grain though too, huh?" The warrior was just playing with her now, found herself kind of enjoying it.
"Well, they have lots of it, dried beans too. Good harvest last year … What?" the suddenly exasperated bard asked.
"Nothing," Xena said evenly, hiding a warm smile. "Just that you managed to trade two dozen worthless slavers for enough food to keep us all going for at least half a week … and you don't seem a bit proud of it." The warrior absently brushed Argo's mane. "Most folks I know would be boasting by now."
Gabrielle bounced on her toes and thumped her staff lightly on the ground. "I'll boast when we get where we're going. Besides," the bard replied, "I wasn't the one who intimidated fifteen or twenty armed men into giving up without a fight - before noon."
Xena turned and took a step so she stood closer to the smaller woman. They were surrounded by random villagers and several Amazons, but as it always seemed to happen, at that moment there were just the two of them.
Xena looked warmly into the bard's green eyes. "And I wasn't the one who convinced a town to feed eight score people before sunset, Gabrielle."
"Xena, I couldn't have protected those people."
The warrior smiled. "Don't know about that. It was your plan that kept them from walking into an ambush." Xena gently placed her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. "We have different gifts, don't we?"
The bard grinned. "You know, I think I like that."
"Me too."
A heartbeat later they were both mounted in Argo's saddle, cantering down the road, the strawberry blonde in front laughing at something the warrior spoke in her ear as they rode away.
"Methinks I were lucky," the village elder said to Solari.
"Oh?" the Amazon replied, noting the way he looked at her, thinking he wasn't too bad looking himself. "Lucky how?"
He leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, winking, "If I'd known the Queen were joined to the Warrior Princess, I might've bargained less harshly."
Solari suddenly realized he was much less intelligent than he seemed. "That's lame, old man," she said proudly, folding her arms, "our Queen is the best negotiator on both sides of the Mediterranean. For what it's worth, you got taken in your 'bargain' - supplies for eight score people for some lousy slavers? Come on!"
She shrugged away and turned back for one last taunt, seeing again that he really wasn't bad looking at all … in a mature, older guy sort of way. "And they aren't joined, old man - you wouldn't have had a bargaining chip to stand on." Always leave 'em guessing.
Solari hurried after her sister Amazons, then slowed, thinking. Why is that anyway? When I asked about them, Gabrielle shot that thought down pretty quick. Damn, too quick. Weird. By Artemis, why aren't they?
The space inside Lilith's wagon was somewhat confining, and Gabrielle knew Xena was uncomfortable in close quarters, yet the warrior stretched herself out and seemed at ease, picking up her goblet of cider and taking a brief sip. "So," the warrior began, characteristically not wasting words, "I hear you drink human blood."
Lilith gave a musical chuckle. "This I have heard of myself as well." The Priestess eyed Xena with a sly smile. "Of course, I also recall hearing the same of a certain Warrior Princess…"
Xena raised an eyebrow, then smiled wryly. "All right, fair enough. So, why are you immortal?"
"Luck," Lilith shrugged, smiling, reclining onto her side. "At times I am unsure whether it was good luck or bad, yet I cannot fail to see the irony in it." She turned to Gabrielle. "Young bard, I think you know my story, yes?"
"About how you left the garden? I think so. Was that how it happened?" Gabrielle seemed breathless, and was the only one of the three of them sitting up, cross-legged, leaning slightly forward with her own goblet clutched in her hands, forgotten. The young woman had met gods, yet an immortal, someone who had been there at the creation, this was something big.
"I know not the way you may have heard it, my story being told many times," Lilith smiled, "yet I think you have the bold strokes of it. In truth, as far as why I still live, it is because having been betrayed by both my companion and my maker, having left the garden, I was not there to receive the one god's curse of mortality when Adam and Eve disobeyed him. Therefore I live on, never to age, and nothing can stop this body, which requires neither food nor sleep nor warmth." She sighed, though she still smiled. "Many times, however, have I thought they were the lucky ones, to know the peace of death."
Lilith closed her eyes. "I am, I think, the oldest who lives upon this Earth, as old at least as the Titans, who are long since imprisoned - I cannot say for sure, for I only learned of them later. I know only that Inanna, the power of creation, was there before the one god who made me, as I believe was even the Earth itself. Knowing of her, indeed, working through her, he made me first as the one who could give birth and carry the seed of life…"
Lilith exhaled slowly as tears rolled down her face, though her voice remained steady. "A gift I foolishly destroyed in my anger, killing my womb with the issue of demons, caring only that the children of Adam and Eve should suffer for their father's pride."
The bard was spellbound by Lilith's words, absently reaching for the warrior's hand beside her. The callused warmth gripped her own hand gently as the Priestess continued.
"Adam … Ah, I remember still, watching as the one god formed him from the clay, Adam who has long since returned to it. I think of him still as a fool, vain and shallow - yet I could have loved him, if only he had not been so consumed with his own self-importance." The Priestess looked up, shrugged. "Perhaps the one god instilled him with this, to guard against feeling inferior for having been created last of all things, or perhaps it was some other feeling which simply became malformed. Thousands of years have I pondered it, and still it makes no sense. In the end he failed me, casting me out with his depthless vanity." She shook her head. "And so I am blessed, and cursed with life unending, as long as Earth endures, watching as the sons of Adam continue their self-important ways, and the daughters of Eve continue to indulge it, watching as they turn from this god to that, forgetting the power of creation that began gods and mortals all."
Lilith then gave a knowing, conspiratorial smile. "Yet it is Inanna who will triumph in the end, and I am her doorway back into the world."
"How so?" Xena asked.
"For many years, both during my time of darkness and since, I traveled the world, wandering aimlessly and everywhere, taking my pleasures as I found them…"
"Mounting men in their sleep," Xena said, then raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's what Gabrielle told me."
"Xena!" The bard slapped the warrior's knee as she blushed. Turning back to the Priestess, Gabrielle gave an embarrassed shrug. "That's, um, the story I heard anyway."
Lilith grinned, but there was a strange gravity behind it. "This is probably because it is true, young one. During my dark years if seduction failed, then yes, I would take them as they slept, any who caught my eye. They would remember me as a dream, nothing more. Women would think of it as only that, a dream, yet in the morning the men would have other evidence, finding their seed spilled on them - for no reason I could ever comprehend, some found this disturbing." She gave a musical chuckle. "Ah, but when I found the love of the Goddess, I ceased to do such things, for pleasure must be freely given if it is to be shared."
Lilith stared upward, as if looking past the roof of the wagon. "Yet all those I have laid with, they became … changed, somehow. If I returned years later and found they had borne children, these children were always different. The men were giving and tolerant, the women intelligent and self reliant. These are not like the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, and looking upon them I realized … I knew…"
The immortal lowered her gaze, looking from Gabrielle to Xena, her eyes once again brimming with tears above a strange smile. "They are, somehow, mine. Not as the issue of my womb, long since dead within me, but the children of my heart, and this has passed to their children in turn, one generation to the next. It has not always bred true, but I have watched it spread, and grow, and they teach others by example. It was, I think, a gift from Inanna, she who stayed by me even as I was abandoned by other gods, even as I let my hate turn me from them. Always she was there for me, I realized in time. And in time, our children will lead the world back to her, to live together as one with the Earth, in peace, and wisdom, and togetherness."
Lilith reached out and gently touched the bard and warrior. "And you, Xena, and you, Gabrielle, I see into you, and know that you are both my daughters true, as surely as if I had given you life. You are my joy."
Gabrielle beamed at Lilith, turned to look at Xena, saw the warrior looking oddly thoughtful. After a pause, Xena sat up slightly. "Let's talk about this 'seeing into' us thing. How is that? You said you weren't an oracle."
Lilith looked at her with an odd half grin, wiping her eyes absently. "Indeed, I am not," she sniffled, smiling, "but after living among people for a few thousand years, one becomes very good at judging their moods and character. It is hard to describe, but I have come to feel it as a kind of vibration. It is not a gift I alone possess, and I have met others who can feel it as well. Indeed, through teaching the priestesses I believe that given time and study anyone can feel what is in others to some degree, although," she chuckled, "I confess I have had more time than most. If the emotion is strong I can even sense it from a distance, or feel things so clearly it is much like reading one's thoughts."
"Can you vibrate back?" Xena asked, an edge of suspicion in her voice. "Cause someone to feel a certain way?"
Lilith gave a coy smile. "Ah, Xena, if you … I am sorry. To answer your question, no - I can never cause a person's feelings, nor would I do so if I had such power. However, in truth, I have learned how to reach out, to nurture and release feelings that are already there, perhaps hidden, or push them away so other things can be felt more clearly. Calm someone who is lost in panic or fear, for example. Often it requires a touch, or an embrace, but again, when it is strong I need only be close. Indeed, it is how our ceremony works - with the help and focus of the other priestesses I feel the love and pleasure in those around me, then reach out to them and together we push it higher still, until the spirits of all who worship soar to a place where they can feel only joy, hear the love and harmony of the Earth, and there, perhaps, to find themselves as well."
The Priestess closed her eyes, and her voice dropped low. "Oh, and how I remember … in Sumer of times long past, when Akkad was at its height, in the spring the whole city would be there to celebrate the fertility of the Earth. The King would come to me in the center of the temple, and I would reach out and feel the pleasure of hundreds of coupled lovers … so many, none could resist the song, and even the stoniest of hearts could be opened to the love of the Goddess. Every pleasured moment I felt as my own, and I would return it to them a hundred fold, higher and higher, until we were all joined to the Goddess as one, flowing together in ecstasy and boundless communion with love and the song of life…"
Lilith opened her eyes and laughed, blushing lightly for the first time either had seen. "It is," she giggled, "as you say, 'good work if get can get it', yes?"
Gabrielle suddenly remembered to close her mouth, realized it had been hanging open for quite a while. She noticed Xena looking at her with a half grin and felt herself blush. The bard tried a nonchalant shrug as she turned back to Priestess. "Uh, well, I guess there are some advantages to being immortal after all."
"A few," Lilith replied wistfully. "A very few. I think I would trade them all, however, for one last great love, and the peace of death. Yet I have accepted this will not happen, and have learned, in a word, to live with living."
Gabrielle pursed her lips. "Do you love Meleager?"
"Yes," The Priestess replied, "he is a dear one. He is noble at heart, yet flawed in just the right ways, simple and human. His are weaknesses I find most charming, and he makes me laugh at odd times, something that few can do. He struggles to accept his own feelings and mine but," she grinned, "I can afford patience. I believe in time he will - indeed, I think it is not far off."
"But you don't want him to know that you're, um, who you are until then, right?" the bard asked simply.
"You speak the truth, young one," Lilith replied. "It complicates things, I have found. I do not hide my immortality, exactly, but nor do I announce it. Too many would seek me out only for that reason, not to listen to the message I bring them as a Priestess of Inanna, or to my feelings as a friend or lover."
"Fair enough," Xena said, sitting up, "but speaking of Meleager, he'll be getting off watch soon, and some of us do need sleep." The warrior gave Gabrielle a playful nudge.
The bard chuckled and nudged back. "One last question though, for now," Gabrielle said, turning back to Lilith, "who else knows - in this camp anyway? Don't want to give anything away."
The immortal smiled. "Morgin, and the priestesses of course, though not their acolytes. That is all."
The warrior raised an eyebrow. "You do manage to keep pretty quiet."
Lilith laughed. "You overestimate my gifts, warrior Xena. It is not, after all, the sort of thing that comes up in casual conversation - 'Lovely sunrise, and by the way, are you an immortal?' I think not."
They all chuckled. "C'mon bard," Xena said, hauling Gabrielle to her feet. "You'll have the whole trip to ask the rest of your million questions. Right now, you need your rest."
"Good night Lilith," the bard said as they opened the flaps and hopped out of the wagon.
"Sleep in peace, young Gabrielle. And you, Xena," the immortal called after them.
"So, can we trust her now?" the bard asked playfully once they were well away from Lilith's wagon.
"Let's just say I trust her more than I did," Xena replied around a wry grin. But I don't like the idea of someone who can play with my emotions, whether they're mine to start with or not. The warrior furrowed her brows, looking thoughtful.
"Dinar for your thoughts?" Gabrielle broke in.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry," Xena shrugged. "It's been a long day," she smiled, "and for me it's not over yet. I have to relieve Meleager, take my watch. Good night Gabrielle … Gabrielle, is something wrong?"
The bard made herself smile. "Nah, go on. I'll, uh, I'll keep your bedroll warm. See you in the morning." She turned and strode towards their spot in the camp. Oh no, proud warrior, nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. Just that after spending a nice day feeling closer to you than I have in ages, you're going to end it by wandering off. Business as usual for the short sidekick.
Laying down, Gabrielle sighed. No, that's not fair either. She's got a hundred people to take care of right now. What's between us will have to wait. We've had a million looks and words and little touches and sometimes more and never talked about them, and now is not the most practical time to start.
"But I swear Xena," the bard said out loud as she closed her eyes, "when this trip is over, we're going to find some nice, safe, isolated spot and have one monster of a talk."
Stophacles stomped his foot, paced back and forth, remembered to spit in disgust. "Not good," he said simply. Then louder, "Not good!"
"Not a problem either," Klytus reassured him. "In fact, I think it's worked out fine."
"And just how in Tartarus do you figure that?" Stophacles was still livid with anger from realizing that the scouts - all of them - had simply stopped sending regular reports. No one in his much-too-large camp had received as much as a note in three days.
Klytus shrugged. "First, if they've eliminated the scouts it can only mean one thing - they're finally on the move…"
"Tell me something I can't guess," Stophacles spat back, then spat again for real.
Klytus sighed, decided that mid-morning was as good a time as any to start drinking, and grabbed his mug. "Second," he continued patiently, "losing their scouts has made Race and Pollux angry -"
"Oh gods," Stophacles groaned, covering his eyes. "That's the last thing we need - they'll both want more money."
"Nah, took care of that," Klytus reassured his partner, dumping the dregs of last night's ale onto the ground, then stepping towards the cask. "Had a chat with 'em this morning. I humbly report that I got them to quit hating us and got them focused back on Meleager and those whores he rides with."
"You're a wonder Klytus," Stophacles replied. "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Same here," Klytus smiled, dipping his mug and filling it. "Still, it was pretty easy - there are very few mercenary captains who have any love for Amazons. Losing twenty of their best scouts just made 'em hate the Amazon Nation even more."
"Not bad," Stophacles mused, turning it over in his mind how he might use that later.
"Yeah well, like I said it, was easy," Klytus replied. He took a swallow of ale, reminding himself he'd have to send for a couple more casks soon. "Anyway, we're on to plan Beta - your plan from the start, by the way."
"Should have been plan Alpha. It was easier to begin with," Stophacles said smugly. "A caravan that large and unusual can't move anywhere without being noticed, and they pretty much have to cross at Byzantium. Just keep sending small groups of men to hang out in taverns across eastern Thrace - they'll turn up news sooner or later."
"Yeah well, time is money," Klytus sighed, settling back into his chair and taking another swig.
"No problem," Stophacles chuckled. "We shouldn't have all these hired troops around and just leave 'em doing sword drills and buggering each other. Tomorrow we'll send out a raiding party or two, have 'em bring back some flesh. Sirrus will be in a buying mood this time of year, and he's only a day or so west. A little spending money will make everyone happier."
"Stoph, pour yourself an ale," Klytus said, raising his mug. "I knew there was a reason I keep you around."
Stophacles chuckled again, filling his own mug. "Not the only reason, I hope."
Klytus took another swallow, watching his muscled partner over the rim of his mug. "So tell me," he said finally, "is this objection to buggery just among the hired help, or in general?"
"Well," Stophacles replied, settling into his own chair next to Klytus and licking his lips, "rank does have its privileges."
The next few days were great as far as Gabrielle was concerned, in spite of everything. During the time they traveled to Byzantium the caravan only came across one other band of slavers, a small one which the scouts spotted well before the main group was anywhere near them. Xena, Meleager and a few others snuck into their camp in the night and captured them easily.
There was little other trouble, and Gabrielle spent most of her time riding with Lilith. True, there was a period every day after the noon meal when the immortal and her priestesses would close themselves up inside a wagon for an hour or so to meditate, and during this time Gabrielle walked with Solari, since Xena was often too busy.
The rest of the day Gabrielle was glued to her seat in the wagon across from the vastly ancient Lilith, a bit in awe, just letting the immortal talk and studiously writing everything down. Hearing so much history from someone who'd been there was an amazing experience for the ever-curious young bard. Lilith was patient, full of humor, and could recall almost every sensory detail, no matter how insignificant.
There were the odd times and places Lilith didn't seem to want to talk about, but this wasn't anything new for Gabrielle. Skirting around a rough subject was second nature to someone who traveled with Xena, and the bard was adept at letting certain things drop and asking about something else.
Knowing that Lilith could sense her every emotion made Gabrielle extremely self-conscious at first, but soon it just made things much easier - no matter what sort of offhand comment she made, she never had to backtrack and explain herself. It's a lot like talking to Xena, the bard thought. Xena just knows me so well I can say almost anything, and most of the time she knows just how I meant it, no matter how stupidly I say it.
And in fact, her daily history lessons with Lilith paled next to what Gabrielle began to feel happening with Xena, despite the little time they could spend together. True, the warrior was busy safeguarding the caravan along with Meleager, Morgin, and Solari. It was also clear that, ultimately, everyone looked to the ex-warlord to keep them safe, a burden Xena accepted without a shrug.
Yet Gabrielle knew her companion well enough to sense that inside, Xena wasn't as calm as she seemed. The warrior had a lot of weight on her shoulders, and Gabrielle quickly determined that somehow, she would create a space where Xena could relax.
The day after the attack by Penthus and his men, Gabrielle had told a couple of stories to the women gathered around Lilith's tent, then excused herself while Xena was still out checking the perimeter. By the time the warrior returned to the spot where the two of them were to bed down for the night, Gabrielle had laid out their bedrolls, had a mug of soothing herb tea ready along with a couple of pastries saved from the evening meal, and a large bucket of warm water set near the small fire.
"And what's all this for?" Xena asked, raising an eyebrow as she stepped into the firelight.
"For you," Gabrielle replied simply. "Come on big warrior, have a seat, sip your tea, and let's get you out of that armor."
Xena gave a wry smile but accepted the mug and sat where Gabrielle indicated. "And how do I rate this kind of pampering?"
"Just think of it as payback for all the room service," the bard said warmly as she undid the clasps and buckles. Xena snorted but made no other comment as she dutifully sipped her tea while her armor and boots were patiently removed.
"Come on," Gabrielle insisted, "leathers too."
"Say again?"
"Well, you don't want them wet do you?" the bard teased. "You need a wash, oh Xena, Warrior Stinkweed - I couldn't possibly get any sleep otherwise."
"Well if it bothers you that much, I could always bed down with Argo," Xena replied reasonably.
"Just help me out here," Gabrielle chided with mock sternness as she tugged on the shoulder straps. With a sigh, Xena raised her arms and with a little wiggling, the leathers and breeches were soon carefully laid beside the armor.
Gabrielle mentally steeled herself for what came next. "Now, stand up." She dipped a square of linen in the warm water by the fire and squeezed it out over the warrior's body several times until Xena was thoroughly wetted down, then carefully averted her eyes while she handed Xena the soap and waited until the tall … and gods, incredibly beautiful … woman had lathered herself. Finally Gabrielle lifted the bucket and rinsed the warrior off.
There, see? That was easy enough, the bard noted as she toweled Xena dry, to the warrior's wry amusement. Just ignore the fact she's completely naked and be calm and businesslike. Not as if you haven't seen it before. No problem.
Gabrielle had a single weak moment as she knelt and dried the backs of Xena's thighs, when her eyes, level with the warrior's solid buttocks, were diverted by a tensing ripple of muscle. Without conscious thought, the bard ran the linen over Xena's backside again, even though it was already scrubbed.
Then she quickly caught herself and nonchalantly continued down the warrior's legs. The process complete, she helped Xena into a dry shift.
"Sit," Gabrielle said simply, leading Xena to her bedroll. Then the bard began methodically massaging out the day's tension.
"Mmm," Xena yawned minutes later, settling over onto her stomach, "I could get used to this."
"Good," Gabrielle replied, continuing to work. "Then you won't mind it again tomorrow."
"Hmm?"
"You're to report for compulsory unwinding this same time every night until we get to Macedonia," Gabrielle said matter-of-factly. "You have to take care of everyone else from sunrise to sunset - and a watch in between, I might add - so for an hour before bedtime, I'll take care of you."
"Gabrielle…" Xena began, started to rise.
"No arguments Xena," Gabrielle insisted, gently pushing her companion back down. "You can do that stoic warrior thing with everyone else, but I know better. It's a simple fact that you'll be more alert if you're rested and refreshed. I don't seem to have any other responsibilities on this trip, so I'll assume you're my responsibility … Period."
Xena gave a low chuckle. "Stubborn like a mule," the warrior said quietly. "'Sides, kinda always wondered … what it'd be like t'have … Amazon attendant…" she mumbled. Moments later, she was fast asleep.
Gabrielle smiled, knowing there were few people the warrior trusted enough to relax and drift off with that way. She gently caressed Xena's back for a few moments longer, then pulled a blanket over the sleeping woman, took off her own boots, and lay down beside her. She ran her hand over the raven hair for a moment. "Pleasant dreams, Xena," she whispered.
The next morning, the warrior arose feeling better than she could ever remember feeling while pulling duty. Admit it Xena, the warrior chuckled to herself, stretching pleasantly under the pre-dawn sky, she had a point. Didn't even realize how tense I've been. Gods, if I had an attendant like her in my army I could've conquered all of Greece by the time I was twenty. The idea sobered her a little, but she quickly pushed it aside. I guess the only thing I'm happier about than that I didn't have one then is that I do now.
Then she paused again. Gods, I really am happy. How'd that happen? I'm in the middle of an armed camp, on a fool's errand to guard the most tempting target in the Known World, probably in worse danger than I can even guess, and I still feel great just to be alive. Makes no sense. She regarded the small woman at her feet, noting again how pretty Gabrielle was as she slept. Then again…
The warrior sighed, looked up at the pale sky. "I need a run," she said out loud, then stretched for a moment and took off at an easy jog in the direction of the road.
By the time Xena had returned from her brief exercises and some light drills, Gabrielle was sitting up and rubbing her face. The warrior smiled. "Morning, sleepyhead."
The bard stared at her with bleary green eyes. "Lemme guess - you've just spent the last hour lifting boulders or something, and now you've come back to scold me for being merely human and needing my sleep, right?"
"Something like that," Xena replied, still smiling. "But I guess I can hold off on the scolding part." She stretched a little. "Actually, I really do feel good…" She looked to her companion. "Thank you, Gabrielle."
The bard grinned, felt herself blush a little. "Well, I'm glad. And you're welcome." An impish look crossed her face. "So um, how just how good do you feel?"
Xena raised an eyebrow. "Good enough to toss you out of that bedroll if you can't get out yourself."
"Couldn't hold off the scolding part for long, could you?"
"Gabrielle…"
"OK, OK … I'm up - see?"
From then on, each night during what Xena jokingly referred to as "Gabrielle's Ritual", the bard felt the closeness between them growing again. It was, the young woman thought, a nice side effect. Makes me wish I'd thought of this sooner, the bard mused. Like two years ago.
A couple of nights later, after the warrior's rubdown, Xena stayed awake long enough to lie back next to Gabrielle, just so they could look for patterns in the stars together. It was a game they had played many times, but somehow hadn't in a while. The bard also noted that Xena had settled on taking first watch. It meant that Gabrielle had to stay awake for an extra couple of hours before Xena returned for The Ritual, but it also - the bard couldn't help notice - meant they could drift off to sleep together, and wake together in the morning.
Gabrielle soon found the hours during the day talking with the ancient and wise Lilith oddly unimportant compared to these precious moments with Xena. In fact, while riding in the wagon each day she often found her attention wandering with thoughts of the warrior. C'mon here bard, Gabrielle reprimanded herself, you've got someone who's been around since the world was created sitting right in front of you, ready to tell you almost anything you want to know, and all you can think about is getting back to Xena.
But she had to admit to herself it was true. Questions, answers, history, philosophy - nothing meant anything until Xena rode by, made some comment, then rode away again. When the caravan stopped for the mid-day meal, Gabrielle always made sure she had it ready for the warrior, so they could eat together and talk about inconsequential things, or not say anything at all.
They were back to the way they'd always been, circumstances aside. Actually, even better. And it was wonderful.
She should have known it wouldn't last.
The night before they reached the Bosphorus, Xena was lying comfortably on her stomach while Gabrielle knelt at her side, working her small, strong hands over the warrior's back. Knowing that tomorrow's crossing of the strait would be one of the roughest parts of the journey, Xena seemed a little more tense than usual and the bard took special care, finding every knot and sore spot. She chatted away quietly as she did, just rambling on about what she had talked about with Lilith earlier, not even really paying attention to what she said.
"She and Meleager are in some kind of holding pattern," the bard went on. "She says he's gotten comfortable with how close they are, but can't quite bring himself to admit it. I told her about that talk I had with him while we were with the Amazons - remember the one I told you about?" Though Artemis knows I only told you half of it…
"Mmm-hmm," Xena agreed. The warrior was dangling on the edge of sleep, and her temptation to simply give in was fighting with her desire to stay awake so the two of them could lie close and drift off together. When that had become important to her Xena couldn't say, but it had, and she'd accepted it before she even consciously noticed it.
"Anyway," Gabrielle went on, her voice like an anchor keeping Xena within the realm of the conscious, "Lilith thanked me for my help. Then I … well, I couldn't help telling her how nice it was spending this time together with you every night, how much, you know, closer and more relaxed you've been. She kind of laughed and said she was glad she could help me too. You know, I don't think immortals are as aloof from the rest of us as they're made out to be."
It took a moment for the implications of Gabrielle's words to sink in, but suddenly the warrior was wide awake. "What did you say?"
The bard felt Xena's back go rigid, was suddenly confused. "I, uh, said I don't think she's as aloof…"
"No," Xena replied, raising and half turning her head, "before that."
"She said, um, she said she was glad she could help me too, I guess." Gabrielle wondered how she'd managed to say something wrong. "What's the matter Xena?"
Xena rested her chin on her crossed arms. Wrong? That Whore Priestess has been pushing you and me closer since day one, that's what's wrong! And I let you spend all that time in her wagon, knowing how Lilith can manipulate someone's emotions. Dumb! The warrior closed her eyes, mind racing. All right, I don't know why she'd do that, but she's an immortal and who knows why she might do anything?
Then some other part of Xena broke in. Hold on now. Admit it's also possible Lilith has had nothing to do with how Gabrielle has been treating you, and even if Lilith has, Gabrielle might not even know it. Take this slow, or you'll hurt Gabrielle, and whatever is going on that's a risk I won't take.
It took only a split second for this to flash through Xena's mind. "Nothing," the warrior replied, forcing herself to relax. "I guess it's nothing."
But Gabrielle felt the change, and felt her heart plummet at the same time. Oh Artemis, no! she screamed inside. What did I do? When am I going to learn to keep my mouth shut!
"Heh, that's good," the bard said weakly, "thought I'd upset you for a moment there." She went back to working her companion's muscled back, but the feeling was gone.
Xena arose as soon as she was certain Gabrielle was asleep, donning her leathers, armor and weapons as usual, but instead of moving towards the central watch post, she headed directly for Lilith's tent. No point in being subtle, the warrior figured, spitefully. The state I'm in, she's bound to feel I'm coming.
Xena pushed past the flaps of the tent, found Lilith reclined on her cushions. There were a few scrolls spread out around the Priestess, but the immortal faced forward, arms crossed. "So," Lilith said evenly, "you are angry with me, I can see."
"Yeah, you can see all right," Xena spat. "But it's what you can do that interests me. Tell me what you've been doing to me and Gabrielle. No poetry, no philosophy. The truth … Now!" she growled.
Lilith gave a half smile. "I am, I think, tempted to ask what you plan to do if I do not care to answer, or how you will insure I do not lie?"
Without warning, Xena launched herself at the Priestess, automatically jabbing forward to cut off the flow of blood to Lilith's brain - a silly thing to do to an immortal, but it would probably immobilize the smaller woman if nothing else.
In a blur Xena found herself on her back, Lilith lying beside her, the Priestess' arms and legs twisted and locked through her own in a hold the warrior recognized, but which surprised her. It was a hold of last resort, since although it didn't require much strength, any attempt to escape would leave them both with broken bones if it succeeded. Then it quickly dawned on Xena that Lilith would recover in moments, but she'd be helpless. For an immortal, this hold was perfect.
Dumb, the warrior scolded herself, she's had thousands of years to practice, probably forgotten more moves than I've ever heard of and she can't even get tired. A frontal assault was an idiot's game. Xena made herself relax. "All right Lilith," she said evenly, "you've made your point. Now what?"
Lilith leaned in and affectionately whispered into Xena's ear. "How about I tell the truth, brave one? Would that be acceptable?"
Although it wasn't easy, given the hold, Xena managed to turn her head to face the Priestess. "Like you said, how do I know I can trust you?"
Lilith laughed. "Very well. I offer you a deal, warrior - I will release you and make no further struggle. Pummel me if you so choose. I will not stop you. But know this - if you do not, then I will tell you the truth, bare and plain, and hide nothing. All this I swear before Inanna, may she reject me forever if I lie."
Lilith tilted her head forward until their faces were almost touching, her voice just above a whisper. "However, brave warrior, perhaps more important than whether I will give the truth, is whether you are ready to hear it."
Xena found herself pausing for a moment. "Ready when you are," she said flatly.
"So be it," Lilith answered.
The Priestess carefully extricated herself and pulled away until she lay on her side, head propped on her hand with a seductive glint her eye. "Now, shall we begin the beating? Might I send for ropes? Or perhaps you would prefer leather thongs?"
Xena sat up, rubbing her wrist, the thought occurring to her that Lilith might actually be serious. The warrior wasn't amused. "Maybe later," she sneered.
Lilith cocked her head. "Then I take it you have questions. Ask."
Xena tried to get her glare back. "That first day we met, you pushed Gabrielle and I to … you made us get closer. Why?"
Without losing eye contact, Lilith went from playful to sober in a single instant. "That I apologize for, Xena," she replied. "Indeed, it shames me, for I did so to help fulfill a bargain -"
"What!" Xena narrowed her eyes. "A bargain? With who?" she demanded.
Lilith shook her head. "As I said, I apologize. I have told you of my first night among the Amazons, when I spoke with Artemis -"
"Artemis? So she's behind it!" the warrior stood, clenching her fists, eyes darting around as if she expected Artemis to appear any moment. When will all you blasted Olympians leave me alone!
"Xena," Lilith sighed, not moving. "Mortals have little time, and this will go much more quickly if you let go of your anger and listen. Do you see?"
Xena shot her a look. "Well why don't you just 'reach out' and calm me down?"
Lilith rolled onto her back, one arm behind her head, sighing as she stared at the ceiling. "This I could do, but it would serve nothing. I say again - you overestimate my gifts. One such as you would shake it off in mere heartbeats. You came to me for the truth, and I have sworn truth before Inanna. Hear it or leave. To one such as I, to whom this memory will be as that of a moment's breath, it matters not."
Xena thought about it, then made herself calm. "All right," she said finally. "Go on."
The Priestess turned to look at Xena for a moment, then inhaled slowly. "As you are aware Xena, as Queen of the Amazons, Gabrielle is the favored of Artemis. I should also tell you that I believe, although I do not know with certainty, that your bard was somehow her chosen even before Terreis gave her the Right of Caste - indeed, it is possible this is why it happened. I tell you this only because I have sworn to hide nothing. In itself it does not matter. What is important is that, as her favored, Artemis is bound by the laws of Olympus to listen to Gabrielle's prayers, and must in time respond to what she prays for."
"Gabrielle?" Xena blinked in confusion. "What could she pray for?"
"You," Lilith responded simply. "Always for you. She prays for your safety every time you enter battle. Every night she prays you will sleep in peace, and every day she prays you will let go of your guilt. She prays you will find happiness. She prays her love is strong enough for you both, that should she die, you will not return to darkness. And, at times, she prays that you will some day love her in return, though not often, as this is all she ever asks for herself."
Xena was stunned. By the gods Gabrielle, I knew you loved me, but I had no idea … No, damn me to Tartarus, yes I did, the warrior growled at herself, it's as plain as the sun. It's there in every look and gesture and breath she takes. And how many times have days passed without me even smiling back? "But…" Xena struggled, "she has to know I … love her…"
"As you choose to believe," Lilith replied. "Yet Gabrielle has never been as sure as that. So Artemis offered a bargain: She would allow her Amazons to protect my followers on our journey, if I would do what I could to see that her chosen would be happy, by seeing you be happy, and by finding the love Gabrielle has so long wished for. I agreed, on condition that I saw what the Huntress saw."
Xena set her jaw and focused on Lilith again. "And what was that?"
Lilith smiled, shifted around. "When you entered my tent that day, even without using my gifts the bond between you was so strong, so plain, I thought Artemis had given me something for nothing. I admit as well that my joy at being reunited with my dear one filled me with love, such that I wished only to share it. And so, that one time, I reached out to you both and released what you felt for one another. It shames me now, but in truth it was so easy, I did not see the wrong in it."
"Oh, and why think it's wrong? It's what you do, isn't it?" Xena asked, trying to make her suspicion rise.
"Ah Xena," Lilith breathed. "You have a heart that is heavy and guarded in a way so close to my own I did not at first see it for what it was. And Gabrielle - her very openness to those around her hides her depth from them." The Priestess shook her head slowly, then looked up again. "Xena, immortal I am, but I am also very human. I can make mistakes. Only when I saw into you and spoke to you later that night, and did the same with Gabrielle nights after, did I realize the love you both so carefully reach for is one I have seen only rarely, and experienced much less. To push you together might, in truth, make you happy - indeed it would, I am sure, spare you no little pain - but it would rob you both of so much more. You must, in a word, find each other, and by your own path, for as this happens you will each heal and grow - together. You can fill each other's hearts and souls in ways you have barely begun to see, Xena, and for two such as yourselves, the journey is as important as the destination."
"Spare me your romantic notions," Xena replied, more spitefully than she felt. "In all that time Gabrielle's been spending with you, don't pretend you haven't been pushing her. How long does this 'reaching out' thing last?"
"Xena, I pretend nothing," Lilith smiled gently. "I tell you, in perfect honesty, I can affect someone only as long as they allow it - as I said, you would shrug it off in a single breath if you wished to feel otherwise. As for what has passed between me and Gabrielle, we have done naught but talk."
"Oh no, Gabrielle said you were glad to help!"
"Yes warrior, and help her I have," Lilith replied softly. "As we have talked, often we talk of you. She loves you so greatly, yet she fears she will make some mistake, perhaps push you away. There have been few she could turn to for advice on such things, and in this I have counseled her as I am able, and am happy to have done so. Yet I swear before Inanna I have done no more than this, nor will I, not for gods nor mortals. Anything Gabrielle has done or said, she has done for her own reasons, and no other."
Then Lilith gave a wry smile. "This is true also of any feelings you have had in return, and whatever these may be, I am not the one to blame. That responsibility lies in your heart warrior, and yours alone. If it is truth you seek, brave one, I suggest you look there."
Xena suddenly felt dizzy. The immortal's words drove through her like a naked blade. Is that what I'm doing? Trying to find some excuse to avoid how Gabrielle makes me feel? Why would … I feel … anything … Oh gods… "Why are you telling me this?"
Lilith's smile warmed. "Because you asked."
"And I'm supposed to just believe you?" The warrior's eyes narrowed.
Lilith met them evenly, open and calm. "Yes."
Xena searched the Priestess' face for a moment, found she couldn't hold her gaze. The warrior adjusted her bracers absently, avoiding Lilith's eyes. "I have to go stand watch now. Thanks for … not breaking my arm."
"There is no need to thank me, Xena," Lilith said as the warrior opened the flap of the tent, the Priestesses' voice following as she left. "The greatest truth is that I have said little you did not already know."
Xena walked slowly to where Argo was tethered. "C'mon girl," she patted the mare's nose. "Let's find Meleager, huh? Give that stallion of his a rest? What do you say? You like Melampus, don't you?" Argo whinnied softly.
Xena took the reins in her hand and strode off in the general direction of the central post.
It was going to be a long night.
"Gabrielle? Gabrielle … C'mon bard, wake up…"
Gabrielle stirred, mumbled, started to turn back over. With another insistent nudge she groggily lifted her head. "Uhh … yeah OK, cuhmmin…" One bleary eye opened, took in the color of the sky, then rolled back around and fixed an accusing glance on the warrior. "Bit early, innit?"
"Yeah, it is," Xena smiled lightly, clad only in her leathers as she knelt beside the bard, "but we're crossing the Bosphorus today and things are going to be rough enough. I don't want them any rougher, so I had something I wanted to say."
"Whoa … waitaminnit," Gabrielle struggled up until she was propped back on her elbows, shook her head to clear it. "Let me see if I get this … You got me up early so we could talk?"
Xena's smile widened but she gave a nonchalant shrug. "Yeah…" Her smile tightened, stayed firm. "I guess I did."
"Hang on, I gotta make sure I'm awake for this." The bard sat up fully, rubbed her eyes and brushed her hair back, then settled her totally conscious gaze on the warrior. "OK, what is it?"
Xena looked down for a moment, took a breath. "Gabrielle," she began, "I want you to know that the past few nights have been … very special…"
Gods no! Gabrielle screamed inside. Here's where she tells me it has to stop…
"…which is why I'm sorry for tensing up on you last night. It didn't really have anything to do with you. Not really. Not at all." The warrior exhaled and shook her head slightly. "It was my problem, not yours." Then Xena straightened and smiled. "You can pamper me any time."
The bard blinked. "That's … it?" Merciful Artemis … did she just apologize?
For a moment the warrior looked thoughtful, then just raised her eyebrow. "Yeah…" She shrugged again. "I guess that's it."
Gabrielle nodded, smiling slightly, though she still looked confused. "Well … OK. I'll um, I'll keep doing it then - pamper you, I mean."
Xena laughed once, which sounded both amused and relieved. Then the warrior tentatively ran her hand through Gabrielle's hair and gently cupped the back of the bard's head. "Good," Xena nodded, smiling but oddly uncertain, pale blue eyes staring into green. "That's good. 'Cause … I think I need it."
Xena's words and the warmth her eyes made Gabrielle's heart do strange things inside her chest - like it didn't know whether to speed up or stop entirely. I can't be awake, the bard thought. Because I just thought I heard Xena say she needed me. Nope, not awake. Still asleep. Gonna open my eyes now any second.
Gabrielle closed her eyes. "Pinch me."
"Say again?"
"I have to be dreaming this," the bard said in perfect seriousness. "Convince me I'm awake. Pinch me."
"Hmm … I've a better idea - sleepyhead," came the sly reply.
A moment later, Gabrielle found herself being tossed out of her bedroll - and straight up in the air. Her eyes flew open wide as Xena caught her, then, laughing, tossed her up again. In spite of herself, the bard squealed in surprise and delight.
When Gabrielle was safely back on the ground, the warrior settled her hands on the smaller woman's shoulders, her thumbs tracing tingling circles in the smooth skin. "Convinced?"
Xena's smile was brighter and warmer than the morning sky.
Her heart pounding, Gabrielle laughed around the knot that suddenly formed in her throat. Her vision blurred as her eyes brimmed with tears. "Xena?" she managed to gasp, blinking.
The warrior's incredible blue eyes were also brimming over, and a single drop ran down Xena's cheek as she nodded, still smiling. She leaned closer and whispered, simply, "Yes."
Gabrielle's arms flew around her warrior, gripping her as if life depended on it, feeling the warmth that flowed from Xena's strong arms as they folded around her in return. "Gods," Gabrielle sobbed into the embrace, "I love you Xena … love you so much…"
"Gabrielle," Xena breathed, pressing her face into Gabrielle's hair, "I am so … sorry … for so many things." She shut her eyes, the scent and feel of the woman pressed against her and the strength of their emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Xena pulled her bard tight and let them. "I love you Gabrielle … I am so in love with you. Never, ever doubt how much…"
They held each other close. How long it lasted, neither could say, nor did they care. The warm bond of love between them, shared at last, was all that mattered.